10-minute scrimmage right now. The Storm starts out with one of the practice squadders at the point joined by Katie Gearlds, Iziane Castro Marques, Wendy Palmer and Ashley Robinson. Brooke Queenan and Tye’sha Fluker are available as reserves, while Tanisha Wright is working the exercise bike. Shyra Ely went to the training room after, I’m told, apparently getting popped in the nose.

Shyra is back from the training room and ready to check in to the scrimmage.

Johan Petro is watching the action from a room upstairs looking out on the floor.

Great offensive rebound by Brooke Queenan, who joined camp late last week. Her putback attempt rolls around the rim and cruelly bounds out. Anne Donovan was not happy with her team’s attention to the glass beyond Queenan, reminding them, “Our first job is to rebound.”

Oh, and Mickaël Gelabale – the other half of the Sonics French Connection – is up there watching as well. Gelabale is wearing his game shorts. I’m really not sure why that is.

Anne takes timeout with a little less than four minutes left in the scrimmage and the practice squad just having taken a 12-11 lead. Penetration has been a problem for the Storm on defense during this scrimmage, and Anne wants to get that shored up.

Quick release from Katie Gearlds to beat the shot clock. It doesn’t fall, but the Storm scores on the putback. Gearlds’ form is so pure. She’s running the point now.

Wendy Palmer with a pair of elbow jumpers. It doesn’t appear her touch has suffered for her time off the court.

The Storm holds on for a 22-18 victory, with a Shyra Ely three-pointer in the final minute giving them the lead for good.

10 minutes on the clock as we start a second scrimmage. Katie opens up at the point once again.

Very pretty play in transition as Katie Gearlds draws the defense, then kicks to Izi Castro Marques for the three-pointer.

Izi is on fire from three-point range today, hitting at least three of them and maybe four between the two scrimmages. Still, it’s Katie who has opened eyes with her shooting. Darren Fessenden of the P-I and I are shaking our heads at how cleanly her threes have a tendency to rip through the net. Double-teaming LJ and Sue has gotten a whole lot harder.

The second scrimmage is all Storm – final score 29-11. Really impressive shooting against the zone Coach Donovan asked the practice squad to play.

After splitting into posts and perimeter players (just three of them – Castro Marques, Ely and Gearlds) for shooting drills, we’re done. Check back for an update after media availablity.

While posting the Storm’s training camp roster, I discovered I share a birthday – April 10 – with newcomer Brooke Queenan (though not the same year).

Since then, I’ve been planning a post on others who share our birthday. That project took on somber overtones last week, when one person on that list – journalist David Halberstam – passed away in a car accident at age 73. Halberstam, a Pulitzer Prize winner, wrote a pair of terrific books about the NBA, The Breaks of the Game and Playing for Keeps. I’ve read both of those books and four Halberstam works in total and always greatly admired his work.

Besides Halberstam, here are some other notable April 10 births (with the help of Wikipedia):

1847 – Joseph Pulitzer, American journalist and publisher
1921 – Chuck Connors, American actor
1936 – John Madden, American football coach and broadcaster
1938 – Don Meredith, American football player and broadcaster
1950 – Ken Griffey, Sr., American baseball player
1951 – Steven Seagal, American actor
1958 – Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, American music producer, musician, and film producer
1959 – Brian Setzer, American musician (Stray Cats)
1970 – Q-Tip, American rapper and actor
1980 – Kasey Kahne, American race-car driver
1984 – Mandy Moore, American singer/actress
1988 – Haley Joel Osment, American actor

I mentioned at the end of my live blog that the team ran lines four times down and back. There was something of a surprise in the outcome, as Tanisha Wright hung right with the team’s acknowledged fastest player, Iziane Castro Marques.

“She was a little tired today,” downplayed Wright, “so she said, ‘Go ahead, take it.’ No one can run with Izi. She’s faster with the ball than most people are without it.”

After practice, Coach Anne Donovan indicated her happiness with what she is seeing on the court right now.

“I think we’re really coming together,” Donovan said. “I’m really pleased. They’re working so hard with limited substitutions and not a lot of rest time and yet they continue to come back every day and just really bust it and work through it, so I’m really pleased with the progression.”

Donovan is still looking for Tye’sha Fluker, who has gone through only two full practices, to find her place with the Storm.

“She’s got work to do,” said Donovan. “She’s trying to get comfortable here. Our expectations in the post are probably a little bit different than what she’s seen in the past. I’m sure she’ll get better as it goes.”

The news is positive with regards to Yolanda Paige’s knee.

“MRI was clear, which is great,” Donovan said. “She’s still got swelling in it, so we’ll be slow in bringing her back.”

Yolanda Paige’s MRI turned up negative. Paige has been able to practice today without contact. The rest of the time, she’s riding an exercise bike on the sidelines to stay warm.

Brooke Queenan is taking her physical and due to practice tonight, giving the Storm nine bodies.

I’ll leave most of the play-by-play to Alan’s blog, but here are some observations …

I was really surprised to see how well built Tye’sha Fluker is. She started against the Storm in Seattle last August, and I remember her playing well in that game, but not how powerful she can be in the paint. Fluker is not afraid of contact, as her run-in yesterday with a member of the practice squad evidenced, and she’s tough enough that she wanted to return after spraining her ankle in a separate incident.

Fluker’s size gives her a different presence than the other posts in camp right now.

Shyra Ely hit a three-pointer early on and has, apparently, been shooting the ball well from the perimeter.

I really like the way Katie Gearlds operates within an offense. She’s always smooth and under control and is a solid ballhandler. Her airball early after we were let in to watch the action was the early stunning surprise of camp.

On defense, I was impressed with Gearlds’ ability to stay in front of the ballhandler on the break. She’ll likely never be a great defender, but her size and length are assets, particularly when she works as a shooting guard.

During interviews after practice, Katie has been making an effort to memorize the names of all of the reporters. I can’t say I’ve ever seen that before.

Free throws or lines at the end of practice. Wendy Palmer missed the first shot and could not believe it. Anne Donovan gave the option of double or nothing for Izi, who made the first but missed the second, meaning four times down and back for the entire roster.

Katie Gearlds sinks two free throws and we’re done.

More after interviews.