NEU » ddd The first two

NEW YORK -- Renee Brown has been at the WNBA since its inception. Twenty years after joining the league, the WNBAs chief of basketball operations and player relations is stepping down this month.Its probably one of the most difficult decisions I made in my life, Brown told The Associated Press in a phone interview Monday. I love the WNBA and was fortunate 20 years ago that Val [Ackerman], David [Stern], Russ [Granik] and Adam [Silver] allowed me to come in at the start of this league. Walking away, its sad but yet joyful at the same time.Brown is one of a handful of people who have remained involved in the league since its beginning in 1997.Twenty years in, people didnt think wed be here, Brown said. I knew we would be. Its been fun watching the talent grow. I think the WNBA has been in great shape from the minute we came here. A lot to do with what the NBA gives the WNBA. From the beginning, I was very confident once the NBA allowed us to put the W in front of its name, wed be well taken care of.In her current role and through her work with the WNBAs competition committee, Brown has directly influenced how the game is played. This season, teams set records for points per game, field goals made and attempted, field goal percentage, free throws made, free throw percentage, and assists.Brown has also been involved with USA Basketball since 1996. She has served on its board of directors and chaired the selection committee of the senior national team.Renee has selflessly served USA Basketball as a coach, committee member and passionate supporter, said Carol Callan, director of womens basketball for USA Basketball. She first served as an assistant coach during the historic 1995-96 USA national teams yearlong preparation for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.The U.S. hasnt lost in the Olympics since Brown got involved, winning six consecutive gold medals.Any time I put on a USA T-shirt or a sweatshirt, I put it on with so much pride recognizing were all representing our country, she said.Brown said she let WNBA president Lisa Borders know of her decision at the start of this season.Renees contributions to the WNBAs growth have been immeasurable, Borders said. It has been a pleasure working alongside her during this landmark season, and I will continue to rely on her expertise. She will always be part of the WNBA family.Brown said she will continue to be involved in basketball, joining the Jr. NBA Leadership Council. The Nevada native plans to stay in New York for now.My goal is to stay in New York and look for other opportunities involved in the game, sports or women empowerment, Brown said. Take the skills Ive learned here and use them somewhere else. Its an exciting time for me. I thought Id be here three to four years. Twenty years later, Im here and its been great. Im looking forward to my next journey. Cheap Giants Jerseys . Ibaka equaled a career high with 20 rebounds, adding four blocked shots and 15 points as the Thunder smothered the Milwaukee Bucks offence in a 92-79 victory Saturday night. Giants Jerseys 2019 . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. https://www.cheapjerseysgiants.us/ .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. San Francisco Giants Store . In the response filed Wednesday to the complaint by 30-year-old Alexander Bradley, attorneys say the former University of Florida player is invoking his Fifth Amendment right that protects people from incriminating themselves. San Francisco Giants Shirts .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame is in danger of going from bad to historically bad.Each week the Fighting Irish are finding different ways to lose. The defense started the season unable to hold most opponents to fewer than 30 points. Special teams have made big plays but have given up bigger plays. Now the offense is struggling so badly that DeShone Kizer, listed in some mock NFL drafts as the No. 1 pick, was yanked against Stanford after throwing two interceptions to start the second half in a 17-10 loss Saturday.Just snapping the ball has suddenly become a challenge for the Irish as center Sam Mustipher had three bad attempts in remnants of a hurricane against North Carolina State and two more in dry conditions against Stanford, including one that sailed past backup quarterback Malik Zaire for a safety.The offense, which was averaging 39.8 points through the first five games, has one touchdown and two field goals the past two games. Coach Brian Kelly said Kizer is not the only reason the offense is struggling.This is collectively and entire offensive issue. Its not just one thing, he said Sunday.A problem all season long has been the offense going stagnant for long periods. Texas scored 17 unanswered points in the opener. Michigan State scored 36 straight points. Duke scored 21 in a row. Stanford outscored the Irish 17-0 in the second half.We look good the first couple of drives, then we stall out, Kelly said.The Irish are 2-5 heading into an off week, one of the worst starts in 128 seasons of playing football at Notre Dame.Three timmes Notre Dame has started seasons 1-6 -- in 1956, 1960 and 2007.dddddddddddd The first two teams finished 2-8, while the 2007 squad under Charlie Weis finished 3-9. Three other teams started seasons 2-5 -- in 1963, 1997 and 2003. The only team to finish with a winning record was the 1997 one that won its final five regular-season games before losing to LSU in the Independence Bowl.The difference between worst Notre Dame teams and this years team is the margin of losses. All the other Irish squads that started 2-5 or worse were blown out of games. This years team hasnt lost by more than eight and has outscored opponents 202-177.To be 2-5 and to outscore your opponents has got to be one of the craziest stats in America, Kelly said.Irish players say they still believe they can turn things around. The captains spoke in support of Kelly last week, saying the team was solidly behind him. But Kelly was asked Sunday about the Twitter account for defensive lineman Jerry Tillery, who is from Shreveport, Louisiana, liking three tweets saying former LSU coach Les Miles should be the next coach at Notre Dame.I dont make much of it, Kelly said. Jerrys been a committed player. Ive got a great relationship with Jerry. So I havent seen anything from him, nor has he said anything to me that hes not committed to playing here at Notre Dame and for me, for that matter.---APs college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '