A note from All-Star Sunday that didn’t make it into today’s story:
Katie Douglas, last year’s runner-up in the WNBA Three-Point Shootout and this year’s first participant to shoot, didn’t make it out of the first round of the competition Sunday despite tallying 19 points. In last year’s inaugural event, 19 was the highest one-round total of the day.
Washington’s Laurie Koehn (23 points in the first round) compiled 20 in the finals to edge out Phoenix teammates Diana Taurasi (16 points) and Penny Taylor (19).
“I had the disadvantage of going first. I don’t know how I get runner-up last year and have to go first this year,” Douglas joked, according to WNBA.com.
Check out tomorrow’s Bulletin for the advance story on the Sun’s match-up with the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday at Mohegan Sun Arena (7:30 p.m., ESPN2).
Monday, July 16, 2007
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Sales, Whalen buoy Sun on road trip
Although hampered by a sprained ankle, sore Achilles’ tendon and aching hip, Nykesha Sales played back-to-back games Wednesday and Thursday and played a major role in the Sun’s increasingly potent offense.
She scored a game-high 23 points in an 82-78 overtime win over the Sacramento Monarchs on Thursday, a night after scoring 15 points in a 76-63 win over the Seattle Storm. In both games, she led the Sun in shots (18 against Sacramento, 15 against Seattle).
Sun coach Mike Thibault said there was a question if Sales would play against the Monarchs – the veteran forward didn’t play last Saturday in L.A. after returning the night before against Phoenix. But the Sun (3-1 on the West Coast road trip) put the Storm away early in the fourth quarter, making it a very easy decision to sit Sales (27 minutes played) for the rest of the game.
“(Thursday) night she was pretty gassed but it kind of gets your adrenaline going when you go into overtime, and you just have to gut it out for the next five minutes,” Thibault said. “She was limping for a while there but we took her out, gave her a break late in the third or early in the fourth quarter and she kind of got her second wind a little bit.
“She’s not going to be 100 percent at all the rest of the year,” he continued. “The Achilles and hip (problems) are always going to be there. That's not going away the rest of her career. It's just a matter of how much pounding she can take. She’s just keeping at it.”
Lindsay Whalen also finished a strong road trip. Over the four games, she averaged 15 points and six assists and shot nearly 58 percent from the field.
“It's how she played … before she got hurt,” Thibault said of Whalen, who underwent offseason ankle surgery in 2005. “She's been aggressive the whole trip and I think our whole team has been.
“Ever since we lost that Washington game at home (91-75 on June 26), I think that's been kind of a turning point for us,” he continued. “We had probably reached our low and like I said then, either you fight your way out or give in, and that's not our nature to give in.”
Some All-Star notes:
(1) Asjha Jones was in Washington Friday for All-Star weekend, said Bill Tavares, the Sun’s media relations manager. Jones had missed Thursday’s games for what Thibault called “personal reasons” and a “family illness.” Jones is expected to play in Sunday’s All-Star Game, her first.
(2) Katie Douglas was chosen to participate in the Three-Point Shootout, one of two pre-game skills competition on Sunday. Others players competing include the Phoenix Mercury’s Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor, Los Angeles Sparks guard Sidney Spencer, Detroit Shock guard Deanna Nolan and Washington Mystics’ guard Laurie Koehn.
The set-up is as follows, according to WNBA.com: It’s a two-round competition with the top three finishers from the first round advancing to the finals. Five shooting stations will be set up around the three-point line, with four WNBA balls each worth one point and one “money ball” worth two points at each location.
(3) Seattle guard and UConn grad Sue Bird, who led all players in fan voting for the All-Star Game but will sit out after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery last Friday, was replaced on the roster by Sacramento guard Kara Lawson (11.4 points, 2.2 assists, 2.6 rebounds per game).
She scored a game-high 23 points in an 82-78 overtime win over the Sacramento Monarchs on Thursday, a night after scoring 15 points in a 76-63 win over the Seattle Storm. In both games, she led the Sun in shots (18 against Sacramento, 15 against Seattle).
Sun coach Mike Thibault said there was a question if Sales would play against the Monarchs – the veteran forward didn’t play last Saturday in L.A. after returning the night before against Phoenix. But the Sun (3-1 on the West Coast road trip) put the Storm away early in the fourth quarter, making it a very easy decision to sit Sales (27 minutes played) for the rest of the game.
“(Thursday) night she was pretty gassed but it kind of gets your adrenaline going when you go into overtime, and you just have to gut it out for the next five minutes,” Thibault said. “She was limping for a while there but we took her out, gave her a break late in the third or early in the fourth quarter and she kind of got her second wind a little bit.
“She’s not going to be 100 percent at all the rest of the year,” he continued. “The Achilles and hip (problems) are always going to be there. That's not going away the rest of her career. It's just a matter of how much pounding she can take. She’s just keeping at it.”
Lindsay Whalen also finished a strong road trip. Over the four games, she averaged 15 points and six assists and shot nearly 58 percent from the field.
“It's how she played … before she got hurt,” Thibault said of Whalen, who underwent offseason ankle surgery in 2005. “She's been aggressive the whole trip and I think our whole team has been.
“Ever since we lost that Washington game at home (91-75 on June 26), I think that's been kind of a turning point for us,” he continued. “We had probably reached our low and like I said then, either you fight your way out or give in, and that's not our nature to give in.”
Some All-Star notes:
(1) Asjha Jones was in Washington Friday for All-Star weekend, said Bill Tavares, the Sun’s media relations manager. Jones had missed Thursday’s games for what Thibault called “personal reasons” and a “family illness.” Jones is expected to play in Sunday’s All-Star Game, her first.
(2) Katie Douglas was chosen to participate in the Three-Point Shootout, one of two pre-game skills competition on Sunday. Others players competing include the Phoenix Mercury’s Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor, Los Angeles Sparks guard Sidney Spencer, Detroit Shock guard Deanna Nolan and Washington Mystics’ guard Laurie Koehn.
The set-up is as follows, according to WNBA.com: It’s a two-round competition with the top three finishers from the first round advancing to the finals. Five shooting stations will be set up around the three-point line, with four WNBA balls each worth one point and one “money ball” worth two points at each location.
(3) Seattle guard and UConn grad Sue Bird, who led all players in fan voting for the All-Star Game but will sit out after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery last Friday, was replaced on the roster by Sacramento guard Kara Lawson (11.4 points, 2.2 assists, 2.6 rebounds per game).
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
All-Star rundown
In case you missed today’s article in the Bulletin, here’s a complete list of the WNBA All-Star rosters, starters and reserves included.
Eastern Conference:
Starters:
Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever), forward
Cheryl Ford (Detroit Shock), forward
Deanna Nolan (Detroit Shock), guard
Anna DeForge (Indiana Fever), guard
Kara Braxton (Detroit Shock), center
Reserves:
Katie Douglas (Connecticut Sun), guard
Alana Beard (Washington Mystics), guard
Tammy Sutton-Brown (Indiana Fever), center
Candice Dupree (Chicago Sky), forward
DeLisha Milton-Jones (Washington Mystics), forward
Asjha Jones (Connecticut Sun), forward
Coach: Bill Laimbeer (Detroit Shock)
Western Conference:
Starters:
Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), forward
Lauren Jackson (Seattle Storm), forward
Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), guard
Becky Hammon (San Antonio Silver Stars), guard
Yolanda Griffith (Sacramento Monarchs), center
Reserves:
Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), guard
Cappie Pondexter (Phoenix Mercury), guard
Taj McWilliams-Franklin (L.A. Sparks), center
Tina Thompson (Houston Comets), forward
Rebekkah Brunson (Sacramento Monarchs), forward
Penny Taylor (Phoenix Mercury), forward
Coach: Jenny Boucek (Sacramento Monarchs)
Some reaction from Connecticut Sun players and coach (from press release):
Asjha Jones (16.4 points, 6.5 rebounds per game; first-time selection)
“It’s an honor to be considered in the same context with all of those great players,” Jones said. “I have been working hard and it’s nice to be recognized for my growth as a player.”
Katie Douglas (16.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.2 steals per game; two-time selection)
“It’s always exciting to make the All-Star game,” Douglas said. “I have great memories from last year and I’m looking forward to another great experience.”
Mike Thibault (Sun coach on Douglas and Jones)
“They deserve to be on the All-Star team,” Thibault said. “They have played like All-Stars. Katie proved how good she was last year, not only in the All-Star game but in the totality of her season, and I’ve said all year that Asjha could be our next All-Star.”
Notes:
(1) The Detroit Shock, Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury led all teams with three selections each. New York, currently third in the East, was the only team not have a player named.
Essentially, Catherine Kraayeveld (11.3 points, 5.39 rebounds per game) was passed over for hometown player, DeLisha Milton-Jones (14 points, 5.72 rebounds) of Washington. It’s a close call, though it’s hard to argue the conference’s last place team deserved two selections while one of it best – and most surprising teams – deserved none.
(2) Sue Bird will need to be replaced on the roster, as she is out for the next two weeks or so after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove “particles” from her left knee.
If she is replaced by guard, two good candidates are her teammate Betty Lennox (12.5 points, 3.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 93.5 free-throw percentage) or San Antonio’s Erin Buescher (11.9 points, 6.41 rebounds, 2.06 steals, 2.4 assists per game), though as she’s moved into the starting lineup, the listed guard has played more forward.
Eastern Conference:
Starters:
Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever), forward
Cheryl Ford (Detroit Shock), forward
Deanna Nolan (Detroit Shock), guard
Anna DeForge (Indiana Fever), guard
Kara Braxton (Detroit Shock), center
Reserves:
Katie Douglas (Connecticut Sun), guard
Alana Beard (Washington Mystics), guard
Tammy Sutton-Brown (Indiana Fever), center
Candice Dupree (Chicago Sky), forward
DeLisha Milton-Jones (Washington Mystics), forward
Asjha Jones (Connecticut Sun), forward
Coach: Bill Laimbeer (Detroit Shock)
Western Conference:
Starters:
Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), forward
Lauren Jackson (Seattle Storm), forward
Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), guard
Becky Hammon (San Antonio Silver Stars), guard
Yolanda Griffith (Sacramento Monarchs), center
Reserves:
Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), guard
Cappie Pondexter (Phoenix Mercury), guard
Taj McWilliams-Franklin (L.A. Sparks), center
Tina Thompson (Houston Comets), forward
Rebekkah Brunson (Sacramento Monarchs), forward
Penny Taylor (Phoenix Mercury), forward
Coach: Jenny Boucek (Sacramento Monarchs)
Some reaction from Connecticut Sun players and coach (from press release):
Asjha Jones (16.4 points, 6.5 rebounds per game; first-time selection)
“It’s an honor to be considered in the same context with all of those great players,” Jones said. “I have been working hard and it’s nice to be recognized for my growth as a player.”
Katie Douglas (16.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.2 steals per game; two-time selection)
“It’s always exciting to make the All-Star game,” Douglas said. “I have great memories from last year and I’m looking forward to another great experience.”
Mike Thibault (Sun coach on Douglas and Jones)
“They deserve to be on the All-Star team,” Thibault said. “They have played like All-Stars. Katie proved how good she was last year, not only in the All-Star game but in the totality of her season, and I’ve said all year that Asjha could be our next All-Star.”
Notes:
(1) The Detroit Shock, Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury led all teams with three selections each. New York, currently third in the East, was the only team not have a player named.
Essentially, Catherine Kraayeveld (11.3 points, 5.39 rebounds per game) was passed over for hometown player, DeLisha Milton-Jones (14 points, 5.72 rebounds) of Washington. It’s a close call, though it’s hard to argue the conference’s last place team deserved two selections while one of it best – and most surprising teams – deserved none.
(2) Sue Bird will need to be replaced on the roster, as she is out for the next two weeks or so after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove “particles” from her left knee.
If she is replaced by guard, two good candidates are her teammate Betty Lennox (12.5 points, 3.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 93.5 free-throw percentage) or San Antonio’s Erin Buescher (11.9 points, 6.41 rebounds, 2.06 steals, 2.4 assists per game), though as she’s moved into the starting lineup, the listed guard has played more forward.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Some All-Star predictions (Part 2)
As advertised, here’s a look at five standouts in the Western Conference who should earn a reserve spot in the WNBA All-Star Game, set for Sunday, July 15:
Western Conference:
Guards:
Seimone Augustus, Minnesota (Averages: 22.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 50.9 shooting percentage)
Low-down: It’s not often the league’s second-leading scorer doesn’t get a sniff of the All-Star starting lineup, but with Sue Bird and Becky Hammon leading the ballot, Augustus didn’t come close to garnering enough votes. Her talent, though, is undeniable – Augustus hasn’t been held to single figures all season and for a guard, her 50.9 field-goal percentage is downright ridiculous.
Cappie Pondexter, Phoenix (Averages: 16.9 points, 3.4 assists, 3.25 rebounds)
Low-down: One of the many cogs in the Mercury’s high-powered offense, Pondexter currently sits ninth in the league in scoring and has actually made more baskets than All-Star starter Diana Taurasi (106 to 99) in fewer minutes (499 to 545). And it’s not like its unexpected – Pondexter averaged 19.5 points per game as a rookie last year.
Forwards:
Tina Thompson, Houston (Averages: 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 37.1 minutes)
Low-down: Thompson didn’t get much love in the All-Star voting – teammate Sheryl Swoopes, who has played just three games thus far, beat her out – but the 11th-year veteran deserves a spot. Thompson leads the league in minutes played per game, is sixth in scoring and is second on the Comets in rebounding.
Penny Taylor, Phoenix (Averages: 16.6 points, 6.05 rebounds, 49.5 shooting percentage)
Low-down: Like Pondexter and Taurasi, Taylor clearly benefits from the Mercury’s style of offense, but on a team that lacks a low-post presence, Taylor picks up the slack, as she leads the team in both offensive and total rebounds. In Phoenix’s 111-109 double-overtime victory on Friday – perhaps the game of the year thus far – Taylor was the star, scoring 30 points in 33 minutes.
Center:
Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Los Angeles (Averages: 11.6 points, 5.87 rebounds, 50.4 shooting percentage)
Low-down: Though slowed by a hamstring injury as of late, McWilliams-Franklin is one of the few major offensive threats in the West at center, perhaps the thinnest position in the league. She played 23 minutes, scoring 10 points, against her former team, the Sun, on Saturday. But don’t be surprised if an extra forward, such as Nicole Powell, gets this spot instead.
Open up Tuesday’s Bulletin for a story on who made the cut.
Western Conference:
Guards:
Seimone Augustus, Minnesota (Averages: 22.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 50.9 shooting percentage)
Low-down: It’s not often the league’s second-leading scorer doesn’t get a sniff of the All-Star starting lineup, but with Sue Bird and Becky Hammon leading the ballot, Augustus didn’t come close to garnering enough votes. Her talent, though, is undeniable – Augustus hasn’t been held to single figures all season and for a guard, her 50.9 field-goal percentage is downright ridiculous.
Cappie Pondexter, Phoenix (Averages: 16.9 points, 3.4 assists, 3.25 rebounds)
Low-down: One of the many cogs in the Mercury’s high-powered offense, Pondexter currently sits ninth in the league in scoring and has actually made more baskets than All-Star starter Diana Taurasi (106 to 99) in fewer minutes (499 to 545). And it’s not like its unexpected – Pondexter averaged 19.5 points per game as a rookie last year.
Forwards:
Tina Thompson, Houston (Averages: 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 37.1 minutes)
Low-down: Thompson didn’t get much love in the All-Star voting – teammate Sheryl Swoopes, who has played just three games thus far, beat her out – but the 11th-year veteran deserves a spot. Thompson leads the league in minutes played per game, is sixth in scoring and is second on the Comets in rebounding.
Penny Taylor, Phoenix (Averages: 16.6 points, 6.05 rebounds, 49.5 shooting percentage)
Low-down: Like Pondexter and Taurasi, Taylor clearly benefits from the Mercury’s style of offense, but on a team that lacks a low-post presence, Taylor picks up the slack, as she leads the team in both offensive and total rebounds. In Phoenix’s 111-109 double-overtime victory on Friday – perhaps the game of the year thus far – Taylor was the star, scoring 30 points in 33 minutes.
Center:
Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Los Angeles (Averages: 11.6 points, 5.87 rebounds, 50.4 shooting percentage)
Low-down: Though slowed by a hamstring injury as of late, McWilliams-Franklin is one of the few major offensive threats in the West at center, perhaps the thinnest position in the league. She played 23 minutes, scoring 10 points, against her former team, the Sun, on Saturday. But don’t be surprised if an extra forward, such as Nicole Powell, gets this spot instead.
Open up Tuesday’s Bulletin for a story on who made the cut.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Some All-Star predictions (Part 1)
Monday, the WNBA announces the reserves for the All-Star Game, scheduled for Sunday, July 15, in Washington.
The Sun’s Katie Douglas and Asjha Jones – both among the top 15 scorers in the league and the clear leaders of a suddenly surging Sun offense – should be included in those added, with point guard Lindsay Whalen having an outside shot of making the team.
Here’s a look at a few others, by position, who should earn a spot:
Eastern Conference:
Guards:
Alana Beard, Washington (Averages: 18.9 points, 2.2 steals, 43.2 shooting percentage)
Low-down: Anyone who watched Beard scorch the Sun for 20 points on June 26 – scoring 16 of her team’s 18 points in one stretch – can attest to the fourth-year pro’s dangerous offensive game. And she’s finished the first half strong, too: Beard is averaging 22.3 points per game in July.
Katie Smith, Detroit (Averages: 13 points, 4.3 assists, team-leading 31 3-pointers)
Low-down: As if the Shock needed another All-Star representative – they already have three starters – but Smith is as deserving as her teammates. The veteran can score when called upon (20 and 19 points in her last two games) and she leads the Shock in assists. She had 10 of them in one game earlier this season.
Forwards:
Candice Dupree, Chicago (Averages: 19.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 50.2 shooting percentage)
Low-down: Dupree should have been a starter, as she sits third in the league in scoring and has led the Sky’s resurgence this season in just their second year as a franchise. But the second-year star will have to settle for a simple All-Star nod; she has only scored in single figures twice this season.
Catherine Kraayeveld, New York (Averages: 11.2 points, 5.24 rebounds, 1.18 steals)
Low-down: The former late-round pick leads the Liberty in rebounds and, in large part, they go as she goes. In the New York’s eight losses, Kraayeveld averaged 8.1 points per game; in its 10 wins, she’s scored 12.8 per. Her four season-highs this year have all come in Liberty wins.
Center:
Tammy Sutton-Brown, Indiana (Averages: 12 points, 5.5 rebounds, 56.1 shooting percentage)
Low-down: Like Dupree, Sutton-Brown probably should be starting, especially over Kara Braxton (5.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 37.1 shooting percentage). One of the best free-agent signings this past off-season, Sutton-Brown has lifted the Fever to first place in the conference and has helped make them one of the league’s better rebounding teams as well.
Check here Monday morning for a run-down on five players in the Western Conference who should playing be in the nation’s capital next Sunday.
The Sun’s Katie Douglas and Asjha Jones – both among the top 15 scorers in the league and the clear leaders of a suddenly surging Sun offense – should be included in those added, with point guard Lindsay Whalen having an outside shot of making the team.
Here’s a look at a few others, by position, who should earn a spot:
Eastern Conference:
Guards:
Alana Beard, Washington (Averages: 18.9 points, 2.2 steals, 43.2 shooting percentage)
Low-down: Anyone who watched Beard scorch the Sun for 20 points on June 26 – scoring 16 of her team’s 18 points in one stretch – can attest to the fourth-year pro’s dangerous offensive game. And she’s finished the first half strong, too: Beard is averaging 22.3 points per game in July.
Katie Smith, Detroit (Averages: 13 points, 4.3 assists, team-leading 31 3-pointers)
Low-down: As if the Shock needed another All-Star representative – they already have three starters – but Smith is as deserving as her teammates. The veteran can score when called upon (20 and 19 points in her last two games) and she leads the Shock in assists. She had 10 of them in one game earlier this season.
Forwards:
Candice Dupree, Chicago (Averages: 19.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 50.2 shooting percentage)
Low-down: Dupree should have been a starter, as she sits third in the league in scoring and has led the Sky’s resurgence this season in just their second year as a franchise. But the second-year star will have to settle for a simple All-Star nod; she has only scored in single figures twice this season.
Catherine Kraayeveld, New York (Averages: 11.2 points, 5.24 rebounds, 1.18 steals)
Low-down: The former late-round pick leads the Liberty in rebounds and, in large part, they go as she goes. In the New York’s eight losses, Kraayeveld averaged 8.1 points per game; in its 10 wins, she’s scored 12.8 per. Her four season-highs this year have all come in Liberty wins.
Center:
Tammy Sutton-Brown, Indiana (Averages: 12 points, 5.5 rebounds, 56.1 shooting percentage)
Low-down: Like Dupree, Sutton-Brown probably should be starting, especially over Kara Braxton (5.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 37.1 shooting percentage). One of the best free-agent signings this past off-season, Sutton-Brown has lifted the Fever to first place in the conference and has helped make them one of the league’s better rebounding teams as well.
Check here Monday morning for a run-down on five players in the Western Conference who should playing be in the nation’s capital next Sunday.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Several highs on a low night
The Connecticut Sun lost on a last-second (actually, last 2.1-second shot) Friday in a 111-109 double-overtime setback to the Phoenix Mercury, but they set several season highs in the process:
* Points (109)
* Field goals (37)
* Field-goal attempts (87)
* 3-point field goals (16) (Also a franchise record)
* 3-point field goal attempts (31)
* 3-point field goal percentage (51.8 percent)
* Rebounds (52)
* Offensive rebounds (18)
* Defensive rebounds (36)
And (unfortunately for them):
* Turnovers (25)
Oddly, it came against Phoenix on June 2 when they shot a season-low 11.1 percent from behind the three-point arc. Friday, they also fell one short of a season high in steals, with 10.
Here's a look at the top-10 highest scoring games this season (by date and total). The Sun have been apart of two of the top three while the Mercury, who lead the league in scoring at 87.28 points per game, have been apart of four of the top five.
Highest scoring games this season (by date):
May 23: Seattle 100, Phoenix 87 (187 points)
May 25: Phoenix 111, Houston 85 (196 points)
May 31: Phoenix 97, Houston 85 (182 points)
May 31: Connecticut 102, Chicago 97 (OT) (199 points)
June 8: Los Angeles 90, Minnesota 87 (177 points)
June 20: Washington 106, Phoenix 101 (207 points)
June 22: Houston 95, Washington 85 (180 points)
June 22: Los Angeles 96, Sacramento 88 (2 OT) (184 points)
June 23: Washington 99, Chicago 86 (185 points)
July 6: Phoenix 111, Connecticut 109 (2 OT) (220 points)
Highest scoring games this season (by total):
July 6: Phoenix 111, Connecticut 109 (2 OT) (220 points)
June 20: Washington 106, Phoenix 101 (207 points)
May 31: Connecticut 102, Chicago 97 (OT) (199 points)
May 25: Phoenix 111, Houston 85 (196 points)
May 23: Seattle 100, Phoenix 87 (187 points)
June 23: Washington 99, Chicago 86 (185 points)
June 22: Los Angeles 96, Sacramento 88 (2 OT) (184 points)
May 31: Phoenix 97, Houston 85 (182 points)
June 22: Houston 95, Washington 85 (180 points)
June 8: Los Angeles 90, Minnesota 87 (177 points)
Friday also marked the third double overtime game in the league this season.
Double overtime games:
July 6: Phoenix 111, Connecticut 109 (2 OT)
June 22: Los Angeles 96, Sacramento 88 (2 OT)
June 29: Chicago 92, Sacramento 84 (2 OT)
The Sun tip-off tonight against the Los Angeles Sparks, starting at 10:30 p.m. Check the home page of NorwichBulletin.com for updates at halftime and following the game.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Sun begin road trip tonight
Sorry for the long wait between posts this week. I’ve moved into a new place in Norwich and have been without Internet since last Saturday. Expect a bevy of entries over the next week.
OK, enough about me. On to the important stuff …
The Sun kick off their West Coast road trip tonight in Phoenix against the Mercury. Coincidently, as the Sun try to pull themselves out of this rut they’re in, they’ve started to do it against the only two teams they’ve beaten in the last month: the Indiana Fever (which they beat on consecutive Fridays the last two weeks) and now the Mercury (who they beat at home earlier in June).
As outlined in today’s advance story on the game, Connecticut handcuffed Phoenix in that win with solid defense from the opening tip to the final whistle. Realistically, it’s been the only game this year in which they’ve played the entire 40 minutes. Perhaps they’re just motivated against certain opponents. Perhaps they step up against the best teams. (Their best games in June were against Detroit, Indiana and, of course, Phoenix)
Whatever it is, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Sun start to play well on this road trip. The bench is starting to play better – especially Erika de Souza, Kristen Rasmussen and, though she has started lately, Evina Maltsi. Nykesha Sales is expected to play at least a game or two this next week. And Katie Douglas, who has long said she or someone else needs to step up as the team’s leader, is looking that way after her performances the last two weeks against the Fever.
Rookie Kamesha Hairston, another improving option off the bench, knows this well.
“It’s been like a rookie year should be – it’s been up and down,” Hairston said. “You have some good games, you have some bad days, and I’m learning a lot. And I’m learning a lot from KT. I admire her and I continue to look at her and how hard she works and her desire and will to win.”
Tonight, expect the Mercury to come out firing with Diana Taurasi back in the lineup – she was suspended two games for making comments to the referees and returned to score 15 points against Minnesota on Tuesday. But mind you, the Sun have an added advantage tonight with Margo Dydek, who sat out last time against Phoenix. The Mercury, for all the points they put up, lack size and depth down low.
* * *
Some quick hits from practice the other day:
Sun coach Mike Thibault on what has been surprising to him thus far this year (and it seems like he’s answered this question differently at different times; then again, a lot has been surprising):
"Some of it is our inconsistent perimeter shooting, which has been the worst it’s been in the five years. The fact that we are in the bottom of the league in three-point shooting, it’s hard for to envision it given our past."
Douglas on whether the first 16 games was an indicator of the second half to come:
“Let’s hope not. For our franchise, for our sanity and for our sake, it’s not a good a testament of what’s to come because we’ve been extremely inconsistent and it’s disappointing. So we’re hoping to bounce off that win we had Friday and take that kind of energy and that kind of focus and determination and hopefully get it done on the West coast.”
Check the home page of NorwichBulletin.com for updates at half time and following the game, which starts at 10 p.m.
OK, enough about me. On to the important stuff …
The Sun kick off their West Coast road trip tonight in Phoenix against the Mercury. Coincidently, as the Sun try to pull themselves out of this rut they’re in, they’ve started to do it against the only two teams they’ve beaten in the last month: the Indiana Fever (which they beat on consecutive Fridays the last two weeks) and now the Mercury (who they beat at home earlier in June).
As outlined in today’s advance story on the game, Connecticut handcuffed Phoenix in that win with solid defense from the opening tip to the final whistle. Realistically, it’s been the only game this year in which they’ve played the entire 40 minutes. Perhaps they’re just motivated against certain opponents. Perhaps they step up against the best teams. (Their best games in June were against Detroit, Indiana and, of course, Phoenix)
Whatever it is, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Sun start to play well on this road trip. The bench is starting to play better – especially Erika de Souza, Kristen Rasmussen and, though she has started lately, Evina Maltsi. Nykesha Sales is expected to play at least a game or two this next week. And Katie Douglas, who has long said she or someone else needs to step up as the team’s leader, is looking that way after her performances the last two weeks against the Fever.
Rookie Kamesha Hairston, another improving option off the bench, knows this well.
“It’s been like a rookie year should be – it’s been up and down,” Hairston said. “You have some good games, you have some bad days, and I’m learning a lot. And I’m learning a lot from KT. I admire her and I continue to look at her and how hard she works and her desire and will to win.”
Tonight, expect the Mercury to come out firing with Diana Taurasi back in the lineup – she was suspended two games for making comments to the referees and returned to score 15 points against Minnesota on Tuesday. But mind you, the Sun have an added advantage tonight with Margo Dydek, who sat out last time against Phoenix. The Mercury, for all the points they put up, lack size and depth down low.
* * *
Some quick hits from practice the other day:
Sun coach Mike Thibault on what has been surprising to him thus far this year (and it seems like he’s answered this question differently at different times; then again, a lot has been surprising):
"Some of it is our inconsistent perimeter shooting, which has been the worst it’s been in the five years. The fact that we are in the bottom of the league in three-point shooting, it’s hard for to envision it given our past."
Douglas on whether the first 16 games was an indicator of the second half to come:
“Let’s hope not. For our franchise, for our sanity and for our sake, it’s not a good a testament of what’s to come because we’ve been extremely inconsistent and it’s disappointing. So we’re hoping to bounce off that win we had Friday and take that kind of energy and that kind of focus and determination and hopefully get it done on the West coast.”
Check the home page of NorwichBulletin.com for updates at half time and following the game, which starts at 10 p.m.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
