oing to do that.ddddddddddddIf youre in the Champions League then youve got the extra funds from being in the competition. So yo

This story appears in ESPN The Magazines November 28 Tall Ball Issue. Subscribe today!POINT GUARDS, BASKETBALLS vertically challenged demographic, tend to view post players with a mix of exasperation and admiration. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, a former point herself, is no different when she looks at 6-foot-4 senior center Alaina Coates.It seems like for bigs, theres no middle ground, the 5-5 Staley says. Theyre either soft or theyre physical, its not like theres an in-between.Soft is a bit harsh -- even bigs who drift to the perimeter still end up taking some punishment inside. But Staley sees the womens game changing, with fewer pure centers who play with their backs to the basket and dont act like 3-point shooters.Of course, part of her perspective comes from having such a valuable commodity in Coates. And with junior Aja Wilson, a 6-5 forward who prefers to face the basket, she has two very different types of dominant bigs. The Gamecocks relied on the inside-outside strength of the duo to go 33-2 and win the SEC title last season.While Wilson is a superstar -- she was a consensus All-American and national player of the year candidate last season -- and the face of one of the countrys best teams, Coates is also an elite professional prospect, one who will be in the mix to become the WNBAs No. 1 draft pick in April.Because of her willingness to play a style that few are willing to play, shell find her way into a positive role with a WNBA team, says Cori Close, coach of Pac-12 preseason favorite UCLA, which will face South Carolina on Dec. 18. You cant put a price tag on it.In the WNBA, big players with guard skills abound: Los Angeles 6-4 forward-center Candace Parker, Chicagos 6-5 forward-guard Elena Delle Donne and Seattles 6-4 forward Breanna Stewart are all among the two tallest players on their teams, but only Parker is designated as a center. No matter how theyre listed, they have similar styles: Stewart made 45 3s this past season, Delle Donne 43 and Parker 42.In contrast, Minnesotas 6-6 Sylvia Fowles has attempted just one 3-pointer in nine WNBA seasons. Phoenixs 6-9 star Brittney Griner has taken none. Fowles says its simple: Players such as Coates should perfect what they do best.Staley, who played alongside 6-5 Lisa Leslie in the Olympics -- Leslie was a four-time Olympian and three-time MVP with Los Angeles -- has the same vision for Coates. Lisa was really smart in that she knew where she was going to make the most money, Staley says. Which was: Ive got to get down there and score in the paint. She worked at it.Staley says Coates, while still a work in progress, can be the most dominant player in the country just being a back-to-the-basket player. Shes embraced that.That allows Staley a luxury that few other college coaches have. According to Synergy Sports Technology, the Gamecocks posted up 64 percent more than the national average last season.Coates considers Wilson the perfect high-low partner -- I trust Aja -- and they share the joy of being local stars who have helped South Carolina become the nations attendance leader (14,978 per home game last season) in womens basketball. Coates is from Irmo, just northwest of Columbia, and Wilson is from Hopkins, to the southeast. Their towns are 35 minutes apart, with the university downtown right between them.Alaina and I have been playing together since we were 12 or 13 years old, with AAU, Wilson says. Its fun to have a true back-to-the-basket player, especially with a person like me whos not. Its a nice balance.Coates, who posted up 33.3 percent more than the average player last season, was the only center among the SECs top 20 scorers (12.1 points per game). Just 15 percent of the SECs top 41 rebounders were centers, with Coates leading at 10.3 rpg.She was mentored from an early age by her father, Gary Coates, a command sergeant major in the Army National Guard and active-duty military for 33 years. Playing the post makes you mature, says Gary, whose brother, Ben Coates, was an NFL tight end for 10 seasons.Alaina has taken her dads lessons to heart.I enjoy being a 5, she says. Being a center means youre going to war down there on the block. I like the feeling that Im going to bully my way around out there.The kindhearted Coates says this with a laugh. But Staley prefers Coates to have a bit of an edge. That may be the difference in the Gamecocks run at the 2017 national title.I dont like when she plays passive or when she makes herself blend in, Staley says. Shes physical, shes imposing, shes mobile, shes quick. Shes all of those things.And if shes anything less than that, then she might as well be 5-11. Cardinals Jerseys 2020 . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. Fake Cardinals Jerseys . -- Hunter Smith scored the winner with just 12 seconds remaining in the third period as the Oshawa Generals edged the host Sarnia Sting 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. https://www.cheapcardinalsonline.com/ . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. Cardinals Jerseys China . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. Custom St. Louis Cardinals Jerseys . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct.Tottenham could consistently challenge for the Premier League title, according to Graeme Souness. Spurs narrowed the gap on Leicester City at the top to seven points with a stunning 3-0 victory over Manchester United at White Hart Lane on Sunday.They are all but guaranteed to qualify for next seasons Champions League and are hot on the heels of the Foxes in case the league leaders slip up. Tottenham kept their hope of winning the league alive after they hammered Manchester United 3-0 at White Hart Lane Speaking on Super Sunday, Sky Sports pundit Souness said Spurs had the right squad, stadium and financial backing to ensure a bright future for the club.Tottenham is a club going forward, Souness said. Providing they can keep the players and providing they progress as they should do because theyve got some fabulous players who should only get better.Right now I would go as far to say that this is the best group I can remember Tottenham having, I really do. I think this team could challenge consistently for the Premier League. Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino hailed a perfect performance by his players in their 3-0 win against Manchester United And you talk about success, what is success this year? They would have said they had an outside chance of getting into the Champions League, well it looks like they are going to do that.ddddddddddddIf youre in the Champions League then youve got the extra funds from being in the competition. So youre playing in London, you can pay their wages, playing in a brand new stadium, playing Champions League football and youve got a young team that can only get better - this might just be the place to be in ten years.Dele Alli got the ball rolling for Spurs with a goal in the 70th minute before Toby Alderweireld and Erik Lamela added a second and third in a remarkable six-minute spell. Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur scores their first goal Harry Kane also starred and was roundly applauded when he departed the field as a substitute late on, but Souness said it is important for the likes of Alli and Kane to keep their feet on the ground.Things can happen, injuries can happen, some players might not handle all the attention they are getting, he added.They start playing for their country and get big heads on their shoulders and thats when the manager and senior players have a part to play in that. Also See: Spurs keep title chase alive Spurs video Spurs fixtures ' ' '