by Ryan Semanko
This past offseason was not the most ideal for Lynx forward
Sheri Sam. Her former team, the Miami Sol, ceased operations early last winter, leaving Sam without a team to call her own. Her anxiety ended in late April when the Lynx selected the 2002 All-Star with the second pick in the WNBA dispersal draft.
"After waiting almost all offseason, I was just glad it was over with," said Sam. "When I got the call from Suzie (McConnell Serio) to come to Minnesota, it was a good situation because they had a new coach coming in when I was coming in — so everybody was starting from the ground floor."
The Lynx were very excited to add Sam to their roster. Sam — Miami's all-time leader in points, rebounds and minutes — provides the Lynx with a scorer who can play both inside and outside. She helps the Lynx in the scoring and rebounding categories and considers Minnesota a great fit.
"You can just take your time and try to find some chemistry with those players here and you do whatever you can to help the team win, knowing that Katie (Smith) is the heart and soul of this team," said Sam.
After spending the past three seasons in Miami, 29-year-old Sam finds herself adjusting to a new location in many ways. One thing she is not concerned with is personal statistics. Playing in Miami, she was one of a few solid scoring options, but the Lynx now have plenty of players who can score. Sam is not worried about scoring averages, but rather wants to do things to help the team win.
"I am the same player coming in, and I'm not going to change my game or aggressiveness," Sam said. "I am just going to come in and bring what I bring to the game."
The additional frontcourt scoring and rebounding that Sam brings each night will be key for the Lynx this season. In the end, it looks like Sam's offseason agonizing was all for naught as she and the Lynx are a nice match.
