From today's SacBee, a nice article (the first of two parts) on Antoinette Wells, the rookie from Wichita State.
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/177303.html
Her regal ambition: Become a Monarch
Enduring frustration and sacrifice, rookie Antionette Wells chases a dream - playing in the WNBA
By Melody Gutierrez - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:45 am PDT Saturday, May 12, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
Editor's Note: This is the first of a two-part series chronicling Antionette Wells' quest to earn a place on the Monarchs' roster. Today's story follows the rookie through the first days of training camp, on and off the court, as she pursues her professional dreams many miles from her family. The final story will be published next week after the team finalizes its roster.
Some nights, Antionette Wells opens a well-worn baby blue photo album and thumbs through pictures that remind her why she is pursuing an improbable dream.
Sonogram prints precede recent photos of her 2-year-old son, Charles, flexing his muscles in a Superman Halloween costume.
While the 22-year-old Monarchs rookie sits alone, sleeps alone and practices alone in her hotel room a few miles from Arco Arena, she reminds herself of the good life she'll be able to give her son, now about 1,700 miles away in Wichita, Kansas, if she achieves the dream.
In the meantime, everything around her has been put on hold, including her marriage to her son's father.
Wells, who played at Wichita State, has a goal that only 1 percent of female college basketball players attain: a WNBA contract. She hopes to secure one of the 169 roster spots available on the WNBA's 13 teams.
It is tougher to earn a spot in the WNBA than the NBA, NFL, Major League Baseball or Major League Soccer, according to NCAA data, because there are fewer available positions.
Aware of the odds, Wells continues to dream.
"It's very important for me to make it," said Wells, a 6-foot-3 post player, who must beat out at least two other, more experienced women to make the Monarchs' roster.
Wells is even more of a long shot because she is the only rookie among 15 players working out. She signed a training camp contract in April as an undrafted free agent after she impressed WNBA coaches at a predraft camp in Cleveland.
"I'm excited to be here," Wells said following her first day of training camp April 22. "I'm learning a lot of things I didn't do in college. It's very tough. The players all know the routine. I'm overwhelmed."
Since camp opened, Wells bounced around emotionally. Some days she felt she was getting it; other days she felt like an outcast.
"She's a rookie, so she's nervous," Monarchs assistant coach Monique Ambers said. "She thinks everything she is doing is wrong. She works really hard and does a good job on the boards. I think everyone has a great chance to make this roster."
Wells has earned a reputation as a workhorse, and her athleticism intrigues coaches.
"She's definitely our most improved," Monarchs coach Jenny Boucek said. "She's had more room for improvement -- as you might expect for a rookie."
That Wells landed in Sacramento is even more remarkable, given that she took up basketball relatively late, at age 16, and has faced obstacles other players don't have to deal with.
Wells calls herself a slow learner, relying on repetition to master plays. During her five years at Wichita State, she used the same repetitive approach in the classroom, mastering it her sophomore year when she earned a place on the dean's honor list.
Before that, Wells struggled academically. Coming out of an inner-city high school in Kansas City, Mo., she didn't have the minimum 2.0 grade-point average to play sports her freshman year in college. Coaches, however, were willing to gamble that Wells would grow academically because of her athletic prowess.
"She was really a raw athlete in high school," Wichita State coach Jane Albright said.
After sitting out one year at Wichita State, Wells played in nearly every game during the 2003-04 season, averaging 6.6 points and 5.1 rebounds. Toward the end of that season, Wells found out she was six weeks pregnant.
She thought she had let her coach and teammates down, Wells said.
"They were probably disappointed, but they were (supportive) every step of the way," Wells said.
Albright said her greatest fear was that Wells would walk away without her degree.
"She had a lot of support from the university and the community," Albright said. "But it wasn't easy early on."
Inspired by a strong relationship with Albright, Wells earned a bachelor's degree in women's studies in 2006 and is working toward a master's in sports administration.
"I think her best days are ahead of her," Albright said. "She's an elite athlete. I've been coaching 30 years, and she is one of the most elite athletes I've coached. The opportunity to have her try out has been tremendous for her."
And Wells is fighting to make the most of it. First to arrive and last to leave every day at practice, Wells tries to catch up on plays she hasn't quite grasped while working with the patient Ambers.
"I'm going to face it," Wells said. "I'm a slow learner. In order for me to learn something, I have to go over it 100 times."
And so she does. Jump stops and slides are her life right now. There's a patch of carpet in her hotel room that should be worn down by now from the repetition of her movements at night. Fortunately for other hotel guests, she's on the first floor.
Usually, Wells would have the company of other rookies. But all the other players in camp have WNBA experience, so they are hosted at the team apartments off Del Paso Road.
"It's a tough situation," Kara Lawson said. "I can't think of any situation since I have been here where we only had one rookie. So, I imagine it has to be tough and at times frustrating for her, because it's a new system and she probably feels like everyone else knows what they are doing."
Dealing with good and bad days, feeling frustrated and isolated, Wells relieves stress two ways: practicing on the outdoor basketball court at her hotel and shopping.
Evidence of both are apparent -- a well-worn basketball resting on the floor of her room next to a couch piled high with toddler clothes, sales tags still attached.
"I have to remember I'm doing this for the better," Wells said after one week at camp. "I miss my son. I can't wait to make the team and have him come out here. The day I find out, he would come out."
A contract with the Monarchs would earn her $32,400 for four months' work, and she probably will earn even more by getting a contract to play internationally.
She has an alternate plan in case she doesn't realize her WNBA dream this season. Her agent has helped narrow a list of international leagues she could play in while waiting for next season's WNBA training camps to open.
She also would plan a wedding this summer, a small one, maybe 40 people at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Wichita. Those plans would be postponed until after the season if she made the Monarchs' roster.
Both scenarios make Wells smile. She dated her fiancé, Charles Daniels, for three years before he slipped a ring on her finger while she slept.
"I woke up because it was too small," Wells said, laughing.
Daniels calls from Wichita several times a day with updates on their son.
"I hear so many stories about what he's doing," Wells said. "His dad says he wasn't really asking a lot about me up until the other night. He asked, 'Is my mommy still playing basketball?' "
For now, she is. The Monarchs are expected to make roster cuts by Friday.
About the writer: The Bee's Melody Gutierrez can be reached at (916) 326-5521 or mgutierrez@sacbee.com.
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/177303.html
Her regal ambition: Become a Monarch
Enduring frustration and sacrifice, rookie Antionette Wells chases a dream - playing in the WNBA
By Melody Gutierrez - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:45 am PDT Saturday, May 12, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
Editor's Note: This is the first of a two-part series chronicling Antionette Wells' quest to earn a place on the Monarchs' roster. Today's story follows the rookie through the first days of training camp, on and off the court, as she pursues her professional dreams many miles from her family. The final story will be published next week after the team finalizes its roster.
Some nights, Antionette Wells opens a well-worn baby blue photo album and thumbs through pictures that remind her why she is pursuing an improbable dream.
Sonogram prints precede recent photos of her 2-year-old son, Charles, flexing his muscles in a Superman Halloween costume.
While the 22-year-old Monarchs rookie sits alone, sleeps alone and practices alone in her hotel room a few miles from Arco Arena, she reminds herself of the good life she'll be able to give her son, now about 1,700 miles away in Wichita, Kansas, if she achieves the dream.
In the meantime, everything around her has been put on hold, including her marriage to her son's father.
Wells, who played at Wichita State, has a goal that only 1 percent of female college basketball players attain: a WNBA contract. She hopes to secure one of the 169 roster spots available on the WNBA's 13 teams.
It is tougher to earn a spot in the WNBA than the NBA, NFL, Major League Baseball or Major League Soccer, according to NCAA data, because there are fewer available positions.
Aware of the odds, Wells continues to dream.
"It's very important for me to make it," said Wells, a 6-foot-3 post player, who must beat out at least two other, more experienced women to make the Monarchs' roster.
Wells is even more of a long shot because she is the only rookie among 15 players working out. She signed a training camp contract in April as an undrafted free agent after she impressed WNBA coaches at a predraft camp in Cleveland.
"I'm excited to be here," Wells said following her first day of training camp April 22. "I'm learning a lot of things I didn't do in college. It's very tough. The players all know the routine. I'm overwhelmed."
Since camp opened, Wells bounced around emotionally. Some days she felt she was getting it; other days she felt like an outcast.
"She's a rookie, so she's nervous," Monarchs assistant coach Monique Ambers said. "She thinks everything she is doing is wrong. She works really hard and does a good job on the boards. I think everyone has a great chance to make this roster."
Wells has earned a reputation as a workhorse, and her athleticism intrigues coaches.
"She's definitely our most improved," Monarchs coach Jenny Boucek said. "She's had more room for improvement -- as you might expect for a rookie."
That Wells landed in Sacramento is even more remarkable, given that she took up basketball relatively late, at age 16, and has faced obstacles other players don't have to deal with.
Wells calls herself a slow learner, relying on repetition to master plays. During her five years at Wichita State, she used the same repetitive approach in the classroom, mastering it her sophomore year when she earned a place on the dean's honor list.
Before that, Wells struggled academically. Coming out of an inner-city high school in Kansas City, Mo., she didn't have the minimum 2.0 grade-point average to play sports her freshman year in college. Coaches, however, were willing to gamble that Wells would grow academically because of her athletic prowess.
"She was really a raw athlete in high school," Wichita State coach Jane Albright said.
After sitting out one year at Wichita State, Wells played in nearly every game during the 2003-04 season, averaging 6.6 points and 5.1 rebounds. Toward the end of that season, Wells found out she was six weeks pregnant.
She thought she had let her coach and teammates down, Wells said.
"They were probably disappointed, but they were (supportive) every step of the way," Wells said.
Albright said her greatest fear was that Wells would walk away without her degree.
"She had a lot of support from the university and the community," Albright said. "But it wasn't easy early on."
Inspired by a strong relationship with Albright, Wells earned a bachelor's degree in women's studies in 2006 and is working toward a master's in sports administration.
"I think her best days are ahead of her," Albright said. "She's an elite athlete. I've been coaching 30 years, and she is one of the most elite athletes I've coached. The opportunity to have her try out has been tremendous for her."
And Wells is fighting to make the most of it. First to arrive and last to leave every day at practice, Wells tries to catch up on plays she hasn't quite grasped while working with the patient Ambers.
"I'm going to face it," Wells said. "I'm a slow learner. In order for me to learn something, I have to go over it 100 times."
And so she does. Jump stops and slides are her life right now. There's a patch of carpet in her hotel room that should be worn down by now from the repetition of her movements at night. Fortunately for other hotel guests, she's on the first floor.
Usually, Wells would have the company of other rookies. But all the other players in camp have WNBA experience, so they are hosted at the team apartments off Del Paso Road.
"It's a tough situation," Kara Lawson said. "I can't think of any situation since I have been here where we only had one rookie. So, I imagine it has to be tough and at times frustrating for her, because it's a new system and she probably feels like everyone else knows what they are doing."
Dealing with good and bad days, feeling frustrated and isolated, Wells relieves stress two ways: practicing on the outdoor basketball court at her hotel and shopping.
Evidence of both are apparent -- a well-worn basketball resting on the floor of her room next to a couch piled high with toddler clothes, sales tags still attached.
"I have to remember I'm doing this for the better," Wells said after one week at camp. "I miss my son. I can't wait to make the team and have him come out here. The day I find out, he would come out."
A contract with the Monarchs would earn her $32,400 for four months' work, and she probably will earn even more by getting a contract to play internationally.
She has an alternate plan in case she doesn't realize her WNBA dream this season. Her agent has helped narrow a list of international leagues she could play in while waiting for next season's WNBA training camps to open.
She also would plan a wedding this summer, a small one, maybe 40 people at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Wichita. Those plans would be postponed until after the season if she made the Monarchs' roster.
Both scenarios make Wells smile. She dated her fiancé, Charles Daniels, for three years before he slipped a ring on her finger while she slept.
"I woke up because it was too small," Wells said, laughing.
Daniels calls from Wichita several times a day with updates on their son.
"I hear so many stories about what he's doing," Wells said. "His dad says he wasn't really asking a lot about me up until the other night. He asked, 'Is my mommy still playing basketball?' "
For now, she is. The Monarchs are expected to make roster cuts by Friday.
About the writer: The Bee's Melody Gutierrez can be reached at (916) 326-5521 or mgutierrez@sacbee.com.
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