Mystics vs Liberty

[Jennifer]

Preseason game tonight.

If you have adobe, here's the game notes. http://www.mcicenter.com/mystics/gamenotes.pdf

Dales-Schuman and Coco Miller will be the starting guards, Aisha Jones at Center, and Holdsclaw and Tonya Washington at Forwards.

Coco Miller was one of my most unfavorite players, along w/ her sister. SHe didn't get a lot of PT last year.

Here's some quotes from their team preview.
HOW THEY'LL WIN: These young players need to adjust to the coaching style of Marianne Stanley quickly and need to develop chemistry early on in the season. They are young and should steadily improve as the season wears on. The Dales-Schuman to Holdsclaw connection should be on display in full this season and Washington will definitely be an uptempo run-and-gun team that will play tough nose-to-nose defense.

WHAT THEY NEED: Washington is in desperate need of veteran leadership, really leadership on the court period. Hopefully the addition of Dales-Schuman and new coach Stanley will fill this role. Look for Holdslaw to accept the leadership responsibilities that go along with being a veteran franchise player, and for Vicky Bullett to continue to lead by example and experience.

Lieberman: "The Mystics need shooting. Unless Coco Miller has made the improvements that I've seen in sister Kelly, Washington will need someone who will consistently hit from outside. Stacey Dales-Schumann will be one of those answers."

WHERE THEY'LL FINISH: The Mystics are young, have a new coach, and lost one of their stars. It would be a nice surprise for the excellent fans in Washington if they are still playing in mid-August.

NANCY LIEBERMAN, ESPN ANALYST
"The Mystics finally did something right in hiring coach Marianne Stanley. They also drafted Stacey Dales-Schuman and Asjha Jones, who will change the franchise. Stacey will play the point and Asjha gives them a legit post to help Murriel Page and Vicky Bullett ... Stanley will definitely make them a better team, both offensively and defensively."

[swok34]

I think the only reason Coco is starting is due to a guard not in camp yet.....can't think who......Ashja Jones is also getting the start because Bullett is just now getting to camp and won't play tonite......though some believe Jones could contest for this starting position during the season. 6'-2 is awfully short for a center in the WNBA; heck, it's short for a center in college.

I'm with you, I really thought both Miller's were highly-overrated and drafted way, way too high last year, though I think Kelli is the better of the two.

I forgot about their being a preseason game on last night, but www.wnba.com (http://www.wnba.com) has live stats during the game. Tonite, I'll probably follow along, though I'm not high on pre-season games.
They are usually not indicative of the team when the regular season begins. Teams are still looking for the players that they need to cut, so it's typically a look-see on the 2/3 that need to go and or stay.

[This message has been edited by swok34 (edited 05-10-2002).]

[cyfanatic]

Any television/cable coverage?

[swok34]

ha, cyfan.......I'm being sarcastic. At least this year, they have live boxscores and audio I think. None of the WNBA preseason games are on TV.

[RaiderPower1]

Game stats not working???

[YCN]

The boxscore for the game, won by the Mystics, is up on the WNBA website, http://www.wnba.com/games/20020510/NYLWAS/boxscore.html.

I take exception to the accuracy of the box, as it has Holdsclaw at guard and Dales-Schuman at forward. You've gotta be kidding me!

And it may be for a lack of anyone at the position that Asjha Jones was listed (and apparently played?) at center, because she is definitely a natural 4.

If the Mystics are seriously thinking of playing Stacey at the 3, I think they are making a BIG mistake. While she would be quite competent at the 2, by all means Stanley should give her every opportunity to succeed - first - at point. That's the best way to keep Holdsclaw and Jones happy at their rightful positions as a 3 and 4 respectively.

If the Mystics don't have anyone for the 5, then they should climb mountains to somehow find someone to fill that position, even if they are subpar there. The longer Dales-Schuman plays the 1 or 2, Holdsclaw the 3, and Jones the 4, the better that team will be in the long run.

[swok34]

YCN...I think Bullett just got to camp and didn't play tonite, she is their center. I agree, Jones at 6'-2 for center will not cut it in the WNBA, though she did a really good job tonite.

I did read in Stacey's chat that her natural position is a wing....
so I was wrong on the PG thing, though I think she is best suited for the one or the two.

It's really hard to determine anything by a preseason game given that they still have to cut 2/3 people before the season starts.

I've become a big fan of Ronda Jo Miller; she's deaf and has joined the team as a free agent.....don't know that she will make the team, though....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56248-2002May8.html

[YCN]

Gosh swok, thanks for the great link!

I sure hope the best for Ronda, it might very well be that all she needs is the chance. Tough though, that she's a 6-2 forward on a team that seemingly is already set in that area. Hopefully they can find a place for her. She could be a missing piece in the puzzle. The question is whether or not she can fit that puzzle. A "6th" man, perhaps?

[Jennifer]

Rookies solid in Mystics' preseason win http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20020511-2383903.htm

In the first half, the Mystics had their uptempo game running to perfection. Dales-Schuman, nursing a strained left quad, felt she could have played better in her pro debut; the third overall pick out of Oklahoma, committed four turnovers in her debut as the Mystics new point guard. Dales-Schuman's turnovers were caused by trying to thread the needle in traffic, something that is easily correctable.
"It was just a matter of dealing with the pressure," Dales-Schuman said. "I turned it over a couple times and I'll learn from those. I'm not concerned about that. I'm just concerned about our execution and how we are going to play together."

[swok34]

Here's a post from a Mystics fan who was at the game:

1 vet (CH) + 2 Rookies (AJ & SDS) + 1 Free Agent (Walseth) + 1 2nd-yr benchwarmer (Coco) = definite potential. I thought Stanley used Coco very well and I could see the beginning of some real chemistry between Meek and Dales. And of course Jones looked like a seasoned vet, not the rookie she is. All in all it was a good effort. Lib kept their "A" team on the bench in the last few minutes, so I'm not making too much of the final score...but I do think Mystics rebuilding has finally begun. The second half of the season, when they're at full strength and they've played together for a while could be very interesting


If you haven't visited the ESPN WNBA message board, it is NOTHING like the college board and I find out a lot of things from the fans who get to go to the games....it's a great source of information. Unlike the college board where I saw that the Caufield/Stanford incident is rearing it's ugly head once again.

[Jennifer]

here's an article about Dales-Schuman and A Jones.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5665-2002May11.html
Here's a quote about the whole point guard/wing thing.
Ever since Dales-Schuman was drafted by the Mystics, many people have wondered how comfortable she will be playing point guard. She was the point guard on Oklahoma's national runner-up team, but most believe she is better suited to scoring rather than running an offense.

"I've had a lot of people say that to me," Oklahoma Coach Sherri Coale said. "Stacey will tell you her true position is on the wing. . . . But there's not ever been a player with a better point guard mentality than [her]. She's going to run the show. She does it in a nice way so that people want to follow her."


swok, I haven't ventured over to the espn board in some time. I think I'll keep it that way! http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/smile.gif

[Jennifer]

ALmost didn't recognize Stacy in this "This is who I am" promo pic on the www.wnba.com (http://www.wnba.com) front page.

http://www.wnba.com/media/dales-schuman_020510.jpg

[OhMandy]

I wish the Caufield-King incident would go away. I'm a Stanford fan but it's in the past and both teams, both players and fans of both schools need to move on. I mean it happened. You can't changed what happened. Deal with it. You'll never see me say the injury to King cost Stanford a chance at the Final Four or crap like that. Stanford fans need to realize that the program has slipped and a few coaches have pasted Queen Tara as a great coach. Stanford fans will hide behind crap like tougher admission standards or all that bs. But they won't face facts. The facts are Queen Tara while still a very good coach, won't win the National Championship or even get to the Final Four because she's lost her "touch" as a coach. She had a great chance of being the program of the 90's after winning 2 National Championships in the first three years. But her teams choked in three straight final fours.

As much as I wanted Stanford to win vs Colorado, I knew the longer Colorado stayed close they would pull off the win. Which they did.