Harmanpreet Kaur, a self-confessed social media addict, remembers being hooked to Cricket Australias Womens Big Bash League page to follow all the updates of the initial stages of the inaugural season. A month later, in January 2016, she experienced the buzz from close quarters, when she toured with the Indian team for a limited-overs series.Later this year, she will get an opportunity to play in the tournament, after signing with WBBL champions Sydney Thunder for the upcoming season. The path-breaking deal makes her the first Indian cricketer, male or female, to feature in Australias Big Bash League.We knew it would be big, but didnt realise the WBBL would be such a huge hit until we got there earlier this year, Harmanpreet told ESPNcricinfo. Whichever venue we visited, there was a lot of talk about the tournament. That internally motivated a lot of us, and it got us thinking, Right, if we do well like Australia have on the global stage, there is a possibility of an IPL-style league for women. In many ways, the atmosphere and the sporting culture of Australia fired us up. Our T20 series win also boosted the morale of the entire team.Harmanpreet remembers watching the final of the inaugural WBBL from her hotel room in Adelaide, a couple of days ahead of Indias T20I series against the then Womens World T20 champions Australia. At the teams training session the following day, she was overwhelmed when her compatriots remarked that she was good enough to be playing in the tournament.Two days later, on Australia Day and Indias Republic Day, Harmanpreet proved why she was one of the most-improved players in the womens circuit when her unbeaten 31-ball 46 scripted India Womens highest chase in a T20I. Immediately after the knock, she received congratulatory messages from a number of franchises.That was when it dawned upon us that these performances were being noticed, because when I started, womens cricket was mainly about England, Australia and New Zealand, she said. On that tour, the vibe was different. Generally, foreign tours mean a quiet arrival, followed by training and matches. But this time during our tour, there was a real buzz. Television channels were seeking reactions; fans were at the ground in big numbers. We were being recognised. I think our series win there contributed towards a lot of our names being put forward on the franchise shortlists.Harmanpreet received offers from two other franchises, including Sydney Sixers, runners-up in the inaugural season, but said money wasnt the deciding factor. Opportunities were what I was looking for, she said. With just two overseas slots for foreign players, I was looking at sides where you have a chance to make XIs on a regular basis. With Thunder having just one overseas player, I thought thats where I could get maximum game time.Also, Stafanie Taylor, who will be my colleague there, is someone who I hugely admire. We started our careers around the same time, and being a fellow professional, Ive followed her a lot of late. The manner in which she has carried West Indies single-handedly has been inspirational. Both of us are allrounders, so Im looking forward to learning from her. The prospect of playing with Australias best is also exciting.Harmanpreet, who admires Australias aggressive style of play, picked out fitness over skill as one of the major differences between India and the other top nations. Being in a professional structure, she said, would offer an opportunity to study how different professionals go about their work.As a team, we havent played for four months since the World T20, so a lot of us are using this as an opportunity to work on our fitness, she said. What we noticed at the tournament was, skill-wise, we are at par with the top sides. Things like running between the wickets, close-in catching, power-hitting is something we are working on.Currently training in Pune under her personal coach, Harshal Pathak, Harmanpreets routine ranges from yoga and strength-training, to endurance activities such as rope walks and a cross-fit routine, apart from her four-hour net sessions. Being part of an all-women ad campaign aimed at promoting women empowerment in India, Harmanpreet says, gave her a new perspective on how much womens cricket has grown in India.It has grown leaps and bounds, but we arent able to sustain momentum, she said. We did well in Australia, and the momentum was carried into the World T20. There was expectation on us for the first time. Now, its been four months since we played. So, once again, we are back to building up to another event. Better scheduling will address that, but with the World Cup coming up next year, hopefully that will be addressed. Hopefully, a few others also playing in the WBBL will give us that much more exposure and make us a better team. Swell Bottle Butikk . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Swell Flaske 500 Ml .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win. http://www.swellflaskenorge.com/ .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Swell Flaske Hvit Marmor . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book. Swell Norge . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Melo Trimble took the same kind of shots hes been firing up all season.The difference was that almost all of them went in, and the result was a 23-point performance that carried Maryland past Jacksonville State 92-66 Monday night.Trimble went 6 for 7 from the field, including 4 for 5 from beyond the arc, and was 7 for 7 at the foul line. His only miss of the night came with just over seven minutes left, and the junior guard followed with a 3-pointer that made it 76-58.The sharpshooting performance followed successive outings in which Trimble went 4 for 13, 4 for 12, 4 for 8 and 2 for 4.Its good to see Melo shoot it well, coach Mark Turgeon said. Its amazing, when a shot goes in it makes everything look better. Melos been taking good shots for the most part ... but a lot of shots have been rolling out. It just doesnt feel right. But today they rolled in.Trimble figured it was only a matter of time until his shot found the bottom of the net.I had no doubt in my mind that Id have one of these games, he said. Ive been in the gym early, getting extra shots, staying after practice. I knew they were going to start falling. Just got to stick with it, stay confident.Trimble was so on target, Jacksonville State first-year coach Ray Harper couldnt remember the one that clanged off the rim.I missed that one, Harper said. I must have been turned around when he missed it. He poses problems. Hes an awfully good player. Youve got to think hell miss every now and then. Tonight, he didnt. It was his night.Michal Cekovsky scored 15 and freshman Justin Jackson had 12 points and six rebounds for the Terrapins (11-1), who took control late in the first half and received little resistance over the final 20 minutes. Maryland had six players score in double figures for the first time since February 2013, against Wake Forest.Jacara Cross and Greg Tucker each scored 10 points for Jacksonville State (5-6).dddddddddddd The Gamecocks, of the Ohio Valley Conference, were outscored at the foul line 27-12 and had two players foul out.Foul trouble just killed us, Harper said. They shot (35) free throws. Thats a lot to overcome.Trimble scored 15 in the first half, going 5 for 5 from the field with two free throws.The Terrapins trailed 17-14 before Trimble made a layup and a 3-pointer in a 19-3 run that turned the game around. Five different players scored in the spree, which helped provide Maryland a 42-29 lead at the break.They turned up the pressure a little bit, Tucker said. We went through a little period that we couldnt score and that hurt us.Trimble opened the second half by making a pair of technical foul shots and Jackson added a 3-pointer to put the Terps up by 18.The margin swelled to 20 points with 16 minutes left before the Gamecocks used a 14-4 run to get within 10. But thats as close at it got in the second half.OLD TIMESTurgeons first college head coaching job was at Jacksonville State. Turgeon took the job as a 33-year-old in 1998 and went 25-29 over two seasons.BIG PICTUREJacksonville St: The Gamecocks kept it interesting for most of the first half against the most notable team on their schedule. That bodes well for a team whose conference foes include Tennessee Tech and Southeast Missouri.Maryland: The Terps received a nice workout before taking a break for exams. Trimble led a balanced attack, which is precisely what Turgeon wants to see as the team draws closer to its Big Ten opener against Illinois on Dec. 27.UP NEXTJacksonville St: The Gamecocks stay in the area for a game in the nations capital against Howard on Wednesday night.Maryland: Following a week off, the Terrapins return to action on Dec. 20 in Baltimore against Charlotte. ' ' '