The Storm will officially wrap up its 2010 preseason schedule Sunday at 11:00 a.m., facing the Tulsa Shock in the Shock’s first game at the BOK Center in Tulsa. For the Shock, this will apparently be a true dress rehearsal: Though the game will count like any other exhibition contest, it is closed to fans.

Storm Head Coach Brian Agler sees Sunday’s game as a learning experience. That’s true of the preseason in general, but this is a little different for another reason: Agler will be the first opposing coach to get a look at Nolan Richardson’s system during Richardson’s first season coaching in the women’s game.

“I’m sort of interested to see how Tulsa’s going to play,” said Agler, “because they’re the new kid on the block in terms of the unknown – the style of play they’re going to bring on the floor.”

Richardson

Richardson has said that stamina may affect the fast pace he would like to play, but he is installing a pressure defense along the lines of the “40 Minutes of Hell” that won his Arkansas Razorbacks team the 1994 NCAA Championship.

The Shock also has made significant roster changes since moving from Detroit. Just five players are left on the roster from last year’s team. The Shock will be younger, but still has plenty of talent.

As far as evaluating his own players, Agler says everyone with the team – 14 players in all, with Le’coe Willingham and Tanisha Wright joining the team in Tulsa – will see action.

“We’ll be getting some of our returning people acclimated to playing together again – getting Le’coe in, getting T back,” said Agler.

There will be no radio or LiveAccess broadcast of Sunday’s game. That coverage will resume next Sunday on Opening Night. You can follow along with live stats via stormbasketball.com.

- Agler discussed the state of the team with Voice of the Storm Dick Fain during an interview Saturday morning on 950 KJR AM. Click here to listen to the interview, including some interesting updates on the process of building a final roster.

- Rookie Alison Lacey was scheduled to rejoin the Storm in Tulsa after missing Friday’s practice to attend her graduation from Iowa State University.

- On Monday, the Storm will host a second scrimmage against the Chinese National Team at the practice gym at the Royal Brougham Pavilion. The scrimmage is closed to fans but stormbasketball.com will have live updates.

Swin Cash delivers the pitch. Aaron Last/Storm Photos

Storm All-Star forward Swin Cash took to the mound Tuesday, throwing the first pitch before the Seattle Mariners faced the Tampa Bay Rays at Safeco Field.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Cash. “The weather was a little chilly, but I had a wonderful time. I had an opportunity to go up in the Wells Fargo suite and meet some real Storm fans up there. I want to say that I threw a strike, by the way, and I threw from the mound, just to let you know that.”

Indeed, Cash’s delivery to Mariners pitcher Doug Fister was over the plate. That was apparently a contrast to when Cash last delivered a first pitch at a Detroit Tigers game in 2003 while playing for the Shock.

“Well, allegedly, the ball hit the plate and skipped over for a strike,” explained Cash. “I’m not going for that. I know I threw the ball for a strike in Detroit. There’s footage of this one. It was definitely a strike.”

Be sure to check out a photo gallery of Cash’s Safeco Field experience.

Because it is the preseason, there will be no radio broadcast or LiveAccess coverage of the Storm’s exhibition opener Sunday against the Phoenix Mercury (1:00 p.m., ). There should be live stats available through stormbasketball.com (though, as the preseason is often used to work out the kinks in these systems, we make no guarantees). As with all games at KeyArena, I’ll also be updating our Live From Press Row in-game blog all afternoon long, and you can also get score updates via Twitter.

Of course, we hope to see all of you out at the Key. It should be great fun to get started again after a long offseason.