Weekend for the Stars
By Tom Rietmann | July 9, 2010
Indiana guard Katie Douglas anticipates there will be several times Saturday in The Stars at the Sun game when she will match up against her friend and Fever teammate Tamika Catchings. Might there be some trash talking?
�Yeah, I'm sure,� Douglas said, smiling. �She likes to play that innocent role, but she can dish it out pretty good.�
Catchings' response? �No trash talk, no trash talk. I might block a couple of shots; nothing serious,� the Fever forward said, grinning when she heard what Douglas had said.
Douglas and Catchings are two of Indiana's four participants in the WNBA�s all-star weekend festivities at Uncasville, Conn. In an unusual twist, Douglas will play for the WNBA stars against Catchings' USA Basketball team in the main event at 3:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN). Fever forward Ebony Hoffman is among the 20 players competing for a spot on the USA national team and will participate in a Sunday scrimmage against the Australia national club, for which Indiana guard Tully Bevilaqua plays.
The Indiana players departed for Connecticut on Friday following their 100-72 win over Tulsa on Thursday night. Indiana's next game is Wednesday afternoon (Kids Day, 1:00 p.m.) against the visiting Connecticut Sun.
The WNBA weekend includes the usual fan-friendly attractions such as a 3-point shooting contest, in which Douglas will participate, and a skills competition. But the showcase game on Saturday afternoon, rather than pitting an Eastern Conference All-Star team against Western Conference stars, will have a different look and feel.
While All-Star games are typically more entertainment than intense competition, this one is designed in part to help get the USA Basketball team ready for the World Championships in the Czech Republic in late September. Hence, WNBA teammates like Douglas and Catchings find themselves on opposite sides. �����������
�It's going to be a little different mentality,� Douglas said. �All-Star games are usually about celebrating and putting on a good show for the fans. But I'm not sure what we'll be instructed to do because it's more of a preparation game for (the national team).�
For Hoffman, it's an opportunity to reconnect with her �old class,� players with whom she was drafted and has competed against for a number of years. Hoffman, who is averaging 7.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game for the 2010 Fever, also hopes to make an impression on national team coach Gino Auriemma.
�I want to show my complete versatility,� she said, conscious of her ability to rebound and spread the floor with 3-point capabilities. �I've had a lackluster year. But I know a change is coming soon. I just have to keep working.�
Bevilaqua, a native of Australia, will play point guard for her national team in the Sunday scrimmage against USA Basketball. Bevilaqua was a member of the 2006 Australia club that won the gold medal in the World Championship in Brazil. However, her workout time with the national team this year has been limited to a week in training camp just before the WNBA season started.
�This weekend is important for me,� Bevilaqua said, �because this game is the only other involvement I'll have with the Australian team before they make the announcement of the (final) team. It's pretty huge for me to perform in the game against the USA.���������� �
Douglas is averaging 13.9 points this season while connecting on 42 percent of her 3-pointers. This marks her fourth selection to what is the equivalent of a WNBA all-star team. She was named MVP of the 2006 All-Star Game while finishing second in its 3-point shooting contest at Madison Square Garden. For Catchings, the Fever�s current scoring (16.2) and rebounding (6.2) leader, it marks her seventh appearance in the league�s midsummer classic � despite this year�s twist.
Douglas said playing against Catchings is �going to be weird� after playing as her teammate for three Indiana seasons as well as last winter for their Galatasaray club in Turkey.
�It'll be like the old days when I was with Connecticut and Orlando,� Douglas said, referring to her first WNBA teams. �It's going to be awkward not to look for her and not to pass to her.�
�It'll be fun,� Catchings said about this weekend's experience.
�It's going to be interesting,� Catchings added, talking about the approach to Saturday's game.�� �From the WNBA standpoint, it is still a show and having a good time. But the USA team has been practicing since Wednesday. This is really the only time the USA players will be together until training camp right before we go over (to the Czech Republic).� It just makes for an interesting situation.�
Indiana guard Katie Douglas anticipates there will be several times Saturday in The Stars at the Sun game when she will match up against her friend and Fever teammate Tamika Catchings. Might there be some trash talking?
�Yeah, I'm sure,� Douglas said, smiling. �She likes to play that innocent role, but she can dish it out pretty good.�
Catchings' response? �No trash talk, no trash talk. I might block a couple of shots; nothing serious,� the Fever forward said, grinning when she heard what Douglas had said.
Douglas and Catchings are two of Indiana's four participants in the WNBA�s all-star weekend festivities at Uncasville, Conn. In an unusual twist, Douglas will play for the WNBA stars against Catchings' USA Basketball team in the main event at 3:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN). Fever forward Ebony Hoffman is among the 20 players competing for a spot on the USA national team and will participate in a Sunday scrimmage against the Australia national club, for which Indiana guard Tully Bevilaqua plays.
The Indiana players departed for Connecticut on Friday following their 100-72 win over Tulsa on Thursday night. Indiana's next game is Wednesday afternoon (Kids Day, 1:00 p.m.) against the visiting Connecticut Sun.
The WNBA weekend includes the usual fan-friendly attractions such as a 3-point shooting contest, in which Douglas will participate, and a skills competition. But the showcase game on Saturday afternoon, rather than pitting an Eastern Conference All-Star team against Western Conference stars, will have a different look and feel.
While All-Star games are typically more entertainment than intense competition, this one is designed in part to help get the USA Basketball team ready for the World Championships in the Czech Republic in late September. Hence, WNBA teammates like Douglas and Catchings find themselves on opposite sides. �����������
�It's going to be a little different mentality,� Douglas said. �All-Star games are usually about celebrating and putting on a good show for the fans. But I'm not sure what we'll be instructed to do because it's more of a preparation game for (the national team).�
For Hoffman, it's an opportunity to reconnect with her �old class,� players with whom she was drafted and has competed against for a number of years. Hoffman, who is averaging 7.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game for the 2010 Fever, also hopes to make an impression on national team coach Gino Auriemma.
�I want to show my complete versatility,� she said, conscious of her ability to rebound and spread the floor with 3-point capabilities. �I've had a lackluster year. But I know a change is coming soon. I just have to keep working.�
Bevilaqua, a native of Australia, will play point guard for her national team in the Sunday scrimmage against USA Basketball. Bevilaqua was a member of the 2006 Australia club that won the gold medal in the World Championship in Brazil. However, her workout time with the national team this year has been limited to a week in training camp just before the WNBA season started.
�This weekend is important for me,� Bevilaqua said, �because this game is the only other involvement I'll have with the Australian team before they make the announcement of the (final) team. It's pretty huge for me to perform in the game against the USA.���������� �
Douglas is averaging 13.9 points this season while connecting on 42 percent of her 3-pointers. This marks her fourth selection to what is the equivalent of a WNBA all-star team. She was named MVP of the 2006 All-Star Game while finishing second in its 3-point shooting contest at Madison Square Garden. For Catchings, the Fever�s current scoring (16.2) and rebounding (6.2) leader, it marks her seventh appearance in the league�s midsummer classic � despite this year�s twist.
Douglas said playing against Catchings is �going to be weird� after playing as her teammate for three Indiana seasons as well as last winter for their Galatasaray club in Turkey.
�It'll be like the old days when I was with Connecticut and Orlando,� Douglas said, referring to her first WNBA teams. �It's going to be awkward not to look for her and not to pass to her.�
�It'll be fun,� Catchings said about this weekend's experience.
�It's going to be interesting,� Catchings added, talking about the approach to Saturday's game.�� �From the WNBA standpoint, it is still a show and having a good time. But the USA team has been practicing since Wednesday. This is really the only time the USA players will be together until training camp right before we go over (to the Czech Republic).� It just makes for an interesting situation.�