The Atlanta Hawks Summer League team defeated the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, advancing to the Las Vegas Summer League’s Final Four. They were as tired as the Suns, but as was the case Sunday in their come-from-behind win over the Hawks, the Spurs used defense to get them back in the game and ultimately take it over.
Advertisement
Similarly, Jonathon Simmons, who won the championship’s MVP honors, said it has been “amazing” to have Hammon on the sidelines. “They really started to kind of gel here these last two or three games”, she said.
“I consider just like we have viewed monumental transform in our culture, just in the last 10 years, I assume that is another ceiling, one more barrier that will be damaged”, Silver mentioned. “They just competed. They were exhausted, and they fought through a lot”, Hammon told Sporting News.
Leading the way were Treveon Graham and title game MVP Jonathan Simmons, who came off the bench to score 22 and 23 points respectively. “That’s something we all like”. Most fans knew little or nothing about Hammon before the hiring, but she was one of most talented point guards the WNBA has ever seen. Hammon played her high school ball in South Dakota, where she was recognized by scouts and received a athletic scholarship to play collegiate at Colorado State University. Tavares’s offensive game has improved significantly during the Las Vegas Summer League, and his performance on Saturday showed his progress. “You need pioneers. And there have been other pioneers before her, but you couldn’t ask for more of a complete package as far as a former player, a student of the game and somebody who’s able to work in a strong organization like the Spurs…I couldn’t be prouder of Becky.'”. This trait is something that endeared her to the community of San Antonio for the time that she played there.
“She’s a firecracker, she takes no prisoners, she’s got a great personality”, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said during a visit to Minnesota in the regular season.
“There is always a caveat to the summer league, ” one long-time personnel man said after watching games in Orlando, Utah and Las Vegas over the past few weeks.
Advertisement
In a year that has seen unbelievable things in sports by women such as the stories of Caitlyn Jenner, Mo’ne Davis, and the U.S. Women’s National Team, Becky Hammon has flown somewhat under the radar. Not only did she make history to become the first woman to coach a summer league team, she also became the first woman to win it all. That’s how you tap in to motivate young people.
