The IP Tenth Anniversary All-WNBA Team
Monday 30 January 2006
It's the tenth anniversary year of the WNBA and there will be all sorts of celebratory things going on. Amongst other things, there will be most likely an official "WNBA Tenth Anniversary team". I thought I would kick off proceedings by posting my own tenth anniversary team.
There will be ten members on the IP Tenth Anniversary WNBA team and six honourable mentions (there was only going to be five originally but I felt I had to include six in the end). The criteria considered are:
* Tenure in the WNBA and there is a bias toward players who have been there from the beginning or close to it (sorry ex-ABL players but this is the Tenth Anniversary *WNBA* team and ABL achievements don't mean anything in this context). In the IP Tenth Anniversary team, there are seven players who played in the inaugural season in 1997 and another two who were drafted in 1998 and 1999 respectively. Only one was drafted this decade.
* Team success. Note that all ten members of the team have at least been to the WNBA finals once.
* Individual success: especially MVP awards; all-WNBA selections; and consistent strong individual performances (and not just point scoring/offensive stats).
Here is the team, in alphabetical order (by surname):
Janeth Arcain
Very much underappreciated, I don't think Comets would have had their four championship dynasty without having Arcain to fill the gaps. Arcain never got the chance to really shine on the Comets because she was stuck behind the best 2/3 combo ever but she filled whatever the role the Comets needed her to play (starting wing in first season, utility player for the next two and starting POINT guard in 2000) and she showed a glimpse of her real prowess in 2001, where she won Most Improved Player and a All-WNBA first team selection.
Cynthia Cooper
Plucked from reasonable obscurity (she was on Cheryl Miller's USC teams, was a star in Europe but relatively unknown in the US at the dawn of the WNBA), Cynthia Cooper is probably the best offensive player in WNBA history. A key component of the Houston Comets' four championship dynasty; the way she could drive, shoot, create for others and carry her team to victory still amazes me to this very day.
Yolanda Griffith
Griffith immediately made a splash when she entered the league in 1999 with a strong MVP season and she played a strong part in transforming the Monarchs from bottom dwellers to contenders. Renowned for her rebounding, energy and physicality; Griffith's loyalty (despite nearly being traded at the start of 2005) and consistent hard work over the years paid off with a WNBA title in 2005.
Lauren Jackson
Garnering a lot of hype before she was drafted in 2001, LJ had a couple of tough seasons but suddenly blossomed under the tutelage of Anne Donovan in 2003, which culminated in her winning MVP that year. Since then, she's been one of the most consistent players in the WNBA (even when carrying serious leg injuries) and led the Storm to an unlikely WNBA Championship in 2004. LJ is only going to get better and considering she's only 25 this year, she has a lot of time to garner more awards and championships.
Lisa Leslie
Love her or hate her, Lisa Leslie is the finest pure post player to ever grace this league. She has a veritable collection of post moves that make defenders look silly and she's also got a good face-up game, is a great defender and rebounder and is also a fine post passer. She has two MVP awards and championships and has been a great promoter of the league over the years.
Ticha Penicheiro
Penicheiro was drafted by Sacramento in 1998 and joined a team that had a good scorer in Ruthie Bolton, but didn't have much else. She helped transform a Monarchs team from bottom feeders into regular contenders. Penicheiro has dazzled many with her ball-handling and court vision over the years and is currently the career leader in assists in the WNBA. She's always been deficient in the scoring department but makes up for it elsewhere with a superb floor game and played a strong part in the Monarchs' title run in 2005.
Andrea Stinson
When talking about WNBA league legends, Andrea Stinson is frequently overlooked but I think she deserves to be honoured here. Stinson was well known for her exciting open court play, acrobatic moves off the dribble and was a stalwart for the Charlotte Sting for many years. She played a strong part in the Sting's remarkable run in 2001 where they went from 1-10 to the WNBA Finals and helped the Sting to five playoff appearances in six years before their great decline in 2003.
Sheryl Swoopes
To me, "Her Majesty" is the greatest player in the WNBA's history so far. Swimming in numerous championships (4) and individual awards (3 MVPs, 3 DPOTYs, numerous all-WNBA selections), the thing I adore about Sheryl is the grace that she plays with and the way she'd use her quickness to dominate opponents, whether it's with her first step, tough on-ball defence or the effortless steal and easy layup. Her re-emergence as a force in 2005 after a tough 2004 is a definite highlight.
Tina Thompson
The inaugural #1 pick of the WNBA draft, Thompson has been a consistent presence in the lists of All-WNBA teams over the years and is well known for her strong post D and versatile offensive game. Out of all the Comets stars over the years, I'd say Thompson has had to the work the hardest, especially since she's had to constantly deal with the post monsters of the Western Conference with her comparatively small size. And she's so good at stopping or limiting them.
Teresa Weatherspoon
A strong part of New York's early dominance of the Eastern Conference, Weatherspoon helped lead New York to four WNBA Finals appearances in six years. "T-Spoon" was well known for her court smarts, floor leadership, passion on and off the court and, of course, her defence (she won the first two DPOTYs).
Honourable mentions
Sue Bird
There's been a lot of griping about this but it's an impressive record nevertheless: four years in the league, four 1st All-WNBA team selections. I agree that she may not have deserved all of them but it doesn't change the fact that Sue Bird is a great point guard. She's quite unique for a point guard with her combination of pure shooting (I don't think there's any other point guard in the WNBA who can shoot at that level) and strong floor leadership. Bird made a brave return from a broken nose in 2004, to help Seattle to their championship that year.
Tamika Catchings
The quality of Catchings was evident from the beginning with her strong contention for MVP in her rookie season. Catchings is one of the most versatile players in the league (can legitimately play the 2, 3 or 4) and is relentless at both ends of the court and has also developed a reputation for being one of the classiest and most generous players off the court.
Jennifer Gillom
It's too bad the WNBA only saw Gillom in her twilight years. Gillom is best remembered for an outstanding season in 1998, where she had an outstanding individual season and led Phoenix to the verge of knocking off a very strong Comets team in the WNBA finals. This was the closest a team had come to knocking off the Comets in the Comets dynastic era.
Chamique Holdsclaw
Holdsclaw has developed a bit of an infamous reputation over the years, mainly due to the dodgy regime at Washington and her injury/health problems but I think this is a bit unfair on her. She has put up great numbers consistently over the years and has worked hard wherever she's played and is one of those great players who just hasn't found the right situation yet.
Vickie Johnson
VJ is the main reason why I felt I had to include six honourable mentions. She's been there from day one in the league and despite not garnering any attention from the league awards cabal, she's always there working and putting in 100% effort at both ends of the court. She is a great perimeter defender, good scorer and passer and a player the Libs could always count on.
Katie Smith
Katie Smith is another unlucky one: she's put up great numbers over the years (including a WNBA single season record in scoring average - 23.1) but has been stuck with one time or another, mediocre coaches and/or mediocre talent around her in a team that's been struggling to get good support (but is getting better). Smith is renowned for her sharp shooting but has a great all-court game (including very underrated D). Maybe she'll find greater success in her new WNBA home at Detroit.
Next up to celebrate 10 years of the WNBA: an all-Old School team to celebrate those players who had an impact on the early WNBA (obviously to honour those not mentioned in the above list).
Comments
well spoon didnt make it and i was pissed she was robbed by bird shes still on the all decade team in my eyes
Posted by: mary | Tuesday 05 September 2006