Mid-week WNBA Training Camp Updates, Coverage Roundup
Team training camps for the 2011 WNBA season began at the beginning of the week. So far two teams have made moves to tighten rosters in anticipation of the June 2 deadline to begin the season with just 11 players. Teams are allowed to have 15 players in camp. The season tips off on June 3.
May 18
The Indiana Fever waived free agent center Aisha Mohammed
May 17
The Seattle Storm waived Aneika Henry and Breanna Salley
The Washington Mystics waived Sequoia Holmes and Maurita Reid
Pre-camp trades, adds and cuts
April 30
The Tulsa Shock signed Darxia Morris to a training camp contract
May 1
The Indiana Fever waived Jori Davis
The Washington Mystics waived Bernice Mosby
May 2
The Tulsa Shock traded Scholanda Robinson to the San Antonio Silver Stars in exchange for San Antonio’s second and third round draft picks in 2012
May 3
The Tulsa Shock signed Betty Lennox
May 5
The Indiana Fever waived Joy Cheek
May 12
Tulsa’s Nicole Ohlde announced her retirement from the WNBA
The Minnesota Lynx waived Hamchétou Maïga-Ba
Travel delays
Australian phenom and second-round draft pick Liz Cambage experienced travel delays due to a visa issue and did not make the beginning of the Tulsa Shock’s camp. According to her Twitter account, she is expected to arrive at the end of the week.
Who is missing?
Tulsa’s Chante Black is not in camp as she rehabs from an injury. San Antonio’s Chamique Holdsclaw is also not in camp. She is still recovering from surgery to repair a torn Achilles.
Preseason games on tap and season local broadcast schedules
Several teams announced local broadcast schedules including the Minnesota Lynx, Los Angeles Sparks and the Seattle Storm.
Fox Sports North will televise Lynx games for the 13th-consecutive year . Six games will be on the network while BOB 106 will carry all 34 of the team’s games on radio. This will be the sixth-straight season that BOB 106 has aired Lynx games. For TV, Marney Gellner and Lea B. Olsen will team up on the broadcasts for the second consecutive season. Alan Horton enters his fourth year calling games for the Lynx on the radio.
Eight Sparks games will be telecast on local broadcast partner PRIME TICKET including the Friday, June 3 season opener vs. the Minnesota Lynx which will also air nationally on NBA TV. Larry Burnett returns for the 14th season as the play-by-play analyst. He will be joined by color analyst Krista Blunk.
The Seattle Storm introduced a new radio partner, KPTK 1090. The station will air every Storm game, partner with CBS radio and has promised a stronger radio signal for Seattle residents. Dick Fain and Adia Barnes will remain as the radio and TV broadcast team. Five Storm games will be televised on KONG-TV:
- Friday, June 24 vs. Minnesota
- Saturday, July 9 vs. Los Angeles
- Saturday, Aug. 13 vs. Atlanta
- Friday, Sept. 9 vs. Phoenix
- Sunday, Sept. 11 vs. Chicago
The Seattle Storm also rolled out a TV spot to promote their season:
As in previous years, the majority WNBA of games will be streamed on WNBA LiveAccess. (Full WNBA national broadcast schedule)
The preseason schedule:
| May | Game | Time (EST) | National TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 19 | China National Team @ Connecticut Preseason | 7:00pm | |
| Mon 23 | China National Team @ Chicago Preseason | 12:30pm | |
| Tue 24 | Indiana @ Minnesota Preseason | 1:00pm | |
| Japan Women @ Phoenix Preseason | 10:00pm | ||
| Wed 25 | Washington @ New York Preseason | 10:30am | |
| Seattle @ Los Angeles Preseason | 3:00pm | ||
| San Antonio @ Connecticut Preseason | 7:00pm | ||
| Thu 26 | Chicago @ Washington Preseason | 11:30am | |
| Fri 27 | China National Team @ New York Preseason | 7:00pm | |
| San Antonio @ Connecticut Preseason | 7:00pm | ||
| Sat 28 | Phoenix @ Los Angeles Preseason | 9:00pm | |
| Sun 29 | Atlanta @ Britain Women Preseason | 12:00pm | NBA TV |
| Tulsa @ Seattle Preseason | 5:00pm | ||
| Tue 31 | Minnesota @ Indiana Preseason | 7:00pm |
Tweet a leet a leet
WNBA players on Twitter have been talking about training camp since practices begain on Sunday, May 15 and preparing for media days – from the veterans to the newcomers. Players and teams have also been posting pics on Twitter photo services:
The Chicago Sky’s Tamera Young and Shameka Christion in a photo posted by @wnbachicagosky.
Player Twitter Stream
Marketing Moves
The league picked up a new marketing partner. Monday the WNBA announced that Hotel Indigo became the official hotel partner of the league. The boutique chain has over 30 properties around the U.S and Canada. Hotel Indigo will be the participating partner in the league’s Sixth Annual Inspiring Women Luncheon on May 24 in New York when veteran journalist Katie Couric receives the 2011 WNBA Inspiration Award.
Around the Web
- Determination drives Ward back to Tulsa Shock tryouts – Tulsa World (May 18)
- For Sky, playoff run starts before first game is played – Chicago Daily Herald (May 18)
- Storm core together at training camp, ready for title defense – Seattle Times (May 18)
- A new dawn, a new day for Sun players and hopefuls – New London Day (May 17)
- Pictures: Connecticut Sun Media Day – Hartford Courant (May 17)
- Shock’s Kayla Pedersen likened to Larry Bird – Tulsa World (May 17)
- Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury open camp refreshed – Arizona Republic (May 17)
- Silver Stars sign Clark – San Antonio Express News (May 17)
- Sun’s Kalana Greene adjusting to WNBA – Norwich Bulletin (May 17)
- WNBA Connecticut Sun media day – Norwich Bulletin (May 17)
- Sun players not up to speed after busy offseason – Norwich Bulletin (May 17)
- 6-foot-5 Jacinta Monroe could add size to Storm bench – Seattle Times (May 17)
- Familiar Faces As Sun Prepare To Open WNBA Season – Hartford Courant (May 17)
- Storm’s Jackson looks ahead to 2012 Olympics – Seattle Post-Intelligencer (May 16)
- Connecticut Sun Media Day Marks Start Of Season – Hartford Courant (May 16)
- Lynx training camp roster – Minneapolis Star Tribune (May 16)
- Sheryl Swoopes’ comeback under way as Shock starts training camp – Tulsa World (May 16)
- Healthy Lynx hit the floor for camp – Minneapolis Star Tribune (May 16)
- Silver Stars’ Appel a happy camper – San Antonio Express News (May 16)
- Fever roster features bigger players – Indianapolis Star (May 16)
- Breanna Salley hopes to don Storm jersey – Seattle Times (May 16)
- New-look Washington Mystics begin training camp – Washington Post (May 16)
- Hamline, St. Thomas set for baseball final – Minneapolis Star Tribune (May 15)
- Fever roster features bigger players – Indianapolis Star (May 15)
- Storm is gearing up for another title run – Seattle Times (May 15)
