MEETING NOTES

Once again, our Rotary Club was thrilled to have Coach Muffet McGraw as our speaker.  Muffet, Coach of the Year for the second year in a row, led the Lady Irish into the Final Four for a fourth year last season.  Muffet notes that this will be a tough season, as the team is particularly young, having graduated five top players in the last 5 years.  Jewell Taylor, one of the best in the nation, will lead the team.  Joining this year is Brianna Turner, the #1 high school player in the country, along with 2 other standout freshmen.  Muffet says the lifeblood of the program is recruiting, which begins in July when players are watched during AAU tournaments.  Coach is disappointed that more top players aren’t coming from the Midwest, citing Texas, Georgia, and California as the top sources for talent.  Asked about academic issues, Muffet says there are NCAA guidelines that are followed, which include checking attendance records.  Naturally, it’s impossible to monitor everything, but she trusts in the integrity of the type of player they recruit.  Players are cautioned not to use social media to vent, imposing a 30-minute “dead zone” before tweeting, to avoid emotional posts.  As in the past, Duke is shaping up to be their biggest challenge, followed by North Carolina.  The team will be facing a difficult schedule.  The Final Four will be played in Tampa, and the top 16 teams will hold the 1^st and 2^nd rounds. 

Muffet graciously participated in our drive to “End Polio Now” by having her pinky painted purple.  For every dollar donated by our Rotary Club, an additional $2.00 will be matched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.