Checking in on Indiana: Catchings to play
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posted by Jayda Evans: Womens Hoops Blog Jayda Evans covers college and pro women's basketball. While its her first year on the Washington beat, she has covered the Storm since its inception. She'll offer observations, critiques, occasional off-beat tales and answers to select e-mail inquires. Evans also has written a book on the Storm and women's hoops, called "Game On!" |
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With its franchise in limbo, a 0-2 start with an injury to star forward Tamika Catchings (pictured right) is not the way the Indiana Fever wanted to open the season. The loses were in overtime to Atlanta on the road and at home to Minnesota.
Things don't get easier as Seattle (2-0) travels to Conseco Fieldhouse for a matchup at 4 p.m. PST on Tuesday on ESPN2. But, after suffering a right quadriceps injury and missing the second half on Sunday, Indiana reports that Catchings will start on Tuesday.
The Fever is looking to have a strong run this season after ownership said it was giving the team one season to show improvement or it may have to the Fever up for sale. The NBA Pacers and arena are losing money, too, in the tough economy. WNBA president Donna Orender is expected to attend the WNBA game and it'll surely be one of the topics addressed.
On the court, there will be plenty of connections to Seattle from Yolanda Griffith, who played 30 games with the Storm last season, to rookie Briann January, a Spokane native. She's replacing veteran Tully Bevilaqua at the point guard position. Bevilaqua was a backup PG for the Storm's 2004 championship team.
"She calls me July," January said of Bevilaqua. "Basically every month but January. You get your laughs every day. With Coach [Lin] Dunn, she's sarcastic and witty. She's a hoot and makes it fun. You might mess up and she's coming after you, but she's going to giggle afterwards. She's like Charli [Turner Thorne at Arizona State] in a sense, so it has been easy to make the transition."
Dunn was the Storm's inaugural coach.
On Seattle's side, the team traveled all day, so the health of PG Shannon Johnson is unknown. She suffered a sprained left knee in the third quarter of Saturday's season-opening win and started on Sunday, but is taking it day-by-day.
View Original Post at seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/womenshoopsblog/index.html
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