Marynell Meadors Named WNBA Coach of the Year

From the WNBA:

NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2009 – The Atlanta Dream’s Marynell Meadors was named the recipient of the 2009 WNBA Coach of the Year Award, the WNBA announced today. Meadors received 30 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Indiana’s Lin Dunn finished second with six votes while Phoenix’s Corey Gaines placed third with four votes.

My comment: " ".

Angel McCoughtry is the Rookie of the Year

From the Atlanta Dream:

“There was no doubt in my mind when I was scouting talent for the 2009 draft that Angel was a special player, and she proved that in her rookie season,” said Dream General Manager & Head Coach Marynell Meadors. “There was a lot of competition for this award but she was by far the best. I’m so proud of her and this is only the beginning. I don’t think she has really seen what she can do yet.”

Congratulations on a job well done! The final results:

Angel McCoughtry, Atlanta Dream (30)
DeWanna Bonner, Phoenix Mercury (9)
Shavonte Zellous, Detroit Shock (2)

Don't let the vote tally fool you - Bonner and Zellous are outstanding rookies as well.

Vivlamore: McCoughtry and Meadors Will Be ROY and COY

We call this click-love time! Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution gives us some amazing insight on the 2009 season for the Dream.

Angel McCoughtry was ready to quit.

The Atlanta Dream forward was frustrated with the way she was playing in her first WNBA season. The game was no longer fun, so she gave serious consideration to giving up the game of basketball. Serious consideration.

...

“I was just so frustrated,” McCoughtry said. “Hopefully, this may inspire anyone else who gets frustrated. Don’t give up.”


According to Vivlamore, McCoughtry and Meadors are going to be named Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year on Thursday.

Remember when AJC articles about the Dream were rarer than hen's teeth? You need - to click - the link! (Several times, if necessary.)

Lyttle, McCoughtry Make All Defensive Second Team

From the WNBA, the top finishers for the WNBA All-Defensive teams are:

First team

Tamika Catchings, Fever
Lauren Jackson, Storm
Nicky Anosike, Lynx
Tanisha Wright, Storm
Tully Bevilaqua, Fever

Second team

Sancho Lyttle, Dream
Angel McCoughtry, Dream
Lisa Leslie, Sparks
Candace Parker, Sparks
Alana Beard, Mystics
Deanna Nolan, Shock


Verrrry cool. It would have been cool to have a first-team defender, but I'll take two second-team defenders. Some teams didn't get anyone on the list.

Note: There are not two different first teams. The first five listed players are the first team; the following six are the second team.

McCoughtry Makes All-Rookie Team

From the WNBA:

McCoughtry, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft presented by adidas, topped the charts among all WNBA rookies in points (12.8) and steals (2.2) and ranked fifth in assists (2.1). McCoughtry’s 2.2 steals per game led the Dream and placed her in the top five among league leaders. She finished the season with two consecutive adidas Rookie of the Month honors. McCoughtry helped propel a team that finished with only four wins in 2008 to second place in the Eastern Conference this season. The Dream advanced to the 2009 WNBA Playoffs presented by adidas, marking the first postseason appearance in franchise history. The 14-game improvement is the second-best single-season turnaround in WNBA history.

The full team:

Angel McCoughtry
DeWanna Bonner
Shavonte Zellous
Renee Montgomery
Marissa Coleman

Hmm. It looks like both McCoughtry and Bonner got 12 votes each and Zellous and Montgomery got 11 votes each. It's going to make the Rookie of the Year voting very interesting.

UPDATE: Click Chris Vivlamore's article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to show your click love.

All-WNBA Teams Announced

They're right here. The list:

First Team

Diana Taurasi
Tamika Catchings
Lauren Jackson
Becky Hammon
Cappie Pondexter

Second Team

Candace Parker
Sophia Young
Lisa Leslie
Katie Douglas
Deanna Nolan


Excuse me while I chuckle. Sancho Lyttle and/or Erika de Souza should have made one of those lists. Lisa Leslie barely squeaked by, and you're telling me that she did a better job this year than Erika de Souza? Surrrrre.

Also to the WNBA: these cannot be the "complete results" unless these were the only 10 candidates. Mathematically impossible, y'know. These are simply the top finishers.

Bonner Wins WNBA Sixth Woman - McCoughtry for ROY?

According to the Montgomery Advisor, DeWanna Bonner (not "DeWanba") of the Phoenix Mercury will be announced as the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year.

There has been a competition between two players - Bonner and Angel McCoughtry of Atlanta - as to which would win the Rookie of the Year and which would win Sixth Woman. The consensus is that they will split the awards...meaning that if Bonner has been named Sixth Woman, then McCoughtry....

UPDATE: It's official. Here is the final vote tally:

20 DeWanna Bonner Phoenix Mercury
10 Angel McCoughtry Atlanta Dream
4 Shevonte Zellous Detroit Shock
1 Kara Braxton Detroit Shock
1 Kristi Toliver Chicago Sky
1 Hamchetou Maiga-Ba Sacramento Monarchs
1 Crystal Langhorne Washington Mystics

(Thanks Phoenix Stan at Swish Appeal.)

Crystal Langhorne Named 2009 WNBA MIP; Lyttle and de Souza Follow

Crystal Langhorne of the Washington Mystics was named the Most Improved Player of 2009. She earned 19 out of 40 possible votes. Congratulations!

The complete list of vote-getters:

Langhorne, Mystics: 19
Lyttle, Dream: 6
de Souza, Dream: 4
Wright, Storm: 4
Harding, Mystics: 3
Quinn, Sparks: 3
Gruda, Sun: 1

2009 WNBA Awards: The Mid-Season Special

She's standing up, and it's time to recognize her.

Ah, if there's a chasm in which a WNBA follower can easily fall, it's letting his or her picks for yearly awards face the scrutiny of others. (Good thing I have blog space to fill!)

If I were handing out awards, here's who I'd give them to, based on the halfway point of the season.

Most Valuable Player: Nicky Anosike - C - Minnesota Lynx

I would put Nicky above just about anyone - even above the major names like Jackson and Taurasi. She's tough and fearless and one of the reasons why the Lynx have suddenly become a team to be feared. She's just in her second year in the league and I think she's going to be one of those players that can just do it all. She's averaging 14.4 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game for the Lynx, as well as 3.1 steals per game.

All WNBA Teams: I had to bang on some position designations for this one.

First Team

C - Nicky Anosike, Lynx
PF - Lauren Jackson, Storm
SF - Tamika Catchings, Fever
SG - Diana Taurasi, Mercury
PG - Cappie Pondexter, Mercury

Second Team

C - Erika de Souza, Dream
PF - Shameka Christon, Liberty
SF - Sancho Lyttle, Dream
SG - Tanisha Wright, Storm
PG - Jia Perkins, Sky

Rookie of the Year: DeWanna Bonner - G - Mercury

Angel McCoughtry is really good, but I would have to give the nod to Bonner just from the minutes played.

All-Rookie Team

C - Courtney Paris, Monarchs
PF - Megan Frazee, Silver Stars
SF - Angel McCoughtry, Dream
SG - DeWanna Bonner, Mercury
PG - Renee Montgomery, Lynx

Sixth Woman of the Year: Crystal Langhorne - F/C - Mystics

Having 11.6 ppg/7.6 rpg out of only 3 starts in 15 games? She makes a pretty strong argument for the honor.

Coach of the Year

This is a tough one. How do you quantify the difference between the coach and the players? If a coach is also a GM, does player acquisition figure in the ratings?

My rule: best record unless there are other considerations. That makes Lin Dunn of the Fever my nominee.

Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award: Shannon Johnson - G - Storm

This is usually given to one of the oldest players in the league as an honorarium. Some charity work and general good behavior is required. Lisa Leslie is retiring, but she's a bit too whiny to get the award. Tina Thompson is too much of an intimidator. Since Shannon Johnson has put in her time, and since she hasn't won the award yet, I'll nominate her for the award.

Most Improved Player: Kara Braxton - C - Detroit Shock

Braxton is scoring 11.8 points for game and sh'es been on fire, hitting 64 percent of her field goals. She's getting 7.3 rpg, almost two more than last year. The Shock are banged up, but this has left opportunity for Braxton to show what she can do.

Defensive Player of the Year: Nicky Anosike - C - Minnesota Lynx

Yes, she throws her elbows but with 53 steals and 16 blocks on the year, Anosike is a force to be reckoned with. There aren't too many centers leading the league in steals.

All-Defensive Team:

C: Nicky Anosike, Lynx
PF: Lauren Jackson, Storm
SF: Tamika Catchings, Fever
SG: Tanisha Wright, Storm
PG: Alexis Hornbuckle, Shock