Hamchétou Maïga-Ba is supposed to be too old for this. Too old to emerge as a bona fide Monarchs starter. Too old to enjoy her best WNBA season. Too old to be so durable, her creaky knees, tender ankles and assorted bruises notwithstanding.
Yet the woman known affectionately as "TON-tee," the Monarch with the booming laugh, returned to Arco Arena this season and produced one of the few highlights.
This has been her year. Amid the chronic onslaught of injuries, losing streaks and a coaching change that probably occurred too late to salvage a season, the veteran forward with the unusual name and exotic background is in the midst of another adventure.
Finally, at age 31, she cracked stubborn John Whisenant's starting lineup. She improved with age, reduced her turnovers, developed a mid-range jumper, perfected the step-through and jump stops, tempered her game. She accomplished most of this after helping the Monarchs to the 2005 WNBA title, after signing and playing two seasons with the rebuilding Houston Comets, and before rejoining the Monarchs months ago.
"I started trying to get Maïga back almost as soon as I lost her," Whisenant said after Thursday's practice, with a grin.
"To her credit, she became a much better offensive player in Houston, getting to start and playing all those minutes. Defensively, of course, she has always been good."
Lithe and athletic at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, Maïga-Ba is a composite of a distance runner, basketball player and ballerina. She glides rather than moves, then suddenly leaps to caress loose balls or long rebounds. And she can run forever.
Her late-career success makes for a compelling story.
Born in Bamako, Mali, to a Muslim father who had three wives, Maïga-Ba learned to play on outdoor cement courts, often under the supervision of her mother, a former national team star.
She tells of wearing the same pair of scruffy sneakers and tossing them only when her feet ripped through the holes her toes carved into the canvas.
She persevered. Impressed a scout for Old Dominion. Mastered English. Earned a degree in information technology. Was drafted by the Monarchs in 2002. Met and married her husband – a Mali native, coincidentally – in Sacramento.
A warm and delightful woman renowned for her belly laughs, Maïga-Ba also is outwardly pleased by her current status with the Monarchs. Gone are the days of exasperating Whisenant with her tendency to force shots or throw passes into crowds of defenders.
Gone, too, are the times she compared herself with former WNBA superstar Sheryl Swoopes and couldn't fathom why her coach wore blinders.
"It was so frustrating," she said. "I felt like I could have helped more. I would play well in practice, then in the games, not so well.
"When I went to Houston, that really helped my confidence."
And she suspects there is more to come. She plans to play a few more seasons in the WNBA and overseas. She hopes to lead a Monarchs resurgence, then pursue another career in Mali. Much of her spare time will be devoted to furthering the growth of women's basketball.
"I have some projects in mind," she said. "I definitely want to give back to the kids. Bring shoes, sneakers, stuff like that. Just do what I can."
Call The Bee's Ailene Voisin, (916) 321-1208.
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