There's bad news in the WKU women's basketball camp with Arnika Brown's weekend arrest coming to light Monday.  She's accused of using counterfeit money to make several purchases Saturday in Hopkinsville - and the charges that come with that accusation are anything but pretty.  16 total counts - 11 of possession of a forged instrument (a felony) and 5 of theft by deception under $300 (a misdemeanor).  She was released on a $120K surety bond Saturday night and is due in Christian District Court to be arraigned Wednesday.

WKU's been mum on the matter, saying it's being handled internally in a statement released Monday afternoon.  Having said that, it's hard to imagine this coming out all good for the Lady Tops.  The police report says Brown "stated to police that she had been with another subject (Saturday) at several locations in Hopkinsville using counterfeit money to make purchases."  That could be construed as a confession, which could win Brown some favor in court for being cooperative but seems unlikely to help her much at WKU.  As the story develops, we'll see what Brown's fate is - both in court and with her status on the Hill.

I visited with the WKU volleyball team Monday on a pretty eventful afternoon for the Lady Toppers.  Three-time all-American (and potential preseason conference player of the year) Megan Argabright sat out an afternoon session with an ankle injury suffered in practice earlier in the day, but she and head coach Travis Hudson said all is well.  Everyone in camp seems excited about the freshman class... Hudson was particularly excited about 6-4 freshman Tiffany Elmore from Jennings County (IN) High School.  Elmore's a unique story in that she was primarily a basketball player in high school, but decided late in her senior season she wanted to pursue a collegiate volleyball career.  Hudson says she's a natural athlete who doesn't yet have a great understanding of the game because she didn't play much volleyball in high school - but he also said she picks up more every day and that her raw talent sometimes leaves players with experience in awe during practice.

Hilltopper football holds its annual media day Tuesday at E.A. Diddle Arena.  Truthfully, there's not much to see for those of us who spend quite a bit of time around the program day-to-day or week-to-week.  We'll have a chance to have an in-depth tour of the construction at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium, which should be a treat... but there's not a ton of value in attending practice or interviewing players and coaches for those entities (WBKO and the Bowling Green Daily News) who do so on a regular basis.  Having said that, there is a lunch involved before the interview sessions - and you're never likely to find media members willing to say "no" to a free meal.

I'd be remiss not to mention the Beijing Summer Olympics.  I'm fascinated by the sports the Olympics brings to our collective attention once every four years - especially swimming, gymnastics and track & field.  I like to think I have a decent knowledge of all three even in non-Olympic years, but my attention's never honed into those types of events quite like it is during an Olympic year.  That's been especially true of swimming, where Michael Phelps is (in my opinion) the story of these Games.  (Brief digression: I know most Americans have a tremendous interest in our so-called "Redeem Team" on the basketball court, but that story's been told - win or lose, the United States understands it's not alone near the top of the world in basketball anymore.  The era of our complete dominance in that sport is over.)  Phelps has the unique opportunity to stake a claim as "Greatest Olympian Ever".  With three gold medals already in hand, Phelps has tied four others with nine career golds and with one more win (he has two finals on Wednesday alone), Phelps would become the most decorated gold medalist of all-time... and that's without even mentioning his historic single Olympic quest.  He's set his sights on breaking Mark Spitz's 36-year-old record of seven golds in one Olympiad, a quest Phelps fell short of four years ago in Athens (he won six golds and two bronzes).  Bad news for Spitz fans: Phelps has already claimed gold in the two events he fell short in in 2004 (the 4x100 freestyle relay and 200 freestyle).  He's the favorite in his remaining five events, meaning he's expected to finish these games with eight golds and 14 for his career.  Considering the tremendous diversity required to even imagine eight golds in swimming (with the different strokes required etc.), that would not only cement Phelps as the greatest Olympic champion ever - it might give him claim to the coveted title of "Greatest Athlete Ever".

I'll have a report from WKU media day coming up Tuesday.

James