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Griner blossoming in WNBA after rough 1st year

By WTOP Staff

BOB BAUM
AP Sports Writer

PHOENIX (AP) — After a tough first season in the WNBA, Brittney Griner is blossoming into the player everyone thought she would be, all the while embracing her status as a role model for gay youth.

” We need more people in the LGBT community to step up and be role models,” she said. “I definitely take that on.”

Last season, after a record-setting career at Baylor, Griner came out and wrote a candid memoir, “In My Skin,” that was critical of her college coach, Kim Mulkey. And she wasn’t dominating games the way people had projected.

“The book wasn’t a distraction, really,” Griner said. “Just all the media from last year, being a rookie, was crazy.”

After playing in China during the WNBA offseason, Griner returned to the Phoenix Mercury stronger and more confident. As teammate Diana Taurasi said, “She’s a totally different player.”

“She’s gained her confidence back, her aggression,” Taurasi said, “her confidence on what she wants to do on the court, and obviously defensively she’s a huge force.”

Griner, marvelously fluid at 6-foot-8, had her second dunk of the season in a victory Tuesday, when Phoenix won its 11th in a row and improved to a league-leading 17-3 record.

“She went to China and she really put the work in,” Mercury first-year coach Sandy Brondello said, “and she’s put the work in here every day we’ve been here. So it’s about getting physically strong and just understanding, ‘OK, these are the things I need to work on to be a force in this league.'”

With Taurasi, Griner will represent the Mercury in the WNBA All-Star game Saturday in Phoenix. She is averaging 15.2 points, up from 12.6 as a rookie. She’s pulling down 8.2 rebounds per game, up from 6.3. And, of course, she excels in blocked shots. Her 77 blocks — in 21 games — this season are more than six WNBA teams.

The dunks get the most attention. She has four in 45 games. The rest of the WNBA has six in 3,990 games.

Her first this season came July 29 in Los Angeles, a one-hander when she rose far above the hoop from the baseline and slammed it down.

At Tulsa on June 29, she blocked a WNBA-record 11 shots. She scored a career-high 28 points June 20, also against Tulsa. The previous game, June 16 against Minnesota, she scored 27 points and matched her career high of 18 rebounds. She also had 18 rebounds against San Antonio on June 7.

“Just a year under my belt,” Griner said when asked to explain her better play this season. “I was able to work on my game in the offseason. That’s a big difference.”

She took her skills coach, Dean Demopoulos, when she went to play for Zhejiang Golden Bulls. After experiencing life and basketball far from home, Griner returned stronger and more confident.

Ann Myers Drysdale, one of the great players in women’s basketball history and currently Mercury vice president, said “there’s a sense of maturity” in Griner now.

“I think last year she tried to please everybody,” Myers Drysdale said. “She reminds me a lot of Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal), just that giving back to everybody.”

Brondello said Griner, at 23, is just developing as a player.

“She’s young,” the coach said. “She’s playing against the best players in the world. She’s got all these expectations, but she’s embracing it. She’s very coachable. She’s a great young lady. She wants to be the best, so she’s going to get better and better.”

It has helped greatly that she is surrounded by the veteran talent of Taurasi, Penny Taylor, DeWanna Bonner and Candice Dupree.

“It just helps with your game and takes a lot of pressure off too,” Myers Drysdale said.

And Griner has helped the others.

“If you’ve got a big post player down low,” Brondello said, “it opens it up for everybody else.”

Embracing her role as a prominent gay athlete also has made a difference, those around her say.

“I think it’s great because she’s comfortable in her own skin,” Brondello said, “and she can be a role model for so many people. The public loves her. She gets so much attention but she’s very giving of her time. That’s what I like. She’s a star but she doesn’t have the ego that goes with that.”

Griner likes what she sees as more and more states allow gay marriage. But she knows it’s far from a universal attitude.

“I love the way the country’s changing,” she said. “But it’s still a big issue. A lot of states are changing rules, but it’s still tough.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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