Atlanta rebounds from its dismal season for success
ATLANTA — Nicki Collen still has vivid memories of facing the Atlanta Dream late last season.
She’s blunt in her assessment. “Quite frankly, they laid down against us,” said Collen, who watched that game as a Connecticut Sun assistant coach. What a difference a year makes. Collen is now coaching the Dream, who KDYH SXW WKHLU GLVPDO FDPSDLJQ ¿UPO\ in their rear-view mirror. Atlanta (19-10) is one of the league’s hottest teams, winning 11 of its last 12 games and clinching a playoff berth with a victory Tuesday night over the Las Vegas Aces.
“We’ve put ourselves in good position,” center Elizabeth Williams said. “We’ve earned this spot.”
A year ago, Atlanta stumbled to a nineJDPH ORVLQJ VWUHDN DQG ¿QLVKHG ² LWV worst mark since going 4-30 as an expansion team in 2008. Toward the end of that long skid, the Dream were blown out on their home court by Connecticut, 96-75.
Collen saw a team in turmoil, but she also recognized the potential for a major WXUQDURXQG :KHQ WKH 'UHDP ¿UHG 0LFKDHO Cooper and offered her a head coaching MRE IRU WKH ¿UVW WLPH LQ KHU FDUHHU &ROOHQ jumped at the chance.
“You can ask any coach in the league ² LW ZDV QHYHU D WDOHQW LVVXH KHUH LQ Atlanta,” she said. “I knew taking the job that expectations were to be a playoff team. This wasn’t a rebuild.”
Collen’s most notable move was persuading Angel McCoughtry to come back from a one-year sabbatical. A perennial All-Star who led Atlanta in scoring seven years in row, the enigmatic player wasn’t sure if she wanted to return to the Dream. But she had a long relationship with Collen, who recruited her at Louisville.
REBOUNDS,
They talked about McCoughtry’s OHJDF\
³:KDW GR \RX ZDQW"´ &ROOHQ DVNHG “Do you want people to think you’re the best player to never win a championship? An incredible player but a little unpredictable, a little crazy?”
For those on the outside, McCoughtry’s return is the most obvious reason IRU $WODQWD¶V LPSURYHPHQW
“Put her back in the mix, there’s going to be an instant boost for wins,” /DV 9HJDV FRDFK %LOO /DLPEHHU VDLG ³%XW , WKLQN WKH\¶UH D OLWWOH ELW PRUH disciplined this year, and they’re SOD\LQJ ZHOO WRJHWKHU ´
Indeed, Collen inherited a group with plenty of athletic ability but no VHQVH RI D FRKHUHQW RIIHQVLYH V\VWHP The Dream could beat you on the fast
break or create shots with the shot FORFN ZLQGLQJ GRZQ
,Q EHWZHHQ WKH\ ZHUH D PHVV “If there’s anything I preach, it’s PRYH WKH EDOO 1H[W DFWLRQ QH[W DFWLRQ ´ &ROOHQ VDLG ³, WDONHG WR Angel about that, even before she committed to coming back, being willing to be a facilitator at times, to trust that we’ve put people around her who are capable of making plays DQG PDNLQJ VKRWV ´
7KH WHDP VLJQHG -HVVLFD %UHODQG DQG 5HQHH 0RQWJRPHU\ DV IUHH DJHQWV 0RQLTXH %LOOLQJV ZDV GUDIWHG LQ WKH VHFRQG URXQG ZLWK D SLFN DFTXLUHG IRU %ULD +ROPHV ZKR LV VLWWLQJ RXU WKLV VHDVRQ WR KDYH FKLOG $OH[ %HQWOH\ ZDV DFTXLUHG ODVW PRQWK LQ D WUDGH ZLWK &ROOHQ¶V IRUPHU WHDP
Collen needed a while to blend the newcomers with returning players :LOOLDPV 7LIIDQ\ +D\HV DQG %ULWWQH\ 6\NHV
7KH 'UHDP ORVW QLQH RI WKHLU ¿UVW
JDPHV
“We had our growing pains, especially early in the season,” Williams VDLG ³:H¶YH MXVW WULHG WR OHDUQ HDFK other and grow with every game ZH¶YH KDG ´
0F&RXJKWU\ TXLFNO\ UHFODLPHG her place as one of the league’s top players, making the All-Star Game IRU WKH ¿IWK WLPH EXW VKH¶V JRW SOHQW\ RI KHOS 1LQH SOD\HUV DUH DYHUDJLQJ DW OHDVW SRLQWV D JDPH ² GHSWK that certainly came in handy during WKH YLFWRU\ RYHU /DV 9HJDV
McCoughtry sustained a left knee LQMXU\ ZLWK ò PLQXWHV UHPDLQLQJ DQG WKH 'UHDP WUDLOLQJ E\ D SRLQW She watched the rest of the game from bench, a towel draped over her VKRXOGHUV EXW KHU WHDPPDWHV ¿QLVKHG RQ D UXQ IRU D WULXPSK
Williams scored a season-high 22 SRLQWV %HQWOH\ FDPH RII WKH EHQFK WR VFRUH DOVR D VHDVRQ KLJK ,Q DOO ¿YH SOD\HUV UHDFKHG GRXEOH ¿JXUHV