The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Tennessee Vol thrives in Conn.
Shekinna Stricklen wins over fans in New England
UNCASVILLE — Shekinna Stricklen laughs.
She laughs because the mere thought of a former Lady Vol becoming a beloved figure in this part of New England seems hard to fathom.
“Haha, that’s funny,” she says. “I mean, it took a while. But, it’s been great. Connecticut fans have been great to me. They love me hitting 3’s. The energy here has been amazing. They’ve been good.”
Seven years ago, Shekinna Stricklen was, in fact, a Lady Vol, the undisputed star of Pat Summitt’s last team at Tennessee. But now, she’s living large in the Nutmeg State as an indispensable piece to the championship puzzle for the Connecticut Sun.
Seeking their first championship in franchise history, the Sun will tip off Game 1 of the WNBA Finals against the Washington Mystics on Sunday in the nation’s capital.
“She’s the best shooter in the league. I feel like that kind of speaks for itself,” teammate Courtney Williams said Wednesday following practice at the Mohegan Tribal Community Center. “She can shoot lights out, that’s that.”
Now in her eighth season in the WNBA, the last five spent with the Sun, Stricklen has blossomed into more than just a 3point specialist. She’s also a tenacious defender and an efficient passer who rarely seems to skip a beat.
“Not taking a possession off, not being so laid back, I know that’s something that Pat stayed on me for in college,” Stricklen recalled. “I can be so laid back in practice and games, and she told me never to take a possession off. You play until the whistle blows. You play hard all the time, so you never have to regret nothing.”
Stricklen made it to two Elite Eights, but never a Final Four. As fate would have it, her last year at Tennessee was also Summitt’s last. The legendary coach, an eighttime national champion whose rivalry with Geno Auriemma and UConn transcended women’s basketball, stepped down in 2012 after being diagnosed with earlyonset Alzheimer’s. Summitt died
June 28, 2016 at the age of 64.
After averaging a teamhigh 15.4 points as a senior in 2012, Stricklen was taken second overall by the Storm in the WNBA Draft. She spent three seasons with Seattle, mainly as a reserve, before she was traded along with Camille Little to the Sun for former UConn star Renee Montgomery and two draft picks.
And it’s in Connecticut, of all places, where she’s seen her career take off.
“There’s no one that when she plays well uplifts our team like Strick,” coach Curt Miller said. “You see that with Courtney, you see it with (Alyssa Thomas), but really truly, when Stricklen has a great game, it’s unbelievable what it does for our team.”
Stricklen, the AllStar Game’s 3point champion, had a rare off night in Game 3 of the semifinals in Los Angeles. She went 0for3 from the floor, failing to make a shot for just the third time all season.
Yet there was Williams, the team’s beacon of joy, reminding everyone after the fact that nobody can stroke it like Stricklen.
“I walk up to 40 and I say, ‘You the best shooter in the league,’ ” Williams said during the postgame press conference.
Stricklen, who shot 38.2 percent from 3 and 40.8 percent overall during the regular season, got a kick out of that.
“It’s great,” Stricklen said, laughing. “I just know that I have a lot of respect as a shooter, for sure. A lot of teams, they don’t leave me. They respect me from that 3point line. … Yeah, I’m a great shooter. I’ve just got to bring it to the Finals.”
It hasn’t always been that way for Stricklen, but it is now. And that’s all that matters.
“In this league, you find your place,” she said.
On the comeback trail: Layshia Clarendon practiced fully Wednesday for the first time since undergoing right ankle surgery.
While Miller has been encouraged by her progress, he still isn’t sure if Clarendon will be ready for Game 1.
“Cleared doesn’t mean basketball shape, cleared doesn’t mean that you’re ready,” Miller said. “But we’re going to play the week by ear. We’re going to evaluate her and how she feels days after, but she is in practice.”
Clarendon, a backup point guard, was injured stepping on a teammate’s foot in practice on June 19. Six days later, she had surgery to stabilize the peroneal tendons in her right ankle. The recovery was estimated to be three to four months, meaning her
season was in doubt.
She played in nine games prior to the injury, averaging 6.3 points in 15.3 minutes off the bench.
“We knew the Finals was always an opportunity if we advanced that far when she first got hurt and surgery was scheduled,” Miller said. “(It’s) kind of bizarre that it came about.”
Clarendon said that while she felt good physically, and her ankle was painfree, there are still hurdles to overcome.
“There are moments I do a move, or I’m shooting, and I’m like, ‘I can (freaking) play, I can play right now,’ ” she said. “Then there are times when I’m running up and down and I’m like, ‘I can’t play, I can’t even breathe right now.’ There’s that constant back and forth.”
“Cardiowise … I feel like I’m at 35 percent,” she added. “Skillwise, I feel really good. Actually, my legs feel pretty fresh.”
Getting Clarendon back would undoubtedly be a major boost. She’s a spark plug off the bench and has played in the Finals before. But Miller’s not going to rush her return.
“We’re never going to put her in a position that she’s not ready for,” he insisted.