Dwight Eisenhower once said, "A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."

Rebekkah Brunson and Coach Jenny Boucek Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images

Second-year Monarchs head coach Jenny Boucek has clearly taken that to heart, as she incessantly reminds her players that the team’s principles – unity and defense – are the key to success.

That said, the focus of the 2008 Sacramento Monarchs is on uniting through hard work, mental toughness and stifling defense. As for the offense, Boucek has implemented a more up-tempo style this season that will maximize the team's athleticism and speed.

The frontline is expected to prominently feature Adrian Williams-Strong and Rebekkah Brunson, players that compliment one another very well -- the wise and consistent midrange shooting threat in Williams-Strong and the athletic inside scorer in Brunson. Backing up one of the game's best offensive rebounders and superior athletes in Brunson is the physical rookie Laura Harper, who has already shown that she is the product of a great attitude and work ethic. Harper's shot blocking and rebounding in limited preseason action shows that her game is translating from college to the pros rapidly. The newly wed Williams-Strong, who is anticipating a solid season due to great conditioning and an opportunistic mindset, will be relieved by Izabela Piekarska. Like the Monarchs first-round pick, the Polish center has been a bright spot during the team's training camp, displaying the force necessary to bang with the best women's post players in the world as well as the touch to step out and spread the defense with a silky smooth 3-point stroke.

Ticha Penicheiro NBAE/Getty Images

The team's offensive and defensive attack starts with lifelong Monarchs All-Star Ticha Penicheiro. The WNBA’s all-time assist leader is regularly recognized for her no-look passes and play making ability, but opponents know she is just as clever on defense. Just ask fellow All-Star Becky Hammon, who doesn't hesitate when saying Penicheiro may be her toughest competition. With Penicheiro atop the key wreaking havoc on opposing point guards, the Monarchs have been one of the best defensive teams in the League since the WNBA's inception.

"Her IQ impacts both ends of the floor, so defensively she is very smart," Boucek said. "Her anticipatory vision is one of the reasons why she is one of the top ever in steals in the NCAA and the WNBA."

The team's firepower, and arguably the best 2-3 combo in the League according to Monarchs General Manager John Whisenant, is guided by small forward Nicole Powell and sixth man Kara Lawson. Powell and Lawson share the ability to score from long distance and midrange, while also having the ability to slash and create contact to get to the free throw line where both are career 84-plus percent shooters. With the ability to score from anywhere inside halfcourt, the tandem is also most likely choice A-1 and A-2 when the team needs a basket with the game on the line.

"They are both great shooters, but they work on their game very hard so I don’t think you can label them as just 'shooters,' maybe the League does but we know they can do much more than that," Penicheiro said. "We will be confident that the ball will be in their hands and they will make good decisions and knock down the shot at the end of the game, if they have to."

A'Quonesia Franklin Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images

Having reviewed the Monarchs backcourt without mentioning the team’s starting 2-guard is a testament to the team's depth. Chelsea Newton will likely see fewer headlines than her fellow starters, but there is no doubt she will be one of the first names that comes up on the opponent’s defensive scouting report. Newton, as TNT play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan says, has 'no regard for human life,' including her own. Like newspaper headlines, steals are what everyone notices, so while Penicheiro led the team in that category last season, Newton was taking charges, deflecting passes and causing the best shooting guards in the world distress, all the while having no regard for the health of her own body. So while Chels receives little fanfare, her opponents will be wary of her endless defensive aggression and on-the-ball 'D’.

As for the reserves, Lawson is joined on the sideline to begin the game with La'Tangela Atkinson, Scholanda Robinson, A'Quonesia Franklin, Kim Smith, and Charel Allen, all of whom bring an array of abilities to score, distribute, rebound and most importantly get after it on defense.

"If they are committed to playing our defense which is very difficult to play and playing at the intensity that we need them to play then they have a good shot at helping us," Boucek said of the reserves. "It's very important to have a reliable bench, especially with the system that we play, which is we are trying to play really hard, so nobody is going to be able to play 40 minutes in our system if they are playing it right."

Having one season as head coach in her back pocket, Boucek is eager for her second go-round. And while last season presented the challenges of being a first-year WNBA head coach, this season's challenges will likely all come from the team's conference foes. The Western Conference, much like its NBA counterpart, is loaded with supreme players and dynamic teams. In sport, nothing is guaranteed as injuries and a variety of other factors (see Penny Taylor) that play a major role in being able to sustain a grueling 34-game schedule and win enough contests to make the playoffs.

"It's going to be fun because it's going to be a challenge every night and so that makes every day that much more important for preparation, focus and development," Boucek said smiling. "It should bring out the best. It will make or break you, put it that way."

With great challenges come great opportunities, though, and the team is ready to prove it remains one of the WNBA's elite by sticking to its principles. Expect Great Basketball this summer at ARCO Arena and catch the Monarchs live!

The Monarchs tip-off their 12th WNBA season Saturday at ARCO Arena against the San Antonio Silver Stars at 7 p.m.

Monarchs 2008 Schedule
Click here to buy tickets to Saturday's Monarchs vs. Silver Stars at ARCO Arena!

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