Analyzing the Atlanta Dream Expansion Draft
With
today's announcement of the Atlanta Dream's Expansion Draft picks, WNBA.com
breaks down the selections of Atlanta coach and general manager Marynell Meadors.
Coach Meadors also chimes in below each player's statistics to explain why she made the picks and moves she did.
Talk about the draft and your new Atlanta Dream roster here in our Fan Voice.
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2007 Team
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Player
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Notes
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Carla Thomas
Forward, 6-3 2nd season Vanderbilt |
A star in the college ranks and the 10th
overall pick in the 2007 draft, Thomas didn't see as much of the court
during her rookie campaign as many other first-year players. But she'll
likely get a shot in Atlanta, where her size and strength down low will
make her a valuable asset.
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Coach Meadors on Carla Thomas:
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"She's 6-3 and a very versatile post
player. She's physical down on the low block and we like her ability to
step out and shoot the three. She's a rookie, and a lot of our players
are young� but that's OK. I see her playing a bigger role with us
than she did with Chicago last year and I think she has the ability to
rise to the occasion. It's on her: If she comes in and works hard, then
she's gonna get the playing time."
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Erika Desouza
Forward/Center, 6-5 3rd season |
The 26-year-old Brazilian post player
has spent only two seasons in the WNBA, but her size, strength and skills
make her a valuable commodity. She'll likely step in and fill the center
void right off the bat, and without a Margo Dydek to compete with for
playing time, Atlanta could be the place for her to finally flourish.
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Coach Meadors on Erika Desouza:
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"She's a physical and powerful player
in the paint, and I was very impressed with the way she played last year.
She's also a good passer from the high post and I think her ability to
rebound -- especially on the offensive end -- and kick out will be a plus
for us. And though we took into consideration the possibility of her missing
time to train with the Brazilian Olympic team, I think we're going to
be able to work it out so that she misses only a couple of weeks."
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Katie Feenstra
Center, 6-8 4th season Liberty |
The big post player started 12 games for
the Eastern Conference champs this season and was very solid both on the
boards and on defense. Her scoring and touch around the basket is also
improving. She'll be a very serviceable center and huge presence in the
paint for this expansion squad.
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Coach Meadors on Katie Feenstra:
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"I'm so proud of how Katie has improved
her game from year to year and become such a force inside. She sets great
screens, her opponents have a tough time getting around her and I love
her ability to finish inside. But most of all, I like her attitude. She's
a hard worker and I love people who work hard."
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Roneeka Hodges
Guard, 5-11 4th season Florida State |
The Dream selected Hodges from the Houston
Comets, and subsequently traded her to Seattle, along with the No. 4 pick
in the 2008 draft for the rights to...
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Iziane Castro Marques
Guard, 6-0 6th season Brazil |
For Hodges and the No. 4 overall pick in
the draft, the Dream pick up Castro Marques and the rights to the No.
8 overall pick. And as long as Castro Marques does not sit out the 2008
season to train with the Brazilian National Team prior to the Olympics,
she'll be a valuable addition to the squad. A lightning-quick, offensive
sparkplug who can shoot from the outside and who took a major step up
in 2007, Izi will be a solid second or third scorer for this young Dream
team.
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Coach Meadors on Iziane Castro Marques:
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"To give up the No. 4 pick in the
draft for her, it's obvious that I like Izi a lot at the three. Izi and
I go back a long way to when she first came to the WNBA when I was instrumental
in bringing her to Miami. She brings championship experience and had a
breakout year last season. And with her ability to run the floor with
that blazing speed, break down defenses, shoot the three and get to the
rim just about any time she wants, she'll play a big role for us on offense.
She brings emotion, she brings leadership, she's one of the faces of the
Brazilian national team and she's a great get for us."
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Ann Strother |
The Dream acquired the 24th overall pick
in the 2008 draft from Indiana in exchange for agreeing not to select
specific unprotected Fever players. They instead chose Strother, a second-round
pick herself out of UConn in 2006. Strother played sparingly for Phoenix
during her rookie season, but got more of a chance in Indiana in 2007
and was a solid outside shooter and contributor off the bench for Brian
Winters' Eastern Conference Finals squad.
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Coach Meadors on Ann Strother:
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"A shooter with a fantastic attitude
who's had great coaching along the way. I know we need her scoring from
the outside and I'm convinced her precision from beyond the arc will continue
to be good. She's also a very intelligent player who brings size to the
three spot."
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LaToya Thomas
Forward, 6-2 6th season Mississippi State |
The Dream selected Thomas from the Los
Angeles Sparks, and subsequently traded her and the 18th pick in the 2008
draft to Detroit for the rights to...
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Ivory Latta
Guard, 5-6 2nd season North Carolina |
Precisely the kind of big name that will
help put some butts in the seats in Atlanta. Latta, a South Carolina native
and former star at UNC, surprisingly fell to Detroit in last year's draft
and played sparingly for the defending WNBA champs, developing a reputation
as a superb outside shooter later in the season (she finished second in
the league in 3-point shooting percentage). But without a change in personnel,
she was always going to be a backup for the Shock, so she'll likely welcome
the move, both in terms of playing time and geography.
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Coach Meadors on Ivory Latta:
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"Ivory is gonna put people in the
stands. Her energy, her excitement and her passion for the game can't
help but make people excited, both the fans and her teammates. Everyone
else on the court wants to play hard for her, because if they're not,
Ivory is gonna talk to them about it. She's a fan favorite and I not going
to ease her into this team. She's going to get thrown into the fire�
she's gonna play. I want her to be ready to play when she gets here and
she's gonna have to produce for us. And I know she will. She's that kind
of person� a ton of heart."
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Kristen Mann
Forward, 6-1 4th season UC-Santa Barbara |
Mann was one of the relative veterans
on the young Lynx squad, and she could end up playing a similar role in
Atlanta. A versatile forward who can play either the three or four, Mann
is a hustler with some scoring ability who will always play tough on the
court.
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Coach Meadors on Kristen Mann:
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"She's a solid three player who's
very powerful and strong. She's comfortable going inside and posting up
and banging with the big ones."
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Ann Wauters
Center, 6-4 6th season Belgium |
This 27-year-old Belgian national -- the
first overall selection in the 2000 WNBA Draft -- has been property of
the Liberty since the 2004 season, but has played only 41 WNBA games since
then. In the meantime, though, she has starred with Russian powerhouse
CSKA Moscow, making her a bit of a gamble for Meadors and the Dream. But
if Wauters does return to the States for the summer, she could be the
go-to rebounder and scorer they're hoping for.
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Coach Meadors on Ann Wauters:
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"We don't know whether or not she's
coming back, but I think she's talking about it. I honestly don't think
she knows herself yet. But we're going to talk to her and see what she
thinks about the possibility of coming to Atlanta. I think she'll like
it here. In terms of skills, she's just so talented inside. She's just
an amazing talent� really one of the best in the world. She's smooth,
she loves to take it to the hoop and she's shown what she's capable of
doing over in Europe."
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Jennifer Lacy
Forward, 6-3 3rd season Pepperdine |
A quick, athletic big who's capable of
squaring up and taking the ball to the basket, Lacy brings versatility
and playoff experience to the Dream bench.
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Coach Meadors on Jennifer Lacy:
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"Another big, versatile player at
6-3 who can play either the four or the five. She's very aggressive, hustles
all the time and runs the floor extremely well."
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Kristin Haynie |
Haynie is a prototypical point guard who
could be starting for the Dream on Opening Day. She became a valuable
sub on the Monarchs playoff squad in 2007, and she's an excellent floor
leader who can pass and shoot.
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Coach Meadors on Kristin Haynie:
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"Kristin and Ivory are really going
to complement each other nicely. They're two different styles of point
guard, but they both want to get the ball in the hands of players who
can score. And they both want to push it up the floor. Kristin was never
going to get a ton of playing time behind Penicheiro, but she is going
to bring a couple years of experience of playing with a championship-level
team and there isn't much that can take the place of that. She has grown
up tremendously in the last couple of years and is playing really well
overseas this winter."
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Chantelle Anderson
Center, 6-6 6th season Vanderbilt |
Another long, tall post player who's capable
of both scoring and altering shots in the paint, Anderson is recovering
from a fractured patella that limited her to 11 games in 2007. But if
healthy, her athleticism and touch around the basket could move her to
the forefront of Atlanta's group of centers.
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Coach Meadors on Chantelle Anderson:
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We really felt like we couldn't have enough
size (and we're still not done!). She's 6-6, she has great post moves,
she played for Jim Foster at Vanderbilt and improved a lot thanks to the
tough SEC competition. She's had a couple of injuries over the last two
or three years, but I think she's finally getting well and is playing
better every day. She's gonna add size and veteranism to this team.
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Betty Lennox
Guard, 5-8 9th season Louisiana Tech |
This former All-Star will add plenty of
scoring punch from the get-go in Atlanta. She should start at the two
and will help Coach Marynell Meadors by providing veteran leadership and
guidance to what will be a relatively young and inexperienced side.
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Coach Meadors on Betty Lennox:
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"We'll definitely core her, since
she's an unrestricted free agent. I can't say enough about Betty's ability
to play the game. She's one of the best shooters I've seen in the WNBA,
she's very consistent and she has that court savvy that very few players
have. She understands game situations and when to score and when to pass
-- she has that knack for always being in the right place at the right
time -- and that's something you can't teach a player. Her experience
in the backcourt will also help the younger Haynie and Latta. I also think
Betty can be our go-to scorer."
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Yelena Leuchanka
Center, 6-5 3rd season West Virgina |
Still looking for an opportunity with serious
playing time in the WNBA, Leuchanka's talent may be somewhat raw, but
she has proven herself to be a big-time scorer and rebounder for both
her native Belarus and in European competition for TEO Vilnius.
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Coach Meadors on Yelena Leuchanka:
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"I was in Washington with Y, and I've
never seen any player who works harder. When we get done with practice,
she heads off to the weight room. When she's done with the weight room,
she heads off to an individual practice session. After that, it's on to
shooting drills."
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Coach Meadors' general thoughts: |
"Looking at this roster, I see a great
deal of talent. We have great size, we have scoring from the perimeter,
we have people who can put it on the floor and go to the rim and we have
bigs who can maneuver and score and rebound in the paint.
"We've got great size and -- for an expansion team -- really good depth. "I feel really good about this group that we're putting together. I think we've taken really good people who will work extremely hard to improve their games. "A lot of them are committed to defense. Some of them are not, but by the start of the season, we'll make sure they are. "We have a lot of athleticism with this group and they're going to be fun to work with. "We've been really selective with the people we put on our list, and hopefully they all understand that this is a chance for them to start anew and get this Atlanta franchise started on the right foot." |