Swin Cash has not spent much time sitting this season. The rookie is averaging 15.1 points per game. Jennifer Pottheiser WNBAE/Getty Images

"This is not the norm for me, and I don't want to make it my norm," Cash said of having to carry much of the load on a team with a 6-19 record.

Pun intended, this season has been a tremendous shock for Cash, who was a part of a recruiting class at UConn that amassed a record of 136-9 over four years, while advancing to three Final Fours and winning two national titles. Cash ended her college career as the MVP of the 2002 Women's Final Four and was the second overall pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft behind college teammate Sue Bird. She's now the most visible player on a team that has played exactly one playoff game in its history.

"I tell myself that this is another step in the process, that even with the losses, we're learning," she said. "A month ago, we weren't doing that, so I can definitely see things improving. But coming in, I was kind of naïve, thinking 'Oh, I can turn this around.' Then reality hit; I can only do so much."

Which is the reason why the team named former Detroit Pistons star Bill Laimbeer to replace Greg Williams as head coach on June 19 following an 0-10 start. Since the change, the Shock has played with more intensity and given fans more to cheer about. And there's little doubt that Cash is the player Laimbeer will look to build the team around. She is averaging a team-leading 15.1 points and 6.7 rebounds. She has scored in double figures in 22 of 25 games.

"Before I took over, I think she was very unclear of the direction that she should be going and what she should be doing," Laimbeer said. "Now that I've taken over, hopefully, there's a much clearer path for her. She's finding her way. I've tried to encourage her that she is the player of this franchise right now. Right, wrong or indifferent, it falls upon a rookie. She has to take that mantle of leadership and run with it."

Cash has appreciated Laimbeer's straightforward approach.

Good things happen for the Shock when Cash has the ball in her hands. Allen Einstein WNBAE/Getty Images

"He's real open when it comes to the lines of communication. He wants to know how you're feeling and what you think about different things," Cash said. "He's also very blunt, and sometimes to the point where it's so sarcastic, it's actually funny. He doesn't walk on egg shells because we're women. He just treats us like players."

As the Shock's primary offensive threat, Cash has to adjust to being double-teamed, which wasn't a frequent occurrence in college. "Being double-teamed is something new to me, because at Connecticut, there were so many different offensive weapons," Cash said. "Now, I find myself getting double-teamed night in and night out, so I have to find a way to score and be effective facing double-teams. Coach Laimbeer and I talk a lot about me handling double-teams and what I need to do in those situations."

The two also talk about growing together and turning things around in Detroit.

"A lot of other teams are more mature and understand a lot about the game," Cash said. "We have so many younger players that haven't had that experience level. It takes a little longer. I have great confidence in this team and great confidence in myself that we will turn this around."

However Detroit improves its show, Swin Cash will be in the starring role.