The summer came and went, but not without plenty of excitement from the 2007 Liberty. Through the up’s and down’s, it was a great season for the young squad to get some experience in the quicker, bigger, stronger WNBA.

As players are beginning to part ways en route to off-season endeavors, NYLiberty.com is handing in its season homework – a final report, which takes a look back at how each member of the team faired this summer. Today’s chapter of the report looks at center Janel McCarville.

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FINDING A HOME
In January, the Liberty selected McCarville, the 2005 WNBA No. 1 overall draft pick, with the third pick in the Dispersal Draft … As a member of the Charlotte Sting, McCarville played through several injuries her first two seasons of her professional career … In 2006 for Charlotte, she averaged 14 minutes, posting 4.5 points on .456 shooting and 3.5 rebounds … She completed the 2007 season averaging career highs in minutes (21.2), points (10.4), rebounds (4.8), steals (1.2) and assists (1.1).

GOOD TO BE NO. 1
With a .546 field goal shooting percentage, McCarville finished the regular season ranked No. 1 overall in the WNBA … The League’s top shooter led the Liberty in scoring 11 times, an individual career-high and season high for the team … An .833 free throw percentage earned her the No. 16 overall spot.

AGAINST THE BAD GIRLS
When facing the two-time WNBA champion Detroit Shock, McCarville turned in some of her finest games of the regular season … In the four-game series, (where the Liberty split, 2-2) she averaged 12.3 points on 60.6 percent field shooting, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

KICK IT UP A NOTCH
McCarville made her WNBA Playoff debut in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals … Across the three-game series, she was the team’s second leading scoring threat with 14 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.7 steals (team-high) in 32.4 minutes.

DOUBLE THE FUN
It was not until this season that McCarville had recorded her first WNBA career double-double … It came in the overtime victory against Detroit on July 6th at The Palace of Auburn Hills, with 18 points and 12 rebounds … Later that month at Mohegan Sun, she pulled down 10 boards and netted 24 points against her former college team-mate Lindsay Whalen … In Phoenix on August 9th, McCarville poured in a career-high 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

MAKING A CASE FOR MOST IMPROVED
McCarville had a banner season as the Liberty’s go-to player and was named by the League as the 2007 WNBA Most Improved Player of the Year … In the second-half of the season, McCarville averaged 15.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals, while before the All-Star break, she averaged 5.6 points and 6.0 rebounds in 17 games … She is just the second Liberty player to receive the honor and the fourth former Sting player.

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Want more on Janel’s ride through 2007? Check out her WNBA.com Playerfile. Also, read her new blog from overseas.

Next Chapter of our Report: Guard Loree Moore
Previous Chapters: Forward Cathrine Kraayeveld; Guard Ashley Battle; Forward Tiffany Jackson; Guard Lisa Willis; Center Jessica Davenport; Guard Erin Thorn