Coach:

I’m anxious now. Everybody was so tired at the end of last season. It took awhile to digest what (the team) had done. I think it made all of us, the players and the coaches, anxious to improve on the things we know we can get better at. Number One: We’re anxious to get better at our defensive game. And, we’re anxious to do better at winning those games in the middle of the season, those tough road games. I mean, we lost home court for the Finals by just two games. I think there’s anticipation that we can be better.

Q. There were a lot of great players to come out of last year’s draft. How do you feel about the players in this year’s draft?

Coach:

This year’s draft probably doesn’t have the depth or the star power that last year’s draft did. You have a lot of people that came in last year who had a huge impact on their teams, between Lindsey (Whalen) for us, (Diana) Taurasi, (Nicole) Ohlde and Alana Beard. They changed the fortunes of their teams. This year, I don’t know if you’ll have as many of those players. You’ll have players in the first round who will make teams and, maybe, start. But, it’s possible that the first pick in the draft this year may not start for Charlotte. And, in that sense, it’s different. You have very good players, but last year’s draft was probably unique.

Q. Who do you believe will be the top picks in the draft?

Coach:

I think the consensus is that, of the seniors that are out there, there is Janel McCarville of Minnesota, Sandora Irvin from TCU, Tan White from Mississippi State, Kendra Wecker from Kansas State. I’m sure I’m leaving people out. A lot of people feel that those four for sure will be in the top five picks. Then after that, it’s who fits what teams’ needs; whether you need a guard or a post player.

Q. A lot of teams have been busy this off-season. There have been quite a few international players signed, as well as some big trades. What teams do you believe have improved the most this off-season?

Coach:

I think Sacramento believes theirs will (have improved). They’ve signed four foreign players, two Australians and two Chinese National Team players. And, I certainly think that they feel that two or three of those players will make the team. I thought that the best free agent player from overseas was signed by Phoenix, Belinda Snell from Australia. We tried to sign her, but I think she felt more comfortable going to Phoenix because they have two Australian coaches on their staff. I think she has a chance to be an impact player. The rest remains to be seen. Those two teams made a concerted effort to improve their teams.

Q. The Los Angeles Sparks recently traded Delisha Milton-Jones to the Washington Mystics for Chamique Holdsclaw, one of the top players in the league. Many people already consider the Sparks to be a powerhouse. How do think her acquisition will effect them?

Coach:

I think you’d have to say on paper, they have the best talent in the league. Now as we’ve seen, talent doesn’t always necessarily win. It’s also how they’re put together, and chemistry. But, Lisa Leslie and Holdsclaw, (Mwadi) Mabika, (Tamecka) Dixon and (Nikki) Teasley, that’s a pretty strong group. Thankfully, they are in the other conference. Washington is getting Delisha Milton-Jones. If she is back to the player she was before her injury, then they’ve got a very formidable player and they have another first-round draft pick. Now they have a chance with the 6th and 13th pick to maybe add something more to their team. I think that will be pretty interesting. I guess I’ll be glad to see Holdsclaw in the other conference. Washington, though, played well (without Holdsclaw). They had great team chemistry without her.

Q. With the draft nearly 3 weeks away and training camp starting in less than a month, what areas do you believe the Sun need to improve in order to return to the Finals?

Coach:

Well, there wasn’t much of a difference between first and last place in the standings in our conference. We need to establish better consistency earlier in the season. I think we need to be a good road team early. And, we need to be a better defensive team early in the season, particularly in the front line. That has been our goal this offseason; to try and improve in that area. We’ll see how that plays out in the draft. We have some things that we are working on. But that’s the biggest focus. We’ll have to wait and see what Debbie does, to see about our backup point guard situation. That will be an area that might need to be addressed.