HOLLINGSWORTH, TURKEY LOCK UP OLYMPIC BID

Former VCU star Quanitra Hollingsworth averaged 11.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in three games to help Turkey to its first-ever Olympic bid.

ANKARA, Turkey – It’s official. Former VCU star Quanitra Hollingsworth and Turkey are headed to the 2012 London Olympics.

Hollingsworth scored 12 points and added eight rebounds in Turkey’s 72-58 win over Argentina Friday in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament Quarterfinals to send the Turks to the Olympic Games for the first time.

In three games – all victories – Hollingsworth has averaged 11.7 points and 6.3 rebounds for Turkey. The Turks advance to the tournament semifinals on Sunday, but it’s essentially academic. Turkey has already locked up one of five Olympic bid available in Ankara.

Hollingsworth, who holds dual citizenship in the United States and Turkey, will be one of two Rams to participate in the Olympics in recent years. Hayley Moorwood was a member of New Zealand’s women’s soccer squad at the 2008 Games in Beijing, China.

A member of the WNBA’s New York Liberty, Hollingsworth starred at VCU from 2005-09 and led the Rams to their first NCAA Tournament bid in 2009. Hollingsworth ranks third in school history in points and is second in rebounds and double-doubles.

EXACTLY HOW MANY NBA GUYS WAS THAT?

VCU’s Jamie Skeen often got the better of Kansas’ Marcus Morris (pictured in white), scoring 26 points in the Rams’ Southwest Regional Championship victory in 2011.

I know we go to the well with the Final Four thing quite a bit, but sometimes it’s just unavoidable. I had another one of those “holy-crap-what-did-we-actually-do” moments last night while watching the Kentucky Wildcat Disbursement NBA Draft.

I couldn’t help but notice the staggering number of players drafted from the teams VCU beat during that run:

Southern Cal
2011: Nikola Vucevic, first round (16^th overall) Philadelphia 76ers

Georgetown
None (surprising, right?)

Purdue
2011: JaJuan Johnson, first round (27^th overall) New Jersey Nets
2011: E’Twaun Moore, second round (55^th overall) Boston Celtics
*2012: Robbie Hummel, second round (58^th overall) Minnesota Timberwolves
–Hummel was hurt and did not play during 2011 NCAA Tournament

Florida State

Chris Singleton had 16 points and nine rebounds against VCU in 2011, but he couldn’t prevent the Rams from walking away with a 72-71 overtime victory.

2011: Chris Singleton, first round (18^th overall) Washington Wizards
2012: Bernard James, second round (33^rd overall) Cleveland Cavaliers (traded to Dallas)

Kansas
2011: Markieff Morris, first round (13^th overall) Phoenix Suns
2011: Marcus Morris, first round (14^th overall) Houston Rockets
2011: Josh Selby, second round (49^th overall) Memphis Grizzlies
2012: Thomas Robinson, first round (fifth overall) Sacramento Kings
2012: Tyshawn Taylor, second round (41^st overall) Portland Trail Blazers

Butler
2011: Shelvin Mack, second round (34^th overall) Washington Wizards

Not counting Robbie Hummel, who was injured when the Rams played Purdue, VCU played against 11 future NBA draft picks during its Final Four run (beating 10). Kansas has had five NBA draftees on its own! And there could be more (I’m talking to you, Jeff Withey).

Meanwhile, the Rams’ roster (up to this point) hasn’t had a single player drafted from that 2011 team. VCU essentially beat an NBA team to get to the Final Four. I mean, those five Kansas guys couldn’t possibly be any worse than the Charlotte Bobcats last year, could they? But I digress.

The important thing to know is that VCU faced – and defeated – an incredible amount of talent in 2011. Sometimes it’s just worth the time to stop and appreciate it.

CATCHING UP WITH MICHAEL DOLES

Michael Doles helped lead the Rams to back-to-back postseason appearances in 2004 and 2005, kicking off a new “golden age” of VCU hoops.

Michael Doles believes he’s found a suitable replacement for the cheering crowds and adoring fans that showered him with affection during his basketball career.

Just as people used to celebrate his arrival on court before games, they celebrate his arrival on the job site. That’s because he’s the guy that can save their house from burning to the ground.

A former VCU star and professional in Europe, Doles, 30, will celebrate his one-year anniversary as an active firefighter for Prince William County on July 1. It’s been a rewarding experience for the one-time VCU fan favorite.

“When I was in college I wanted to be in the FBI or a police officer. But people want to see a fireman,” Doles said. “A policeman is not as good of a sight. I wanted people to be happy to see me and know the situation is going to get better.”

VCU fans can relate. For three seasons from 2002-05 after transferring from Wright State, the Meadowbrook High School graduate had a habit for lifting the spirits of Rams’ fans. A 6-foot-6, 210-pound forward, Doles averaged 11.2 points and 4.4 rebounds as a junior to help lift the Rams to the 2004 CAA Championship and NCAA Tournament, VCU’s first since 1996.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: CAMPS!

Yup, it’s that time of year. Camp time. In all seriousness, if I was still in college, this thing would be sitting shotgun in my dorm room with me right now, playing Mario Kart like a boss.

DIMINUTIVE PORTER AIMING BIG IN SPAIN

VCU rising sophomore Kiara Porter will represent team USA in Barcelona July 10-15.

RICHMOND, Va. – Before she races, Kiara Porter – VCU’s pint-sized sprinter – has to literally look up to her challengers. But afterwards, Porter’s competitors often find themselves looking up at her on the podium.

A rising sophomore molded from five feet of pure fast-twitch muscle fibers, Porter is soon going to find out if that success will translate internationally.

Last week, the Yorktown, Va. native ran a school-record 53.07 in the 400 meters at the USA Junior Outdoor Championships in Bloomington, Ind. to take fourth. The finish earned Porter a spot on the USA Junior 4×400-meter relay squad at the IAAF World Junior Championships July 10-15 in Barcelona, Spain.

Porter, who has never traveled abroad, will leave for Spain on July 6. In Barcelona, she’ll be one of a pool of six runners that will comprise USA’s 4×400 relay team. The Americans will have to advance through qualifying to reach the finals. Although her relay squad likely won’t run until July 14, she’ll stay busy soaking in the experience.

Porter would be the first Ram to compete at the World Juniors, an accomplishment she hasn’t overlooked.

“That just means so much to me,” she said. “I would’ve never expected to make it this far in track my freshman year. To run on this level, it’s just an honor to be welcomed on the team.”

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? REG MILLAGE

Reg Millage recently son Billy and daughter Anna

Maybe it’s too early to call it, but Reg Millage’s 4 ½-year-old son Billy seems to be a chip off the old block.

“My little guy is playing the bunkers and hitting some shots and having fun riding around in the golf cart. That’s what it’s all about right now,” Millage, a 2000 VCU graduate says.

When and if Billy, or Millage’s 17-month-old daughter Anna, for that matter, decides to take up golf more seriously, they’ll have an accomplished teacher waiting in the wings.

Millage, more than a decade removed from his days as a two-time Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year (1999 and 2000) and 1999 All-American, has transitioned smoothly into his role as director of junior player development at the Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario.

A native of Ennismore, Ontario, Millage, 34, provides instruction and advises junior golfers in the hope that someday they’ll become successful college and professional players.

“We’ve got a really good junior program here,” Millage, a member of four CAA Championship teams at VCU, says. “We’re working with groups of kids, trying to create an all-inclusive program. We’re ultimately trying to get one to [a place like] VCU one day, trying to develop some kids that would get a Division I scholarship.”

Millage was named All-America in 1999 and collected two CAA Player of the Year awards (’99, ’00) at VCU.

There are kids as young as 4 years old in the program, but most don’t start moving into a competitive mode until around 10. That’s where Millage comes in.

Millage starred for VCU from 1996-2000, first under late Hall of Fame Coach Jack Bell, then under current Rams’ Coach Matt Ball. He won the CAA’s Rookie of the Year award in 1997 and grabbed the first of his four All-CAA First Team citations. In 2000, one year after earning All-America honors, he qualified as an individual for the NCAA Golf Championship.

After graduating from VCU in 2000 with a degree in business, Millage spent a few years playing as a full-time professional golfer. Off the course, he married his high school sweetheart Lesley in 2006. Around the same time, Millage decided to dedicate more time to his teaching efforts.

“It was always a bit of a natural fit,” he said of coaching. “I enjoyed playing the game a lot and competing and this was a way to stay involved with it.”

When he was growing up in Ontario, Millage never had the benefit of a program like the one at Glen Abbey. But in 2010, the International Olympic Committee announced that golf would be added to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The decision led to an increased interest by the Canadian government in creating a system for developing youth golfers. It also means Millage will likely have no problem staying busy in the near future.

When he’s not teaching golf, he’s showing that he can still play a little too. Millage is ranked in the top 20 among club professionals in Canada and won an Order of Merit from Ontario in 2009 for his efforts.

MEN’S BASKETBALL FLASHBACK: J-ROD SETS SINGLE-GAME ASSIST RECORD

Happy birthday to VCU alum and current pro basketballer Joey Rodriguez. In honor of the day, here’s Rodriguez breaking VCU’s single-game assist record with 17 against UNC Greensboro on Nov. 12, 2010.

YOUR OFFICIAL NERDY SPORTS INFO ATLANTIC 10 NAME GAME PRIMER

So, you think you can work in sports info? Well, listen up here, sonny.

Yesterday we were unofficially officially welcomed to the Atlantic 10 by league staffers with a riveting Power Point presentation and wooed with pewter coasters. Yes, my loyalty can be bought, and the price is pretty low. For many of us, it was our first administrative act as totally almost official but not official until July 1 members of the league.

This allowed for a chance for all us sports information/media relations types to get together and discuss incredibly sports info things.

A little background info. I’m a sports nerd. It’s a condition that affects thousands of adolescents a year. If left untreated, your children could grow up to work in sports information like me.

By the time I was 14, I was pouring over the USA Today sports section on a daily basis because they had the best stats. I can still tell you that Cleveland Indians third baseman Brook Jacoby hit 32 homers in 1987, but somehow only managed to drive in 69 runs. I know that Scottie Pippen was actually drafted by the Seattle Supersonics and that Johnny Unitas retired a Charger. I know that Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn and that the Washington Senators are now the Minnesota Twins (1961) and Texas Rangers (1972). I’m one of six people on the East Coast under the age of 50 that can score a baseball game by hand.

In high school, I managed to mask my sports nerdness to participating in undeniably cool sports like bowling and cross country.

Anyway, yesterday we sports info folks had an opportunity to do some of the most sports info stuff ever. Things like: In StatCrew, does the A-10 enter player names last name first, use the full first name or just the initial? Do you type the name in all caps or in upper and lower case letters (for the record, the A-10 is last names first – in all caps – followed by the first name in upper and lower case letters). Exciting, right?

Here’s my favorite part of the meeting, which is equal parts inane and helpful, especially to VCU fans. Here at Ram HQ, we’ve been fighting the VCU brand fight for years. For the record, there are two acceptable ways to reference your school. It’s either Virginia Commonwealth University (first reference) or VCU. It’s been an uphill battle within our own league to get people to stop using Va. Commonwealth as an abbreviation. We do this because, frankly, Va. Commonwealth looks terrible and is difficult to market and understand. VCU is sleek and looks great on a t-shirt. Plus, chicks dig it.

WELCOME TO THE A-10!

This move to the Atlantic 10 is already paying dividends. Best. League. Ever. I can tell you I never got a CAA coaster.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIC MAYNOR

I don’t stop to recognize too many VCU-related birthdays, but then again, few players have the body of work of Eric Maynor. So, happy 25th birthday to VCU’s favorite son. Still the best I’ve seen don the black and gold.

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This literally never gets old

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