Alison Bales

Ketia Swanier (photo by WNBA.com)

Yesterday, the roster cuts of Alison Bales, Laurie Koehn, and Sha Brooks by the Mercury surprised many by leaving the 11th roster spot open. Since Shin Oga had taken herself out of the running for a roster spot earlier in the week due to injury, fans were left contemplating not only who would fulfill that 11th spot, but who would back-up Temeka Johnson at the point guard position.

As it turns out, that person is Ketia Swanier, and she is total steal for this Mercury team.

Ketia (pronounced KEE-Sha) graduated from UConn in 2008 as the only player in program history to be in the top 10 leaders in steals (247), assists (479), and games played (142).  Most importantly Ketia, like Temeka Johnson, is known for her speed with the ball and ability to make the right decision with the pass.  Not only will she fit right into the Mercury’s offensive system seamlessly, she’ll also provide an added value on the defensive end of the floor with her ability to cause turnovers and pressure the ball.

In many ways, Ketia is a lot like Shin; they are both quick with the ball, keep the pace up-tempo, and active on both ends of the floor.  That’s also where both players differed from Sha Brooks who was cut yesterday; Sha was more of a ‘traditional’ offensive set type player.  As we all know, to be effective, the Mercury need someone like Temeka and Ketia to push the ball and make smart decisions.

Ketia will also benefit from playing with a veteran point guard in Temeka.  Meek is the type of person who will take Ketia under her wing and really help her grow.  Truthfully, the entire Mercury team will do the same which is what makes this team so special.

Head Coach Corey Gaines certainly feels the same way regarding Ketia’s value and ability.  “Yeah Ketia is definitely fast,” Gaines said, “and she’s bigger than Shin, probably stronger than Shin but she’s definitely an up-tempo player, has experience in the WNBA, and comes from a great college [UConn].”

I caught up with Ketia after her first practice in a Mercury uniform today to get her thoughts on her whirlwind of a week.  Swanier had an impressive practice already; she looked comfortable with the ball, found the open player with ease, and like Temeka can drive to the rim.

Me: Ketia, seems like you’ve had a stressful week but it certainly ended well with getting picked up by the Mercury - your initial thoughts on the team?

Ketia: “It’s exciting! You know, it was obviously a disappointment being cut earlier in the week but it is what it is and I think everything happens for a reason.  I get to play with Diana and all of these ladies from the Big East which is cool.”

Me: The Mercury seem to have the perfect system for your game.

Ketia: “Run, run, run - that’s all this team does and that’s what I love to do.”

Me:  Are you excited to be able to learn from Temeka Johnson?

Ketia: “Learning from Temeka, definitely. You know, she’s a quick guard as well and she’s already been in my ear helping.”

Me: What do you see your role as for the team?

Ketia: “Just push the ball up the court and get it to the open person!”

Coach Gaines on the roster cuts yesterday:

• Gaines on Sha Brooks: “Well Sha was our rookie we drafted and she is an athletic player but no ready to play in the WNBA. Overseas she’ll get some experience that will help her.”
• Gaines on Alison Bales: “Bales, she’s big and a player you’d think for her size would be good for us but with Ohlde coming back and Brooke the way she’s been playing, I really needed a more up-tempo player.”
• Gaines on Laurie Koehn: “Laurie was probably the hardest cut because of her shooting ability. You know we have Mazz and Q who is maybe not as good a shooter as Laurie but she does some all-around things better than Laurie.”

Check back here in the next day or so as we’ll have a preview of opening night against the Silver Stars with the fantastic site, Silver Stars Nation!

Alison Bales

Well, we are certainly seeing the effects of trimming the roster down to the league maximum 11 players.

In a somewhat surprising turn of events, the Mercury cut 3 players from their roster today: Alison Bales, Sha Brooks, and Laurie Koehn.

The Mercury’s roster now stands at 10 (Diana Taurasi, Cappie Pondexter, Temeka Johnson, Tangela Smith, Le’coe Willingham, DeWanna Bonner, Allie Quigley, Brooke Smith, Kelly Mazzante, and Nicole Ohlde).

While I’m happy for Allie Quigley and Brooke Smith, I’m also saddened to see Bales, Brooks, and Koehn go.

Sha Brooks

Alison Bales had really been improving her interior game and transitional defense over the past couple weeks, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Laurie Koehn miss a shot, and Sha Brooks was progressing as a back-up point guard.  However, there is only room for 11 players and, inevitably, there are going to be some ladies that aren’t going to make a final roster.

However, let’s all hope they have a chance to make another team’s final roster; they all can make a case for their respective talents and abilities.

I asked head coach Corey Gaines today after practice that even though roster cuts are a part of the job, it still must be a difficult time, right?

Laurie Koehn

“Yeah, it’s tough,” Gaines said as he nodded in agreement, “but we have some good stuff going here.”

That’s what I love about coach Gaines - no matter what, he always concentrates on the positive and keeps the team upbeat and motivated.  In fact, in the new 2009 WNBA GM’s poll featured on WNBA.com today, Gaines was voted as one of the top coaches in terms of motivating/managing players as well as one of the top coaches for developing young players.

With the Mercury’s roster being just 1 player shy of the league maximum 11, the first thought I’m certain will come to many fan’s minds is that the 11th spot is being reserved for Penny Taylor.  HOWEVER, while there is always the possibility of adding Penny down the line, that time hasn’t come…yet.

Instead, the Mercury have added 2nd year point guard from Connecticut Ketia Swanier.  Swanier, known for low assist to turnover ratio and speed as a ball-handler, will join the Mercury for practice on Thursday, June 3rd.

“I was impressed by Ketia last season in her ability to push the ball up the court,” said Head Coach Corey Gaines. “She came from a great collegiate program, and her style of play fits our system well.”

Ketia Swanier

Swanier was selected 12th overall by the Connecticut Sun last season and appeared in 25 games with averages of 1.6 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in only 9 minutes per game.  The 5-8, 150 pound guard was waived by the Sun on June 1st.

Keep it locked to Fanster’s Mercury Community as we should be able to catch up with Ketia at practice tomorrow to get her thoughts on joining the Mercury!

The Announcement (photo by NBAE)

With as many implications reaching far and wide from the Mercury/LifeLock partnership, we felt it would be beneficial to get other blogger/writer opinions other than our own.  Thus, we’ve invited some of the best WNBA basketball minds to share their thoughts.

The Panel:

• Greg Esposito, Fanster.com:  The flagship website of all things ‘Phoenix’ and Mercury Community contributor.
• Kevin Pelton, Basketball Prospectus:  One of the best basketball writers on the planet. Bar none.
• Q McCall, Rethinking Basketball:  Fantastic site with must-read commentary above and beyond the obvious.
• Alex Chambers, 13 Teams 1 Journey: Alex is visiting every WNBA arena in 2009 and certainly knows his stuff.
• Fat Louie, Women’s Sports Blog:  Funny, witty, and intelligent commentary on women’s sports.

The Discussion:

1.  Initial thoughts on the partnership - good, bad, smart, dumb?

• Greg Esposito, Fanster.com:  “This is a landmark partnership that is amazing for this team, the league and possibly sports as a whole. The million plus a year  that the team will earn from the jersey sponsorship makes the Mercury financially viable and gives them a possible competitive edge. It could give competitive edges to lower revenue generating teams in all major sports in the future.”
• Kevin Pelton, (via Basketball Prospectus):  “The most significant thing about this partnership is that NBA commissioner David Stern is participating in the press conference in New York announcing the deal.”
• Q McCall, Rethinking Basketball:  “The idea of corporate sponsorship always bothers me, but let’s be real — professional sports in the U.S. are always a corporate endeavor. “NBA Entertainment” didn’t exactly apply for 501c3 status. So given the fact that these leagues are revenue generating entities, of course it’s smart to take advantage of this opportunity. Those that are trying to dismiss this move as a matter of “desperation” must have forgotten that every business’ goal is to make money.”
• Alex Chambers, 13 Teams 1 Journey:  “I am really split on this. 1/2 of me feels positive about this; that this is bringing a significant amount revenue to the team. The athletes in the WNBA are used to this type of “branding” as this is the norm in Europe. The other 1/2 of me a slightly concerned. Not so much about the corporate branding, but about the company itself. Lifelock has a somewhat sketchy past. In 2005  Lifelock’s co-founder Robert Maynard, Jr. filed for bankruptcy multiple times before resigning in 2007 (and he still owns 10% equity in the company) Also, Lifelock is still facing multiple lawsuits. The validity of the impending litigation is somewhat questionable, but still, that is something that concerns me.”
• Fat Louie, Women’s Sports Blog:  “Although the WNBA has the most sympathy from me in terms of stunts like this since Phoenix actually needs the revenue stream, it still sets a terrible precedent.  Oddly enough, the sexism that creates the huge cash disparity between men’s and women’s sports has also traditionally insulated the women’s game from making this kind of decision.  Women have not had much opportunity to sell out because advertisers weren’t interested.  Still, not the kind of thing we should really want, especially given the intense team loyalties within the league (people root for the Phoenix Mercury, not the Lifelock Mercury). “

2.  Is this ’selling out’?

• Greg Esposito, Fanster.com:  “Far from it. It does nothing to change the play on the court or the players that wear the jersey. Ask European soccer fans how much corporate sponsorship effects play. It doesn’t. Selling out is if a player changes his name and his personality for a sponsor. A team putting another logo on their jersey doesn’t constitute selling out in the least. “
• Kevin Pelton, (via Basketball Prospectus):  “In doing so, Stern is surely giving his tacit approval to not only other WNBA teams but NBA teams as well to pursue jersey sponsorships.”
• Q McCall, Rethinking Basketball:  “It would strike me as odd for someone to suggest that a franchise playing in US Airways Center and promoting Verve as their official energy drink is suddenly be “selling out” because they add a corporate sponsor to their jerseys. Selling out implies that one is coming from some purer more moral place…at what point was the WNBA ever without corporate influence? There is no way to “keep it real” and run a pro sports team. Now, would I *prefer* for sports to stay away from corporate dollars? Of course. If someone can figure out how to run a league on non-corporate grants and donations, I’m all for it. Until then, we have to accept this as reality.”
• Alex Chambers, 13 Teams 1 Journey:  “Not at all. Look at Nascar! Those cars are moving billboards for multiple brands. As long as the uniforms stick to one major sponsor, and to not become “cluttered” with logos. “Selling out” to me is along the lines of letting the corporate sponsor run the team. We shall see how much influence the Merc let them have”
• Fat Louie, Women’s Sports Blog:  “Some might argue that the question has no meaning anymore in pro sports, but just look at big-time soccer teams.  Do we want another instance in which AIG supplants an actual team logo
  on the front of the jersey, only to help crash the world economy?  What kind of message is this kind of corporate
  capitulation sending to young girls?  It says that team identity is less important than money.  Let them put ads
  on the court, but not on the players’ bodies. “

3.  Would and/or should this system infiltrate other markets, i.e. NBA?

• Greg Esposito, Fanster.com:  “It should. It could give teams like the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes or the MLB’s Pittsburgh Pirates a chance to compete based on the amount of the sponsorship deal.  These teams already play in arenas named after the highest bidders and surrounded by advertisements,  they might as well be able to leverage the most appealing marketing area, the team’s jersey. It is seen on live telecasts, in Sportscenter highlights and in photos both in print and online. It gives the advertisers the highest level of exposure and the team can charge a premium for it. Money talks and if it can help a club be sustainable and win additional games I’m all for it.”
• Kevin Pelton, (via Basketball Prospectus):  “It makes sense that the NBA will be the first to experiment with sponsored jerseys. Under Stern, the NBA has always been the most progressive of the three major sports leagues from a business perspective, and quite frankly there are a lot of teams that could use the infusion in cash.”
• Q McCall, Rethinking Basketball:  “I would think that if Stern is publicly endorsing this move for the WNBA, he would do the same for the NBA. I think the biggest issue is whether that would interfere with branding, which is certainly something for a more established league like the NBA to consider. However, as a Bay Area sports fan, I will always call the stadium the Niners play in “Candlestick” and the complex the A’s and Warriors play in “the Coliseum”, no matter what a corporate sponsor tells me to believe. So would I suddenly stop calling my beloved Warriors by their “real” name if they got a corporate sponsor? Of course not.  *Note to Mr. Stern: if adding a corporate sponsor to the Warriors means an associated change in ownership, please make that happen soon.”
• Alex Chambers, 13 Teams 1 Journey:  “Again, as long as the uniforms do not become cluttered, I think could be a good thing.”
• Fat Louie, Women’s Sports Blog:  “The NBA doesn’t need to do anything else that makes it look venal and out of touch with fans.”

4.  What does this mean for the rest of the WNBA?

• Greg Esposito, Fanster.com:  “It is only a matter of time before we see the rest of the league follow. The league supports it and it’s basically covering the Mercury’s salaries. If there are sponsors willing the WNBA and probably the NBADL will be wearing logo cladded uniforms in no time.  “
• Kevin Pelton, (via Basketball Prospectus):  “In time, however, this is sure to blow over. If you put the over-under on when a company will appear on an NBA jersey at five years, I would take the under. And if you put the over-under on when every NBA jersey is sponsored at a decade, I’d be awfully tempted.”"
• Q McCall, Rethinking Basketball:  “The naysayers will say it demonstrates how desperate the WNBA is. However, I see it the opposite way: it demonstrates that the WNBA is more marketable than most of the naysayers give it credit for. We may never know what went into Lifelock’s decision making process, but it’s safe to assume that they are doing this because they actually see some value in leveraging the WNBA brand as a platform for advertising. That’s promising for the WNBA and definitely indicates that the league might have more staying power than “the average lunkhead male” assumes.”
• Alex Chambers, 13 Teams 1 Journey:  “Several teams have reported financial troubles. If this proves to be a success for the Mercury as well as Lifelock, then other major sponsors might step up. With more revenue coming into the league, that could mean growth, longevity and financial stability. Three things that this league, and every professional sports league needs. “
• Fat Louie, Women’s Sports Blog:  “I would hope nothing.  However, I’m not naive enough to think that other teams won’t see it as a precedent.  The WNBA should step in and make a league-wide policy making such decisions unacceptable.”

A big ‘thank you’ goes out to all who participated, and be sure to visit each of their sites via all of the links above - they have a ton of great coverage and content you need to check out - great stuff.

New Jerseys (photo by Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE/Getty Images)

Practice Summary

Even though Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter were in New York for the big announcement, practice went on as usual today and was as intense and competitive as ever.

The reason?  There are 6 players vying for 3 final roster spots.  And this doesn’t count if/when Penny Taylor returns…

As of now, with the waiving of Murriel Page, the players that are competing for the final 3 spots are Brooke Smith, Allie Quigley, Laurie Koehn, Sha Brooks, Shin Oga, and Alison Bales.

I’m not sure what the final decision will be, but through a few sources this seems to be a 4-woman race for the final spots between Shin, Brooke, Allie, and Laurie.  I’m glad I’m not in the position to make that decision as it would be incredibly difficult.

In my opinion, Laurie Koehn shouldn’t be cut - I watched her make 33/35 three-pointers today and 29 of those were in a row.  Unreal.  I’d also say that Shin has, ultimately, outplayed Sha Brooks and I’d expect the Mercury to have a back-up PG for Temeka, even if she doesn’t play very much.  The last spot is a battle between Brooke and Allie and, in my opinion, is a toss up - they are unique players in their own right and you could make a case to keep each one.

LifeLock Thoughts

I caught up with Corey Gaines after practice to get his thoughts on the big announcement.  In typical coach fashion, he was more concerned with Dee and Cap missing practice, but gave them a break this time…”well, of course we’d like to have Cappie and Diana here but they’re doing something important right now, important for the WNBA and they’re only gone for a day so it’ll work out.”

When asked what he thought about the new jerseys, Gaines said, “well I played in Europe for 12 years and one of the teams I played for was named after one of the top furniture places in Italy [America also] and it was just viewed as a normal thing.”

I also caught up with Temeka Johnson to get her thoughts as well.  Temeka had this to say, “LifeLock! Haha! Oh it’s great, I’m happy to be a part of history because that’s what it is.  The league is moving in a new direction, keep the league growing, and it shows respect for the hard work we’ve [the players] been doing.”

Meek brought up a good point - the “respect” factor.  This shows that the league is highly thought of and the goal is to keep it around for as long as possible via these new partnerships.  Growth, stability, and security will come to all teams who follow this path…the Mercury, though, are certainly the guinea pigs of this operation.

Random Notes/Thoughts From Practice

• I asked Corey Gaines if the team made it a point to work on rebounding this week, after he said to reporters after the game Saturday that they had done everything right defensively except the last part (rebound).  “No, not really.
• When asked about getting off to a good start with the majority of games at home, Corey said, “yeah, I think that the basketball Gods came through and this time we got games at home.  But you still gotta win the games.  I think it’s very important.  The year we won the championship we got off to a great start.  I think it [definitely] helps.”
• When asked the same question, Temeka Johnson said, “most definitely, you have to protect your home court.  Any advantage you can get to come out is key. Fans get to see the team, see the draft pick [DeWanna] and keep moving forward.”
• Asked what she thought of Phoenix after being her a few weeks, Temeka said, “I was more impressed with the people as a whole.  You know, we played Phoenix every year and always thought their style of play fit my style of play.  More importantly, the way they embraced and accepted me after playing and winning with Kelly was touching to me.”
• A funny moment occurred when Corey Gaines was describing his Italian professional jerseys having similar logo’s/sponsorships to the LifeLock jersey, but couldn’t remember the name of the city in Italy where he played.  “It’s the Romeo and Juliet city…,” Gaines said before asking Brooke Smith and Tim Kempton to help name off the cities in Italy with professional teams.  “Verona!” Gaines said when Kempton finally named the correct one.  I think it’s fair to say Gaines certainly has more important things to worry about.
• Make sure to check out Denise Romero’s “Behind the Scenes Blog” on PhoenixMercury.com!

Murriel Page (photo by WNBA.com)

The Mercury have waived injured veteran player, Murriel Page today opening up more roster spots for a litany of bench players.

With the league roster being capped at 11 this season, that leaves teams only a small amount of room for their final roster.  As of today, there are about 8 Mercury players that either have a contract for the upcoming year or (through my sources) will make the final cut.  Those are…

• Diana Taurasi
• Cappie Pondexter
• Tangela Smith
• Le’coe Willingham
• Temeka Johnson
• DeWanna Bonner
• Kelly Mazzante
• Nicole Ohlde

That leaves training camp contracts of…

• Brooke Smith
• Laurie Koehn
• Allie Quigley
• Shin Oga
• Alison Bales
• Sha Brooks

I’d assume that Brooke Smith and Allie Quigley will comprise two of those spots after a great training camp, but the final 2 is a toss up.  Do the Mercury keep an inside presence and keep Bales?  Do they go small and keep sharp-shooter Koehn?  How about a back-up PG in Oga or Brooks?

Keep it here for up to the minute updates for breaking roster news.

Ali Bales and Sha Brooks of the Mercury (photo by Barry Gossage)

Game Summary

Again, similar to their win over the Monarchs, the Mercury’s victory tonight was ignited by the bench; only this time, it was more of a defensive onslaught rather than a scoring outburst.

The first half was certainly not as bad as the score would indicate with the Mercury only scoring 34 points.  Ball movement around the perimeter was effective, Temeka Johnson led the break and drove to the basket hard, and passes into the post were often successful.  The Mercury had many open looks from the three-point line as well. The only problem was the Mercury had trouble putting the ball in the basket.

Defensively, the Mercury were doing well with their initial assignments, but they had trouble finishing their trap or final coverages.  Coach Gaines said after the game, “We did everything right, if you saw it, and made them take bad shots but we didn’t defend after the shot was taken and get the ball.  So the whole option was to stop the ball, stop the shot and get a hard shot; we did everything right until the rebounds - that’s how they got all of those offensive rebounds - I think they had 17 [offensive rebounds].”

Despite the several missed layups and easy shots, the game remained close at halftime.  However, in the third quarter, Seattle held the Mercury to only 9 points and led by 12 at one point.  It wasn’t until the bench came in for the Mercury that they began to crawl back into the game.

At the end of the 3rd quarter, Laurie Koehn hit an amazing shot about 3 feet beyond the three-point line to get the crowd back into the game.  In fact, the Storm went scoreless for almost 8 minutes from the 2:12 mark of the 3rd to about the 3:50 mark of the 4th quarter.  I caught up with Laurie after the game to get her thoughts on, once again, coming in and giving the team a spark.  “Well gosh, you know, I’m happy about the two I made but there’s two I missed that I really felt I should make.  That’s what I want to do when I come in, be that instant offense and if nothing else be a decoy for other people getting shots but obviously if I see daylight I am going to shoot it.”

Even though the Mercury didn’t put on an amazing scoring outburst like they are known for, they made their free throws and shots when it counted and pulled away in the final seconds - again through defense. The Mercury still had 14 assists on their 22 made shots, with 6 of them coming from Cappie Pondexter.

Coach Gaines (Photo by Barry Gossage)

All in all, it was a good win despite some of the Mercury’s deficiencies that Gaines will address in the next week.  Most importantly, they gave the crowd some excitement to kick off their games at U.S. Airways Center.  Just how important is it to win at home?  I caught up with Cappie Pondexter after the game and she had this to say, “We have to take care of home court and win our games here.  Two years ago we won the championship and had home court advantage so it’s very important.”

Player Summary

Diana Taurasi:  6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists in 16 minutes.  Dee played well when she was in but looked like she had a bad cramp in her thigh towards in the 2nd half and Gaines wasn’t about to risk anything with it being a preseason game.

Cappie Pondexter:  5 points, 6 assists in 20 minutes.  Again, Cappie and Dee were certainly not going at 100% with both playing less than 20 minutes and both never were in long enough to get a rhythm going.  However, Cappie was a great distributor during her time in the game notching those 6 assists with the majority in the first half.

Tangela Smith:  Tangela was a bit outmatched in the post and had 3 turnovers with only 1 made shot.  The three shots she missed were within 8 feet from the basket where she is usually automatic.  Again, don’t read too much into this as she only played about 18 minutes as well.

Le’coe Willingham:  Le’coe only played about 12 minutes and her main mission was to be the rock defensively.  As Gaines said above, they did everything right defensively except the rebounding.  Le’coe will need to be more of a force in the paint and make sure to get those long rebounds off missed shots.

Temeka Johnson:  Believe it or not, Temeka was the only Mercury player in double figures with 13 points and shot 50% from the field.  She also distributed the ball nicely and should’ve tallied about 5-8 more assists had the Mercury been able to convert.  Unlike Kelly Miller, Temeka was really able to drive the lane and cause the defense to collapse so she could kick it out to open players.  They’ll make more shots next Saturday no doubt.

Kelly Mazzante:  Mazz came in and hit a couple shots to fuel the Mercury comeback in the third and start of the fourth.  She played about 15 minutes and was more active on the defensive end than the offensive end.

DeWanna Bonner:  DeWanna still didn’t look like she was fully recovered from her injured side when she took a hard charge a few days back.  However, DB still tallied 4 rebounds and a steal in her 17 minutes, despite not being able to convert down low.

Alison Bales:  Ali had a great game and sealed the deal with a steal in the last 5 seconds.  She was a team high +17 even though her stat line didn’t necessarily stand out.

Allie Quigley:  ‘Q’ only played 8 minutes and wasn’t as much of a factor as she was in the Sacramento game.  She did manage to hit a three-pointer in what little she played.

Brooke Smith:  Brooke was stellar tonight.  She grabbed a team high 6 rebounds (3 offensive) in her 16 minutes and the Mercury needed every single one of those, especially for the second chance points offensively.

Shin Oga:  Shin took better care of the ball tonight (only 2 turnovers) and was a good facilitator offensively taking charge of the team’s offensive sets and doing her best to be active defensively.

Sha Brooks:  Sha played as well as I’ve seen over the past couple weeks with 6 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 turnovers  in only 10 minutes.  She aslo hit 2 big free-throws to keep the Mercury ahead by 3 points with just seconds left.

Laurie Koehn:  Again, Laurie came in and hit those 2 three-pointers that got the crowd back into the game and helped inspire the Mercury.  Though, as a typical shooter will tell you, she’s focused on the ones she missed rather than the ones she made; even though they helped keep the Mercury alive.

The Storm Visit Phoenix Tonight (photo by SI.com)

Random Notes

• PhoenixMercury.com may be on lock down until Monday morning for a big announcement, but Fanster’s Mercury Community is alive and well!  We’ll be at the game live tonight and providing updates for those who want them - I’ll either be updating a live blog here or be Tweeting them (@bjyork).

• Tonight marks the first home preseason game and the last game before the regular season tips off at home on June 5th. I wouldn’t read too much into this game as both coaches ultimate goal is to get their players off the court and healthy heading into the first game next week.

Storm Notes

• For the Storm, they will be without Lauren Jackson (at a teammates wedding) and will probably not start Sue Bird (again, keeping with the ‘healthy’ theme). Last season, with Jackson being out several games and Swin Cash missing a lot of time, Bird upped her scoring attack along with leading the league in assists.

• We probably will see Bird be more of a facilitator tonight to try and get her teammates involved, in spite of Jackson being out.
• Make sure to visit StormBasketball.com for updates from Seattle Storm beat writer, Kevin Pelton.

Mercury Notes

• In talking with Corey Gaines yesterday, he affirmed that his main wish is just for the ladies to play hard, keep the game up-tempo, and get everyone out healthy.  This game will mean more more the players on the bubble of making the final roster cut (June 5th) and they’ll want to have a great showing in order to make their case to fulfill a roster spot.

Laurie Koehn (Photo by WNBA.com)

Player Spotlight: Laurie Koehn

I caught up with Mercury guard, Laurie Koehn, after practice today to talk with her about life in Arizona so far, the team’s overall thoughts on their play so far, any goals she has for the game tonight, and how great it must feel to get so many open shots with opposing defenses focusing on Diana and Cappie.  For those that don’t know how good a shooter Laurie is, she is the NCAA’s all-time career three-point leader with 392 made three’s at Kansas State and she has a WNBA average of 45% from beyond the arc.  Unbelievable.

Me:  After being in Phoenix for a few weeks, how has the adjustment been?

Laurie:  “Well, it’s definitely hotter than I’m used to!  But I love Phoenix.  I’ve really enjoyed my time here so far and get along really well with everyone.

Me:  I’ve talked to a few players and it really seems there is a happy, positive attitude surrounding the team - is that your sentiment as well?

Laurie:  “For sure.  Everyone gets along so well with each other and myself being new, it’s been great to have everyone be so welcoming and supportive.”

Me:  Any personal goals for the game tonight?

Laurie:  “Not specifically, just to come in and provide a spark.  Being a shooter, that’s my thing, I want to come in a make every shot I take to help my teammates.  It’s just a matter of taking what is given to you and playing hard.”

Me:  How great is it, as a shooter, to have so many open shots with defenses focusing on Cappie and Diana?

Laurie:  “Oh, it’s amazing; they’re all really good passers too.  Cappie is a great passer and playing with Temeka Johnson just opens up so much for the entire offense.  My job is to make shots as a shooter and that’s what I’m focused on along with helping the team. Of course, playing with Diana is great and I’m just excited to go out there and do my best.”

Quigley Already Proving Her Value Off the Bench (Photo by Josh Greene/PhoenixMercury.com)

After their first official preseason game in Sacramento Wednesday, and scrimmages in Las Vegas against the Monarchs and Storm yesterday, the Mercury continue to gain confidence in themselves and their mission - championship.

On Wednesday against the Monarchs, Allie Quigley was the spark that ignited the Mercury in the 2nd half and only missed 2 shots the entire game.  More than that, she really came in and provided that boost the Mercury sorely needed.  I asked Allie how important it was for her and the team to get off to a fast start, both in preseason and the start of the regular season.  “Obviously, the first preseason game isn’t going to be perfect,” Allie said, “but I think we came in and worked out a lot of kinks and I think we are going to get better each game.”

Quigley certainly didn’t show many kinks (if any) against Sacramento; she did little bit of everything to help get the Mercury back into the game.  In addition to her scoring burst of 15 points (and three 3’s), ‘Q’ had 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal and was a team high +7  in the +/- category.  I asked Allie if that’s a role she sees herself playing more this year, being the go-to scorer if Diana and Cappie are having off nights. “Well, not necessarily scoring,” Allie said, “but I think all of us on the bench want to come in with energy and just provide anything that’s going to give support to them whether it’s rebounding, offensive rebounding, defense, steals - just be energized out there and if you make shots, you make shots.”

That’s the kind of confidence the entire team has.  As I’ve said before, there is an aura surrounding this Mercury squad that is difficult to explain or describe in words.  Rather, it’s just an excitement and good feeling that permeates throughout the entire team.  I asked Allie if she has noticed the same thing so far. “Yeah for sure,” Allie said with a smile, “I think we’ve all gelled right away and it’s only been a couple weeks and we’re getting along really well both on and off the court.  So, that helps and we’re just ready to get this thing rolling!”

This upbeat feeling and outlook all starts at the top with head coach Corey Gaines.  Always positive and encouraging, Gaines makes sure to focus first on what the players did right, then help guide them through where they need to improve.  Even though the Mercury won their scrimmages and showed signs of greatness, Gaines sees room for improvement.  “Well, they were a little sloppy but we kind of cleaned those things up in our [Vegas] scrimmages.  We had 22 turnovers in the first game [Sacramento] and only 9 in the second so that’s a big improvement.” Besides Quigley, the star of the game against Sacramento was rookie DeWanna Bonner with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals while also getting to the foul line 4 times. Bonner is already impressing her teammates with her versatility and proving to be an effective weapon for coach Gaines.  “She played great,” Gaines said, “she took a big charge and got hit a little bit and she’s a little sore so we limited her in practice today because I want her for the game tomorrow!”

The Mercury take on the Seattle Storm in their first home preseason game tomorrow and coach Gaines has several things he’s looking for.  “You know, we want the pace to be up-tempo.  We want to cut the turnovers down again, work on our defense, work on our zone and get everybody out injury free.”

That’s the x-factor for the Mercury this year - keeping everyone healthy.  If they can do that, there aren’t going to be many teams that can beat them.

Allie Quigley (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

After a tough start to the game which found the Mercury down by double digits, the team rallied in the 2nd half fueled by a stellar third quarter defensively.

Though Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter didn’t have the best shooting nights (a combined 5-16 from the field), it was their leadership and defense which ultimately led the Mercury to coming back and beating the Monarchs.  After being down 40-32 at the half, the Mercury stormed out of the gates from the start of the 3rd quarter, looked much more active defensively, and held the Monarchs to only 8 points in the entire third quarter.

Each team had difficulties taking care of the ball (22 turnover’s each) and relied largely on scoring run’s to cut into leads.  In fact, the Mercury had a 8 point advantage with just a few minutes left in the game only to see the Monarchs rally to within 4 with only 17 seconds left in the game.

Rookie DeWanna Bonner had an impressive debut with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals.  However, the star of the game was Allie Quigley with 15 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and a steal while shooting 6-8 and hitting all three of her three pointers.  The Mercury still managed to score 74 points in spite of, by their standards, sub-par shooting finishing 39% from the floor and only 25% from beyond the arc.  However, with this being the firs preseason game, it’s to be expected and I would be they come out firing at home Saturday night against Lauren Jackson and the Storm.

Monarchs/Mercury Box Score, from WNBA.com

			Field Goals			Rebounds
	pos	min	fgm-a	3pm-a	ftm-a	off	def	tot	ast	pf	st	to	bs	pts
D. Walker	F	18:18	2-9	0-0	0-0	0	2	2	0	4	1	5	0	4
N. Powell	F	14:41	2-6	1-3	0-0	1	3	4	0	1	1	0	1	5
L. Harper	C	21:03	4-7	0-0	3-5	4	5	9	1	3	1	2	0	11
T. Penicheiro	G	17:10	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	4	4	3	1	1	3	0	0
S. Robinson	G	12:19	1-5	0-0	2-3	1	0	1	1	0	2	0	0	4
W. Boddie		20:48	2-5	0-1	0-0	0	1	1	1	3	4	3	0	4
C. Kelly		20:04	3-3	0-0	3-6	2	4	6	0	3	0	0	0	9
C. Paris		16:13	4-9	0-0	2-4	2	1	3	1	1	2	2	0	10
H. Maiga		13:58	3-5	0-0	0-0	1	0	1	0	1	1	2	1	6
L. Miao		12:44	2-5	0-1	3-4	1	1	2	0	1	1	2	0	7
M. Warburton		12:50	4-8	1-1	0-0	0	1	1	1	0	1	1	0	9
C. Allen		10:29	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0
C. Newton		09:23	0-3	0-1	1-2	2	1	3	2	1	0	2	0	1
K. Lawson		00:00	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
R. Brunson		00:00	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
B. Farris		00:00	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
A. Williams		00:00	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total		200	27-65	2-7	14-24	14	24	38	10	19	15	22	3	70
						Team Rebs: 15				Total TO: 26

			Field Goals			Rebounds
	pos	min	fgm-a	3pm-a	ftm-a	off	def	tot	ast	pf	st	to	bs	pts
L. Willingham	F	13:46	1-4	0-0	0-1	0	2	2	1	2	0	1	1	2
C. Pondexter	F	17:19	4-8	0-3	1-1	1	1	2	3	1	0	2	0	9
T. Smith	C	15:36	4-5	0-1	1-2	2	3	5	0	1	0	2	2	9
D. Taurasi	G	16:51	1-8	0-4	2-2	0	2	2	1	3	0	1	0	4
T. Johnson	G	18:47	1-4	0-1	0-0	1	1	2	2	0	0	4	0	2
B. Smith		22:06	3-6	0-0	3-4	0	6	6	1	5	0	2	2	9
A. Quigley		18:42	6-8	3-3	0-1	3	0	3	4	2	1	2	0	15
D. Bonner		18:32	3-7	0-2	4-4	2	4	6	0	3	2	0	0	10
L. Koehn		13:59	3-7	3-7	0-0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	9
K. Mazzante		13:09	1-6	1-5	0-0	1	1	2	1	1	1	2	0	3
Y. Oga		11:13	0-2	0-1	0-0	0	1	1	3	0	0	4	0	0
A. Bales		10:00	0-1	0-0	2-2	1	1	2	0	3	0	0	1	2
S. Brooks		10:00	0-2	0-1	0-2	1	2	3	1	0	1	1	0	0
N. Ohlde		00:00	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
M. Page		00:00	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total		200	27-68	7-28	13-19	12	24	36	17	23	5	22	6	74