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WNBA Seattle Storm

TURNing Seattle into Champions: Yvonne Turner Brings Key Experience to Storm's 2023 Lineup

May 16, 2023 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Seattle Storm News Release


Yvonne Turner never liked the spotlight, but with a team as young as the 2023 Storm, Turner's taken on a larger, more accentuated role.

The veteran recently wrapped up her thirteenth season overseas and approaches her fifth in the WNBA. She brings indispensable skill sets from a variety of teams and is an example of a player who began in the W later in her professional career.

Upon her graduation from Nebraska in 2010, Turner proceeded to play seven seasons overseas before making her WNBA debut in 2017 as a free agent with The Mercury.

Turner values her time spent playing overseas and highly recommends it to any rookie looking to improve their game. She credits her international stints for preparing her for success in the WNBA.

"I've played alongside different systems, coaches and leagues," Turner said. "It took me seven years to get here and as an athlete your goal is always to get to the highest level that you possibly can. Not giving up and staying disciplined and committed to always getting better changed a lot for me."

Throughout the course of training camp, Turner has willingly taken rookie Jade Melbourne under her wing and shown her the ropes of the point guard position in the pros.

"She's been talking with her and making sure she's good to go with understanding our concepts," Storm Head Coach Noelle Quinn said. "They're accountability partners and I like the chemistry that they've built in that aspect."

Along with mentoring younger teammates, Turner continues to prioritize her conditioning as she prepares to tackle larger minutes. The vet prides herself in her defense, and quickness on the defensive end of the floor.

On a team with numerous offensive standouts, Turner's defensive skill sets are crucial.

"I love playing defense and being that defensive presence on our team," Turner said. "I want to continue to do that to help relieve some stress from my teammates and allow them to spend their energy on offense."

The Storm's 2023 lineup depends on the 5-10 guard's defensive prowess to achieve success in the league.

Head coach Noelle Quinn is confident in Turner's leadership at the one spot, and her ability to defend talented opponents.

"Yvonne is very quick and her ability to get in the paint comes with playing at multiple levels of competition to know that you can utilize your quickness to your advantage," Quinn said. "Also, her defense. Having to defend multiple positions or be at the beginning of our defense, she can always hang her hat on her defensive play."

Turner is eager to dive into her fifth season and shut down any skepticism around the Storm's performance.

A fun fact about Turner is that she values her faith and believes there's a reason she ended up in Storm colors this season.

"I'm a firm believer that God works in mysterious ways, and He places you in spots to plant seeds," Turner said. "I think that's what I'm here for, not only for my faith but my experience."

Like her teammates, she believes that this team was pieced together for a reason and has no doubt it's destined for greatness.

"We're going to do something special this year," Turner said. "It's good that they don't talk about us and think we have no chance at winning a championship. We're going to turn some heads this year, that's for sure."

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