Saturday Potpourri

First off, you've probably already seen that the Storm made a roster move today, waiving rookie guard Brandie Hoskins. The move didn't really surprise me. While Hoskins is fully recovered from the torn Achilles that kept her out last summer and was able to play overseas, she hasn't yet returned to the kind of shape she was in before the injury. I suspect she'll make a much better run at a roster next spring another year removed from her torn Achilles.

Elsewhere, the U.S. Senior Women's National Team fell to host China in the gold-medal game of the Good Luck Beijing Tournament Saturday. The U.S. trailed by seven, 79-72, with a little less than four minutes to play. They rallied back as close as two, with Storm forward Swin Cash playing a key role in the run. They had a chance to send the game to overtime in the closing seconds, but Lisa Leslie missed a potential tying three at the buzzer and China prevailed 84-81.

Cash had 13 points, four rebounds and three steals, shooting 6-of-10 from the field, as four of the five USA starters scored double-figures. However, China overcame the Americans' interior advantage by shooting 50.3% from the field.

On Friday, the U.S. players had a chance to tour some of the sites around China, including the Great Wall and Tian'anmen Square. Check out the gallery on USA Basketball.com. Courtesy USA Basketball, here's a photo of Cash and her partner, Chafie Fields.



In Russia, Spartak got off to a 1-0 lead in its best-of-three semifinals series with against Vologda-Сhevakata with an easy 100-70 win Saturday. Sue Bird led the way with 16 points, hitting four three-pointers and handing out five assists. Lauren Jackson had 17 points, seven boards and four assists. Spartak will go for the sweep Tuesday.

- Lastly, I wanted to draw everyone's attention to a comment from Jim Quigg, a long-time member of the Storm's practice squad, on a recent entry. Quigg likes what he's seen so far playing against the Storm.

"Hello fellow Storm fans. I'm one of the practice guys. I gotta tell you that you have a lot to be excited about this season. Yo is so strong and such a powerful scorer. KG and Allie shoot the ball VERY well (Katie hit three 3s with me in her face today). A-Rob is a force. Sheryl is incredibly smart, sneaky, and positive. Kristen plays hard, and so do Shyra, Kim and Leah. Brian could throw darts and still have an outstanding team."