Aaron Last/Storm Photos
Storm Returns to Practice
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Get Storm Headlines!As their teammates began their quest for a gold medal an ocean away in Beijing, the rest of the Seattle Storm returned to practice on Saturday. After the Storm completed its pre-Olympic break schedule with a win over Sacramento on July 27, players and coaches got nearly two weeks off before returning to Seattle for practices to keep the team sharp in preparation for the stretch run leading up to the playoffs. The Storm will practice five days a week, taking Wednesdays and Sundays off, through the return of their Olympians.
"I think our focus now is the same as it's been through the season: to try to get better, use this period of time to get better," Head Coach 
Brian Agler said after Monday's practice. "Obviously everybody's going to go through the same thing of trying to come off of anywhere from seven to 10 days off and get back into condition. We would like to get back to how we were playing before the break and then get better from there. We'll have some time here to focus on a couple different things that we feel like we need to improve on."
Like most teams in the WNBA, the Storm does not have its full lineup available because of the Olympics. Connecticut and New York are the only players without an Olympian on their roster, though the Sun expects to add Australian guard Erin Phillips after the break and has Head Coach Mike Thibault in Beijing on the U.S. coaching staff. The Storm is affected as much as any team, with guard 
Sue Bird (USA), forward 
Lauren Jackson (Australia) and 
Kelly Santos (Brazil) playing in Beijing. Also, forward 
Swin Cash is not with the team in her role as commentator for NBC's coverage of the women's basketball competition.
Having players overseas is really nothing new in the WNBA, where players report late to training camp on an annual basis because of their commitments to foreign teams. Storm veteran 
Sheryl Swoopes isn't concerned about the missing players.
"Even though we don't have them here," she said, "I think it gives us an opportunity individually for us to work on our games and perfect certain parts of our games so that when they do get here we're all ready and just to be able to get on the same page.
"I think we all have to use this time one, to work on our games individually, and two, as a team to try to learn each other better and just try to pick back up where we left off. Even though we lost a couple of games before the break, I really felt like our chemistry was starting to gel, we were starting to play well as a team. Every single day is crucial to try to pick up where we left off. When the other players get back, they'll just have to fit in."
Having gone 9-2 in the last 11 games before the Olympic break, the Storm had found a successful rhythm. The next two weeks' worth of practice will be critical to returning to that level and improving upon it as the Storm battles for playoff positioning over the season's final eight games.
"I think we've improved ourselves in some areas if you look at the last 11 games going into the break," said Agler. "We obviously want to sustain that part of it. Defensively, I think we haven't been quite as consistent of late as we were a little earlier. We want to get back and shore things up defensively. Offensively, we just want to keep adding, being a little bit more efficient for what we're doing."
The break came at the right time for the Storm's veteran players, who have been battling wear and tear. Swoopes had been dealing with knee soreness and suffered a hamstring injury just before the break, while 
Yolanda Griffith also dealt with a sprained knee during the first half of the season. The time off was also useful for Cash (back) and 
Ashley Robinson (Achilles).
"I can say my body feels so refreshed and good and ready to finish the season off strong," said Swoopes, joking she could have used a few more days off.
"I know Yolanda and Sheryl both have benefited from it," added Agler. "Sheryl, she's been banged up here right before the break and she's back into really good form. I've really enjoyed how she's working and coming on. It's going to be good for us if she can give us quality minutes. She's such a poised veteran that really makes a difference."
Swoopes also felt the break was well timed in terms of giving the Storm a mental break from the season and some time apart before coming back together.
"We were probably at a point in the season where everybody started to get on everybody's nerves and little things are starting to bother you," she said. "To be able to take a break, I think it definitely came at the right time both mentally and physically for everybody."
For players and coaches alike, it was a rare opportunity to get home during the WNBA season. Agler was able to celebrate his own 50th birthday with his family, as well as the birthdays of his son and daughter and his wedding anniversary. "We had a lot to celebrate," he said.
"I don't get up at 5:00 in the morning," she said. "I don't care. My sleep is precious to me. Actually, this morning I got a chance to watch a little bit of Brazil and Australia on my way in. Even though I haven't seen the U.S. play, I go online and try to see how everybody's doing and how we're doing."
The U.S. women have won their first two games by a combined 85 points, and Swoopes is more concerned about games against stronger competition.
"To be honest," she said, "I probably won't start watching until the medal rounds, because I think that's when we'll really be challenged and that's when I really want to watch."
Kristen O'Neill remains on her most recent 7-day contract, signed the week before the Olympic break. The clock on the contract does not run through the break, so it will extend through the league returning to action in the last week of August.
