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1999 WNBA Preview: Eastern Conference
Charlotte could be the beast of the East
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Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. (The top three teams in each conference make the playoffs.)
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
CHARLOTTE
STING
1998 Record:
18-12
Coach: Marynell Meadors (Third season with
Charlotte)
Top Returning Players: Guard Andrea Stinson (15.0 points per game), forward
Tracy Reid (13.8
ppg)
Key Newcomers: G Dawn Staley (from the ABL's Philadelphia Rage), G-F Stephanie
White-McCarty
(Purdue)
Bottom Line: Staley's creaky knees kept her around long enough for the Sting to
draft her at No. 9. If her body holds up, Charlotte is a virtual lock for the
conference
title.
The postseason is more of a
reach than ever for Lobo (50) and the declining Liberty.
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1998 Record: 17-13
Coach: Nancy Lieberman-Cline (Second season with Detroit)
Top Returning Players: G Korie Hlede (14.1 ppg), F Cindy Brown (10.0 rebounds per game), G Sandy Brondello (3.3 assists per game)
Key Newcomers: G Jennifer Azzi (ABL's San Jose Lasers), center Val Whiting (ABL's Seattle Reign)
Bottom Line: In the draft the Shock picked up two productive veterans in Azzi and Whiting and two talented young players in G-F Dominique Canty and F-C Astou Ndiaye. After just missing the playoffs last year, Detroit will challenge Charlotte for the conference title in 1999.
CLEVELAND
ROCKERS
1998 Record:
20-10
Coach: Linda Hill-MacDonald (Third season with
Cleveland)
Top Returning Players: C Isabelle Fijalkowski (13.7 ppg), G Suzie McConnell
Serio (6.4
apg)
Key Newcomers: C Chasity Melvin (ABL's Rage), F Mery Andrade
(Old
Dominion)
Bottom Line: The Rockers didn't get the big-time scorer they needed in the
draft, but this solid group of overachievers should still grab the third playoff
spot in the
East.
NEW YORK
LIBERTY
1998 Record:
18-12
Coach: Richie Adubato (First season with New
York)
Top Returning Players: G Sophia Witherspoon (13.8 ppg), G Teresa Weatherspoon
(league-high 3.33 steals per game), C Rebecca Lobo (6.9
rpg)
Key Newcomers: F Crystal Robinson (ABL's Colorado Xplosion),
C Michele
VanGorp
(Duke)
Bottom Line: This disappointing team needed an overhaul and didn't get one.
Robinson, an excellent perimeter shooter, won't be enough to help the Liberty
recover from the swoon that started late in the 1998
season.
WASHINGTON MYSTICS
1998 Record:
3-27
Coach: Nancy Darsch (First season with
Washington)
Top Returning Players: G Nikki McCray (17.7 ppg), F Murriel Page (8.3 ppg),
C Alessandra Santos de Oliveira (11.0
ppg)
Key Newcomers: G-F Chamique Holdsclaw (Tennessee), F Shalonda Enis (ABL's
Reign)
Bottom Line: The Mystics made some great additions, and Holdsclaw will ensure
that they'll be a fun team to watch, but they're still a season away from
playoff
contention.
ORLANDO
MIRACLE
Expansion
Team
Coach: Carolyn
Peck
Top Players: G Nykesha Sales (UConn), G Shannon Johnson (ABL's Columbus Quest),
F Tari Phillips (ABL's Xplosion), F-G Sheri Sam (ABL's
Lasers)
Bottom Line: Orlando's solid starting five -- Sales, Johnson, Phillips, Sam
and C Taj McWilliams (ABL's Rage) -- must gel quickly and stay healthy for the
Miracle to avoid the Eastern Conference
cellar.
| Related information | |
| Stories | |
 1999 WNBA Preview: Western Conference5 Things you need to know1999 WNBA Preview: Money Players1999 WNBA Preview: Toughest Players | |
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