|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Comet drops out WNBA West aims to continue dominance without Cooper
PHOENIX (Ticker) -- The West has been the WNBA's dominant conference all season, and it gets another chance to prove it Monday night at the league's second All-Star Game. It has been no mystery that the WNBA's premier players reside west of the Mississippi River, and they have shown that on a nightly basis. The West returns four starters and three reserves from last year's inaugural classic when they defeated the East, 79-61, in New York. But the West will do without one of its main cogs, as Houston Comets standout guard Cynthia Cooper will sit out with a sprained ankle. Cooper, who will retire at the end of the season, suffered the injury Wednesday against Sacramento. She was voted to start, but her replacement has not been announced. Cooper's teammates -- Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson -- continue to enjoy banner seasons for the three-time champions. Swoopes was the game's top vote-getter for the second straight year. Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks captured All-Star MVP honors last season with 13 points and is once again the starting center. Point guard Ticha Penicheiro of the Sacramento Monarchs, a reserve in last year's classic, rounds out the West's starters. The East returns three starters, led by Chamique Holdsclaw -- the top vote-getter in the East -- and Nikki McCray of the Washington Mystics. Point guard Teresa Weatherspoon of the New York Liberty returns to the starting lineup. Once again, she is one of the WNBA's most energetic players and provided the league's ultimate moment with her 50-foot bank shot to defeat Houston in Game Two of last year's Finals. Forward Sue Wicks of the Liberty makes her first appearance Tonight, and center Taj McWilliams of the first-place Orlando Miracle starts after being a reserve last year. In addition to Houston, New York, Los Angeles, and Orlando each have three players here, and three other clubs have two entries. Betty Lennox of the Minnesota Lynx is the only rookie in the contest and none of the four expansion teams have a representative. After seeing how the fans in Phoenix were angered by the absence of any Mercury players on the West roster, the league decided Friday to add forward Brandy Reed to the squad. People had shown up at Mercury games this week threatening to boycott the game if there were no Mercury players involved. This is the third time Phoenix is playing host to a pro basketball All-Star Game. The NBA classic was held at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in 1975 and at America West Arena, site of this year's game, in 1995.
© 2003 SportsTicker Enterprises, LP
| ||||||||||||||||||||
