Official Training Camp Roster

[GeorgeofSacramento]

Just got this news release from the Monarchs. I'll cut to the chase, as the full release contains other items about the upcoming season and practices.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, contact:
Rebecca Brutlag 916.928.8112
or
Rachel Askin 916.928.3624

TWELVE MONARCHS VETERANS, INCLUDING FOUR ALL-STARS AND EIGHT PLAYERS FROM THE 2005 WNBA CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM, HEADLINE MONARCHS 2009 TRAINING CAMP ROSTER

Team Opens Camp Sunday, May 17​

SACRAMENTO, CALIF., May 15, 2009 – Twelve Monarchs veterans, including four WNBA All-Stars and eight players from the 2005 WNBA Championship team, join the Sacramento Monarchs 2009 Training Camp roster.
Sacramento’s 2009 Training Camp roster features 12 Monarchs veterans – including WNBA All-Stars Rebekkah Brunson, Kara Lawson, Ticha Penicheiro and DeMya Walker; three former WNBA All-Defensive Team selections (Brunson, Penicheiroand Chelsea Newton); and eight players from the 2005 WNBA Championship team (Brunson, Lawson, HamchétouMaïga-Ba, Miao LiJie, Newton, Penicheiro, NicolePowellandWalker)– and the addition of three drafted players: Courtney Paris (seventh overall), Whitney Boddie (20th overall), Morgan Warburton (33rd overall) and a nine-year WNBA veteran, Barbara Farris. The group is comprised of eight guards, four forwards, one center and three players who play multiple positions.



2009 SACRAMENTO MONARCHS TRAINING CAMP ROSTER
No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate College WNBA Exp.
12 Charel Allen G 5-11 135 07/23/86 Notre Dame ’08 1
44 Whitney Boddie G 5-9 148 01/23/87 Auburn ’09 R
32 Rebekkah Brunson F 6-3 175 12/11/81 Georgetown ‘04 5
54 Barbara Farris C/F 6-3 200 09/10/76 Tulane ’97 9
15 Laura Harper F/C 6-5 190 04/11/86 Maryland ’08 1
42 Crystal Kelly F 6-2 190 09/15/86 Western Kentucky ’08 1
20 Kara Lawson G 5-9 165 02/14/81 Tennessee ‘03 6
9 Hamchétou Maïga-Ba F/G 6-1 160 04/25/78 Old Dominion ’01 7
8 Miao LiJie G 5-11 153 06/03/81 China 1
2 Chelsea Newton G 5-11 154 02/17/83 Rutgers ’05 4
3 Courtney Paris C 6-4 240 09/21/87 Oklahoma ’09 R
21 Ticha Penicheiro G 5-11 145 09/18/74 Old Dominion ‘98 11
14 Nicole Powell F 6-2 175 06/22/82 Stanford ‘04 5
5 Scholanda Robinson G 5-11 155 01/09/83 Louisiana State ‘06 3
22 DeMya Walker F 6-3 170 11/28/77 Virginia ’99 9
4 Morgan Warburton G 5-11 150 04/27/87 Utah ’09 R



-WNBA-

[FONT=&quot]Rebecca Brutlag| Manager, Sacramento Monarchs Media Relations| v. 916 928-8112 | f. 916 928-1220| brutlag@arcoarena.com
Maloof Sports & Entertainment | One Sports Parkway | Sacramento, CA 95834 | www.arcoarena.com[/FONT]​

 

[RDub21]

Is it bad that I just now noticed that Adrian Williams-Strong wasn't on the training camp roster?

 

[StevenHW]

Looks like Renae Camino won't be on the roster either. She's the one the M's took in the Comets Dispersal Draft.

 

[Purple Reign]

Went to Open Practice today and based on what little I saw, the coaching staff and GM is going to have to make some tough choices in trimming down this roster. The player that may complicate this is Whitney Boddie. She just looks like a capable point guard. I am not saying that she will be good or great, but based on what I saw she just "looks" like a capable point guard that can at the moment be a backup. I was going into the season thinking that Kara Lawson was going to be the pernmanent back up point guard, and that there was not going to be another PG. But with Kara not even practicing right now, and Boddie looking "capable", I think Boddie is going to survive.

Other observations.

1. DeMya Walker is still running with a hitch in her step. In my mind she "may" be coming off of the bench in 2009, which may open the door for a young post (Harper or Paris) to be a full time starter.

2. Courtney Paris looks comfortable on the floor. She does not look overwhelmed, and clearly has the best post moves on the team outside of Rebekkah Brunson who did not practice much.

3. Maiga Ba of 2009 is clearly not the Maiga Ba we all knew in 2006 and before. Offensively she has clearly improved and will be a major part to the success of this team.

4. Orginally I thought there would be a roster fight between Newton and Robinson, but I just can not see Coaches Boucek and Whisnant letting either of those players go. I do believe that Crystal Kelly is going to be the odd player out here. In my opinion Kelly is not better than Harper or Paris, and I don't think the team can afford to carry 5-6 post players at the expense of a backup point guard. Especially when Brunson can play either the 4 or 5, and Powell and Maiga-Ba can play either the 4 or 5.

2009 ROSTER

Starters
Ticha Penichiero - 1
Kara Lawson - 1 or 2
Nicole Powell - 3 or 4
Rebekkah Brunson - 4 or 5
DeMya Walker (for now if at all) -4

Rotation Players
Chelsea Newton (or S. Robinson) - 2 or 3
Hamchatou Maiga-Ba - 3 or 4
Courtney Paris (for now) - 5
Laura Harper - 4 or 5

10th and 11th Players
Sholanda Robinson (or C. Newton) 2 or 3
Whitney Boddie - 1

If you add all of those multiple positions up you have:
3 Point Guards (Ticha, Boddie, Lawson)
3 Shooting Guards (Lawson, Robinson, Newton)
4 Small Forwards (Powell, Maiga Ba, Robinson, Newton)
5 Power Forwards (Brunson, Walker, Harper, Maiga Ba, Powell)
3 Centers (Brunson, Paris, Harper)

 

[NothinButHoops]

Barbara Farris has been waived...bummer

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

4. Orginally I thought there would be a roster fight between Newton and Robinson, but I just can not see Coaches Boucek and Whisnant letting either of those players go. I do believe that Crystal Kelly is going to be the odd player out here. In my opinion Kelly is not better than Harper or Paris, and I don't think the team can afford to carry 5-6 post players at the expense of a backup point guard. Especially when Brunson can play either the 4 or 5, and Powell and Maiga-Ba can play either the 4 or 5.

Whaa?

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

I am sorta intrigued by those predictions as well...

I got the impression the Monarchs could very well open the season with 5 post players...

By no stretch of the imagination would that 5 include or solely rely on Powell or Maiga-Ba at the 4...(and heaven forbid the massive list of casualties that would have to happen for them to be needed for duty at the 5 spot).

Maiga-Ba is a 2/3....who has the length to defend 3/4/5...that shouldn't translate to her actually playing any of those positions.

The Farris waive today should have signaled that Brunson is ready to go or closer to being able to take the floor for full contact in practice. The Ms had to make a cut to get to the requisite 15 players on a roster because Brunson had not been activated yet. To me, it should have also signaled that the four remaining cuts won't come from the post.

The need for a back up point guard on the roster, and for that to be her sole role is just not there. Lawson is not injured and is expected to start the season per her usual bouncey self. So you have her and Ticha now splitting PG minutes. Why do you need to carry a third unless that third also plays another position. That could be Newton, Miao or Allen for that matter. I just can't see them carrying somebody just for the sake of being a pure backup PG. Boddie certainly could state a uncuttable case for herself, but I don't think they opened camp with her being a neccessity.

 

[Purple Reign]

Whaa?

My bad Powell and Maiga Ba can play either the 3 or the 4.

 

[Purple Reign]

The need for a back up point guard on the roster, and for that to be her sole role is just not there. Lawson is not injured and is expected to start the season per her usual bouncey self. So you have her and Ticha now splitting PG minutes. Why do you need to carry a third unless that third also plays another position. That could be Newton, Miao or Allen for that matter. I just can't see them carrying somebody just for the sake of being a pure backup PG. Boddie certainly could state a uncuttable case for herself, but I don't think they opened camp with her being a neccessity.

My thinking is that Kara is not injured either, but Kara is definitely not 100 percent. Now if Boddie is not good enough, then cool cut her. But if she is, I don't think it would hurt to keep a pure point guard on the roster in case of a Ticha or Kara injury. Because if either gets hurt, you are screwed.

 

[Monty'sBiggestFan]

I'm not disagreeing. They have options to chose from at combo guard if that's the route they want to go too.