Archive for February, 2012

Storm’s New Roster by the Numbers

Monday, February 27th, 2012

The Storm already boasted a roster as decorated as any in the league, and adding the legendary Tina Thompson today as a free agent only adds to that. Here’s a look at what the Storm’s current players have accomplished during their careers:

12 - WNBA championships – Thompson 4, Sue Bird/Lauren Jackson/Katie Smith 2, Camille Little/Tanisha Wright 1 (Brian Agler 1)

2 – ABL championships – Smith 2 (Agler 2)

7 - Olympic gold medals – Smith 3, Bird/Thompson 2

3 – Olympic silver medals – Jackson 3

31 – All-Star appearances Jackson/Thompson 8, Bird/Smith 7, Ann Wauters 1

16 – All-WNBA First Teams – Jackson 7, Bird 4, Thompson 3, Smith 2

11 – All-WNBA Second Teams – Thompson 5, Bird 3, Smith 2, Jackson 1

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Storm Players Sweep Through to Final Eight

Friday, February 24th, 2012

During today’s Game 2 action in the Euroleague Playoffs, teams that won on Tuesday had a chance to complete two-game sweeps and join host Galatasaray in the Final Eight from March 28-April 1 in Istanbul. All three teams with Storm players managed to finish off their foes and advance.

UMMC Ekaterinburg took care of business with little trouble in a 75-49 win over Good Angels Kosice. Ekaterinburg took a 14-point lead to the break and outscored Kosice 24-10 in the final period to win by 26 points. Sue Bird had another outstanding game for UMMC, scoring 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Bird had two assists, two steals and no turnovers in 28 minutes. Deanna Nolan led Ekaterinburg with 19 points. Erin Lawless and Danielle McCray scored 15 points apiece.

Wisla Can-Pack Krakow took a double-digit lead after one quarter and never looked back in beating ZVVZ USK Praha 74-60. Ewelina Kobryn led the attack, scoring 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting with eight rebounds. Four other players scored double figures, including 15 points and 12 boards for Milka Bjelica. The Wisla defense held DeLisha Milton-Jones to 2-of-10 shooting and Lindsay Whalen without an assist.

The easiest victory of the three actually belonged to Ros Casares Valencia, which extended its lead over CCC Polkowice to 23 before halftime and cruised to a 78-58 victory. Again, Ann Wauters dominated the paint, scoring 17 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Sancho Lyttle also had a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds. Maya Moore led Ros Casares with 20 points, while Lauren Jackson scored nine points. Jana Vesela grabbed five boards.

The Final Eight is a new format this year that will bring the eight quarterfinalists to Istanbul. They’ll be split into two groups of four and play a round robin format. Then, the first-place teams from each group will battle for the Euroleague title, the second-place teams for third place and so on and so forth. There are still two spots to be decided. Sparta&K Moscow Region-Nadezhda and Rivas Ecopolis-Bourges are headed to deciding Game 3s next Wednesday. One team that won’t be there is defending champion Halcon Avenida, which was upset by Beretta-Famila Schio in a sweep.

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Storm in the News

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

A fun blog post by Brier Dudley of the Seattle Times checks in on Kate Starbird’s research into how social media is used during disasters and crises. Starbird, who is working toward her doctorate at the University of Colorado at Boulder, returned to the area last week to present her research at the Association for Computing Machinery’s conference, held in Bellevue. The product of Lakes High School in Lakewood played for the Storm in 2002 as part of a five-year WNBA career.

“She’s very impressive,” said David Notkin, professor and past chairman of computer science and engineering at the University of Washington.

Starbird credits Notkin with helping her make the transition from sports to academia.

After playing professionally in Spain, she was thinking about returning to school when she received an email out of the blue from Notkin, inviting her to a meeting of the executive leadership of the National Center for Women & Information Technology.

We previously caught up with Starbird for a “Where are they now?” feature two years ago, when she was studying Twitter responses to the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

Storm Head Coach Brian Agler wrote an interesting blog for SlamOnline.com about why it’s so important for him to spend time overseas during the European season:

Basically, the players’ careers are their business. The more I study and respect it, the better job I can do at molding our team and working with all parties involved to make things run as efficiently as possible for the players and the Storm organization. I truly don’t believe I would have them same kind of grasp and respect for the world of women’s basketball if I didn’t make these trips internationally.

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Euroleague Playoffs Tip Off

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

Tuesday marked the opening day of postseason action in the EuroLeague, as teams battle in best-of-three series for a spot in the Final Eight.

Ros Casares Valencia took a 1-0 lead by dominating the second half of an 88-54 victory over CCC Polkowice. Up nine at the break, Ros Casares outscored Polkowice 26-9 in the third quarter to pull away. Ann Wauters put up 19 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 8-of-13 from the field. Lauren Jackson had 13 points in 17 minutes and Maya Moore scored 17 for Valencia, which also got 11 rebounds from Sancho Lyttle and 11 assists from Laia Palau. Former Storm camper Sharnee Zoll had 10 points and seven assists for Polkowice, which will try to force a deciding Game 3 by winning on Friday in Poland.

In Russia, UMMC Ekaterinburg got a much stiffer test from Good Angels Kosice before emerging with a 61-55 win. Up just one to start the final period, Ekaterinburg opened up with an 8-0 spurt and Kosice never again got closer than six points. Naturally, Sue Bird was in the middle of that run, knocking down a triple and handing out an assist to account for five of the eight points. In her best performance for UMMC, Bird scored a game-high 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including five three-pointers, and handed out three assists. She was the only player in double figures for Ekaterinburg, which got more balanced scoring than Kosice. Four players scored 51 of the team’s 55 points, led by 17 from Danielle McCray of the Connecticut Sun.

Ewelina Kobryn and Wisla Can-Pack Krakow knocked off ZVVZ USK Praha 66-52 in Game 1, turning a six-point advantage through three quarters into a 14-point final margin. Kobryn was a force in the paint with 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Nicole Powell (14 points, 10 boards) also had a double-double and Milka Bjelica and Erin Phillips scored 15 points apiece. Lindsay Whalen carried USK Praha with 19 points.

Elsewhere in EuroLeague action, the lone road team to win Game 1 was Beretta Famila Schio, which topped defending champion Perfumerias Avenida 67-59 in Salamanca. That makes Famila Schio the only team with a chance to close out the series at home, while the rest of the favorites go for sweeps on the road.

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Opals Announce Olympic Finalists

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

The London Olympics are coming, and days after USA Basketball named 24 finalists for its squad, Basketball Australia has done the same. The group includes, as expected, Storm star Lauren Jackson and three other players who previously played in Seattle: Suzy Batkovic, Abby Bishop and Belinda Snell.

Jackson announced last year her plans to sit out the first half of the 2012 WNBA season to prepare for the Olympics. So to will Snell, an unrestricted free agent who played for the Storm last season. That will allow them to participate in a pre-Olympic training camp beginning in May. Prior to that, Basketball Australia will use a selection camp in March to help choose the players who will be part of the final squad.

The Opals, who have won silver in each of the last three Olympics, are looking to regroup after a disappointing fifth-place finish in the 2010 FIBA World Championship. With Jackson and other key players like Snell and Penny Taylor in their 30s, there is a sense of urgency as Australia tries to capture an elusive gold medal.

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Statement on Seattle Arena Proposal

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

In response to today’s announcement that the city of Seattle has received a proposal from a group led by Christopher Hansen to build a basketball/hockey arena in the Sodo area, Storm CEO and President Karen Bryant released the following statement:

“All of us here at the Seattle Storm enthusiastically support the return of the NBA to Seattle. This is a basketball-loving town. What a fantastic opportunity for the city and sports lovers throughout the region and the state.

“Today’s announcement is just the beginning of a very long process, but we will support the effort in any way we can.”

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Tough to Say Goodbye to A-Rob

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

The nature of professional sports means saying goodbye. Roster change is an inevitable part of the quest to get better and compete for championships. In Seattle, we’ve been lucky not to have to do that so much in recent seasons, but this offseason alone has meant saying goodbye to three favorites: Swin Cash, Le’coe Willingham and now Ashley Robinson.

From a basketball perspective, I’m thrilled the Storm was able to trade for one of my favorite young players in the league, talented athlete Victoria Dunlap. In time, we’ll come to know her as a person and not just a basketball player, as was the case with Robinson when she came to the Storm as an unproven young player midway through the 2006 season.

Still, Ashley will be missed. Over six years with the Storm – more than any other reserve in the league had spent with the same team – she became a fixture.

It’s always bothered me when fans and analysts tried to paint Robinson as a cheerleader, which demeaned her ability to contribute on the floor. Players, coaches and those who watched practice on a  regular basis knew what Robinson was capable of doing when she got enough minutes to build her confidence, and I’m thankful the whole world had a chance to see Robinson’s skills during her breakout 2011 season.

At the same time, there’s no question that Robinson was more valuable to the Storm than her stat line would ever indicate because she is such a great person to be around. Ashley has always been accessible to fans, especially after joining Twitter, and her support for her teammates grew into an important leadership role as she gained perspective as a WNBA veteran.

To know Ashley is to want her to succeed, and I hope you’ll join me in saying a heartfelt goodbye and wishing her the best of luck as she moves on to Washington.

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Bird a Finalist for U.S. Women’s Olympic Roster

Monday, February 13th, 2012
Sue Bird has won Olympic gold twice before, in 2004 and 2008. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images)

Sue Bird has won Olympic gold twice before, in 2004 and 2008. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images)

USA Basketball announced today the 21 finalists for the roster that will represent the U.S. in the London Olympics this summer, and as expected, Sue Bird is among them. USA Basketball will pare the roster to a final group of 12 prior to the start of basketball competition at the Olympics on July 28.

Bird has been a fixture on the U.S. Senior Women’s National Team since 2002, when she was part of the roster for the FIBA World Championship. Bird won gold medals with the USA in the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics, the latter time as starting point guard. One of three two-time gold medalists among the finalists for the U.S. roster (Tamika Catchings and Diana Taurasi are the others), Bird will likely continue her role as starter after most recently helming the USA squad that won the 2010 FIBA World Championship in the Czech Republic.

The other finalists include all 12 players from the 2010 World Championship squad. The group includes one collegian, Baylor center Brittney Griner.

“Now that we’re down to 21 finalists, you look around and you see a group of players that have tremendous experience,” U.S. National Team Head Coach Geno Auriemma said in the release. “(We have) players that have won (Olympic) gold medals, won World Championships, there are WNBA champions on the list, players that have won in Europe in international competition. You’ve got a group of players that have experienced everything there is to experience and as a coach, as someone who’s been around these players, I couldn’t be happier with this group. They represent the best of what the United States has to offer.”

The final roster will be chosen by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee, which is made up of WNBA representatives Reneé Brown, Chief of Basketball Operations and Player Relations; Dan Hughes, head coach/General Manager of the San Antonio Silver Stars; and Chief Operating Officer/General Manager of the Indiana Fever Kelly Krauskopf; athlete representative and five-time Olympian Teresa Edwards; and USA Basketball Women’s National Team Director Carol Callan.

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Ros Casares Heads to Playoffs on Dominant Note

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

In Wednesday’s final day of group play in the EuroLeague, Ros Casares Valencia had a chance to make a statement against fellow power Galatasaray. With the Storm’s Brian Agler and Karen Bryant in attendance in Valencia, Ros Casares did that, leading from start to finish in a 98-80 victory that wasn’t that close. Maya Moore helped Valencia take command early with 17 first-quarter points. After Galtasaray rallied during the second quarter, Ros Casares blew things open by outscoring the Turkish club 23-12 the remainder of the half and 26-12 in the third quarter. Down 27 entering the final period, Galatasaray was able to make the final outcome more respectable.

Moore scored 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting, but it was scoring balance that really separated Ros Casares. 72 of Galatasaray’s 80 points came from the trio of Diana Taurasi (28), Tina Charles (23) and Epiphanny Prince (21). Valencia got 30 points off the bench, including six from Lauren Jackson. Shay Murphy scored 20 points, Sancho Lyttle had 13 points and 10 boards and even without scoring much (six points) Ann Wauters made her impact felt with 10 rebounds and five assists.

With the win, Ros Casares finishes at the top of Group A. Galatasaray is technically second, but will not play in the eighth-finals, having automatically qualified for the Final Eight as the host. That makes third place in Group A UMMC Ekaterinburg, which finished up group play by overwhelming Uni Seat Gyor 85-45, including 39-12 after the break. Candace Parker’s 19 points and 11 boards led Ekaterinburg, which got 16 points from Sandrine Gruda. Sue Bird had five points and five assists and Svetlana Abrosimova came off the bench for nine points in her first EuroLeague action since November, when she injured her Achilles.

Over in Group C, Wisla Can-Pack Krakow used a furious comeback to knock off Gospic CO, 74-71. Down six with 3:20 left, Wisla scored the game’s last nine points. Ewelina Kobryn gave Krakow the lead for good with a three-point play with 1:53 remaining, then scored again with 1:16 to produce the final margin. Kobryn’s 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting were a game high. She added 11 rebounds and three assists to round out her stat line. Nicole Powell had 19 points and nine boards, while Milka Bjelica (14 points, 10 rebounds) went for a double-double.

Wisla finished behind Sparta&K Moscow Region in the Group C standings, but is the higher seed in the eighth-finals because only games against other teams that advance are counted. Wisla was an excellent 6-2 against top foes, good for third in all of EuroLeague. Ros Casares is second, trailing only undefeated Fenerbahce, and will host CCC Polkowice in a best-of-three series. Wisla hosts ZVVZ USK Praha and Ekaterinburg – the last team to secure home court – matches up with Good Angels Kosice. Those series began Feb. 24, and of course we’ll cover all the Storm ties here in StormTracker.

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