It Was All A(tl) Dream - a chat with the Atlanta Dream's VP of Basketball Operations, Natalie White

Logistics and love for the home team. On this past Wednesday, September 21, I’m sure Natalie White had mind and heart racing due to both of those elements. The Atlanta Dream’s VP of Basketball Operations had to help manage the team’s venue change from Phillips Arena to Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion for their playoff game vs. the Seattle Storm. With it being a WNBA single elimination game for the opening round, it was truly a win-or-go-home (or more like win-or-stay-home) scenario for the Dream.

“One game. Every possession truly matters. Every possession counts” were the words of Natalie as you could hear a sigh of relief along with the description of her sentiments going into last week’s game. The Atlanta Dream administrative team and staff could control the logistics associated with the temporary move, but making sure Wednesday’s gameday wouldn’t be the last one of the Dream’s season was a different story. Angel McCoughtry had no problem being the lead author on that one. The Olympian finished with 37 points while shooting 66.7 percent from the field in the Dream’s 94-85 win over Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and the Seattle Storm.

Aside from the many buckets, one of the night’s highlights courtesy of McCoughtry was a high degree of difficulty mid-range jumper followed by celebration and high-fives from the Atlanta Hawks’ Dwight Howard, Dennis Schroder, and Tim Hardaway, Jr. who were courtside for the contest.

I got a chance to talk the Atlanta Dream-Atlanta Hawks relationship, the business and community involvement side of the Atlanta Dream, the Olympic effect on women’s basketball, and more in this chat with Natalie White, VP of Basketball Operations:

SUVtv Partners With Gwinnett Daily Post To Promote Jared Cook Classic Live Webcasts

The Jared Cook Tip-Off Classic at North Gwinnett High School is an annual event to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the ongoing goal of increasing awareness and supporting the fight against breast cancer. The high school basketball showcase event features some of the best teams in the Atlanta area as well as some visiting teams from outside of the state. The entire event will be shown live with broadcasts being provided by SUVtv. The Gwinnett Daily Post will host the SUVtv webcasts on its Gwinnett Prep Sports section, which will also have the games available for viewing on demand after its conclusion.

The tournament — whose namesake and sponsor is a North grad who plays for the NFL’s St. Louis Rams — raised $2,500 last year for the cancer foundation in honor of Cook’s mother, Yulinda, a cancer survivor.

     

2014 GAMCA Coaches Clinic - live stream

Join us on SUVtv on Saturday, October 4 as we live stream speaking sessions from the GAMCA Coaches Clinic from 9am - 5pm here in the Atlanta area. The Georgia Minority Coaches Association hosts an annual clinic geared towards high school basketball coaches learning from some of the best basketball minds in the Southeast.

The event is open to all coaches. For more information, visit http://www.mcaofga.com/.

You can watch the live and on demand webcasts below:

Speakers:

Mark Fox 9:00am - 9:50am

Head Men’s Coach - University of Georgia,“Planning Winning Basketball”

Mark Byington 10:00am –10:50am, 

Head Men’s Coach - Ga Southern University, “Early Offense”

Paul Hewitt 11:00am - 11:50am, 

Head Men’s Coach - George Mason University, “Ball Screen Offense & Defending Ball Screens”

Maurice Smith 12:50pm –1:40pm, 

Head Women’s Coach - Georgia Col. & St. Univ., “Packline Defense”

Pete Herrman 1:50pm - 2:40pm

 Head Men’s Coach - Young Harris College, “Uptempo Offense”

Tyrone Johnson 2:50pm - 3:40pm 

Head Men’s Coach - Whitefield Academy, “Physicality and the Art of Pressure”

David Boyd 3:50pm –4:40pm 

Head Men’s Coach - East Jackson HS,“Quick Hitters & 1-3-1 Funnel"

9th Annual LudaDay Weekend Celebrity Basketball Game live on SUVtv - this Sunday, August 31

Team Ludacris vs. Team Lil Wayne in Celebrity Game for The Ludacris Foundation

LudaDay's Most Anticipated Event To Be Streamed Live For Viewers Around The World

Atlanta, GA - Ludacris and his record label Disturbing Tha Peace (DTP) will be playing against Lil Wayne and his record label Young Money (YMCMB) in a basketball game for charity on August 31, 2014 at the Georgia State University Sports Arena. The exciting hoops matchup is a part of LudaDay weekend, an annual charity weekend committed to giving back to the Atlanta community. Tickets are available for purchase online, and viewers all over the world can be a part of this year's game thanks to the live video webcast powered by CBA Sports.

Tipoff time for this year's game will be 1pm. The list of LudaDay celebrity basketball game participants in years past includes Justin Bieber, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Usher, Kevin Hart, Carmelo Anthony, Vin Diesel, James Harden, Floyd Mayweather, and more. “I am grateful that the live stream is giving my fans from all over the world the ability to watch the celebrity basketball game online by just the click of a link!”, says Ludacris.

CBA Sports will be the official sponsor of this year’s live stream and will be partnering up with The Ludacris Foundation on future charitable events coming soon. “We are elated and honored to sponsor the LudaDay Celebrity charity game live stream.  It’s a very fitting correlation, not only because Ludacris is a valued CBA Sports customer, but we are huge fans of his philanthropic spirit and charitable initiatives to uplift the communities of Atlanta through the Ludacris Foundation “ – Jay Lilley, VP of Marketing & Business Development, CBA Sports.

This year's broadcast will be produced by The Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and SUVtv. The on-air commentary will feature Comcast Sports Southeast reporter, Zaid Hakim, alongside Sharmane White, the head coach of 6-time state champion, Miller Grove High School Basketball. "It's a pleasure to showcase one of the most exciting events in the LudaDay Weekend lineup", says Marques Burnett, Founder of the SUV, "Anyone with internet access can experience the impact the Ludacris Foundation has in the areas of charity and entertainment via this matchup."

For onsite tickets to the LudaDay Weekend Celebrity Basketball game, to watch it live, or for more information, visit: http://LudaDayWeekend.com

-###-

About The Ludacris Foundation

Since 2001, The Ludacris Foundation has been helping youth help themselves and has invested more than 10,000 hours in devoted service to youth across the nation. The Foundation's Leadership and Education, LudaCares, Living Healthy and Going Green programs have impacted thousands lives in the heart of the Atlanta community and outside of the area. 

About CBA Sports

Founded in 1992, CBA Sports is a sports construction firm specializing in performance athletic surfacing, sports floor systems, and sports components for both indoor and outdoor sports flooring projects. CBA Sports is a sports construction industry leader with residential and commercial clients ranging from Univ. of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State Univ., Florida State Univ., the Atlanta Hawks to a host of professional athletes, public and private sports facilities and homeowners throughout the world. For more information, visit http://cbasports.us

About The Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV)

The Sports Utility Vehicle offers customized services for sporting events & groups with needs in the areas of live webcast production, sports marketing & activation, and special projects. The SUV works with a diverse mix of sports related organizations ranging from youth & high school to collegiate & professional properties. For more information, visit http://SUVehicle.com

Next stop for the SUV...the 2014 Check Me Out Showcase Seattle

The SUV switches coasts this weekend on August 16-17 to broadcast live from the Check Me Out Showcase in Seattle. Run by Chris Hansen Basketball, the Check Me Out Showcase is a girls basketball camp with elite competition from across the U.S. and Canada. It provides national exposure via media and scouting services, and brings some of the best skill instructors in the nation to the showcase participants. The 2013 camp had five players in attendance that ended up being selected to the 2014 McDonald's All-American Game! The 2014 event will have both of the Elite Basketball Academy trainers Christian Simmons and A.P. Penland in the building. 

Watch camp games live on Saturday and Sunday on ProspectsNationTV powered by the SUV.

2014 CP3 Rising Stars National Camp and Dunk Dog All American Game: August 8-10

The SUV heads to Winston-Salem, NC this weekend to provide live video from the 2014 CP3 Rising Stars National Camp and the Dunk Dog All American Game at Forsyth Country Day School.

The Chris Paul (CP3) Rising Stars National Camp provides over 200 middle school student-athletes with top notch basketball instruction and insight campers can use off the court. The event also offers players national exposure that can help with their transition to high school and the college recruitment process. The top participants from the CP3 Rising Stars Camp will be selected to play in the Dunk Dog All American Game on August 10.

Watch live and archived webcasts from this year's event via the links below:

Saturday, August 9 - Camp Exhibiton Games

1:30 pm

UNC vs. Duke

2:15 pm

Team Jason Capel vs. Team David Thompson

3:00 pm

Team James Worthy vs. Team Stephen Curry

3:45 pm

Charlotte 49ers vs. Wake Forest

4:30 pm

Team Josh Howard vs. Team Antawn Jamison

5:15pm

Team Pete Maravich vs. Team James Worthy

6:00pm

NC State vs. Wake Forest

6:45pm

Team Ish Smith vs. Team Jason Capel

Sunday, August 10

10:45am

Team Bob McAdoo vs. Team Chris Paul

1:40pm
Team Phil Ford vs. Team Nate McMillan

4pm

Top 40 Game (2018)

4:40pm

Top 20 Game (2019)

5:10pm

Top 20 Game (2018)

5:45pm 

Dunk Dog All American Dunk Contest

6:30pm

Dunk Dog All American Game

Best of the South - live video via SUVtv

On July 10-13, Suwanee Sports Academy and HoopSeen will host the annual Best of the South tournament at SSA's Gwinnett location. The event features over 100 teams, and SUVtv will provide live video from select games throughout the event. With some of the best teams stepping across the shoe company lines and going head to head, BOTS offers some great matchups that showcase the teams and individual talent involved well.

Here's a list with links to all of the scheduled webcasts:

Thursday, July 10

4pm:      Smyrna Stars vs. Covenant

5:15pm: E1T1 EYBL vs. Team Prospects

6:30pm  Brand X vs. TMP

7:45pm  Stackhouse Elite vs. Jacksonville Knicks

9:00pm  Georgia Stars Lewis vs. Atlanta Select Red Elite

Friday, July 11

9:15am     Georgia Stars vs. Florida Elite Black

10:30am   PSB Select vs. Georgia Stars Lewis

11:45am   Florida Elite vs. Team Forrest

2:15pm     Atlanta All Stars vs. Alabama Legends

3:30pm     Atlanta Celtics vs. Brand X

4:45pm     Birmingham Ice vs Upward Stars North Atlanta

6:00pm     E1T1 EYBL vs. Georgia Kings

7:15pm    Game Elite vs. Jacksonville Lee Bulls

Saturday, July 12

10:30am    E1T1 vs. Charlotte Nets
11:45am    Jacksonville Lee Bulls vs. Florida Elite Black
1pm           Heat Check vs. Delray Blazers
3:30pm      E1T1 vs. Team Impact
4:45pm      Florida Elite Black vs. Atlanta Celtics
7:15pm      Florida Elite vs. Georgia Stars
8:30pm      Stackhouse Elite vs. Atlanta Select Black

Sunday, July 13
10:30am     17U Semifinal: Florida Flash vs. Florida Elite
11:45am     15U Championship Game: Team Blueprint vs.Southern Stampede
1pm            16U Championship Game: Game Elite vs. Team Forrest
2:15pm       17U Championship Game