Meet the Seattle Storm players

Starting five

Lauren Jackson

Position: Power forward.

Height: 6-5.

Age: 27, born May 11, 1981, in Albury, Australia.

High school: Murray.

Acquired: Selected No. 1 overall in 2001 draft.

Hometown: Canberra, Australia.

The word: Even with the additions to the roster, Jackson will remain the focus of opposing defenses. The Aussie averaged 23.8 points and was named MVP last season. Jackson is also a menace on defense, named defensive player of the year last summer. She'll miss at least five games to prepare for the Olympics with her national team. But in the final year of her contract with Seattle, Jackson wants another WNBA title.

Signature move: Nearly every season Jackson's father challenges her to create a new move, but her classic turnaround jumper remains untouchable.

Swin Cash

Position: Forward.

Height: 6-1.

Age: 28, born Sept. 22, 1979, in McKeesport, Pa.

College: Connecticut.

Acquired: Via trade from Detroit on Feb. 19 in exchange for the 2008 No. 4 overall pick.

Hometown: Miami.

The word: Cash helped the Shock win 2003 and 2006 titles and is one of few to have won WNBA, Olympic and NCAA championships. A natural leader, Cash will bring an aggressive attitude to the Storm. She averaged 11.1 points and 2.5 assists last season.

Philanthropist: Cash was named one of Essence Magazine's "Bold & Beautiful" because of her charitable work, a passion of hers. "I'm really into empowering young kids, especially women," she said. "Encouraging them to do better in life." Cash launched her own charitable organization in 2005 that raises money for children.

Yolanda Griffith

Position: Center.

Height: 6-3.

Age: 38, born March 1, 1970, in Chicago.

College: Florida Atlantic.

Acquired: Signed as a free agent on April 8.

Hometown: Sacramento.

The word: Griffith will anchor the Storm's middle. Though not as athletic as injured center Janell Burse, Griffith will give the team a near double-double every night. Plus, her leadership in the locker room is priceless. Health will be key, though. Griffith is playing on bad knees.

Let's bowl: Sometimes Griffith will tune in to watch bowling on TV, and you can definitely find her at the local lanes. "I love it because it's relaxing and competitive," she said. "I've been bowling for a long time. I can get three, four strikes, but it's got to be the first game. After that I lose my concentration and I'm done."

Sheryl Swoopes

Position: Shooting guard.

Height: 6-0.

Age: 37, born March 25, 1971, in Brownfield, Texas.

College: Texas Tech.

Acquired: Signed as a free agent on March 3.

Hometown: Houston.

The word: Swoopes, a three-time league MVP, is rehabilitating from offseason back surgery, which limited her to three games last season. She suffered two injuries during training camp — a strained neck and sprained left ankle — and is not 100 percent to start the season.

Ms. Gossip: Swoopes' thoughts on Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon marrying? "When I first heard, I was like, 'What? You're kidding!' " said Swoopes. "I tried to find every magazine I could to read up on it. I'm a huge Mariah Carey fan. Do I picture those two together? Absolutely not. They're an interesting couple."

Sue Bird

Position: Point guard.

Height: 5-9.

Age: 27, born Oct. 16, 1980, in Syosset, N.Y.

College: Connecticut.

Acquired: Selected No. 1 overall in 2002 draft.

Hometown: Seattle.

The word: Bird just returned from Russia after winning a second championship there, and is picking up a new system. She's healthy after minor knee surgery in 2007, and should be more of a scorer, after averaging a career-low 10.4 points last season.

Ice cold: Cash and Bird were college roomies, but they won't reunite in Seattle — even on the road. "I like air conditioning," Bird said. "Our heat [in college] was controlled by the phone. It was high-tech. Anyway, in the middle of the night, I'd go on and it would be like, 'The temperature is currently 75.' I'd have to punch in 69. She'd wake up with sweatpants. She loves the heat and I hate it."

First off the bench

Shyra Ely

Position: Forward.

Height: 6-2.

Age: 24, born Aug. 9, 1983, in Indianapolis.

College: Tennessee.

Acquired: Signed as a free agent on April 25, 2007.

Hometown: Indianapolis.

The word: Ely was the training-camp star, showing defensive and offensive improvement. Although undersized, she's going to play inside at power forward, but part of her game is being able to step outside to hit a long jumper. She will also see time on the wing.

My dream whip: Ely owns her dream car, a Yukon Denali. "It's black and a 2006," she said with motherly pride. "It's my first car, and I bought it for myself. It's my Big Baby, and I'm hoping to ship it out here in the next couple of weeks. I don't really like to drive, but I don't mind when I'm driving in that. I've driven to Tennessee a couple of times, and it's real nice. Put the windows down and sunroof back with the music blaring."

Ashley Robinson

Position: Center.

Height: 6-4.

Age: 25, born Aug. 12, 1982, in Dallas.

College: Tennessee.

Acquired: Via trade from Chicago on June 29, 2006, in exchange for Cisti Greenwalt and a 2007 second-round pick.

Hometown: Dallas.

The word: Robinson's role will increase with the loss of injured center Janell Burse. The Storm doesn't need offense from her, though. Ms. Robinson's neighborhood needs to have clean glass from tons of rebounding. Continuing the blocks are key, too. In 2007, Robinson blocked three shots in three different games and grabbed a career-high 13 boards twice.

Fashionista: Matching nail polish to her Storm jersey and doing hair checks at halftime? That's Robinson. "I love everything about fashion. I don't want to be a model, but I love the whole lifestyle. The whole entertainment world just fascinates me. I wouldn't mind being Tyra Banks getting free Gucci."

Tanisha Wright

Position: Guard.

Height: 5-11.

Age: 24, born Nov. 29, 1983, in West Mifflin, Pa.

College: Penn State.

Acquired: Selected with the No. 12 overall pick in 2005 draft.

Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.

The word: Wright can run the point-guard position, but she's a natural shooting guard. Playing in Israel, Wright led the league with 6.2 assists per game. Wright started five games at point last season when Bird was injured.

Summer reading: Seattle is known for being one of the most literate cities, and Wright figures she'll join in. "I told myself, 'When I come this season, I'm going to read a lot more books when I'm on the road,' " she said. "I don't read a lot, and I should. I want to get into it because everybody says the book they're reading is so good."

Katie Gearlds

Position: Guard/forward.

Height: 6-1.

Age: 23, born Oct. 26, 1984, in Beech Grove, Ind.

College: Purdue.

Acquired: Selected with the No. 7 overall pick in 2007 draft.

Hometown: Beech Grove, Ind.

The word: Gearlds should be a scorer off the bench. In a rocky rookie season, Gearlds shot 38.6 percent from the field, playing 13.2 minutes per game. She'll have to play better defense to stay on the court.

Feed me: Gearlds' favorite food is the Mexican pizza and soft tacos from Taco Bell, but she was disappointed to discover the fast-food chain doesn't have many locations in Seattle proper. "First day I was here, I went to [two Seattle locations] — gone. There's no Taco Bell overseas. It's OK every once in a while, but I know when I'm done playing I need to quit eating there."

Deep bench

Kelly Santos

Position: Forward.

Height: 6-3.

Age: 28, born Nov. 10, 1979, in São Paulo, Brazil.

College: UNIP (Brazil).

Acquired: Signed as a free agent on April 10.

Hometown: São Paulo.

The word: Santos still needs conditioning, so she might start the season on the inactive list. It won't be long before she's in the post-rotation mix, though. Santos has played professionally in Brazil and has been a member of the national team since 1997.

Favorite Web site: www.orkut.com. "I found my cousin there, but I didn't remember him. He said he's been to my house 20 years ago, but I don't remember. He talked about my mom, my pop, my brother — everything."

Doneeka Lewis

Position: Guard.

Height: 5-9.

Age: 25, born July 19, 1982, in New Orleans.

College: Louisiana State.

Acquired: Signed as a free agent on July 16, 2007.

Hometown: New Orleans.

The word: Lewis is a strong point guard with superior athleticism. She can defend and be moved to the shooting-guard role for some offense, shooting a career-high 44.9 percent from three-point range in 2005 for the Los Angeles Sparks.

Mouse tales: Her twin sister, Roneeka Hodges, was cut from the team earlier this week. The sisters once had matching Mickey Mouse tattoos on their right biceps. "I got it covered up," Lewis said. Now she has a heart with wings, a tribute to a deceased cousin, that lies over Mickey. "We both got that when we were 16. I didn't want mine anymore because it didn't mean nothing. When I got old enough to understand, I got this in memory of her [their cousin]."

Kimberly Beck

Position: Guard.

Height: 5-8.

Age: 22, born Dec. 27, 1985, in Atlanta.

College: George Washington.

Acquired: Selected No. 36 overall in the 2008 draft.

Hometown: Fayetteville, Ga.

The word: Beck is one of the examples of the depth of this season's draft. A third-round pick, she showed the moxie to make the team despite her small size and late selection. Beck has a good grasp of the coaching staff's defensive philosophy and was named the 2008 Atlantic-10 player of the year. Beck should provide the Storm good relief at point guard and some offense, shooting 36.4 percent from three-point range in college.

Movie buff: If teammates look at Beck with some confusion, it's probably because she's quoting lines like, "You're so wise. You're like a miniature Buddha covered in hair," from her favorite movie "Anchorman." "I have one for every situation because I know the whole movie," she said.

Florina Pascalau

Position: Center.

Height: 6-4.

Age: 26, born Jan. 19, 1982, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Acquired: Signed as a free agent May 14.

Hometown: Cluj-Napoca.

The word: Pascalau arrived late at training camp but is needed with Storm injuries to inside players. She is an international veteran pro player, having played in Italy since 2003. Pascalau was evaluated by the Storm coaching staff and former Storm forward Adia Barnes, who is currently the team's radio color analyst. Barnes played against Pascalau, making note of the Romanian's ability to rebound and hit midrange jump shots.

Signature move: The Storm can continue its love of the pick-and-pop with Pascalau on the roster. The Romanian said jump shots are a staple in her game — especially from 15-foot range.