Nickname News

It's always fun to talk with Storm veteran Wendy Palmer, and Wednesday after practice was no exception. Wendy filled us in on her latest nicknames for the Storm's youngsters - Shy Boogie for Shyra Ely, a teammate of Palmer's in San Antonio in 2005, where they were close, and K-Geezy (or is it Jeezy? Gizzy?) for rookie Katie Gearlds.

Why K-Geezy?

"There's only one KG," explained Palmer, referring to Kevin Garnett. Like everyone else around the Storm, Palmer is impressed with Gearlds' shooting, saying, "Her shot is so sweet, it's like money." Of course, money-related nicknames are already taken with Betty Lennox, aka B-Money.

The conversation turned to second-year forward Barbara Turner, whom Palmer took under her wing last year as a rookie. Missing out on training camp has hurt Turner's chances in the battle for spots on the Storm's final roster.

"As soon as the last game's over [in Turkey], she's on the first thing smoking," said Palmer.

A veteran of international play, Palmer recognizes how difficult it is to be overseas at this time of year.

"You want to be in two places at one time," she said. "You want to finish up strong and you want to be here."

Storm guard Tanisha Wright has yet to practice as she comes back from a pulled left groin, but she's been able to shoot around after practice the last two days. The news on Wright seems to be positive. "Our goal is for her to play Saturday," said Storm Coach Anne Donovan. We'll probably have a better idea of whether that will be the case tomorrow, the Storm's last practice before heading to Indiana for their exhibition opener.