Swanny’s Stats

The official Minnesota Lynx Statistician Blog

While all this preparation for the draft continues, life goes on in other places as well. Today you are hearing that we have a new radio home for the upcoming season.

We are moving to BOB 106 (KLCI 106.1 FM). The last couple years, the broadcast coverage area for Lynx radio has been one of the biggest frustrations for our fans. We are very pleased to have been able to address that issue with the signing of this new deal.

BOB 106 will officially kick off the 2006 WNBA season by broadcasting live from the Lynx’ official draft party at NBA City Restaurant starting at 11 a.m.

We are very excited to be working with a station that is interested in giving attention to big events like draft day and not just limit themselves to the game broadcasts.

If you have a moment, click below and let BOB 106 know what you think of them becoming the new radio home of the Minnesota Lynx.

http://www.bob106radio.com/d.cgi/main/contact.htm

Tomorrow morning we leave for Boston, the Final Four, and most importantly for us, the pre-draft camp on Monday. It seems so long ago that we won the draft lottery and the opportunity to pick the best player in college basketball. Now, we are almost at the finish line.

At the pre-draft camp, we will get one last chance to watch and evaluate the players we are considering for our other picks. As many fans are aware, we are done evaluating for number one. We know what we are going to do with that pick. At number seven, we still have a number of players to consider.

The pre-draft camp is also a great place to see the players who will be second and third-round picks going head-to-head and make a final determination if there is a player we like well enough to try and make a trade to get a second-round pick back.

We are all definitely ready for next Wednesday to be here and to get started with training camp and the 2006 season. I hope you can all get down to NBA City next Wednesday (April 5, 11-1) to watch the draft live with a lot of other fans.

It's Final Four weekend in the 2006 EuroLeague playoffs, as the semifinalists square off today in Brno, Czech Republic. Kristi Harrower and US Valenciennes face a host Gambrinus Sika Brno side that features DeLisha Milton-Jones and Nykesha Sales. US Valenciennes advanced to the Final Four by sweeping two games from MKB Euroleasing Sopron, while Gambrinus edged Bourges Basket 2-1 in its quarterfinal series. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:40 a.m. Central Time; the game preview is here.

Meanwhile, Svetlana Abrosimova and the steamrolling Volgaburmash squad enters Friday's nightcap with Lietuvos Telekomas having won 12 straight EuroLeague games since an early-November loss to MiZo-Pecs. The Lithuanian side, led by Katie Douglas and Jurgita Streimikyte, reached the semifinals by edging MiZo-Pecs in three games. Volgaburmash downed Russian rivals Dynamo Moscow 2-0 in their quarterfinal meeting. The game is set for 12:10 p.m. Central Time; you can follow the action here.

The winners advance to Sunday's final (10:40 a.m. Central Time). Volgaburmash won the 2005 championship by edging Gambrinus, 69-66. US Valenciennes won the title in both 2002 and 2004, and finished as runners-up in 2001.

To ALL Lynx Fans:

Click on the link below and check out the details for our Select-A-Seat event, coming up on Saturday, April 8 at Target Center!

Select-A-Seat

Call/Email me with any questions:
612.673.1681/nsmith@lynxbasketball.com

Even the biggest snow storm of the year couldn't stop Big V from visiting with the young ballers in the Coon Rapids Traveling Basketball Association.

After sharing her basketball story with over 200 attendees, Hayden answered the young ladies' questions, signed autographs, and posed for pictures.

Check out the photos below of the Coon Rapids Traveling Basketball Banquet:

Lynx Fans!!!

You are cordially invited to join us at NBA City on April 5 to help us welcome the newest members of our Lynx Family!

The event will include draft analysis, player appearances (Ohlde, Kristen, and Big V), contests and prizes, and draft response from head coach, Suzie McConnell Serio.

Click on the link below for more details.
2006 Draft Party!

RSVP to me, Nicole Smith, ASAP: 612.673.1681 or nsmith@lynxbasketball.com!

CONGRATULATIONS to one of our own Season Ticket Holders, Krystal Scott, whose St. Cloud State Huskies have advanced to the DII NCAA Final Four! Scott is a first year guard from Rosemount, MN. She and her father, Todd Priesz, have been Lynx Season Ticket Holders for the last 2 years.

Tune into ESPNU Thursday, March 23 @ 7pm to watch Krystal and her fellow Huskies play in the Final Four!

Check out the links below for more info on Krystal and the SCSU Women's Basketball program!

Good Luck, Krystal!

http://www.stcloudstate.edu/athletics/story.asp?pubID=27&issueID=13985&storyID=18373

http://www.stcloudstate.edu/athletics/sports/basketball-womens/default.asp

http://www.stcloudstate.edu/athletics/sports/basketball-womens/Scott.asp

For the second consecutive game, Nicole Ohlde scored a team-high 18 points -- going 6-for-8 from the floor and sinking all six of her free-throw attempts -- and the Senior Women's National Team used a big second quarter en route to a 93-67 victory over a Hungarian All-Star team on Wednesday night in Gyor, Hungary. Sheryl Swoopes added 17 points and Katie Smith had 16 for Team USA, while Michelle Snow pulled in a game-high 10 rebounds.

Trailing 19-15 early in the second period, Team USA outscored Hungary 26-2 over the next six-and-a-half minutes to take control of the game. A basket by Ohlde triggered the onslaught, and the American side poured in 52 second-half points to improve to 2-0 on its current week-long swing through Europe. The final stop is Friday night in Pecs, Hungary, against a MiZo Pecs club that was recently knocked out in the quarterfinal round of the EuroLeague playoffs.

Nicole Ohlde scored a team-high 18 points and pulled down seven rebounds as Team USA kicked off its second European tour with an 87-66 victory over French power USO Mondeville Basket on Monday night. Ohlde went 7-for-11 from the floor in her highest-scoring effort to date for the Women's Senior National Team, and is now averaging 9.3 ppg (on 50.0% shooting) and 4.3 rpg in four appearances this spring.

Katie Smith added 17 points for Team USA, while Sheryl Swoopes contributed 16 points, six rebounds and eight assists. USO Mondeville was led by former Lynx guard Grace Daley's 23 points. Next up for the Senior National Team is Wednesday's meeting with a Hungarian All-Star squad in Gyor, Hungary. They'll close out this leg of the spring training tour by facing MiZo Pecs, one of Europe's top club teams, on Friday night in Pecs, Hungary.

Lynx Season Ticket Holders(a.k.a. The BEST fans in the WNBA),

Thank you to all who sent in their 2006 Women's Final Four picks! Some of you may be wondering how your predictions compare to your Lynx, so here's what a few of them see in their March Madness crystal ball!

Nicole Ohlde:
Final Four: UNC, OSU, Duke, LSU
Final Two: UNC vs. LSU
Champion: UNC

Vanessa Hayden:
Final Four: UNC, OSU, Georgia, OK
Final Two: UNC vs. OK
Champion: UNC

Amber Jacobs:
Final Four: TN, Maryland, Duke, OK
Final Two: TN vs. OK
Champion: TN

Alright, I know I'm not a player...but some of you have been inquiring what my picks are, so here ya go-->
Nicole Smith:
Final Four: TN, OSU, Duke, LSU
Final Two: TN vs. LSU
Champion: LSU

Happy March Madness!!!

Lynx Season Ticket Holders:

By popular demand, I will be coordinating a Final Four contest. We will not be utilizing the entire bracket (We'll do that next year), however you can send me your Final Four, Final Two, and Champion picks, as well as total points scored in the final game (as the tie-breaker), via EMAIL or FAX.

Here is how it will work:

FINAL FOUR: 1 Point For Each Team You Pick that Makes the Final Four
FINAL TWO: 2 Points For Each Team You Pick that Makes the Final Two
NCAA CHAMPION: 6 Points For Picking the Winning Team
TIE-BREAKER: TOTAL points scored in the Championship game (BOTH teams combined)

PRIZES: will be awarded to the TOP THREE highest scorers.
Champion: Choice of Courtside Seats or a Suite for 20 people to one 2006 Lynx home game (excluding 5/23)
Second Place: A Lynx autographed Basketball and Lynx Fan Pack (T-Shirt, hat, key-chain)
Third Place: A Lynx Fan Pack (T-Shirt, hat, key-chain)

TIE-BREAKER: Each submission MUST include your guess at how many total, combined points from both teams will be scored in the Championship game. In the event of a tie, the three contestants closest to the total points scored in the final game will win.

Click on the link below to access the Submission form. Your Submissions can be sent to me via email or fax: 612.673.1343 attn. Nicole Smith. Submissions are DUE BY 11:59 PM ON FRIDAY, MARCH 17.

Lynx Final Four Contest

QUESTIONS? EMAIL OR FAX SUMBISSIONS TO:

NICOLE SMITH
Minnesota Lynx
Fan Relations Executive
600 1st Ave. N.
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612/673.1681
nsmith@lynxbasketball.com

Some members of our awesome Lynx Staff have put together a page to keep you informed on the upcoming draft!

21 days and counting...

Check-Out Lynx Draft Central:
http://www.wnba.com/lynx/news/2006_draft_central.html

...to world traveler Nicole Ohlde.

Check out some pics of Kristen and Ohlde's USA Basketball experience:

http://www.wnba.com/features/usab06_photos1.html

Team USA completed an unbeaten three-game swing through Central Europe by defeating Lotos Gdynia, 69-54, today in Starograd Gdanski, Poland. Nicole Ohlde contributed seven points and four rebounds in 10 minutes of action, while Kristen Mann chipped in two rebounds, two assists and a steal in 10 minutes. The American squad was led by DeLisha Milton-Jones' 15 points, with Katie Smith adding 11 points and Kara Braxton grabbing 10 rebounds. Ewelina Kobryn topped Lotos with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

On Wednesday, the same teams met on Lotos' home floor in Gdynia, Poland, and Team USA rallied for a 66-61 victory behind 19 points from Smith and a pair of crucial baskets in the closing seconds from Diana Taurasi. In that game, Ohlde started and scored six points with three rebounds in 18 minutes, while Mann added four points, two boards and two steals in 16 minutes of play. For the week, Ohlde averaged 6.3 points and 3.3 rebounds while hitting 42.1% from the floor. Mann tallied 3.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest on 50.0% shooting.

Next up on the Women's Senior National Team spring training schedule is a second visit to Europe beginning next Friday (Mar. 17) in Mondeville, France. The roster for that three-game, week-long exhibition tour will be announced at a later date.

To the BEST Season Ticket Holders in the WNBA:

With the first pick of the 2006 WNBA Draft, the Minnesota Lynx select...

You should all be receiving an invitation to the 2006 Draft Party sometime in the next few days. The Draft Party will be on Wednesday, April 5 at NBA City from 11:30-1:30.

Light appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided...BUT RSVP to ME ASAP because space is limited!

Call/email me @ 612.673.1681/nsmith@lynxbasketball.com

GO LYNX!
(27 days from the Draft...75 days from the home opener!)

It's a happy day here in the Lynx offices. We just received the signed contract back from Tamika Williams. Tamika has meant a lot to our fans and our team and it is exciting to know that she will continue to wear the green and white. It is important for the development of our team to have someone with Tamika's leadership, maturity, and professionalism. Her shooting percentage, rebounding, and defense don't hurt either.

PS - In my last post I said we had two players left to sign and that is still the case. I was so confident that the great news of today was happening that, in my mind, this was already a done deal. It's great to have it official, however.

Nicole Ohlde and Kristen Mann made their debuts with the USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team on Monday evening, scoring six points apiece in a 95-78 victory over MKB Euroleasing Sopron in Sopron, Hungary.

Ohlde started at center and played 21 minutes for Team USA, going 3-for-6 from the floor with three rebounds and a block. Mann scored all of her points during a 14-2 run in the second quarter, finishing 3-for-4 while adding five rebounds in 16 minutes. The American side was led by 24 points from DeLisha Milton-Jones and 21 from Katie Smith, while MKB received 14 points apiece from Ivana Matovic and Astou Ndiaye.

The Senior National Team's week-long European Tour concludes with back-to-back games against Polish club Lotos Gdynia on Wednesday and Thursday. It's the first of three spring training sessions for Team USA, in preparation for the 2006 FIBA World Championships in September.

Yesterday we received an offer sheet which the Sacramento Monarchs had signed with Tynesha Lewis. Today we are matching that offer sheet. Last year was a little bit out of the ordinary for Tynesha. She changed teams in mid-season and never quite got her shot going. After being a better than 40% shooter every year for her first four seasons, she shot only 33% last year. It is tough to adapt to a new team and a new system in the middle of the season, but Tynesha enjoyed her time here, showed a lot of good things, and is now playing in the NWBL to get ready for the upcoming season. We think her style of play fits in well with the uptempo team we are planning on being for next season. She is shooting well in the NWBL and we are looking forward to what she can do when she has an entire training camp with the team.

With this signing, we probably have two signings left before training camp. With our draft picks, that would take us to 15 for the start of camp.