Chamique Holdsclaw Returns to the WNBA

One of the most talented players to come out of Tennessee, Chamique Holdsclaw, has returned to the WNBA. After a 2 year hiatus of playing only in the European league, Atlanta has negotiated her trade from Los Angeles to the Dream franchise in exchange for the 13th pick of the first round in the up coming 2009 WNBA draft.

“Coming back has been something that I have been thinking about for a while,” Holdsclaw said. “The only thing that was holding me back was my body and being healthy. I realized that if I had the chance I would like to play this summer.”

Holdsclaw will bring much needed experience to Atlanta

Holdsclaw is an 8-year veteran bound to bring much needed experience and leadership to our young team. She began her WNBA career in 1999 where she was the overall first round draft pick for the Washington Mystics. While there, she played 6 years for the Mystics and averaged 19 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and was awarded the WNBA Rookie of the Year.

In 2005, Holdsclaw was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks where she played 2 seasons and averaged 15.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

In June 2007, Holdsclaw announced her retirement from the WNBA but continued her basketball career over seas. Most recently she has been playing in Poland averaging17.6 points per game for TS Wisla Can-Pack Krakow in Euroleague.

“I’m just happy that Chamique is back in the WNBA,” said Dream General Manager & Head Coach Marynell Meadors. “I just think she really misses the game. I am looking forward to having her. She elevates our team to another level.”

To read more about Atlanta’s acquisition of Chamique Holdsclaw go to the Atlanta Dream website.

Ivory Latta led the Dream with 18 points with 16 of her 18 in the first half to win over the Chicago Sky, 91-84 on Saturday night.

Latta was so excited about the win she danced around the court with her teammates surrounding her as blue and white confetti poured over them.

“It was just this great feeling inside knowing we finally got one,” Latta said. “I looked up into the crowd and saw all the smiling faces and felt that this is what they deserve.”

Kristin Haynie added 11 points with 11 assists.

“Everyone stepped up and just had the mind-set of contributing,” Haynie said. “It was all about us getting it done.”

And they got it done! They came back from 13-points down in the first quarter when Tamera Young, Betty Lennox and Iziane Castro Marques contributed 10 points each. Jennifer Lacy added 11, 18 points overall, to help the Dream get to a 46-35 lead at half time. Lacy says the team never gave up.

“There was so much time left,” Lacy said. “We couldn’t give up. We couldn’t let this one slip through, so we kept pushing.”

Chicago did bounce back in the second half to push a 1 point lead, 81-80, with just under 2 mintues to go in regulation.

But the momentum changed after Young made 2 free throws to put Atlanta up by 1. Then Latta scored a layup and Young added 2 more free throws to put them up by 5 with less than a minute to play.

“She’s a winner, she’s an absolute winner,” coach Meadors said of Latta. “It’s never say die with her. She just looks at me with those big eyes and I know she wants it.”

With 20 seconds left to go, Chicago’s Jia Perkins hit a 3 to cut the Atlanta lead to 2, 86-84. But the Dream pulled away by hitting 5 more free throws to win the game 91-84.

With the win, Atlanta has some newfound confidence says coach Meadors.

“We finally got some smiles,” coach said. “We can actually walk with our heads up high and shoulders back. I think now we’ll be OK.”

And it was Detroit that delivered that 13th loss on Sunday, 97-76.

Coach Meadors is a realist. She understands that it will take time to build a strong team but with a 13-game loosing streak for the first season of franchise history can easily dissolve the early optimism.

You can hear the frustration in her words.

“I’m going to lose this year, OK?” Coach Meadors said. “We know the chances of us having a great year are not good.”

But there is still hope. Maybe not for this season although, at least 1 win would help, but when Detroit was down 13 games in 2002 they came back and won a championship in 2003. And have been a contending team ever since.

“Man, we just have to get that monkey off our back,” said Ivory Latta, who scored a career-high 26 points and 10 assists.

Betty Lennox, fifth in the league in scoring with 18.9 points, only had 5 and shot 2-for-6.

Iziane Castro Marques added 10 points.

Detroit led most of the game with the largest margin of 21 points until Plennette Pierson hit a short jumper with 1:30 left in the first half to bump that number to 23.

With 47 seconds left in the third quarter, Latta hit a 3 to cut the Detroit lead to 8. But the Shock answered with a 10-3 run, topped off by a 3 from Humphrey just before the end of the period.

The frustration runs deep in the new Dream team but they just need to put it behind them and get that first win. It will all come together after that. We as fans just need to be patient.

Steding has a long history with women’s basketball going back to 1990 at Stanford University where she led her team to the University’s first NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Championship. She also played in Japan and Spain before making the U.S. National team where they won gold in the 1996 Summer Olympics. Steding also played for the Portland Power for 2 years before the ABL folded in 1998. She then joined the WNBA as a member of the Sacramento Monarchs in 2000 and the Seattle Storm in 2001 before retireing from profession basketball and began her coaching career.

“For us to have a former WNBA player and former Olympian I think it’s just awesome,” said Meadors. “It’s instant credibility for our team. It’s going to be a great situation, she is going to come in and do a great job for us.”

“I’m thrilled to be working with Coach Meadors and the Atlanta Dream,” said Steding. “This is going to be a fun team to watch, and I’m excited for the opportunity to help build the program. Coach Meadors has put together a great crew and I’m honored to be included.”