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2002 Results: The Shock finished the season 9-23 (.281, eighth place in the East). Roster | Stats | 2003 Schedule Purchase Shock tickets now! WNBA 2003 Season Preview

2003 Probable Starters: C: Ruth Riley PF: Sheryl Ford SF: Swin Cash SG: Kedra Holland-Corn PG: Elaine Powell

2003 Draft Results: Rd. 1: Cheryl Ford Rd. 1: Kara Lawson Rd. 3: Syreeta Bromfield D.D.*: Ruth Riley

2002 Leaders: Points Swin Cash, 14.8 ppg Rebs. Swin Cash, 6.9 rpg Assts. Elaine Powell, 4.0 apg Blocks Ayana Walker, 1.06 bpg Steals Elaine Powell, 1.53 spg

Head Coach: Bill Laimbeer enters his first full season coaching the Shock. He joined the team 10 games into the 2002 season, posting a 9-13 record.

They Said It: “We turned things around pretty quickly. He deserves a lot of credit for being able to make those changes as quickly as he did.” ” --Swin Cash, on the team's turnaround last season under Bill Laimbeer.

VGM Prospect: Elaine Powell Traded to the Shock midway through the 2002 season, Powell made an immediate impact, averaging 9.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg and 4.0 apg. Firmly entrenched as the team's starting point guard, look for Powell to kick up her all-around game again this year. Sign-up for WNBA.com Virtual GM

Shock Headlines: Shock acquire Tamara Moore Shock favorites: NBA stars

(*-Denotes "Dispersal Draft")

With a stronger, new-look front line, the Detroit Shock enter the 2003 season with higher goals than simply improving upon last year's eighth-place finish in the East.

Cash

“The bar has gone back up to where I expect it to be,” forward Swin Cash told WNBA.com. “I came from a program [University of Connecticut] where winning a championship was the standard, and having that championship mindset was expected on a daily basis."

After starting 0-10 in 2002, Detroit brought former NBA center Bill Laimbeer on board as head coach and turned things around almost immediately, going 9-13 the rest of the way. However, with starting forward Astou Ndiaye giving birth to triplets during the offseason, the team needed frontcourt help. The Shock addressed that need, tabbing center Ruth Riley from Miami in the dispersal draft and star LSU forward Cheryl Ford in the collegiate draft. Both will start alongside Cash up front.

"Our front line is, if not the best in the league, then one of the premier front lines around," Laimbeer told the Detroit Free Press.

Even with Riley still playing overseas during the preseason, Cash benefited from having Ford on the interior. Last year, Cash (14.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg) led the team in both scoring and rebounding, but with the 6-3 Ford cleaning the glass (7.0 rpg), Cash is freed up to do more freelancing offensively. She responded with 19.0 ppg during the preseason.

The backcourt, too, has seen change. Elaine Powell returns as the starting point guard after a bit of upheaval at the position in 2002. Powell was acquired from the Orlando Miracle at midseason -- replacing Edwina Brown -- and started only 13 games for the Shock, but showed she could be effective, averaging 9.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.53 steals.

However, at shooting guard, four-year veteran Kedra Holland-Corn joins the team from the Sacramento Monarchs -- acquired in exchange for Detroit's second draft pick in 2003, Kara Lawson -- and is likely to supplant last year's starter, Deanna Nolan. A lifetime .332 three-point shooter, Holland-Corn was acquired as much for her experience as her long-range skills.

"Acquiring a veteran player such as Kedra, who has tremendous playoff experience, will really help our young players understand what it takes to win and compete for the championship," Laimbeer told the Free Press after the trade.

Bringing Nolan (8.7 ppg in 2002) off the bench creates additional firepower in a reserve rotation that is thin and inexperienced on the perimeter. Forwards Ayana Walker and Barbara Farris will provide frontcourt depth.

Besides putting three new starters on the floor -- Riley, Ford and Holland-Corn -- the Shock continued to make deals throughout the preseason, ultimately adding four young players to shore up the bench.

For backcourt help, Detroit acquired second-year swing-player Tamara Moore from Minnesota, rookie Allison Curtin from Houston and rookie Telisha Quarles from Phoenix. The Shock also landed 6-4 rookie center Petra Ujhelyi in the deal with Phoenix.

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