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 Sparks News |
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Wednesday, May 30
Sparks Center Anosike to Have Knee Surgery
LOS ANGELES (AP) Sparks reserve center Nicky Anosike will undergo arthroscopic left knee surgery on Wednesday and will miss about six weeks.
The team said Tuesday that having the surgery now rather than later would give Anosike a chance to be healthy for the rest of the season.
Anosike played in all three exhibition games, but did not dress in the Sparks' first four games of the season. She signed with the team in the offseason after playing three years with Minnesota and last year with Washington. She has averaged 9.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in her career.
Tuesday, May 29
Candace Parker Named Western Conference Player of the Week
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Los Angeles – Candace Parker was named the Western Conference Player of the Week presented by Boost Mobile, for games played May 18-27. Parker helped lead the Sparks to 3-1 start this season, with two wins over the Seattle Storm and one win over the Phoenix Mercury.
It is the 6'4" versatile forward's sixth time earning Player of the Week honors in her career. The fifth-year pro led the league in blocks (2.7 bpg), ranked third in the Western Conference in scoring (20.5 ppg), and tied for third in rebounds (7.8 rpg). She finished the week with three consecutive games of 20-or-more points and a pair of double-doubles.
After helping Los Angeles overcome a 21-point deficit to win its opener at Seattle, 72-66, Parker led the Sparks past the visiting Storm just days later with an all-around performance that included 21 points, 10 boards, six blocks, four assists and three steals. She then added 23 points and six boards in a 92-84 defeat at the hands of the Lynx before closing the week with personal season-highs of 27 points and 11 rebounds – while also adding four blocks – in a 99-88 win at Phoenix.
The Naperville, Ill., native was the 2008 WNBA MVP and Rookie of the Year in her first season in the league. She is the only player ever to earn both such honors in the same season.
The Indiana Fever's Tamika Catchings earned her 15th Player of the Week honors for the Eastern Conference in the first week of her 12th WNBA season.
Moves
Jan. 5 * The Los Angeles Sparks named Carol Ross head coach.
Feb. 1 * The Los Angeles Sparks traded Noelle Quinn to the Washington Mystics in exchange
for Marissa Coleman.
Feb. 8 * The Los Angeles Sparks signed free agent Alana Beard.
Feb. 15 * The Atlanta Dream re-signed Courtney Paris
Feb. 22 * The Chicago Sky signed Ticha Penicheiro
Feb. 23 * The Los Angeles Sparks signed Sharneé Zoll
Feb. 23 * The Washington Mystics traded Nicky Anosike to the Los
Angeles Sparks in exchange for Natasha Lacy and LaToya Pringle Sanders
Feb. 27 * The Seattle Storm signed Tina Thompson
Mar. 9 * The Los Angeles Sparks signed Ashley Shields
Apr. 9 * The Los Angeles Sparks signed Darxia Morris
Apr. 25 * The Los Angeles Sparks signed a multi-year extension with Candace Parker
Los Angeles Sparks Announce 2012 Preseason Schedule
Sparks to Play Home Games against China and Japan National Teams
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks today announced its 2012 preseason schedule featuring home games against the China National Team on Saturday, May 5 at 4 p.m. at Pasadena City College and the Japan National Team on Thursday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. at Los Angeles Southwest College. The team finishes their preseason schedule in Seattle when they take on the Storm on Sunday, May 13 at KeyArena. The Sparks will return to Seattle to tip-off the 2012 regular season on Friday, May 18 before the same two teams do battle at STAPLES Center on Sunday, May 20 at 5:30 p.m. in the Sparks home opener.
2012 Sparks Preseason Schedule
| Date |
Opponent |
Location |
Time (PT) |
| Saturday, May 5 |
China National Team |
Pasadena City College
|
4:00pm |
| Thursday, May 10 |
Japan National Team |
LA Southwest College
|
7:30pm |
| Sunday, May 13 |
Seattle Storm |
KeyArena |
2:00pm |
Tickets for both exhibition games are available now by calling the Sparks office at 877-44-SPARKS (772757) and at the venues on the day of game. For Sparks group and season ticket information, call 877-44-SPARKS (772757) or visit LASparks.com.
Wednesday, April 25
Candace Signs Multi-Year Extension
All-Star Forward Agrees to Multi-Year Deal to Stay in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Sparks have signed All-Star forward Candace Parker to a multi-year contract extension, Vice President and General Manager Penny Toler announced today. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Candace is one of those players in the league that you want to build your team with,” Toler said. “Candace is healthy and will be a critical piece for our Championship run this season. We have a loaded team and we expect to win now.”
The 6’4 versatile forward averaged 18.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 17 games played in 2011. She led the Sparks in points and rebounds per game, and would have been ranked fourth in the league in those two statistics if she played the minimum amount of games. She had six of her career 38 double-doubles last season.
“I am excited to continue to be a member of the Los Angeles Sparks,” Parker said. “The Sparks have always been committed to success and making the right moves to build upon their rich tradition in the WNBA. I know Penny Toler and Coach Ross have worked hard to put together a strong team this year, and I am ready to start the season with my teammates. I know our fans will be ready for a big year from us.”
In 2008, Parker was the first player ever to earn WNBA MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season. That same year, she won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. She was voted to the 2011 All-Star Game and named Second Team All-WNBA in 2009.
Monday, April 16
2012 WNBA Draft
Los Angeles Sparks
Picks:
No. 1: Nneka Ogwumike, Stanford
No. 13: Farhiya Abdi – Sweden
No. 15: Khadijah Rushdan – Rutgers
No. 16: Tyra White – Texas A&M
No. 28: April Sykes - Rutgers
Analysis:
The Sparks got the crown jewel of this draft in Stanford’s Nneka Ogwumike. She is the kind of talent that can make a big impact right away and that is why she was the clear-cut No. 1 pick in this draft. The 6-foot-2 forward will join Candace Parker, Nicky Anosike and DeLisha Milton-Jones to form one of the league’s most formidable frontlines.
Later in the draft, L.A. added proven guards in Rutgers’ Khadijah Rushdan and Texas A&M’s Tyra White, who helped lead the Aggies to a National Championship in 2011, and they both figure to compete for spots on the roster in training camp. 6-foot-2 Farhiya Abdi from the Sweden, selected with the first pick in the second round, is a project for the future.
Wednesday, February 8
Sparks Sign Four-Time WNBA All-Star Alana Beard
The Los Angeles Sparks have signed four-time WNBA All-Star Alana Beard to a free agent contract, Vice President and General Manager Penny Toler announced Wednesday. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Beard, a 5’11” guard/forward, averaged 16.2 points, 4.2 rebounds 2.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game in six seasons with the Washington Mystics before missing the 2010 and 2011 campaigns with ankle and foot injuries, respectively. Prior to her injuries, Beard appeared in 193 of a possible 204 regular-season games dating back to her rookie campaign of 2004, starting 192. She earned WNBA All-Star Game selections from 2005-07 and again in 2009 – three times as a starter – and garnered 2006 Second Team All-WNBA honors.
“I’m excited that Alana has decided to join our Sparks family,” Toler said. “Alana is healthy and motivated to return to her All-Star form, and just as important she’s hungry to help the Sparks win a Championship. Alana is a proven winner and her leadership qualities will be a tremendous asset to the Sparks.”
Beard was selected second overall by Washington in the 2004 WNBA Draft from Duke, where she became the first player in women’s college basketball history to claim the John R. Wooden, State Farm Wade Trophy and Naismith Player of the Year Awards as a senior. As a rookie with the Mystics, she earned her first of four consecutive WNBA All-Defensive Team selections and set a new franchise record for steals in a season.
Beard’s breakthrough season came in 2006 when she averaged career-highs of 19.2 points (sixth in the WNBA) and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 49.5% from the floor. The following season the Shreveport, La., native was nearly as productive at 18.8 points per game, fourth-highest average in the league. She made three Playoff appearances during her Washington career, most recently in 2009.
Beard is currently playing in Israel with Elitzur Ramla.
“I am extremely thankful and grateful to Sparks owners Paula and Roosevelt Madison, Penny Toler, Coach Ross and the entire organization for this opportunity,” Beard said, who has elected to wear No. 0 with the Sparks. “I look forward to being a part of this team and playing with some of the best frontcourt players in the game in Candace Parker, DeLisha Milton-Jones and Ebony Hoffman.”
Off the court, Beard is one of the WNBA’s most community-minded players. She serves as an ambassador for the league’s Dribble to Stop Diabetes campaign, while through the Alana Beard Foundation she fosters a "no-excuse" environment to provide the young women of tomorrow with the necessary resources critical to achieving success on or off court.
The Sparks will tip-off the 2012 season Friday, May 18 at the Seattle Storm before the same two teams do battle at STAPLES Center on Sunday, May 20 at 5:30 p.m. For group and season ticket information, call 877-44-SPARKS or visit LASparks.com.
Wednesday, February 8
Los Angeles Sparks Acquire Nicky Anosike in Trade with Washington Mystics
Four-Year Veteran and 2009 WNBA All-Star Joins Sparks
LOS ANGELES
– The Los Angeles Sparks have acquired forward/center Nicky Anosike from the
Washington Mystics in exchange for guard Natasha Lacy and forward/center LaToya Pringle, Sparks Vice
President and General Manager Penny Toler announced Thursday.
The 6’4” Anosike (
ANN-uh-SEE-kay) is a four-year WNBA veteran with career averages of 9.6 points and
7.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.0 blocks in 129 regular season games, 122 of those starts. After spending
her first three seasons with the Minnesota Lynx – where she was a member of the 2008 WNBA All-
Rookie Team and a 2009 All-Star – Anosike was traded to Washington prior to the 2011 campaign for a
2012 first round draft pick (No. 3 overall). Last season, she ranked eighth in the league in both
rebounding (7.2 per game) and total steals (49), and established her career-high of 29 points in a June 9
win over Atlanta.
In Los Angeles, she will be reunited with former University of Tennessee teammate Candace Parker. The
duo helped lead the Lady Vols to back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2007 and 2008. In addition,
Sparks Head Coach Carol Ross had an opportunity to mentor Anosike on the gold medal-winning USA
Basketball squad at the 2005 FIBA Under-19 World Championships.
“Nicky has a tremendous ability to impact a game, and is one of the league’s best rebounders year-in and
year-out. Defensively, she has great instincts,” Ross said. “Being back in tandem with Candace Parker
will give Nicky an opportunity to expand her game. Penny keeps adding great pieces to the puzzle and
I’m really excited to see how we gel in training camp.”
Anosike was drafted in the second round, 16
th overall in 2008 by Minnesota and promptly shattered the
franchise record for steals in a season with 75 while ranking third among all rookies in scoring (9.2 ppg).
During her All-Star campaign of 2009, she became just the second player in WNBA history to lead her
team in all five major statistical categories: scoring (13.2 ppg), rebounding (7.4 rpg), assists (2.7 apg),
steals (2.7 spg) and blocked shots (0.93 bpg).
Anosike is currently playing for Beijing Great Wall in China, where she is averaging a team-high 15.3
points and 9.1 rebounds per game and has led her squad into the WCBA Finals, currently taking place.
"It still hasn't hit me yet - I'm so excited to be a part of the LA Sparks! I know the expectations for me are
really high and I’m ready to meet that challenge,” Anosike said. “I haven't won a championship since
playing with Candace at Tennessee, and I know we're both focused on being champions again and
having fun while doing it."
Earlier this month, the Sparks acquired guard/forward Marissa Coleman in a trade with Washington and
signed free agent guard/forward Alana Beard, who had previously been with the Mystics as well.
Wednesday, February 1
Los Angeles Sparks Sign Point Guard Sharneé Zoll
Free Agent Acquisition is the ACC Record Holder for Career Assis
– The Los Angeles Sparks have signed point guard Sharneé Zoll to a free agent
contract, Vice President and General Manager Penny Toler announced Thursday. Per team policy, terms
of the agreement were not disclosed.
The 5’7” Zoll graduated from the University of Virginia in 2008 as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s all-time
assist leader (785) and has played extensively in Europe over the past four seasons, the last two with
CCC Polkowice in Poland. Currently leading the Polish League in assists (6.0 per game) for a second
straight year, Zoll has also helped Polkowice reach the knockout stage of the 2011-12 EuroLeague.
Among her teammates is Sparks center Jantel Lavender.
“I’m really excited about ‘Zollie’,” said Sparks Head Coach Carol Ross, who previously worked with Zoll
while an assistant on USA Basketball’s gold-medal winning team at the FIBA Under-19 World
Championships. “She brings a lot of spirit and energy to the court, is a great teammate and loves to get
up-and-down the floor. I feel very fortunate that she’s hopping aboard the LA Sparks’ train.”
Zoll was a three-time All-ACC performer at Virginia, where she broke Dawn Staley’s school and ACC
record for career assists. The Marlboro, N.J., native scored 1,169 points in her four-year Cavalier career,
and as a senior was a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the nation’s top point guard.
Starting all but one of her 132 career games at UVa, Zoll was a three-time team captain.
“This is a dream come true. Most little girls dream of coming to LA to become an actress, but I’ve always
dreamed of becoming a Spark,” Zoll said. “Ever since the league formed, the Sparks have been a
marquee franchise, and I want to help this team return to a championship level. I’m going to get the ball
where it needs to go; we have a lot of great scorers it can go to.”
Wednesday, February 1
Sparks Acquire Marissa Coleman in Trade with Washington
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The Los Angeles Sparks have acquired guard/forward Marissa Coleman from the Washington Mystics in exchange for guard Noelle Quinn, Sparks Vice President and General Manager Penny Toler announced Wednesday.
Drafted No. 2 overall by the Mystics in 2009 from the University of Maryland, the 6’1” Coleman ranked 11th in the WNBA last season with 51 three-pointers made while starting 28 of 34 contests. Her single-game career highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds were also set during the 2011 campaign.
The Cheltenham, Md., native has averaged 7.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists over her three-year WNBA career, and helped the Mystics earn a share of the 2010 Eastern Conference regular season title.
“We’re happy to welcome Marissa to our Sparks family,” Head Coach Carol Ross said. “To add a player of Marissa’s caliber on the wing – with her ability to shoot and rebound and compete – is something we’re excited about. It’s a positive step as we continue to move the Sparks forward.”
The move reunites Coleman with Sparks guard Kristi Toliver, her teammate at Maryland for four seasons. As freshmen in 2005-06, the duo helped lead the Terrapins to an NCAA Championship. Toliver was selected No. 3 overall in the 2009 WNBA Draft by Chicago, one spot behind Coleman. A three-time AP All-American, Coleman is the only player in Atlantic Coast Conference history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists, 200 steals and 100 blocks.
"I am extremely excited about joining the LA Sparks. The team has a plan in place to build on its history of success. I can't wait to play with some of the best players in the league and compete for a WNBA Championship," said Coleman. "Being able to play with Kristi again is exciting. She and I accomplished some really great things together at Maryland, and we play really well together. We seem to always know where the other one is on the court."
The Sparks will tip-off the 2012 season Friday, May 18 at the Seattle Storm before the same two teams do battle at STAPLES Center on Sunday, May 20 at 5:30 p.m. For group and season ticket information, call 877-44-SPARKS or visit LASparks.com.
Friday, May 4
Sparks Win 2012 WNBA Draft Lottery, Earn No. 1 Overall Pick
The Los Angeles Sparks won the eleventh annual WNBA Draft Lottery and earned the top pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft, the league announced today.
This marks the second time in franchise history that Los Angeles has earned the top overall choice.
In 2008, the Sparks used their No. 1 selection to draft Candace Parkerfrom the Univ. of Tennessee.
“There are some excellent players in the 2012 Draft class, and we are very excited to get the No. 1 pick and have the opportunity to add a very talented player to the Sparks roster,” Sparks Vice President and General Manager Penny Toler said.
Los Angeles had 104 chances out of 1,000 to receive the first overall selection, the fewest of any of the four teams in the Lottery mix.
This marks the second time in WNBA history that the team with the fewest chances to win has won the top pick. The other team to do so was the Phoenix Mercury, which won the Lottery held in advance of the 2007 WNBA Draft.
In addition to its No. 1 overall selection, Los Angeles holds four additional picks in the 2012 Draft, including three at the start of the second round: No. 13 overall (acquired in the Feb. 2011 trade that sent Andrea Riley to Tulsa), No. 15 (acquired in the May 2011 trade that send Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton to Chicago) and its original pick at No. 16. Rounding out the Sparks’ draft choices will be a third round selection at No. 28 overall.
The Chicago Sky, which had the second fewest chances to win the Lottery (178), will have the second pick in the Draft followed by the Minnesota Lynx. Minnesota, which, after winning the Lottery last year used the No. 1 overall pick to select Maya Moore and went on to earn its first WNBA championship, had the second best odds of winning the 2012 Lottery. The Lynx had a 27.6 percent chance of landing the top pick having obtained the first round selection of Washington (6-28) after trading forward/center Nicky Anosike to the Mystics two days prior to the 2011 Draft.
The Tulsa Shock, which had the most chances to win the Lottery (44.2%) will select fourth.
WNBA officials and a representative from the accounting firm of Ernst & Young conducted the Draft Lottery in New York City to establish the order of selection for the first four picks of the 2012 WNBA Draft. The order of selection for the remainder of the first round as well as the second and third round is determined by inverse order of the teams’ respective regular-season records.
Thursday, January 19
Los Angeles Sparks Announce 2012 Season Schedule
The Los Angeles Sparks today announced they will tip-off the 2012 WNBA regular season with back-to-back games against Western Conference rival Seattle, playing at the Storm on Friday, May 18 followed by their home opener Sunday, May 20 at 5:30 p.m. at STAPLES Center. The Sparks 16th WNBA season will feature a 17-game home schedule including eight weekend dates.
This marks the second consecutive year Los Angeles will play in the league’s only opening night contest, with other WNBA teams in action starting May 19.
Midweek games at STAPLES Center will start at 7:30 p.m., except on Thursday, July 5 when the Sparks host the defending WNBA Champion Minnesota Lynx at 12 p.m. in the team’s annual Camp Day game. Weekend dates feature two Friday games at 8 p.m., a pair of Saturday tip-offs at 7pm and 7:30 p.m. and four Sunday contests at 5:30 p.m.
Los Angeles is scheduled to play four nationally-televised games live on ESPN2: June 13 at Connecticut, June 23 at Phoenix, July 7 at home vs. Seattle and July 12 at Indiana. The Sparks local broadcast schedule will be announced at a later date.
With the 2012 Summer Olympics scheduled in London, the WNBA will take a 33-day midseason break from July 14 through Aug. 15 to allow its brightest stars to compete for their respective countries. The Sparks resume play Aug. 18 at Seattle, and then have the luxury of playing seven of their final 12 regular-season games at STAPLES Center including four straight to end the campaign. Los Angeles’ regular season finale takes place Sept. 20 vs. Minnesota, with the WNBA Playoffs slated to begin on Sept. 27.
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