That today was the first time center Kamila Vodichkova took the practice floor for the Seattle Storm since the middle of last August would be impossible to tell had one not known it already. A day after returning to the United States, Vodichkova looked ready to play this evening, blending in neatly with her scrimmage teammates.

The Storm was 2-4 without Vodichkova last season. Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty

In reality, so much has happened to Vodichkova since she last played at The Furtado Center. On Aug. 12, her season was ended by a sprained foot that forced her to the Injured List for the final six games of the season, four of them Storm losses. A full season for Vodichkova overseas was capped with a victory over Lauren Jackson's rival squad in the Russian league championship series.

"Same old Kamila," commented Storm Coach Anne Donovan after practice. "Sturdy and consistent and steady and an anchor out there. No matter that she wasn't playing with Lauren, she made our starting group better just by her presence."

The importance of that presence was proven last season, when Vodichkova went down with the injury. At the start of play on the 12th, the Storm was 16-11 and coming off of an important victory over the Minnesota Lynx. Without Vodichkova, the Storm would lose five straight games, three against non-playoff opponents, before rebounding with two season-ending wins that weren't enough to make the playoffs.

"Just Kamila's presence is what really is her value; it's her presence to the team," Donovan later added. "We go back to last season, we saw how much that added to us. When we didn't have her, it changed us dramatically."

Vodichkova's plus-minus numbers bear that out. Along with Jackson, she was one of just two Storm players who saw the team outscored when she was on the bench. Without Vodichkova, the Storm was outscored by a full 2.2 points per 40 minutes, far and away the worst (and therefore best) mark on the team.

Vodichkova's "off-season" was spent playing for VBM-SGAU Samara in Russia, where she teamed with WNBA All-Stars Mwadi Mabika and Marie Ferdinand and averaged 10.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. In the championship series against UMMC- Ekaterinburg, which signed Jackson for the series, it was Vodichkova who was the superior Storm player, averaging 12.7 points and 6.0 rebounds on 60% shooting while Jackson saw little playing time.

"It was interesting," said Vodichkova today about playing against Jackson. "I think the coach didn't let her play a lot of minutes, so I think it was hard for her or strange for her. But for me it was interesting. I was guarding her."

Vodichkova dispelled Jackson's rumor that VBM-SGAU ordered her not to fraternize with Jackson, saying the two spoke before and after practice. Vodichkova did turn down Jackson's dinner offer, not wanting to go to dinner with her opponent the day before a game. With Jackson leaving immediately after the series to get to training camp, there was no time for the teammates to meet up, but they now have an entire summer to do so.

Vodichkova is still getting acclimated to the WNBA's smaller ball. Catherine Steenkeste/NBAE/Getty

Vodichkova's first order of business is getting herself ready for the Storm's season. That starts with an adjustment to the WNBA's smaller basketball, which was a difficult one, at least on the first day.

"The first time, the ball didn't touch the rim," said of shooting the different ball. "Then I couldn't make any free throws. It's a big difference, huge difference."

By the end of practice, Vodichkova seemed to have made the transition, knocking down several free throws in a row while shooting by herself. Conservatively, she put the time until she completes the adjustment to the Storm at a week, a process aided this season by her familiarity with Donovan's system.

"(They're) mostly the same plays we had last year, which helped me," Vodichkova said.

"I remember a lot of stuff. I didn't have a problem."

Vodichkova can't wait to get going because she's excited about the Storm's chances in 2004, reasonable given how well they might have finished had she stayed healthy last summer.

"Oh, absolutely a playoff team," she said when asked her expectations for this season.

"I didn't see other teams, but I think we had a great chance last season and I think we will have a better team this season, so why not?"

Especially with the same old Vodichkova back in the middle, supporting the Storm's All-Star duo of Jackson and Sue Bird. Well, maybe not quite the same Vodichkova. Besides for the adjustment to the smaller basketball, there was another, more obvious difference between the Vodichkova of 2004 and 2003 - her hair, dyed a platinum shade of red as part of the celebration of VBM-SGAU's Russian victory.

Storm fans can only hope that Vodichkova has another reason for a celebratory dye job come this October.