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We're not insisting they're the league's five best players ... just five who can have an impact on the success of their teams:
Yolanda Griffith, Sacramento Monarchs, 6-3, F: MVP. Newcomer of the Year. Defensive Player of the Year. League leader in rebounds (11.3) and steals (2.52). Yo, 30, might have raised a championship banner last year if she hadn't torn the medial meniscus in her right knee, an injury that kept her out of the playoffs. Griffith is healthy again, and, surrounded by Ruthie Bolton-Holifield and fellow Olympian Ticha Penicheiro, the league's second-best scorer might be ready to add "WNBA champion" to her résumé. Stephanie McCarty, Indiana Fever, 5-9, G/F: A prep star in West Lebanon, Ind., and the leader of the 1999 Purdue team that won the NCAA championship, McCarty struggled last year as a rookie in Charlotte (5.3 ppg, 1.7 apg). She's thrilled to be ballin' with the expansion team, even if the hometown expectations are high. After a stress fracture in her foot kept her out of the playoffs last season, McCarty is fully recovered and ready to fuel the expansion Fever. Natalie Williams, Utah Starzz, 6-2, F: She's big enough to dominate inside, and versatile enough to drain perimeter jumpers. Williams (18 ppg, 9.2 rpg) was the reason the Starzz made a seven-game improvement last season, and Williams is the reason the team will make its first postseason appearance. Nikki McCray, Washington Mystics, 5-11, G: While Chamique got all the juice, McCray quietly led the team in scoring (17.5 ppg -- fifth in the WNBA). She has a quick first step and plays in-your-face defense. With former Sting forward Vicky Bullett in the mix, the Mystics should taste both their first winning record and their first playoff appearance. Brandy Reed, Phoenix Mercury, 6-1, F: How's this for improvement? Reed's 16.1 scoring average last season in Minnesota was more than triple her average from the previous season (5.2). No wonder Phoenix, after failing to make the playoffs a year ago, reacquired the player it drafted in '98. Adding Reed to a lineup that includes guard Michele Timms and center Jennifer Gillom, the league runner-up in '98 is right back at 'cha. For more great sports coverage, read the latest issue of ESPN The Magazine, available on newsstands now. Or click here to try an issue risk-free! |
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