FEVER FINALS BOOK
www.cfhfirst.com/2009FeverFinalsBook.pdf
FEVER ANNOUNCES EVENTS FOR WNBA FINALS WEEK
INDIANAPOLIS – As the Indiana Fever prepares to take on the Phoenix Mercury in Game 1 of tonight’s WNBA Finals, plans are underway for local events leading up to the first home game in Indianapolis – Game 3 on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m.
Fever fans are invited downtown to a City Market Rally on Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Lunchtime festivities will take place alongside the Indianapolis Farmer’s Market between City Market and the City-County Building. The Fever will conduct a public rally including mascot Freddy Fever, Fever games, prizes and giveaways to help celebrate the WNBA Finals.
On Thursday, Oct. 1, for Game 2 of the best-of-five series, Fever and Anheuser-Busch have teamed to host the Fever Viewing Party at George’s Neighborhood Grille at 71st and Binford Streets. The viewing party begins at 8, with tipoff scheduled for 9:00 ET. Viewing party specials include draft beer for $3, half-priced appetizers and complimentary dry snacks.
Sunday, when the Fever hosts the Mercury in the first WNBA Finals game ever played in Indianapolis, the first 5,000 fans to the game will receive a Fever Finals t-shirt & noise maker courtesy of Subaru and Kinetico Water Systems.
The Fever Playoffs are presented by Kinetico and Subaru. All games can be seen live on ESPN2. A game schedule is as follows:
Game Date Site Tipoff TV
Game 2 Thursday, Oct. 1 Indiana at Phoenix 9:00 p.m. ET ESPN2
Game 3 Sunday, Oct. 4 Phoenix at Indiana 4:00 p.m. ET ESPN2
Game 4 Wednesday, Oct. 7 Phoenix at Indiana 7:30 p.m. ET ESPN2
Game 5 Friday, Oct. 9 Indiana at Phoenix 9:00 p.m. ET ESPN2
INDIANA FEVER’S TAMIKA CATCHINGS NAMED
2009 WNBA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY KIA MOTORS
-- Eight-Year Veteran Wins her Third Defensive Player of the Year Award --
NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2009 – Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings was named the 2009 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year presented by Kia Motors, the league announced today. Catchings received 34 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, beating out the Los Angeles Sparks’ Candace Parker and Atlanta Dream’s Erika de Souza, each of whom garnered two votes. Catchings previously won the award in 2005 and 2006 and joins Sheryl Swoopes as the only three-time winners of this award.
In honor of being named the Defensive Player of the Year presented by Kia Motors, Catchings will receive $5,000 and a trophy specially designed by Tiffany & Co.
Catchings led the WNBA in steals per game (2.91) for an unprecedented fifth time (2002-2.94-95; 2005-2.65-90; 2006-2.94-94; 2007-3.14-66) as she helped the Fever finish the regular season with the league’s third-ranked defense (73.6 points allowed per game and a league-record 373 steals). She also ranked eighth in total defensive rebounds (159) and tied for 13th in defensive rebounds per game (4.7) while contributing 18 blocked shots.
Now in her eighth season, Catchings’ 99 steals were one shy of the WNBA's all-time, single-season record of 100 set by Teresa Weatherspoon of the New York Liberty in 1998 and gave her four of the top five marks in league history. Catchings’ 94 steals in 2002 and 2006 are tied for third most and her 90 in 2005 ranks as the fifth best figure in league history. The 99 steals also raised her career total to 631 and moved her into third place on the WNBA’s all-time list, one behind Sheryl Swoopes (632) and 54 fewer than Ticha Penicheiro (the current Sacramento Monarchs player who has tallied 685).
Selected by Indiana with the third overall pick in the 2001 Draft, Catchings has been known throughout her career as arguably one of the most complete players ever to play the game, and she proved as much once again in 2009. Catchings not only paced the 2009 Fever in rebounds (15.1 rpg), assists (3.1 apg), and steals, but ranked second in scoring, including a franchise record 31 consecutive free throws.
While her seven double-doubles tied for sixth in the WNBA this season, Catchings authored another, more impressive double-double. The only WNBA player to rank among the top 15 all-time in career points, rebounds, assists and steals, Catchings cracked the top 15 in each of these same categories in 2009.
One of the most accomplished players in women’s basketball history, Catchings is a four-time All-WNBA First Team selection, six-time WNBA All-Star, a member of the WNBA’s All-Decade Team, and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Her WNBA career totals include 4,047 points, 1,892 rebounds, 897 assists and 631 steals.
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2009 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year presented by Kia Motors
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For the first time ever, a single WNBA marketing partner will present the WNBA Most Valuable Player, WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, WNBA Most Improved Player, and WNBA SixthWoman of theYear, grouped under the banner of “The WNBA Performance Awards presented by Kia Motors.” As a Proud Partner of the WNBA and the official presenter of the awards, Kia Motors will be incorporated into the formal award presentations and will receive prominent branding in the awards coverage on WNBA.com.
Below are the complete results of the 2009 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year presented by Kia Motors votes and a list of past recipients:
2009 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY KIA MOTORS RESULTS
34 Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
2 Erika de Souza Atlanta Dream
2 Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks
1 Alana Beard Washington Mystics
1 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
ALL-TIME DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY KIA MOTORS WINNERS
2009 Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
2008 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
2007 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
2006 Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
2005 Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
2004 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
2003 Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
2002 Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
2001 Debbie Black Miami Sol
2000 Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
1999 Yolanda Griffith Sacramento Monarchs
1998 Teresa Weatherspoon New York Liberty
1997 Teresa Weatherspoon New York Liberty
2009 WNBA ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM SELECTIONS ANNOUNCED
-- Three-Time Defensive Player of the Year Tamika Catchings Headlines First Team --
-- Nicky Anosike and Lauren Jackson Also Highlight First Team --
NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2009 – Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings, a three-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2005, 2006 and 2009), headlines the 2009 WNBA All-Defensive Team, the league announced today. Catchings collected 24 points from the league’s 13 coaches while Minnesota center/forward Nicky Anosike finished second with 13 points and Seattle Storm forward/center Lauren Jackson, the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year, garnered 12 points.
Storm guard Tanisha Wright (10 points) and Fever guard Tully Bevilaqua (nine points) round out the All-Defensive First Team.
Catchings earns her fifth consecutive appearance on the All-Defensive First Team. She is the only player to be named to the First Team every year it has been named (2005-2009). For Anosike, the selection is her first in her two WNBA seasons while Jackson earned a spot on the First Team in 2007 and the Second Team in 2005 and 2008. Like Anosike, Wright was chosen for the All-Defensive Team for the first time in her career. Bevilaqua has been picked to the First Team three other times in her career (2005, 2006 and 2008) and to the Second Team on one occasion (2007).
The WNBA All-Defensive Second Team comprises Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie (10 points), Atlanta Dream forwards Sancho Lyttle and Angel McCoughtry (nine points each), Detroit Shock guard Deanna Nolan, Washington Mystics guard Alana Beard and Sparks guard/forward Candace Parker (eight points each).
Leslie is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year (2004 and 2008) and is a member of the 2006 and 2008 All-Defensive First Team and the 2005 All-Defensive Second Team. Lyttle and McCoughtry, the only rookie on either team, each were named to their first All-Defensive Team. Nolan was named to the All-Defensive Second Team on three previous occasions (2005, 2006 and 2008) and the All-Defensive First Team in 2007. Beard earned a selection to the 2007 All-Defensive First Team and was named to the 2005 and 2006 Second Teams. Parker appears on the team for the first time.
A panel of the WNBA’s 13 head coaches voted on the WNBA All-Defensive Team, selecting First and Second Teams by position. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players from their own team. Players earned two points for each First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote.
ATLANTA DREAM’S ANGEL MCCOUGHTRY NAMED
2009 adidas ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
-- Top Overall Pick in 2009 WNBA Draft and Two-Time adidas Rookie of the Month Wins Award --
NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2009 – Atlanta Dream forward Angel McCoughtry was named the 2009 adidas Rookie of the Year, the WNBA announced today. McCoughtry received 30 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters to earn the award.
McCoughtry, the No.1 overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft presented by adidas, topped the charts among all WNBA rookies in points (12.8) and steals (2.2) and ranked fifth in assists (2.1). She finished the season with two consecutive adidas Rookie of the Month honors. McCoughtry’s 2.2 steals per game led the Dream and placed her in the top five among league leaders.
The 6’1” forward started her professional career by posting 15 points and seven rebounds in an 87-86 win over the Indiana Fever. One of her best games came in a 93-87 win over the San Antonio Silver Stars; McCoughtry posted a career-high 34 points, collected seven rebounds and dished out four assists. Another performance where McCoughtry’s versatility stood out was a win late in the season against the Monarchs. She had a career-high 10 assists and added 26 points and five rebounds. McCoughtry scored double-digits in all but 10 games during her first professional season.
McCoughtry helped propel a team that finished with only four wins in 2008 to second place in the Eastern Conference this season. The Dream advanced to the 2009 WNBA Playoffs presented by adidas, the first postseason appearance in franchise history. The 14-game improvement is the second-best single-season turnaround in WNBA history.
McCoughtry was honored with the adidas Rookie of the Month award in July and August. In July, she averaged 10.2 points, 2.0 steals per game and was nearly perfect from the free throw line during that span (17-for-18). In her 10 games played in August, she averaged 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 2.4 assists.
McCoughtry, the all-time leading scorer and rebounder at the University of Louisville, excelled on the court throughout her college career. She was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year as a senior and was Louisville’s first three-time All-America selection.
In honor of being named the 2009 adidas Rookie of the Year, McCoughtry will receive $5,000 and a specially-designed trophy by Tiffany & Co.
Below are the complete results of the 2009 adidas Rookie of the Year voting, followed by a list of previous winners:
2009 adidas ROOKIE OF THE YEAR RESULTS
30 Angel McCoughtry Atlanta Dream
9 DeWanna Bonner Phoenix Mercury
2 Shavonte Zellous Detroit Shock
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR WINNERS
2009 Angel McCoughtry Atlanta Dream
2008 Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks
2007 Armintie Price Chicago Sky
2006 Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx
2005 Temeka Johnson Washington Mystics
2004 Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
2003 Cheryl Ford Detroit Shock
2002 Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
2001 Jackie Stiles Portland Fire
2000 Betty Lennox Minnesota Lynx
1999 Chamique Holdsclaw Washington Mystics
1998 Tracy Reid Charlotte Sting
2009-12 USA Basketball Women’s National Team Roster
NO NAME POS HGT WGT DOB WNBA TEAM SCHOOL HOMETOWN
5 Seimone Augustus F 6-1 179 04/30/84 Minnesota Lynx Louisiana State Baton Rouge, LA
6 Sue Bird G 5-9 150 10/16/80 Seattle Storm Connecticut Syosset, NY
10 Tamika Catchings F 6-0 166 07/21/79 Indiana Fever Tennessee Duncanville, TX
13 Sylvia Fowles C 6-6 200 10/06/85 Chicago Sky Louisiana State Miami, FL
7 Kara Lawson G 5-9 165 02/14/81 Sacramento Monarchs Tennessee Alexandria, VA
15 Candace Parker F/C/G 6-4 172 04/19/86 Los Angeles Sparks Tennessee Naperville, IL
4 Cappie Pondexter G 5-9 160 01/07/83 Phoenix Mercury Rutgers Chicago, IL
12 Diana Taurasi G/F 6-0 172 06/11/82 Phoenix Mercury Connecticut Chino, CA
Head Coach: Geno Auriemma, University of Connecticut
PRESEASON CHAT
Tamika Catchings (6'1) the perennial All-Star and heart blood of the team is healthy.
That should mean bad news for the rest of the Eastern Division opponents this season plus the fact, that Catchings will now be able to go back to the 3-4 spot and along with Katie Douglas should spear-head a very potent offense.
The addition of Griffith gives the team a physical force inside to complement the play of Tammy Sutton Brown. Ebony Hoffman can now settle into the 4 spot with Bevilaqua, Briann January and Tamecka Dixon should give ample guard play.
Catchings said, "the caliber of players we have here is outstanding, " "we added the missing parts we've been searching for the last few years."
Pride, performance and community support could lead the Fever in search of, a Eastern Conference championship and the elusive WNBA Title.
"Relaxed, refreshed and ready, " those were the descriptive words of veteran point guard Tully Bevilaqua as she viewed the team as the Fever prepared to embark on their first practice of the year.
Last season the WNBA season was interrupted with the Olympics, the US team trials, then the team started the season without Catchings, a off-season acquistion, Katie Douglas trying to find her niche and then a variety of injuries to White, Sutton-Brown and Bevilaqua.
For the last two years the Fever have been trying to find a point guard to help alleviate all the time that Bevilaqua has seen on the playing floor. For the last few years players have been brought in and they have departed just as quickly.
The post is another area of needed help, again players have been brought in and quickly have departed. Tammy Sutton Brown is a finese type player, in that she can bend the defense whether setting up for a jump shot in the paint or driving the ball to the rack but the Fever have been in search of a power center. The Fever didn't have to contact Leonard Nimoy for their needs but they did seek and secure Yolanda Griffith, who fits their needs.
The last area of concern for head coach Linn Dunn was a shooter. "Christina Wirth (6'1) Vanderbilt was someone we had watched and she can shoot we see her as a 3-4 and give us a lift."
Dunn explained further, "we've been telling Tully for the last two years we were going to let her end her career with less wear and tear by keeping her more fresh with more of minutes being quality ones, but that hasn't happened so that was our number one priority."
"So Briann January (5'8) Arizona State was our number one player we went after we see her coming in and learning from Tully and then taking over the guard position."
Dunn added, "we feel very fortunate to get the three players we drafted." "All three players January, Wirth and Campbell were all coached very well, all three players performed well in their conference play and in the NCAA tourney."
Then we brought in Yolanda Griffith (6'4) Florida Atlantic a ten year veteran and Tamecka Dixon (5'9) Kansas, a 12 year pro.
"Griffith brings blue collar mentality and dialogue while Dixon is a two time WNBA championship player who can still play and is a model for what a professional player should be," added Dunn.
Ebony Hoffman comes into the 2009 in the best physical and rested shape of her five year WNBA career.
Hoffman commented on last year's season by saying it was a "season of revolving line-ups." "First we have Catch out half the season recovering from an injury, then with the addition of Katie, who was finding her way around and put into a situation where she hadn't expected and Tan (White) also put in a place where she hadn't been before, the whole season was off from the start."
Hoffman comes into the season confident about not only her game but also the teams.
"With the addition of Yo and Dixon we have two veterans All-Star players who both have won championships during their WNBA careers, "forwarded Hoffman.
"We also have the foundation still here, Catch, who is indescribable, Tully who is timeless, Tan, TSB and myself of course, you add Katie and we have a very good core."
Rookie Danielle Campbell played well in the NCAA tourney and believes that helped her, along with a strong senior season in getting drafted.
Danielle Campbell, grew as much as anyother Purdue Boilermaker under the guidance of Sharon Versyp. "Coach V, brought out the ability of being ready to compete."
"Kristy (Curry) was a teacher, she taught us the things that made us college players and got us ready for games."
Campbell added," this (being drafted by the Fever) is awesome!"
Briann January is one of three rookies. Pac 10 trained believes she is the right fit for the team and looks at her self as a "sparkplug."
January is ready to learn from Bevilaqua, who she calls a "master crafter", "I've already started asking questions and she always takes the time and helps me, she answers my questions and then shows be by example."
With eleven person rosters January still plans on working hard to "earn the roster spot."
When asked what the fans of the Fever will see when they watch her she said, "Some who is excited and plays solid defense and gives it her all."
Khadijah Whittington a second year player out of NC State is a little anxious but also confident with the this year's 11 person WNBA roster.
Whittington believes the experience she gained from last year and the fact that she has the advantage of learning time management. Time management is probably the thing you learn in college and then living the experience and adapting it to the professional game.
I believe the effort and how I played at the end of last season helped and now all I have to do is, "work hard and everythng will work out."
Tan White returns for her fifth season in Indianapolis. White was the nation's leading scorer in college (Mississippi State) and is ready to become an effective scorer in the league.
It should pay off this year with a off-season that involved shooting the ball, in the past four seasons White had adapeted herself to the defensive end but has shown glimpes of her potential.
White should average or could average 15 points a game this year with a steady diet of off screens.
White said,"this should be a good year, we have depth, we picked up All-Star players, all of us, myself included are healed up."
Griffith will play her 11th and final WNBA season in a Fever uniform, capping a WNBA career that currently spans 308 games and a 2005 title with the Sacramento Monarchs. Entering her final season, Griffith boasts career averages of 10.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. “My career in the WNBA has given me a lot of great memories and friendships,” said Griffith. “At this time, I, with my family, have made the decision to make this season my last. I look back on all the great basketball memories, my accomplishments and my life as a WNBA player, with a smile. But I look forward to my future goals with enthusiasm.”“I am so proud that we have Yolanda in Indianapolis for her final season,” said Fever Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Kelly Krauskopf. “Her tremendous career speaks for itself and I expect her to make her final mark here with our team as we head into our 10th season. She is a first-class professional and one of the greatest to ever play the game.” "Intensity and passion. That’s what struck me about her game the first time I saw her play,” said WNBA President Donna Orender. “And it’s what stood out every time thereafter. Yo has accomplished so much at so many different levels, but it’s the passion that will be her legacy.Since Griffith’s arrival on the professional and international basketball scene, she has always been among the best power forwards in the world – and at times considered the very best. She starred many years overseas in Russia as one of the best players internationally, and she twice guided the United States to Olympic gold medals – in 2000 in Sydney, and 2004 in Athens“I have always considered Yolanda Griffith as America’s premier women’s post player,” said Fever Head Coach Lin Dunn. “There has never been a more physically dominant post on both ends of the floor, and on the boards, in our game. Her blue-collar work ethic has set the standard at her position, and her leadership skills are second to none The world of women’s basketball has been the stage for one of the game’s most dominant rebounders. She averaged 11.5 points and a USA-leading 8.8 rebounds during the 2000 Olympics. In 2004 with current Fever teammate Tamika Catchings at her side, she shot 60.5 percent from the field during the Olympic Tournament, while averaging 8.8 points and 6.6 rebounds.Prior to landing on that stage however, Griffith worked her way to becoming a Division II All-American in 1993. After growing up in Chicago and graduating from George Washington Carver High School, she attended Palm Beach (Fla.) Junior College for two seasons, before playing her final college season at Florida Atlantic University and leading the country in scoring (28.2) and rebounding (16.0). In 1997, she was made the No. 1 overall pick by the Long Beach Stingrays of the ABL, where she began making strides toward landing on the world stage. She was the ABL Defensive Player of the Year as a rookie, and after the league folded in 1998, she was the No. 2 overall selection of the 1999 WNBA Draft, by Sacramento.In her first year in the WNBA, Griffith was the league’s MVP, All-WNBA First Team, Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Five years later, after a pair Olympic gold medals, she helped guide the Monarchs to their first WNBA crown. After her seven WNBA All-Star appearances, her last in 2007 and all representing Sacramento, she signed a free agent contract with the Seattle Storm prior to the 2008 season. She started 30 games for Seattle last season, averaging 7.2 points and 6.3 rebounds, in her 12th pro season overall.