The Seattle Storm wraps up the preseason tomorrow, hosting the Indiana Fever at KeyArena (7:00 p.m., 1150 AM KKNW, ), and Storm Head Coach Brian Agler will be keeping an eye on the competition for the final couple of spots on the roster. Agler indicated after Friday’s practice at the Key that the Storm will be able to go with a 12-player roster now that Janell Burse is sitting out the season, giving the team more salary-cap flexibility. The coaching staff has a good idea who 10 of those players will be, leaving the other five players in camp vying for a pair of spots.

“We’d like to come out, obviously, and play well,” said Agler. “That’s important, but we do have to evaluate some people still.

“I think we’re getting down to five or six people for two sports. They all have their strengths. We need to evaluate it, hopefully, in a live situation – also with our practice Monday against Indiana.”

Burse’s decision helped clear things up for the Storm. In particular, it helped out post Kelly Santos, whom Agler said has slid into the group of players that is expected to make the roster. Not only is the Storm in need of depth up front without Burse, but Santos has impressed the coaching staff during her first week in camp. Without Burse’s salary, the Storm also has more room to keep veteran players on the roster despite their higher salaries.

Now, the competition appears to be on the perimeter. According to Agler, salaries shouldn’t be a factor, with any combination of two players amongst that group leaving the Storm under the cap. What will be a factor is how players’ skills fit together.

“It’s hard,” said Agler, “because there’s a lot of different scenarios, different combinations. Of those five or six people, there’s some combinations better than others. It’s more than just evaluating that single person in that spot. It’s how it all fits together. Versatility matters. Getting comfortable with who’s going to be that backup point guard. Is it going to be Tanisha (Wright) or is it going to be someone like Kim (Beck)? That’s what we’re evaluating. Tomorrow will be a big test for that, and Sunday will be a test, and then early next week.”

During tomorrow’s preseason game, Agler wants to balance the evaluation process with getting playing time for the Storm’s rotation players. The starters – including Wright at the point and Shyra Ely at power forward – should see 20-25 minutes apiece, around the same playing time starters got last Friday in Sacramento.

The one question mark with the starting lineup is Sheryl Swoopes, who did not practice Friday after tweaking her left ankle yesterday. The Storm may not know whether Swoopes will play until just before tomorrow’s game.

“It’s just awful sore right now and stiff,” said Agler. “But it’s not severe. It’s not something that’s going to keep her out for a week. It’s just a day-to-day-type thing.”

If Swoopes is unable to go, Katie Gearlds would step into the starting lineup at shooting guard.

FEVER SHORT-HANDED

While the Storm awaits the return of stars Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson from overseas, Indiana still has four players overseas, including starters Katie Douglas and Tammy Sutton-Brown. Meanwhile, starters Tully Bevilaqua and Tamika Catchings did not travel with the Storm. Bevilaqua is resting up after arriving in to Indianapolis late last week, while Catchings is still in the rehab process after tearing her

In his blog, Indiana’s Director of Media Relations, Kevin Messenger, discusses the makeshift Fever lineup.

Saturday’s matchup with the Storm will prove interesting. Seattle is playing a
lineup that includes longtime WNBA vets Swin Cash, Yolanda Griffith and Sheryl Swoopes – though does not include Sue Bird or Lauren Jackson. Indiana,
meanwhile, will counter with perhaps the youngest and most inexperienced team in
the league at this point with its band of rookies and free agents joining
(Alison) Bales, (Kasha) Terry, (Tan) White — and (Allison) Feaster.

Agler Audio After Practice

After Thursday’s practice at KeyArena, Head Coach Brian Agler and the rest of the coaching staff were presented with a difficult task. They had to inform rookies Natalie Doma and Allie Quigley that they were being waived after spending two and a half weeks in training camp with the Storm.

“This is probably the toughest thing about our job is to go through decisions like that, because those two ladies have come in and really worked hard,” Agler said. “They both have a chance to do something in this league and I think they both will go over and play in Europe next year. It’s a numbers game. You start bringing people in and you’ve got to find room for them. We’ve got some more to go. We’ve got some more decisions to make that aren’t going to be easy, but I just want to compliment those two on their efforts and how good of players and teammates they were when they were here.”

Quigley, the Storm’s second-round pick in last month’s WNBA Draft, started off camp strong but seemed to fall behind as more experienced wing players arrived in camp. Quigley played extensively in the Storm’s preseason opener and contributed five rebounds and four assists, but shot 0-for-6 from the field. Still, Agler is confident that Quigley has the ability to play in the WNBA at some point.

“She may have lost some confidence, a little bit,” he said. “She didn’t have a great showing there in Chicago – she had a lot of family and friends there; that might have got her down. I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t get another opportunity in this league this year and definitely she’ll get another one next year or down the road.”

Doma impressed during camp with her touch from the perimeter for a post player, but the leap in athleticism and physical play from the Big Sky Conference to the WNBA proved too much to overcome.

The cuts leave the Storm with just three rookies left in camp: third-round pick Kimberly Beck and invitees Daphanie Kennedy and Kristen O’Neill. Agler doesn’t anticipate making any more move until next week, by which point the Storm will have wrapped up its preseason with Saturday’s game against Indiana and a joint practice/scrimmage with the Fever on Sunday. The joint practice gives the Storm another opportunity to gauge its progress against another opponent. Teams are allowed such practices if they have fewer than four preseason games scheduled, and the Storm has three this season.

“Since they were in town,” explained Agler, “they were going to spend another day anyways, we decided to do that.”

Aaron Last/Storm Photos

As Agler spoke to the media nearly an hour after the Storm concluded its practice, O’Neill remained on the KeyArena court, shooting free throws all by herself at the far basket. That work ethic has become O’Neill’s trademark during training camp.

“If you wouldn’t have made me turn around and you would have asked me who’s back there shooting,” said Agler, “I would have said, ‘It’s Kristen.’ She was shooting for an hour and a half after practice yesterday. She’s had a great training camp. She’s a workaholic. She’s a great teammate. She’s worked hard and she’s still on our team.”

Going through her first WNBA training camp two years after she was undrafted out of the University of Washington, O’Neill has outlasted more heralded players, including a pair of former second-round picks.

“How much is she going to play Saturday?” Agler said. “I have no idea, but she’s still here and we enjoy her here and she’s making us better. She’s got her opportunity and she’s one that I think she plans on taking full advantage of it.”

- Storm wing Sheryl Swoopes injured her left ankle late in Thursday’s practice and received treatment from the team’s training staff, but Agler wasn’t worried about her status.

“She tweaked it,” he said. “She was down there smiling though, afterwards, so I think she’ll back out here tomorrow playing.”

- Agler Audio After Practice