Swanny’s Stats

The official Minnesota Lynx Statistician Blog

Season Ticket Holders gathered at Champps in Minneapolis on Monday, February 27 for the 6th and final College Game Day event.

Here's an inside look at all the FUN!

Steve and Jessie introduced the season ticket holder family to the newest lil Lynx Fan, Nathan! (Tonight he was cheering for UConn)

Champps was packed for this Big East Showdown!

Pat, Dawn, and Scott dine on some fine Champps cuisine while enjoying the game.

#1 Ohlde fan, Megan, showed her support as she cheered and chanted "DEFENSE!"

The Neri Family joined us for some Lynx Fun!

Lil Nathan Burt put his deposit down for an 8-Pack for the Tickets for Kids program with Lynx Sales Executive, Shelley Brug!

I was going to say hello from California, but I'm actually in Minnesota this
weekend, so I can't really say that!! And as of right now, I wish I was back in Cali because it is a little cold here!!! The best part, is that this week is considered "warm" to you guys, compared to last week! YIKES!! What can I say... I'm a wuss when it comes to cold whether! Oh cmon... I was born and raised in Southern Cali, so give me a lil break

Anyway, I can't believe that March is just around the corner! Our off-season is so long, yet it seems to go by so fast! Crazy! Well, I guess I can tell you all what I've been up to. Here we go...

I am currently finishing up my last quarter in school @ Santa Barbara...
WOO-HOO!! I can't wait for that last final!! And to be honest, I have no
idea what I'm going to do once I'm completely done with school... it's gonna be kinda weird haha!

Anyway, I just got back from Houston, for NBA All-Star week. That was one eventful week. I was there for 8 days, (don't worry, I cleared everything with my professors at school before I went), and the WNBA put me to work!!! I had appearance, after appearance, after appearance!! I only slept about 5-7 hours a night because obviously, I had to make appearances at allthe fun parties Needless to say, by the time the All-Star game was actually happening, I had trouble keeping my eyes open!!

I returned to Santa Barbara late Monday evening, went to class on
Tuesday (yes, I really do go), worked out all day Wednesday, went to class again Thursday and then flew to good ole Minny!! I'll be here all weekend, working out with our coaches, and getting a small peak of what winter is like here. But... no time to relax just yet...

I fly back to Santa Barbara tonight, go to class Tuesday, and leave
AGAIN on Wednesday morning for 10 days. (Thank God my professors are so nice to me). I'll be heading to Poland and Hungary to tour with USA's
Senior team... along with Nicole Ohlde and Katie Smith. So... this trip
should be FUN!! It's a good group of people, and I feel VERY fortunate to be able to play with this group. I'll see if Ohlde and I can give you all a shot out while we are playing overseas next week

Once I return from my crazy travels, I'll have one week of class
remaining, finals and then freedom!!! I plan on coming out to Minny right
after the Final Four to get settled in early, workout with our coaches, etc.

I hope this wasn't tooooo boring for you all! I promise to have something a lil more interesting next time. I can't wait for our season to begin... Wanna know a secret?? Ok, but you gotta promise not to say anything to Suzie because it's a surprise... you ready???
SHHHHHH...............................

The Lynx are gonna be GOOOOOOOOOOOD this year!!! So I hope you're ready for it, mark all those home games on your calendar, get the face paint ready, and be ready to cheer loud for your LYNX!!!

Stay warm!!

-Kristen #44

A couple of Lynx players are competing in the four-team NWBL this winter: Adrian Williams signed last week with the Colorado Chill, while Tynesha Lewis has been a mainstay for the league-leading San Diego Siege. The two clubs squared off Tuesday night in Loveland, Colorado, with San Diego improving to 4-1 on the season by grabbing a 79-70 victory.

Lewis finished with 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Siege, converting all three of her three-point attempts as part of a 7-for-9 shooting night. Meanwhile, Williams collected 11 points, a game-high 14 rebounds (eight offensive) and three assists for Colorado, which lost for the second time in five starts despite a 30-point explosion from Becky Hammon.

Williams made her Chill debut one night earlier against the San Francisco Legacy, tallying nine points and nine rebounds in an 84-75 victory. For her part, Lewis currently leads the NWBL in field-goal accuracy at 61.2% (30-for-49), while averaging 15.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 2.8 apg in five starts. She scored a season-high 21 points last Saturday vs. the San Jose Spiders.

Svetlana Abrosimova and Kristi Harrower are in action today as the 2006 EuroLeague playoffs quarterfinal round gets under way, while Nuria Martinez takes the floor Thursday night in a EuroCup Women playoff semifinal series.

A UConn reunion is in the offing as Abrosimova's Volgaburmash club hosts Moscow-based Dynamo and its backcourt of Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi. Dynamo also boasts a frontline of Kamila Vodichkova, Tammy Sutton-Brown and Natalia Vodopyanova, while Volgaburmash counters with Maria Stepanova, Ann Wauters, Amaya Valdemoro, Edwige Lawson and Ilona Korstin. Abrosimova averaged 9.5 ppg in the eighth-final round vs. Dexia Namur and Nicole Ohlde, swiping four steals in the series-clinching Game 2 victory. A preview of the Dynamo matchup can be found here; Game 1 tips off at 9:00 a.m. Central time.

Harrower faces a head-to-head battle with Nikki Teasley when Valenciennes plays host to Hungarian side MKB Euroleasing Sopron. USVO -- in search of its third EuroLeague title in five years -- has gone undefeated since late November and is coming off a two-game sweep of Famila Schio in the eighth-final round, during which Harrower tallied 9.5 ppg and 4.5 apg. The series preview is here; Game 1 is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. Central time, while the series shifts to Sopron on Friday night.

Martinez tallied 7.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 6.0 apg as Perfumerias Avenida downed Turkish squad Besiktas, 137-128 on aggregate, in the home-and-home quarterfinal round of the EuroCup competition. Their reward is a matchup with the recently-bolstered Spartak club, whose starting lineup now features Lisa Leslie, Ticha Penicheiro, Crystal Robinson, Linda Frohlich and Gordana Grubin. Here is an overview of the two-game, total-point series, which begins Thursday night in Noginsk, Russia and wraps up one week later in Salamanca, Spain.

I have only been here just about one week and so far I am enjoying my stay.

Prior to my time here, I called Namur, Belgium home for about four months. My experience in Belgium was my first time playing overseas for an extended amount of time and I think I handled it very well. While it was difficult at times to be away from my friends and family, I found ways to keep busy and have a little fun. Obviously during the weeks I saw this experience as an opportunity to challenge myself as a basketball player, but I also focused some time baking. For someone who made pancakes for the first time ever only a few years ago, baking my first apple pie was an enormous achievement. With the guiding words from my mother back in Kansas, I was able to prepare what I believe to be a perfect apple pie. ☺

Our team did ok throughout Euro League play. Rebekkah Brunson, of the Sacramento Monarchs, was my American teammate. It was a lot of fun to play with someone so athletic and who challenged me as a player everyday. We did make it to the playoffs, however, lost in the first round to a very talented Russian team. Consequently, most of their talent came from fellow Lynx teammate Svetlana Abrosimova(a.k.a. the Russian Princess).

So why am I in Korea you ask? Soon before my departure from Belgium I was offered to play with a Korean team for short period and gladly accepted. I was able to spend a few well needed days back home in Kansas with my family before leaving again, so I was very thankful for that. Just the few days I spent with my close family and friends rejuvenated me enough for the next month.

I am anxious to get back to good ol’ Minneapolis! I recently purchased my own condo and am looking forward to decorating and having my own place to call home. I am also anticipating the start of the new WNBA season! I can’t wait to see what our new additions from the 2006 draft will bring to the Lynx. I predict that this season’s Lynx will bring a lot of energy and success your way. Thanks for your support and take care!

Throughout the off-season, Lynx season ticket holders have been chosen at random to see Gopher games from a "Bird's Eye View," in the Barn Lofts. Check out some photos from the Ohio State game!

Season Ticket Holders, Rosie and Karla enjoyed the view...and the game!

We were able to steal a minute from OSU Assistant Coaches, Tamika Williams and Debbie Black!

Tamika and Debbie with Lynx season ticket holders, Kim Crosley and Terrie Loop!

Tamika and Debbie with Lynx season ticket holders, Veronica Jones, Erin Dilley, and Reggie and Jasmine!

Lynx Trainer, Alisha Hvistendahl visited Suzie and season ticket holders in the loft!

Minnesota Basketball Great and Lynx season ticker holder, Janet Karvonen brought her family along for the fun!

Future Gopher and LSU All-Stars, Madison and Annie:

On Saturday, February 4, Suzie spoke at the National Girls Day Out event held at Roseville High School. The event celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day, and recognized top female athletes at Roseville High School.

Suzie spoke to Roseville students, teachers, and community members.

Suzie brought along her Olympic Gold and Bronze medals to share with the audience!

Well, we have received the bad news that Washington has decided to match the offer sheet that we signed with Coco Miller. Thanks to all of you who watched and waited for the outcome of this signing. This was our first adventure into the restricted free agent market and unfortunately we did not end up with the result we had hoped for.

In Coco, we saw another opportunity to improve our team by adding a second veteran player to our mix. We felt we had reached an agreement that would be difficult for Washington to match. We also understand that it is sometimes very difficult for a team to lose a player and get nothing directly in return, but we felt we wanted to take a shot at improving our team without having to give anything up.

With the official notification of the matching, we will now continue to pursue the other options we have been considering in order to add depth and improve our team.

...to the newest Lynx, Adrian Williams.

Our very own Kristen Mann is in Houston for this week's NBA All-Star festivities. Check out the links to see what she, and other WNBA stars are up to!

http://www.wnba.com/features/nba_all_star_06.html

On Sunday evening, the original Lynx, Kristin Folkl, will be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mo. The Class of 2006 also includes St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, recently-retired Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder and former Kansas City Royals reliever Jeff Montgomery, among others. Here's her induction bio from the MSHOF website:

St. Louis native Kristin Folkl is arguably one of the most talented female athletes in Missouri's rich sports history. An All-State performer in basketball and volleyball in high school, Folkl led St. Joseph's Academy to four-straight state titles in both sports. Success followed Folkl at Stanford University. The All-American guided the Cardinal volleyball team to three NCAA Championships and the basketball squad to two Final Four appearances. She enjoyed a five-year WNBA career with the Minnesota Lynx and Portland Fire. She was a member of the 1996 USA Olympic Women's Volleyball Team. She currently serves as the Director of Development for the St. Louis Sports Commission.

Folkl signed with the WNBA and was then allocated to Minnesota on Sept. 15, 1998, becoming the first player on the fledgling franchise's roster. She played two seasons with the Lynx, averaging 6.2 ppg (46.2%) and 4.2 rpg, before being traded to Portland on Feb. 20, 2001. Her best games in Minnesota included a 21-point, nine-rebound effort vs. Orlando on Aug. 20, 1999, and a 19-point, 12-rebound, five-assist, four-block opus vs. Detroit on June 5, 2000. She led the Lynx in both field-goal accuracy (45.0%) and blocked shots (22) during the 2000 season.

Late yesterday, we signed restricted free agent Coco Miller to an offer sheet. The Washington Mystics now have 10 days to decide whether to match our offer. If they choose to match, Coco will remain a member of the Mystics. If they do not match the offer, Coco will become a member of the Minnesota Lynx. More to follow once we find out Washington's decision.

Nicole Ohlde's stint with Dexia Namur drew to a close following Friday's narrow 77-74 home loss to Volgaburmash in their EuroLeague eighth-final playoff series. Ohlde finished with 15 points and four rebounds for Dexia, while Svetlana Abrosimova collected 10 points, four assists and four steals for the Russian side.

According to Dexia Namur's website, Ohlde has signed to finish the 2005-06 campaign with Samsung Life Bichumi in the Women's Korea Basketball League. Other WNBA players in the WKBL this winter include Tamika Catchings, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Tina Thompson, Alana Beard and Katie Feenstra. During her stay with Dexia, Ohlde averaged 13.8 ppg (47.7%) and 7.8 rpg in 12 EuroLeague games, and tallied 22.0 ppg (63.8%), 6.8 rpg and 2.60 spg in five Belgian League appearances.

AE Esperides maintained its share of first-place in the Greek A1 League with an 87-47 victory over Ano Liosia on Sunday in Athens. Jacqueline Batteast contributed 12 points, five rebounds and two steals for Esperides, which improved to 13-2 on the season.

In 13 games this winter, Batteast is averaging 11.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 1.85 spg while shooting 43.5% from the field. Her best performance to date was an 18-point, 10-rebound effort in the 70-58 win over Megas Alexandros on Jan. 15. AE Esperides gets back into action next Sunday against Gas Komotoni; the Greek League regular season runs through Apr. 30.

Volgaburmash struck first in its EuroLeague eighth-final series against Dexia Namur, coasting to a 75-52 win on Tuesday in Samara, Russia. Dexia was within five midway through the third quarter before falling victim to a 29-7 scoring run by VBM-SGAU. Svetlana Abrosimova had nine points in 18 minutes for the victors, while Nicole Ohlde countered with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Belgians. Game 2 begins at 1:30 p.m. Central Time today in Namur.

Over in France, Kristi Harrower had seven points and five assists in US Valenciennes' series-opening 95-60 rout of Famila Schio on Tuesday, despite a 26-point performance from the Italian side's Penny Taylor. USVO can advance to the quarterfinals with a victory today in Schio. Opening tip is set for 1:30 p.m. Central Time; the game preview is here.

In the EuroCup playoffs, Perfumerias Avenida opened with an easy 78-60 victory over Turkish club Besiktas in Game 1 of their best-of-three quarterfinal series on Thursday in Salamanca, Spain. Nuria Martinez was limited to three points, but added four rebounds and a game-high seven assists in 20 minutes. Avenida goes for the sweep next Thursday night in Istanbul (not Constantinople).

The newest member of the Minnesota Lynx will be participating in an online chat tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 3) starting at 1:30 p.m. central.

Messages can be posted prior to the real-time chat as well as during the chat.

Click below to participate.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatWNBA?event_id=10726

Today, we signed unrestricted free agent Adrian Williams to a contract with the Minnesota Lynx. During December, we identified Adrian as our top priority to pursue as a free agent. With the loss of Stacey Lovelace to Chicago in the expansion draft, we had a hole to fill and we were determined to do so. Adrian was our first choice both because of what she can bring to the team and due to the fact that she was unrestricted so we could control our own destiny in our pursuit of her- we didn't want to do a trade which would weaken us at another position, and we didn't want to take the chance that someone else would match an offer to a restricted free agent. Adrian brings experience, size, rebounding, defense,and a high post presence to our team, which should complement the low post strengths of our current post players.

We identified our interest in Adrian to her agent immediately on January 15 let them know how much we wanted Adrian. A phone conversation between Adrian and Suzie took place and we learned that the things that Adrian feels she has to offer were the same things we were looking for so it started to look like a very good match in both directions. We scheduled one of our free agent visits with Adrian and she came to Minnesota on January 20. We spent the day visiting with her and showing her our facilities and team living accomodations and talking more about what each of us were looking for. At dinner that night, Adrian told us that she was going to become a Lynx, so that was very exciting. After that, we were all able to relax and get to know each other better.

We were also very impressed with Adrian as a person. She is very down to eary, intelligent, friendly, and open. That night at the Timberwolves game she was introduced to owner Glen Taylor and he also was very impressed with her as a person. While she was talking to Glen in a relatively remote corner of Target Center, five or six girls spied our group and came over. Suzie talked with them while Adrian finished her conversation with Glen. Immediately when she and Glen were done, Adrian went over and talked with the girls and signed autographs for them. So today, that group of girls gets to have the memory of a life time that they were the first one to meet the newest Lynx player and ger her autograph, even before she was a Lynx.

Since then we have just been waiting to be able to finalize the contract and make it official today.