WNBA Capsules: Parker leads Sparks to opening win over Lynx
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Candace Parker showed the Los Angeles Sparks just what they were missing during her long injury absence.
In her first game in nearly a year, Parker had 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Sparks beat the Minnesota Lynx 82-74 on Friday night in the opener of the WNBA's 15th season.
"Candace is back. She's back," Sparks coach Jennifer Gillom said. "The girl is just amazing.
"I love that she's back to where she can play any position now. That's the Candace that I've known from years back as a rookie."
Parker, who hadn't played a WNBA game since last June 13 when she dislocated her left shoulder, made 6 of 9 field goals and scored 13 points in the first half.
She had surgery in late June and wasn't cleared to return to the court until November. Parker played in Russia before the WNBA season, but missed being with the Sparks.
"I was extremely emotional before the game because it's been almost a year since I've been able to run through that tunnel and run onto that floor," Parker said "I was excited to get out there, a little nervous. It was so much fun to be back there on the floor with my teammates."
The Sparks made 7 of 14 3-pointers in the second half and never trailed in the fourth quarter. The Lynx shot just 35.7 percent in the final period while the Sparks made 53.3 percent of their shots.
The nationally televised game marked the debut of highly touted WNBA rookie Maya Moore, who led the Lynx with 21 points and added four rebounds and four assists.
Moore led Connecticut to consecutive NCAA championships (2009-10), became the seventh women's player to score over 3,000 career points, and was the No. 1 pick in this year's WNBA draft.
She had six points in the final five minutes, including three free throws that tied the game at 73, and scored her team's first basket with a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer on the right wing.
"I was a little anxious, but I was excited to play," Moore said. "It was just exciting when the game started and you start making the first couple of shots, get into a rhythm, and you realize this is still basketball."
The Sparks trailed by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, but made 5 of 10 3-pointers in the period — including three by Noelle Quinn — to regain the lead.
Trailing 57-51, the Sparks went on an 8-0 run — capped by Parker's putback — to take a one-point lead into the final period.
"I think it was a team effort and a defensive effort," Quinn said. "Our defense generated our offense."
Quinn finished with 11 points. Tina Thompson had 15, and Kristi Tolliver added 10 points for the Sparks. Former Sparks center Lisa Leslie and new WNBA president Laurel Richie were among those in attendance.
Rebekkah Brunson had 10 points and 12 rebounds, and Lindsay Whalen added 10 points for the Lynx, who were outrebounded by eight and didn't score in the final 90 seconds.
"We did a lot of switching on them and they were more focused on shooting 3s instead of 2s and we did a good job of eliminating that," Gillom said. "So I think that was very effective toward the end."
Ex-WNBA players spreading through college coaching
Former WNBA players are helping develop the women's game through college coaching.
As the league enters its 15th season, there are 17 former WNBA players serving as college head coaches and another two dozen working as assistants. As their numbers continue to increase, so will the WNBA's influence on the game.
Jennifer Azzi is one of those coaches.
As she enters her second season at San Francisco, Azzi knows her professional playing career — including four years in the WNBA — gives her credibility with players and recruits.
"I find when I can sit down and talk to a recruit or a current player, they absolutely respect the fact that I've physically done it," Azzi said. "They know we've done it and we're not sitting from some pedestal saying, 'Here's what you do.'"
Coaches like Louisiana Tech's Teresa Weatherspoon and North Carolina-Greensboro's Wendy Palmer were among the first wave that played in the WNBA's inaugural season in 1997 while others like South Carolina's Dawn Staley and Hartford's Jennifer Rizzotti arrived shortly after playing in the now-defunct American Basketball League.
There are two players in the league who were coached by former WNBA players: Five-year veteran Candice Dupree in Phoenix who played for Staley at Temple; and 6-foot-6 Chicago rookie Carolyn Swords, who was mentored by 6-5 Sylvia Crawley at Boston College.
Swords said Crawley's WNBA experience gave her someone to ask about anything, from what to pack to what to expect in training camp.
"Coach Crawley definitely teaches from experience," Swords said. "I understand and appreciate that perspective. When she says something, it's from firsthand experience. The packages of moves that she taught, small details in positioning. It prepared me to understand the terminology" in training camp.
Renee Brown, the league's chief of basketball operations and player relations, said WNBA-players-turned-coaches know what it takes to succeed and can help players get where they want to go.
"They're getting these players prepared," Brown said. "You get a young player and she gets a chance to be coached by a player she has watched, it's got to be a great thing."
Brown said their numbers in the coaching ranks will continue to grow.
Palmer is one of the latest examples.
She was an all-American under Debbie Ryan at Virginia before starting a professional career that included 11 years in the WNBA and stops in Spain, Brazil, Hungary, Turkey, Italy and Russia. She also served as an assistant coach at VCU, Kentucky and Virginia before taking over at UNC-Greensboro in April.
"Whatever you decided to do after the ball bounces the last time, you have a responsibility because the WNBA and the professional experiences overseas have taught us something great," Palmer said. "It would be a tragedy to let it die with us."
At North Carolina-Wilmington, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke talks to recruits about her playing days, too, though she said it's more to illustrate that she knows how to win than to tout her own statistics. Still, those accolades can only help: She was the WNBA's MVP in its first two seasons and was a four-time finals MVP while leading the Houston Comets to four straight championships.
After a successful five-season run at Prairie View A&M, Cooper-Dyke led the Seahawks to a school-record 24 wins and their first postseason appearance in the WNIT last season.
"It's not just about the name, but you have to make sure they understand that you're going to teach them as well," Cooper-Dyke said. "For me, it's been my passion. I know how to win. I've won on every level I've participated on and now it's my turn to teach how to win and be a successful person and a successful basketball player. I think it's important to pass that on for the younger generation."
It's a generation that grew up being able to watch their favorite college players continue their careers in the professional ranks close to home.
It's why, Brown said, that young women have gone from modeling their games after men to mimicking the moves of Diana Taurasi or Sue Bird — or maybe their college coach.
Azzi said she learned more about the game by extending her playing career and being exposed to different coaches after being a national player of the year and winning a national championship at Stanford. She even kept a notebook of which coaching tactics seemed to work and which didn't.
Now Azzi and her WNBA peers are sharing their knowledge with the next crop of potential pros.
"It's an experience that is pretty unique and makes us kind of a united group," Azzi said. "It's good to know there are others out there doing their thing and doing it well."
-- Aaron Beard
Healthy Parker back to lead L.A. Sparks
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ticha Penicheiro looked around at the start of training camp for the Los Angeles Sparks and noticed a huge difference.
The 5-foot-11 playmaker was surrounded by a group of tall players.
"Everybody was just so big," Penicheiro said. "Sometimes we have some combinations on the court and I'm like, 'Wow.' We got people that can play different positions that can create a lot of different mismatches in games, so I'm excited about that."
The Sparks open the season at home against the Minnesota Lynx on Friday night in a game featuring the return of Los Angeles star Candace Parker and the debut of Lynx rookie Maya Moore, who led Connecticut to two NCAA championships.
With Parker healthy and the return of veterans including Penicheiro, DeLisha Milton-Jones and the league's career scoring leader, Tina Thompson, the Sparks are hopeful they can contend for the team's first WNBA championship since 2002.
The Sparks struggled through a disappointing year last season that was marred by season-ending injuries to Parker and guard Betty Lennox. Parker appeared in only 10 games before having shoulder surgery and Lennox, who is no longer with the team, played in 11 games before having knee surgery.
"Everything's great, I feel good," Parker said. "We're very excited for the season to start. There's a lot of anticipation and we're looking forward to a healthy, and great, season."
Sparks guard Noelle Quinn is glad to have Parker healthy.
"Candace attracts so much attention in the paint," she said. "She's a tough guard because she can shoot 3s and gets to the basket so she makes it hard on defenders, but easy on us so we've just got to knock down open shots."
Despite the injuries and a 13-21 record in the regular season, the Sparks reached the playoffs and lost in the first round to eventual champion Seattle.
"I can't even explain the down moments that we had and how we would just look at each other and be like, 'What is wrong?" Milton-Jones said. "We found a way to conjure up some spirit in us and say, 'We can't go out like this. We've got to at least make the playoffs.'
"This year is about redemption, righting that wrong of last year."
The Sparks added more size by drafting 6-foot-4 center Jantel Lavender of Ohio State with the fifth overall pick and signing 6-2 forward Ebony Hoffman.
"I really do believe we are the biggest team in the league at every position," second-year coach Jennifer Gillom said. "We even have big guards this year, which is a great thing. Hopefully we can create a lot of mismatches."
Playing better defense and getting off to a good start are other areas Gillom stressed during training camp.
The Sparks allowed an average of 81.2 points while allowing teams to shoot 44.2 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3-point range, while getting outrebounded by 4.5 per game.
The Sparks opened last season 3-11, but regrouped in July and August to earn a playoff berth.
"If we started out last season like we finished, just think of what we could've accomplished," Gillom said. "That's why I put so much emphasis on developing that team chemistry right away. Our goal is to win a championship and it has to start at the beginning of the season."
Lynx begin season with high expectations
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Lindsay Whalen grew up in Minnesota, so she knows how sports fans are suffering right now. She roots for all the pro teams in the area along with her alma mater, the University of Minnesota.
The Vikings and Timberwolves finished their seasons in last place and the Twins have the worst record in the major leagues. Gophers football and basketball also struggled mightily, leaving the local sports fan little to cheer about.
"There's ups and downs in every franchise and every team. It's sports. It happens," Whalen said Thursday. "The Vikings almost went to the Super Bowl two years ago and last year they really struggled. All we can focus on is our team, being focused and putting a good team on the floor."
With all the poor performances in the area, Whalen sees an opportunity for the Minnesota Lynx to finally get some of the spotlight that has been so difficult to garner in a crowded sports market.
She remembers a time when she was leading the Gophers to the Final Four during her college days, when the Twin Cities got behind the school's women's basketball program like never before. Now she hopes it can happen again at the pro level.
The franchise opens the season on Friday in Los Angeles with very high hopes. The Lynx have added No. 1 pick Maya Moore to a nucleus that includes Whalen, Seimone Augustus and Candice Wiggins.
"The Wild's been struggling, Twins, Vikings, Timberwolves," Augustus said. "Everyone's kind of leaning on our shoulders. We welcome that opportunity for us to put some smiles on some people's faces around here."
The Lynx haven't been to the playoffs since 2004. Injuries to Augustus and Wiggins have derailed the past two years, but everyone is healthy heading into the season opener. And the Lynx sense that people, perhaps desperately, are looking their way.
"I think just overall people around here are more, 'Hey, when's your first game?'" Whalen said. "Walking around and going to eat, wherever I've been. You feel that. I think just more attention and focus on the team. Having Maya coming in, and most people returning, it's been good. But now we've got to put it on the court."
Their home opener comes on Sunday against the Sparks.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said she has been pleased by the progress she has seen from the group in training camp incorporating the rookies Moore and Amber Harris and working Augustus and Wiggins back into the fold.
"I don't think that I could have asked for anything better in that regard," Reeve said. "I think these guys are really good to each other. They're selfless. If they can carry that through into the season when we start getting headlines, and who is getting headlines and who is getting print, we've talked about that.
"The strength of our team is that we have depth. ... The situation I like is the team just wants to win."
Just talking about the Lynx getting headlines was noteworthy in its own right.
"We want to be a winning town and we just want to be a part of that," Reeve said. "If we can provide some relief if the Twins are struggling, then that's great, too."
-- Jon Krawczynski
Smith set for Seattle debut as WNBA season begins
SEATTLE (AP) — When three-time U.S. Olympian Katie Smith steps onto the court for the Seattle Storm in their WNBA season opener Saturday it'll be for less money than she could have gotten elsewhere. It could be in a reserve role after starting 412 of the 417 total games she has played in the league.
But her attitude about all that can be summed up with: "So what?"
"I'm going to play, whether you start or whether you don't, I know I'm going to (play)," said Smith, whose new team opens the 2011 season against Phoenix on her 37th birthday. "I've been with many players who have come off the bench and played more minutes than the starters. It's just not about that. It's about coming out there and being as efficient as I possibly can."
Opponents who already have to figure out how to contain a starting five that includes three Olympians (Lauren Jackson of Australia, Sue Bird and Swin Cash of the United States), now will have to decide how to deal with someone who can bring an Olympic-caliber boost off the bench. Smith has earned three golds of her own playing for the U.S. in 2000, '04 and '08.
"We have so many weapons that are out there, she can come in and do her thing," Cash said, "and if you forget her, she's going to burn you for 20 (points). I think that's what makes people scared about this team is having her here."
Seattle is coming off its second WNBA crown, and the Storm dominated the league last summer: 28-6 during the regular season, 7-0 in the playoffs, and 21-0 at home (17-0 regular season, 4-0 playoffs).
Smith brings her own championship credentials to town. She helped the Detroit (now Tulsa) Shock win it all in 2006 and 2008, earning Finals MVP honors in '08. The 1996 Ohio State grad is beginning her 16th pro season, her 13th in the WNBA, and was on back-to-back Columbus Quest teams that won the only two American Basketball League titles (1997 and '98) before that league folded.
"I went to Detroit (in mid-2005) with a team that was already established, and won a championship," Smith said. "I have a strong personality, but I fit in. You come in and do your job, and you bring what you can to the table. I have to figure out how to play with Sue and Lauren and Swin and just get into that system, because they obviously have something they've already established."
Smith, with a career average of 15.2 points — 9.5 points in 2010 — anticipates no problems with that.
"It's basketball," she said. "It's playing hard and playing together."
In Smith's case, it's also playing for Storm coach Brian Agler again and assistant Nancy Darsch. Agler was head coach at Columbus during the two ABL title runs, and he also was the first coach of the Minnesota Lynx, to whom Smith was allocated by the league when the Lynx joined as an expansion team in 1999. Darsch was Smith's coach at Ohio State.
Agler said Smith has changed during the past decade and a half, but only in a good way.
"I don't think she's any less competitive (than before)," Agler said. "She's probably a better player from a standpoint of just understanding the game and how she can play multiple roles. She can be a go-to person, or she can be a complementary player."
Smith said she'd like to finish her career in Seattle, but was noncommittal on when that might be.
"It's year to year," said Smith, who did not play in either of the Storm's two preseason games because of tendinitis in her left Achilles'. "You don't know how you're going to feel after another four months of running and banging and all that. If I can do it again, if I feel like I can be productive and it's all right by my body, then sure (I'll keep playing).
"At this point, you're not greedy," she said. "You just try to enjoy what you have (because) it could be done just like that."
Indiana Fever, Catchings still chasing title
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Fever don't feel old, but they know they're getting there.
The Fever feature four starters over the age of 30. And while they have been one of the WNBA's most consistent franchises for the past half decade, they have no championships and a closing window of opportunity.
The face of the franchise, Tamika Catchings, is 31. Her co-star, Katie Douglas, is 32. Tammy Sutton-Brown is 33 and newly acquired Tangela Smith is 34.
"I don't think that we're so old that it's now or never," Fever coach Lin Dunn said. "We're not on our last leg. Certainly we are older, but we're wiser, and I do think there's a sense of urgency from that core group. I think that can be good."
Indiana has reached the playoffs the past six seasons and played in the WNBA finals in 2009. The Fever will begin their quest for that elusive championship on Saturday when they open the season at home against Chicago.
Catchings is coming off another dominant season. She averaged 18.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game while shooting a career-best 48 percent from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range. She was named defensive player of the year for the fourth time in the past six seasons.
She still wants to accomplish more, and she believes she can.
"I don't feel my age," she said. "I don't feel 31, and I still enjoy the game the same way I enjoyed it since I started playing."
Catchings always has been a gym rat, but she knows she needs to be careful with the way she pushes herself now.
"Of course, as you get older, there is more wear and tear on your body, and it may not feel like that now, but it might be earlier in the season when I start to feel tired," she said.
Douglas, who averaged 13.7 points last season, considers the team mature.
"Eventually we're going to start going down, but hopefully in these next two or three years we can stay at a very high level, and I feel like we can," she said. "We have that ability to compete with the best, and I think last year we showed that, so hopefully we can continue that this year and put a run together and make it to the finals and have a shot at a championship."
The only sign of youth in the starting lineup is Briann January. The lightning-quick point guard is talented but streaky, and she must become more consistent now that more will be expected of her.
"She's always going to play hard," Dunn said. "She's not going to let up. She'll be fine."
Last season, the Fever had high expectations but went 21-13 and lost to New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Catchings said even though last season was successful by many measures, something was missing.
"I felt like somehow, between '09 and 2010, people started putting more responsibility on themselves to do more individually instead of the team concept that we have kind of built ourselves off of in 2009."
She feels the team can bounce back this year.
"I think we're right there," she said. "I think we're right there, on the cusp of being able to be a great team and being able to win. It's just a matter of being able to get over that hump and getting there."
Veterans Tully Bevilaqua and Ebony Hoffman are gone, but Indiana added Smith and Erin Phillips.
Smith, a versatile post player who was on the Phoenix team that beat Indiana for the 2009 title. She played for Phoenix again last season and averaged 9.2 points and 5.2 rebounds. Phillips, a 26-year-old Australian, played with Bevilaqua on the Australian national team.
The Fever drafted Stanford point guard Jeanette Pohlen to help alleviate the loss of Bevilaqua. Shannon Bobbitt also is in the mix at backup point guard.
Crowd favorite Jessica Davenport could log more minutes this season at center. Shavonte Zellous adds athletic ability and a scorer's mentality off the bench.
Dunn was a bit annoyed by Indiana's two sluggish preseason losses to Minnesota, but she expects her veteran team to respond.
"It would be nice to win," she said. "It would be nice to go into the game Saturday 2-0. But I think what really matters is Saturday."
-- Cliff Brunt
International
Prince won't play for Russia in upcoming Euros
Chicago Sky guard Epiphanny Prince will not play with the Russian national team in the upcoming European Championship at the end of the month.
The Russian Federation informed Prince this week that she will not be used in the tournament. Prince plays professionally in Russia during the winter and has citizenship in the country. She still could compete for Russia next year in the London Olympics if the team qualifies.
"Though I was not selected to participate in Eurobasket this summer, if called upon, I remain committed to fulfilling my obligations to the Russian national team," Prince told The Associated Press.
Prince wouldn't have been the first American-born player to play for Russia. Becky Hammon helped Russia to a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics before a disappointing loss in the quarterfinals of the World Championship last fall.
The European Championship runs from June 18 to July 3 in Poland with a bid in next year's Olympics awarded to the winner. Had Prince been chosen to play, she would have missed six Sky games.
"I want to thank the Chicago Sky for their flexibility and understanding," Prince said. "I look forward now to making the most of a full season with the Sky."
The 23-year-old averaged 9.8 points for Chicago last year as a rookie and is expected to play a bigger role this season.
"We have been supportive of Piph fulfilling her commitment to the Russian team from the start and really, it was always a questions of 'when' she would go, not 'if,'" Sky coach Pokey Chatman said. "Frankly, I'm surprised that the team decided not to use her, but their choice clearly helps us a great deal. We're thrilled to have her for the entire WNBA season."
Chatman coached Prince's team in Russia this past winter.
The Sky will be without guard Shameka Christon for at least the first eight weeks of the season after injuring a knee in training camp. Christon was limited to 10 games last year due to a broken orbital bone.
-- Doug Ferguson
