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		WNBA- Monarchs Playoff Preview By Tony Renteria August 22, 2007

	Sacramento Monarchs are the reigning Western Conference Champions and the San Antonio Silver Stars are making their first appearance in the playoffs. This three-game series should boil down to two things: a battle of will, and how well the benches play for their respective head coaches. The Monarchs are not the same squad that lost to Detroit in WNBA finals last year and the Silver Stars are definitely not the same squad as year. The Monarchs are without Demya Walker who went down for the season in the fifth game of the season with a new injury and first-year head coach Jenny Boucek has taken the reins from now General Manager John Whisenant. The Silver Stars brought over Becky Hammon who leads the league in points per game and assists. Hammon is the reason that Silver Stars have made such a turn around this season. It will be a responsibility of Tisha Penicheiro, the Monarchs leader in games played, to corral Hammon. “She is a great player” Penicheiro said of Hammon, she added “I like challenges like that.” Penicheiro may get more than she wished for as Hammon’s ability to break down defenses and her ability to score and pass is remarkable. Hammon is having the season of her life right now with 18.8 points per game and chipping in five assists a game to match that. Hammon is complimented by Sophia Young who averages nearly 17-points a game and nearly six rebounds as well. The two have led the Silver Stars all season and the rest of the team will look for them to carry that same load in the playoffs. Coach Boucek’s defensive first philosophy of keeping fresh legs on the courts does not lend well to offensive statistics. But do not let those stats fool you. The Monarchs have some offense weapons. Nicole Powell is a not only a shooter with superlative skills she has worked on her post game to add depth to her offense repertoire. She can take opponents off the dribble and also back them down low. She moves well without the ball and it is a great shooter of the pass. Yolanda Griffith can still pound you down low. Her vast array of moves and experience should not be counted out. With the pace of the playoffs, her knees will get the needed rest to make her fresh for every game. Griffith could be score over 15 a game if used correctly. Kara Lawson is a shark off the bench. She watches about the first five minutes of the game before being put in. Then the shark emerges, quickly instilling terror in the hearts of her competition within seconds of being on the court. It is not uncommon if she hits her first shot with ten seconds of being inserted into the game. The Monarchs best overall offense player, she will be a catalyst to their hopes in the playoffs. Rebekkah Brunson is the Monarchs fiercest competitor and will go up and grab the tough offense rebounds. In the last two weeks she really has started to be the most reliable and most aggressive player for Sacramento. If she has a double- double then the Silver Stars are in serious trouble. Adrian Williams is the second string center. She averages nearly 18-minutes a game. Williams has the ability to score points quickly and often. Williams, who can be labeled as tentative at times, can also be called super aggressive as well. Her mid range jump shot is good but her ability to read the ball in flight to grab the rebound and go take it back up quickly which could be the difference in the series. The one factor that cannot be counted out is the sixth person in Arco. The fans of Sacramento are rabid to say the least. They will cheer from the tip of the jump ball to the final horn. The fans have been a source of added energy for professional basketball players for over 20 years and the Monarchs feed off of it as well. The relationship between the Organization and the fans is unbelievable. The WNBA player truly respects each person who comes out to watch them play and the Monarchs are the best examples of that. It is not uncommon to see a Monarch during warm up go over and give a high five to a young fan or sign autographs for them until the all the fans have one. The Monarchs love their fans and will go every measure as possible to win for them. The keys to a Monarch’s win on Thursday 1. Score early to get the crowd into the game. 2. Hold Hammon to under 20 points: they need to make the other Players beat them. 3. The backcourt must score over 30 points combined. They will need some outside shooting from the all the guards. If the Monarchs win on Thursday they can put all the pressure on San Antonio. If that happens then they have a great shot of getting back to the conference finals. A loss on Thursday could be the last home game this season.