Adding a top-notch post defender like Fowles solidified a talented young core of which to build a successful franchise around. The season prior, Armintie Price had earned Rookie of the Year honors with Chicago and Candice Dupree had already become an All-Star in each of her first two seasons.
But only five games into the 2008 season, a season in which Chicago figured to have its best chance yet to reach the postseason, Fowles went down with a knee injury that caused her to miss 17 games and deflated Chicago’s hopes for making the playoffs. Predictably, the Sky managed just a 6-11 record without Fowles.
Of course, that means they were only 6-11 with her in the lineup. However, a bulk of the losses with her came when the slender rookie and the Sky were still trying to find their stride in the early part of the season under new head coach
After the Olympic break, Fowles rattled off three straight double-doubles and over the team’s final nine games averaged 12.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.11 blocks and 1.33 steals. More important, Chicago went a respectable 4-5 over those last nine games.
Not much has changed in 2009 in terms of the Sky’s direction. The franchise’s fortunes still rest with Fowles, although what the 2008 Olympics proved is that the more talented the group is around her, the better she plays.
The young core of Fowles, Price and Dupree is back for another go, as are steady backcourt veterans Dominique Canty and Jia Perkins. It cannot be understated just how much Perkins has improved over the past few seasons and what she has meant to the Sky’s progress. Last year, Perkins become a regular fixture in the starting lineup and led the team in scoring (17.0 ppg) and steals (1.88 spg) and was second in assists (2.8 apg).
Perkins along with Price, Dupree, Canty and Fowles have the Sky secure in one department – defense. In fact, Chicago allowed just 73.8 points per games last season, which was the fourth-best mark in the league. On the flip side, the Sky were the second-worst offensive team in the WNBA in ’09, putting up only 72.7 points a contest.
That no doubt sparked the off-season moves by Key, also the team’s GM. Key signed long-range shooter Erin Thorn away from the New York Liberty, where she had gotten lost in a sea of guards. Then at the 2009 WNBA Draft, the Sky, with the third overall selection, drafted Maryland’s Kristi Toliver – a point guard who isn’t afraid to look for her own shot.
But with the new-found depth in the backcourt comes new questions: Who will start? Who will get the bulk of the minutes? Who will receive the majority of the shots? Who will have the ball in her hands at the end of games? The answers to these questions may take a while to develop, but ultimately they will play a big role in determining whether the Sky can finally break through and earn a postseason berth.
Lastly, we’d be remiss if we did not mention the signing of Chen Nan, an import from China who just might be the most underrated signing of the offseason. Nan was the 2009 MVP of the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association and also took part in the past two Olympics for her home country. In the Beijing Games, Nan averaged 14.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per contest.
It should also be noted that Nan is 6-5, and when put together with the 6-6 Fowles the tandem should create some interesting matchup problems for opponents down low. Just another weapon the Sky have added to their expanding arsenal for ’09.
At Maryland, Toliver built up quite the resume. She was a four-year starter who averaged 14.8 points and 5.5 assists per game, including 18.4 ppg and 5.0 apg during her stellar senior season. Along with Marissa Coleman, she was part of a fierce backcourt duo that propelled the Terps into college basketball's elite, even winning the title in 2006. But how Toliver transitions to the pro game will be crucial to Chicago's fate in '09.
The Sky already have a couple of accomplished backcourt players in Perkins and Canty, so Key could have easily gone with a frontcourt player with the No. 3 overall selection. However, neither Perkins nor Canty has been able to lead the Sky into the playoffs so far, so it makes sense that Key is in search of a spark from his backcourt. In other words, the opportunity to take control of a Chicago offense that sputtered all too often in '08 is there and Key is likely looking for Toliver to do for Chicago what she did for Maryland.
And Toliver has the makeup to get it done. She has the guts to shoot any time from anywhere on the court, she also has the savvy to know when to involve her teammates and she's a vocal leader, which may end up being her best attribute.
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