Swoopes Q&A/Update

I had a chance to chat with Sheryl Swoopes this morning at the Storm's shootaround in her first interview since Saturday's scary fall left her with a concussion. Swoopes made it clear she really felt great about the support shown by fans after her injury, saying, "We definitely feel the love." She's also feeling better and looking forward to getting back on the court in the near future.

Storm.wnba.com: How are you feeling?
Swoopes: I'm alright. That's all I can say. I'm just alright. I feel a lot better than I felt a few nights ago, a lot better than three or four nights ago or whatever it was.

Do you remember the play at all?
The only thing I remember was getting hit in the head and waking up in the hospital. I don't remember anything between that time.

What kind of progress have you made?
I guess the good thing is I've actually been able to function a little bit without taking all the drugs and medications they have me on, so that's a pretty good sign. I guess the telltale sign will be when I'm able to get back on the floor and start doing some running and sweating and yelling and screaming and really get back in the flow of it. My focus right now is just to get better from that. Obviously taking time off has helped my foot a lot. Next week's a big week for us, so I want to do everything that I can do individually and personally to be as healthy as I can come playoff time next week. If that means not playing tonight, not playing Sunday and getting ready for our first playoff game, that's what I'll do.

Is the plan still to get on the court a little this weekend?
I hope so. It's a lot different just sitting and watching and walking around and then getting on the floor and running and playing a sweating a little bit. The doctors have put me on some medication that hopefully will help a lot of that. To me, it's important to get back out on the floor so that I can come back come playoff time. I don't want to come back our first game and start playing not having done anything on the court prior to that. Just talking to Tom, that's kind of what our plan is, to try to get on the bike a little bit tomorrow and slowly start progressing where I'm able to get out and start going 5-on-5 again.

Do you have a sense of the concern for your condition in the arena?
I don't know where I got hit, I don't know who did it. I just know what people have told me. Just from talking to Scottie and Jordan, they were telling me how quiet the entire arena was. Everybody was very concerned. It will make me feel good to be able to come out tonight for the game and it's fan appreciation night and really show fans how much I appreciate their care and their concern. Obviously it is, it's a very scary moment. Thankfully it was nothing serious - nothing torn, nothing broken, anything like that. It's nothing that I can't deal with and be able to come back when the time is right for me to come back. I'm just looking forward to getting back out on the floor with my teammates. I don't like being out on the side - not at all.