Friday, August 7, 2020

On the Beat With the Seattle Storm 08/03-04/29

In my continuing effort to spread the Johngy's Beat vibe all over the WNBA, I have added the Seattle Storm to my coverage. This week, I sat in on media sessions featuring coach Gary Kloppenburg and players Sue Bird, Jewell Loyd, Morgan Tuck and Jordin Canada.
Coach Kloppenburg played college ball at UC San Diego and started his coaching career as an assistant with the Seattle Storm in 2000. He had stints with a few WNBA teams, as well as the NBA Charlotte Bobcats, before rejoining the Storm as an assistant in 2017. He was 5-3 as an interim head coach for the Storm in 2017 and was named Head Coach for this season.
A guard at UConn, Sue Bird was selected #1 overall by the Storm in the 2002 WNBA draft. She retired after the 2018 season, but rejoined the Storm this year. In her 16 seasons, she has won three championships, while winning many awards. She has averaged 12.1 points, 5.6 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Bird also had a stint in the front office of the Denver Nuggets, a pioneering role which was my focus in my time with her in the interview.
Guard Loyd went to Niles West High School, about a mile from me. After starring at Notre Dame,, she was selected 1st overall by the Storm in the 2015 WNBA draft. She has played 165 games in five seasons, averaging 14.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
Forward Tuck played at UConn, before being selected by the Connecticut Sun in the 1st round (3rd overall) in the 2016 WNBA draft. She joined the Storm this season. In four seasons, she has played 115 games, averaging 5.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. A special thanks goes to Lorraine of the UConn Huskies Bleed Blue Facebook page for the question suggestion.
Guard Canada starred at UCLA, before she was selected by the Storm with the 5th pick in the 1st round of the 2018 WNBA draft. In her two seasons, she has played 63 games, averaging 7.9 points, 2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
As usual, I covered a few topics. Some of them were even basketball-related.
Check WNBA.com for more info on the league. Also, check Johngy's Beat, GlobalTravelerUSA.com and GlobalWomensSportsRadio.com for my recurring coverage.

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