Storm Squares Off with Chinese in Scrimmage

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Kevin Pelton, stormbasketball.com | April 28, 2010

Just days into training camp, the Seattle Storm got a chance to test its execution and evaluate newcomers against elite competition on Wednesday, scrimmaging against the Chinese National Team at the Bo Jackson Center on the Nike campus in Beaverton, Ore. With veteran WNBA officials Penny Davis, Scott Twardoski and Kurt Walker on hand to simulate game conditions, the two teams played four 10-minute scrimmages.

The Chinese won the first scrimmage 18-17 on the strength of all six of their buckets coming from beyond the three-point line. The Storm then controlled the second scrimmage 24-13 before the teams broke to simulate halftime. China came back from the break to start with a 12-0 run, controlling the third scrimmage by a 21-14 count and taking the fourth scrimmage 19-15 to produce a 71-70 combined score in favor of the Chinese.

Devanei Hampton seals her Chinese defender and scores. Aaron Last/Storm Photos

The Storm began the day with a lineup of rookie Alison Lacey and Loree Moore in the backcourt, Ashley Walker and Camille Little at forward and Ashley Robinson in the middle. During the first two scrimmages, Head Coach Brian Agler used an eight-player rotation that featured Devanei Hampton, Aja Parham and Tanisha Smith off the bench. During the last two scrimmages, veterans Little and Moore sat out, giving more time to younger players and invitees.

Walker played primarily at small forward, creating an interesting matchup problem at both ends of the floor against the smaller Chinese perimeter players. They were unable to contain Walker, who led the Storm on offense and was very active, but tested her with their quickness and shooting ability.

Lacey got valuable game experience against pressure defense, splitting point guard duties with Moore in the first two scrimmages and taking on primary ballhandling responsibilities in the third scrimmage. Lacey's best moments of the day came on consecutive possessions in the third scrimmage, when she first hit a three off the dribble then led a fast break with a lead pass to Robinson, who touch-passed to Walker for a layup.

Hampton continued to showcase her ability in the low post, scoring on three consecutive possessions late in the game. She also demonstrated the ability to step away from the basket and knock down mid-range jump shots.

• Guard Lindsey Wilson and forward Laura Kurz participated in the scrimmage during their first day of training camp. Wilson and Kurz, whose season in Greece ended on Sunday, arrived in Seattle Tuesday night and completed their physicals before the team left. Wilson picked things up quickly, handing out a pair of assists in short order after getting on the court.
• Former Storm guard Sonja Henning, now the director of U.S. sports marketing at Nike, watched for part of the scrimmage. Henning was the Storm's first-ever starting point guard and played in Seattle from 2000-02.