Jeff Reinking/NBAE/Getty Images

Believe it or not, it’s been five years since the night of Oct. 12, 2004, when the Seattle Storm defeated Connecticut 74-60 in front of a sellout crowd of 17,072 at KeyArena and hoisted the championship trophy. For anyone who was there, that night is an indelible memory. It remains – and always will – one of the favorite days of my life.

Here’s some of the content we’ve put together on stormbasketball.com to relive the experience of the championship:

- 10th Anniversary video (Part Four focuses on the championship season)
- Video of the final seconds and postgame celebration
- Audio of David Locke and Elise Woodward calling the last five minutes and postgame celebration
- Staff memories of the evening
- My column celebrating the 2004 Storm

David Locke and Sue Bird in a lighter moment during a postgame interview. Jeff Reinking/NBAE/Getty Images

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10th Anniversary Homepage Where Are They Now? Archive Get Storm Headlines!

Then: Original Voice of the Storm, 2000-06
Now: New Radio Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Utah Jazz

As we catch up with members of the Storm family, we turn off the court for a special “Where Are They Now?” Yesterday was a big day for original Voice of the Storm David Locke. The Storm’s play-by-play broadcaster for the first seven seasons of franchise history, Locke was selected to do radio play-by-play for the Utah Jazz, replacing the legendary Hot Rod Hundley. For Locke, who cheered for the Jazz growing up, it is an exciting opportunity.

“It’s one thing to be able to be fortunate enough to get one of these 30 jobs that exist,” Locke said during a press conference introducing him, “but to be able to get the one for the team that was your favorite team when you were a kid is really, really more than I can swallow.”

Adding play-by-play duties to hosting an afternoon radio show on 1320 AM in Salt Lake City adds to a situation Locke describes as idyllic.

“I live in Park City, Utah,” he said. “I ski 90 days a year, many of them with my children. I mountain-bike 30 days a year and I play 30 rounds of golf a year. My life is really good. My wife is fantastic; my children are rock stars.”

Still, Locke certainly misses his time with the Storm. I caught up with him to get some of his favorite Storm memories in classic Locke stream of consciousness fashion.

(more…)

As we head into the last few days of voting for the Storm All-Decade Team, which concludes on Friday, I wanted to share some more All-Decade Teams chosen by those who have covered the team most closely over the last 10 years. You’ve seen my squad as well as that of Seattle Times reporter Jayda Evans, and today the Storm’s two play-by-play broadcasters pick theirs.

Current play-by-play broadcaster Dick Fain chose Adia Barnes, Tully Bevilaqua, Sue Bird, Janell Burse, Swin Cash, Simone Edwards, Lauren Jackson, Betty Lennox, Kamila Vodichkova and Tanisha Wright (pictured above). See original Voice of the Storm David Locke’s picks and his explanations below.

Wow, what a way to become nostalgic. I could easily do the team I miss the most, but I would have too many players. The task of choosing the Storm All-Decade Team is tough on many levels.

How do you differentiate a great player from a great member of the community or from someone who represented the Storm and what the Storm meant to us?  Some players left us with moments that will forever be etched into our memories (Michelle Marcinak going after Latasha Byears or Stacey Lovelace coming out of nowhere to help us get our first win). Others were inspirational for their off-the-court thoughts and conversations (like Wendy Palmer and Simone Edwards). And who can forget the starting lineup in our opening season that would probably have worked better as the board of directors for a Fortune 500 company?

Enough of the stalling. Here is my version of the Seattle Storm All-Decade Team.

Adia Barnes – We need someone to not only play but to broadcast the game as well.

Tully Bevilaqua – We loved her when she was in Seattle and only when she left did we really realize how much we loved her.

Sue Bird – Some decisions are easy. This was as easy as it was for as it for Lin Dunn to choose Sue first in the 2002 Draft. Can I tell you how much I miss seeing Sue both on and off the floor? My best memory of Sue on the floor is the confidence and pizzazz she played with against the Portland Fire to lead us to our first playoff birth. That is not to be outdone by the great game-winner against Washington and Chamique Holdsclaw. Off the court, Sue and I got placed next to each other on a flight back from Houston (long) and had a wonderful conversation about what she wanted to achieve, how she viewed the game, etc.

Please make sure you enjoy watching Sue. I miss it every day.

Janell Burse – That sweet voice and that subtly vicious game.

Simone Edwards – It is not a Storm team without Simmy.

Lauren Jackson – Watching the greatest female player every night was an honor. No more needs to be said. For those who have ever interacted with her, she reaches into your heart and stays with you. She is a lovely mate.

Betty Lennox – We don’t have a banner hanging from the KeyArena rafters without the performance Betty had during the Finals.

Michelle Marciniak – The fight is enough but the spinning, game-winning layup against Orlando adds to it.

Kamila Vodichkova – In my opinion, the greatest moment in Storm basketball history is the night that Kamila came on the floor for the first time since her injury and the crowd rose to give her a standing ovation and tears ran down her cheeks. Kamila had been so worried the fans would feel that she let them down. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

Tanisha Wright – Every night the Storm play I check the box score and could not be more proud of Tanisha. I thought on more than one occasion she would be the one who got the short stick and got cut . Instead, she become a bona fide player in the W. Never doubt a fighter.

- David Locke

The Storm’s 10th Anniversary season is a great chance to revisit the organization’s rich history, which you will see on storm.wnba.com throughout 2009. That process kicks off in earnest with This Date in Storm History, a feature we’ll continue to update all throughout the year.

Fortunately, we’re able to start looking back with a day that features two notable events from franchise history, one related to the lead-up to the Storm’s inaugural season and the other the addition of a key piece of the 2004 championship roster.

So what are you waiting for? Go check out This Date in Storm History and continue to do so all 2009 long.