The Storm is moving quickly toward its final 11-player roster for the 2011 season. After making two cuts yesterday, Head Coach Brian Agler said after Tuesday’s practice that he anticipates making another round of cuts after Friday’s session.
“I don’t know if we’ll be quite at 11,” said Agler, “but we’ll be close to that.”
The rapid pace of decisions makes sense in the context of the short timetable for training camp. When the Storm started practice on Sunday, Opening Day on June 4 (
) was less than three weeks away.
“There’s two things we’re trying to do in training camp,” Agler explained. “We have to evaluate new players and we have to get ready for the season with our veterans. Only having a few days left, we have to focus on our players who are going to play in games.”
To prepare for those decisions, Agler plans to integrate young players with veterans a bit more the next two days in practice after the team takes Wednesday off. That will give a better chance to see which of the newcomers might complement the skills of the Storm’s core group. There are a variety of different players in camp, and Agler feels the versatility of the team’s veterans offers the flexibility to pick the last couple of players on the roster from any number of positions.
The overall focus is, he said, “Just gauging what’s the best fit for our team. Keeping a focus on our core group and seeing what’s a good balance and a good fit.”
That player may even not be on the roster right now, as the Storm will keep an eye on the coaching staff as other teams begin to cut down, primarily during the last week of training camp.
“I think all possibilities are still open,” said Agler. “This is one of those training camps where we like our group but we’re also going to be watching what happens with other teams.”
- Storm color analyst Adia Barnes, a fixture at Storm practices, was joined Tuesday by fellow University of Washington Assistant Coach Mike Neighbors.
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Have you analyzed who the Storm needs to add to their core 8 to get better as a team – where their biggest additional needs are, what holes they need to fill or what additional insurance they need to see who they are most likely to keep to fill the last 3 spots with the additional 7 players?
They obviously have a great starting 5, even though they lack the height of some of the other top teams. Camille Little is a wonderful player, but quite short to be a Center at 6′2″. With Lauren in the lineup, that helps a lot, but we do need more height off the bench. Ashley Robinson gives us some of that, but we still need more. With the addition of Katie Smith, we’ve strengthened our Guards. She also becomes our “Svetty” for 2011 – packing a punch off the bench! All 3 of our Guards (Sue, Tanisha, & Katie) can play the point and run the team, so we probably don’t need to keep another point guard, other than as insurance against injury. We have Lauren’s backup at power forward, Le’coe Willingham, returning, which is also great, but she’s only 6′0″ tall, so we need more height at the 4, too. Swin takes care of our small forward position and she can also play the 4 because she’s so tough. We could certainly use a backup 2-3 wing player – a really good defender and/or another 3-point sharpshooter would be nice.
To fill the other 3 spots on the roster (from the other 7 who are in camp), I think that Jacinta Monroe is the closest to being a lock because she has the height we need at 6′4″ or 6′5″ (if not the bulk) and we gave up a very good point guard prospect to get her, so she has the inside track. I couldn’t see the Storm cutting her. That leaves 6 players (Ibekwe, Mitchell, Prochaska, Snell, Thomas, & Ward) for only 2 openings. Krystal Thomas is another big body at 6′4″ and more heft, who would be nice to have on the bench and in practices & we could develop her skills more. If the Storm want to keep another frontcourt player who would help with rebounding and defense, then I think that would come down to Ify Ibekwe at 6′2″ or Bridgette Mitchell at 6′1″, but they may really want to add another wing player who could play the 2 or 3. In that case, I think that Belinda Snell at 5′11″ would have the inside track to make the final roster. I’ve never seen any of these new players play, so it would be helpful to hear how they are doing in camp and if any of the new players are really standing out or not. Who else has some insight or a take on the roster? Kevin?
Reviewing comments by different people from different sources, the only name that I haven’t seen even once mentioned as a player who could possibly make the final roster is Lauren Prochaska a 5′11″ Guard, who I know nothing about. Everyone I’ve read is assuming that Jacinta Monroe is a lock to make the team, and I think that Ashley Robinson is a lock this year to make the team, unlike last year, when it wasn’t certain, which only leaves 2 spots on the 11-player roster open, but 6 players still remaining on the 15-player training camp roster.
The biggest need on the bench is for more Bigs to add power and strength to the roster, but one of the 2 players who the Storm keep is likely to be a Guard, possibly a back-up Point Guard like 5′7″ Courtney Ward or a Shooting Guard/Wing player like Belinda Snell, and less likely to be Lauren Prochaska. If that’s true, it will only leave 1 spot for another Big 4/5 post player and 3 players vying for the spot: 6′4″ true Center Krystal Thomas, and Power Forwards 6′2″ Ify Ibekwe and 6′1″ Bridgette Mitchell. I wish that they could keep 2 of those 3 players, but I’m beginning to think that that is not very likely to happen. I liked the Storm’s Draft this year – all 3 of the players they drafted and was hoping that all three could make their roster, but, realistically, that was probably never going to happen. It’s even less likely now that the 2 remaining will both make the roster since the Storm traded their 1st Round Draft Choice, point guard Jasmine Thomas for 2 players, Katie Smith & Jacinta Monroe. I still don’t know that much about the biggest of the remaining Bigs, 6′4″ or 6′5″ Krystal Thomas, and I’d like to know more about her and how she’s doing. I know a little more about Ify Ibekwe and like everything that I’ve read about her because she’s apparently such a good defender and rebounder. I hope that you have a chance to see all the rest of the players, interview them, and write articles about them before all the cuts are final. Thanks, Kevin.