Monarchs Blog and Q&A

Bee staff writer Melody Gutierrez grew up in Twentynine Palms. At 14-years-old, she decided to combine her two passions -- sports and writing -- when she became a special assignments reporter for the Desert Trail, her hometown weekly newspaper. Melody headed to Northern California in 2000 to attend Chico State and has remained in the region ever since. She earned an internship with The Bee and subsequently became a staff writer in 2004 and has covered virtually every sport, starting with high schools, up through college and then the pros. Melody took over coverage of the Monarchs last season and chronicled the team's pursuit of a second straight league championship -- a quest that fell just short.

Melody welcomes your questions and will answer as many as she can as the season progresses.

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August 27, 2007

Pregame Q&A with Yolanda Griffith

Yolanda Griffith has remained peculiarly composed since the Monarchs lost to San Antonio on Saturday. While she typically breathes fire following losses, Griffith repeatedly has said there is no need to push the panic button over the 86-61 beating at the hands of the Silver Stars. As Griffith and her Monarchs squad prepare for the deciding Game 3 of the first round of the WNBA playoffs at 6 tonight, the veteran center sat down with me to answer a few questions.

Q: How are you feeling about tonight's game?

A: Good. You got to feel good. We still have a chance. Just like anyone else. One loss isn't going to defeat us. We've had our backs against the wall before and we've prevailed. Tonight is more of being smarter players as far as using each other and not just putting our heads down and trying to create something individually. We have to create something for each other. We have to be a little more together on the defensive end. We'll be all right. Nothing has changed. The only thing that has to change is the intensity we have to have to play this defense. We have a lot of great players on this team. Everybody must do their part.

Q: As a leader, what is your role in preparing the Monarchs for this game?

A: I've always been a true leader. I try to talk to players and help players, but as an individual you have to be able to get yourself going, too. Leaders don't tie your shoes for you. Leaders don't get in your head. You have to bring it. As an individual playing on this level you have to bring it. Everyone matters. Leaders can preach and say this or say that, but it's up to you as an individual to do it. But we feel good. We aren't panicking. We're all right. You can't panic. We have an important game tonight.

Q: What is the difference between panicking and understanding the importance of what's at stake in tonight's game?

A: We aren't going to panic, but this is a do-or-die situation. Either we go out here and win this game or it's done. We're going home. That's the urgency of this game tonight. If you want keep playing and move on to the next round, you have to come and play tonight. That's the bottom line.

- Melody Gutierrez

Posted by Ahmed Ortiz at 01:54 PM | Comments

August 24, 2007

Everything you wanted to know about the Silver Stars

Hidden in the middle of the Silver Stars playoff media guide is a page packed with tid bits you never knew you wanted to know about their squad.

For example, Helen Darling once burned her lips on the family's silver toaster as a kid when she saw a cute baby in the reflection and wanted to kiss it. Darling is the mother of 5-year-old triplets.

Ruth Riley's first car was a light yellow 1979 Ford LTD nicknamed "The Banana Boat."

Becky Hammon's hobbies include scuba diving, deep sea fishing and hunting.

Marie Ferdinand-Harris has a scar on her lip after cutting her lip trying to drink from a can of pineapple slices.

Camille Little's dad was a Harlem Globetrotter and Sophia Young is a self-professed tight-wad.

- Melody Gutierrez

Posted by tnegrete at 05:18 PM | Comments

August 23, 2007

Monarchs chill out before Game 1

The Monarchs and Silver Stars took the floor at Arco Arena - which was more like an ice box - Thursday afternoon as both teams went through final preparations for Game 1 tonight.

The Monarchs session was conducted in chilly conditions, with players putting on extra clothing and the team collectively trying to stay warm.

Monarchs coach Jenny Boucek tried to put a fire in them, challenging her players to turn off their minds and let instinct take over. And instead of each player having to make 10 free throws before leaving, Boucek made the players make 17.

"The whole year is about preparation and it's time to let it out," Boucek said. "This is where the champions rise."

Monarchs forward Adrian Williams got the jump on the rest of the team, winning a Yolanda Griffith-sponsored half-court shooting contest for $50. Williams celebrated with a rabbit-hop dance of some sort.

Then the Silver Stars took the floor, with coach San Antonio coach Dan Hughes saying he can tell his team is anxious to play.

"We need to safe-guard against being too anxious," said Hughes, while his team warmed up in front of him.

Hughes said he doesn't need to tell his team how important tonight's game is, so he just reminds them what "we are about."

" 'Persistence' is something I keep saying," Hughes said.

- Melody Gutierrez

Posted by tnegrete at 02:41 PM | Comments

August 21, 2007

Where's the intensity?

With playoffs comes a certain level of intensity. Practices go long and players stay late. Or at least that's how it has been in previous seasons with the Monarchs, a team that has earned two consecutive trips to the WNBA finals in the past two years.

After the Monarchs decided to call off Monday's practice, I expected that shift in intensity to be evident today. However, I didn't see it.

I didn't even feel it.

Monarchs leading scorer Nicole Powell looked physically exhausted Tuesday and shrugged when told so. Several other players talked in voices barely above a whisper. Typically, a handful of players remain on the court after practices to work with coaches or each other on their shots. Today, only Ticha Penicheiro remained on the court 20 minutes after practice ended.

Maybe I missed something. Maybe the intensity I sought was there during the part of practice not available for media viewing.

With Thursday's first game of playoffs fast approaching, I guess we'll see.

- Melody Gutierrez

Posted by tnegrete at 05:56 PM | Comments

The buddy system

Friends don't scout friends, or at least that's what Phoenix Mercury coach Paul Westhead said Tuesday. With longtime buddies Diana Tauarsi of Phoenix and Sue Bird of Seattle squaring off Friday in the first round of the WNBA playoffs, the point guards are certainly familiar with each other's games.

Taurasi and Bird both played for Spartak in Russia, living together during the WNBA's lengthy offseason.

"She hasn't told me anything other than what their favorite restaurants are," Westhead said. "I know they are good friends, but I think they keep all of that off the court. We don't ask and she doesn't tell."

The pair has kept a "Buddy Blog" all season to share their letters to each other with fans at www.wnba.com/news/birdanddee.html

- Melody Gutierrez

Posted by tnegrete at 01:30 PM | Comments

August 20, 2007

This season's winner for best P.R.

After voting for Dan Hughes for Coach of the Year this morning, I reread an email I was sent last week by the Silver Stars organization. If there were awards for best promotional material for the annual WNBA honors, San Antonio's Top 10 reasons to vote for Hughes would surely be my pick.

Top 10 Reasons Dan Hughes should be Coach of the Year, according to his team.

10. He tore his right Achilles "to better understand the player experience." He is currently trying to live up to the "Chantelle Anderson Rehab Standard."

9. He traded for Ruth Riley and Becky Hammon; signed Erin Buescher and drafted Camille Little and Helen Darling (dispersal).

8. He has Gregg Popovich on speed dial.

7. First coach to take three different WNBA franchises to the playoffs

6. He has a lifetime backstage pass to Styx concerts

5. Under his direction, San Antonio goes from perennial lottery team to championship contender

4. He has a Beatles tie.

3. He set a franchise record for road wins and tied the franchise mark (San Antonio and Utah) for overall wins in a season.

2. He is the only coach in the league rocking fuzzy dice on the rearview mirror of a green Lincoln Continental (submitted by Kendra Wecker).

1. He inherited one player from the Utah days, carried over two starters and two bench players from the 2006 roster (plus an injured, should-have-been-out-for-the-season Anderson) and added six new players, yet somehow managed to achieve instant chemistry. He put five all-stars together and they followed his lead to become a team without ego. Three-time all-star Marie Ferdinand-Harris came off the bench for him without complaint. When key players went down with injuries, others stepped in, seamlessly filling the holes. Finally, seven wins in 2005, 13 wins in 2006, 20 and counting in 2007.

Honorable Mention as submitted by players...

He came to my wedding. He knows more about Elvis than he knows about his wife and he's the only coach to ever walk around a folk festival in Charlotte wearing a Grateful Dead t-shirt and drinking • Diet Coke.

- Shanna Crossley

He uses fewer four-letter words than Bill Laimbeer.

- Ruth Riley

He's the only coach to count one-two-stars!

-Becky Hammon

He's the only one who encourages me to bring my SpongeBob Squarepants pillow on road trips.

-Camille Little

Posted by Bill Bradley at 03:18 PM | Comments

August 16, 2007

Newton cures whatever is bugging Monarchs

Following Wednesday's win over San Antonio, the Monarchs remained jovial inside the locker room until an uninvited guest was spotted.

Next to a pile of dirty jerseys in the middle of the floor was a cricket. Fearing the worst - "Eww! Is it a roach?" - several players backed away. One player went in for a better look, passing her disgusted teammates, who had just spent the past two hours diving for loose balls and jamming elbows into anyone who challenged them.

Chelsea Newton never hesitated in placing the cricket in her hand before pretending to throw it on those around her.

There is something symbolic about that scene. Newton handled that critter when none of her teammates dared to touch it, sort of like some of the defensive assignments the tough third-year guard has taken.

- Melody Gutierrez

Posted by tnegrete at 05:49 PM | Comments

Monarchs still in battle for playoff position

The Monarchs have always surprised me. You can never really count them out of any game. Even when their opponent is bigger, stronger, faster, the Monarchs find ways to will themselves to a win by simply refusing to lose.

Yet, I'm still skeptical on whether they can string together as many necessary performances similar to Wednesday night's 81-74 win over San Antonio, a team the Monarchs (19-13) are likely to see in the first round of playoffs.

The Monarchs' downfall this season has been inconsistency, an inability to play 40 minutes of solid basketball. The Monarchs defense lets up and teams go on scoring runs much like San Antonio did when it tallied 11-0 spurt for 4:39 - lasting from the end of the first quarter and start of the next.

"Definitely, it takes us a minute to try to figure out certain things against their offense," Yolanda Griffith said after the game. "Each quarter we just started getting better on the defensive end and once we starting coming together and not going out separate ways nobody can play with us. We have the best defensive team in the league."

The Monarchs still have a shot at securing second place in the Western Conference, but it has many variables. They would have to go 1-1 against Phoenix, while San Antonio (vs. Indiana on Friday; at Minnesota on Sunday) must go 0-2. If the Monarchs beat Phoenix twice (Friday and Sunday) and San Antonio wins out, that would drop the Monarchs to third place and against the Mercury in the first round.

The league is working on a list of playoff scenarios, which I will post as soon as possible.

Melody Gutierrez

Posted by tnegrete at 11:43 AM | Comments

August 10, 2007

Banged-up Monarchs don't have much time to rest

If you listened to last night's game on KHTK, you're probably wondering just how banged up the Monarchs will be for today's game in Houston. With the Monarchs skipping shoot around this morning, I don't have many answers, but here's what team officials are saying.

Ticha Penicheiro has a left hamstring strain, which she injured during last night's 72-61 loss to San Antonio. Penicheiro exited the game early in the third quarter and did not return. The veteran point guard will be a game-time decision today.

Chelsea Newton struggled with a left wrist contusion she suffered in Connecticut on Tuesday and is considered day-to-day. Newton played 20 minutes last night, scoring six points.

Nicole Powell rolled her ankle at the end of the game and limped off the court, but Monarchs officials say she has been walking on it and should be OK to play today. Seeing as the injury occurred at the very end of the game, Powell's 0-for-8 performance from the field can't be blamed on her ankle.

The Monarchs boarded a bus after Thursday's loss and traveled from San Antonio to Houston. Monarchs players are currently catching up on sleep before tonight's 5:30 p.m. game, which can bee seen on News 10.

Melody Gutierrez

Posted by tnegrete at 11:43 AM | Comments

August 09, 2007

Blue skys ahead for Storm

Seattle has weathered its share of injuries and internal strife, but there is certainly a rainbow on the horizon. After the Storm (14-16) face Eastern Conference leader Detroit tonight, it's clear sailing from there with three home games against teams posting under .500 records. That creates a relatively easy playoff entrance should Seattle play decent basketball.

The Storm faces Washington (13-15) on Saturday, Minnesota (8-22) on Tuesday and Los Angeles (9-19) on Friday.

Houston is Seattle's only competition for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference as the Mercury, Monarchs and Silver Stars are locked in. The Comets (10-19) will face a tough schedule, starting with the Monarchs on Friday, San Antonio on Saturday and Detroit on Tuesday before closing their season against Chicago and at Los Angeles.

Melody Gutierrez

Posted by tnegrete at 03:55 PM | Comments

August 08, 2007

Newton listed as day-to-day

Monarchs guard Chelsea Newton is listed as day-to-day after suffering a contusion on her left wrist during Tuesday's 81-79 win over Connecticut.

Team officials say X-rays came back negative and Newton will play as long as the pain doesn't become too bothersome.

Newton took a hard foul from Asjha Jones early in the third quarter of Tuesday's win as they batteld for a rebound, according to media reports.

Newton and Jones fell to the ground, with Newton keeled over in pain holding her left wrist. She did not return to the game, but was expected to practice today in San Antonio.

Posted by tnegrete at 04:09 PM | Comments

August 06, 2007

Griffith facing fine?

The Monarchs have not heard from WNBA officials as to whether critical comments Yolanda Griffith made last night about officiating will warrant a fine, but many speculate that one is on the way.

Griffith criticized referees for allowing Sunday's game against Indiana to get too physical after the Monarchs dropped the 63-55 contest. Similar comments in the past by WNBA players and coaches have been met with fines.

"You've got the ball and you get raked from behind and the ball goes flying somewhere else, that's a ... foul," Griffith told Bee freelancer Patrick Dorsey. "(They stink). They are not consistent. They have not been consistent the whole season. It's ridiculous. This is not basketball, it's football. And it's like, I want to enjoy the game (but) you can't enjoy the game, because you've got to be mentally strong and prepare yourself (so) you don't (get) hurt."

The WNBA does not release the varying dollar amount associated with fines. Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer was fined last year after criticizing officials after the Shock lost to the Monarchs in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. A source told The Bee at the time that the fine was $500.

Laimbeer had said he was tired of a "double standard on the whistle" and that his "players are becoming frustrated, and we expect - no, we demand - that we get the same calls as the other team."

--Melody Gutierrez

Posted by Bill Bradley at 01:55 PM | Comments

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