Storm reflects on what went right

Disappointment began to fade yesterday, clearing a path for all positives the Storm was able to achieve despite losing three of its top players from a championship season to free agency.

Speaking to media for the first time since losing in the first round of the WNBA playoffs last week, coach Anne Donovan used words like "great" and "good" to describe the 20-14 regular season overall, acknowledging the "surprising finish" and grading her team as a B+.

Donovan, who renewed her multiyear contract, will turn her focus to scouting, searching for the missing piece that would have her team playing today instead of watching from different spots across the country.

"When you look at the youth that we had and the developing roles that we had this year, I think just some experience, somebody who wants a ring at all costs," Donovan said of her wish list. "At the point in their career, perhaps, where they just want a ring, that type of experience would be helpful."

Ideally, Donovan would like this veteran to be a perimeter player; she already has a list of potential candidates that she wouldn't discuss. The Storm added veterans Sheri Sam and Betty Lennox in 2004, and won the title. To go along with Sam's moxie, the Storm landed center Janell Burse, a solid young piece to the Storm's interior, via trade..

Western Conference finals


Sacramento (25-9) vs. Houston (19-15)

Starts when: Tonight at 6 p.m., ESPN.

Format: Best of three.

Season series: Monarchs won 2-1.

Sacramento: Leading scorer DeMya Walker returns from a sprained knee, but WNBA assists leader Ticha Penicheiro (ankle) may be out.

Houston: Pulled off the surprising win against defending champion Seattle in the first round. Four players averaged double figures.

Prediction: Monarchs in 3.

The Associated Press

The Storm was well under the $673,000 cap, giving it room to fit a hefty veteran salary next summer. Circumstances may clear more cap space. The World Championships in September 2006 may force international players to choose between their national teams and the WNBA, although there is talk of moving the league's 10th season up to finish in August and avoid a conflict.

And an expansion draft to blend Chicago into the 13-team WNBA could take some of Donovan's reserves. Teams most likely will only be able to protect six players, but league meetings in October should resolve both issues.

Donovan considers her core to be the nine players who played the most minutes this season, making Russian Natalia Vodopyanova and team original Simone Edwards vulnerable not to return. Vodopyanova was upset with her playing time anyway, averaging 5.8 minutes during the regular season, and could choose to play in the more lucrative Russian league and with her national team, where she's used more. Donovan thinks Vodopyanova lacked athleticism to defend the top small forwards.

The Storm is putting an emphasis on retaining the core while adding a veteran guard. Sacramento and Houston have a veteran core that guided them to the Western Conference finals. Indiana added a veteran champion to assist All-Star Tamika Catchings, while Connecticut retained its young team with a few veterans, capitalizing on its experience of missing the 2004 title by one three-point basket in Game 2 at KeyArena.

"Experience goes a long way in this league, obviously," said Donovan, whose former Charlotte teams were always older. "Connecticut [coach Mike Thibault], he's smart. He got players that he stuck with, he knows how close he was a year ago and had confidence that the same roster could get it done this year."

Donovan will begin talking with her staff next month about plans for the future. Assistant coaches Jessie Kenlaw and Jenny Boucek's contracts expired this season, and only Boucek has expressed any interest in a head-coaching position, but she's not looking. Both would like to return, and Donovan wants them back.

"We weren't at all expecting to be done, so we haven't discussed any of that stuff," Boucek said.

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com