One season ago, the Indiana Fever fell one game short of winning the WNBA Title. Lin Dunn welcomes most of the key contributors back for 2010, only they aren’t back just yet.
“What’s that old saying, you don’t worry about things you cannot control? Eight or nine of our top players are still overseas. The good news is they’re still winning and they’re on the top teams,” added Dunn.
The 2010 roster currently lists 20 players, but the Fever will only be able to keep 11 players (a change implemented last year) and the salary cap has been cut. Many of the spots are pretty much guaranteed to go to players who have been on the team before (many of whom are currently competing in the playoffs overseas)
“We’ve got eight players here and it’s created an opportunity for them to compete for the spots that we do have,” said Lin Dunn following the teams first practice at Conseco Fieldhouse Monday.
And whenever Coach Dunn gets all over her players back, there is little doubt the Fever will be one of the top teams in the WNBA. The roster includes perennial all-stars Tamika Catchings and Katie Douglas along with established veterans Ebony Hoffman, Tammy Sutton-Brown, and Tully Bevilaqua.
With such a veteran team, there is a small sense of urgency to finish the job this season.
“I think one of the things we wanted to do was not tinker too much with a team that had a great season,” said a confident coach Dunn. “Overall we wanted to keep the same team chemistry because it was so good.”
According to Fever media relations director Kevin Messenger’s blog, Michelle Campbell and Briann January should report to camp within the next week. Jennifer Risper and Christina Wirth will likely arrive sometime next weekend, and Tully Bevilaqua and Jessica Moore likely to participate early in the first week of May.
While the Fever may not be a well-oiled machine in the first month of the season, fans should have confidence they’ll be able to make another deep run in the WNBA Playoffs.
according to fox59.com
