Tulsa well represented at 2011 WNBA All Star Game.
Cambage shines in replacement role.
For the first time in franchise history, the Tulsa Shock were represented at the WNBA All Star Game held on Saturday afternoon in the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.
The WNBA announced on Thursday July 21st that Elizabeth Cambage would take the roster spot of Los Angeles Sparks center Candace Parker on the Western Conference roster. Parker, who was voted to the game as a starter by fans, suffered a knee injury at New York on June 26 and is expected to be out of action until August.
The 6-8, 19-year-old native of Australia becomes the fourth member of this year’s rookie class to be selected to an All-Star roster. Cambage joins starter Maya Moore of Minnesota, and a pair of reserves, San Antonio forward Danielle Adams and Chicago guard Courtney Vandersloot, as first-year players appearing in the All-Star Game.
In 14 games, Cambage has averaged 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds, good enough for second overall among Shock players. She was selected second overall in the 2011 WNBA draft held in April.
Liz had a good day on Saturday, scoring 13 points and hit three of 5 field goal attempts. She went 7 of 8 from the free throw line and pulled down four boards in just over 11 minutes of play.
Swoopes selected as one of the 15 WNBA All-Time Great players.
To celebrate the 15th season of the WNBA the league officially unveiled and honored its Top 15 Players of All Time during a special halftime ceremony at Saturday’s 2011 WNBA All-Star Game in San Antonio.
One of those top 15 players is Tulsa’s Sheryl Swoopes.
A panel comprising media members and basketball experts selected the 30-nominee ballot, giving consideration to such factors as oncourt performance and ability, leadership, sportsmanship, and community service, as well as to contributions to team success and the overall growth of women’s basketball.
Voting for the league’s Top 15 Players of All Time began on June 23 and was conducted among fans, who voted on WNBA.com, by select national and WNBA-market media, and by current players and coaches. The league weighted each of three voting groups to account for an equal percentage of the total vote.
Swoopes began her career in the WNBA as a member of the now-defunct Houston Comets and won the league’s first four championships with the Comets from 1997 through 2000. She was a 7-time all-star and played on three U.S. Olympic teams in 1996, 2000, and 2004 earning gold medals in each of the Games.
She was signed as a free agent in the off-season by Tulsa and in 14 games she’s averaged 5.6 points per game.
Swoopes is in good company, sharing a place on the list with Cheryl Miller, Dina Taurasi, and former teammate Lisa Leslie.
Shock fans can see Swoopes and Cambage three times this week when they take on the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday night, the Chicago Sky on Thursday night and the 2010 WNBA defending champion Seattle Storm on Saturday. Tickets are available at the BOK Center or by calling 918-599-WNBA.
Photo by Kevin Pyle.