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KLMNO PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL Yi is China’s new ‘Mr. Basketball’
Wizards’ 7-footer relishes his role as international player
BY MICHAEL LEE
new york — Yi Jianlian’s exag- gerated, oversized cartoon image towers over people as they walk down the 33rd Street side of Madison Square Garden, where China will play Puerto Rico in an exhibition on Sunday. Sporting a menacing scowl and embracing a basketball with powerful fore- arms that make it appear as if he is about to tear it in two, Yi is a rather imposing figure in posters and billboards promoting the World Basketball Festival this week inNewYork. But ask Yi about the gigantic
billboard hanging on the side of the world’s most famous arena— and the home of the New York Knicks — and the Washington Wizards forward can’t help but flash a huge grin. “It’s great to see my poster in New York City,” Yi said after scoring a team-high 13 points as China lost, 98-51, in a scrimmage against the United States on Saturday. “It’s great.” Yi is being promoted as the
face of theChinese national team, with Yao Ming retiring from in- ternational play following the 2008 Beijing Olympics and still slow to recover from a major foot injury. And, there was no denying Yi’s status as the team’s best play- er on Saturday as the 7-foot for- warddisplayed the versatilityand athleticism that led the Wizards to acquire him from the New Jersey Nets last June in exchange for Quinton Ross (the Wizards also received $3 million in the deal). “I think I did pretty good,” said
Yi, who added a team-high seven rebounds in nearly 27 minutes. “I was fighting. We were playing Team US, the best players in the NBA. I’m just focusing on my game. A chance to play Team US, very good opportunity to get ready for the Washington Wiz- ards.” Yi certainly wasn’t in awe of
his opponents. He made a three- pointer with Derrick Rose charg- ing at him, drove around the foul line to bury a pull-up jumper over Lamar Odom, and later hit a baseline jumper over Tyson Chandler. He also juked Kevin Durant with a pump fake and dribbled around him for a two- handed dunk. “Yi, of course, is their main
piece. He can score from the outside and inside,” Durant said. “Guys here have been watching him play in the league for three years. Itwasnothing new. Itwasa great play.” But Yi’s value to China became
more apparent when he sat the entire third period andTeamUSA outscored his team, 35-8. China is
DARRYL DYCK/ASSOCIATED PRESS
NewWizard Yi Jianlian, above right and below, is comfortable replacing YaoMing as the main force on China’s national team.
age 22, Yi is the fifth-oldest player on the squad. “We have so many young guys
who have been playing. All the players are pretty excited and bring some energy. They are fighting,” Yi said. “In China, we’ve got a lot of fans that focus on basketball. They want us to play good. It’s a little bit of pressure, but we have to fight through it. We’ll just play as hard as we can and we’ll see.” Yi’s role for China is much
different than the one he’ll hold with the Wizards, where he will likely back up Andray Blatche at power forward, JaVale McGee at center, and even see some time at small forward. But he embraces his position with his national team, understanding that teams will focus mostly on shutting him down. “I’m just focusing on my
game,” Yi said.He added that he is fine taking a leadership role once reserved for Yao. “Yao hasn’t played after the Olympics, he had the injuries. We have to learn to play without him, because bas- ketball is always changing. Some guys retire or get older or injured. It gives a chance for other players to have an opportunity to play. I think it’s good.” Note: Team USA doesn’t have
to submit its final 12-man roster for theWorld Championships un- tilAug. 26, but itmayhave offered a hint at two possible cuts as CoachMike Krzyzewski used just 13 of his 15 players, leavingMcGee and former Georgetown star Jeff Green to sit the entire 40-minute exhibition against China. The United States will play France in an exhibition at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Krzyzewski said the team may
MARC LECUREUIL/GETTY IMAGES FOR NIKE
one of the 24 teams set to partici- pate in theWorldChampionships in Istanbul later thismonth,earn- ing an automatic bid last summer as Yi and former NBA player Wang ZhiZhi led it to a second- place finish in the FIBA Asia championship. Yi understands that China faces a huge challenge with an extremely young team. At
take more than 12 players to Europe for exhibition games against Lithuania, Spain and Greece, leaving open the possibil- ity for McGee to travel as an insurance policy in case the team suffers an injury to either starting center Tyson Chandler or Lamar Odom, a natural power forward who is also getting action at that spot. Durant even saw action at center on Saturday. “We already know what JaVale
and Jeff can do,” Krzyzewski said. “I would thinkwe’ll cut down, but I’m not sure we’ll do it to 12. We wanttogothroughtomorrowand not make decisions we would regret a week from now.” When asked about not partici-
pating on Saturday, McGee said, “It’s definitely disappointing not to play, but we got the win.”
leem@washpost.com
Harding has become steadying force for Mystics
Guard shows knack for doing what is needed at all times
BY KATIE CARRERA The Minnesota Lynx weren’t
giving theWashingtonMystics an inch of opportunity in the third quarter Friday night. Each time Washington passed the ball, its players facedwaving arms, highly contested shots and a rapidly decreasing shot clock. WhenLindseyHarding gained
control of the ball on one particu- lar possession, her natural in- stinct to dish the ball to an open teammate kicked in. But upon surveying the scene, she opted to
drive the lane herself and take a mid-range jumper with one sec- ond left on the shot clock. Hard- ing knows the Mystics don’t al- ways need her to score, yet when they do, the explosive point guard doesn’t hesitate. She scored seven of her game-
high 15 points in the third quarter of Washington’s 61-58 win over Minnesota, acting, as she often does, as the catalyst for the Mys- tics’ return to solid play after a sloppy first half. “I think I always wanted to be
the leader out there,” said Hard- ing, who will be key as Washing- ton hosts the WNBA-leading Se- attle Storm (25-5) on Sunday. “If you look at theNBAplayers, Steve Nash is kind of likewhat I hope to be. He may not lead the team in scoring but he does all the little things. He’s on the floor running
everything, and I think I always wanted to be like that. I just want tomake suremy team is always in the right direction and doing whatever it can to play better.” The Mystics (18-12) have won
five of their past seven contests as they’ve sought to clinch a second consecutive berth in the Eastern Conference playoffs. One con- stant in each of the victories has been Harding. Whether it was games with at least five assists (against Connecticut and Atlan- ta) or a 33-point explosion (against Indiana), Harding pro- vided the statistical assistance andthe steady influence herteam needs. “At this point, the push for the
playoffs is not new territory for me,” Harding said. “This is some- thing I’m used to now and have come to expect.”
This is the role Angela Taylor
envisioned for the 26-year-old guard when she broughtHarding to Washington in one of her first major moves as Mystics general manager. Washington needed an on-court leader; two years later, Harding has filled that role. Harding serves as theMystics’
metronome, their set-up artist and occasionally their acrobat whenshe decides to drive the lane and leap higher than many op- posing forwards seem to expect. “If you look in the league
there’s only a few players who have the opportunity and ability to control the tempo and have as much of an impact as she does on the floor,” Taylor said. “We really do seem to go as Lindsey goes and in a lot of our recent games she’s been great.”
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EXHIBITION BASKETBALL 1 p.m.
SOCCER
Draws in World Cup may be on way out FIFA President Sepp Blatter
says soccer’s governing body will consider eliminating ties in all World Cup games. Blatter said Saturday on Ger-
France at United States » ESPN2
LITTLE LEAGUEWORLD SERIES 8 p.m.
GOLF 11 a.m.
2 p.m.
TENNIS 3 p.m.
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many’s Focus weekly that the dramatic change would make the tournament more interesting.He says the change could involve going to a shootout after 90 min- utes of regulation or adding sud- den-death overtime. Sudden-death overtime was
Western region championship » ESPN2 PGA Championship » TNT PGA Championship » WUSA (Channel 9),WJZ (Channel 13) Rogers Masters » ESPN2 Western and Southern Financial Group Open » ESPN2
AUTO RACING 1 p.m.
GYMNASTICS Julie Zetlin of Bethesda won
NASCAR Sprint Cup, Carfax 400 » ESPN only from Comcast.
three of the four senior individual event titles for rhythmic gymnas- tics on Friday, then Saturday cap- tured the senior all-around title by posting the top score on all four apparatus.
used in the knockout rounds of the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. FIFA then reverted to its rule of having teams play 30 minutes of overtime if tied at the end of regulation in the knockout rounds. First-round games always
have ended in draws if tied at the end of regulation.
In Saturday’s all-around final,
she scored 24.875 in hoop, 25.150 in ribbon, 25.425 in rope and 26.375 in ball, for a two-day total of 202.425. “I knewI was in the lead, and I
knew I had a pretty good chance of staying in the lead, but it’s finally real,” Zetlin said. “I’ve waited so long for it. I got really emotional. ... It’s been a long, long bumpy ride, but I’mfinally here.”
TENNIS Andy Roddick says his recent
struggles on the court are the result of a mild case of mononu- cleosis. Roddick lost in the third
round of the Legg Mason Classic on Aug. 6, saying afterward that he didn’t feel right. He withdrew from the Rogers Cup in Toronto and had blood tests to figure out why he was sluggish. He said Saturday that one of the tests came back positive for mononu- cleosis—a mild case. Roddick’s doctors told him he
probably has had it for the last couple of months and should be just about over it. He practiced
Saturday in preparation for the CincinnatiMasters next week. . . . Andy Murray defeated top-
ranked Rafael Nadal, 6-3, 6-4, in the first semifinal of the Rogers Cup in Toronto. Murray will play Roger Federer in the final. . . . Kim Clijsters reached the final
of the Cincinnati Open when Ana Ivanovic hurt her left foot only 12 minutes into their match and left the court in tears. Maria Sharapova and Anasta-
sia Pavlyuchenkova were set to play in the other semifinal Satur- day night.
BASEBALL The women’s World Cup was suspended the day after a player was stuck by a stray bullet during a game in Caracas, Venezuela. The International Baseball
Federation said the teams were safely back in their hotels after an unnamed Hong Kong player was hit in a game Friday against the Netherlands in a stadium at the Fort Tiuna military base. Itwasn’t clear from where the bullet was fired. TheIBAFsays that theVenezu-
elan government has guaranteed the safety of all 11 teams. . . . The Laredo Broncos say they
have signed José Canseco to a short-term contract. The inde- pendent minor league team said Canseco will serve as bench coach and designated hitter during two Broncos’ homestands starting Monday.
MISC. Levi Leipheimer won the
Leadville (Colo.) Trail 100 moun- tain bike race in record time. Despite it being his first major
mountain bike race and going over the handle bars once, Leipheimer crossed the finish line in 6 hours 16 minutes 37 seconds, shaving more than 12 minutes off the old mark. Leipheimer didn’t get the
chance to race against defending champion Lance Armstrong, his RadioShack teammate who pulled out with a sore hip.. . . Cappie Pondexter had 28
points, 5 assists and 2 steals to lead the New York Liberty to its eighth consecutive win in the WNBA, a 107-69 victory against the visiting Phoenix Mercury. Ni- cole Powell had a career-high seven three-pointers and 23 points forNewYork. —From news services and staff reports
SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Minnifield is not in a neutral corner
Teammates’ prowess leads to a lot of work for defensive back
BY STEVE YANDA
charlottesville — Chase Minnifield long ago grewaccus- tomed to the role of being the other cornerback in Virginia’s secondary. It was that way last seasonwhenever he filled in for either senior Chris Cook, who led the teamwith four intercep- tions, or Ras-I Dowling, who earned second-team all-ACC honors for the second consecu- tive year. And Minnifield figures this
season willstartout inmuchthe same way. Projected as the cor- nerback who will pair with Dowling in the starting lineup, Minnifieldunderstands thatop- posing offenses initially will look to throw in his direction, rather than attempt to beat his more heralded partner on the other side of the field. “It’s been like that every time
I’ve come in the game for the past two years when either Dowling went down or Cook went down or [former Virginia cornerback Vic Hall] went down,” saidMinnifield,afourth- year juniorwhohas appearedin every Virginia game the past two seasons. “The new guy on the field, you know? So you knowit’s coming; youjust got to step up and make plays. You’re eithergoingtomaketheplaysor you’re not, but you’ve got to line up and play it again.” IfMinnifieldandDowling–a
senior – have it their way, the Virginia cornerbacks will make an abundance of notable plays this season. In 2009, the Cava- liers allowed 184.6 passing yards per game, the 23rd-best mark in the nation. Theexperiencedduoplans to
make the Cavaliers’ secondary one of college football’s elite units in 2010, which is why they’vemade a number ofman- dates for Virginia’s cornerbacks to follow during training camp. For instance, each day after practice Minnifield and Dowl- ingleadthecornerbacks inextra drills. On Monday, they repeat- edly back-pedaled up the hill adjacent to the team’s practice fields. “That just builds mental
strength, mental toughness, physical toughness, all of the above,” sophomore cornerback Devin Wallace said. “We’re just
trying to get at it.” When Dowling missed prac-
tice time the first three days of campwith foot cramps,Wallace (Friendly High) took advantage of the additional reps he re- ceived. Virginia Coach Mike LondonsingledoutWallace and juniorMikeParker for theirper- formances. “I’ve really been pleasantly
surprised with the way they’re playing,”Londonsaid. “The oth- er day on a long pass Devin Wallacewent up against [senior wide receiver] Dontrelle Inman andbroke oneup.He’s a fearless corner, and that’s good because nowhe’s getting the reps thathe needs.” When Dowling returned
Monday to full participation in the team’s workout, Wallace lined up with the first team in Virginia’s nickel package de- fense. Minnifield said Wallace plays “like apitbull out there on thefield.He’saveryin-your-face kind of guy.” Meantime,Minnifield – who
saidhefocusedthisoffseasonon becoming stronger and more physical in his coverage –made his presence felt early on in training camp, aswell.OnMon- day,Minnifield covered project- ed starting wide receiver Tim Smith on an out pattern. When quarterbackMarcVerica lefthis pass hanging in the air, Minni- field leapt in front of Smith, intercepted the ball and ran it back for a touchdown. Later that same practice,
Minnifield intercepted a Verica pass intended for junior Kris Burd, another projected starter. He’ll take all the preparation he can get now, because he knows opposing offenses will not be timid throwing the ball in his directiononce the seasonstarts. Minnifield, who is listed at 6
feet and 185 pounds,may not be as physically imposing asDowl- ing – 6-2, 205 pounds – but he attempts to account for that by being as sound as possible in both technique andmind-set. “It’s something that I like be-
cause if they don’t come at you, you’ll never be able to make a play,”Minnifieldsaid. “Andeven if you don’t make the play, you get a chance to make another play.Andmaking aplay is some- thing that, if you don’t make plays,nobody inthe stands or at thenext levelwillknowwhoyou are. You’ve got to make a play. And if they don’t come at you, youdon’thaveanopportunityto make plays. You’re just another guy on the field.”
yandas@washpost.com
JONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POST
ChaseMinnifield, shown returning a kickoff, is the focus of opposing offenses due to Virginia’s strong cornerbacks.
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