Storm Q&A: Nancy Darsch
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Get Storm Headlines!Kevin Pelton, stormbasketball.com | December 17, 2009
Seattle Storm Assistant Coach
Nancy Darsch, who re-signed with the team on Thursday, has seen women's basketball from all angles as a head coach at Ohio State University, in the WNBA with New York and Washington, and now as an assistant. In that role, Darsch shares scouting duties with Storm Head Coach Brian Agler. As a follow-up to last week's Q&A with Agler, stormbasketball.com discussed scouting with Darsch, as well as her new contract and the addition of guard Chelsea Newton in Monday's Dispersal Draft.
First, what are your thoughts on re-signing with the Storm and coming back for another season?
I'm just really, really excited to be back. I really appreciate Brian's support and his leadership as well as the support and leadership from Karen (Bryant) and the ownership group. I look forward to getting back and helping Brian and the team reach their goals. I appreciate the fact that the players have been really easy work with and have taken me in. I look forward to working with those talented ladies again.
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How do you and Coach Agler divide scouting duties?
We basically just kind of both do whatever's in our area. He's covering any teams that come to the Midwest that he can see fairly easily to get an in-person look at these players and I'm kind of doing the East Coast. I also spend a lot of time watching games on TV, putting a body or a style with a name. Then we talk once a week or every other week and talk about who we've seen and how we like them and try to rank them. We see who's going to be there between six and 14 on the draft board.
How many games do you see per week?
I would say in-person it's probably one, especially this time of year when it's preconference. Once the ACC schedule kicks in and a lot of teams come to Boston College, I'll be seeing them play when they come here, or the Atlantic-10 teams, like when Xavier comes to URI (Rhode Island). On TV? It could be five or six games a week.
What do you get from seeing a prospect in person?
It gives you a more accurate view of their body and their size, how they move on the floor from court level or just in person. On TV, you don't always get an appreciation for their quickness, their speed, their strength, their power, how hard they're working. I think it also gives you a chance to look at team dynamics, things that the camera doesn't see. When somebody goes to the bench or the coach talks to them or when they get called for a foul, do they react to the referee? You can just watch their court demeanor and their personality and make more observations on it in person.
What are the key indicators that a player can make the leap from college basketball to the WNBA?
First of all, you look at their skill set and see what their athletic skill set is in terms of speed, quickness, being able to defend people and get by people with speed and quickness and change of speed. Then you also look at their basketball-specific skill set, whether it's their shooting, their ballhandling, their passing, trying to assess their basketball IQ - sometimes you have to wait until you actually work with them to get that, or talk to their coaches. Thirdly, one of the equally important things if not more important, is the abstract things - their personality on the court, how they talk to their teammates, how they listen to their coach, how tough are they? Will they take it to the rim at a crucial time in the game and take the hit to get the winning basket or winning free throws? Will they raise their defensive game up or their rebounding game up to come up with the big stop? Just their tenacity, I guess, and their competitiveness.
Have you seen the college game and players change at all because of the existence of the WNBA?
I'm not sure that it has changed players in the college game other than it gives them something more to look forward to that didn't exist 13, 14, 15 years ago before the ABL and the WNBA. I know we have to live in the moment and we can all relate only to what we experienced in our lifetime, but I would like them to really appreciate what a great opportunity they have to play professional basketball in the U.S. and play in the WNBA. If they should make a roster and get in the league, they should do everything they can to attract fans and represent the game with respect and entertainment.
You mentioned making a roster. How difficult is that going to be for this year's crop of rookies?
I think it's going to be extremely difficult to make an 11-player roster in the midst of a dispersal draft and things the way they are. With 12 teams, there are fewer jobs for more bodies. As long as they set a plan for themselves to try to play overseas and continue to try to get into training camp and keep that hope alive, hopefully in the future in the next few years we'll be adding some teams and some jobs will open up for some of those players.
Is it possible these days to discover a player who has flown completely under the scouting radar?
I think some teams have done that. I think that takes some collaboration among the coaching staff - that they all agree or see the same kinds of things. Sometimes it's a leap of faith that you think that these people are going to develop because they have the right set of skills to start with and the right temperament and the work ethic - they're going to get better. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. I don't know that there's anybody out there this year, but we'll be looking for one. I think all coaches do. It's just the competitive nature of us - let's see if I can find somebody who can be a diamond in the rough.
What do you know of Newton from having coached against her and what will she bring to the Storm?
I remember watching Chelsea Newton when she was at Rutgers, and she was the go-to player there. She kind of grew on me. I was like, 'Wait a minute, why aren't they going to this player or that player?' but it was always Chelsea and she always came through and made something happen. I think she's a great pickup for us. I think she's one of those players who will do anything on the court and plays extremely hard and plays at a high level all the time. I think she has good defensive abilities and instincts, having played at Rutgers for Vivian (Stringer) and played at Sacramento. Talk about a diamond in the rough - I told Brian, 'This is like an early Christmas present, ending up with Chelsea Newton.' I think she will fit very well into our system and really be a big help to us, provided she's healthy. And that, from what I hear, is the case. She's always been kind of dinged up because she plays so hard, she sacrifices her body. Like Tamika Catchings, she plays all out - it's all they know.
