STORM: Off the Record

Off the Record - Jan. 2006

MORE OFF THE RECORD

When reporters want a little more information from a source, they go off the record. When you want a little more information about the Storm from storm.wnba.com, check out the "Off the Record" blog, which features interesting tidbits and odds and ends that don't lend themselves to a full article. We'll also answer some fan questions from time to time, so send yours to stormconnection@sonics-storm.com. (Keep in mind there are many topics, like potential trades, that we can't address.)

Regular Seasons Winding Down
Posted on January 26

Let's start in Australia with the WNBL, where

Lauren Jackson has been able to return and play in three games since we last checked in on her. In her return on Jan. 14 against Sydney Uni, Jackson scored 10 points in 20 minutes of action. Jackson played only eight minutes last Friday in a 32-point win over Perth but packed plenty of action into that time, finishing with 13 points (on 5-for-11 shooting) and seven boards. Jackson followed that up with 28 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes the next day against Adelaide, but Canberra still fell 95-82.

Entering this weekend's Final Round of WNBL regular-season play, the 13-7 Capitals are tied for third place and could finish anywhere but first, with only two games separating first-place Dandenong (14-6) and fifth-place Sydney (12-8), which would not make the Finals if the season ended today. Canberra faces Dandenong at home Saturday to close out the season, and a win would guarantee a spot in the four-team Finals. With a loss, the Capitals would need a loss by Sydney or a favorable tie-breaker.

Euroleague regular-season play wrapped up last week. The best record posted by any of the teams with Storm ties was 7-3 Dynamo Moscow, which finished tied for second in Group C. UMMC Ekaterinburg went 5-5 to finish tied for third in Group B. Unfortunately, USK Praha, featuring the Storm's Janell Burse and Iziane Castro Marques, finished last in Group A at 1-9 and did not make the postseason. (Phard Napoli, with former Storm players Alicia Thompson and Francesca Zara, finished fourth in Group C at 5-5.)

Euroleague moves now to the eighth-final playoffs, best-of-three series that open on Tuesday. Dynamo takes on Spanish power Ros Casares Valencia, which finished third in Group A at 5-5. UMMC Ekaterinburg faces MKB, which likewise finished 5-5 in Group B play.

Storm players made their presence felt on the final Euroleague leaderboard. Burse finished sixth in scoring at 16.3 points per game, fourth in rebounding at 9.6 boards per game, third in field-goal percentage at 59.3%. Suzy Batkovic averaged 14.7 points per game to rank 16th in Euroleague play, shooting 50.0% to rank 14th. A couple of other links on the Storm on the web:

This is Our Game: Sue Bird

Alicia Thompson talks to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (Lubbock being home to Thompson's alma mater, Texas Tech)

Photo Blogging
Posted on January 19

A couple of great shots sent to us by Storm players from overseas. First

Simone Edwards celebrating her team's Copa la Reina victory:

And also Janell Burse and Iziane Castro Marques, hanging out together in the Czech Republic:

Bird, Donovan Amongst NCAA's Best
Posted on January 11

Donovan

Bird

This is the 25th season of the women's NCAA Tournament, and ESPN.com is celebrating all season long. Yesterday, ESPN.com selected the 25 greatest NCAA players of the last 25 years, and the Storm was represented by both guard

Sue Bird and Coach

Anne Donovan.

"A three-time honoree as the nation's top point guard, Bird was also deadly accurate from downtown and at the foul line," wrote ESPN.com's Melanie Jackson.

"Donovan took the game to new heights -- both figuratively and literally -- in the early 1980s. Deceivingly agile and mobile for her 6-8 frame, Donovan led the nation in rebounding in 1982 with 14.7 boards per game, and then the Lady Monarchs to the 1983 Final Four as a senior, en route to winning the Naismith award."

Bird isn't the only Storm player to be recognized early in 2006. Last week, Storm guard Tanisha Wright had her jersey retired at her high school, West Mifflin in Pennsylvania. Wright became the first player in West Mifflin history to have her jersey retired.

"It was an unbelievable honor," Wright told The Daily News. "I love it here so much."

The New Year is also off to a great start for Storm veteran Simone Edwards, who is playing in Spain with Perfumerias Avenida. Edwards helped lead her club to victory in Spain's XLIV Copa la Reina, an eight-team, three-day, single-elimination tournament. In Sunday's final, Perfumerias Avenida took down Ros Casares 67-60 for their second straight Copa la Reina championship. In the three games, Edwards contributed 19 points and nine rebounds.

Still more good news from Australia, where Storm forward Lauren Jackson has been cleared to make her return to the court this weekend. Jackson, who has missed 13 games over three months after suffering from stress fractures in her left shin, will be able to play Friday against Townsville, though her court time will be limited.

"At the moment I'm allowed to train every second day for 20 or 30 minutes," Jackson told Australian reporters. "Once I get through that we'll decide how much I can play.

"If it was up to me, I'd play 40 minutes and train every day, but it's not. I'm feeling pretty positive about it and I want to be ready for the Commonwealth Games [in March], so I've got to be smart about it."

With Washington Wizards star Alana Beard filling in for Jackson for several games, the Capitals have held their own without their superstar. At 12-4, they are just a game and a half back of first-place Dandenong in the WNBL ladder. Canberra has five regular-season games remaining.