Storm bag talented Bird

By Janie McCauley

Associated Press

SEATTLE – Teams kept calling to sweeten their offers, long shot attempts to get Connecticut star Sue Bird.

That told Seattle Storm coach and general manager Lin Dunn plenty. She just listened, knowing she had something good.

Dunn made all the talk official Friday, selecting Bird with the first pick of the WNBA draft.

With the 5-foot-9 point guard, the Storm have added a much-needed perimeter scoring threat and someone who can take charge of a program desperate to become a playoff contender.

“Obviously we knew picking Sue Bird was a no-brainer,” Dunn said. “She immediately made our team better. Our team got better when we started thinking about Sue Bird.”

Dunn made up her mind Wednesday night, saying only an offer that “would knock my socks off” would sway her. She didn’t get it.

Bird’s selection marks the first time a guard was the top player drafted. She will make $57,500.

“I wasn’t really nervous,” Bird said. “Just kind of excited and anxious because I wanted to see where I would end up.”

Bird, The Associated Press Player of the Year, led UConn to the national title and a 39-0 record this season, averaging 14.4 points and 3.4 rebounds. She led the nation in free-throw shooting at 89.2 percent.

The native of Syosset, N.Y., scored 1,378 career points and passed for 585 assists, including a career-best 231 this season.

Four Connecticut players were taken in the first six picks. After Bird, Swin Cash was selected No. 2 by Detroit, Asjha Jones fourth by Washington and Tamika Williams sixth by Minnesota.

Seattle chose center-forward Lucienne Berthieu of Old Dominion with the 19th overall pick and guard Felicia Ragland of Oregon State with the 28th pick overall, both in the second round. In the third round, the Storm selected Louisiana Tech forward-center Takeisha Lewis with the 35th overall pick.

Dunn believes Bird will complement a frontcourt featuring Australian center Lauren Jackson, the top pick in the 2001 draft.

“We felt we could not pass on this young woman,” Dunn said of Bird. “She is absolutely special.”

Bird is a proven scorer from the perimeter, and a leader. The Storm did not make many outside shots last season, shooting just 37.8 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from 3-point range.

“I really do plan to wait and see what the team needs from me,” Bird said. “I am a point guard and look to distribute the ball a lot.”

Bird has awards banquets to attend in Detroit and Kansas City before coming to Seattle, probably next week. She hopes to attend her college graduation May 19 in Storrs, Conn.

“In listening to what coach said, I got really excited,” Storm guard Charmin Smith said. “We need Sue Bird. Whether she’s a point guard or an off guard, she’s a leader and she’s a winner.”

Jackson is 6-5 and the team’s returning leading scorer. An All-Star last season as a rookie, she scored 15.2 points per game and pulled down 6.7 rebounds. No other Storm players averaged double figures in scoring.

Jackson missed the final two games because of lingering shoulder trouble. She had off-season shoulder surgery and is healthy now, Dunn said.

When asked what she knows of Jackson, Bird quipped: “She’s Australian. I know that.”

Jackson is playing with the Australian National Team as it prepares for the World Championships in September. She may be late arriving at training camp, which opens April 30.

Berthieu is 6-2 and will take some pressure of Jackson and could compete for a starting job. She averaged 14 points this season for Old Dominion and led the Colonial Athletic Conference in scoring. Ragland was the Pac-10’s leading scorer this season at 19.9 points.

Lewis is also 6-2 and provides further depth and height. She averaged 6.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in her senior season at Louisiana Tech.

Seattle lost 15 of its last 18 games last summer to tie with three other teams for the worst record in the WNBA. The Storm placed last in the Western Conference.

They have selected first in the draft for two years in a row. The Storm finished 10-22 in 2001, just four wins better than the franchise’s inaugural season the previous year when it finished last in the league at 6-26.

Seattle opens its preseason schedule at home against the Utah Starzz on May 19. The team’s first regular-season game is May 30 against the New York Liberty in KeyArena.

Dunn said she will submit a list to the league Wednesday of four to eight free-agent players she is interested in considering for roster spots. Free-agent assignments by the league will be announced Thursday.

In addition to the Storm’s selections, the Charlotte Sting chose Baylor’s Sheila Lambert with the seventh overall pick. She is a guard from Seattle’s Chief Sealth High School.