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Aaron Last/Storm Photos
As you may have read in Live From Press Row, before last night's game Seattle City Councilmembers Bruce Harrell and Jan Drago presented Storm CEO Karen Bryant with a proclamation declaring June 7, 2009 Seattle Storm Day in the city of Seattle.
The timing was right for the Council to honor the Storm, as yesterday was both Opening Night for the Storm and the 10th anniversary of the city of Seattle being awarded an expansion WNBA franchise on June 7, 1999. See the proclamation in its entirety below.
The Storm organization is grateful to the City Council not only for proclaiming June 7, 2009 as Seattle Storm Day but also for its enthusiastic support over the past decade.
The busy week leading up to Opening Night can make it hard to keep up with everything, so I wanted to highlight some important content here at stormbasketball.com and elsewhere.
If anything was vulnerable to getting overshadowed, I think it was Thursday's event where the Storm reopened the First A.M.E. Child and Family Center in Seattle with a Reading and Learning Center renovated thanks to the Storm winning the 2008 Fast Break to Reading Program presented by Pitney Bowes. Our staff photographer Aaron Last was there and put together a photo slideshow/video looking at both the work done by Storm employees over the weekend and the culmination on Thursday, and it is very good.
Here are a couple more photos from the event, also by Last:
The big ribbon cutting, with Alfie Charles from Pitney Bowes and Carey Anderson from First A.M.E. doing the honors.
Storm players Janell Burse and Tanisha Wright read to children in their new space with new books.
WNBA legend Jennifer Azzi was on hand to emcee the event and represent WNBA Cares. She wrote about the experience on her blog.
In terms of basketball, our preview coverage included features on how Swin Cash is feeling better on and off the court after back surgery, how Shannon Johnson's addition has completed a versatile Storm backcourt and the team's impressive depth in the post with Janell Burse and Lauren Jackson reuniting as likely starters. It culminated with yesterday's general season preview highlighting how the Storm hopes to get back to the level at which the team played during a dominant six-game winning streak last July before Jackson's departure and subsequent injury.
I was surprised to check out the Seattle Times' preview yesterday and see Jayda Evans chose a similar angle for her centerpiece story. I intentionally don't read other stories until after I've written mine so I'm not influenced subconsciously, and I hadn't guessed we'd both focus on the July 12 win over Los Angeles that was a highpoint of the Storm's season. Of course, from there the articles diverge quite a bit, so there's plenty to be gained from both.
In addition to that, Evans has bio capsules on each player and checks in with members of the inaugural 2000 Storm team to see what they are up to now. Steve Kelley completed the coverage with his column on why Lauren Jackson decided to return to Seattle, which tugs at the heartstrings.
One of the big developments you'll see this season on stormbasketball.com and sites throughout the WNBA is the ability to watch many webcasts of many games live through LiveAccess. With this feature debuting across the league today, I wanted to explain things a little more clearly. During Storm games, you can go to our LiveAccess page (which will also be linked on the homepage in the top story) to get to LiveAccess. You will need a WNBA.com user name, which is completely free and easy to register.
For a handful of games, live video will not be available through LiveAccess. The five Storm games that are on FSN (including Opening Night tomorrow) will be blacked out locally, so look for your TV and not your computer in those games. The two Storm games that are televised nationally on ESPN2 will also not be available on LiveAccess, though they can be streamed through ESPN360.com if your cable provider gets you access to that site.
Lastly, any game that is in a national broadcast window, including today's season opener at Sacramento, will not be available live, though you can watch an archived version of the game after it has been played. So for today, your options are listening to the game on Alternative Talk KKNW 1150 AM or hearing that radio broadcast live on stormbasketball.com. You can also chat live with me during the game here on stormbasketball.com.
I hate to spend so much time focusing on the exceptions because either a webcast or TV coverage will be available for virtually every game this season, which is a terrific development that should enhance the fan experience. I do want to make sure everyone is clear on the parameters, so let me know if you still have any questions.
With less than 48 hours remaining until the Seattle Storm opens the 2009 season Saturday in Sacramento (1:00 p.m., Alternative Talk 1150 AM), the Storm is beginning to close in on some important decisions. The first of those came after Thursday's practice, when the Storm waived guard A'Quonesia Franklin and wing Aja Parham to get down to its 11-player roster (which will actually be 10 for the opener because center Suzy Batkovic-Brown will be arriving from Australia Sunday).
Storm Head Coach Brian Agler also said after the practice that he's got a likely starting lineup in mind to face the Monarchs.
"We'll probably go with Lauren (Jackson) and Camille (Little) and Sue (Bird), T (Tanisha Wright) and Shannon (Johnson) starting the game," said Agler.
Center Janell Burse will likely come off the bench after experiencing a subluxation of her left shoulder that limited her in practice yesterday. Burse was back on the court today.
"I haven't had a chance to talk to her since practice was over to see how she feels and how she responds," said Agler. "She's going to play, I know that. She was in practice the whole day. We went into practice thinking it might be in and out - she was pretty much in the whole time."
Burse felt good about her practice effort. She wore a sleeve on her left shoulder, something she has not done in the past because she hates the sleeve, which slightly limits the mobility of her shoulder.
"Before, I never wore it even when it was more serious," Burse explained. "Now I'm trying it because I really want to be out there and hopefully not reinjure it. When you're out there playing and you're 'in the zone,' I guess, you don't think about it."
Forward Swin Cash was also out on the floor.
"I envision her playing this weekend," said Agler, though her minutes will likely be limited. "I think it will all depend on her. I'm sure we will (limit her). She has practiced sparingly."
How much Cash can play may impact the rest of the rotation and how Agler uses his other three active reserves - Katie Gearlds, Ashley Robinson and rookie Ashley Walker. He anticipates the Storm's first-round pick being in the rotation, though finding time for her could be difficult.
"It's not easy to get everybody in here who we feel like can help us," Agler explained. "We're still sort of evaluating how things are going to go. I think she's going to be in the rotation. How much? I don't know."
As other teams have been cutting down to their final rosters, experienced players have been hitting the waiver wires. In the short term, Agler has no plans to bring anyone in. He wants to see his team at full strength, with Batkovic-Brown in the mix, before seriously considering adding a player who has come available.
"I like a lot of them," said Agler, "but to make that decision ... I don't think we can really do a whole lot before we fully understand what Suzy's going to bring."
Yesterday, WNBA.com released the results of its annual GM Survey. While not every GM apparently takes the voting seriously, based on some of the (ahem) unusual choices, it's still an interesting snapshot of the league as a whole.
Noteworthy Storm results:
- Lauren Jackson finished second in both most likely to win MVP and player you would pick if you were starting a team (tying there with Tamika Catchings and Diana Taurasi). Because Jackson split votes between forward and center, she also was second in terms of top power forwards in the league behind L.A.'s Tina Thompson.
- Sue Bird did in fact garner 58.3 percent of the vote to outpace Lindsay Whalen in voting for the league's best point guard.
- Jackson was an overwelming winner as the WNBA's best international player. San Antonio's Ann Wauters was the only other foreigner to get a vote.
- Bird is one of three players, along with Detroit's Katie Smith and Sacramento's Kara Lawson, considered most likely to coach after their playing career.
- Jackson's turnaround jumper tied with Seimone Augustus' runner and Cappie Pondexter's crossover as the single most effective offensive move in the game.
Elsewhere on the Web today, Mechelle Voepel of ESPN.com has a great feature story on Jackson's return to the Storm. Many terrific quotes in here, including:
"You know, it's fun being good at what you do," Jackson said. "I can't imagine my life without playing in America or Russia, as well as Australia. It's a nice feeling that people are so happy to have you there. And it's given me the opportunity to travel, to see so many things."You can also take a listen to Jackson's interview with Elise Woodward on KJR 950 AM last evening.
Storm center Janell Burse participated in the non-contact portion of practice Wednesday after leaving Tuesday's session early when she experienced a subluxation of her left shoulder. For Burse, the injury was a surprise because it was the first time since May 2007 her shoulder has subluxed, or slipped out of the socket.
"It was more shocking that it actually happened again," said Burse, "because it hadn't happened in so long."
While a partial tear of her shoulder labrum has left Burse vulnerable to subluxations, she has been able to control them by strengthening the surrounding muscles. She did not experience any trouble with the shoulder during the 2007 regular season or in either of her last two overseas campaigns.
Burse underwent X-rays that showed no bone bruising in the area, and is currently day-to-day.
"They just wanted to X-ray it to get a look at everything and make sure everything was still intact because my range of motion was bad yesterday," she said. "Today it's much, much better. Hopefully I'll be fine much faster because I've kept strengthening it all this time. I think I'll come back fast because of that."
"I think we're moving forward," Storm Head Coach Brian Agler said of his team's health. "The only thing I can say is we've got two more days to move forward here and we're going to move forward."
Forward Swin Cash participated with contact after being sidelined the last two days by an allergic reaction that caused swelling in her left knee.
With two practices left before Saturday's season opener in Sacramento (1:00 p.m., Alternative Talk 1150 AM), Agler feels good about his team's progress, though he won't really know whether the Storm is ready until the game is played.
"I think when you're in a situation like this, you never know if you're prepared or not," he said. "You try to do your best and you go into the game and see how things play out. You try to prepare your team. Do you underprepare? Do you overprepare? I don't know. I guess you can answer that question after the game. That's the only time you really know."
- The WNBA waiver wire continues to be busy as teams cut down prior to Friday's deadline for final rosters for the start of the season. However, Agler doesn't anticipate at this point bringing in a player cut by another team.
"I think, to this point, unless we really get a chance to study it, our 11 I think we have here (in camp)," he said. "Well, our 11 isn't here because Suzy (Batkovic)'s not here. Once Suzy gets here, I think we'll get a better evaluation."
- While taking Sunday off, the Seattle Storm made the decision to waive training-camp invitees La'Tangela Atkinson and Kasha Terry, bringing the roster to 13 players. 12 are now in camp, with Suzy Batkovic-Brown (spending this week on her honeymoon after her marriage last weekend) the only player remaining overseas. Amongst that group, the Storm has two invitees remaining - guard A'Quonesia Franklin and guard Aja Parham.
 Franklin |  Parham |
Leading up to Opening Night on Sunday against the Sacramento Monarchs (6:00 p.m., TICKETS), the Storm will be involved in a number of community events this week. A rundown:
Tonight
Lauren Jackson will throw out the first pitch before the Mariners face the Baltimore Orioles tonight at 7:10 p.m. Visit Mariners.com for tickets.
Tuesday
The Storm and Forecasters Pub will present a special Storm Trivia Night at the Redhook Ale Brewery in Woodinville starting at 8 p.m. Storm players Sue Bird, Camille Little and Katie Gearlds will act as co-hosts for the event. No reservations are accepted on Tuesday nights, so guests should arrive early to secure a table. All ages are welcome.
Wednesday
In honor of the Storm’s 10th Anniversary, Pagliacci is renaming its most popular pizza the ‘Storm Primo’ at its Queen Anne location. Plus, from 5-6 p.m. that day at the Queen Anne location, customers can buy one slice for regular price and get a second slice of equal or lesser value for $1.50 – and meet Storm players Janell Burse, Shannon Johnson, Ashley Robinson!
Thursday
Storm players will be on hand for the reopening of the First A.M.E. Child and Family Center in Seattle, renovated with support from Pitney Bowes. Last year, the Storm won a learning and reading center renovation as part of the Fast Break to Reading Competition Presented by Pitney Bowes. Storm employees contributed their time to help complete the renovation.
This event is not open to the public.
Sunday
The Storm is “Stormin’ for the Cure” to celebrate survivors of breast cancer and to raise funds for breast cancer research. Join Doppler and the Storm Dance Troupe for this year’s Komen Puget Sound Race for the Cure on Sunday, June 7 at Qwest Field. What a great way to get warmed up for Opening Night! Registration is $25. Click here to sign up.
The Sydney Telegraph reports on Storm center Suzy Batkovic's wedding to Matt Brown on Saturday (which is already yesterday in Australia). Check out a photo of Batkovic and her wedding party, all of them Opals players (Lauren Jackson, Penny Taylor and former WNBAer Trish Fallon). The wedding took place in Cronulla, just south of Sydney.
Jackson is due back in Seattle tomorrow, while the latest on Batkovic (who will henceforth be known as Suzy Batkovic-Brown) is that she will be in town for the Storm's Opening Night matchup with Sacramento on June 7. Whether she is in uniform will depend upon whether she arrives in time to undergo a physical and complete the necessary paperwork prior to the game, though either way she would not be part of the rotation having just flown nearly 18 hours.
Aaron Last/Storm Photos
The Seattle Storm's preseason finale will be Saturday night in Phoenix against the Mercury, and Head Coach Brian Agler has indicated he sees the game as a dress rehearsal of sorts for the start of the regular season just over a week away. After the Storm practiced Friday in the Valley of the Sun, Agler said he'll draw his starting lineup from the group of Sue Bird, Shannon Johnson, Tanisha Wright, Camille Little, Ashley Robinson and Janell Burse. The players likely to be in the Storm's rotation will get the bulk of the playing time.
"Obviously we need to keep improving in our defense," said Agler of his focus for the game. "That and playing together, trying to get our people acclimated to playing together and go from there."
Though Swin Cash got in her first work with contact during Friday's practice, Agler does not necessarily expect her to see any action against the Mercury as part of her rehab process.
"I don't know if we'll get that far," he said. "I have no idea, but we'll see. I envision her, though, getting back in the swing of things here next week. She didn't necessarily play herself out today, so that was a good thing."
As for evaluating the players fighting for roster spots, that was done in part during Thursday's series of scrimmages between the Storm, the Mercury and the Sacramento Monarchs. "They got plenty of time," said Agler, who enjoyed the format and singled out Robinson as playing well in the scrimmage setting.
WNBA.com's season preview series checked in with the Storm yesterday. Check it out:
With the departures of Griffith and Swoopes, the Storm have two open slots in their starting lineup to fill and a new rotation to get used to with a number of new players on board for 2009. Health will once again be a concern, but if Jackson and Cash can return to their pre-injury form, the Storm will have a legitimate Big Three to build around in hopes of an another championship run.
Kasha Terry and Janell Burse battle for a rebound in practice. Aaron Last/Storm Photos
After spending the first week and a half of training camp in Seattle, the Storm is ready to head out on the road for the first time. The team flew to Las Vegas this afternoon and will join the host Sacramento Monarchs as well as the Phoenix Mercury for a three-team controlled scrimmage tomorrow. Friday, it's on to Phoenix for Satuday's exhibition finale against the Mercury. Since the Storm hosted Sacramento in its home preseason game, the WNBA's three westernmost teams will know each other intimately by the start of the regular season.
The Storm has now had eight days of practice, having taken Tuesday afternoon off before returning to the floor at The Furtado Center for a session Wednesday morning.
"I think we're improving," Head Coach Brian Agler said afterward. "I think that's a better question to ask after we play, how we stand. We've really been proactive on trying to get a lot of things in. When you do that in a short period of time, you don't get the reps that you want on certain things. I like how we're advancing, but how sharp we are trying to do those things, that's another question."
Agler explained that the coaching staff will use the two settings for different purposes. On Thursday, the focus will be on evaluating talent. The teams will alternate playing quarters against each other - two teams on, one team watching.
"I think tomorrow will be a good (test)," said Agler. "Tomorrow we'll get a chance to watch people in more of a controlled situation, up close. I think it will be a good evaluator."
Saturday, the focus changes to what Agler calls "our last dress rehearsal." Rotations will be more "game-like" as the Storm prepares for the regular season. The lineups will be different from the ones Agler used in the Storm's previous preseason game.
"We have Tanisha (Wright) now and we see Tanisha playing big minutes for us this year. She'll get some quality time. Obviously Sue (Bird) will be on the court. Sue didn't play the last game."
Then there could be a wild card on Saturday - the potential availability of Swin Cash, who is making progress in returning from her back surgery and continues to feel good.
"I sort of envision Swin trying to get in the swing of things sometime either Saturday or early next week," Agler said. "Everything's based on her. Knowing Swin and knowing how well she's feeling, I would guess she'll get on the court more in practice as time goes on. If she feels like she can go, then we'll give her some minutes."
In case you've yet to see it, I wanted to make sure everyone is aware of a resource we're providing on stormbasketball.com - our new "In the News" page, which collects links from local sources and around the country covering your Seattle Storm. It's a great archive for past article as well as a chance to see what's being said each day.
While on the subject, I wanted to point you in the direction of a few news stories and blog posts, in case you hadn't seen them.
- This morning, the WNBA released its leaderboard in terms of jersey sales. Storm guard Sue Bird ranked fourth on the list, which counted from last October through this April. The Storm ranks fourth in terms of most popular merchandise.
- The Seattle Times continues to deliver excellent daily Storm coverage. Last week, columnist Jerry Brewer wrote about how life is different for the Storm now as an independent franchise and the opportunities this has provided. I also enjoyed beat writer Jayda Evans' look at the long-running rivalry between Storm rookie Ashley Walker and Sacramento center Courtney Paris (and Paris' twin sister Ashley, who plays for L.A.).
- You should know Patrick Sheehy from his Chasing the Title Storm blog. He's writing this season for SportsPageMagazine.com, and at media day decided to focus on the newcomers to the Storm and learn a little bit more about them.
- No WNBA blog is more thought-provoking than Rethinking Basketball, which is back in our blogroll after an offseason hiatus. Author Q was at the Key for last week's preseason titlt against Sacramento and has a detailed take on the action on the floor as well as the atmosphere.
Courtesy University of California/Mollie McClure Photo
Last week, we began our season-long Where Are They Now? series with former Storm guard Charmin Smith, now an assistant coach at Cal. That gave Smith unique insight into the Storm's first-round pick, Cal forward Ashley Walker, which she shared with the coaching staff before the draft. When I interviewed Smith, I made a point of asking her to offer some observations on Walker.
stormbasketball.com: What can you tell us about Ashley Walker?
Smith: Ashley is really a phenomenal player. She basically carried this program the past year; she did so much for us. She's, I guess you'd say, a versatile four player. I just describe her as a beast. She thinks every rebound is hers; she's extended her game to shoot threes now. She just battles every single possession and kind of wills herself to be successful. It was definitely a pleasure to have the opportunity to be able to coach her here at Cal, and I'm expecting big things for her at the next level.
How much did you see Walker develop over the course of her career?
If you look at her statistics, she just got better and better every year. She came in with a very talented recruiting class, that freshman class, but she was the one that no one really had very high expectations for. People weren't talking about Ashley Walker when she walked through the door, and very quickly in her freshman year she established herself as a significant presence on the team. I know that having had to scout against her when I was at Stanford her freshman and sophomore years. She really decided to assert herself and really took over. She spent a couple of years being kind of the Robin to Devanei Hampton and Alexis Gray-Lawson, who was the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. Devanei Hampton was the Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2006-07, their sophomore year. Then the last couple of years, Ashley has pretty much asserted herself as the 'Batman' of the team and has really taken over. In terms of specifics of her game, she's always had a rebounding desire and gets after the board. She's had good moves in the paint, but since her freshman and sophomore year, she's extended it to be able to hit the high post shot her junior year and her senior year stepping out and knocking down threes. She was one of the best three-point shooters on the team. You saw her hit some of those in the UConn game. She shoots it with confidence. Being able to do a lot more defensively as well - guard a little bit more on the perimeter, things like that. She's had to guard people like Noelle Quinn when she was at UCLA. She's pretty versatile.
What did you tell Walker about what to expect after she was drafted by the Storm?
I told her that it's a great city. There's a lot to do in Seattle, but I told her she won't have time to do any of it as a rookie because she'll be working so hard. I just told her how much I love it there, that they're great fans. I've had people e-mailing me and saying, 'We're getting one of your players. Let her know if she needs anything, we're here.' That's been really special. The first thing I did when I saw Ashley was coming to Seattle was I got online and hit up Sue (Bird) on AOL Messenger and let her know she was getting a Cal Bear. Just things like that. I want it to be her experience. I'm obviously really happy that she's going somewhere I'm familiar with and a place I really like, but this is all about Ashley Walker. I just want her to do the best that she can and go out and earn a roster spot and enjoy Seattle. I know the fans will really, really enjoy how hard she plays and her passion for the game.
Aaron Last/Storm Photos
A week after finishing her season in France, Tanisha Wright joined her Seattle Storm teammates for practice Sunday. In between, Wright went to her hometown of Pittsburgh and her offseason home in Charlotte, where she spent some time wrapping up details on her purchase of a home.
"It was good, but it was busy," Wright said after practice. "It was a busy couple of days. I went home to get stuff together for my house, and that's not an easy task. I'm glad to be back. It's bittersweet because I'd love to be back in my house, but I'm glad to be back as well and getting ready to start."
Wright's team played in what was apparently the final game played anywhere in Europe during the 2008-09 season, contesting the Coupe de France after playing in the French LFB Finals.
"It felt like a really long season - it was a long season," she said. "The good thing about it was it was a long season, but it was broken up. There were plenty of times where we would have four or five or six days off throughout the season. I think three or four times where we had that situation where we didn't play for several days. That helps."
In her first practice back, Wright felt the effect of the long season as well as her travel over the last week.
"I was tired - I'm not going to lie," she said. "Usually I'm not like exhausted exhausted, but I was exhausted today."
Still, Head Coach Brian Agler didn't notice much fatigue and lliked what he saw from Wright, who played primarily at shooting guard alongside either Sue Bird and Shannon Johnson, joining them in a versatile three-guard lineup at times.
"She looks in real good shape," he said. "We had her in and out - we didn't try to overdo it. She's still tired from traveling and a long season. She did a good job. It's great to have her back out here."
For Wright, the start of this training camp is very different from a year ago, when she came in late and was trying to pick up a new offense and adjust to a number of new teammates. She was also trying to establish a position then, having shifted between both guard spots. Now, she is solidly at shooting guard, though with the ability to swing to small forward in small lineups or play the point if needed.
"I think the difference this year is being more comfortable now - knowing the situation, knowing his system and knowing (Coach Agler) and the rest of the coaching staff as well as the players, because we have a lot of returning players," Wright explained. "This year, I think I'm more comfortable in my skin and can just play. I don't have to learn a lot on the run. You know what he expects, you know exactly what he wants and it's a matter of going out and doing it.
"There's some new stuff. The more I get out there the more it will be like the rest - I won't have to think about it."
Aaron Last/Storm Photos
Saturday was Swin Cash's first practice with the Seattle Storm since her back surgery, and it went well. Cash, who is still restricted from contact action, went through shooting drills before practice and joined her teammates when they dummied through the offense (going through the motions of plays without any defenders). She also rotated in and out on one defensive drill the Storm did before the training staff shut her down for the rest of the day.
"I felt good," said Cash after practice. "I was kind of getting annoyed with myself because I missed a couple shots and fumbled the ball a few times, but it's to be expected. All in all, I thought it was a good practice. I felt like I shot the ball well in our warmups, but it's just about the timing. That's going to come because I'm not all the way go just yet."
"She looks good," echoed Storm Head Coach Brian Agler. "I was impressed by how live she was. She looked live and looked real active and quick. She was no contact today, but she got into a couple of live drills, looked good running up and down the floor. It's going to take her getting back into contact and getting the ball in her hands and in the flow of things."
Agler said Cash will visit a rehab specialist later in the day as the team continues to plot her course back to full action. That will depend on how Cash responds to this limited work, and what her doctor and the Storm's medical staff feel she is capable of doing.
- The Storm expects to get another player in town tonight when Tanisha Wright returns. The plan is for Wright to get her physical done before tomorrow's afternoon practice so Wright can be out on the floor. "We're anxious to get her in here," said Agler.
- During yesterday's day off, the Storm made its first two cuts of training camp, with Kimberly Beck and rookie Mara Freshour being waived. Agler called making cuts "the toughest thing about this position or any position."
He reiterated his position after the Storm's preseason opener on Thursday that the pace of training camp required the team to cut down its numbers, and the decisions had little to do with what Beck and Freshour had done or not done in camp.
"They'll do well," Agler said. "They'll have opportunities overseas to play and hopefully they'll get another opportunity here this year with another team or maybe something next year."
- Agler closed practice by having the players run the length of the court and back with a 10-second countdown. Guard Sue Bird was the apparent winner from this vantage point, using a veteran move. She ran through an open door off the practice gym to keep from having to slow down as quickly.
As promised, the Storm made a couple of roster decisions this morning, waiving guards Kimberly Beck and Mara Freshour. I can't say I was surprised. Beck seemed to have fallen behind A'Quonesia Franklin at point guard, where the Storm had four players and will add Tanisha Wright this weekend. Meanwhile, La'Tangela Atkinson and Aja Parham led Freshour on the wing, another spot that will get more crowded with the arrival of Swin Cash.
While he was discussing making moves last night, Storm Head Coach Brian Agler made a point to note that they were really about managing the size of the roster in camp.
"In all honesty, it has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of people they are and the quality of players they are," Agler said. "It comes down to a short training camp. It's a numbers game and we've got to get some of our key players reps and get them ready for the regular season."
You're getting your first look at voting for the Seattle Storm All-Decade Team today, but this has been in the works for months. As part of the process, all of us in the Storm offices have been putting together our own personal All-Decade teams, and I wanted to share mine today. Since we're asking fans to share why they voted the way they did, it's only fair I do the same.
Adia Barnes - There's no question I have a soft spot for Adia, and did long before we began working together with Storm radio broadcasts. Barnes played a key role as a starter for the first Storm playoff team and her defense off the bench was invaluable during the championship season.
Tully Bevilaqua - As I wrote in the text on her page, the Storm might well not have won a championship without Bevilaqua backing up Sue Bird. She's set an impossibly high standard for backup point guards ever since. And there's a reason she had the nickname "Loveable Pitbull" when she was here.
Sue Bird - Call me crazy, but I think Sue belongs on this team. No, obviously she's a no-brainer.
Janell Burse - I think people sometimes overlook Burse's key place in Storm history. She ranks in the franchise's all-time top five in points, rebounds and blocks, and will only add to those totals this season. Also, isn't it nice to see the so-called "Killer Bs" reunited again?
Iziane Castro Marques - During three years as a starter in Seatle, Izi really came into her own, developing into a dangerous streaky scorer who also defended the opposition's top perimeter scory.
Simone Edwards - Certainly, no Storm All-Decade Team would be complete without the Shakin' Jamaican. In addition to ranking third in franchise history in games played and being the last player left from the inaugural Storm team, Edwards' contributions in the community were immense.
Lauren Jackson - A good rule of thumb: If you make the WNBA's All-Decade Team (as Bird did also), you're a pretty good bet for the Storm All-Decade Team.
Betty Lennox - Who amongst us can forget Betty's emotional reaction to being named Finals MVP in 2004? Even had Lennox left after that first season in Seattle, she'd still be an easy pick because of her enormous role in bringing home the Storm's WNBA championship.
Alicia Thompson - This was the toughest pick for me, as I considered players like Michelle Marciniak, Edna Campbell and Swin Cash. You could make an argument for any of the 24 nominees. Still, my bias toward the championship team is evident (nine of the 10 players on my All-Decade Team were part of the 2004 squad), and that pushes Thompson into this spot. She came up with plenty of clutch three-pointers during the 2004 playoffs.
Kamila Vodichkova - The Storm's first-ever draft pick is both a strong emotional choice because of her endearing personality as well as a solidly rational one, still ranking amongst the franchise's all-time top five in points, rebounds, blocks, games and minutes.
Be on the lookout down the road for "Celebrity" picks from current or former Storm players and broadcasters, etc. as voting for the All-Decade Team continues through July 3.
Terrence Vaccaro/NBAE/Getty Images
One of my favorite Storm events is back this season. Join us for “Stormin’ the Lake” this Saturday from 2–4 p.m. at Green Lake Community Center. Meet the 2009 players and coaches, get your face painted, make locker room signs, learn moves from the Storm Dance Troupe, shoot hoops on the Storm court, plus much more!
Because Stormin' the Lake is a little later this season (along with training camp), we should get some great weather. For a taste of what Stormin' the Lake is like, check out our photo gallery from the last event in 2007.
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