http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/204145.html
Ailene Voisin: A win with a loss
Walker's knee injury will be a blow to the team
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Columnist
Last Updated 12:19 am PDT Sunday, June 3, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C5
The sight was strangely, sadly familiar, one of those freakish plays that end seasons and threaten careers. DeMya Walker sprinting downcourt, preparing to gather another beautiful lead pass from Ticha Penicheiro, instead landing on the foot of Taj McWilliams-Franklin and twisting her right knee as she awkwardly hit the ground.
You knew this was bad from the silence in Arco Arena, the stares in the huddle, the worried glances of the coaches.
You thought immediately of Chris Webber, of the night he crumpled to the court in Dallas, twisting his knee, awkwardly hitting the ground. You remembered the stares, the glances, the surgery, the grueling rehabilitation.
You wondered about Webber then, wonder about Walker now.
Will she ever be the same?
Will she ever run, jump, play, with similar ease and athleticism?
"I hate to speculate," general manager John Whisenant said after his club's emotional victory over the visiting Los Angeles Sparks, "but if I had to make a guess, it's not very good. What's so sad is that she had come back 30 pounds lighter this year, really agile, more like the old DeMya. Last year after the pregnancy she never really got her stamina back. I'll hope for the best, but it's not looking good."
The suspicion is that the 6-foot-3 forward tore one or both of the two main knee ligaments -- the anterior cruciate or the medial collateral -- and possibly sustained cartilage damage as well. Team officials' concern was heightened by the fact that, in 2005, Walker missed 12 games with a sprained ligament in the same knee. She returned in time for the playoffs, but failed to return to her pre-injury All-Star level.
In what new head coach Jenny Boucek termed "a bittersweet evening," Walker arrived early and was in excellent spirits before the game. She danced to the hip-hop music in the locker room, chatted about her improved conditioning and desire to move past her disappointing 2006 postseason, including a subpar effort in the deciding game of last year's WNBA Finals matchup against the Detroit Shock. She also was encouraged by Boucek's presence and mindful of her importance as the club's premier low-post scorer.
"Once the new offense becomes instinctive," said Walker, 29, "we're going to be that much better. We're a championship-level team again."
During the pregame ceremonies, when the banner from the Monarchs' 2006 Western Conference championship was lowered to polite applause, there wasn't a partisan in the building who wasn't thinking wistfully about the lost opportunity against the Shock.
Losing Game 5 after squandering a double-digit lead in Detroit was bad enough. Losing Game 4 at Arco was worse.
But losing Walker just minutes into the home opener?
Boucek's rookie season suddenly becomes much more difficult.
After compiling a 2-2 record in four consecutive road games, the Monarchs, who reacquired Chelsea Newton and Adrian Williams during a very productive offseason, were holding a slim lead over their longtime rivals when the critical sequence occurred.
Penicheiro, who was more aggressive than usual throughout the game, grabbed a rebound and threw an outlet pass that, under usual circumstances, lands in Walker's hands for a breakaway layup. But this time, as she streaked between two defenders, Walker became entangled with McWilliams-Franklin, the player the Sparks acquired to fill in for the pregnant Lisa Leslie.
Immediately after the collision, McWilliams-Franklin dropped to the ground to comfort Walker. Whisenant, who was seated courtside with co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof, walked over and leaned close to DeMya, whispering encouragement. Sparks coach Michael Cooper ran over, took a look, then went back to the Sparks bench and retrieved a towel, which he placed carefully under Walker's head.
Paramedics wheeled a stretcher onto the court several minutes later and escorted Walker into the locker room, where she was examined further by Dr. Kirk Lewis. She returned to the bench with 5:40 remaining in the third quarter, wearing a brace that extended from her thigh to her ankle and aided by crutches, and in the closing minutes, sat on a stool near the tunnel area.
Later, the mood in the locker room was subdued, concerned. "I felt terrible," said Penicheiro, "because I'm the one who threw the pass."
Boucek spoke about the team's depth. Yolanda Griffith talked about resilience. Whisenant approached the trainers and doctors, then left the building.
"The rehab is key," offered Ruthie Bolton, the original Monarch who recovered from a career-threatening torn ACL and cartilage damage late in her career. "If you don't do the rehab, you lose all your flexibility, don't come back the same player. But DeMya is young. If that's what the injury is, she should take the year off and get ready for next season. She can come back from this."
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.
Ailene Voisin: A win with a loss
Walker's knee injury will be a blow to the team
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Columnist
Last Updated 12:19 am PDT Sunday, June 3, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C5
The sight was strangely, sadly familiar, one of those freakish plays that end seasons and threaten careers. DeMya Walker sprinting downcourt, preparing to gather another beautiful lead pass from Ticha Penicheiro, instead landing on the foot of Taj McWilliams-Franklin and twisting her right knee as she awkwardly hit the ground.
You knew this was bad from the silence in Arco Arena, the stares in the huddle, the worried glances of the coaches.
You thought immediately of Chris Webber, of the night he crumpled to the court in Dallas, twisting his knee, awkwardly hitting the ground. You remembered the stares, the glances, the surgery, the grueling rehabilitation.
You wondered about Webber then, wonder about Walker now.
Will she ever be the same?
Will she ever run, jump, play, with similar ease and athleticism?
"I hate to speculate," general manager John Whisenant said after his club's emotional victory over the visiting Los Angeles Sparks, "but if I had to make a guess, it's not very good. What's so sad is that she had come back 30 pounds lighter this year, really agile, more like the old DeMya. Last year after the pregnancy she never really got her stamina back. I'll hope for the best, but it's not looking good."
The suspicion is that the 6-foot-3 forward tore one or both of the two main knee ligaments -- the anterior cruciate or the medial collateral -- and possibly sustained cartilage damage as well. Team officials' concern was heightened by the fact that, in 2005, Walker missed 12 games with a sprained ligament in the same knee. She returned in time for the playoffs, but failed to return to her pre-injury All-Star level.
In what new head coach Jenny Boucek termed "a bittersweet evening," Walker arrived early and was in excellent spirits before the game. She danced to the hip-hop music in the locker room, chatted about her improved conditioning and desire to move past her disappointing 2006 postseason, including a subpar effort in the deciding game of last year's WNBA Finals matchup against the Detroit Shock. She also was encouraged by Boucek's presence and mindful of her importance as the club's premier low-post scorer.
"Once the new offense becomes instinctive," said Walker, 29, "we're going to be that much better. We're a championship-level team again."
During the pregame ceremonies, when the banner from the Monarchs' 2006 Western Conference championship was lowered to polite applause, there wasn't a partisan in the building who wasn't thinking wistfully about the lost opportunity against the Shock.
Losing Game 5 after squandering a double-digit lead in Detroit was bad enough. Losing Game 4 at Arco was worse.
But losing Walker just minutes into the home opener?
Boucek's rookie season suddenly becomes much more difficult.
After compiling a 2-2 record in four consecutive road games, the Monarchs, who reacquired Chelsea Newton and Adrian Williams during a very productive offseason, were holding a slim lead over their longtime rivals when the critical sequence occurred.
Penicheiro, who was more aggressive than usual throughout the game, grabbed a rebound and threw an outlet pass that, under usual circumstances, lands in Walker's hands for a breakaway layup. But this time, as she streaked between two defenders, Walker became entangled with McWilliams-Franklin, the player the Sparks acquired to fill in for the pregnant Lisa Leslie.
Immediately after the collision, McWilliams-Franklin dropped to the ground to comfort Walker. Whisenant, who was seated courtside with co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof, walked over and leaned close to DeMya, whispering encouragement. Sparks coach Michael Cooper ran over, took a look, then went back to the Sparks bench and retrieved a towel, which he placed carefully under Walker's head.
Paramedics wheeled a stretcher onto the court several minutes later and escorted Walker into the locker room, where she was examined further by Dr. Kirk Lewis. She returned to the bench with 5:40 remaining in the third quarter, wearing a brace that extended from her thigh to her ankle and aided by crutches, and in the closing minutes, sat on a stool near the tunnel area.
Later, the mood in the locker room was subdued, concerned. "I felt terrible," said Penicheiro, "because I'm the one who threw the pass."
Boucek spoke about the team's depth. Yolanda Griffith talked about resilience. Whisenant approached the trainers and doctors, then left the building.
"The rehab is key," offered Ruthie Bolton, the original Monarch who recovered from a career-threatening torn ACL and cartilage damage late in her career. "If you don't do the rehab, you lose all your flexibility, don't come back the same player. But DeMya is young. If that's what the injury is, she should take the year off and get ready for next season. She can come back from this."
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.