Sun Host 2010 CIAC Girls Basketball Championship Luncheon
High School girls’ basketball took center stage once again at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center as the eight teams playing for the four CIAC Class Championships gathered Wednesday for the 2010 championship luncheon.
Coaches, players and administrators from Norwich Free Academy, Mercy, Hillhouse, Wethersfield, Brookfield, Kolbe Cathedral, Portland and St. Paul Catholic were on hand for the event, with WTNH Channel 8 sports anchor John Pierson serving as the Master of Ceremonies.
One player from each of the eight teams addressed the crowd of about 200, and Vice President and General Manager Chris Sienko closed the program by urging the players to savor a moment they have worked hard to earn. But he also reminded them to remember the big picture.
“Basketball is fleeting,” Sienko said. “The game of life is forever.”
The keynote speaker for the program was Connecticut Sun guard Kara Lawson. Although she was only recently signed by the Sun as a free agent, Lawson is well known for her experience on and off the court. A former star at the University of Tennessee who has won a WNBA championship and a gold medal, Lawson is also making a name for herself as an analyst with ESPN.
On Wednesday, Lawson recalled her own high school memories from her days as a point guard at West Springfield in Virginia, where she won state titles as a sophomore and a senior.
It was an upset loss in the state tournament during her junior year that she remembered most, however, because it inspired her to improve her three-point shooting. As a senior the next year, her three-point shooting helped carry West Springfield through some close playoff games and on to a second state title.
“You never know when your defining moment will come,” Lawson said.
This was the fifth straight year the Connecticut Sun has hosted the CIAC girls’ basketball state championship banquet. On June 6th, the Sun will recognize the four state champions on court at halftime of the game against the San Antonio Silver Stars. Each team will receive a commemorative plaque, and framed team jerseys will be hung on the concourse throughout the 2010 WNBA season.
Coaches, players and administrators from Norwich Free Academy, Mercy, Hillhouse, Wethersfield, Brookfield, Kolbe Cathedral, Portland and St. Paul Catholic were on hand for the event, with WTNH Channel 8 sports anchor John Pierson serving as the Master of Ceremonies.
One player from each of the eight teams addressed the crowd of about 200, and Vice President and General Manager Chris Sienko closed the program by urging the players to savor a moment they have worked hard to earn. But he also reminded them to remember the big picture.
“Basketball is fleeting,” Sienko said. “The game of life is forever.”
The keynote speaker for the program was Connecticut Sun guard Kara Lawson. Although she was only recently signed by the Sun as a free agent, Lawson is well known for her experience on and off the court. A former star at the University of Tennessee who has won a WNBA championship and a gold medal, Lawson is also making a name for herself as an analyst with ESPN.
On Wednesday, Lawson recalled her own high school memories from her days as a point guard at West Springfield in Virginia, where she won state titles as a sophomore and a senior.
It was an upset loss in the state tournament during her junior year that she remembered most, however, because it inspired her to improve her three-point shooting. As a senior the next year, her three-point shooting helped carry West Springfield through some close playoff games and on to a second state title.
“You never know when your defining moment will come,” Lawson said.
This was the fifth straight year the Connecticut Sun has hosted the CIAC girls’ basketball state championship banquet. On June 6th, the Sun will recognize the four state champions on court at halftime of the game against the San Antonio Silver Stars. Each team will receive a commemorative plaque, and framed team jerseys will be hung on the concourse throughout the 2010 WNBA season.
