WNBA great Lisa Leslie was in New York City last week to help announce the new Capital One Cup.

The Capital One Cup is a new premier award for excellence in on-field performance in Division I college sports. It awards one men’s and one women’s NCAA® Division I athletics program for their cumulative on-field performance across multiple sports during the fall, winter and spring athletics seasons.

Once the seasons are done, $200, 000 will be awarded to the winning program (men's and women's sports) for graduate level scholarships. The winners will be announced during the annual ESPY awards.

After the press conference I had a chance to speak with Leslie who is an Advisory Board member for the Capital One Cup. We spoke on the new award, San Antonio Silver Stars' Beck Hammond, how San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan helped her game and much more.

Jeff: How is it to be on the Advisory Board for the Capital One Cup?

Lisa: Well to be on the Advisory Board is an honor because I'm just passionate about NCAA athletics and for them (Capital One) to choose us is great. I think the Capital One award is an awesome award because we are always trying to have bragging rights on who is the best. This will truly honor those men and women. I love the fact there's two awards and it's split. Lastly it sheds a light on other athletics that don't get the attention they deserve. Like the lacrosse or swimming team.

Tell us about the point system.

I would advice all to go to capitalonecup.com to really understand the point system. It's based on championships that are won. It's not easy to explain when you can just go to the site and see it.

Now how heavy is the Cup itself?

(laughs) Oh my god I believe it's like 30-35 pounds but it's really beautiful.

Moving on to the WNBA playoffs, unfortunately the Seattle Storm beat your Los Angeles Sparks. What can the Sparks improve upon next season?

Well I think they just didn't generate enough points -- 66 points in two games. With Candace Parker out, obviously that's 25 points missing right there. I think they will be fine when she's back. It was a tough season to lose her. Betty Lennox was injured and at one time they (Sparks) had eight players, so for them to make the playoffs, it was an awesome season. They showed a lot of heart and fight. It's not over. They will be back.

I'm sure watching the games or being at the games gets your competativeness going.

(smiles) Oh yeah! I had a great time being at the Garden (Madison Square Garden) watching New York (Liberty) and Indiana (Fever). It was an exciting game. I thought Indiana would pull it out, on paper. But when I saw them in person I thought Indiana was tough but Taj McWilliams stepped up big as well as as Cappie (Pondexter) because when she is hot, you're in trouble.

How was it to play against and see in action Becky Hammond of the San Antonio Silver Stars?

Becky is phenomenal! At her size, 5'6" maybe, if you saw her on the street you wouldn't even think she can shoot the ball let alone do what she does. She is a phenomenal player and one of my favorite players to watch. Unfortunately they (Silver Stars) didn't make it in the playoffs with Phoenix (Mercury) beating them.

You are considered one of the best ever to play the center position in the WNBA. Another player who plays in the paint is Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs. Was he an influence on your game?

(laughs) Who? Tim Duncan? (smiles) Absolutely. Oh my god! Mr. Fundamental! He's an absolute phenomenal player to watch. His ability to hit the bank shot left or right. In fact, I had the opportunity at the NBA All-Star Weekend to ask him to show me how he shoots it (the bank shot), what does he look at and he did! It really helped me in my final season. I've always respected Tim Duncan. His foot work, his ability to score, his demeanor. Obviously he's not very flamboyant player but he is very consistent and you have to respect that every time he steps on the court.

What about the center before Duncan, David Robinson?

I loved David Robinson. Very strong solid player on the block. He could finish and had a nice turn around jumper. He didn't mind banging in the paint but more than anything he was a gentleman. I loved it when he represented our country in the Olympics and I liked the fact when Tim Duncan did come, he didn't have a lot of pride and decided to do whatever it takes to win. David Robinson is one of my all time favorites.

In my opinion, when Duncan leaves the game, only then will fans and the media realize what they lost.

He is a great guy. Phenomenal role model and that's all you can ask from him.

Thanks to Taylor PR and Don Povia (Blogs With Balls) for inviting Project Spurs to attend the press conference.

After struggling against New Zealand, Nando De Colo was back in action on Sunday when France played Turkey.

While De Colo was ineffective for all but one quarter against New Zealand, he remained consistent throughout the game against Turkey.

He got started early on a few drives to the basket and hit his first three of the game, but threw the ball away a few times and picked up a foul towards the end of the first quarter when Turkey built a five-point lead to end the quarter.

De Colo scored eight points in the fourth quarter when the game was already over and France's fate was sealed. He finished with 15 points on five of eight from the field and three of five on three-pointers. De Colo also had four rebounds, but also turned the ball over four times. For the tournament, De Colo averaged 8.8. points, 2.2 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game.

France lost 77-95, ending their run in the FIBA World Championship.

As we've said all along, De Colo's final two years with Valencia should help him work out some of the inconsistencies and flaws in his game before he has a chance to even consider the NBA. San Antonio Spurs fans should like what they see in De Colo, especially his shooting stroke, as he connected on 48 percent of his shots from the field throughout the tournament. If he is signed prior to the 2012 season, he may have a better chance making the team at shooting guard. During the tournament, he was much more comfortable spotting up on the outside instead of playing the role of  a distributor and he has the size at 6-5 to play at that position.

Overall, based on his six games in the FIBA World Championship, he's proven to be a good second-round draft pick for the Spurs in 2009.

While you may see De Colo in a Spurs jersey down the road, the one thing this tournament has sadly shown is that the Spurs are likely not in 2001 draft pick Robertas Javtokas' future.

Javtokas started the tournament off struggling with a foot injury that kept him from playing major minutes, and when he has had the playing time, he hasn't done enough to make an impact.

Against China today, he had four points, seven rebounds and one block in 22 minutes. Through five games (DNP against Lebanon) Javtokas is averaging 2.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game.

While he hasn't impressed yet, he'll have another chance to do so as undefeated Lithuania faces off with Argentina on Thursday. But I wouldn't hold my breath, Spurs fans, it appears Javtokas' will be another of the draft and stash picks that will never make it to the NBA.

Corey Allmond, a 6-1 guard from Sam Houston State, worked out for the San Antonio Spurs today, according to his twitter account.

"It's that time to show case my talent. I'm so hungry I feel sorry for whoever the Spurs put in front of me," said Allmond.

Allmond is yet another in a long line of shooting specialists the Spurs have brought in. He averaged 15.9 points and 2.2 assists per game last year for the Bearcats and was 40% shooter from beyond the arc during his Sam Houston State career.

He led the Southland Conference and was ranked number 14 in NCAA Division I in three-pointers per game.

As you'll see in the video below, Allmond is definitely capable of lighting it up. He scored 37 points against a highly-ranked Kentucky team and set a Rupp Arena, Southland Conference and Sam Houston State University record with 11 treys at Kentucky.

While the hours were winding down on Labor Day, and with Jeff Garcia in town on vacation, we decided to head to Blue Star Brewing Co. to record a show and give Spurs fans some in-depth analysis on Tiago Splitter. Staff writer Jason Rogers also joined us live at Blue Star for what would be his first podcast recording.

After talking about Splitter, some improvements he could make and how he'll fit in with the Spurs, we answered a question on whether or not Splitter will be worth the wait like David Robinson and Manu Ginobili were.

We also discussed the J.R. Smith rumors, the report that Darius Miles was working out for the Spurs and our thoughts on the NBA.com offseason grades. Thanks to Blue Star Brewery for not only the excellent fried pickles, but also for graciously hosting us once again.

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Intro Music: Cherub Rock by the Smashing Pumpkins

From everyone at Project Spurs, we hope you and your family have a happy and fun Labor Day. While you're firing up your grills, we've decided to do the same and give our writing staff the day off, but we'll be back tomorrow to provide you with all the latest Spurs news.

News out of Denver lately is that the Nuggets are shopping guard J.R. Smith, the player the Spurs came very close to getting in a deadline deal with the Hornets several years ago.

The Spurs and Hornets were not able to get the paperwork into the league office, and since then, many Spurs fans have watched Smith wondering how successful he could have been for the Spurs.

Last year for the Nuggets, Smith averaged 15.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game in just over 27 minutes per game.

Those numbers have to be intriguing for Spurs fans, who saw Richard Jefferson put up lesser numbers with more playing time.

Smith could give the Spurs another athletic wingman, who can shoot the three or slash and finish at the rim. He's also relatively young, with six years of NBA experience and being drafted out of high school.

Assuming the Spurs wouldn't have to give up any major pieces to get Smith, especially since the Nuggets seem eager to be rid of him, would he really fit in with the Spurs?

The Spurs are stockpiled with guards. Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, George Hill and James Anderson all figure to be a part of the regular rotation. Gary Neal also has a contract in hand and Garrett Temple could still make the roster, so clearly there isn't space there.

One weakness the Spurs have yet to really address is backup small forward, but is Smith, 6-6, big enough defend the taller small forwards in the NBA?

Aside from all that, Smith really isn't a Spurs-type player. The Spurs are known around the league for putting together a team of high-character players without rap sheets, and Smith's rap sheet is about as thick as Ginobili's accent.

In 2006, Smith was involved in the Nuggets-Knicks brawl.

In 2007, he was involved in an incident at a Denver night club and was suspended for three games.

Last year, he served 24 days in a New Jersey correctional facility after pleading guilty to reckless driving that ended in a fatal crash that killed friend Andre Bell. He also failed to show up to a court appearance, resulting in a fine.

Smith has had his share of time in George Karl's doghouse, and even called out his teammates on twitter after a loss against the Jazz.

On August 13, he was involved in a physical altercation at the Nuggets practice facility during a pickup game. The investigation was recently re-opened.

Now if any coach could tame a player like Smith, it would be Popovich. His expiring contract may also be enticing enough for the Spurs front office to take a chance on him if a trade scenario was agreed to.

So what do you think, Spurs fans? Is J.R. Smith worth the risk?

Back in action only one day after a tough loss to Slovenia, Tiago Splitter and Brazil easily defeated Croatia 92-74. Splitter, playing only sixteen minutes in the game, managed only six points on one-of-four from the field and four-of-four from the free throw line.  In addition to the six points Tiago chipped in four rebounds and four assists in the runaway victory for Team Brazil.

Splitter's time was limited after picking up his second foul early in the second quarter of the game.  He came out firing in the third, grabbing a couple of offensive rebounds and knocking down a bucket from inside the paint before picking up yet another foul and going to the bench where he sat for the rest of the game.  Brazil's coaching staff used the blowout as an opportunity to rest many of their starters. This was their third game in four days.

Unfortunately, turnovers and foul trouble seem to be a running theme in Splitter's World Championship outings.  Hopefully this is a trend that can be bucked upon his arrival in training camp next month.

Brazil has some time to rest and recoup. They are not back in action again until next Tuesday where they will match up against Argentina where Luis Scola is having a fantastic performance in the World Championship. Check in then for another Splitter update.

While Lithuania dominated Lebanon 84-66 to stay undefeated atop Group D, Spurs' draftee Robertas Javtokas did not play.

Nando De Colo, however, did play in a losing effort against New Zealand, which was their second straight loss in Group D.

For De Colo, it was a tale of two halves, although really, it was all about the first quarter before everything dropped off and he lulled back into inconsistency.

To start the game, De Colo looked more comfortable and poised leading France at the point. He came out of the gates on fire, sending his first two three-point attempts swishing through the net.

Defensively, he got caught on a few screens and was mismatched in the post, but he impressed me in denying position and not allowing the postup. On another possession, he was pinned against a New Zealand player that towered over him, but realized the ball would get passed in, so he jumped into the lane and picked it off.

De Colo ended the first quarter with eight points, but only scored two more points the rest of the game.

His shot just didn't fall until he hit a mid-range jumper midway through the third quarter. With no luck on the offensive end, De Colo decided to sag off his assignment to help defend in the paint to stop penetration and help on the boards. But that's when his foul trouble started. At the end of the third quarter, he had three fouls and then picked up the fourth and fifth in the fourth, which limited his playing time.

De Colo ended the game with 10 points on three-of-eight shooting from the field, four rebounds and two steals.

France will be looking to stop their two-game skid against Turkey on Sunday.

Yesterday at The Times Center in New York City, I had the opportunity to attend the press conference announcing the new Capital One Cup.

The Capital One Cup is a new premier award for excellence in on-field performance in Division I college sports. It awards one men’s and one women’s NCAA® Division I athletics program for their cumulative on-field performance across multiple sports during the fall, winter and spring athletics seasons.

Once the seasons are done, $200, 000 will be awarded to the winning program (men's and women's sports) for graduate level scholarships. The winners will be announced during the annual ESPY awards.

After the press conference I had a chance to speak with ESPN's Rece Davis who hosts College Gameday and is an Advisory Board member for the Capital One Cup. We spoke on the new Capital One Cup and San Antonio Spurs' rookie James Anderson.

As Rece and I meet, he gives me a hearty handshake.

Jeff: The Capital One Cup has to give a new competitive wrinkle to collegiate sports.

Rece: I don't think there is any question about it.  It gives an opportunity for sports that don't get a lot of recognition to have some of the light shining on them for a change and it still maintains the fan interest of the sports who follow them closely whether its men's basketball or football or women's basketball. There are so many things out there that get a lot of attention in college sports that aren't great. But that's the minutia. The percentage of things that go wrong in college sports is very small. The Capital One Cup is an opportunity to shine a light on things that are right. The accomplishments on the field, opportunities from an educational stand point for the two programs that win and really it's an opportunity to generate some enthusiasm, some bragging rights, some back-and-forth with the fans by keeping up with the standings over the course of the year.

How user friendly is the Capital One Cup point system going to be for the fans?

They will just be able to log on to the website www.capitalonecup.com and see the standings. It's based on how teams finish with the premium placed on winning championships. It's based on the final results of the season, the final poll, whatever it may be so there won't be any guess work, there won't be any ambiguity to it. You have a certain amount of points based on how you finish. Depending on what tier the sport is in, I know that sounds a little confusing, but basically think of it this way: the sports that get the most attention, get the most points. They get a bonus bump for finishing well in those sports. That's basically the easiest way and really the only way to think of it. But as far as logging on and keeping up, they'll (the fans) log on the website, there will be a point total there. They'll see and they'll know that with the upcoming sport they will have to do well if they want to make up ground with a school that is in front of them.

I can hear it now, "How many Cup points do you have?"

Exactly! And I can guarantee you that athletic directors will care about that and in turn the donors will care about that and in turn the fans will care about that and they'll do that!  Like Robin Ventura mentioned today, that if you have a tennis program and it doesn't do well in the Capital One Cup and you think "If we had done better in tennis, we would have won this thing," you're going to get that type of positive energy and positive input to encourage schools to try to be the best in as many sports as they possibly can be.

It's as if this is going to unify all the teams at a particular college.

Exactly. It's team work. It's one of the tenets of Capital One. It's one of the things you learn by playing sports and its something you learn for all aspects of your life so it's a really good marriage.

Let's talk about college basketball and the most recent NBA draft. James Anderson from Oklahoma State was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs and many felt he was a steal. Why is that?

Hubert Davis, my partner on College Gameday, thought he was the best and most pro-ready shooting guard in the game last year. He's a mid-size, athletic guy, very strong and he has the physical ability to breakdown defenses at the pro level. He is also an explosive scorer. He has all of the tools you want but because Oklahoma State was good not great, maybe some of the general public didn't necessarily look at him as being one of the big guys. Also he wasn't just one year removed from high school and what happens, I think now with the NBA, sometimes if a guy is around too long, people start trying to pick him apart or they start looking for what's wrong instead of what's right. There's a lot right with James Anderson. He's going to be an excellent player.

Where you suprised he didn't get drafted higher?

A little bit. But a lot of that ends of being contract, need, what are we doing with our (cap) space, injuries, whatever it might be each team has it's own unique set of circumstances that often orchestrates who they draft and who they place value on. I'm not ever too often surprised once you get past the top 10 or 11 picks and what a team might do because there's usually some type of ulterior motive at work.

What makes Anderson a Spurs type player?

Because they have a lot of blue-collar role player guys who are more talented than you think. Guys who aren't afraid to defend, guys who don't worry about number of shots, guys who don't worry about the number of plays run for them, guys who, within reason, are not too worried about about minutes. Anderson, while being the star of his team (Oklahoma State) I never viewed him as being a selfish player at all. He's a guy who understands "the team," he understands fitting into a role, he understands contributing in a variety of areas other than just scoring. Because of that, that's why he is going to fit in with the Spurs because the Spurs have a history of winning championships with guys like him.

Thanks to Taylor PR and Don Povia (Blogs With Balls) for inviting Project Spurs to attend the press conference.

(photo by Don Povia)

Back in action for Team Brazil today, future Spur Tiago Splitter contributed 19 points to become Brazil's second leading scorer in a tough 80-77 loss to Slovenia. After falling behind 16 points to start the fourth quarter, Brazil battled back, outscoring Slovenia 26 to 13 in the fourth only to fall just short in the end.

Although most do not expect Tiago to make an enormous scoring impact for the Spurs, he managed to shoot over 60% from the field in the losing effort.  On the downside, he shot a woeful 3 of 8 from the free throw line, a statistic that should make him fit right in with his future teammates.  Don't get mad, you know its true.

Splitter played well down the stretch, creating a Slovenia turnover with only a minute to play.  He was also on the free throw line with 45 seconds left where he made 1 of 2, leaving Brazil with a 5 point deficit as time ticked down.  Brazil could not close the gap however and after hitting three free throws with one second on the clock, went down to Slovenia by three.

Outside of his offensive performance, Splitter was not a major factor, statistically speaking.  He finished with only four rebounds and a single assist.  After getting himself into foul trouble against Team USA, Splitter kept it clean against a much less physical Slovenia team.  One additional bright spot: only one turnover.  Tiago did not take care of the ball very well in his team's loss to the United States, showing he has the ability to adjust his game and fix his mistakes.

It is also good to see Splitter play a different role when his team needed him to.  Against the U.S., Barbosa was the team's leading scorer.  Against Slovenia, when Barbosa was unable to find his offense (shooting 6 of 15 from the field) Splitter was able to step into the role seamlessly and help keep his team within striking distance down the stretch.  All in all, it was another solid performance; enough to get Spurs fans excited for his impending arrival.