It was just last year when Le’coe Willingham was celebrating her first WNBA title. As the starting forward on the Phoenix Mercury, she helped the team to a memorable Finals victory over the Indiana Fever. But after signing with Seattle in the offseason, now Willingham finds herself trying to prevent the Mercury from duplicating the feat with the Western Conference Finals set to commence Thursday.
“I don’t really look at it as going against my old team or anything like that," said Willingham. "We won a championship last year and everything we did last year was very special, but at the same time we’ve moved on and Phoenix is a different team. I’m just not looking at it as my old team. I’m looking at it as it’s just the team that we have to play in the Western Conference Finals, and I’m with Seattle now and we have a goal to accomplish and hopefully it’ll be a good series."
Willingham spent only two seasons with Phoenix, although she started all but seven of the 68 games she played for them (79 if you include postseason) and had her two most successful WNBA campaigns in terms of statistics. Meanwhile, the move to Seattle has meant a move to the bench with Lauren Jackson, Camille Little and Swin Cash ahead of her on the frontcourt depth chart. That has meant a decrease in Willingham’s production, but team-wise the regular season concluded with Seattle 13 games ahead of the Mercury in the standings, so in theory her odds to repeat are better than the Mercury’s.
Some may say regular season records are meaningless right now. Even Willingham admits that Phoenix is better than their 15-19 record suggests. But winning the West resulted in home-court advantage for Seattle, which hasn’t lost a game in its building all year, and every edge right now is crucial.
And by virtue of having Willingham, someone who knows Phoenix’s system well, the Storm might have another advantage.
"I know the tendencies and [Phoenix coach Corey Gaines'] philosophy," said Willingham. "I don’t think Corey really hides what his philosophy is. He’s going to let you know pretty much that it’s going to be an up-tempo game and they want to put up a lot of shots and hopefully stay even or control the boards so they can get out and run and control the transition. The philosophy is hopefully you can wear teams down by the fourth quarter in those last five minutes and to keep the push on.”
Even though Seattle is known more as the defensive-minded team in this series, they can keep up with the Mercury. They have stars. They can score. You don’t go 28-6 without being able to put up some points.
“I don’t want to say you can’t get caught up going up and down in a frenzied pace. We definitely run also," said Willingham. "We pick and choose our times to run. At times we want to push the pace and then at other times we need to slow the ball down and execute and make them play a full 24 seconds on defense, a whole possession instead of putting up that quick shot and allowing them to get long rebounds and get out in the running game because they’re very, very good at running.”
On the flip side, while the Mercury’s calling card is their offense, they can play defense when necessary. You don’t win two titles in three years without making a few stops.
“Basically the advantage is, and this is similar to what it was like when I was in Phoenix playing in the Finals against Indiana, it’s who can impose the will and style of play on the other team," said Willingham. "Phoenix, they play defense also. They’re very tall when they go with that tall lineup. So they can go very big on the court and switch everything.”
Maybe we should forget points-per-game or points-allowed-per-game. The stat that could give you a better sense of what to expect going into the Western Conference Finals is 5-0. That was Seattle’s record against Phoenix during the regular season, with three of those victories coming on the road.

NEW YORK, Sep. 2, 2010 – The Seattle Storm’s Brian Agler is the recipient of the 2010 WNBA Coach of the Year Award, the WNBA announced today. Agler received 17 votes from a national panel of 39 sportswriters and broadcasters. New York’s Anne Donovan finished second with 13 votes while Washington’s Julie Plank placed third with nine votes.
Agler earned his first Coach of the Year Award after leading the Storm to a 28-6 record regular season record, earning the No. 1 overall seed in the 2010 WNBA Playoffs presented by adidas. The Storm has since advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they will host the Phoenix Mercury in Game 1 tonight. Under Agler, the Storm became the second team to finish with a perfect record at home, going 17-0 at KeyArena. The 2001 Los Angeles Sparks accomplished the feat with a 16-0 record. The Storm also made franchise history with a 13-game winning streak that ended with a one-point loss at Minnesota on Aug. 1.
With Agler at the helm, the Storm ranked third in the league in scoring (81.8 ppg), third in rebounds (36.3 rpg), fifth in field goal percentage (44.5 percent), and sixth in steals (8.26 spg). Seattle also tied for second in offensive rebounds per game (11.6). A year ago, the Storm ranked 11th in the league in scoring (74.8 ppg), seventh in field goal percentage (43.0 percent), and ninth in both rebounds (32.5 rpg) and offensive rebounds per game (9.3).
Under Agler’s tutelage, Lauren Jackson earned the 2010 WNBA Most Valuable Player Award presented by Kia Motors, the third such honor of her career. Along the way, Jackson also earned the Western Conference Player of the Month award presented by Kia Motors for three consecutive months (May-July). She also earned the Player of the Week award presented by Kia Motors five times during 2010, tying her own mark for the most such awards in a single season. Jackson finished fourth in points (20.5 ppg) and seventh in rebounds (8.2 rpg). Teammate Sue Bird finished second in the league in assists (5.8 apg).
In his three seasons as Storm head coach, Agler has had three winning seasons, all three with 20 or more wins. The 28 victories in the 2010 season marked the most wins in one season for Agler’s WNBA coaching career. The previous two seasons, the Storm lost to the Los Angeles Sparks in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Agler has been in the WNBA since 1999, and began his career as head coach for the Minnesota Lynx for four seasons. Agler was an assistant coach with the Phoenix Mercury in 2004 and then worked on the Silver Stars coaching staff from 2005 until the 2008 season, after which he joined the Storm. Prior to his experience in the WNBA, the Ohio native coached for a combined 13 years at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College, Missouri-Kansas City, and Kansas State University.
Below are the voting results for 2010 WNBA Coach of the Year Award as well as a list of past recipients:
2010 COACH OF THE YEAR RESULTS
Votes Coach Team
17 Brian Agler Seattle Storm
13 Anne Donovan New York Liberty
9 Julie Plank Washington Mystics

COACH OF THE YEAR WINNERS
Year Coach Team
2010 Brian Agler Seattle Storm
2009 Marynell Meadors Atlanta Dream
2008 Mike Thibault Connecticut Sun
2007 Dan Hughes San Antonio Silver Stars
2006 Mike Thibault Connecticut Sun
2005 John Whisenant Sacramento Monarchs
2004 Suzie McConnell Serio Minnesota Lynx
2003 Bill Laimbeer Detroit Shock
2002 Marianne Stanley Washington Mystics
2001 Dan Hughes Cleveland Rockers
2000 Michael Cooper Los Angeles Sparks
1999 Van Chancellor Houston Comets
1998 Van Chancellor Houston Comets
1997 Van Chancellor Houston Comets

NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2010 – Seattle Storm forward-center Lauren Jackson was named the 2010 WNBA Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors, the league announced today. Jackson, who received 323 points (22 first place votes) from a national panel of 39 sportswriters and broadcasters, previously earned MVP honors in 2003 and 2007. Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings ranked second with 262 points (10 first place votes) and New York Liberty guard Cappie Pondexter finished third with 207 points (five). Phoenix Mercury guard-forward Diana Taurasi, the 2009 WNBA Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors, finished fourth with 73 points.
Players were awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five for third, three for fourth and one for each fifth-place vote received.
In honor of being named the WNBA Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors, Jackson will receive $15,000 and a specially-designed trophy from Tiffany & Co.
Rounding out the top eight vote getters were Washington Mystics forward-center Crystal Langhorne with 54 points, Atlanta Dream forward Angel McCoughtry with 41 points, Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles with 19 points, and Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird with 14 points.
En route to her third MVP award, Jackson helped propel the Storm to the best record in the WNBA at 28-6, which equaled the most wins in league history (by the 28-4 Los Angeles Sparks in both 2000 and 2001). Seattle also posted the first 17-0 home record in WNBA history.
The Australian native captured the WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month presented by Kia Motors honors in May, June and July of this year. She also set a single-season record (later equaled by New York’s
Cappie Pondexter) for most Conference Player of the Week presented by Kia Motors awards with five, all coming in the first nine weeks of the season. In the process, Jackson increased her total haul of weekly honors to 19, the most in WNBA history.
The 10-year pro started all 32 games in which she played and ranked among the WNBA’s top 10 in numerous categories, including finishing fourth in points (20.5 ppg) and seventh in rebounds (8.3 rpg). She also ranked fourth in free-throw percentage (.910), fifth in blocks (1.19 bpg) and seventh in double-doubles (nine).
Jackson finished the season with 656 total points (tallying double figures in all but one game), 264 rebounds (including 175 defensive boards), 38 assists, 38 blocks, and 30 steals. She made 220 of her 476 shots from the field, including 54 of 156 from three-point range.
Jackson, whose Seattle team hosts the Mercury in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals tonight, led the Storm to a 5-0 mark against Phoenix during the regular season. It was against the Mercury that Jackson logged her best performances of the year. She first recorded her top rebounding effort of the season at Phoenix, pulling down 18 boards and contributing 31 points in a 111-107 triple overtime victory on July 14. In their next meeting she posted a season-high 33 points and added 11 rebounds in a 91-85 home win over the Mercury.
This marks the second season that Kia Motors, an official WNBA marketing partner, has presented four of the league’s most illustrious season-ending awards – the WNBA’s Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, and Sixth Woman of the Year – grouped under the banner of “The WNBA Performance Awards presented by Kia Motors.”
For more information on this year’s WNBA Performance Awards presented by Kia Motors, visit www.wnba.com/awards.
Below are the complete results of the 2010 WNBA Most Valuable Player of the Year award presented by Kia Motors votes and a list of past recipients:
2010 WNBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER PRESENTED BY KIA MOTORS RESULTS
Points Player Team
323 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
262 Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
207 Cappie Pondexter New York Liberty
73 Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
54 Crystal Langhorne Washington Mystics
41 Angel McCoughtry Atlanta Dream
19 Tina Charles Connecticut Sun
14 Sue Bird Seattle Storm
6 Tina Thompson Los Angeles Sparks
3 Penny Taylor Phoenix Mercury

ALL-TIME WNBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER PRESENTED BY KIA MOTORS WINNERS
Year Player Team
2010 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
2009 Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
2008 Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks
2007 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
2006 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
2005 Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
2004 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
2003 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
2002 Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
2001 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
2000 Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
1999 Yolanda Griffith Sacramento Monarchs
1998 Cynthia Cooper Houston Comets
1997 Cynthia Cooper Houston Comets

SEATTLE (AP) Lauren Jackson had 23 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Seattle Storm to an 82-74 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.
Jackson, who won her third WNBA MVP award before the game, set a team playoff record for rebounds.
Svetlana Abrosimova added 16 points for the Storm, Le’Coe Willingham had 10, and Sue Bird handed out 10 assists in Seattle’s 19th straight home win.
Penny Taylor scored 16 points and Candice Dupree added 15 for the Mercury. Diana Taurasi, who averaged 22.6 points during the regular season, scored nine on 2-of-15 shooting.
Seattle held the Mercury 25 points below their postseason scoring average. Phoenix averaged 93.8 points during the regular season.
Jackson had her double-double in the books with 3:15 left in the first half when she grabbed her 10th rebound.
The Storm jumped out to a 22-7 lead in the first quarter, helped in part by the cold-shooting Mercury, who hit only one of their first 11 shots and went more than four minutes between their first and second baskets.
The Mercury pulled to 23-20 early in the second quarter with a 13-1 run capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Temeka Johnson and Taurasi, but would get no closer.
Taurasi picked up her third foul with 7:05 left in the half, but sat out 2 1/2 minutes before returning and playing the rest of the way until the break.
Seattle took a 47-33 lead into halftime.
The Mercury trailed 59-55 late in the third quarter, but the Storm stretched the lead back to 10 early in the fourth and Phoenix trailed by at least seven points the rest of the way.
Game 2 of the best-of-3 series is Sunday at Phoenix.
Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

When Janel McCarville was forced to sit out Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals Wednesday night against the Fever with a sprained ankle, the New York Liberty turned to the bench for an answer. Although Plenette Pierson started the game in McCarville’s place, Kia Vaughn owned the role, scoring 13 points and snagging seven rebounds over 26 minutes of play.
“I knew I had my teammates behind me,” Vaughn said after the 77-74 win. “It wasn’t on me, I just had to fill a role and actually go out there and be myself. Be aggressive, attack, keep the mindset and get what my teammates were going to give me.”
Vaughn, who averaged just 8.1 minutes and 2.1 points per game during the regular season, not only worked with what her teammates sent her way but was also a big presence all on her own on defense, on the boards and at the line. In fact, Vaughn’s night came to a head when she was sent to the line for two shots with 9.7 seconds remaining in the game, the score set at 76-74 in favor of the Liberty. Make both, and it all but takes Indy out of the game. Make one, and it’s on New York to limit the three. Miss both, and Indiana could steal the win.
One: Swish.
Two: Off the rim, out of bounds.
Indiana’s ball.
“I was just thinking, ‘Get back and get a stop,’” laughed Vaughn.
New York did just that, as a charging Briann January rushed down court and let a runner go from beyond the top of the arc, bouncing it off the rim, off the hardwood and right into the clutches of the Liberty’s Essence Carson. Time expired, and the Liberty burst into celebration.
“[If] you don’t know Kia Vaughn, you know Kia Vaughn now,” said an elated Cappie Pondexter following the win. “She was amazing. I feel her presence from the moment she stepped in the game to the end. We wouldn’t have won this game without her presence. The way she stepped up and made shots, grabbed rebounds, made plays on the defensive end – no way we would’ve walked out of here with a win without her.”
Head coach Anne Donovan shared the same sentiment.
“There is nobody that has worked harder this year and not really seen the results. Last game, I thought she had good minutes at Indiana which fortunately gave her confidence coming into the game tonight and with Janel out, we had to have her in the rotation. I think she surprised herself with how well she played and I know she surprised Indiana.”
McCarville remains listed as day-to-day for Sunday’s Conference Finals opener against the Dream. Whether she returns to the lineup or not, the Liberty can remain confident knowing that Vaughn is not far off, waiting for her chance to absorb the pressure.
“Opportunity was handed to me and I was on it,” said a proud, jubilant Vaughn.
“I got it done.”