Page 23 - 7-17-15 Friday's Edition

Sports
All-Star Game Was The Mike Trout Show
MIKE TROUT’S
CINCINNATI — It was Mike Trout’s night. It was Mike Trout’s All-Star Game. And it’s now, officially, Mike Trout’s sport. Trout become the first man in history to win back-to-back All-Star MVP awards - at age 23 - in the American League’s 6-3 thumping of the National League.
Trout’s box-score line might not have looked as im- pressive as, say, Lorenzo Cain’s (2-for-3, with a huge RBI double), or Prince Fielder’s (1-for-1, with a sac- rifice fly and two RBIs). But the MVP, in his own inim- itable, flipped Zack Greinke’s 94 mph fastball, on the out- side corner, into the seats in right field. It was the sixth leadoff home run in All-Star history, not to mention the first run Greinke had given up in more than a month.
Toronto Raptors Team Up With WNBA Star At Summer League
Becky Hammon is getting plenty of publicity as the first female full- time NBA assistant coach. She’s also the first woman to coach a Summer League entry. Both jobs are with the San Antonio Spurs, but there’s an- other former WNBA star turning heads from behind the bench and she’s doing it with the Toronto Rap- tors.
Lindsey Harding’s resume does not show that she has 16 years in the WNBA as Hammon’s does, but she was a first overall pick in 2007 out of Duke, and similar to Hammon, she’s used her basketball skills to travel around the world.
Harding sees herself jumping into the coaching fraternity in the NBA one day. At 31, however, she is not quite done playing the game.
Harding’s coaching journey began last fall as a guest observer role at Raptors training camp, thanks to Vegas Summer League founder, War- ren Legarie.
Legarie introduced Harding to Raptors General Manager, Masai Ujiri and then head coach, Dwane Casey, and that led to her training camp invitation.
Harding learned a lot when the Raptors were at the Fortius Training Centre in Buraby, British Columbia. last year, but she got involved in actual coaching when she arrived in Vegas.
LINDSEY HARDING
Harding is the daughter of Michael Harding of Houston, Texas, and Tampan Lillian An- drews Ponquinette.
“I always knew she’d excel,” said her mom.
“She’s always been athletic and has always loved basketball. Also, coaching has always been a dream of hers, and grew with her close friend- ship with Becky, whose success in getting into the NBA inspired her.”
Ms. Andrews-Ponquinette said Lindsey’s experience at Duke taught her a lot and prepared her for a future in coaching.
“When Lindsey was at Duke, she sat out a year, and gained a lot of knowledge sitting next to her coach and observing what was going on. I think all of her dreams are starting to open up.
“Times have changed, and a long time ago women never thought about coaching on a professional level. I re- ally thought she’d go into broadcast- ing at the end of her WNBA career, and that might still be a part of her future.”
Her mom says “in the end, Lind- sey will be remembered as a former Duke player, but not as a former WNBA player.”
“You have to open doors of op- portunity for yourself, and she and Becky have been very fortunate.”
FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 13-A