Check out tomorrow's Bulletin (and NorwichBulletin.com) for more on Thursday night's Lynx-Sun game, but for now, here's a couple quick-hitters from Sun practice today:
* Sun coach Mike Thibault said the target date for Asjha Jones' return is next Friday’s game vs. New York. He doesn’t think the All-Star forward will play Sunday at Washington, but Jones will travel with the team and she has been practicing with them this week. On Wednesday, she participated in roughly two-thirds of the session, Thibault said.
Jones underwent surgery on her left Achilles' tendon in February and has yet to dress for the Sun this season.
* Sandrine Gruda, who is training with the French national team, is expected to arrive either next Thursday, June 3, or Saturday, June 5. If she arrives Thursday, she’ll dress against New York, regardless if she gets to practice beforehand.
Gruda didn't arrive until the ninth game of last season, and despite having nothing but a shootaround under her belt, scored 23 points with six rebounds in her first game back at Detroit. So Thibault has no qualms about playing her cold.
* Renee Montgomery sat out a portion of practice Wednesday to nurse a tweaked left hamstring she suffered before last Friday's game at Atlanta. She also been playing on an injured ankle, though it's improved.
“I’m 100 percent go for tomorrow,” she said.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Going way back with Whalen
Two days before she returns to Connecticut as a member of the Minnesota Lynx, Lindsay Whalen sat down for a teleconference with the Connecticut media Tuesday. For those who never had the chance to have a few laughs with Whalen while she was busy setting the Sun's assists record and earning MVP runner-up honors during her six seasons here, you missed one of the funniest personalities in Sun history.
That was already on display Tuesday.
"I’m looking forward to it," Whalen said of her return, "seeing everybody, the arena, the casino — everything."
The casino, really?, a reporter asked.
"Yeah, because that’s where they play," Whalen said with wit as dry as a summer day in Scottsdale. "They play at the arena in there."
Whalen is also scheduled to throw out the first pitch at the Twins-Yankees game tonight.
"I’m gonna go with the heat," she said. "Forty miles per hour."
In 197 games (196 starts) with the Sun, Whalen established herself as one of the league's top all-around point guards, becoming the only player in WNBA history to average at least 14 points, five rebounds and five assists in a season (2008) and earning All-Star honors twice. She also led the Sun to back-to-back Eastern Conference championships in 2004 and 2005.
But in their quest to trade for the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft — then owned by Minnesota — the Sun entered talks with the Lynx knowing Whalen, a Minnesota native and Golden Gophers legend, would be what Minnesota coveted. In February, the teams completed the trade, sending Renee Montgomery and the No. 1 pick to the Sun, who used it to draft Tina Charles, for Whalen and the No. 2 pick, of which the Lynx drafted Monica Wright with.
Whalen said leaving Connecticut included some "sad parts" but a part of her always hoped she'd return home to play.
"(But) this offseason was probably the first time that I thought about it," Whalen said. "Of course this is my home and my family’s here. But before I think I was into what we were doing in Connecticut. You can’t be, ‘I wish I was there.’ You have to play and that’s what you were expected (to do) as a professional.
"When Coach T (Mike Thibault) drafted me, you kind of get comfortable in a situation and get to know everybody," she continued. "The year I had my surgery out there, I was part of Coach’s family. I think when you’re in the season and everything, you feel like that’s where you’re going to be for your career. But I thought maybe some day I would be able to come home to play and it worked out this year. I guess things just kind of fell into place this offseason for a reason. I have nothing but good memories. I feel under Coach T, I improved as a player and I learned how to be a pro and learn how to be a point guard in the league. I owe what I know and everything to Coach T."
What tops Whalen's list of things she misses about Connecticut? The people foremost, but there are others.
"I definitely miss the seafood and the clam chowder," she said. "I miss (Interstate) 395. I miss 95. I miss the Long Island Sound. I miss a lot of things about Connecticut. And I miss Abbott’s."
But there are benefits of being home, largely the chance to see her tight-knit family.
"Me and my family kind of had a falling out so that’s been unfortunate," Whalen said.
(She was just joking, of course.)
"No, it’s been great. My sister is like five minutes away. It was my brother's birthday (Monday), Tom, he turned 16. I can’t believe it. So I got to go home and we went out for dinner and had birthday cake. Tonight, my dad and Tom are coming to the Twins-Yankees game.
"My mom, she made lasagna, chili, sloppy joe’s last night. It’s all in my freezer now so I’m very spoiled. (laughs) And my favorite little sandwiches. These little tuna sandwiches. You put them in the freezer and then you microwave them and heat them up. So I've been eating healthy. But for me, I just have lean cuisine and all that other stuff is for (husband) Ben (Greve)."
Look for more in Wednesday's Bulletin.
That was already on display Tuesday.
"I’m looking forward to it," Whalen said of her return, "seeing everybody, the arena, the casino — everything."
The casino, really?, a reporter asked.
"Yeah, because that’s where they play," Whalen said with wit as dry as a summer day in Scottsdale. "They play at the arena in there."
Whalen is also scheduled to throw out the first pitch at the Twins-Yankees game tonight.
"I’m gonna go with the heat," she said. "Forty miles per hour."
In 197 games (196 starts) with the Sun, Whalen established herself as one of the league's top all-around point guards, becoming the only player in WNBA history to average at least 14 points, five rebounds and five assists in a season (2008) and earning All-Star honors twice. She also led the Sun to back-to-back Eastern Conference championships in 2004 and 2005.
But in their quest to trade for the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft — then owned by Minnesota — the Sun entered talks with the Lynx knowing Whalen, a Minnesota native and Golden Gophers legend, would be what Minnesota coveted. In February, the teams completed the trade, sending Renee Montgomery and the No. 1 pick to the Sun, who used it to draft Tina Charles, for Whalen and the No. 2 pick, of which the Lynx drafted Monica Wright with.
Whalen said leaving Connecticut included some "sad parts" but a part of her always hoped she'd return home to play.
"(But) this offseason was probably the first time that I thought about it," Whalen said. "Of course this is my home and my family’s here. But before I think I was into what we were doing in Connecticut. You can’t be, ‘I wish I was there.’ You have to play and that’s what you were expected (to do) as a professional.
"When Coach T (Mike Thibault) drafted me, you kind of get comfortable in a situation and get to know everybody," she continued. "The year I had my surgery out there, I was part of Coach’s family. I think when you’re in the season and everything, you feel like that’s where you’re going to be for your career. But I thought maybe some day I would be able to come home to play and it worked out this year. I guess things just kind of fell into place this offseason for a reason. I have nothing but good memories. I feel under Coach T, I improved as a player and I learned how to be a pro and learn how to be a point guard in the league. I owe what I know and everything to Coach T."
What tops Whalen's list of things she misses about Connecticut? The people foremost, but there are others.
"I definitely miss the seafood and the clam chowder," she said. "I miss (Interstate) 395. I miss 95. I miss the Long Island Sound. I miss a lot of things about Connecticut. And I miss Abbott’s."
But there are benefits of being home, largely the chance to see her tight-knit family.
"Me and my family kind of had a falling out so that’s been unfortunate," Whalen said.
(She was just joking, of course.)
"No, it’s been great. My sister is like five minutes away. It was my brother's birthday (Monday), Tom, he turned 16. I can’t believe it. So I got to go home and we went out for dinner and had birthday cake. Tonight, my dad and Tom are coming to the Twins-Yankees game.
"My mom, she made lasagna, chili, sloppy joe’s last night. It’s all in my freezer now so I’m very spoiled. (laughs) And my favorite little sandwiches. These little tuna sandwiches. You put them in the freezer and then you microwave them and heat them up. So I've been eating healthy. But for me, I just have lean cuisine and all that other stuff is for (husband) Ben (Greve)."
Look for more in Wednesday's Bulletin.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Bouncing back
Think Sun coach Mike Thibault was in a better mood Sunday? After calling his team's 97-82 loss to Atlanta the "most embarrassing moment" in his 40-year coaching career on Saturday, he walked into his post-game press conference at Mohegan Sun Arena, found he had no chair to sit at and jokingly did a squat behind the table.
He would have kept the joke going he said, if his knees could hold up.
It was easy for him to smile after Sunday's 80-65 victory over Washington, in which everything the Sun did wrong defensively against Atlanta they did right against the Mystics.
"This was a real good win. A real good win," he said. "We dug in most of the night and played good defense, we rebounded the ball better (44 to Washington's 43), we only gave up two fastbreak points the whole night and we got to the free throw line. Those are all plus signs in trying to build a winning team. I hope this is a sign that we’re resilient."
An important number: The Sun gave up 31 fastbreak points to Atlanta. As Thibault was correct in saying, the Sun allowed just two on Sunday. They buckled down when they needed to, and as Kara Lawson pointed out, simply got back into the halfcourt where they're far better on the defensive end. A case in point: Connecticut forced Washington into four shot clock violations, an unheard of number in most games.
"We’re pretty sound defensively when we get set," Lawson said. "If we don’t get set ... it’s hard. It’s hard to guard players in this league when they’re on the run and have momentum."
Check out the game story at NorwichBulletin.com, but for now, here's a notebook touching upon a few other odds and end that didn't make it into the print edition:
Sun Tan
As laid back as anyone in the Connecticut Sun’s locker room, Tan White talks with a soft drawl that mirrors her Southern roots.
That is to say, rushing is a play in football, not a way of life.
Her play on the court couldn’t be more different.
In quickly becoming a reliable sixth man, White brought everything the Sun needed in Sunday’s 80-65 victory over the Washington Mystics: Scoring, defense and most importantly, energy.
Whether it be her active hands on defense or her play in the open court, she’s becoming what Thibault called a “perfect fit” in the Sun’s system. When things are flat, White, a Tupelo, Miss., native, simply shakes up the bottle.
“She’s bringing such a high energy to the court right now,” Thibault said of White, who finished with a team-high 15 points, six rebounds and three steals Sunday. “She’s become a pretty good sixth man, and I think she’s relishing the role right now.
“We don’t need her to be our leading scorer,” he added, “but we need her to be a consistent scorer off the bench.”
White scored in double figures in two of the Sun’s three games and is now averaging 11. She’s also grabbing five rebounds per contest, and her continually active defense has been valuable.
Sunday, she combined with Anete Jekabsone-Zogota to limit Monique Currie, the league’s leading scorer through three games, to six points on 2-of-9 shooting. When she wasn’t guarding Currie, White helped hold Katie Smith — a Sun killer while with the Detroit Shock — to 10 points.
“When you’re just watching from the bench and you can see how the flow of the game is going, it’s our job off the bench to bring that missing piece,” White said. “And I think in the first half, we were kind of flat. And the second half, we came in, got some stops, pushed the ball up-tempo — our type of basketball — and great things happened.”
Thibault said White may have a had too much energy early on. But as the game wore on, instead of forcing the action, she waited for open shots, took them and most times (5-for-11, 4-of-5 from 3) made them.
Pretty simple stuff.
“Offensively, she’s just in attack mode,” Kara Lawson said. “Sometimes she gets in trouble and turns it over, but that’s OK because she does more good things. She’s a special player for us.”
A down day?
There were few times when Tina Charles touched the ball Sunday and didn’t get double-teamed. A player the Sun have leaned on for scoring throughout her short time at Mohegan, the rookie’s 10-point, eight-rebound effort against Washington may come off as almost pedestrian.
Kelsey Griffin doesn’t think so.
“I think to say that Tina didn’t have a good offensive night would kind of not be giving her enough credit,” her fellow rookie said. “Even though she maybe didn’t put the ball up, she was drawing double teams, she was drawing attention.
“That’s why I don’t look at stat sheets because things like that don’t show up. I think Tina did her thing (Sunday). It was just she did it with rebounding and taking people away from the basket to focus on her. It is huge — people stepped up and made open shots. (But) they were feeding off the double teams she was getting.”
For starters
Griffin was good, too, scoring 11 points with six rebounds in her first start of the season.
Thibault opted to plug Griffin in as the first power forward ahead of DeMya Walker largely because of matchups. Griffin’s speed was a better fit against the 6-foot-2 Crystal Langhorne (16 points) while Walker brought size off the bench to counter the pivot-minded, 6-foot-3 reserve, Chasity Melvin (two points).
“We get smaller when we come off the bench,” Thibault said, “and DeMya’s role when Asjha (Jones) and Sandrine (Gruda) get her it to come off the bench.”
Around the rim
Rookie Allison Hightower responded in a season-high 13 minutes, scoring seven points, including several pretty floaters. “(In my first two games), it was like, ‘Should I shoot it? No don’t shoot it,’” Hightower said. “Now, it’s like, if you’re open, shoot it. I’m not having to think about, ‘Should I shoot this shot?’ Just shoot it.” ... Thibault said he doubts Jones (Achilles’) will be ready to play Thursday against the Minnesota Lynx, though she’ll likely practice sometime this week. ... Balloting opened Sunday for the WNBA All-Star event featuring the U.S. national team and a group of WNBA All-Stars at Mohegan Sun Arena on July 10. Online voting begins Wednesday at WNBA.com.
He would have kept the joke going he said, if his knees could hold up.
It was easy for him to smile after Sunday's 80-65 victory over Washington, in which everything the Sun did wrong defensively against Atlanta they did right against the Mystics.
"This was a real good win. A real good win," he said. "We dug in most of the night and played good defense, we rebounded the ball better (44 to Washington's 43), we only gave up two fastbreak points the whole night and we got to the free throw line. Those are all plus signs in trying to build a winning team. I hope this is a sign that we’re resilient."
An important number: The Sun gave up 31 fastbreak points to Atlanta. As Thibault was correct in saying, the Sun allowed just two on Sunday. They buckled down when they needed to, and as Kara Lawson pointed out, simply got back into the halfcourt where they're far better on the defensive end. A case in point: Connecticut forced Washington into four shot clock violations, an unheard of number in most games.
"We’re pretty sound defensively when we get set," Lawson said. "If we don’t get set ... it’s hard. It’s hard to guard players in this league when they’re on the run and have momentum."
Check out the game story at NorwichBulletin.com, but for now, here's a notebook touching upon a few other odds and end that didn't make it into the print edition:
Sun Tan
As laid back as anyone in the Connecticut Sun’s locker room, Tan White talks with a soft drawl that mirrors her Southern roots.
That is to say, rushing is a play in football, not a way of life.
Her play on the court couldn’t be more different.
In quickly becoming a reliable sixth man, White brought everything the Sun needed in Sunday’s 80-65 victory over the Washington Mystics: Scoring, defense and most importantly, energy.
Whether it be her active hands on defense or her play in the open court, she’s becoming what Thibault called a “perfect fit” in the Sun’s system. When things are flat, White, a Tupelo, Miss., native, simply shakes up the bottle.
“She’s bringing such a high energy to the court right now,” Thibault said of White, who finished with a team-high 15 points, six rebounds and three steals Sunday. “She’s become a pretty good sixth man, and I think she’s relishing the role right now.
“We don’t need her to be our leading scorer,” he added, “but we need her to be a consistent scorer off the bench.”
White scored in double figures in two of the Sun’s three games and is now averaging 11. She’s also grabbing five rebounds per contest, and her continually active defense has been valuable.
Sunday, she combined with Anete Jekabsone-Zogota to limit Monique Currie, the league’s leading scorer through three games, to six points on 2-of-9 shooting. When she wasn’t guarding Currie, White helped hold Katie Smith — a Sun killer while with the Detroit Shock — to 10 points.
“When you’re just watching from the bench and you can see how the flow of the game is going, it’s our job off the bench to bring that missing piece,” White said. “And I think in the first half, we were kind of flat. And the second half, we came in, got some stops, pushed the ball up-tempo — our type of basketball — and great things happened.”
Thibault said White may have a had too much energy early on. But as the game wore on, instead of forcing the action, she waited for open shots, took them and most times (5-for-11, 4-of-5 from 3) made them.
Pretty simple stuff.
“Offensively, she’s just in attack mode,” Kara Lawson said. “Sometimes she gets in trouble and turns it over, but that’s OK because she does more good things. She’s a special player for us.”
A down day?
There were few times when Tina Charles touched the ball Sunday and didn’t get double-teamed. A player the Sun have leaned on for scoring throughout her short time at Mohegan, the rookie’s 10-point, eight-rebound effort against Washington may come off as almost pedestrian.
Kelsey Griffin doesn’t think so.
“I think to say that Tina didn’t have a good offensive night would kind of not be giving her enough credit,” her fellow rookie said. “Even though she maybe didn’t put the ball up, she was drawing double teams, she was drawing attention.
“That’s why I don’t look at stat sheets because things like that don’t show up. I think Tina did her thing (Sunday). It was just she did it with rebounding and taking people away from the basket to focus on her. It is huge — people stepped up and made open shots. (But) they were feeding off the double teams she was getting.”
For starters
Griffin was good, too, scoring 11 points with six rebounds in her first start of the season.
Thibault opted to plug Griffin in as the first power forward ahead of DeMya Walker largely because of matchups. Griffin’s speed was a better fit against the 6-foot-2 Crystal Langhorne (16 points) while Walker brought size off the bench to counter the pivot-minded, 6-foot-3 reserve, Chasity Melvin (two points).
“We get smaller when we come off the bench,” Thibault said, “and DeMya’s role when Asjha (Jones) and Sandrine (Gruda) get her it to come off the bench.”
Around the rim
Rookie Allison Hightower responded in a season-high 13 minutes, scoring seven points, including several pretty floaters. “(In my first two games), it was like, ‘Should I shoot it? No don’t shoot it,’” Hightower said. “Now, it’s like, if you’re open, shoot it. I’m not having to think about, ‘Should I shoot this shot?’ Just shoot it.” ... Thibault said he doubts Jones (Achilles’) will be ready to play Thursday against the Minnesota Lynx, though she’ll likely practice sometime this week. ... Balloting opened Sunday for the WNBA All-Star event featuring the U.S. national team and a group of WNBA All-Stars at Mohegan Sun Arena on July 10. Online voting begins Wednesday at WNBA.com.
Update: Sun rebound, trounce Mystics
Tan White finished with 15 points and six rebounds to lead five Sun players in double figures and Connecticut used an oppressive defense and 18-1 second-half run to put away Washington, 80-65, at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Anete Jekabsone-Zogota added 14 points for Connecticut (2-1), which two days after giving up 97 points to a Atlanta clamped down on the previously unbeaten Mystics (3-1). Washington committed 20 turnovers and shot 39 percent from the field. During a seven-minute stretch spanning the third and fourth quarters, the Sun held the Mystics to zero field goals to turn a 42-39 lead into a 60-40 advantage.
The Sun made nine 3-pointers for the second time in three games, matching their season-high from all of last year.
Anete Jekabsone-Zogota added 14 points for Connecticut (2-1), which two days after giving up 97 points to a Atlanta clamped down on the previously unbeaten Mystics (3-1). Washington committed 20 turnovers and shot 39 percent from the field. During a seven-minute stretch spanning the third and fourth quarters, the Sun held the Mystics to zero field goals to turn a 42-39 lead into a 60-40 advantage.
The Sun made nine 3-pointers for the second time in three games, matching their season-high from all of last year.
Update: Sun lead Mystics at half
Anete Jekabsone-Zogota and Kara Lawson each have six points and the Sun lead the Washington Mystics, 31-28, at the half here at Mohegan Sun Arena despite shooting 31.3 percent form the field.
The Sun are talking and switching well on defense, and the combination of Jekabsone-Zogota, Tan White and even for a short time, Allison Hightower, has frustrated the league's leading scorer, Monique Currie (one point on 0-for-5 shooting). As a team, Washington isn't shooting much better than the Sun (35.7 percent) and has as many turnovers as Connecticut (eight).
Kelsey Griffin, starting in place of DeMya Walker (for matchup reasons most likely), has three points but also three fouls and only played seven minutes.
Also, a quick update from the All-Star voting. Of the 60 players on the ballot (fans can also write-in players), five Sun players are included: Tina Charles, Jekabsone-Zogota, Asjha Jones, Lawson and Renee Montgomery.
The Sun are talking and switching well on defense, and the combination of Jekabsone-Zogota, Tan White and even for a short time, Allison Hightower, has frustrated the league's leading scorer, Monique Currie (one point on 0-for-5 shooting). As a team, Washington isn't shooting much better than the Sun (35.7 percent) and has as many turnovers as Connecticut (eight).
Kelsey Griffin, starting in place of DeMya Walker (for matchup reasons most likely), has three points but also three fouls and only played seven minutes.
Also, a quick update from the All-Star voting. Of the 60 players on the ballot (fans can also write-in players), five Sun players are included: Tina Charles, Jekabsone-Zogota, Asjha Jones, Lawson and Renee Montgomery.
For starters, a change ...
An interesting change in the Sun's lineup. Rookie Kelsey Griffin will start at power forward instead of DeMya Walker.
After foul trouble hampered her in 19 minutes in Connecticut's opener, Walker had 10 points and four rebounds in the Sun's 97-82 loss at Atlanta. But she struggled in guarding Sancho Lyttle, who had 27 points, 17 rebounds. A big part of the change, however, may be matchup-based. Washington has a quicker frontcourt than Atlanta with Monique Currie, Crystal Langhorne and Nakia Sanford.
The rest of the Sun's starters remain the same: Renee Montomery, Kara Lawson, Anete Jekabsone-Zogota and Tina Charles. Lindsey Harding, Katie Smith, Monique Currie, Crystal Langhorne and Nakia Sanford are starting for Washington.
Also, voting for the WNBA's All-Star event between the U.S. national team and a group of league All-Stars has started. Fans can vote in person at WNBA arenas. Fans can also vote online beginning Wednesday at WNBA.com.
The balloting program gives fans the opportunity to vote for the top 10 players in the WNBA, regardless of conference or position. The 60 players included on the 2010 ballot represent all 12 WNBA teams. A write-in option is also available, allowing fans to choose players not listed on the ballot. The 10 players who receive the most votes will be guaranteed a position on the team rosters. Unlike previous years, the players selected by fans will not necessarily be starters. Any player voted in who is already in the USA national team Pool will play on the U.S. team under coach Geno Auriemma, while the remaining players who have been voted in by the fans will play on the WNBA team.
After foul trouble hampered her in 19 minutes in Connecticut's opener, Walker had 10 points and four rebounds in the Sun's 97-82 loss at Atlanta. But she struggled in guarding Sancho Lyttle, who had 27 points, 17 rebounds. A big part of the change, however, may be matchup-based. Washington has a quicker frontcourt than Atlanta with Monique Currie, Crystal Langhorne and Nakia Sanford.
The rest of the Sun's starters remain the same: Renee Montomery, Kara Lawson, Anete Jekabsone-Zogota and Tina Charles. Lindsey Harding, Katie Smith, Monique Currie, Crystal Langhorne and Nakia Sanford are starting for Washington.
Also, voting for the WNBA's All-Star event between the U.S. national team and a group of league All-Stars has started. Fans can vote in person at WNBA arenas. Fans can also vote online beginning Wednesday at WNBA.com.
The balloting program gives fans the opportunity to vote for the top 10 players in the WNBA, regardless of conference or position. The 60 players included on the 2010 ballot represent all 12 WNBA teams. A write-in option is also available, allowing fans to choose players not listed on the ballot. The 10 players who receive the most votes will be guaranteed a position on the team rosters. Unlike previous years, the players selected by fans will not necessarily be starters. Any player voted in who is already in the USA national team Pool will play on the U.S. team under coach Geno Auriemma, while the remaining players who have been voted in by the fans will play on the WNBA team.
Greetings from Mohegan
Hello all,
Just arrived at Mohegan Sun Arena for today's Sun-Mystics game (3 p.m.). WNBA president Donna Orender is meeting with the media in roughly 30 minutes, as is Sun CEO Mitchell Etess and U.S.A. Basketball's Carol Callan. In the interim, here's a link to today's advance.
Just arrived at Mohegan Sun Arena for today's Sun-Mystics game (3 p.m.). WNBA president Donna Orender is meeting with the media in roughly 30 minutes, as is Sun CEO Mitchell Etess and U.S.A. Basketball's Carol Callan. In the interim, here's a link to today's advance.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
