Storm to play 3 exhibitions: Sun, Fever, Monarchs

The Seattle Storm released its exhibition schedule on Tuesday, and it begins with a trip to Indiana on May 5, followed by a game with Connecticut on May 8.

The sole home exhibition at KeyArena will be May 11 against Sacramento.

All three games have significant sidebars to the Storm tuning up for its eighth regular season. Indiana was an expansion team with Seattle in 2000 and led by Storm coach Anne Donovan. Now the Fever is rebounding from a first-round playoff loss to eventual champion Detroit and features former Storm favorite Tully Bevilaqua and all-decade forward Tamika Catchings.

The Storm defeated Connecticut to win its 2004 championship, but the Sun has been drastically altered with the sign-and-trade deal that sent center/forward Taj McWilliams-Franklin to Los Angeles this month.

The game against Sacramento will be the first homecoming of former Storm assistant coach Jenny Boucek as head coach of the Monarchs.

Although the Storm is expecting to retain its roster from the 2006 season, the players will trickle in late due to overseas play. Starters in center Janell Burse, who is expected to re-sign with the team, and guard Betty Lennox should arrive on time for training camp.

But point guard Sue Bird's team in Moscow is playing well enough to advance deep into the playoffs and she said she most likely wouldn't join the team until possibly the first exhibition game, but definitely in time for the Connecticut exhibition matchup. Star Lauren Jackson could also be a late arrival because of play in Korea.

Barnes returns

Former Storm forward Adia Barnes was announced as color commentator for the upcoming Storm season. She'll be joined by new play-by-play announcer Alan Horton, who is currently working as producer of Sonics games on KTTH.

The Storm's radio contract with KJR expired last season and the station opted not to renew. Because David Locke is currently calling Sonics games and Elise Woodward is contracted under KJR, they could not retain their positions with the Storm.

The new flagship station for the team is KKNW (1150 AM), which will carry all 34 games and debut with the May 11 exhibition against Sacramento.

The alternative-talk station last carried the Storm in 2001.

Pitching Hicks

Washington is campaigning guard Cameo Hicks for All-American and Phoenix general manager Ann Meyers gave her nod.

"There's a tenaciousness about Cameo you don't see in a lot of players," the Hall of Famer is quoted on a placard sent to national media. "I love her toughness."