Training Camp for 15th Season Opens on Sunday
April 25, 2014 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Indiana Fever News Release
INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana Fever has finalized a preseason roster for its 2014 training camp which begins this weekend under the direction of seventh-year head coach Lin Dunn. Dunn, who guided the Fever to the 2012 WNBA championship, welcomes eight returning players from the 2013 squad which helped the Fever reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the sixth time in nine years.
Among the free agents is five-year WNBA veteran Marissa Coleman who starred with the Washington Mystics and Los Angeles Sparks before signing a free agent deal with Indiana in March. The versatile combo guard joins a talented backcourt that includes returning starters Briann January and Shavonte Zellous.
Top draft pick Natasha Howard joins the Fever as a very athletic post player who can boost Indiana's interior production alongside returning stars Tamika Catchings and Erlana Larkins. Indiana welcomes Howard, trade acquisition Lynetta Kizer and 2013 third-round draft pick Jennifer George as new post players to provide Dunn with what she calls, "the deepest post rotation" she has ever coached. Another first-round draft pick, All-American Natalie Achonwa of Notre Dame, will not join the team until 2015 as she continues rehabilitation of a knee injury sustained last month.
A pair of rookie free agents, guard Jaterra Bonds and center Victoria Macaulay, were invited to camp on Thursday to complete the 17-player roster. Five players - Kizer, Larkins, Zellous, Jasmine Hassell and Ziomara Morrison - will arrive late due to overseas commitments.
The Fever, which has advanced to the WNBA Playoffs in nine straight seasons with six trips to the conference finals and a pair of appearances in the WNBA Finals, opens camp with the rest of the WNBA as the league prepares for its 18th season. The Fever will stage its first practice on Sunday, April 27 at 1:00 p.m.
The team hosts an exhibition opener against the Washington Mystics on Monday, May 5 (Noon) with a Choices for Champions educational program for middle school students beginning at 9:45 a.m., at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana continues its preseason schedule with a road game at Washington on Wednesday, May 7, followed by a two-game preseason tournament, May 9-11, in Orlando, Fla., when Indiana joins the Chicago Sky, Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney.
The roster will be trimmed to 12 by May 15, prior to the Fever opening its 15th season at Chicago on May 16. One night later, the Fever hosts its 2014 home opener on Saturday, May 17 (7:00 p.m.) against the Atlanta Dream.
The Fever's 2014 training camp roster is below:
2014 INDIANA FEVER TRAINING CAMP ROSTER No Player Pos Ht Wt Birthdate SCHOOL/Year wnba YEARS
10 Jaterra Bonds G 5-7 05/17/1992 Florida '14 R
24 Tamika Catchings F 6-1 167 07/21/1979 Tennessee '01 13
13 Karima Christmas G-F 6-0 180 09/11/1989 Duke "Ë11 3
5 Layshia Clarendon G 5-9 140 05/02/1991 California '13 1
25 Marissa Coleman G-F 6-1 160 01/04/1987 Maryland '09 5
21 Jennifer George F 6-0 02/22/1991 Florida '13 R
12 Jasmine Hassell F 6-2 205 04/09/1991 Georgia '13 1
33 Natasha Howard F 6-3 09/02/1991 Florida State '14 R
20 Briann January G 5-8 144 01/11/1987 Arizona State '09 5
11 Lynetta Kizer F 6-4 230 04/04/1990 Maryland '12 2
2 Erlana Larkins F 6-1 205 04/02/1986 North Carolina '08 4
7 Victoria Macaulay C 6-4 08/07/1990 Temple '13 R
27 Ziomara Morrison C 6-4 214 02/15/1989 Chile 1
3 Haiden Palmer G 5-8 03/28/1991 Gonzaga '14 R
32 Jeanette Pohlen G 6-0 171 05/02/1989 Stanford '11 3
4 Jennifer Schlott G 5-6 09/27/1991 Utah State '14 R
1 Shavonte Zellous G 5-10 155 08/28/1986 Pittsburgh '09 5
HEAD COACH: Lin Dunn, Tennessee-Martin "Ë69
ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH: Stephanie White, Purdue "Ë99
ASSISTANT COACH: Sylvia Crawley, North Carolina "Ë94
ATHLETIC TRAINER: Todd Champlin, Daemen College "Ë82
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH: Emily Burgess, Slippery Rock "Ë09
A WNBA playoff participant in nine straight seasons and 10 times since 2002, the Indiana Fever has reached at least the conference finals six times in the past nine years - including WNBA Finals appearances in 2009 and 2012. Just two seasons ago, Indiana capped the 2012 campaign as the champions of women's basketball, beating the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Finals. The Fever begins its 2014 season at Chicago on Friday, May 16, and hosts a home opener Saturday, May 17 against Atlanta (7:00 p.m.). For season ticket information, visit FeverBasketball.com or call (317) 917-2528.
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Women's National Basketball Association Stories from April 25, 2014
- Minnesota Lynx Launch 2014 'Inspiring Women' Series - Minnesota Lynx
- Sky Signs Gray and Williams to Training Camp Contracts - Chicago Sky
- Training Camp for 15th Season Opens on Sunday - Indiana Fever
- New York Liberty Finalize 2014 Training Camp Roster - New York Liberty
- Atlanta Dream Signs Three Draft Picks Including First-Round Selection Shoni Schimmel - Atlanta Dream
- Tulsa Shock Announce Final Training Camp Roster - Tulsa Shock
- Sun Pick Four Mini Plan On Sale Now - Connecticut Sun
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