Have a listen to some of the audio from Monday’s Storm media day.

- Head Coach Brian Agler talks about the state of the team going into training camp.
- Newcomer Yolanda Griffith on what went into her decision to sign with the Storm.
- Sheryl Swoopes talks about getting out on the floor for some pickup action last week while in Seattle.

I didn’t have much time to do video, but I wanted to give a little bit of a behind-the-scenes feel. Here’s a look at the photo booth (check out the new longer ‘do for Ashley Robinson):

And here’s a quick look around the various booths the players had to visit on the court at The Furtado Center. I didn’t get to the video room, which is often the craziest area.

Lastly, here’s a look at what I was doing most of the time – joining the media in Q&A sessions with various members of the Storm. Here’s (left to right) Ginny Gilder, Anne Levinson and Dawn Trudeau from the Storm’s ownership group, Force 10 Hoops L.L.C. If your volume is high enough, you can hear Dawn talk about how excited the owners are for the upcoming season.

Hello from The Furtado Center, where Storm media day is about to get underway. I’ll try to check in with some observations throughout and after the event.

My first thought, having seen her walk out here, is that Kimberly Beck is very skinny. 5-8, 125 should have been a tip-off, but it’s always more striking in person.

2:57: Just got done chatting with Yolanda Griffith and it was very entertaining. Asked whether she was excited about the starting training camp, she said yeah and then asked if the writer (Darren Fessenden of the Seattle P-I) was too.

Later, Griffith expounded on playing against men, saying she gets beat up in pickup games at the Sacramento 24-Hour Fitness but enjoys the experience. According to Griffith, the guys she plays against rely on athleticism but are, ahem, a little low on basketball IQ and fall victim to her old-school game.

3:44: This media day has been chock full of big interviews, so not a lot of time to blog. After meeting rookie Allie Quigley, we had a chance to talk to three of the four members of Force 10 Hoops L.L.C. (Ginny Gilder, Anne Levinson and Dawn Trudeau). Their excitement about owning this team was palpable, and they promised to be “visibly active” at games this season.

4:24: Finally time to wrap up from Furtado. Sheryl Swoopes noted you’re only as old as you feel – and she feels like she’s 25. Lastly, Ashley Robinson and Kristen O’Neill spoke together. Robinson said that she had a hard time leaving Seattle – especially after seeing the roster the Storm had put together for this season. O’Neill got a birthday surprise a couple of weeks ago when she got to meet Swoopes on her birthday. Unbeknownst to O’Neill, word had spread that it was her birthday, and Swoopes and Brian Agler helped celebrate.

Linda asked who is in camp today and it’s probably easier to explain who isn’t here. Nine players will be late to camp: Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson (Russia), Swin Cash (U.S. National Team), Katie Gearlds (Greece, due in later in the week), Roneeka Hodges (Spain), Doneeka Lewis (Italy, should be in soon), Kelly Santos (I believe she’s in France) and Tanisha Wright (Israel).

Now, time to get to work posting audio and video and working on stories for storm.wnba.com.

The Storm’s official training-camp roster includes three players added to the roster today on training-camp contracts. Here’s a little background.

Natalie Doma
Doma dominated the Big Sky Conference in four years at Idaho State University, finishing her career as the Big Sky’s all-time leader in both points (2,295) and rebounds (1,175). A native of Victoria, British Columbia, Doma quickly demonstrated her potential as the Big Sky’s Freshman of the Year. She would be named All-Big Sky First Team each of the next three years and the conference’s Player of the Year as a senior, averaging 24.7 points and 12.4 rebounds per game, both averages ranking her in the top three nationally.

Daphanie Kennedy
Some future players at Pepperdine University will, in part, have Kennedy to thank for their scholarship. After Kennedy finished her career at Pepperdine, boosters Jim and Judy Zierick established the Daphanie Kennedy Scholarship for women’s basketball to honor their friend and favorite player. Kennedy played a key role throughout her time with the Waves but really stepped forward as a senior, leading the West Coast Conference in scoring at 22 points per game and earning All-WCC First Team honors. The quick Kennedy also finished her career as Pepperdine’s all-time leader with 197 steals.

Kelly Santos
Six years after she last played in the WNBA with the Detroit Shock, Santos looks to return with the Storm in 2008. Just 21 when she made the Shock as a fourth-round pick, Santos contributed off the bench for two seasons but has since opted to play overseas. A physical post player, Santos is also a fixture on the Brazilian National Team, playing in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.

The Storm signed four players to training camp contracts Tuesday, guards Dee Davis and Doneeka Lewis and forwards Kristen O’Neill and Leah Rush.

Presumably, Lewis should need no real introduction, having spent the second half of last season in Seattle. If you need a refresher, here’s the blog I wrote when she first joined the Storm on a seven-day contract.

O’Neill should also be a familiar name. She’s an Edmonds native who played collegiately at the University of Washington, graduating in 2006. If you’ve lost track of O’Neill since then, she started this off-season in Spain before moving to Ireland in the New Year. Here’s a blog from O’Neill talking about her experience in Ireland.

I’m not sure how reliable the statistics on the Irish Superleague Women site are, but they have O’Neill playing four games (this is what I question, not the stats themselves) and averaging 24.3 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, shooting 46.8% from the field. O’Neill’s UL Aughnish team was apparently eliminated in the semifinals of the playoffs.

Davis and Rush were both in the 2007 Draft, and as I work on this year’s profiles by position, it’s interesting to go back and see what I wrote about them a year ago.

Here’s Davis: “A mighty mite, Davis is as quick as anyone this side of (Ivory) Latta. Like (Lyndsey) Medders, she’s more of a set-up point guard than a scoring type, peaking at 13.3 points per game as a sophomore (when Vanderbilt won two games at Hec Edmunson Pavilion to advance to the Sweet Sixteen). Davis handed out 6.8 assists per game as a junior and 5.5 per game as a senior. At this level, Davis’ size and lack of three-point range will work against her, but Davis has shown the heart to overcome those weaknesses.”

and Rush: “A budding star in the post as a sophomore, when she averaged 15.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, Rush had to adjust her game when Courtney Paris and twin sister Ashley arrived on campus before her junior season. Rush’s averages (9.8 points, 4.0 rebounds) were relatively pedestrian as a senior, but she is comfortable in the supporting role she would likely be asked to play in the WNBA.”

Davis was taken by the Comets with the first pick of the second round and played three games for Houston. Rush went to Phoenix early in round three and was one of the team’s last cuts.

As for the off-season, Rush has played in Sweden with Lulea Basket alongside former Sacramento center Brittany Wilkins. Davis is with BC Zeljeznicar in Sarajevo, a squad which also competed in the Eurocup. In Eurocup play, Davis averaged 14.1 points, 5.0 assists (third in the league) and 3.3 rebounds per game.