2014 Fitting Finale for Dunn, Promising Glimpse of Future

By Wheat Hotchkiss | September 5, 2014

The 2014 Indiana Fever season didn�t have a storybook ending, but it was yet another great chapter in the franchise�s proud history.

Though the Fever fell just short of reaching the WNBA Finals, in many ways 2014 was another banner year for Indiana.

The Fever persevered through the first half of the season without their star player.

They displayed the fortitude necessary to grind out wins on the road.

Several veterans demonstrated significant growth, while young players provided promising glimpses of what they could become.

They set league marks for franchise consistency, not only reaching the postseason for the 10th straight year, but also reaching the conference finals for the seventh time in that stretch (and fourth straight season).

Most memorably, the 2014 season was a fitting send-off for head coach Lin Dunn, one of the most accomplished coaches in WNBA history and a wonderful ambassador for the women�s game.

The Fever faced adversity before the regular season ever began. Sharpshooter Jeanette Pohlen tore her left Achilles tendon in training camp, forcing her to sit out the 2014 season. Perennial All-Star Tamika Catchings missed the start of the season due to a back injury, an issue that would linger long enough to keep her out for 17 games.

It didn�t help that the season started earlier than ever, with a compacted schedule due to the FIBA World Championship, which begins Sept. 27.

Starters Erlana Larkins and Shavonte Zellous didn�t arrive from overseas until days before the start of the regular season. Guard Sydney Carter signed with Indiana in the middle of the preseason. The Fever traded for rookie guard Maggie Lucas after preseason play had finished.

With three other new faces (Marissa Coleman, Natasha Howard, and Lynetta Kizer) on the opening night roster, the Fever essentially had to learn how to play together on the fly in the first few weeks of the season.

Nonetheless, the 2014 Fever displayed what has become the hallmark of Lin Dunn-coached Fever teams: an unmatched ability to fight through adversity.

The season had plenty of ups and downs. There were times when the team struggled, even after Catchings returned to the lineup. On multiple occasions, they surged out to a double-digit lead but couldn�t hold on.

But there were also plenty of highlights, like the overtime win in Atlanta on May 25 that started a four-game winning streak or the three straight wins in August that guaranteed homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Individually, several players blossomed in 2014.

Point guard Briann January embraced an increased leadership role and continued to excel on the court, earning first-team All-Defensive honors and her first-ever All-Star selection.

Center Erlana Larkins arguably should have been an All-Star as well. She shattered the franchise single-season rebounding record and ranked near the top of the league in several major statistical categories (first in field goal percentage, third in steals, tied for third in rebounds).

Free agent acquisition Marissa Coleman proved to be a perfect fit, averaging a career-best 8.9 points per game and providing Indiana with a consistent threat from beyond the arc.

Rookie Natasha Howard filled in admirably for Catchings in the early part of the season, averaging 11.4 points and 4.5 rebounds over the season�s first 11 games.

Once she returned, Catchings was her usual brilliant self. She hit her stride at just the right time, averaging 23 points in those three pivotal wins late in the regular season and posting a pair of 20-10 games in the first round of the playoffs.

Those are just some of the more obvious examples, but you could truly run down the schedule and circle multiple games where each and every player on the 2014 roster made major contributions.

But in the minds of most Fever fans, the face of the 2014 season was Dunn. Dunn quietly announced before the year that this would be her final coaching campaign and made it clear that she didn�t want the focus on her.

But a legend like Dunn deserved recognition. Several WNBA franchises classily honored the Fever coach at her final stop in their city.

The Fever celebrated Dunn on two occasions � first in advance of her induction into the Women�s Basketball Hall of Fame on June 11 against Seattle and again before the final home game of the regular season on Aug. 16 against Chicago, when they raised a banner in Dunn�s honor. The Fever (not coincidentally) rolled to convincing victories on both nights.

Throughout the season, the Fever players had talked about wanting to win a championship for Coach Dunn to send her out on top. Those dreams came to an unfortunate end with Wednesday�s season-ending loss to Chicago, but Dunn exited the game with class, dignity, and her head held high.

�I think the future looks very bright," Dunn said on Wednesday. "I'm excited about (associate head coach) Stephanie (White) stepping in and taking over. I feel like I've left the franchise in a good place.�

In her first season as head coach, White will inherit a roster that seems to be just starting to reach its full potential.

Catchings is 35, but demonstrated in the second half of 2014 that she can still play at an elite level. After Catchings, Larkins and Zellous are the next-oldest players at 28. Both appear to be just entering their prime, as do January and Coleman, both 27.

24-year-old Karima Christmas has established herself as a versatile player and a tenacious defender off the bench. Howard, who just turned 23 on Tuesday, needs to get stronger but showed plenty of promise early in the season.

And on paper, the Fever should be even deeper next year. Indiana owns the sixth overall pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft. 6-3 center Natalie Achonwa, the Fever�s first-round pick who sat out the 2014 season while rehabbing her torn ACL, will be added to the fold. A healthy Pohlen could be in the mix for big minutes in the guard rotation.

Looking back, 2014 was another successful campaign for the Indiana Fever. Looking forward, 2015 promises even more prosperity.

Coach Dunn�s words ring true. The future looks bright, indeed.

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