Washingtonpost.com: WNBA Capsules

Charlotte Sting
2002: 18-14, tied for first place.
Coach: Trudi Lacey (first season).
Key Players: G Dawn Staley (8.7 ppg, 5.1 apg), F Allison Feaster (11.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg), G Andrea Stinson (12.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg).
Outlook: With the departure of former coach Anne Donovan to Seattle,
Lacey-a former Maryland assistant coach-moves up from assistant to head
coach. Former Washington Wizards coach Bernie Bickerstaff takes over as
the team's general manager. Despite these changes, Charlotte remains a
fairly stable team. The Sting has all five starters back from the past
two seasons. Staley, the 33-year-old veteran point guard, directs the
Sting's high-powered offense. Charlotte, which has lacked a strong
inside game, added free agent rookie center Teana McKiver to bolster
its front court. The Sting was the fourth-highest scoring team in the
WNBA last season.

Cleveland Rockers
2002: 10-22, seventh place.
Coach: Dan Hughes (fourth season).
Key Players: F Penny Taylor (13 ppg, 5.3 rpg), G Merlakia Jones (12.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg), C Ann Wauters (11.2 ppg, 5 rpg).
Outlook: Cleveland should look more like the team that won the Eastern
Conference title in 2001. The Rockers have significantly increased
their depth with the return of starting point guard Helen Darling, who
sat out last season after giving birth to triplets, and the addition of
the 2000 WNBA rookie of the year, guard Betty Lennox, through the
dispersal draft. They also added LaToya Thomas, the No. 1 overall pick
in the college draft. Taylor developed into Cleveland's most reliable
scoring threat last season, earning her a spot on the all-star team,
and should continue in that role this season. Wauters made great
strides as well but will be pushed for playing time by Chasity Melvin.

Connecticut Sun
2002: 16-16, tied for fourth place (as Orlando Miracle).
Coach: Mike Thibault (first season).
Key Players: F Nykesha Sales (13.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg), G Shannon Johnson (16.1 ppg, 5.3 apg), G Katie Douglas (8.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg).
Outlook: The former Orlando Miracle has relocated 1,200 miles north to
Uncasville, Conn., becoming the first independently owned and operated
WNBA franchise. The team is hoping to capitalize on the fanatical
following of the University of Connecticut women's basketball team by
bringing along two former Huskies, Sales and Rebecca Lobo. Sales,
U-Conn.'s all-time leading scorer, is a four-time WNBA all-star.
Connecticut's strength is its back court with Johnson, a three-time
all-star, serving as the catalyst. Veteran center Taj
McWilliams-Franklin returns after missing most of last season because
of her pregnancy.

Detroit Shock
2002: 9-23, eighth place.
Coach: Bill Laimbeer (second season).
Key Players: F Swin Cash (14.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg), F Ayana Walker (5.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg), G Deanna Nolan (8.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg).
Outlook: Since Laimbeer took over for former coach Greg Williams 10
games into last season, he has undertaken a major rebuilding process.
Not a single player remains from Detroit's inaugural season. As a
result, the Shock is a young team. Detroit has been very active this
preseason, acquiring and trading players. Laimbeer picked up center
Ruth Riley in the dispersal draft and center Cheryl Ford (daughter of
Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone) in the college draft. Ford has led the
team in scoring during the preseason. After selecting Tennessee guard
Kara Lawson (West Springfield), the Shock traded her to Sacramento for
experienced guard Kedra Holland-Corn.

Indiana Fever
2002: 16-16, tied for fourth place.
Coach: Nell Fortner (third season).
Key Players: F Tamika Catchings (18.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg), F Natalie Williams (11.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg), G Nikki McCray (11.5 ppg, 3 rpg).
Outlook: In Catchings, last season's WNBA rookie of the year, and
Williams, one of the top rebounders in the league, Indiana has perhaps
the most formidable forward pairing in the WNBA. Williams came to the
Fever earlier this month in a trade that sent college draft pick Gwen
Jackson and dispersal draft pick Sylvia Crawley to San Antonio.
Catchings, poised to become the league's next superstar, is a big
reason Indiana reached the playoffs for the first time last season. The
Fever isn't too concerned that starting point guard Coquese Washington
is sidelined because of arthroscopic knee surgery as former starter
Niele Ivey can fill in until her return.

New York Liberty
2002: 18-14, tied for first place.
Coach: Richie Adubato (fifth season).
Key Players: C Tari Phillips (14.1 ppg, 7 rpg), F Tamika Whitmore (12.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg), F Crystal Robinson (11.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg).
Outlook: The Liberty has been to the WNBA finals four of six
years-including last year-but has yet to come away with a championship.
Last season's starting five returns intact, but its average age is 31.
Valuable reserve center Sue Wicks retired after last season at 36. It
won't be long before some of her former teammates join her. Teresa
Weatherspoon is 37. Phillips is 34. New York added center Elena
Baranova, a WNBA all-star in 2001, through the dispersal draft to
compensate for the loss of Wicks. Although the Liberty runs primarily a
post-oriented offense it boasts two top-notch perimeter shooters in
Vickie Johnson and Becky Hammon.

Washington Mystics
2002: 17-15, third place.
Coach: Marianne Stanley (second season).
Key Players: F Chamique Holdsclaw (19.9 ppg, 11.6 rpg), F Stacey Dales-Schuman (9.8 ppg, 2.7 apg), G Coco Miller (9.3 ppg, 2.6 apg).
Outlook: Expectations are high for the Mystics, who are coming off the
best season in franchise history. Washington forced New York into a
three-game series in the Eastern Conference finals. Only seven points
separated the Mystics from a trip to their first WNBA Finals. To
compensate for the retirement of center Vicky Bullett, Washington
drafted 6-2 rookie forward Aiysha Smith and added free agent center
Nakia Sanford. Washington hopes Smith and Sanford will bolster its thin
front court. Asjha Jones, a second-year forward, also should be more of
a factor this season. Holdsclaw enjoyed the best season of her
professional career despite missing 12 games because of family issues
and injuries. If she can stay healthy, Holdsclaw should have an even
better season after a successful stint playing overseas in South Korea.
Miller and Dales-Schuman will be counted on to take some of the scoring
load off Holdsclaw.

West

Houston Comets
2002: 24-8, second place.
Coach: Van Chancellor (seventh season).
Key Players: F Sheryl Swoopes (18.5 ppg, 3.3 apg), F Tina Thompson (16.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg), G Janeth Arcain (11.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg).
Outlook: Cynthia Cooper, who helped Houston win the first four WNBA
titles, returns after a two-year stint coaching the Phoenix Mercury. It
will be interesting to see what kind of impact the 40-year-old guard
makes. Besides adding Cooper, the Comets picked up point guard Ukari
Figgs in the dispersal draft. Figgs helped Los Angeles win its first
WNBA title two years ago. As usual, Houston is loaded with talent.
Swoopes is the reigning league MVP. Thompson is a perennial all-star.
Arcain was MVP of the Brazilian league.

Los Angeles Sparks
2002: 25-7, first place.
Coach: Michael Cooper (fourth season).
Key Players: C Lisa Leslie (16.9 ppg, 10.4 rpg), F Mwadi Mabika (16.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg), F DeLisha Milton (11.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg).
Outlook: By picking up free agent center Jennifer Gillom, the two-time
defending WNBA champion Sparks boast the league's top two all-time
scorers (Gillom is second behind Leslie in career points). It wasn't as
though Los Angeles needed another potent scoring threat. Besides the
dominant inside play of Leslie, the Sparks have a dependable outside
threat in Mabika. Los Angeles also has a talented back court in Nikki
Teasley and Tamecka Dixon. Teasley started every game at point guard as
a rookie last season.

Minnesota Lynx
2002: 10-22, eighth place.
Coach: Suzie McConnell-Serio (first season).
Key Players: F Katie Smith (16.5 ppg, 3 rpg), F Svetlana Abrosimova (11.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg), F Tamika Williams (10.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg).
Outlook: Teresa Edwards, the only American basketball player, man or
woman, to compete in five Olympics, has joined the Lynx as a
38-year-old rookie. Edwards played three years in the ill-fated ABL
before returning to France to help Valenciennes win the 2002 EuroLeague
championship. Although her best years may be behind her, Edwards brings
a veteran's savvy to Minnesota and bolsters an already strong back
court. She will be paired with Smith, a three-time all-star. The Lynx
became even more perimeter-oriented with the addition of all-star small
forward Sheri Sam through the dispersal draft. Minnesota hopes 6-3
center Jordan Adams, a second-round pick in the college draft, provides
an inside physical presence.

Phoenix Mercury
2002: 11-21, seventh place.
Coach: John Shumate (first season).
Key Players: C Adrian Williams (6.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg), F Lisa Harrison (8.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg), G Tamicha Jackson (9.8 ppg, 3 apg).
Outlook: Shumate, a former NBA player and assistant coach, moves over
from his front-office position with the Phoenix Suns to become the
Mercury's third coach within the last year. He inherits a team that
five years ago was playing for a WNBA championship but hasn't made the
playoffs the past two seasons. His first task is overcoming the losses
of leading scorer Jennifer Gillom, who left for Los Angeles via free
agency, and part-time starter Kristen Veal, who returned to her native
Australia. From among those who remain on the roster, Shumate must
quickly develop reliable scoring threats. No player on the Mercury's
roster had a double-figure scoring average last season.

Sacramento Monarchs
2002: 14-18, sixth place.
Coach: Maura McHugh (third season).
Key Players: F Yolanda Griffith (16.9 ppg, 8.7 rpg), G Ticha Penicheiro (8.5 ppg, 8 apg), C Tangela Smith (14.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg).
Outlook: Sacramento was ravaged by injury and illness last season,
causing the Monarchs to slip below .500 for the first time in four
seasons. Griffith, the team's leading scorer, missed 15 games.
Penicheiro, one of the top point guards in the league, missed eight
games. Guard Edna Campbell missed nearly the entire season because of
breast cancer. With everyone back, including Campbell, the Monarchs
should push Los Angeles and Houston for the Western Conference title.
Sacramento added talented depth this season, acquiring guard Kara
Lawson (West Springfield) and Chantelle Anderson from the college draft
and forward DeMya Walker (Virginia) in the dispersal draft.

San Antonio Silver Stars
2002: 20-12, third place (as Utah Starzz).
Coach: Candi Harvey (third season).
Key Players: F Adrienne Goodson (15.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg), C Margo Dydek (13.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg), G Marie Ferdinand (15.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg).
Outlook: There were plenty of offseason changes for the Silver Stars,
not the least of which was relocating from Utah to San Antonio. The
Silver Stars also traded three-time all-star Natalie Williams to
Indiana for veteran forward Sylvia Crawley and rookie forward Gwen
Jackson. San Antonio would like to build on the success it had last
season when it reached the Western Conference finals. The Silver Stars
will count on Goodson and Ferdinand, two dynamic scorers, to lead them
back into contention. Dydek, a 7-2 center, is always formidable
underneath the basket. Since taking over for Fred Williams in July
2001, Harvey is 34-17 overall.

Seattle Storm
2002: 17-15, fourth place.
Coach: Anne Donovan (first season).
Key Players: G Sue Bird (14.4 ppg, 6 apg), F Lauren Jackson (17.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg), C Kamila Vodichkova (9.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg).
Outlook: The well-traveled Donovan is on her third team in four
seasons, having spent the past two seasons at Charlotte and the
previous year at Indiana. She replaces Lin Dunn, who resigned after
three seasons despite taking the Storm to its first playoff appearance
in the franchise's three-year history. Seattle has a nice
inside-outside combination in Bird and Jackson, but needs to develop at
least one other consistent scorer. Bird and Jackson accounted for 43
percent of the Storm's scoring last season. Centers Kamila Vodichkova
and Alisa Burras appear the most likely candidates. Burras, whom
Seattle acquired through the dispersal draft, had the best season in
her four-year career last year. Vodichkova has shown potential.


	SITE SEARCH: Search Options