Notes from the Indiana Fever
September 9, 2009 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Indiana Fever News Release
Indiana Fever honors candidates
Tully Bevilaqua: All-WNBA and WNBA All-Defensive Team | Tamika Catchings: MVP, All-WNBA, Defensive Player of the Year and WNBA All-Defensive Team | Tamecka Dixon: Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award | Katie Douglas: MVP, All-WNBA and WNBA All-Defensive Team | Lin Dunn: Coach of the Year | Ebony Hoffman: All-WNBA | Briann January: Rookie of the Year | Jessica Moore: Most Improved Player of the Year | Tammy Sutton-Brown: All-WNBA
Before I relay a slew of Fever defensive notes, I'll include just a couple of bullet points on the Fever's two MVP candidates, Tamika Catchings and Katie Douglas - both of which are prominent in Fever steals notes below.
- Did you know that Katie Douglas leads all WNBA scorers with a 19.9-point average after the All-Star Break? That includes recent games of 12 and 17 points following her return from a two-game absence due to a sprained ankle.
- Indiana lost 5 of 6 games recently - two on the West Coast followed by three losses during the time of the Douglas ankle injury. She clearly is the primary cog that fuels the Indiana offense which averages a franchise-record 76.3 points per game.
- Tamika Catchings is well on her way to *probably* breaking the WNBA mark for single-season steals. She is closing in on an unprecedented fifth WNBA steals title. She is a worthy candidate of MVP consideration, as well as the league's Defensive Player of the Year.
- Catchings ranks first in the WNBA in steals (3.03), eighth in rebounds (7.2), 13th in scoring (15.1) and 14th in assists (3.2). No other player ranks among the top 15 of every category like Catchings.
LASTLY - the Fever is putting together some remarkable numbers on defense. Opponents average a league-low 72.5 points against Indiana, and the Fever's steals numbers are eye-popping!
A plethora of steals notes for the Indiana Fever ...
- Catchings needs four steals in the Fever's final two games to break the league's all-time mark for steals in a single season.
WNBA Single-Season Steals Leaders
100, Teresa Weatherspoon, 1998
97, Tamika Catchings, 2009
94, Tamika Catchings, 2006
94, Tamika Catchings, 2002
90, Tamika Catchings, 2005
- Catchings (629) also needs exactly four steals to move past Sheryl Swoopes (632) in the No. 2 position on the league's all-time steals chart. Ticha Penicheiro paces all career leaders with 682.
- In 2006, Catchings (94) and Bevilaqua (71) combined for what was a WNBA-record 165 steals by a tandem. With two games to play, the duo currently has 157, eight shy of tying that mark. In 2009, Catchings has 97, Bevilaqua has 60.
- Last season, Indiana became the first team in WNBA history to boast five different players with at least 40 steals. For that to happen again this year, rookie Briann January (34) needs six steals to become the fifth Fever player with 40+ steals.
- Similarly, Indiana already has had four players record 50 or more steals (Catchings-97, Bevilaqua-60, Hoffman-54, Douglas-52). We are researching if that might be a first! Likewise, there is an outside chance of three Fever players with 60 steals or more, which also may be a WNBA first.
- Indiana needs just three steals to break its own mark of total steals by a team in one season. Similarly, the Fever's current average of 11.00 steals per game is ranked fourth all-time - and the best since a 34-game schedule came into play in 2003.
Total Team Steals, All-Time
354 - Indiana, 2006
352 - Indiana, 2009
343 - Phoenix, 1997
336 - Indiana, 2005
332 - Sacramento, 2000
332 - Houston, 1998
330 - Sacramento, 2006
329 - Sacramento, 1999
325 - Sacramento, 2007
324 - Indiana, 2008
320 - Orlando, 2001
Team Steals Per Game, All-Time
12.25 - Phoenix, 1997 (28 gms)
11.11 - Houston, 1997 (28 gms)
11.07 - Houston, 1998 (30 gms)
11.00 - Indiana, 2009 (34 gms - currently through 32 gms)
10.41 - Indiana, 2006 (34 gms)
10.38 - Sacramento, 2000 (32 gms)
10.32 - New York, 1997 (28 gms)
10.28 - Sacramento, 1999 (32 gms)
10.00 - Orlando, 2001 (32 gms)
9.88 - Indiana, 2005 (34 gms)
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from September 9, 2009
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- Chicago Sky's Playoff Run Update - Chicago Sky
- WNBA Newsletter -- September 9, 2009 - WNBA
- Notes from the Indiana Fever - Indiana Fever
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