The Utah Starzz, with 12 college and professional stars, held their first-ever practice session Wednesday morning at the Franklin Quest Wellness Center by doing drills you might see performed by Junior Jazz clubs.
In other words, Starzz coach Denise Taylor decided to start with the basics in Wednesday's getting-to-known-you session for the fledgling Women's NBA team."Our goal in this first practice was to work hard on the fundamentals and work on conditioning," said Taylor.
Mission accomplished.
"It felt good to get back out on the court," said guard Dena Head. "The coaches are stressing the fundamentals, which is good for everybody - especially since we're just meeting each other and learning about each other's abilities."
The team had an even dozen players in camp, but one of the potential Starzz stars was noticeably absent. Elena Baranova, a 6-foot-5 center who averaged 20 points and 13 rebounds in the Atlanta Olympic Games, is with her team in Russia. She is expected to report to the Starzz in 10 to 12 days.
Taylor acknowledged that Baranova missing the two-a-day practice sessions early in training camp will put her behind her teammates as far as learning the system and getting to know her teammates. "But," Taylor said, "one good thing is that she's been playing, so she'll be in good shape when she gets here."
The Starzz will practice twice daily from now until June 7. Then they'll cut back to one training session per day in preparation for the season opener June 21 in the Delta Center against the Sacramento Monarchs. The 28-game season runs through August.
As of now, all players are on equal footing in the coaches' eyes. Taylor and assistant coach Greg Williams are in the process of evaluating the talent they have to put together a starting lineup and a playing rotation.
"We'll be evaluating on work ethic, how they compete and how they are playing," said Taylor. "Where they got drafted and their salaries don't matter. What matters is their performance."
Many of the Starzz arrived in Salt Lake City for the first time Tuesday. They were then rushed off to the Jazz-Rockets playoff game in the Delta Center.
"I'm from New York, so I've been to games in the (Madison Square) Garden," said guard Tammi Reiss. "But I was impressed with the Delta Center. The fans in New York can be fairweather fans, but they were behind the Jazz all the way. We had a lot of people come up to us and tell us they are excited about having the Starzz here, too. I think it's going to be a great place to play."
The Starzz drafted Reiss with their first pick (fifth overall) in the WNBA Draft in April - even though she hasn't played competitively since graduating from Virginia in 1992. Since that time she has been an assistant coach at her alma mater and has acted for a living.
"I'm in much better shape than I was in in college," said Reiss, who was an All-American in '92."I've been playing every day since the end of September to get ready for this."