Chasing the Title

NCAA Seniors Week 2

2009-12-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

Lots of movement in the guard realm this week, but the bigs are staying tight. Tina Charles is still in front of the whole pack at this point, not that we expected anything less.

PG

Kelsey Luna Indiana State (#3 last week)

Andrea Riley Oklahoma State (#1 last week)

Jareica Hughes UTEP (NR last week)

Jordann Plummer Drake (NR last week)

Mickel Picco Boston College (NR last week)

MIA: Tasha Harris (Boise State), Ashley Houts (Georgia) and Taylor Lilly (Oregon)

Courtnay Pilypaitis Vermont (NR last week)

Kalana Green Connecticut (#3 last week)

Lele Hardy Clemson (NR last week)

Brittainey Raven Texas (NR last week)

Ashley Barlow Notre Dame (NR last week)

MIA: Alison Hightower (LSU), Tyra Grant (Penn State), Deirdre Naughton (DePaul), Alexis Rack (Mississippi State)

Alysha Clark Middle Tennesee (#2 last week)

Monica Wright Virginia (#4 last week)

Danielle McCray Kansas (#1 last week)

Shanara Hollinquest Chattanooga (#5 last week)

Lacey Simpson Illinois (NR last week)

MIA: Sade Morris (Kansas)

Kelsey Griffin Nebraska (#3 last week)

Jenna Smith Illinois (NR last week)

Erica Beverly Hartford (#2 last week)

Ashley Ellis-Milan Minnesota (NR last week)

Gabriela Marginea Drexel (#4 last week)

MIA: Ashley Sweat (Kansas State), Pauline Love (Southern Miss)

Tina Charles Connecticut (#1 last week)

Amber Harris Xavier (#2 last week)

Jacinta Monroe Florida State (#5 last week)

Jayne Appel Stanford (#3 last week)

Alyssa DeHaan Michigan State (NR last week)

MIA: KeKe Carrier (Auburn)

Lest We Forget...

2009-12-02T08:11:00.001-08:00

Remember how lucky we are...

Sonicsgate

I am more than halfway through the numbers for last week's NCAA seniors...I should finish them up today.

NCAA Senior Rankings

2009-11-23T17:07:00.000-08:00

Through the first week of play here are my top performing senior WNBA prospects...this list will change GREATLY as more games are played and RPI starts to have actual meaning.

Andrea Riley Oklahoma State

Tasha Harris Boise State

Kelsey Luna Indiana State

Ashley Houts Georgia

Taylor Lilly Oregon

Alison Hightower LSU

Tyra Grant Penn State

Kalana Greene Connecticut

Deirdre Naughton DePaul

Alexis Rack Mississippi State

Danielle McCray Kansas

Alysha Clark Middle Tennessee

Sade Morris Kansas

Monica Wright Virginia

Shanara Hollinquest Chattanooga

Ashley Sweat Kansas State

Erica Beverly Hartford

Kelsey Griffin Nebraska

Gabriela Marginea Drexel

Pauline Love Southern Miss

Tina Charles Connecticut

Amber Harris Xavier

Jayne Appel Stanford

KeKe Carrier Auburn

Jacinta Monroe Florida State

Jackson May Stay Home, Baylor Rolls

2009-11-23T07:21:00.000-08:00

GIRL NEXT DOOR

As the wife of the recently murdered Spartak owner looks over her finances and how she will structure her team, the highly priced Lauren Jackson may not return to Russia and Sue Bird's status is also in question. The Australian press seems certain that Jackson will remain in Australia, where she has been recovering from surgery since the Storm were eliminated from the WNBA playoffs this autumn.

Canberra has a lucrative contract offer that has been made public, but it is almost certain that every team in the WNBL will be vying for her services.

BAYLOR IN ACTION

I caught my second Baylor game yesterday in addition to watching San Diego State run all over Arizona in the second half.

Baylor looked very well balanced against Cal, and freshman #1 recruit Brittany Griner seemed to have settled down after her opening game jitters in Tennessee. There was solid play from their junior leader Melissa Jones who had a double double with 15 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. The rookies were great as well, with guard Shanay Washington adding 18 points and 4 assists to go with Griner's 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocks. Baylor won the game 69-49.

Griner looked to notch her first collegiate dunk (other than her dunk in the exhibition season) near the end of the game on a nice wrap-around pass from Jones, but was fouled hard at the rim and missed the jam. A second Cal player then wrapped up Griner who attempted to rebound the ball despite the whistle. Griner, showing some grit as a freshman essentially threw the Cal player off with one arm. Cal had stated before the game that they did not intend to allow a dunk on their court. Baylor coach, Kim Mulkey pulled Griner from the game after her free throws to protect her freshman from injury or her own retaliations.

As nice as Baylor looked in this game, they may be even better next year having signed a letter of intent with the top ranked high school point guard in the nation, Odyssey Sims out of Irving, Texas. Championship caliber teams are often built on combing a dominant post with a solid point guard. With the complimentary players that Baylor already has in place they could look to be a serious contender for the next few years.

Can Team Sports Have Negative Impact on Teens?

2009-11-20T13:01:00.000-08:00

The answer according to a recent study is both yes and no. It also appears that most of the negative impacts are relegated to boys rather than girls.

For males, taking part in team sports was associated with fighting and binge drinking, but also linked with lower levels of smoking and depression. For females, taking part in sports was associated with lower levels of fighting, depression, smoking, drug use and unhealthy weight-loss habits.

The question of particular interest is whether the "association" is a direct tie or more a set of behaviors that happen to occur in parallel.

The strength of peer support in a team sport environment could certainly increase the amount of peer pressure to participate in risky behaviors like drinking or fighting. I find it particularly interesting that the negative impacts don't cross genders which leads me to think that the social behaviors of boy's and girls within gender specific social structures like a sports team may be a key piece of the puzzle.

Males and females bond and interact in different patterns and with different priorities. These differences may drive riskier behaviors in males while promoting positive behaviors in females. It would be interesting to see someone examine the data from this study with an anthropological approach to better understand where the behaviors are initiating within the teams and what impact gender has on the resulting behavior.

Monarchs Fold

2009-11-20T12:10:00.001-08:00

The Maloofs have shut down the Sacramento Monarchs as of today to focus on fixing their ailing NBA franchise, the Sacramento Kings.

The WNBA quickly responded with the news that they are actively pursuing ownership to relocate the Monarchs a short drive south to the San Francisco bay area.

Senseless Tragedy, Help if You Can...

2009-11-19T18:29:00.001-08:00

As a parent, and now a coach, I beg you to help two helpless victims who face so much adversity from an overwhelmed and under-supported foster care system. Thank you to former Connecticut Husky and current Minnesota Lynx star, Charde Houston for bringing this tragedy to the national stage.

http://www.thefemalesportsnetwork.com/charde/charde.html

LJ is in Demand

2009-11-19T09:59:00.000-08:00

The current word on the street is that the wife of the assassinated owner of the Spartak Moscow basketball team will take over ownership and continue employing Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Sylvia Fowles and other WNBA stars this WNBA off-season.

Despite that assurance, the Canberra Capitals (coached by Opals Head Coach and Jackson friend, Carrie Graf) of Australia's WNBL are aggressively pursuing LJ with a $250,000AUD or ~$US230,000 contract offer to finish out the WNBL season. That is pretty heady money for the WNBL which averages near the same salaries as the WNBA if my research is accurate.

According to the article Jackson fully intends to honor the Russian contract if it remains solvent, and she has shown that loyalty is a core part of her personal/professional character. I know she went to Russia after only one year with Korea on a two year contract, but I believe that Korea broke that deal in order to build their local talent in preparation for the Beijing Olympics.

On a side note, my K-1 boys faced their first girls in competition this week, the opposing Timberwolves fielding two young ladies on their roster. My boys won bonus points from me for not even commenting on the fact that there were girls playing, and I was certainly not going to point it out to them.

When my older son played (5 years ago) the boys all giggled about playing against girls. My boys didn't even notice. That may be a side effect of the growth of the Storm in our community as most of these kids have been to a Storm game or even met Storm players at their schools or after school clubs. We play as part of the Ballard Boys & Girls club which has had the Storm out a number of times and boasts Storm logos (painted on the wall of one room) and gear all over the facility. It may be a small sample size, but I will extract my own observations in any case.

Overseas updates are in vogue...

Bill Simmons LOVES the WNBA

2009-11-18T13:51:00.000-08:00

Ok, so we all know that is far from the truth, but now we have photos of him carousing with a WNBA mascot and holding what could be his first WNBA jersey.

http://tracker.stormbasketball.com/?p=1067

We will need to remember these pictures next time he goes on a WNBA bashing spree.

In his recent "sports-hate" column, he only hates WNBA commercials, not the league itself so maybe he is coming around.

Time

2009-11-17T07:30:00.000-08:00

It has been far too long since I have posted, and to be truthful I have barely thought about the WNBA or women's basketball in that time frame. With Phoenix wrapping up a second championship, my focus drifted elsewhere.

In August I was fortunate enough to return to my former job, which, while more rewarding on a personal level, is also more demanding.

I have not quite made it halfway through the Storm's 2009 season from a numbers perspective, and the NCAA season is already upon us. I am prepping my senior rankings and will have my first data next week after enough teams have opened their seasons.

I am coaching basketball for the first time, though at this level it is more about herding cats as I try to teach 10 K-1 boys how to enjoy the game. I am actually really enjoying it myself, though I feel like I could teach them more if I had more time. We had two one hour practices a week for a few weeks and now we play games twice weekly with 15 minutes of practice before the game.

Even at this early age, the talent beast rears its head as it is pretty clear which kids simply have a knack for the game. Experience matters, too, even for these kids. The boys who have spent time with a basketball prior to joining the team are simply more comfortable out there. For some, it is hard to watch how their brains get something before their bodies are able to help them execute.

It was disappointing that we didn't have a single girl sign up, but perhaps they don't get involved until they are a little older.

On a side note, I will not be covering the Storm for SportsPageMagazine.com next season. It was a nice experience, but convinced me that I am simply not a journalist. Additionally, I really missed sitting in the stands as a fan and sharing my love of the game with my sons, even if they are currently rebelling against being forced to watch basketball. Next season I will be back in my seats cheering on the team once more.

Be sure to catch Kevin Pelton's season recap...

A Sense of Urgency

2009-09-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

As we approach Game 2 of another playoff series with the Storm down 0-1, we will hear people talk about the same things:

Lauren Jackson's injury
Sue Bird's performance
A lack of perimeter depth

All of these three are truly important, and we can add in the need for BOTH Bird and Cash to step up in the abscence of Jackson.

Having watched all four game 1's so far this post season, though, I will step out and say that I think the key for the Storm in the next game and beyond will be one simple directive.

Play with a sense of urgency.

We saw this in Detroit as the Shock overcame a significant deficit to hold serve on their home court.

We saw this in San Antonio as the Silver Stars pushed on every weakness they could expose on the Phoenix defense and stars found their games in the waning moments of what we knew would be a tight game.

We saw this in Washington as the Fever refused to let the lower seed win that first game despite their inspired play early on.

We did NOT see this from Seattle or LA in their game 1. Seattle allowed themselves to be punished early and despite a late push could not recover. LA was in control of the game and then relaxed enough to allow Seattle to challenge them.

With their backs against the wall, the Storm will need to play with that sense of urgency. I don't mean that they should change their style of play or take badly rushed shots. I mean they need to put every ounce of effort on what they do best. Every player on the floor, all eight of the available players, will need to play like every possession matters, because it will.

LA has enough bravado to avoid playing their best game. They don't play Seattle with a sense of urgency. They are sure enough of themselves that they will expose themselves to a focused attack and true hustle.

Players like Little, Wright and Walker play like this every game, but the rest of the lineup needs to take that cue and play with the same grit, determination and hustle. Talent will not win this series, I doubt it will win a game for Seattle with Jackson on the bench. In my opinion, LA has Seattle beat EASILY on the talent meter at the moment.

Hustle, passion and a sense of urgency are the things that will win this series for Seattle, the question is whether they have the desire to express them.

Lineup Info

2009-09-17T10:18:00.001-07:00

I am only a third of the way through the season data, but here is a quick look at the first 11 games of the season....

Top Performing Lineups

Bird-Wright-Cash-Little-Jackson +68 (146 minutes) +18 per 40 minutes

Bird-Wright-Cash-Jackson-Burse +16 (28 minutes) +23 per 40 minutes

Bird-Wright-Gearlds-Little-Jackson +10 (18 minutes) +22 per 40 minutes

Top Player Pairs

Bird-Jackson +103 (318 minutes) +13 per 40 minutes

Bird-Wright +97 (286 minutes) +14 per 40 minutes

Bird-Little +74 (253 minutes) +12 per 40 minutes

Luck of the Draw

2009-08-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

Sometimes fate just smiles on you.

My wife is out of town, and I was only able to get a babysitter for 2 of the next 4 home games while she is gone. It just so happens that the games I get to attend as a fan (since I have no sitter, I get to bring the kids to the game) are the returns of Tully Bevilaqua and Iziane Castro Marques.

It will be nice to get to be a part of the crowd on those two evenings, as I was able to do for the All-Decade Team game as well.

Indiana will be a true test for this Storm team and their home court prowess.

Proud of Storm All-Stars

2009-07-25T17:41:00.000-07:00

Seattle has a lot to be proud of with regards to the WNBA All-Star game this season. Fans voted three of the Storm's players to start in the All-Star game and all three performed very well. Surprise starter, Swin Cash showed any doubters that she deserved her spot in the game and she gave those fans quite a show. Cash set a WNBA All-Star scoring record with 22 points, eclipsing the 21 point record set only minutes earlier by first time All Star, Nicole Powell from the Sacramento Monarchs. Cash added six rebounds and four assists to earn All-Star MVP as her Western squad reclaimed the All-Star crown in a 130-118 scoring battle.

Lauren Jackson was a perfect 3-3 from long range in the first half but sat out the second half to rest her injured achilles tendon. When questioned about her remarkable performance despite injury, the ever humble Jackson claimed innocence. She said she just ran up to the line and shot without playing any offense or defense in the game.

Sue Bird played a solid game herself, with the only double-double of the afternoon, 16 points, 10 assists and five rebounds.

Sylvia Fowles took two uncontested attempts to dunk the ball in the final seconds to the delight of the fans.

This was one of the better ASG's in the recent past, mostly due to the back and forth scoring. Neither team controlled the game until the fourth quarter when the West added some defense to fulfill LA Sparks forward, Tina Thompson's demand that they win this game.

Bird was unable to recover from the bad luck of shooting last in the first round and first in the second, as she squeezed by the NY Liberty's Shameka Christon by hitting her last money ball of the first round. Becky Hammon's 16 points won the second round, beating the 12 points tying Bird and Detroit's Katie Smith. Hammon and Bird showed that, while Smith may hold the current record, these two young players are going to give her a run for the money in their careers.

Cash's MVP performance in the game itself made up for her missed free throw that set her Western team behind in the Skills Challenge which was won by the other Western team made up of Minnesota's Charde Houston, Phoenix's Cappie Pondexter and San Antonio's Sophia Young.

Sportswriting

2009-07-13T00:15:00.000-07:00

I know that for some this is the dream job. You cover a sport that you love, and people read your thoughts and ideas.

I will be the first to admit, that it is harder than it seems.

I am not a great writer, though I have some skill with language. However, trying to fit your thoughts into 500-800 words after a game with cohesion and flair...that takes true talent.

I am certainly learning the craft with each piece I write, but I am also learning that I miss the role of the fan. My kids were right. I do enjoy being a fan. This role as a media representative prevents me from fulfilling that role.

I have a new respect for the pros. It is not just asking the right question at the right time. I have seen every reporter in the room get the disdainful look from a player or a coach for asking a question they feel is wasted. We all have stories to write and angles we want to pursue. Our questions are as biased and colored as the answers we get.

It is the ability to find the theme or the thread of interest that drives an article that is so very difficult.

Anyone can talk about sports.

I suspect a large, but somewhat smaller subset can write about sports. Blogging is a free form that allows us to journal our thoughts in a shared forum. Some use it exactly that way, while others strike a more formal path.

I find that I, through my commitment to covering the games, find less time to do the things that I enjoy doing about the games. The last game I ran the numbers for was the Sky game last month. By the time I finish my commitment, I find I lack the passion or the energy, or perhaps simply the time to do what I have always done.

Please forgive my delays in game analyses as I fulfill my commitments. I believe so strongly in the need to cover this league at the local and national level, that I have sacrificed some things that I WANT in order to ensure that this team is covered. I am not blogging all that much, I am not Tweeting, and my son is seeing less basketball than ever. I feel good that the tickets are paid for, but sad that the seats are empty.

I will get back to my data. It just may take a little more time than it used to. In the mean time...if the economy is slapping you around, but you want to see a game. Let me know. I have four seats begging for fans.

Game 3: Seattle @ Chicago

2009-06-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

Seattle Storm

Top Shooting

Floor%: Lauren Jackson (63%), Swin Cash (60%), Tanisha Wright (50%)
eFG%: Swin Cash (71%), Lauren Jackson (67%), Sue Bird (60%), Janell Burse (50%)
TS%: Swin Cash (100%), Sue Bird (85%), Lauren Jackson (70%), Camille Little (50%)

Top Ratings

Offensive Rating: Lauren Jackson (140.98), Swin Cash (123.40), Tanisha Wright (101.97)
Individual Rating: Lauren Jackson (124.87), Swin Cash (119.40)

Plus Minus

Sue Bird +9
Lauren Jackson +6
Ashley Robinson +3
Ashley Walker +1
Camille Little 0
Shannon Johnson -3
Katie Gearlds -8
Janell Burse -9
Tanisha Wright -11

Top Performing Lineups

Bird-Gearlds-Cash-Little-Jackson +8
Bird-Wright-Cash-Jackson-Burse +4

Chicago Sky

Top Shooting

Floor%: Katie Douglas (63%), Khadijah Wittington (60%), Tammy Sutton-Brown (56%), Ebony Hoffman (54%)
eFG%: Khadijah Wittington (67%), Katie Douglas (63%), Tammy Sutton-Brown (50%)
TS%: Katie Douglas (80%), Khadijah Wittington (67%), Ebony Hoffman (60%)

Top Ratings

Offensive Rating: Katie Douglas (150.28), Khadijah Wittington (119.73), Ebony Hoffman (18.36), Tammy Sutton-Brown (117.03)
Individual Rating: Katie Douglas (122.74), Khadijah Wittington (120.20)

Plus Minus
Tammy Sutton-Brown +17
Ebony Hoffman +11
Tully Bevilaqua +7
Yolanda Griffith +3
Katie Douglas +2
Tameka Dixon -2
Briann January -3
Khadijah Wittington -3
Christina Wirth +5

Top Performing Lineups

Bevilaqua-Douglas-Catchings-Sutton^Brown-Hoffman +13
January-Dixon-Douglas-Sutton^Brown-Hoffman +5
White-Douglas-Catchings-Sutton^Brown-Hoffman +4

Game 2 Seattle vs. Sacramento

2009-06-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

Storm

TOP SHOOTING

Player	Floor %	eFG%	TS%	Points
Katie Gearlds	64%	83%	83%	5
Janell Burse	61%	75%	82%	8
Lauren Jackson	56%	66%	74%	25
Camille Little	55%	50%	51%	11
Sue Bird	53%	63%	58%	15

TOP RATINGS

Player	Offensive	Individual
Katie Gearlds	159.77	154.98
Lauren Jackson	126.71	121.09
Janell Burse	119.76	117.88
Sue Bird	114.76	112.80
Camille Little	111.83	95.07

PLUS/MINUS

Sue Bird: +21
Lauren Jackson: +19
Swin Cash: +12
Tanisha Wright: +10
Camille Little: +9
Ashley Robinson: 0
Janell Burse: -2
Katie Gearlds: -5
Shannon Johnson: -6
Ashley Walker: -8

MOST EFFECTIVE LINEUPS

Bird-Wright-Cash-Little-Jackson: +10
Bird-Johnson-Wright-Little-Jackson: +5

Monarchs

TOP SHOOTING

Player	Floor %	eFG%	TS%	Points
Nicole Powell	60%	67%	74%	14
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba	54%	50%	82%	8
Chelsea Newton	52%	63%	63%	5
Kara Lawson	50%	68%	67%	17

TOP RATINGS

Player	Offensive	Individual
Nicole Powell	143.66	128.59
Chelsea Newton	123.95	113.02
Kara Lawson	123.17	116.52
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba	121.76	107.60

PLUS/MINUS (My numbers for this game do not align with the WNBA)
Kara Lawson: +8
Courtney Paris: +8
Nicole Powell: +4
Chelsea Newton: +3
Crystal Kelly: -2
Laura Harper: -3
DeMya Walker: -5
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba: -10
Rebecca Brunson: -15
Scholanda Robinson: -16
Ticha Penicheiro: -22

MOST EFFECTIVE LINEUPS

Lawson-Newton-Powell-Walker-Kelly: +7
Lawson-Maiga^Ba-Powell-Kelly-Paris: +4

Game 1 Seattle @ Sacramento

2009-06-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

Storm

TOP SHOOTING

Player	Floor %	eFG%	TS%	Points
Lauren Jackson	82%	75%	96%	23
Katie Gearlds	51%	64%	64%	9
Tanisha Wright	47%	63%	58%	21
Ashley Robinson	41%	100%	100%	2

TOP RATINGS

Player	Offensive	Individual
Ashley Walker	233.33	200.00
Lauren Jackson	189.09	151.95
Katie Gearlds	147.13	112.41
Shannon Johnson	113.67	76.86
Sue Bird	111.61	66.84

PLUS/MINUS

Lauren Jackson: +30
Sue Bird: +23
Tanisha Wright: +17
Katie Gearlds: +14
Janell Burse: +2
Shannon Johnson: +1
Camille Little: +1
Ashley Walker: -6
Ashley Robinson: -14
Swin Cash: -18

MOST EFFECTIVE LINEUPS

Bird-Wright-Gearlds-Jackson-Burse: +9
Bird-Johnson-Wright-Little-Jackson: +8
Bird-Johnson-Wright-Gearlds-Jackson: +7

MONARCHS

TOP SHOOTING

Player	Floor %	eFG%	TS%	Points
Laura Harper	70%	57%	74%	11
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba	68%	50%	58%	8
Rebecca Brunson	60%	50%	58%	8
Ticha Penicheiro	51%	33%	58%	11

TOP RATINGS

Player	Offensive	Individual
Laura Harper	147.95	127.12
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba	128.94	98.28
Rebecca Brunson	127.02	99.05
Ticha Penicheiro	105.63	80.36

PLUS/MINUS

Chelsea Newton: +13
Crystal Kelly: +1
DeMya Walker: 0
Courtney Paris: -1
Rebeccas Brunson: -1
Kara Lawson: -3
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba: -9
Ticha Penicheiro: -9
Nicole Powell: -9
Laura Harper: -10
Scholanda Robinson: -21

MOST EFFECTIVE LINEUPS

Lawson-Newton-Powell-Brunson-Harper: +8
Penicheiro-Newton-Maiga^Ba-Walker-Kelly: +3

Atkinson and Terry Cut

2009-06-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

With this next round of cuts...only rookie Parham and 2nd year player Franklin remain in camp and on the bubble. Given the significant playing time and subsequent play from Gearlds and Robinson, it looks like the roster is decided. I am not sure of the reasoning for keeping Parham and Franklin at this point...

Preseason Game # 2 Stats

2009-05-31T06:02:00.000-07:00

Storm

TOP SHOOTING

Player	Floor %	eFG%	TS%	Points
Ashley Robinson	37%	50%	50%	4
Ashely Walker	52%	36%	45%	12
Tanisha Wright	45%	40%	48%	16
Katie Gearlds	29%	40%	40%	8

TOP RATINGS

Player	Offensive	Individual
Ashley Walker	108.81	84.89
Tanisha Wright	97.92	84.91

PLUS/MINUS

Ashley Robinson: +5
Tanisha Wright: +2
Ashley Walker: +2
Sue Bird: -2
Katie Gearlds: -2
Camille Little: -5
Shannon Johnson: -6
Janell Burse: -9

MOST EFFECTIVE LINEUPS

Bird-Wright-Gearlds-Little-Robinson: +4
Bird-Wright-Gearlds-Walker-Little: +4
Johnson-Wright-Gearlds-Walker-Robinson: +3
Johnson-Wright-Gearlds-Little-Burse: +2

Mercury

TOP SHOOTING

Player	Floor %	eFG%	TS%	Points
Diana Taurasi	52%	60%	60%	13
Temeka Johnson	43%	65%	65%	13
Brooke Smith	31%	100%	69%	2
Laurie Koehn	38%	60%	60%	6

TOP RATINGS

Player	Offensive	Individual
Laurie Koehn	115.13	108.72
Temeka Johnson	111.81	111.50
Allison Bales	108.83	106.38
Diana Taurasi	107.28	102.46

PLUS/MINUS

Allison Bales: +17
Laurie Koehn: +13
Brooke Smith: +10
Le'Coe Willingham: -1
Cappie Pondexter: -3
Dewanna Bonner: -8
Temeka Johnson: -9
Diana Taurasi: -10
Tangela Smith: -12

MOST EFFECTIVE LINEUPS

Oga-Brooks-Koehn-BSmith-Bales: +8
Johnson-Pondexter-Mazzante-Willingham-TSmith: +6
Johnson-Taurasi-Pondexter-Bonner-TSmith: +5
Brooks-Quigley-Koehn-BSmith-Bales: +4

Guest in the Key

2009-05-25T11:05:00.001-07:00

Read Q's great post on his visit to Key Arena for last week's preseason game.

http://rethinkbball.blogspot.com/2009/05/wnbas-west-coast-pre-season-opener.html

Preseason Game # 1 Stats

2009-05-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

Storm

TOP SHOOTING

Player	Floor %	eFG%	TS%	Points
La'Tangela Atkinson	61%	67%	64%	5
Ashely Walker	63%	50%	54%	10
Shannon Johnson	52%	67%	64%	5
Janell Burse	54%	50%	56%	10
Kimberly Beck	51%	75%	75%	3

TOP RATINGS

Player	Offensive	Individual
Kimberly Beck	153.73	139.69
Ashely Walker	124.31	99.81
La'Tangela Atkinson	117.99	114.24
Janell Burse	112.47	99.19
A'Quonesia Franklin	100.45	93.49

PLUS/MINUS

Katie Gearlds: +11
Shannon Johnson: +7
Kasha Terry: +7
La'Tangela Atkinson: +7
Aja Parham: +3
Kimberly Beck: +3
A'Quonesia Franklin: +2
Camille Little: +2
Ashley Robinson: +1
Janell Burse: 0
Mara Freshour: 0

MOST EFFECTIVE LINEUPS

Johnson-Atkinson-Gearlds-Little-Burse: +4
Johnson-Atkinson-Gearlds-Little-Terry: +4
Franklin-Johnson-Gearlds-Walker-Burse: +3
Franklin-Gearlds-Little-Walker-Burse: +3

Monarchs vs. Storm 5/21

2009-05-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

I do intend to run the numbers for this game, but I have a badly sprained ankle that makes sitting to type rather uncomfortable. Hopefully it will start to feel better soon.

I completed my first game from press row, and it was definitely a new experience. I still get to enjoy great professional basketball but my focus and my enjoyment of the game is more analytical and less personal. I am not sure yet how I feel about that change.

It was a new skill to perform post game interviews with the coach and players, and I definitely had some rookie jitters, but am looking forward to improving over the course of the season. I got the quotes I was looking for with regard to my post game article, but also took some time to talk with the three rookies about their first WNBA game. Parham and Freshour particularly seemed surprised to have someone interested in speaking to them. They both handled themselves well, however, and gave me some good quotes for a rookie story I am considering.

It great to see a nice size crowd for an exhibition game, looking forward to a much more packed house on opening night.

My first Media Day

2009-05-19T13:41:00.001-07:00

I survived.

My rookie nerves had me ready to fall flat on my face, ask a stupid question, miss the key interview or just be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Thankfully, the Storm PR staff are pros and they made sure everything moved along smoothly. Other members of the press were very helpful, sharing logistical advice and being very friendly in general. I was not the only rookie, and I appreciated that fact.

I enjoyed watching the seasoned pros at work in the process, and took my time, watching and learning through the early interviews, waiting for my spot. As the morning wore on, I felt a little more prepared and asked a few more questions. We had just a handful of us around for many of the players with other interviews with Sue Bird and Brian Agler being more crowded.

I listened to my interview recordings on my run this morning...searching for a theme for my first piece. There is so much material, I understand now why I was told Media Day could provide me a foundation for the entire season.

I am looking forward to covering my first game this Thursday.

Storm Media Day

2009-05-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

So, I have not been posting much of late.

It has been the combination of a number of things:

* Slow News
* Busy Schedule

but the kicker has been over my decision to change my role covering the Storm this season.

I have agreed to cover the Storm in an official capacity for Sports Page Magazine. As a result, I will have access to more information, however, my content will be at SPM's site.

I will continue to provide statistical analysis here on the team, but most of my writing will be done in official capacity.

I have to make a few sacrifices to take on this role, and perhaps the hardest will be surrendering my fan experience. My kids were the ones who were most concerned about that aspect, and perhaps they are showing some key insight. We shall have to see.

I will be attending Storm Media Day tomorrow, and I will likely share my personal experience here on the blog, though the interview content will be on SPM's site.

I am excited about the new challenge and the opportunity that SPM has offered me to increase the depth of my coverage and convert from a casual blogger into a more official, journalistic role. I hope those that follow me here will continue to follow me over at SPM.

Cheers,
Patrick