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As a 5-foot-6 point guard, decorated WNBA veteran Becky Hammon has never had the experience of shattering a backboard with a dunk. Shes busting through the glass ceiling instead. The San Antonio Spurs hired Hammon as an assistant coach on Tuesday, making her the first full-time, paid female assistant on an NBA coaching staff. When Hammon retires from her 16-year WNBA career at the end of the San Antonio Stars season, she will immediately move to the staff of the defending NBA champions, working with the revered Gregg Popovich on scouting, game-planning and the day-to-day grind of practice like no woman has ever done before. "Nothing in my life has really ever been easy. Ive always been someone who did it uphill," Hammon said. "Im up for challenges. Im up for being outside the box, making tough decisions and challenges. ... And Im a little bit of an adrenaline junkie. Throw those all in there and this was the perfect challenge and opportunity." That makes her fit right in with the Spurs, an organization with a reputation for bold decisions. Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford have long been at the forefront of the leagues international influx and earlier this summer hired European coaching legend Ettore Messina as an assistant. During the 2001-02 season, Cleveland Cavaliers coach John Lucas brought Lisa Boyer into the teams practices and some games. Boyer, now an assistant at South Carolina, was not paid by the Cavaliers and did not travel with the team, but did work with the players and coaches that season. "I very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff," Popovich said in a statement released by the team. "Having observed her working with our team this past season, Im confident her basketball IQ, work ethic and interpersonal skills will be a great benefit to the Spurs." But Popovich and Buford were not available in person and Hammon had the spotlight entirely to herself. "Congratulations to Becky on todays announcement," Boyer said in a statement. "Its a great thing for her and for the NBA. I am still so thankful to John Lucas for giving me the opportunity to work with his NBA team during my time with the Cleveland Rockers. His staff and players welcomed me as a coach, and it was an incredible experience for me to spend that season with them." Last season, Hammon attended Spurs practices, film sessions and sat behind the bench at home game after suffering a torn ACL that kept her from playing. Shes been friends with Tony Parker and Tim Duncan since competing in an NBA All-Star shooting competition in 2008, a familiarity that will help as she makes her transition to coaching the two stars. "As far as women coaching men, its really silly. People ask me all the time, will there ever be a woman player in the NBA?" Hammon said. "To be honest, no. There are differences. The guys are too big, too strong and thats just the way it is. "But when it comes to things of the mind, things like coaching, game-planning, coming up with offensive and defensive schemes, theres no reason why a woman couldnt be in the mix and shouldnt be in the mix." Its been a long time coming for female basketball players and coaches who have long dreamed of getting a chance in the NBA. "I was so excited and pleased and the one thing that people have to remember is that the San Antonio Spurs dont do anything for effect," said Nancy Lieberman, a former star player who was a head coach in the NBA Development League in 2009 and now serves as the GM of the Texas Legends. "Thats not who they are. They dont do this for the record-breaking barrier. They do things out of respect. "And the fact that coach Popovich has this much respect for Beckys basketball IQ, for how she handles herself with the guys in practice, her ability to relate to them, Im sure he saw so much when she was working with them last fall. Im sure he didnt hire her because she was a woman. Im sure he hired her because she was the best person for the job." "This will open the door for other women, even like myself," Lieberman added. "My goal is to coach in the NBA and youve got to start somewhere. So this is a great day." Charlotte Hornets sideline reporter Stephanie Ready, who served as an assistant on the Coppin State mens team as well as in the D-League, called Popovich the perfect person to hire Hammon "because hes proven he has a tremendous track record and he does not make bad decisions." "Thats the first step, having the precedent set is very important," Ready said. "A lot of it also is now women will know these jobs are available. In the past, a lot of women probably didnt try because they didnt think it was possible. I think you may very well see an increase in seeing some females hired." Hammon has a reputation of being a smart, hard-nosed, tough-minded player. She made six All-Star teams and averaged 13.1 points in her 16 seasons with the Stars and New York Liberty. Hammon was receiving congratulatory messages from all over, including from Lieberman, Boyer and Lakers star Kobe Bryant. "I love seeing people Ive been involved with have an opportunity in life to have these types of experiences," said Stars coach Dan Hughes, who has coached Hammon for eight years. "This one is unique. Shes ready for it, shell do a great job." Even tennis great Billie Jean King weighed in on the hire, congratulating the Spurs for acquiring "a key person based on their qualifications and not allowing gender to play a role in their decision." But like it was only a matter of time before a woman got a chance to coach in the NBA, its also only a matter of time before said coach finds herself in Popovichs crosshairs. "Im sure Pop will be yelling at me soon enough," Hammon said, "with the rest of them." 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Watch Eugenie Bouchards opening round match at the Australian Open live tonight on TSN5 at 3am et/Midnight pt.PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco stepped into the batters box with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth inning. His team led the Miami Marlins by a run, and he had a golden opportunity to put the game out of reach. After taking two pitches out of the zone, he fouled one back behind the third-base dugout. The next was hit foul down the left field line. Polancos third cut did the trick as he laced left-hander Brian Flynns 2-2 offering to his opposite field for a two-run single that gave the Pirates a three-run lead. The rookie finished 2 for 4 and drove in four runs, Edinson Volquez pitched one-hit ball over seven innings, and Pittsburgh beat Miami 7-2 Thursday night. "I was just trying to see the ball and not hurry with my swing," Polanco said. "He was throwing really good. Thats why I was fouling off so many balls." Polanco is showing he can handle left-handers early in his big league career. "I think thats the third time hes shown that ability to hit a ball into left field off a left-hander," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "When theyre throwing down and away, he stayed out over the plate and covered it." Marlins reliever Dan Jennings was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Jordy Mercer in the seventh. Miami manager Mike Redmond said Jennings had his eyes open and was responding to questions when he was on the mound. After the game, the Marlins announced that a CT scan on Jennings was negative and that he was diagnosed with a concussion. He was kept in a hospital overnight for observation. Jennings momentarily stumbled before going to his knees after the play. He stood up to get in a cart and held up a hand to acknowledge the crowd as he was driven off the field. Volquez (9-7) didnt allow a hit until the fifth, when Donovan Solano singled with one out. Volquez struck out seven batters and walked three. Flynn (0-1) was chased before he got an out in the fifth. Mercers leadoff double started a three-run fourth. Polancos two-run single maade it 3-0.dddddddddddd Mercer and Gaby Sanchez added RBI singles in the fifth. Mercer finished with three hits and scored twice, and Josh Harrison extended his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games. Polanco hit a two-run double in the eighth. Giancarlo Stanton hit his 27th homer of the season, a two-run drive in the ninth for the Marlins. "Its just one of those nights," Redmond said. "Weve got to be able to swing with these guys and we werent able to do it." TRAINERS ROOM Marlins: 1B John Baker was held out of the game after fouling a ball off his foot Wednesday night. Pirates: Center fielder Andrew McCutchen (rib) missed his third straight game. Hurdle said the reigning MVP is adding to his recovery routine but it is still in a "wait-and-see" situation as to whether he will go on the disabled list. ... Second baseman Neil Walker (back) sat out for the fourth time in five games. ... Infielder Clint Barmes (groin) is nearing a return, with baserunning being the only obstacle in the way of a plan to come off the DL. UP NEXT Marlins: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (5-6, 4.22 ERA) starts for the Marlins against RHP Mike Leake (9-9, 3,46 ERA) on Friday night as Miami continues its six-game trip in Cincinnati. Eovaldi makes his second career start against the Reds. He pitched seven innings and allowed a run on two hits in Miamis extra-inning win Saturday. Pirates: Pittsburgh opens a three-game set with San Diego at home as RHP Vance Worley (4-1, 2.43 ERA) faces RHP Ian Kennedy (8-9, 3.59 ERA). Worley has allowed just one run in his last two starts, which included his first career shutout on July 28 in San Francisco. GETAWAY DAY STRIKE ZONE Of Volquezs seven strikeouts Thursday night, four were called third strikes. After Volquez one-hit the Miami Marlins for seven innings, Redmond thought the Pirates right-hander received aid from the umpire, "He got some help back (behind the plate) too," Redmond said. "He got some strike calls there. A lot of them." 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