Storm Tracker: Season-in-Review

PG Sue Bird
Second Half: 11.5 ppg, 5.7 apg, 3.5 rpg, 1.1 spg
Season: 12.5 ppg, 6.5 apg, 3.3 rpg, 1.4 spg
Best Performance: 21 points, 12 assists, 7-12 shooting 7/3 vs. WAS

Catherine Steenkeste/WNBAE/Getty

It’s hard to say that Sue Bird’s 2003 season was a disappointment, given all she accomplished. Bird finished second in the WNBA in assists, led all point guards in scoring, set a new record for point-assist double-doubles in a single season (7), joined the 20-point, 10-assist club (becoming just the fifth player to do so) and became just the third player in WNBA history to hand out a 200-assist season. Yet it’s clear to observers that Bird was capable of much more during her second WNBA season, had it not been for the chondromalacia in her left knee that bothered Bird all season. Surgery is scheduled for mid-September (a date has not yet been chosen), and Bird should be back at full health for the start of the 2004 season.
Coach Donovan’s take: “I am really excited to coach a healthy Sue Bird next year. She showed incredible grit this season to play through her injuries, fight on night in and night out whether or not she felt good. She knew we needed her leadership out on the floor and her play helped us win games we could not have won without her. To see Sue healthy and enjoying the game again, the way she can when she’s healthy, I really look forward to that. At both ends of the court, Sue is such a tremendous player in this league and I look forward to seeing that next summer.”
Storm Tracker Player of the Week: 5/19-5/25; 5/26-6/1

SG Sandy Brondello
Second Half: 7.0 ppg, 1.9 apg, 40.9% threes
Season: 8.2 ppg, 2.0 apg, 43.8% threes
Best Performance: 21 points, 9-14 fgs, 3-4 threes 6/19 @ LAS

Ron Hoskins/WNBAE/Getty

During the 2003 season, Sandy Brondello was just as valuable to the Storm for her veteran experience as for her silky jumpshot. Brondello’s leadership role played a large part as the Storm coalesced into a cohesive unit despite an abbreviated training camp, a new coaching staff and – like her – several new additions. Brondello also shot 43.8% from the three-point line, helping relieve the defensive pressure on Bird and Lauren Jackson. Brondello had a poor month of July, but bounced back in August when the Storm was fighting for its playoff life.
Coach Donovan’s take: “Sandy, I think, was exactly who we wanted coming in. Just a veteran, experienced player that compliments Lauren and Sue so well. I think night in and night out, Sandy played tremendous defense for us. She always took a difficult matchup on the perimeter, and gave us that every time out. I think offensively, probably more inconsistent than she would have liked, but know that she’ll come back stronger for it next summer.”

SF Amanda Lassiter
Second Half: 6.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.7 apg, 36.5% threes
Season: 5.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg
Best Performance: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3-6 threes 8/12 vs. SAS

Jeff Reinking/WNBAE/Getty

Early injuries helped Amanda Lassiter to lose the starting small forward position she held all of the 2002 season. After a slow start, Lassiter was beginning to assert herself as a reserve when she was thrust back into the starting lineup by starting forward Adia Barnes’ season-ending knee injury. Lassiter did a fine job replacing Barnes, particularly on the defensive end, where she established herself as a perimeter stopper. Lassiter also did a good job of replacing Barnes’ three-point production and stepped up her rebounding to over six per game following Kamila Vodichkova’s injury.
Coach Donovan’s take: “Difficult position. Was injured throughout most of training camp, and was able to fight through that and stay ready so when we absolutely needed to call on Amanda, she was ready when Adia went down with her injuries and played extremely well for us. Was a defensive player for us consistently, and had some brilliant performances for us offensively.”
Storm Tracker Player of the Week: 8/11-8/17

PF Lauren Jackson
Second Half: 22.4 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.3 bpg, 50.2% fg
Season: 21.2 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 48.4% fg
Best Performance: 34 points, 13 rebounds, 17(WNBA record)-23 fg 8/6 vs. LAS

Rocky Widner/WNBAE/Getty

When describing Lauren Jackson’s season, one begins to sound like Will Ferrell’s Saturday Night Live parody of Inside the Actor’s Studio host James Lipton. The adjectives flow fast and furious – magnificent, extraordinary, wondrous – before one is finally forced to resort to using made-up words, like Ferrell’s “scrumtrelescent”, because the existing English dictionary is simply inadequate for such a description. Jackson did it all for the Storm during her third season. She scored, she rebounded, she played defense, she passed the ball out of double-teams, she defended small forwards, she hit game-winners, she scored and rebounded some more. Ah, yes. Scrumtrelescent indeed.
Coach Donovan’s take: “What more can you say about Lauren Jackson? Just one of the most coachable, hungry, competitive individuals that I have ever had the pleasure of coaching. A player who, as good as she is, only wants to get better. Is a team player. The number one thing to her is to win. It’s not about points or rebounds, it’s about winning. She will lead the Storm to a championship.”
Storm Tracker Player of the Week: 6/2-6/8; 6/16-6/22; 7/14-7/20; 7/21-7/27; 8/4-8/10

C Kamila Vodichkova
Second Half: 10.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 45.4% fg
Season: 10.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 47.4% fg
Best Performance: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 8-14 fgs 7/15 vs. HOU

Barry Gossage/WNBAE/Getty

Those who follow the Storm on a regular basis have long lamented that Vodichkova does not get the recognition she deserves league-wide, hidden in the shadow of Bird and Jackson. All of them would have preferred to have Vodichkova continue to go unnoticed instead of being conspicuous in her absence, as the Storm lost five straight games following Vodichkova’s season-ending sprained foot. For the fourth consecutive season, Vodichkova improved her field-goal percentage, moving into the WNBA’s top ten in the category. Her strong play neatly complemented Jackson up front.
Coach Donovan’s take: “Kamila Vodichkova, everyone told me that she would be worth the wait, that as late as she was coming into training camp, as impatient as I was for her to get her, that she would be worth the wait and everybody was absolutely right. So professional. So much of a glue to this team. And that was evidenced by us losing five games when we lost her. 10 points, five boards – very big statistically. But more than that is the glue she brings.”
Storm Tracker Player of the Week: 6/9-6/15

SF Adia Barnes
Season: 5.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 38.7% fg
Best Performance: 12 points, 3 assists, 4 steals, 5-8 fgs 6/30 @ CHA

Kent Smith/WNBAE/Getty

Barnes’ breakout sixth WNBA season was cut untimely short when she suffered a season-ending ACL injury against the Los Angeles Sparks in the Storm’s final game of the first half, July 5. The injury was especially disappointing because Barnes had taken strides in the first half, showing newfound range and confidence from the perimeter and allowing her to become a more complete player.
Coach Donovan’s take: “You know, I think this team was really tested when we lost Adia Barnes, because at the point in the season that Adia went down, we relied on her a whole lot. She was steady eddie, very consistent for us. Playing very confidently. Hitting the open shots, which she hadn’t done previously. Playing solid defense. She gave us the luxury of playing her inside or outside, so we had great versatility in our lineups. When we lost Adia, we lost the ability to switch our lineups. My heart goes out to Adia, because nobody worked harder in the off-season. And the start she had to the 2003 season was a result of all her hard work. So I’m hopeful and prayerful that the off-season this year gets her healthy again and back in the same mindset.”
Storm Tracker Player of the Week: 5/2-5/8; 6/30-7/6

PG Tully Bevilaqua
Second Half: 1.9 ppg, 0.8 apg, 38.5% threes
Season: 1.9 ppg, 1.0 apg, 38.1% fg
Best Performance: 14 points, 3 rebounds, 4-5 fgs 7/31 vs. CHA

WNBAE/Getty

Statistics are incapable of describing Tully Bevilaqua’s impact on a basketball game. It starts with the crowd – at KeyArena, at least – which has adopted Bevilaqua as one of its favorites and excitedly cheers her arrival on the court. Then there is Bevilaqua’s aggressive defense, which can change the pace of a game and created numerous jump-ball opportunities (though, at 5-7, Bevilaqua usually found herself at a disadvantage in the jump). The best measure of all may be a statistic after all, just none one found on a box score. Bevilaqua’s plus-minus rating (the Storm’s score minus its opponents’ score while Bevilaqua was in the game) was outstanding this season, including a +23 in 12 minutes against Charlotte when she scored a career-high 14 points and a +20 in 14 minutes in the season finale against Sacramento.
Coach Donovan’s take: “Tully is such a sparkplug. She’s just the energizer bunny, true to form. A pitbull out there, and I know opponents hate to see Tully check into the game, because they know she’s going to cause havoc. She’s not going to rest. She’s not going to let them rest. She just wears her opponent down, mentally and physically, and so many games for us she was the difference in a game, turning games around.”
Storm Tracker Player of the Week: 7/28-8/3

PG Rita Williams
Second Half: 2.5 ppg, 1.5 apg
Season: 2.4 ppg, 1.3 apg
Best Performance: 9 points, 4 assists, 3-4 fgs 8/6 vs. LAS

Bill Baptist/WNBAE/Getty

It took a while for Anne Donovan to determine how to best deploy Bevilaqua and Rita Williams as backup guards. In the second half of the season, however, Williams emerged as the lead guard off the bench and did a better job of getting the ball in the right place and setting up her teammates. Williams also flashed the defensive ability that allowed her to record over two steals a game three times in her career so far.
Coach Donovan’s take: “I was so eager to get Rita back on one of my teams, because I coached Rita in Indiana. I know how much Rita is capable of, and I’m eager for a second season with Rita, because she knows that the edge is what sets her apart, and I know she’ll come back next summer with the edge. With a lot to prove and a lot of ground here in Seattle. Make strides and help us as we shoot towards a championship.”

SF Tonya Massaline
w/Storm: 3.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 5-5 fts
Season: 2.2 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 7-7 fts
Best Performance: 9 points, 2 assists, 2 steals 4-6 fgs 8/25 vs. SAC

Signed to a seven-day contract on July 28, Tonya Massaline was only asked to fill a few minutes per game at the small forward position while Lassiter rested. She did much more. After starting off slowly with the Storm, Massaline finished the season very strong with three quality performances. She grabbed five rebounds in extended action against the Silver Stars when Lassiter was in foul trouble, before combining for 16 points – all in the second half – in the Storm’s final two home wins of the season over Houston and Sacramento. Not only did Massaline play quality defense in those games, she also was on from the perimeter, making 7-of-11 attempts. As a result, Massaline looks like she’ll be back next season.
Coach Donovan’s take: “Tonya Massaline – boy, she came along and did exactly what we hoped she would do. Great free-agent pickup for us. We were hopeful that she could come in and give us some minutes off the bench, but our last two games, Houston and Sacramento, we don’t win those games without Tonya. Came in as a defensive player, could rebound, could run transition, but the scorer she was in those last two games really set her apart.”
Storm Tracker Player of the Week: 8/18-8/25

F Jung Sun-Min
Second Half: 2.2 ppg, 45% fgs
Season: 1.8 ppg, 4-4 fts
Best Performance: 10 points, 2 steals 5-10 fgs 8/20 @ SAS

Jeff Reinking/WNBAE/Getty

If there was a positive to Vodichkova’s injury, it was the opportunity for rookie Jung Sun-Min to get extended playing time in two games against the San Antonio Silver Stars, a tough matchup for the Storm’s remaining posts. Jung really responded in the second game, scoring a career-high 10 points in 24 minutes. Jung’s second-half performance raises hopes for what she can provide next season, assuming she returns to the Storm despite her likely participation in next year’s Olympics.
Coach Donovan’s take: “If I had it to do all over again, I would take Sun-Min Jung. I feel like there’s still a question on Sun and how much she can participate in the WNBA because of her athleticism, because she’s a tweener in between the three and the four. Skillwise, Sun has the ability here, it’s just a matter of defensively, where we can put her to make her successful. Offensively, she can play in this game.”

C Alisa Burras
Second Half: 3.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg
Season: 3.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 46.7% fg
Best Performance: 12 points, 5-7 fgs 6/22 vs. SAS

Nick Hura/WNBAE/Getty

Alisa Burras seemed to have found her groove near the end of June, when she had consecutive double-digit scoring efforts against San Antonio and Cleveland. Three games later, however, she was on the injured list, and her knees never stopped bothering her. When more minutes were available at center following Vodichkova’s injury, Burras was physically incapable of filling many of them. She continued to battle, most notably in a start on Aug. 17 against the Shock when she helped get the Storm off to an early 21-2 lead with her aggressive defensive play.
Coach Donovan’s take: “I think a frustrating season for Alisa in that she just couldn’t get healthy. Came into training camp a little bit behind in her conditioning, worked hard to get her body in shape and her conditioning back up to snuff, and then struggled with her knees the entire season. I think a frustrating season, but I know Alisa’s a competitor and she’ll come back in 2004 really ready to go.”

C Simone Edwards
Second Half: 5.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg
Season: 4.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 46.7% fg
Best Performance: 14 points, 11 rebounds, 6-8 fgs 6/28 @ IND

David Sherman/WNBAE/Getty

Statistically, Simone Edwards did not perform as well in 2003 as she had in 2002. In terms of consistency and dependability, however, Edwards was dramatically improved. That allowed Coach Donovan to confidently use her as her top reserve. Edwards’ move to the starting lineup following Vodichkova’s injury disrupted her flow and caused her to struggle at times, but she came through with a pair of double-digit scoring efforts to help replace Vodichkova.
Coach Donovan’s take: “Simone had a very significant season in her progress as a professional basketball player. She was asked to fill a huge role this year when Kamila went down, and stepped into the starting role with great trepidation, I know. But she really came through with shining colors. As we learned to adjust to Simone in our starting lineup, we became a good team once again.”
Storm Tracker Player of the Week: 6/23-6/29

C Danielle McCulley
Second Half: 2 points
Season: 2 points, 1 rebound
Best Performance: 2 points, 1-2 fgs 7/18 @ DET

After a strong training-camp effort that saw her named Storm Tracker Player of the Week, Danielle McCulley was placed on the injured list with left Achilles tendinitis. She was not activated until the final game of the first half of the season, and saw only intermittent playing time during her two active stints.
Coach Donovan’s take: “Danielle didn't get a lot of minutes this season because of our depth up front, but she could have capably stepped in if we had needed her. She had a great training camp and preseason and did a good job in practices.”
Storm Tracker Player of the Week: 5/9-5/15