The Olympic Break is upon us, and we’ve got plenty to chew on regarding the season over the next month. With plenty of time to kill, here’s a little something you might enjoy: a review and grade of every player’s performance thus far this season.
Allison Bales: B-
The trade for Bales earlier this month has easily been Marynell Meadors’s best move as GM. Bales’s mere presence, coupled with her shot blocking and rebounding ability, has helped to transform this team in the post. Now the Dream have a legit long-term piece to point to at the center position. However, she needs to work on her finishing around the basket. You can’t be shooting under 40 percent when you’re that size (6-7, 220).
Behind the Scenes: Don’t worry about any rift between Bales and Ivory Latta after the monster screen she set on Ivory in college, the two were already laughing about it together in the locker room after Bales’s first game in Atlanta
Iziane Castro Marques: D
“Izzy” is one of the few players on the team that has already proven she can play in the WNBA. Unfortunately, she has suffered through her worst year as a pro, shooting unusually low percentages from the perimeter and struggling to get into a flow offensively. She’s a skilled player, but she may not fit well with this team.
Behind the Scenes: Meadors admitted to me earlier in the season that Izzy was having a tough time jelling with the team on the floor, especially after she spent much of the early part of the year with Brazil during Olympic Qualifying. However, Meadors is definitely a big fan of her game.
Erika DeSouza: B+
DeSouza has been a revelation this season. After struggling to break into the league (she played sparingly in L.A. in 2002 and was a backup in Connecticut last year) for many years, she may have found a home in Atlanta, as she’s shown the ability to score efficiently and snatch every rebound in sight. Nothing was more detrimental to the Dream’s season than DeSouza’s leg injury in late May. She came back and looked fine at first, but according to reports she re-injured the leg on Sunday against New York. I think she could have a breakout season next year when she’s back to 100 percent, and it would certainly be in the best interests of the Dream to keep her around.
Katie Feenstra: D
The Dream expected this to be a much better year for Feenstra. Why else would they have dealt fellow center Ann Wauters to San Antonio before the season began? But Katie just doesn’t seem to have it. Despite her size, she lacks a lot of important skills. She’s averaging close to two turnovers in just 14 minutes per game, gets taken advantage of on the defensive end (2.9 fouls a game), and she has completely lost confidence on the offensive end. Her performance is a big reason that the Dream went out and got Allison Bales and Kasha Terry.
Behind the Scenes: It’s tough to see Feenstra struggle so much, because she has a great attitude and works extremely hard. Believe me, no one has been more disappointed in this season than Katie. Meadors and Katie have had several closed-door meetings, and both of them have spoken their minds regarding the situation.
Kristin Haynie: C
Kristin began the season as the starting PG, but quickly lost the job to Latta. She has looked uncomfortable at times and had some problems grasping Meadors’s offense during that time. But she’s made significant improvements since, especially with her passing. She’s clearly outplayed Latta at times over the past several weeks, and she’s been rewarded for it with increased minutes. It will be interesting to see how she closes out the season, and it wouldn’t surprise me if her performances decide whether she is back here next year.
Jennifer Lacy: C+
It’s been a mixed bag with Jen. On the one hand, her quickness and one-on-one ability at 6-3 has created a huge matchup problem. But by the same token, her lack of bulk has created some problems too. A lot of the time, Lacy’s performance largely depends on whom she is matched up with. One game you’ll see her dominate a defender with her face-up game, then a few days later you’ll see her get pushed around by a much bigger power forward on both ends of the court.
Behind the Scenes: As a team captain, Lacy gets an A+. Jen is a fantastic leader, and she’s a big reason that this team has continued to leave it all on the floor despite all of the losses. You see how vocal she is on the floor and in practice, and it’s clear she’s dedicated to winning. She also is one of the best at handling the media. Earlier in the year I asked Betty Lennox about a questionable no-call at the end of a game and Lacy quickly interjected “no comment” (the two sit next to each other in the locker room) before Betty could say anything. She genuinely cares about her teammates and has relished her opportunity to become a major contributor. If she can add some muscle, she could be a part of this team for the long haul.
Ivory Latta: B-
Latta may not be the best player on the team, but she’s the face of the organization. And you get the feeling that this team is only going to go as far as she takes it. Early in the season she was totally out of control, but she’s come into her own a bit since. I still don’t see the consistency from her that the team needs, but her raw ability makes her a threat every possession. Only time will tell if that inconsistency will continue, or if Latta has what it takes to utilize her talent to its fullest and become one of the top point guards in the league.
Behind the Scenes: Don’t let her happy-go-lucky attitude fool you, Ivory is a fierce competitor and hard worker. During the recent 10-day road trip this season, I was hoping to interview her after a practice on the phone, but she wasn’t available as she had already hit the weight room afterwards. Ivory’s personality off the floor is exactly what you’d imagine; she’s always smiling, joking, and upbeat, but when she hits the floor she wants to win more than anything.
Betty Lennox: B+
If you asked Betty, she’d tell you this season has been one of her worst, but that’s because she simply can’t stand losing. As an individual player, I can’t say enough about Betty. She’s hit the big shots all year and is a threat to explode at any time in any game. She’s had to take the team on her back quite a few times (especially on the offensive end), a role that she hasn’t really played thus far in her career. No matter how you look at it, Lennox is the only player that can consistently change a game.
Behind the Scenes: Betty has been incredibly frustrated this season, and the recent locker room tirade directed at Meadors indicated that. I talked to Betty extensively before the home opener, and she was very excited about being a part of this organization, but her demeanor has clearly changed since then. (To be fair, the vast majority of our conversations have come after losses.) Remember that no one on the team has come close to experiencing the same success as Lennox (we’re taking about the 2004 WNBA Finals MVP here), and that has made things difficult. She’s a grizzled vet who knows the ins and outs of the league, and she’s on a team full of young players that are still learning what it takes to be successful. We’ll have to wait and see how things play out over the offseason.
Tamera Young: C+
Like most rookies, Tamera has shown flashes of brilliance, and also made fans scratch their heads. She went through her best stretch of the season in June, when she was seeing big minutes every night thanks to her fantastic defense, clutch rebounding, flashes of scoring potential. Tamera lost a bit of confidence when Izzy replaced her in the starting lineup, and she hasn’t had the same impact since.
Behind the scenes: It might take some time for Young to become completely acclimated with this league, but when you look at her length and athleticism you see the potential for her to become a dynamic player who can hurt opposing teams in a variety of ways.
Ann Strother: C
Coach Meadors knows much more than I do, but I’ve always found myself wondering why Strother hasn’t seen the floor more. Ann saw virtually no playing time until July and her minutes have been fairly sporadic since. When I watch Ann play I see a player that the Dream desparately need: an active perimeter defender with a good outside shot and the ability to get to the line. She’s just 24 years old, so I’d imagine she will have plenty of chances to prove herself.
Behind the Scenes: Ann is one of the few players who stands up at her locker when she talks to the media. She’s got nine inches on me, so those interviews have been interesting to say the least!
Kasha Terry: C-
Kasha was a decent addition, as she added some much needed toughness in the low post. She does not get pushed around, and she’ll get under the skin of opposing centers. I also like her moves around the basket, but she needs to learn how to finish once she gets into a good position. She also can be a foul waiting to happen when she gets too aggressive.
Chioma Nnamaka: Incomplete
I can’t give a grade to someone who has played so sparingly. Chioma couldn’t get into a rhythm in the first month of the season, and she has hardly seen the floor thereafter. Recently we’ve seen Nnamaka spending most of her time on the inactive list.
Behind the Scenes: I’ve been surprised to see Chioma struggle this year. She’s very comfortable in Atlanta after playing at Georgia Tech, and she looked great in practice before the season started. With Young’s tendonitis giving her issues, there was legitimate reason to believe that Nnamaka would have the greatest impact of the two draft picks, but it hasn’t happened.
Feedback is Encouraged
Remember, this is just one writer’s opinion. If you disagree, please feel free to get in touch and speak your mind. I love hearing from you readers out there, you are the people that make this so much fun!
Interview with Coach Meadors
Sadly, with the Olympic Break upon us, there isn’t going to be much to write about. But I’ll be back next week after an extensive Q&A session with Coach Meadors. If you’ve got a question you’d like to ask her, drop me a line and I’ll be sure to use it in the interview!
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
Loading ...
