Sheryl Swoopes joins Storm

Sweaty palms and feet?

This isn't the Sheryl Swoopes of old.

Looking for a fresh start, Swoopes broke her 11-year tie with the Houston Comets and entered free agency, signing a multiyear deal with the Storm on Monday. But the idea of uprooting from her native Texas to the Pacific Northwest made the normally steady Swoopes nervous as she spoke of her decision.

Yet, she was certain about one thing. She's not upset about leaving the team she helped win the WNBA's first four championships. Swoopes was a three-time league MVP with the Comets and women's basketball's most popular player.

"No, no, no," Swoopes repeated when asked if she had mixed emotions about leaving Houston.

She added, "I feel like I've given that organization and that city all of me. And I'm at a point in my career where I want to move on and this is a new phase of my life.

"I just didn't have the hunger to be there anymore and really wanted a new challenge. And I wanted to put myself in the best position that I could possibly put myself in to win another championship. If this is going to be my last year, then I want to go out on top."

For Storm fans, excitement about Swoopes might be mixed with hesitation. The six-time All-Star missed all but three games last season because of a lower back injury. It's an injury that Swoopes said had her contemplating retirement.

Swoopes had surgery in October to repair a ruptured disc and completed three months of rehabilitation. She will turn 37 on March 25, and no one can say whether she'll be the same player who won her last MVP award in 2005.

That was after the 2004 season, in which the Comets missed the postseason for the first time. In that offseason, the team tried to trade her, and she recalls the period as a "slap in our face."

"My No. 1 focus is to come back to the WNBA and be the best player I know I can be," said Swoopes, who averaged 16.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 10 seasons in Houston. "There are lots of people that have said, 'Oh Sheryl, she's done. She's finished.' That's always been something that's motivated me."

Brian Agler, the Storm coach and director of player personnel, visited Swoopes in Houston last month to analyze her health, watching the player go through drills on the court. Swoopes also completed a physical on Monday and Agler expressed his confidence in Swoopes' ability.

Agler said he is expecting Swoopes to be a strong locker-room presence and complete a star-studded lineup that also features Lauren Jackson.

"I didn't anticipate this when I took this job," said Agler, who traded his first-round pick for all-star Swin Cash last month. "Most teams in the Western Conference have excellent talent. For me, it's trying to keep up with the Joneses. We do have star power, but it's going to be how we come together. Having Sheryl will help us bring all of this together."

Although the Storm is a drastically new team after Agler traded away Betty Lennox and Iziane Castro Marques and acquired Swoopes and Cash, there's still familiarity.

Starters Sue Bird (point guard) and Janell Burse (center) — who have been designated core players and therefore are committed to the Storm for the season — have experience with Swoopes and Cash. Bird played college hoops with Cash and both were on the national team with Swoopes. Swoopes has also been a mentor for Jackson.

"The one common denominator with all of them is they want to win," said Agler, who takes over a team that has made three consecutive first-round playoff exits. "If you want to win, then you play as a team. That's what the expectations are going to be."

The $772,000 salary cap allows the Storm to sign five players at the maximum $93,000 for 2008. New players Swoopes and Cash will be among the five — which includes Bird, Burse and Jackson — who will make the maximum.

Agler said he's traveling to Russia next week with Karen Bryant, the team's chief operating officer, to discuss Bird's contract and might also visit with Burse.

The Storm has three roster positions open, which Agler said will be determined during training camp.

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