June 25, 2009 -- Some of the most exciting performances you'll witness during a WNBA season are those of rookies emphatically announcing their arrival.
Candace Parker did so memorably in 2008 by nearly racking up a triple-double in the season opener. The first player to do it this year was the Phoenix Mercury's
DeWanna Bonner when she collected 21 points and 10 rebounds in a Phoenix win over Minnesota back on June 17.
But on Tuesday, Atlanta's Angel McCoughtry topped Bonner's effort with an even more impressive rookie showing against the Sky. McCoughtry poured in a game-high 26 points off the bench on 9-of-16 shooting, including 2-of-4 from three-point range, dished out a game-high eight assists and collected three boards, two steals and one block. On top of that she hit a pair of free throws that capped an inspired Atlanta comeback and sent the contest into overtime. The Dream ended up losing the game by one point in OT, but the team still must have been estatic with what they witnessed and felt somewhat vindicated that they made the Louisville product the top overall selection in April's draft.
McCoughtry's stellar game was a bit suprising since leading up to the contest her production and minutes had been slipping. In her three previous games McCoughtry averaged just 5.7 points, 1.3 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game. But with her performance against the Sky McCoughtry showed the Dream and the rest of the WNBA just what she is capable of. The 26 points and eight assists marked the highest totals any rookie has put up in a game this season thus far and could hold up that way for a while.
That fact coupled with the recent slide of Bonner means that we have a new No. 1 in this week's edition of WNBA.com's Rookie Rankings.
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GP
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MPG
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PPG
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FG%
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3PM-A
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RPG
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APG
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SPG
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BPG
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| 7 |
17.9 |
11.3 |
.426 |
2-12 |
2.9 |
2.3 |
1.4 |
0.4 |
Skinny: You could make the case that McCoughtry's overall numbers for the season are not as impressive as Bonner's, and thus should not have usurped the Phoenix forward at No. 1. But since McCoughtry's numbers are comparable enough, the recent effort against Chicago gives her the edge. And the forward's breakout game should also help her garner more minutes on an Atlanta team still trying to settle on a rotation seven games in, while Bonner could be headed in a different direction...
Previous ranking: 3
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GP
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MPG
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PPG
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FG%
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3PM-A
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RPG
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APG
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SPG
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BPG
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| 8 |
22.8 |
11.3 |
.423 |
0-1 |
6.0 |
0.4 |
0.2 |
0.6 |
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Skinny: After starting the season on a torrid pace Bonner came back to Earth a little bit this past week. In three games, Bonner averaged 6.0 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting just 33 percent from the field. And her most recent outing -- a Phoenix loss to San Antonio -- featured her worst performance of the season thus far (2 points, 0-2 FGs, 4 rebounds). Either Bonner was playing beyond her abilities through the first couple weeks, she has hit the wall a bit or the league is finally figuring out how to defend her. The coming week should be very telling. Whatever the case, Phoenix needs her to produce. The team went just 1-2 during her recent dip.
Previous ranking: 1
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GP
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MPG
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PPG
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FG%
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3PM-A
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RPG
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APG
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SPG
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BPG
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3
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23.3 |
12.7 |
.542 |
8-12 |
3.0 |
0.7 |
0.7 |
0.0 |
Skinny: Not sure what it says about this rookie class when a player like Coleman can miss both of her team's games this past week (and be expected to miss several more) and still hold down the No. 3 spot in the rankings. Actually, I know exactly what is says: this rookie class is top heavy. After McCoughtry, Bonner and Coleman the quality drops off significantly. Although a factor that can't be overlooked is that rookies are just not getting minutes like they used to in the past because of the increased level of competition for roster spots in the league.
Previous ranking: 2
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GP
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MPG
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PPG
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FG%
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3PM-A
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RPG
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APG
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SPG
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BPG
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| 7 |
12.1 |
7.3 |
.463 |
9-22 |
1.1 |
2.4 |
0.6 |
0.0 |
Skinny: The only player flirting with joining the McCoughtry-Bonner-Coleman tier right now is Toliver, who was an unlikely candidate after her first few games in the league despite being the third overall selection in the draft. Playing on a team that already features veteran backcourt players Dominique Canty and Jia Perkins, Toliver found it tough to crack Steve Key's rotation early on. But ever since a strong showing against Connecticut on June 16 Toliver has been getting minutes and providing a spark off the bench. Toliver has scored in double digits in the three straight games, averaging 12.3 points to go along with 2.7 assists. Most impressive though is that she shot a blistering 54 percent from the field in those contests, including 50 percent from three.
Previous ranking: NR
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GP
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MPG
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PPG
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FG%
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3PM-A
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RPG
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APG
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SPG
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BPG
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| 8 |
12.9 |
5.8 |
.484 |
0-0 |
3.6 |
0.0 |
0.6 |
0.4 |
Skinny: Detroit's Shavonte Zellous, Connecticut's Chante Black and Indiana's Briann January very easily could have fallen at No. 5, but I'm going with Hollingsworth for what she's been able to do in the limited time she's receiving. In eight games off the bench, Hollingsworth is averaging 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 12.9 minutes while shooting 48 percent from the floor. And her most recent effort saw her grab a game- and season-high seven rebounds in Minnesota's win over New York, so she's definitely trending upward. Although even with Seimone Augustus out for the season after tearing her ACL, getting court time could be a season-long battle for Hollingsworth as the Lynx feature a stable of talented bigs.
Previous ranking: NR
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Honorable Mention:
Shavonte Zellous, Detroit Shock (8.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 24.2 MPG)
Chante Black, Connecticut Sun (4.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 16.7 MPG)
Briann January, Indiana Fever (5.6 PPG, 3.4 APG, 23.6 MPG)
Megan Frazee, San Antonio Silver Stars (5.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 9.2 MPG)
Courtney Paris, Sacramento Monarchs (3.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 9.2 MPG)
