New Storm owners know how to make an entrance

Yolanda Griffith, the most recent legend to walk through the Storm's door, shared some hilarious tales of outsmarting male basketball players Monday.

"They have no basketball IQ," she said, shaking her head.

Then she recounted how she's spent the past few weeks: Using her hoops wiles to battle the men in pickup games in Sacramento, Calif., accepting bruises and a busted lip to hone her fundamentals. She's proud to say her savvy bested her opponents' athleticism.

"They think they can jump over me, dunk on me," Griffith said, "but those guys do some of the dumbest stuff. And I take advantage of it."

Her words double as an appropriate illustration of the state of professional basketball in Seattle.

The men — the Sonics, the NBA — do some of the dumbest stuff.

And it's time for the women — the Storm, the WNBA — to take advantage of it.

Actually, they already have. Free from relocation torment, the Storm is amid a festive upswing that may soon lead to the franchise's second championship.

Ever since Sonics chairman Clay Bennett sold the Storm to four impassioned businesswomen in January, the new owners have turned this opportunity into a stunning example of how to excite a fan base.

They're doing everything the right way. First, they rescued the team from moving to Oklahoma City. But they didn't stop there. They hired (and retained) the right basketball minds to build a landmark roster.

The Storm never left, but it feels like it's back. The franchise is as healthy and happy as it's ever been.

After the horror with the Sonics last week, the Storm training camp has begun at an ideal time. If you love basketball, you can love basketball again. No disgust about an ownership's motivations. No worrying over whether to invest yourself in a team that might bounce. No headache-inducing political posturing. Just hoops.

Look at the star power on this roster: Griffith, Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson, Sheryl Swoopes, Swin Cash. It is a majestic lineup, and we haven't even mentioned accomplished veterans such as Janell Burse. Sure, Swoopes and Griffith are hoping for a little overtime in their careers, but on this team, they just have to be solid role players.

Legendary role players?

Goodness.

"This is a dream team," Swoopes said.

This is giving me goose bumps.

We're talking about some of the finest players and personalities in women's basketball history. We're talking about players who have helped build and maintain the WNBA. Critics will wonder whether the group can stay healthy and whether the stars can suppress their egos, but we're talking about players who have spent a lifetime trying to establish something bigger than them.

This isn't just the right way to relaunch the Storm. It's the only way.

Bennett has spent two seasons griping about apathy toward the Sonics. He came to town with his hand balled into a fist, pounding the desk and making demands before he even learned the area. You could call his approach a lesson in how not to take over a franchise, but his actions always carried ulterior motives.

In contrast, the Storm's new ownership group, Force 10 Hoops, had a more virtuous agenda: save the Storm, reenergize the fans.

The owners did it. Now, they want more.

"We're going to have a lot of short-term success and a lot of long-term success," co-owner Anne Levinson said.

Levinson, Lisa Brummel, Ginny Gilder and Dawn Trudeau are perfect WNBA owners. They can manage the books and create excitement. They can create a player-friendly environment. They will always be visible to the fans. They possess an average fan's charm.

And they know how to make an entrance.

"To get out of the gates with a terrific team like this and to build on the excitement of the team staying here was very important to us," Levinson said.

The key concept is momentum. The new owners created it and then understood the only way to sustain momentum is to keep making good decisions. Hiring Brian Agler as the new coach/general manager was a good one, and his leadership has led to this amazing roster.

He credits fate for some of these acquisitions, but chief executive officer Karen Bryant says Agler shouldn't be so humble. He has been meticulous in putting together the new Storm. The result is a dramatic revitalization for a team burdened with uncertainty this time last year.

"Relief quickly turned to opportunity and just dreaming of what could be," Bryant said. "The buzz throughout free agency was that great things were happening in Seattle."

This is the right way to rescue a team: good people, good intentions, good decision-making. Last week, we mourned perhaps the end of the Sonics in Seattle.

This week, we celebrate a new beginning.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com. For his Extra Points blog, visit seattletimes.com/sports