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MINNESOTA LYNX 2003 Results: The Lynx finished 18-16, (.529, T-4th in West). Roster | Stats | 2004 Schedule Head coach: Suzie McConnell Serio enters her second season with the team. Purchase Lynx tickets now!

2004 Probable Starters: C: Nichole Ohlde PF: Tamika Williams SF: Amanda Lassiter SG: Katie Smith PG: Teresa Edwards

2004 Draft Results: Rd. 1: Nichole Ohlde Rd. 1: Vanessa Hayden Rd. 2: Tasha Butts Rd. 3: Amber Jacobs Rd. 3: Kate Bulger D.D.*: Helen Darling

2003 Leaders: Points Katie Smith, 18.2 ppg Rebs. Tamika Williams, 6.1 rpg Assts. Teresa Edwards, 4.4 apg Blocks Janel Burse, 0.97 bpg Steals Svetlana Abrosimova, 1.47 spg

They Said It: "I love it; I can't explain it. I didn't go home and say, 'I've got to do this.' I go home and I keep playing and training and I still feel good about it. . . . It is who I am." -- Lynx point guard Teresa Edwards, two months shy of 40, as to why she's still playing

VGM Prospect: Katie Smith Not having Katie Smith on your VGM team is akin to going without food, water and shelter. There are few players who can consistently fill it up like the Lynx guard. Smith's career 18.0 ppg average is second all-time to Cynthia Cooper. She is a must-have on your VGM squad. WNBA.com Virtual GM

(*-Denotes "Dispersal Draft")

So, if one were to run across this clue (1. Across: Minnesota's WNBA team -- four letters) from a WNBA preseason crossword, one would rightfully pencil in L-Y-N-X.

One would also be right to use a pencil when it came to the Lynx's lineup, which could also be described with a four-letter word ending in the letter x: F-L-U-X.

Smith

You can look to the right and see the potential starting lineup for the Lynx, a team that made its first playoff appearance in franchise history in 2003. What you see could very well change, so don't get comfortable with it as the Lynx try to get comfortable with each other. As the St. Paul Pioneer Press noted:

"Minnesota Lynx coach Suzie McConnell Serio has been working like a mad scientist the past 10 days, mixing and matching, melding and blending her team's elements to find the most potent lineups. Veterans have been with rookies, and speedsters have been given the green light in the open floor."

The Lynx roster is full of new faces, and many of them will need to make an impact immediately. It isn't often that a team trades a former All-Star and starter in Sheri Sam as well as its leading shot blocker, Janell Burse, but that is what Minnesota did. Also, the team may be without small forward Svetlana Abrosimova this season as she might opt to spend the summer training with the Russian Federation until Olympic tryouts in early June.

Without Sam, Burse and Abrosimova, the Lynx will be missing a combined 28.7 ppg, 12.6 rpg and 6.0 apg. The Lynx's cupboard, however, isn't bare by any means.

With shooting guard Katie Smith, the Lynx have one of the best scorers in the history of the women's game. Smith's 18.0 ppg average is second all-time to only Cynthia Cooper. The Olympian and four-time All-Star shot a career-best .457 from the field last season, grabbed a career-high 4.1 rpg and was sixth in the WNBA with a .881 free throw percentage.

Williams

Augmenting Smith's stellar play in the backcourt is Teresa Edwards. The five-time Olympian is two months shy of her 40th birthday, but she led the Lynx in assists last season with 4.4 apg. To further bolster the backcourt, Minnesota added Helen Darling from the Rockers' Dispersal Draft.

In the frontcourt, the Lynx are expecting big things from third year forward Tamika Williams. In her first two season, Williams has averaged steady 9.5 ppg and 6.7 rpg. She will also be able to play her natural position thanks to two big draft picks.

In sending Sam and Burse to Seattle for the No. 6 overall pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft and small forward Amanda Lassiter, the Lynx ended up with a center to take Burse's place: Kansas State All-American Nichole Ohlde. With their own first-round pick, the Lynx selected another center, Florida's Vanessa Hayden.

Ohlde has already made her mark in the Lynx's first two preseason games, scoring 12 points apiece in each game. If Ohlde maintains this pace and manages this type of consistency, one can forgo the pencil and mark her starting spot in ink.