2002 Record 10-22, .312 (8th in West) Points Scored 2003 (16th overall, 8th in West) Points Allowed 2104 (5th overall, 3rd in West) Scoring Differential -3.2 (13th overall, 6th in West) Offensive Efficiency 92.8 (15th overall, 8th in West) Defensive Efficiency 97.5 (7th overall, 4th in West) Possessions per 40 min. 66.7 (10th overall, 7th in West) What are these stats? Award Winners & Honorees All-Star, All-WNBA, Second Team Katie Smith 2002 Draft Recap Rd. 1 – 6. Tamika Williams Rd. 3 – 38, Lindsey Meder Rd. 4 – 54, Sharron Francis Playoff History Never in four years

Tamika Williams enjoyed an impressive rookie campaign averaging 10.1 points and 7.4 rebounds while hitting 56.1 percent of her attempts from the field.

Williams

The Lynx struggled through a 10-win season in 2002, but Minnesota boasted the youngest team in the WNBA based on weighted ages (24.0). Williams is 23, Svetlana Abrosimova and her 11.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game are 22, Georgia Schweitzer and her 48.3 percent shooting from the field, 42.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 86.7 percent shooting from the free throw line are just 24 and Katie Smith is still only 28.

Minnesota was the sixth best rebounding team in the WNBA last season – fifth best offensively and eighth best defensively – marking the first time in team history that the Lynx were better than league average in that category. Williams’ 229 total rebounds smashed the team record of 178 set by Betty Lennox in 2000.

Katie Smith’s offensive production fell off considerably from her record-setting 2001 performance. Her scoring average dropped 6.6 points to 16.5, her three-point field goal percentage decreased from 37.0 percent to 33.0 percent and after setting league records for free throws made (246) and attempted (275) in 2001, she was a “mere” 126-of-153 in 2002.

Betty Lennox was unable to reclaim her rookie-of-the-year form after an injury-plagued 2001 season, and in 2002 she played just five games for the Lynx before being traded to the Miami Sol in exchange for Tamara Moore. She shot just 20.1 percent from the field in those five games, averaging 6.2 points.

Minnesota had a great deal of trouble settling on a lineup as 12 different players made at least one start on the season. Smith, Williams and Abrosimova’s names were written in ink, but beyond that, seven players played between 300 and 700 minutes. Part of the reason for Minnesota's roster juggling was because Head Coach and General Manager Brian Agler resigned his head coaching responsibilities mid season. When Assistant Coach Heidi VanDerveer took over on an interim basis, she understandably tried different roster combinations in an effort to set the table for the 2003 season.

Head Coach Suzie McConnell Serio 2002 Starting Line-up G Tamara Moore G Katie Smith C Michele Van Gorp F Tamika Williams F Svetlana Abrosimova Key 2002 Reserves G/F Georgia Schweitzer G Shaunzinski Gortman F/G Lynn Pride C Janell Burse G Kristi Harrower

How quickly can new head coach Suzie McConnell Serio get this collection of young talent to gel? Young teams offer great promise, but of the 39 teams that represent the youngest teams in each of the WNBA’s previous six seasons, only 11 were able to post winning records (.282). By contrast, the 39 oldest teams posted 27 winning records (.692)

Can the Lynx hit a free throw? Minnesota boasted the lowest free throw percentage in the league in 2002 at 66.3 percent, nearly establishing a league record for futility at the charity stripe in the process. Williams (.583) and Abrosimova (.483) were the primary culprits. The Lynx were 3-8 in games decided by four points or less, and in those eight losses they missed a total of 59 free throws making it easy to see where a turnaround in the won-loss record could occur.

Can Minnesota improve upon its perimeter defense? The Lynx ranked 14th in the WNBA in opponent three-point field goal percentage at 36.2 percent last season -- up from 32.4 percent in 2001.