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Kevin Pelton, storm.wnba.com | Aug. 22, 2007

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When the Seattle Storm's starting lineup takes the floor against the Phoenix Mercury on Friday for Game 1 of the teams' First Round Playoff series, a pair of former Mercury players will be on the court. Both forward Iziane Castro Marques and center Ashley Robinson spent part of their early WNBA careers in Phoenix, but neither player came into their own until joining the Storm.

Castro Marques and Robinson were teammates in Phoenix for a few weeks during 2004 training camp. Robinson, the team's second-round pick, was just starting her WNBA career. Meanwhile, Castro Marques was on her way out of Phoenix after a frustrating season with the Mercury, preparing to focus on playing for Brazil in the Athens Olympics.

"I thought Seattle was the perfect fit for me ... and it was." Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty

"I don't really remember even that moment of my life," says Castro Marques now. "I kind of erased it because it was a bad moment of my life and I don't even have it on my mind anymore, so sometimes I even forget that I played there."

After a positive rookie season in Miami, Castro Marques saw the Sol fold and became a free agent, signing with Phoenix. She no longer had anyone she could speak Portuguese with like veteran mentor Claudia das Neves, her teammate in Miami. Playing time never really materialized for Castro Marques, who averaged 11.1 minutes in 16 games. Making matters worse, the team was terrible, winning a league-low eight games.

Cut during 2004 training camp, Castro Marques played for the Brazilian National Team in the Olympics and did not return to the WNBA until 2005, when she signed with the Storm.

"Phoenix, that was a pretty good place for her, but she wants to play," explains Storm Head Coach Anne Donovan. "Izi's not going to go someplace and not play. Seattle was the perfect fit for her. We had an opening when we lost Sheri (Sam) to free agency. I had had a former relationship with her from trying to sign her. It was a good fit, it was good timing for her."

"I knew Coach Donovan, she knew my game from overseas and the national team," confirms Castro Marques, "so I thought that was the perfect fit for me ... and it was."

By contrast, Robinson's experience in Phoenix was much more pleasant. She was reunited with AAU teammate and good friend Diana Taurasi, her rival when Robinson was at Tennessee and Taurasi at UConn. Robinson played sparingly as a rookie, but seized a larger role in her sophomore campaign, starting 15 games. However, the Mercury wanted more scoring punch and exposed Robinson in the Expansion Draft, where she was selected by Chicago. Midway through 2006, the Storm dealt a second-round pick for Robinson to provide added post depth with starters Janell Burse and Lauren Jackson fighting injuries.

After a hiccup in the middle of 2006 when she briefly lost her starting job to rookie Barbara Turner, Castro Marques responded with the best basketball of her career over the final third of the season. That has carried over into the best season of her career. One of two Storm players to start all 34 games, Castro Marques averaged a career-best 12.3 points per game to rank third on the team.

Castro Marques' increasingly frequent scoring outbursts have been very good for the Storm. She topped the 20-point mark six times in 2007 - including a 22-point night against Phoenix Aug. 4 - with the Storm winning five of those games. The lone loss came when the Storm played at Detroit without Jackson.

"You always want to beat your old team, but I just want to win a championship." D. Clarke Evans/NBAE/Getty

"As you go on, you get used to everybody - the same system, the same players - so that makes your confidence go high," says Castro Marques. "It's just a matter of you as yourself fitting your own game in that system. This year, I just had to play my game because I already knew everybody, I knew the system, so I just had to let it go."

Robinson quickly became a Seattle fan favorite thanks to her energy and outgoing personality and opened the season with a big performance in the Storm's comeback win over Houston, but playing time was tough to find in the Storm's veteran frontcourt. That changed when Burse's season was ended by wrist surgery, with Robinson moving into the starting lineup.

Starting with the Storm's Aug. 4 win over the Mercury, Robinson averaged 8.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks over the last six games of the year. She was a big reason the team's defense came together in the season-ending three-game winning streak.

"Playing-wise, production-wise, these four or five games have been the best of my career," says Robinson.

In Phoenix, Mercury Head Coach Paul Westhead has taken notice of Robinson's play.

"Ashley is a terrific defender," Westhead said during the WNBA's conference call for playoff coaches. "We know that. Of course the people here in Phoenix know because she was here before me; they still know of her talent and skill in that area. It just gives them an added dimension inside of shot blocking and rebounding which, with their scorers, is a nice mix."

DAILY AUDIO REPORT

The Storm Daily Audio Report, hosted by Alan Horton, updates the Storm's preparation to face the Phoenix Mercury starting Friday.

For Castro Marques, playing against the Mercury holds little meaning by this point. None of her 2003 teammates are still in Phoenix, while the coach and front office have turned over as well. Robinson still has some motivation going against her former team and some friendly rivals, but that pales in comparison to her desire to win it all.

"You always want to beat your old team," says Robinson, "but I just want to win a championship and they just happen to be the first team we play. We really want to win a championship this year, and we've got to get through Phoenix first, so we're really focused on beating them, friendships or not."