The Storm will have center Kelly Santos on the roster for training camp after the restricted free agent agreed to a training-camp contract with the team.
Santos played in 22 games for the Storm last season, averaging 2.1 points and 1.3 rebounds. A three-year WNBA veteran, Santos also represented Brazil in Beijing, her third career appearance in the Olympics.
Here’s our 2008 Santos Season in Review, including a photo gallery.
(Photo by Aaron Last/Storm Photos)
Stuart Franklin/Getty Images |
Having helped her Brazilian National Team qualify for the last spot in the Olympics by beating Cuba in Sunday’s final game of the FIBA Olympics Qualifying Tournament, Seattle Storm center Kelly Santos wasted no time in returning to Seattle. Ahead of the team’s schedule, Santos arrived yesterday morning and dressed for last night’s game against the Connecticut Sun, though jetlag limited her to emergency duty and she did not play.
With Brazil qualifying, Santos is headed to her third consecutive Olympics. She won a bronze medal in 2000 in Sydney.
“I’m excited but I know it will be very difficult for us,” Santos said after the game. “We have the younger players now, inexperienced, but you have to work to separate that.”
The Brazilian National Team has undergone a makeover since the 2004 Olympics, with Santos sharing that eight of the team’s players have no Olympic experience.
“It’s nice for us that the younger players got more experience and more confidence to go to the Olympic Games,” said Santos. “Qualifying was very difficult because we have a younger team. I think the team looked for identity.
“I think the team has to prove more. The team can give more.”
The qualifying process became more difficult when the leading Brazilian scorer, former Storm forward Iziane Castro Marques, left the team after arguing with Head Coach Paulo Bassul. Castro Marques had not played in the second half of Brazil’s loss to Belarus in a quarterfinal matchup with an Olympic berth on the line before being asked to reenter the game in overtime. She refused and returned to the Atlanta Dream before Brazil’s last two games.
“She’s my friend, and I’m sad,” said Santos, “but I hope that she can talk with the coach and come back with us for the Olympic Games.”
Santos does not expect to miss any more time with the Storm because of her commitment to the Brazilian National Team. She plans to join her Brazilian teammates for a warm-up tournament in Australia after the Storm’s last game before the Olympic break.
The very last spot in the 2008 Beijing Olympics women’s basketball competition was claimed Sunday by Brazil, which earned it with a 72-67 victory over Cuba in the finals of the FIBA Olympics Qualifying Tournament. It took a late comeback for Brazil, which trailed 61-56 inside the final five minutes before going on a 13-4 run to claim the lead for good.
Storm center Kelly Santos, headed to her third straight Olympics having won Bronze in Sydney in 2000, scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds in 30 minutes of action. She finished the tournament having averaged 10.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, shooting 48.7 percent from the field and a solid 81.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Santos joins Storm teammates Sue Bird (USA) and Lauren Jackson in the August Olympic Games.
Kelly Santos and the Brazilian National Team dominated an overmatched Angola squad 75-58 in Saturday’s semifinals of the FIBA Olympics Qualifying Tournament. Brazil led 28-8 after one quarter. Thereafter, the goal became resting for tomorrow’s winner-take-all final matchup with Cuba. No Brazilian player saw more htan 24 minutes of action. Santos was limited to 14, in which she scored 10 points and grabbed three rebounds.
Tomorrow’s matchup should be a terrific one. Everything is on the line with the winner moving on the Olympics and the loser finished with major international play until the 2010 World Championships.
Brazil has the greater international tradition in women’s basketball, but Cuba has really surged the last couple of years. In addition to putting a scare in the U.S. in last year’s FIBA Americas Championships, Cuba’s claim to fame is beating this same Brazil team in the semifinals of that tournament. Now Brazil will be without star forward Iziane Castro Marques. Can they overcame that to make it to the Olympics? We’ll find out tomorrow.
Stunning news from Madrid today as Brazil attempted to qualify for the Olympics. In the all-important quarterfinals of the FIBA Olympics Qualifying Tournament, Brazil fell 86-79 to a less-heralded Belarus squad. More surprising is this: According to FIBA.com’s recap of the game, former Storm forward Iziane Castro Marques refused to play in the second half after arguing with Brazil Head Coach Paulo Bassul.
“I don’t have anyway out, Bassul said. “As a leader, I have to make difficult decisions. She didn’t say no just to me, but the group and the country.
“I don’t know about the future.”
Trailing 35-28 at the break, Brazil rallied without Castro Marques, who has been the team’s star player. Brazil led 72-70 in the closing seconds only to allow Belarus to the free-throw line twice, tying the game and sending it to OT. Belarus dominated the extra session, outscoring Brazil 14-7.
Storm center Kelly Santos led the Brazilians with nine rebounds but was unable to find the touch from the field, scoring six points on 2-of-8 shooting. Karla DeCosta stepped up to fill the void left by the absence of Castro Marques, who scored 12 of Brazil’s 28 first-half points. DeCosta finished with a game-high 22 points.
The unusual nature of this tournament is that the four quarterfinals winners (all European sides – Belarus, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Spain) are done. They’ve qualified for the Olympics and go home. The semifinals pit the four losers against each other, with one last Olympic berth on the line. Brazil will face Angola tomorrow, while Cuba and Japan square off in the other semifinal matchup.
In a matchup of two of the top teams in the FIBA Olympics Qualifying Tournament, Brazil eeked out a 71-68 victory over host Spain Wednesday to win Group C and set up a quarterfinals matchup with Belarus.
Brazil and Spain had both clinched quarterfinal berths by beating Fiji, but today’s game was still meaningful in terms of matchups. While Brazil will face Group D runner-up Belarus, Spain will have to take on Group D winner Cuba.
Brazil led most of the way, but Spain got within one in the closing seconds after a three-pointer by Anna Montanana. After Iziane Castro Marques knocked down a pair of free throws, the Brazilians intentionally fouled, eventually putting Amaya Valdemoro on the line with under four seconds remaining. She accidentally made her second shot and, after two more Brazil free throws, Spain got only a desperation attempt at a tie.
Storm center Kelly Santos scored 10 points for Brazil, struggling from the field (2-of-8 shooting) but making all six of her free-throw attempts. Santos pulled down four rebounds. Castro Marques led the Brazilians by scoring 18 points.
Quarterfinals will take place on Friday, and if Brazil defeats Belarus, that will secure a spot in this summer’s Olympics. The losers of the four quarterfinal games will play on with one last Olympic berth on the line.
The FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women kicked off yesterday, but Brazil had the day off. Today, Brazil got an easy warmup by playing Fiji. Your final: Brazil 125, Fiji 45. Even in the fourth quarter, with the outcome already long decided, Fiji managed just four points. Ouch.
As for Storm center Kelly Santos, she had 15 points in 20 minutes, shooting 7-of-8 from the field and pulling down eight rebounds. Former Storm forward Iziane Castro Marques led the Brazilians, scoring 28 points in 20 minutes and knocking down six three-pointers.
The competition gets serious tomorrow, when Brazil will play Spain to decide the winner of Group C. Both teams are through to the quarterfinals, but the winner of tomorrow’s game will get a more favorable matchup against the runner-up from Group D (the winner of Belarus-Taiwan) instead of Group D champion Cuba. Cuba beat Brazil in the semifinals of last year’s FIBA Americas Championship.
The news out of Storm camp the last two days has all been about national teams and the upcoming Olympics. Yesterday, Sue Bird was one of nine players named to the U.S. Olympic Team. USABasketball.com has plenty of coverage, including a Q&A with Bird. The site also has some quotes from yesterday’s press conference to announce the team, which included Head Coach Anne Donovan.
There are three more players to be chosen for the team, announcements USA Basketball said yesterday are expected by July 1.
“We still have three more players to add to the team,” said Renee Brown, chair of the selection committee, in yesterday’s release, “and we’re hoping to add a tough defensive stopper on the perimeter who can also score for us, as well as at least another post player.”
Storm forward Swin Cash could figure into the mix for those last three spots, having played extensively for the U.S. National Team over the winter and spring. Cash could be that defensive player the committee is looking for, though the first choice for that position is likely to be Tamika Catchings should the Indiana Fever’s All-Star forward return from her torn Achilles soon enough to convince USA Basketball she is healthy and ready to go for Beijing.
Today came the news that center Kelly Santos has joined her Brazilian National Team. Why now? Brazil has yet to qualify for the Olympics and will be taking part in the inaugural FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women in Madrid, Spain from June 9-15. The last five spots in the Olympics will be on the line in Madrid, and Brazil has to be considered amongst the favorites in a field that also includes the likes of Cuba, the Czech Republic and Spain.
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