Last night's games: Los Angeles trounced Washington, 95-79, while Houston stopped a late Connecticut rally to beat the Sun, 68-57.
At the Phone Booth, the Mystics ran into a Sparks squad reeling from its opening game blowout loss to Seattle, where they were tossed around like a rag doll. For the Mystics, Chamique Holdsclaw had another great game, but she got little help from the other starters. Alana Beard started out hot in the first half, with 8 points and 5 rebounds, but struggled mightily with her shot in the second half. Her clamp-down defense (which forced Andrea Stinson and Tamika Catchings to shoot a combined 9-24) ran into Mwadi Mabika and her ability to elevate. It didn't help that two early fouls on Beard were later shown to be clean blocks on the replays. Considering the quality of opponents she has faced in her first 3 games (Stinson, Catchings, and Mabika), Beard's defense has been second to none. But Beard's shooting needs to improve, as she is not playing her best basketball right now (25% is not going to cut it no matter how good her defense is). As for the other Mystics starters, Coco Miller has been a no-show all season; Tamicha Jackson is proving that her stint with the Mercury was clearly indicative of her style (one great game surrounding by four bad ones); and Chasity Melvin is still not on the same page as the rest of the team, having arrived very late to training camp. Last night, Aiysha Smith stepped up against the Sparks frontcourt, as she did last season as well. Keisha Brown also had double-digits off the bench. But if Washington's starting lineup does not begin to click offensively, Michael Adams will have to make changes to avoid having the Mystics end up at the basement of the Eastern Conference...again.
For the Sparks, Mwadi Mabika and DeLisha Milton-Jones scored 20 points apiece. Lisa Leslie contributed 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Nikki Teasley had 14 points and 10 assists. Tamika Whitmore, to the shock of Liberty fans, had Some Mystics fans wonder whether the organization made a mistake by taking Stacey Dales-Schuman over Teasley in the 2002 draft. While Teasley would have been a vast improvement over Annie Burgess, she is able to play her best because of the quality of the Sparks starting lineup (the other four have all been All-Stars) and the quality of coaching (Michael Cooper). Teasley would have been good for Washington, but she would not be at the level she is today. On other hand, the Mystics' failure to draft Michelle Snow in 2002...oh, no need to bring that up again! :)
As for the Comets-Sun game, it is amazing what having Michelle Snow (11 points, 8 rebounds) and her presence in the paint back will do for the team. Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson led the way in scoring. Felicia Ragland also had a very good game after a few subpar efforts. But until Gordana Grubin arrives, the point guard position will be a big question mark for the Comets.
Regarding the Sun, 3800 is not a particularly great crowd. But remember...the Sun don't need as many fans to make money, with the casinos there. Still, as much as Mike Thibault states that the team is not menat to be "UConn Huskies II: The Pro Version," the fans in Connecticut are much more likely to show up for Sun games against Seattle, Phoenix, Detroit, and Minnesota than other teams (though Los Angeles and New York do draw nice crowds). But why aren't the fans showing up for Ashja Jones and Nykesha Sales? To some, Sales is part of the "old guard" (as one UConn fan put it)...the group that created the initial national interest that generated a large fan base. Sue Bird and her progeny are part of the "new guard," who took the UConn fan base to a different level. Yes, Ashja Jones was a part of "new guard," but Diana Taurasi, Swin Cash, Sue Bird, and Svetlana Abrosimova are far and away the group's most popular members.
Solution? Connecticut either needs to make a trade for a wildly popular member of the UConn new guard (not likely to happen if Abrosimova does not come back healthy) or draft a big-time, non-UConn star who will attract fans. Seimone Augustus, anyone? Of course, if Whalen develops, she could be that player. And hopefully having the All Star game in 2005 will help.
At the Phone Booth, the Mystics ran into a Sparks squad reeling from its opening game blowout loss to Seattle, where they were tossed around like a rag doll. For the Mystics, Chamique Holdsclaw had another great game, but she got little help from the other starters. Alana Beard started out hot in the first half, with 8 points and 5 rebounds, but struggled mightily with her shot in the second half. Her clamp-down defense (which forced Andrea Stinson and Tamika Catchings to shoot a combined 9-24) ran into Mwadi Mabika and her ability to elevate. It didn't help that two early fouls on Beard were later shown to be clean blocks on the replays. Considering the quality of opponents she has faced in her first 3 games (Stinson, Catchings, and Mabika), Beard's defense has been second to none. But Beard's shooting needs to improve, as she is not playing her best basketball right now (25% is not going to cut it no matter how good her defense is). As for the other Mystics starters, Coco Miller has been a no-show all season; Tamicha Jackson is proving that her stint with the Mercury was clearly indicative of her style (one great game surrounding by four bad ones); and Chasity Melvin is still not on the same page as the rest of the team, having arrived very late to training camp. Last night, Aiysha Smith stepped up against the Sparks frontcourt, as she did last season as well. Keisha Brown also had double-digits off the bench. But if Washington's starting lineup does not begin to click offensively, Michael Adams will have to make changes to avoid having the Mystics end up at the basement of the Eastern Conference...again.
For the Sparks, Mwadi Mabika and DeLisha Milton-Jones scored 20 points apiece. Lisa Leslie contributed 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Nikki Teasley had 14 points and 10 assists. Tamika Whitmore, to the shock of Liberty fans, had Some Mystics fans wonder whether the organization made a mistake by taking Stacey Dales-Schuman over Teasley in the 2002 draft. While Teasley would have been a vast improvement over Annie Burgess, she is able to play her best because of the quality of the Sparks starting lineup (the other four have all been All-Stars) and the quality of coaching (Michael Cooper). Teasley would have been good for Washington, but she would not be at the level she is today. On other hand, the Mystics' failure to draft Michelle Snow in 2002...oh, no need to bring that up again! :)
As for the Comets-Sun game, it is amazing what having Michelle Snow (11 points, 8 rebounds) and her presence in the paint back will do for the team. Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson led the way in scoring. Felicia Ragland also had a very good game after a few subpar efforts. But until Gordana Grubin arrives, the point guard position will be a big question mark for the Comets.
Regarding the Sun, 3800 is not a particularly great crowd. But remember...the Sun don't need as many fans to make money, with the casinos there. Still, as much as Mike Thibault states that the team is not menat to be "UConn Huskies II: The Pro Version," the fans in Connecticut are much more likely to show up for Sun games against Seattle, Phoenix, Detroit, and Minnesota than other teams (though Los Angeles and New York do draw nice crowds). But why aren't the fans showing up for Ashja Jones and Nykesha Sales? To some, Sales is part of the "old guard" (as one UConn fan put it)...the group that created the initial national interest that generated a large fan base. Sue Bird and her progeny are part of the "new guard," who took the UConn fan base to a different level. Yes, Ashja Jones was a part of "new guard," but Diana Taurasi, Swin Cash, Sue Bird, and Svetlana Abrosimova are far and away the group's most popular members.
Solution? Connecticut either needs to make a trade for a wildly popular member of the UConn new guard (not likely to happen if Abrosimova does not come back healthy) or draft a big-time, non-UConn star who will attract fans. Seimone Augustus, anyone? Of course, if Whalen develops, she could be that player. And hopefully having the All Star game in 2005 will help.
posted by Barry at 11:58 AM
