Kevin Pelton, storm.wnba.com | Oct. 7, 2004
STARTING 5
PG LINDSAY WHALEN
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The Connecticut Sun brought Whalen along slowly as a rookie point guard and the team's top draft pick; Whalen didn't start the Sun's season opener against the Phoenix Mercury. After Whalen energized the team in a reserve role, she became the starter, and - a bout with strep throat aside - refused to relinquish the job, eventually being named to the team of WNBA All-Stars for The Game in Radio City. Whalen struggled during the preseason, and there were those who thought her lack of quickness would keep her from being effective at this level. Whalen will never be mistaken for Sheryl Swoopes on defense, but she more than makes up for that with her broad offensive game. That starts with her passing ability. Whalen led the WNBA in assists early in the season and finished the year fifth at 4.8 assists per game. She's as good as any player in the league in the open court because she has the ability to dish or finish herself. Whalen is also a fine outside shooter who canned 35.1% of her threes this season. Her most valuable asset in the playoffs has been her ability to get to the basket. Whalen has a solid first step, and, at 5-8 and a stout 150, she is willing to and capable of taking the contact in the lane. Whalen is 34-for-38 from the free-throw line in the playoffs, including a WNBA playoff-record 15 in 16 attempts in Game 2 against the Mystics. Big guards can give Whalen trouble, but the Storm doesn't have those on the roster, so the best hope for limiting Whalen's impact on the game is probably getting her in foul trouble on defense, where she will have a tough time containing the Storm's guards off the dribble.
SG KATIE DOUGLAS
It was a tough offensive season for Douglas, who saw her scoring average (12.0 to 10.7), shooting percentage (.438 to .389) and three-point percentage (.382 to .346) all go down from her strong 2003 campaign. But Douglas showed her value lies in her versatility. Douglas has emerged as a strong perimeter defender who has usually checked opponents' top offensive perimeter player. Against the Liberty, that was
Becky Hammon, and saying Douglas shut Hammon down would be an understatement. Douglas handcuffed her and threw away the key, holding New York's leading scorer to 11 points on 4-for-16 shooting (1-for-7 from downtown), six assists and seven turnovers. Any further questions as to why the Sun swept? As the Storm, like the Liberty, has a small backcourt, Douglas will likely get the defensive assignment on
Sue Bird. At 6-0, Douglas is one of the WNBA's tallest guards, and her long arms make it difficult for smaller players to see the court to pass or shoot. Douglas' ballhandling ability has also proven helpful as teams try to take Whalen out of the game; she's averaging 3.6 assists in the playoffs. Even though her three-point percentage is down and Douglas has really struggled in the playoffs after hurting her nose in practice before the Washington series, she remains a dangerous threat from downtown.
SF NYKESHA SALES
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Allocated to the Orlando Miracle as the first player in franchise history, Sales has been the face of the team ever since. Her presence as a UConn grad was probably responsible for the Miracle relocating to Connecticut as opposed to another team. Sales is one of a handful of players to play in all five All-Star Games in WNBA history as well as The Game this year, for which she was a starter for the WNBA All-Stars. Through six seasons, Sales is the 11th-leading scorer in WNBA history at 2,796 points. She has stepped up her scoring in Connecticut, going from averaging between 13 and 14 points per game to 16.1 last year and 15.2 this year without sacrificing efficiency. In fact, Sales' 43.2% shooting this year was one of the best marks of her career. Sales is a versatile offensive player who is dangerous with or without the ball and can score inside and out. Though she shot just 31.8% from three-point range in the regular season, Sales is at 44.4% during the playoffs. Sales is not a tremendous one-on-one defender, but she's very good at playing the passing lanes. She and
Yolanda Griffith led the league with 2.21 steals per game apiece.
PF WENDY PALMER-DANIEL
Along with
Kelly Miller the WNBA's Most Improved Player this season, Palmer-Daniel resurrected her career. An All-Star in 2000 while in Detroit, Palmer-Daniel admittedly let her game slip after being traded to Orland for
Elaine Powell (the teams also swapped draft picks) midway through 2002. During the team's first year in Connecticut, Palmer-Daniel was largely a non-factor, splitting time at power forward with
Brooke Wyckoff and
Rebecca Lobo. Most observers expected that Palmer-Daniel's time as a regular was over at age 29. It's been pointed out before, but in the storm.wnba.com Fantasy League, Palmer-Daniel was considered such a terrible pick that it was actually stricken from the record. Lo and behold, Palmer-Daniel worked herself back into playing shape and has taken advantage of the opportunity presented by Lobo's retirement and Wyckoff's season-ending ACL injury to emerge as the starter. Palmer-Daniel's 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game are still down from her peak numbers, but have been a much-needed boost at a position that was a weakness for the Sun.
C TAJ MCWILLIAMS-FRANKLIN
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Pregnancy limited McWilliams-Franklin to 13 games in 2002. Previously, she had started all three WNBA All-Star Games, but missed the team in 2002 because of the pregnancy and in 2003, when she returned but was not 100%. McWilliams-Franklin got back on track during the second half of last season and was back in All-Star form this year, joining Sales in the starting lineup for the WNBA All-Star team. McWilliams-Franklin is a versatile center who made 12 threes in 2004 (though none this year) and is a capable low-post scorer. McWilliams-Franklin ranked all over the WNBA leaders this season, including ranking seventh in the league by shooting 47.7% and placing in the top 20 in free throws attempted. McWilliams-Franklin was fifth in the league in rebounding at 7.2 boards per game and was seventh in blocked shots. Despite being only 6-2, McWilliams-Franklin is a presence in the paint. Foul trouble limited McWilliams-Franklin against Washington, but she dominated in the conference finals, averaging 16.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. At 60.2%, McWilliams-Franklin was the only Connecticut regular not to shoot 70% from the free-throw line, which could come into play late in games.
BENCH
PG DEBBIE BLACK
The 2001 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Black helped anchor one of the league's best defenses in Miami. At 5-3, Black is the shortest player in the WNBA, and she's also one of the oldest at age 38. Still, few players have more energy than Black, who is the league's premier pest defensively. Playing only limited minutes has allowed Black to expend even more of her energy on defense, picking up opposing point guards full court. She'll get her opportunity to annoy Bird during this season. Black is a good passer, but her offensive effectiveness is limited because she is a total non-scorer, averaging less than two points per game the last two seasons. Black has hit just one three-pointer the last three seasons, though she did shoot 46.4% - a career high by a mile - during the regular season this year. Black's presence in the game will turn it much more into a defensive battle than it is when Whalen is at the point for the Sun.
F/G JESSICA BRUNGO
Brungo was widely considered a reach when the Sun took her over Penn State teammate
Kelly Mazzante in the second round of this April's WNBA Draft, but Brungo has done what Connecticut hoped she'd do, especially at the defensive end of the court. Brungo is 6-1 and has long arms, meaning she can fill in Douglas' defensive role when she replaces Douglas in the game. Brungo is quick enough to play guard, though she's naturally a small forward. Other than recording an impressive 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio, Brungo was not great on offense, shooting 26.3% from downtown and 38.1% inside the arc. Brungo has scored eight points in 65 minutes during the playoffs.
PF ASJHA JONES
There was a certain group of people (okay, me) who thought Jones would win the power forward job in Connecticut and the Most Improved Player award Palmer-Daniel ended up claiming. Really, that Jones is coming off the bench says more about Palmer-Daniel's season than Jones', but she didn't benefit from moving to her natural power forward spot (after playing small forward to accommodate
Chamique Holdsclaw in Washington) as much as expected, seeing her per-minute averages in scoring and rebounding and her field-goal percentage drop. Jones has had a nice playoff run, averaging 10.7 points against her old team in the conference semifinals, and is one of the more talented reserves in the WNBA. She'll see plenty of action during this series.
C LE'COE WILLINGHAM
Willingham has been a tremendously pleasant surprise for the Sun as an undrafted rookie this season. Willingham averaged 16.3 points and 9.1 rebounds while shooting 60.8% from the field as a senior at Auburn, but her height (6-0) scared teams away from her. Willingham started the season at the end of the bench, but forced her way into a limited role in the rotation by playing outstanding basketball in limited minutes. Willingham shot 63.2% from the field - no regular did better - and averaged nearly 10 rebounds per 40 minutes. Willingham had some good minutes against the Mystics, averaging 2.7 points and rebounds per game.
