World Financial Group

The NCAA basketball season has come to an end.  Associates and employees of World Financial Group, a proud sponsor of Pac-10 athletics, had a fantastic time watching these teams on the hardwood.  When the end came, two teams from the Pac-10 were left standing – Oregon State’s men’s basketball team played in the finals of the inaugural College Basketball Invitational and Stanford’s women’s basketball team made it to the “Final Four” of the Women’s NCAA tournament.

The Oregon State Beavers made it to the finals of the 2009 CBI.  Their opponent in the best-of-three championship series was the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Miners.  As recapped earlier, OSU won game one, while UTEP took game two.  A deciding game three was required.  And everyone knows that “deciding” games of any kind make for the best games around.

The Beavers were going to make sure that would happen.  Guard Rickey Claitt scored 28 points, including five baskets from beyond the 3 point arc.  His fellow guard Lathen Wallace scored 14 and center Roeland Schaftenaar had 12 points on their way to their 81-73 win.  This marks Oregon State’s first ever men’s basketball postseason title.  All of us WFG were excited about Oregon State’s win.

The Stanford Cardinals made it into the “Final Four” by a resounding victory over Iowa State.  However, their next opponent was top seed (and undefeated) Connecticut.  And, like the proverbial juggernaut, the Huskies could not be stopped.  Despite the efforts of Cardinal center Jayne Appel with 26 points, Stanford fell to Connecticut 83-64.  But there were two bright spots in addition to Jayne for the Cardinals - Forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike had Stanford’s only double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds and forward Kayla Pedersen scored 10 points.  

World Financial Group thanks the Pac-10 and its fine student athletes for an exciting season of college basketball.

March Madness is coming to an end.  As a proud sponsor of Pac-10 athletics, the employees and associates of World Financial Group have been cheering on all the Pac-10 teams in the various men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.  Of nine men’s teams that played in the post season, only one remains.  Among the women, one is in the Final Four and (as of this writing) another remains in the Elite Eight. 

Among the men’s teams, Arizona made it to the “Sweet Sixteen” portion of the NCAA tournament.  Being the lowest seed in the NCAA (12^th) to advance, their first opponent was top seed Louisville and, unfortunately, the Wildcats found it impossible to advance past the Cardinals.  Louisville dominated the hardwood in a 103-64 win.  Wildcat forward Chase Budinger led their scoring drive with 22 points.  Forward Jordan Hill had the Wildcats only double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.  Also scoring in double digits was guard Nic Wise with 14. 

In the inaugural College Basketball Invitational, the Oregon State Beavers won their first game in the best of three final against University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Monday night.  OSU center Roland Schaftenaar led the Beavers scoring drive with 19 points on their way to a 75-69 victory.  Three other OSU players scored in double digits: guard Lathen Wallace (18), forward Seth Tarver (17) and guard Rickey Claitt (13).   

Game two of the inaugural CBI saw a valiant but losing effort by the Beavers.  The UTEP Miners proved too powerful for OSU and handed them a 70-63 loss.  Leading scorers for OSU include Roland Schaftenaar (17) and Calvin Haynes (10).  The deciding game will air Friday on HDNet. 

The women’s NCAA tournament featured three teams from the WFG-sponsored Pac-10.  Stanford entered the “Sweet Sixteen” as the second seed in the Berkeley Regional.  And the Cardinals easily defeated Ohio State 84-66 in that game.  Senior center Jayne Appel had a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds.  Also joining Appel on the scoring parade were forward Jillian Harmon (16), forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike (15) and guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude (10).  Guard Jeanette Pohlen contributed 10 rebounds in the win. 

The Cardinals moved on to the “Elite Eight” and faced Iowa State.  Once again, Jayne Appel dominated the hardwood with a 46 point(!) game, leading Stanford to a 74-53 win over the Cyclones.  Appel’s 46 points are a Stanford single game record and the third most points scored by a woman player in NCAA tournament history.  Jayne also led her team in rebounds with 16.  Also having a double digit day in rebounds was Jeanette Pohlen with 10.   

The Trenton Regional of the NCAA tourney featured two Pac-10 teams.  Arizona State first faced Texas A&M in the “Sweet Sixteen”.  The Sun Devils came into this game as the sixth seed facing the second seed Aggies.  But that didn’t matter as Arizona State played to an 84-69 win.  Leading the scoring for the red hot Sun Devils was guard Briann January with 22 points.  Her fellow guard Danielle Orsillo scored 15, while forward Lauren Lacey scored 14 off the bench.  

However, ASU’s “Elite Eight” opponent was top seed (and undefeated) Connecticut.   Connecticut first beat the California Golden Bears 77-53.  In the loss, Golden Bear forward Ashley Walker has 21 points.  Also scoring in double digits were guards Natasha Vital and Alexis Gray-Lawson with 10.  And Connecticut kept their undefeated momentum going.  The Huskies never trailed in their “Elite Eight” game on their way to an 83-64 win.  ASU guard Danielle Orsillo led all Sun Devil scoring with 18 points.  Fellow guard Briann January scored 12. 

So, among the WFG-sponsored Pac-10, only the Stanford team remains.  The Cardinals next game will be in the Final Four next Sunday (April 5) in St. Louis against Connecticut. 

The winner of that game will face the winner of Louisville/Oklahoma on April 7. In the Women’s NIT, Oregon State played New Mexico.  Senior guard Brittney Davis scored 19 points, but New Mexico won this game 61-56.  Also scoring in double digits was senior center Tiffany Ducker with 11. 

We at World Financial Group congratulate all our fine student athletes for a great season of basketball!

Three of World Financial Group sponsored Pac-10 teams entered the Women’s NCAA Basketball tournament.  And, after two rounds, all three teams are alive and well in the “sweet sixteen”.  And if you happen to be online this weekend, you can see all their games on ESPN360.com. 

To recap, second seeded Stanford in the Berkeley regional took on San Diego State.  And the Cardinals had a stellar night as they beat the Aztecs 77-49.  Stanford freshman forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike had her best night ever as a Cardinal by scoring 27 points and had 13 rebounds.  Junior center Jayne Appel, with 12 points, senior forward Jillian Harmon (12) and sophomore guard Jeanette Pohlen (11) also joined the double digit scoring club this game.  Stanford next faces Ohio State this Saturday. 

Fourth seed California in the Trenton regional faced Virginia in the second round.  And the Golden Bears really had their way with the Cavaliers.  Senior forward Ashley Walker scored 32 points in the 99-73 win.  This ties her previous single game scoring record.  Also scoring in double digit figures were senior center Devanei Hampton and junior guard Alexis Gray-Lawson with 22 points each.  This marks California’s first trip to the “sweet sixteen” in their history.  The Golden Bears face top seed Connecticut this Sunday. 

And sixth seed Arizona State played Florida State in Duluth, GA.  And the Sun Devils left Georgia with a 63-58 victory over the Seminoles.  The hero of the game was junior guard Danielle Orsillo.  She made a three point shot with 32 seconds left in the game that gave ASU a lead it would not relinquish.  The victory also marked the 250^th for Sun Devils coach Charli Turner Thorne, now in her 13^th year coaching.  Arizona State takes on second seed Texas A&M this Saturday. 

WFG fans are excited that, should California and Arizona State advance to the “elite eight”, they will face each other to move on to the “final four” – oh, who to root for?!  Also, Oregon State is still alive in the Women’s NIT.  Let’s give these great Pac-10 teams a high five!

The World Financial Group sponsored Pac-10 Men’s Basketball teams are now down to three representatives in post-season play.  While Arizona takes a rest before the “sweet sixteen” play in the NCAA tournament, Stanford and Oregon State continued their play Monday in the College Basketball Invitational.  And the chances of a Pac-10 team winning this inaugural tournament are now fifty-fifty.  But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

On Monday, March 23, Stanford visited the Wichita State Shockers and left Kansas with a 70-56 win.  The Cardinals built a 28-10 lead in the game’s first 10 minutes led by Lawrence Hill’s 21 points in the game.  Also scoring in double digits was Anthony Goods with 18.

Oregon State also played on Monday, hosting the Vermont Catamounts in Corvallis.  Overtime was needed for the Beavers to win by a 71-70 score.  OSU trailed at the half, but came back on the strength of Calvin Haynes’s 19 points, including the shot that won the game in OT.  Roeland Schaftenaar also scored in double digits with 14 points.

Then these two WFG-sponsored Pac-10 teams played each other on Wednesday, March 25, in Corvallis in the semi-finals.  This is the fourth time the Cardinals and the Beavers have played each other.  The Beavers needed overtime to win 65-62 and advance to the best-of-three final round against University of Texas at El Paso.  The top scorers for OSU include Lathen Wallace, 16 points, and Roeland Schftenaar,14 points.  Stanford’s Anthony Goods led all scorers with 20 points.

The finals in the CBI start this Monday, with game two to follow on Wednesday.  If needed, game three will be played Friday.  All times are TBD.  Way to go Pac-10 from your friends at World Financial Group! 

The first round of the Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament is completed.  And all three of our World Financial Group-sponsored teams have second round games to play, while Oregon State advanced in the Women’s NIT. 

The top seeded team from the Pac-10, Stanford, had little trouble against fifteenth seeded UC Santa Barbara.  The Cardinals won 74-39 behind center Jayne Appel’s 15 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and 3 blocks.  You could call it a “double-double with a pair of threes.”  Also, freshman Nnemkadi Ogwumike had a double-double with 13 points and eleven rebounds.  The Cardinals will take on San Diego State Monday in San Diego. 

In the Trenton regional, fourth seeded California took on Fresno State.  California also cruised to a 70-47 victory on the strength of forward Ashley Walker.  She led the Golden Bears overall with 21 points, 8 rebounds, a steal and three blocks.  Also scoring in double digits were Alexis Gray-Lawson (14) and Lauren Greif (11).  California next faces Virginia in Los Angeles Monday. 

Also in the Trenton Regional, the sixth seeded Arizona State Sun Devils traveled to Duluth, GA (not very far from the WFG executive headquarters) to take on the Georgia Bulldogs.  This was the closest game among the Pac-10, but Arizona State handed Georgia a 58-47 loss.  The Sun Devil defense was too much for the Bulldogs, holding Georgia to only 20 points in the first half and taking 19 turnovers.  ASU’s Becca Tobin led scoring with 12.  Arizona State takes on Florida State Monday. 

Finally, in the Women’s NIT, Oregon State defeated Portland State 59-47.  OSU’s Brittney Davis led the scoring drive with 17 points.  Also scoring in double digits were Mercedes Fox-Griffin (12) and Talisa Rhea (10).  OSU’s next opponent will either be Nebraska (Saturday, time TBD) or New Mexico (Friday, time TBD). 

Way to go, Pac-10, from your friends and fans at World Financial Group!

But to the athletes and coaches playing in these games, it’s a shot at greatness.  A championship is something that, once achieved, cannot be taken away.  You’ll be remembered as a member of a team that won it all and your names will be inscribed as legend.  Each conference of the NCAA has a special way of recognizing past players and coaches who made a difference during their collegiate basketball careers.  The Pac-10 conference, of which World Financial Group is a proud sponsor, is no different.  In fact, WFG recently sponsored the Pac-10 Hall of Honor Induction Ceremony and banquet held March 14 in Los Angeles.

Those inducted were (in alphabetical order of alma mater):

• Lute Olson, the coach of the Arizona Wildcats from 1983-2007.  During his coaching career, Coach Olson led the Wildcats to 11 Pac-10 Conference titles, 22 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, four Final Four appearances and the 1997 NCAA National Championship.
• Royce Young, player for the Arizona State Sun Devils from 1955-58.  Royce at one time had the all-time ASU record for free throws made with a total of 362 - this record stood until 2003.  While working as a high school coach in the Phoenix high school system, Young won five state championships.
• Nibs Price, the coach of the University of California Golden Bears form 1924-54.  His record of 449-294 has yet to be reached by any basketball coach at Berkeley.  He also was the head football coach from 1926-30, even reaching the Rose Bowl in 1928.
• Mike Warren, player for the UCLA Bruins from 1964-68.  During his junior year as a Bruin, he helped lead his team to a 30-0 season.  He also was named an Academic All-American, NCAA Regional and Champion All-Tournament team member and “Most Outstanding Team Member” in 1968.  After basketball, he began a successful acting career, appearing most notably as Bobby Hill on “Hill Street Blues”.
• Greg Ballard, player for the Oregon Ducks from 1974-77.  Ballard still holds an Oregon record in rebounds (1,114) and is third in scoring (1,829 points).  He played ten years in the NBA and has coached in Italy and the NBA.  He is currently an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks.
• Paul Valenti, player for the Oregon State Beavers from 1940-42 and coach of the Beavers from 1965-70.  His playing career included two Northern Division conference titles and his coaching career included a 1966 Pac-8 Conference title in 1966; the only year UCLA’s John Wooden did not win that honor.
• Gus “The Wizard” Williams, player for the USC Trojans from 1973-75.  Williams has held USC records for scoring by a guard (1,308) and assists (362 career and 141 for the 1974 season).  He spent 11 seasons in the NBA and now resides in Mount Vernon, NY.
• Jim Pollard, Player for the Stanford University Cardinals from 1940-42.  During his 1942 season, he was named All-American on a Stanford squad that won the NCAA Championship.  On the court, he was known as “The Kangaroo Kid” for his leaping ability, even being able to dunk from the foul line, which was unheard of at the time.  Pollard passed away in 1993.
• Detlef Schrempf, player for the University of Washington Huskies from 1982-85.  His career included two MVP awards, three top rebounder accolades and the Wurster Award during his sophomore year as the team’s “top hustler”.  He also played 16 seasons in the NBA and has coached for the Seattle Supersonics.
• Isaac Fontaine, player for the Washington State Cougars from 1994-97.  He is the only Cougar to score 2,000 points in his career and still holds the record for Cougar scoring with 2,003 points.  He was named to two Pac-10 All-Conference First Teams and WSU’s 1997 Pac-10 Medal winner.  His pro career has taken him to Italy, the NBA and the NBDL. 

Many WFG leaders in the field and at the home office were in attendance, including SVCs Jun & Joyce Dela Cruz, Robin Bundy, Eric Olson, Tuan Le as well as WFG President Jack Linder , Susan and Kent Davies, and about 30 other WFG leaders.   According to Jun, “The Hall of Honor banquet was awesome.  Jack spoke and gave the inductees a taste of what WFG leadership is all about.  We also had the chance to meet Lute Olson, Mike Warren, Jamaal Wilkes, and even Jessica Alba, Warren’s daughter-in-law.” 

“Sponsoring the Hall of Honor for the Pac-10 is a huge honor for World Financial Group.  Celebrating the past champions fits with our company saying of moving from Dreaming to Doing - all of these Champions have definitely done that,” says Susan Davies, WFG’s Senior Vice President.

This is going to be a very busy few days here at WFG Sports.  Nine Pac-10 men’s basketball teams are playing in postseason tournaments.  Two teams have advanced in the College Basketball Invitational.  One team has exited the National Invitational Tournament.  And six World Financial Group-sponsored Pac-10 teams start play in the NCAA tournament this Thursday. 

In addition, four Pac-10 Women’s teams will be playing in post season tournaments.  And our own “Kings of Canadian Curling”, the Ferbey 4, are in the midst of the 2009 Canada Cup of Curling. 

In the CBI, the Oregon State Beavers defeated Houston 49-45 Wednesday evening.  Sophomore forward Daniel Deane led the OSU scoring drive with 14 points and six rebounds.  The Beavers will move on to play Vermont on Monday.  Also in the CBI, the Stanford Cardinals had an easy first round outing, defeating Boise State 96-76.  Three Stanford players scored in double digits: Jeremy Green (19), Lawrence Hill (18) and Landry Fields (16).  The Cardinals next play Wichita State on Monday. 

However, the Washington State Cougars could not advance past the first round of the NIT.  The team of St. Mary’s (CA) was too strong for the Cougars and handed them a 68-57 loss.  WSU senior center Aron Baynes led the scoring for the Cougars with 19 points.

March Madness has begun, and World Financial Group, a proud sponsor of the Pac-10 Conference, enjoyed the “madness” of the Women’s Basketball tournament that was played this past weekend.  All 10 teams played until only one remained – and that team now goes to the NCAA tournament while three others also will be making post season appearances.  Only time will tell how this March Madness will end, but it’s been a lot of fun so far.

March Madness has officially begun.  And World Financial Group is keeping step with the first round of the madness.  The Pac-10 Men’s Basketball Tournament was played over the weekend and it was a weekend full of upsets and exciting basketball.  How much further into the madness can we travel?  Let’s hope we can drive it all the way to April.

The bad news is that the regular women’s basketball season is over.  But the good news is that March Madness has officially begun.  World Financial Group (WFG) sports fans thank our Pac-10 athletes for an excellent season of women’s basketball, and here’s hoping the WFG-sponsored Pac-10 takes March Madness by storm.

Three teams find themselves in the AP Top 25.  Arizona State comes in at 16.  California is at home at number 12.  And Stanford finds itself at number two!  Over at the ESPN/USA Today poll, California is at number nine and Stanford also finds itself at number two.  Arizona State is looking in, having received 76 votes for 26^th place.

Let’s recap the last two weeks of women’s hoops action by school:

• The Arizona Wildcats won against Washington but lost to Washington State, Stanford and California.
• The Arizona State Sun Devils won against Washington, Washington State and California but lost to Stanford.
• The California Golden Bears took games from USC and Arizona but fell to UCLA.
• The Oregon Ducks lost their last three games to Oregon State, UCLA and USC.
• The Oregon State Beavers won their last three games against Oregon, USC and UCLA
• The Stanford Cardinals swept UCLA, USC and the Arizona schools.
• The UCLA Bruins lost to Stanford and Oregon State but easily beat California and Oregon.
• The USC Trojans lost to California, Stanford and Oregon State but won their final game opposite Oregon.
• The Washington Huskies lost to both Arizona schools but won their duel for Washington against Washington State.
• And the Washington State Cougars won against Arizona State, but lost against Arizona and Washington.

Here are the WFG-sponsored Pac-10 seeds for the upcoming tournament:

1. Stanford
2. California
3. Arizona State
4. UCLA
5. Oregon State
6. USC
7. Oregon
8. Washington State
9. Arizona
10. Washington

The Galen Center on the campus of USC in Los Angeles will be the host of the Pac-10 Women’s Basketball Tournament.  The Pac-10 website will stream the first and quarterfinal rounds on their website (http://www.pac-10.org/) with the semifinals and championship game shown on Fox Sports Net.  All start times are local.

Games played on Thurs., March 12:

• Oregon versus Washington at 6 p.m.  Oregon junior guard Micaela Cocks is the only Ducks player to start every game this season while Washington hopes to win its first tournament game since 2005.
• Washington State faces Arizona at 8:15 p.m.  Washington State freshman guards April Cook and Jazmine Perkins led scoring among Pac-10 freshman and placed sixth and eighth all conference while Arizona sophomore forward Ify Ibekwe led the Pac-10 in rebounds, averaging 11.6 a game. 

Basketball fans from World Financial Group and across the country – or the world if they’re watching the web stream - will see the following tourney action on Fri., March 13:

• Arizona State takes on USC at 11 a.m.  ASU senior guard Briann January has the second best three-point shooting percentage (46.9) in the NCAA, but the Women Trojans rank 19^th in scoring across the NCAA, averaging 73.5 points per game.
• California takes on the winner of the Oregon/Washington game at 1:15 p.m.  This is California coach Joanne Boyle’s third 20+ game win season in a row, a first for the university.
• Top seeded Stanford will face the winner of the Washington State/Arizona game at 5 p.m., with the Cardinals hoping to extend their 13 game winning streak on Friday the 13^th.
• UCLA faces Oregon State at 7:15 p.m.  UCLA ranks eighth in the nation in rebounding margin, averaging a +9.0, while OSU senior guard Brittney Davis led her teammates with 14 double-doubles this season. 

The semifinals begin on Sat., March 14, with the first semifinal game at 6 p.m. and the second at 8:30 p.m.  And the championship game will be played at 6 p.m. on Sun., March 15.

WFG congratulates these Pac-10 Players of the Year:

• Stanford junior center Jayne Appel as Player of the Year.
• USC guard Briana Gilbreath as Freshman on the Year.
• Arizona State senior guard Briann January as Defensive Player of the Year.