With Mother's Day yesterday, you should be forgiven if you missed some of the major WNBA news (as I did).
We'll help you catch up with links that contained some of the more interesting tidbits of information, but feel free to add your own links in the comments.
- Jayda Evans of the Seattle Times reports that rookie Shekinna Stricklen's focus on defense and hustle throughout training camp paid off in the Seattle Storm's 61-60 win over the Los Angeles Sparks yesterday. Stricklen scored a team-high 15 points, but it was hustle at the end that sealed the game for the Storm. Read more >>>
- Evans of the Seattle Times also reported that the Seattle Storm cut centers Ashley Gayle and Lindsay Taylor after yesterday's win. The roster currently stands at 14 players, but the decision of who to cut is complicated by point guard Silvia Dominguez's visa issues and the prospect of signing veteran guard Svetlana Abrosimova. Read more >>>
- Mark Remme of MinnesotaLynx.com reports that Lynx forward Amber Harris will be out 2-3 weeks after suffering a sprained left ankle on Thursday in Connecticut. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve suggested that rookie Devereaux Peters might now see a little more early season time than expected in saying, "It doesn’t really change anything except maybe the person who was the fifth post is now the fourth post." Read more >>>
- Kevin Henry of the Tulsa World recapped the Tulsa Shock's 86-60 preseason win over the Seattle Storm, who committed 35 turnovers without the services of guards Sue Bird and Tanisha Wright. Shock coach Gary Kloppenburg suggests that kind of defensive pressure is what this year's team is built for. Read more >>>
- Patricia Babcock McGraw of the Daily Herald wrote about the expected impact of Ticha Penicheiro on the Chicago Sky this season after the veteran point guard's decision to put retiring off for at least one more season. After leading the league in turnovers in 2011, Penicheiro is expected to have a steadying impact on and off the court. Read more >>>
- Marc Allard of the Norwich Bulletin wrote an in-depth feature on 6'3" forward Mistie Mims, who is making a return to the WNBA with the Connecticut Sun after taking a year off due to disenchantment with the league. Receiving a two-year guaranteed contract from the Sun helped persuade her to return. Read more >>>
- Stephen Litel of Slam Online reports that the Minnesota Lynx have already moved on from the excitement of last year's title and guard Seimone Augustus has even found motivation for the 2012 season: "We weren’t the top offensive team last year. We were second in offensive production..." The Phoenix Mercury were first with an offensive rating of 109. Read more >>>
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Fox Sports did a feature on Lynx 2012 first round draft pick Damiris Dantas do Amaral, who is already being heralded as the future of Brazilian basketball at age 19. Former WNBA player Janeth Arcain says that what impresses her most about Dantas is her calm demeanor at such a young age. Read more (via Google Translate) >>>
- The AP reports that the New York Liberty's season opener has been moved to Madison Square Garden from the Prudential Center due to Game 3 of the NHL playoff series between the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers. Read more >>>
- The AP reports that the L.A. Sparks have moved their home opener from May 20 to May 22 due to both NBA and NHL playoff games. Read more >>>
- Meri-Jo Borzilleri of espnW got Geno Auriemma's opinion on the U.S. women's team committing 21 turnovers to just 16 assists in their big 100-62 win over China: "You have an all-star team with the best players in America, so they all want to prove that they're unselfish. So instead of taking a wide-open shot, they throw a stupid pass. That's what most of the turnovers were tonight." Read more >>>
- Todd Dybas of Sportspress Northwest writes that the U.S. women's basketball team is, "the deepest, most talented and top-ranked women's team on the planet." Asked whether that's bad for women's basketball, Diana Taurasi expressed some measure of displeasure with the question. Read more >>>
- Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times writes about the heightened value of the Olympic gold medal in women's basketball relative to men's basketball. Brewer writes that, "It's refreshing, and it's laudable because most of these women have their loyalty divided three ways: national team, WNBA team and overseas team." Read more >>>
- Evans of the Seattle Times writes that U.S. women's basketball team coach Geno Auriemma has challenged the players to show why they're on the national team every game they play in the WNBA. Evans suggests that the most pressure is on Fowles, the 6'6" Chicago Sky center who has yet to lead her team to the WNBA playoffs. Read more >>>
As usual, feel free to add any additional links that you found interesting in the comments.