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Buckskin86
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Veteran Katie Smith's contributions to Washington Mystics are adding up
By Jorge Castillo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
"Sometimes I forget she's 36 years old and she sure doesn't play like it, "Mystics Coach Julie Plank said of Katie Smith, above. (John Mcdonnell/the Washington Post)
As the Washington Mystics practiced last week at Verizon Center, a day after losing to the New York Liberty, Katie Smith watched and kept score while her teammates participated in four-on-four closeout drills. With only nine healthy players on the roster and all-star Crystal Langhorne also sitting out most of practice to rest her ankle, the team needed bodies. But logging just less than 32 minutes per game a year after suffering a herniated disk means the 36-year-old Smith can get away with watching a few drills.
Now in her 12th WNBA season, Smith signed with Washington in the offseason after deciding she didn't want to follow the Shock and its new coaching staff to Tulsa from Detroit. She was brought to the Mystics to provide depth off the bench for a back court already featuring four-time all-star Alana Beard, Lindsey Harding, Marissa Coleman and Matee Ajavon. But when Beard, the team's leading scorer last season (15.9 ppg), injured her left ankle less than two weeks before training camp started and underwent season-ending surgery, Smith's role in 2010 changed before the season even began.
The 5-foot-11 Smith has started in all but one of the team's 19 games this season, averaging 9.6 points in 31.8 minutes per game during the team's 12-7 start. Although that's a career low for Smith, the number was supposed to be lower.
washingtonpost.com
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naptownbuck
Da Truth :)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/womenshoopsblog/2013460484_wnba_vet_katie_smith_to_join_s.html
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SUDb4ClMw8"]YouTube - Katie Smith 2010 Short[/ame]WNBA vet Katie Smith to join Storm in 2011?
Posted by Jayda Evans
Swore I spotted Washington Mystics G Katie Smith seated next to Storm PG Sue Bird at the No. 1 Connecticut win against No. 2 Baylor on Tuesday. That would add even more validity to Seattle coach Brian Agler reviving talk about adding Smith to the 2011 roster.
According to a story in Wednesday's The Marion (Ohio) Star, Agler admitted adding Smith to next season's squad was a possibility. "My goal right now is to put the team back together as close as I can," he said after speaking to the Marion Rotary Club's Athletic Day on Tuesday. The Storm has five unrestricted free agents. "We will be the team everyone will be shooting for, so we'll need to find ways to improve."
Smith, a free agent, was wooed by Seattle prior to the 2010 season. She opted to play alongside Lindsey Harding with the Mystics instead. A free agent, again, Smith remains in pursuit of another WNBA championship. She won one with Storm F Swin Cash for Detroit.
The Mystics, despite advancing to the WNBA postseason as the No. 1 seed in the East, losing in the opening round to Atlanta, went through a myriad of changes that may set them back this summer. The former Ohio State star averaged a career-low-tying 9.5 points and 2.6 assists as a full-time starter.
Pursuing Smith (who's pictured above by the WNBA) could mean rookie PG Alison Lacey and G Svetlana Abrosimova may be closer to deciding not to return, although free agency doesn't open until 2011. Lacey, a native Australian has been in America since beginning her college career at Iowa State, commenting after Seattle's championship season that it was difficult to accept the lesser role. Under contract, she's currently back home playing for the WNBL's Canberra Capitals.
Abrosimova, who's playing in her native Russia, said she may be fulfilled after winning the elusive title, giving her body a rest from year-round play. But, an unrestricted free agent, she flashed her Washington state driver's license proudly prior to the Finals run.
Smith is 36 and hampered by various injuries -- including her back -- but Bird, 30, averaged a career-low 30.5 minutes last season and is monitoring her play to extend her career. Smith, who can play either backcourt position, is a 13-year vet who played for Agler in Minnesota and the defunct ABL.
It could just be more sparks to keep fans warm through the winter. But, as of now, it appears Agler, the WNBA Coach of the Year, is looking at another reunion to help Seattle repeat.
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Buckskin86
Moderator
Storm acquires veteran guard Katie Smith
The Storm traded for veteran guard Katie Smith. Seattle traded Jasmine Thomas, plus its first-round pick in the 2012 draft in a three-team deal with Washington, Indiana.
By Jayda Evans
Seattle Times staff reporter
JERRY S. MENDOZA / AP
Katie Smith is the WNBA's third all-time leading scorer.
It took two years and a lot of number crunching, but Katie Smith is finally in a Storm jersey.
The Washington Mystics orchestrated a three-team, sign-and-trade deal that sent Smith and post player Jacinta Monroe to Seattle. The Storm also gets Indiana's 2012 second-round draft pick, shipping point guard Erin Phillips to the Fever with a 2012 third-round selection.
The Mystics receive point guard Jasmine Thomas, the Storm's 2011 first-round draft choice; and Seattle's first-round and Indiana's third-round picks in the 2012 draft.
Smith, a 12-year veteran who is the WNBA's third all-time leading scorer, had voiced interest in playing in Seattle since 2010. She has won championships with Storm coach Brian Agler (ABL), assistant coach Nancy Darsch (Ohio State) and Swin Cash (WNBA) and Olympic gold with Sue Bird and Cash.
"I'm excited we got it done and am real appreciative of Washington for helping me out," Smith said from her home in Ohio. "I see myself fitting in and really feeling comfortable."
Cont...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/storm/2014913548_storm30.html?prmid=head_main
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Buckskin86
Moderator
Basketball: WNBA trade reunites Katie Smith with two former coaches
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
By Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
File photo
Katie Smith, right, clowns with Ohio State teammates and coach Nancy Darsch, center, in 1995.
File photo
Smith played for Brian Agler when they were with the ABL's Columbus Quest from 1996 to 1998.
It's been 18 years since Katie Smith led Ohio State to the NCAA title game as a freshman, and 14 years since she won the first of two American Basketball League titles with the Columbus Quest.
Hard to believe, but the leading scorer in the history of U.S. women's professional basketball -- still known, simply, as Katie at home in Logan, Ohio, and throughout central Ohio -- will turn 37 years old one month from today.
It's about the age when pro athletes start to think about life after the ball stops bouncing, when elite athletes like Smith begin pondering an appropriate exclamation point to their illustrious career.
That's why Smith will play for the WNBA's Seattle Storm, after a three-team trade last week.
"This might be it," Smith said. "I can't say for sure. But if it is, I wanted to finish where I either had some history or some connections, and I most definitely have connections here.
"I would like this to be it. I've bounced around enough. I'll be happy here."
Cont...
http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...ie-smith-with-two-former-coaches.html?sid=101
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Buckskin86
Moderator
Katie Smith battles Achilles injury but Storm enthused about potential to add 13-year veteran
Three-time Olympian Katie Smith has a nagging left Achilles tendinitis injury, and isn't expected to play for the second consecutive game. She also missed the majority of training camp.
By Jayda Evans
Seattle Times staff reporter
MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Storm guard Katie Smith, in her 13th season, is third all-time in WNBA scoring.
Play video: Seattle Storm players on being a champion
The deal won't seem worth it on Sunday.
Seattle will play its final exhibition game against Tulsa and the Storm's biggest offseason acquisition will be in street clothes on the sideline at KeyArena. Three-time Olympian Katie Smith has a nagging left Achilles tendinitis injury, and isn't expected to play for the second consecutive game. She also missed the majority of training camp.
It's an ominous start for a player the Storm traded two first-round draft picks and Australian Olympian Erin Phillips to acquire.
"Well, the old lady has been sitting around doing nothing lately," Storm forward Camille Little jokingly said. "I'm excited to get her in the flow of things. "
What Smith brings to the table is why Storm coach Brian Agler isn't too concerned with the lack of practice time.
Smith, who turns 37 on June 4, still had teams clamoring for her services when free agency opened in February. That included Washington, which tagged her as a core player to ensure Smith didn't just walk.
But the Mystics were willing to negotiate to make the 5-foot-11 guard happy.
A native of Ohio, Smith chose Seattle despite a significant pay cut, because she's either played with or been coached by nearly everyone involved in the organization beginning with assistant Nancy Darsch.
A faint smile crossed the coach's face when she reminisced how a recruiting visit turned into a 10-hour day, including two helpings of pot roast in Smith's Logan, Ohio, home. All that and Smith still didn't commit to play at Ohio State.
Cont...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/storm/2015176507_storm29.html
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7swOJiUNIxM&feature=fvst"]YouTube - Southwest Airlines Journey through the WNBA: Katie Smith‏[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc5ptfw2idM"]YouTube - Katie Smith Profile‏[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJe_jDR1oYM"]YouTube - Basketball USOC Katie Smith‏[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP2EE1rTXQg"]YouTube - Basketball USOC Katie Smith2‏[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MspiyPQmyEU"]YouTube - Basketball USOC Katie Smith3‏[/ame]
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naptownbuck
Da Truth :)
Season debut with the champion Storm on her 37th birthday.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kzf2nszHy4"]YouTube - Katie Smith - Seattle Storm Debut‏[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kzf2nszHy4"]YouTube - Katie Smith - Seattle Storm Debut‏[/ame]
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Buckskin86
Moderator
Top 15 Voting: Katie Smith
Posted Jul 9 2011
Katie Smith won two WNBA championships with the Shock in 2006 and 2008
NBAE/Getty Images
In Brief
Two-Time WNBA Champion (2006, 2008)
Seven-Time All-Star
Three-Time Olympic Gold Medalist (2000, 2004, 2008)
A seven-time All-Star, two-time WNBA champion with the Detroit Shock, and the 2008 Finals MVP, Smith was voted to the WNBA?s All-Decade Team in 2006. Her resume also includes First Team All-WNBA honors in 2001 and 2003 and Second Team honors in 2000 and 2002. Originally signed by the Lynx in 1999 after a stint in the ABL, Smith spent six seasons with Minnesota before being traded to Detroit. She then moved to Washington in 2010 and immediately helped the Mystics earn the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. With her ABL and WNBA totals combined, Smith in 2005 became the first woman in U.S. history to score 5,000 points. The Ohio State product enters 2011 ranked third in WNBA history in points (5,760) and ninth in assists (1,056).
What They're Saying
"Now considered one of the golden veterans of the WNBA, Smith this season brings her wealth of scoring talent and leadership to Seattle in a supplemental role. Having started her career in Minnesota, this Olympic gold medalist finally got her WNBA title after she was traded to Detroit and then a year ago she helped make the Washington Mystics remove the doormat label that had long been attached to the franchise."
-- Mel Greenberg, Woman Hoops Guru
"Katie Smith is the ultimate ?old-school? player who just knows how to get the job done."
-- Mechelle Voepel, ESPN
"The toughest player in WNBA history? Yeah, I think that?s a fitting label. But it still sells Smith a bit short. Sure, she?s tough, but also possesses a very high basketball-IQ that has translated into three Olympic Gold medals and two WNBA titles. Be sure to appreciate Smith not just for her toughness but for her all-around, balanced game."
-- Ben York, SLAM Magazine
http://www.wnba.com/news/top15_ksmith_2011.html
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Buckskin86
Moderator
WNBA: Focus on the Seattle Storm?s Katie Smith
By K.C. Dermody, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Katie Smith is new to the Seattle Storm this year, as she was obtained in a trading deal involving the Washington Mystics just before the beginning of the 2011 season. Smith is a veteran player who is one of the WNBA's leading scorers, with almost 6,000 points scored in her career so far.
Katie Smith
Creative Commons
Here is a look at the highlights of Katie Smith's career.
Early life
Katie Smith grew up in southeast Ohio in the city of Logan. She was surrounded by a family of athletes, and her father John, Sr. played football for Ohio State University. Her brother John played on the Mount Union College national championship football team in 1993, and brother Tom ran track and also played football at Ohio State.
Katie got her start in basketball playing on the boys' team in fifth grade. As a young girl, she was also involved in ballet and tap dance. She was a very busy child, also competing in track and soccer, and was involved in 4H showing her sheep and steers at the local county fair.
In high school, she gave up most of her other activities to concentrate on basketball. During her senior year at Logan High School she won the Gatorade Player of the Year.
College years
In 1992, Katie began her college education at Ohio State University, majoring in Zoology. er freshman year, she helped the Buckeyes get to the NCAA championship. That year, she was named to the All-American first team and was named Sports Illustrated's National Freshman of the Year, and received numerous other awards during her college career.
After her final season with Ohio State, she became the leading scorer in Big-Ten women's basketball history. She is currently ranked second, after Jantel Lavender, who broke her scoring record earlier this year.
Cont..
http://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/news?slug=ycn-8824205
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naptownbuck
Da Truth :)
Another top honor for Katie. As far as Buckeye pros go..it is Havlicek, Lucas, & Smith..then another tier..
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LumIoqNdHoM"]WNBA Top 15: Katie Smith‏ - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LumIoqNdHoM"]WNBA Top 15: Katie Smith‏ - YouTube[/ame]
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Buckskin86
Moderator
Storm Exit Interviews: The word from Katie Smith
Posted by Jayda Evans
Series note: The Storm conducted exit interviews on Thursday, giving me the opportunity to ask players everything from views on their season to fashion and hair tips. I'll post conversations from each in the upcoming days. Centers Ewelina Kobryn (Poland) and Ann Wauters (Belgium) won't be featured due to their quick return home. Here's a conversation with wing Katie Smith, a two-time WNBA champion who had a better season with the Storm in 2012. She averaged 6.7 points and 2.7 rebounds and was moved into the starting lineup after a year on the bench.
Q: You're still finishing school this offseason, right?
Katie Smith: School (master's in dietetics) has been kinda going on anyways. I'll get back in it on Tuesday (Oct. 9). We've started our supervised practice rotations -- it's more of an internship. My first rotation is WIC -- Women, Infants,and Children -- in downtown Columbus. You go out in the community and you do that, then we'll do a food-service rotation and a long-term care rotation. Then a clinical rotation. We'll get our hours in and see how it applies to the real world after you've been in the classroom for a year.
Q: So, with WIC, what will you actually do? Is it a person-to-person experience?
Smith: There's an RD (registered dietician) already there who I'll go and basically follow/work with. It's basically like your residency with medical school. You're going and working with them and asking questions. They might ask you to do stuff and use you. You might volunteer, you might be hands-on. I don't know how it's all going to pan out, but your preceptor...it's nerve-racking. It'll keep you on your toes. It's going to be challenging. But it's going to be nice to see real life. What you like and what you may want to get into when it's all over. So, I'm excited/really kind of nervous about it.
Q: Going forward with WNBA play, I know you like to sign one-year deals, will that be the case next year?
Smith: Right now, I'd like to play. That's my mindset right now, I want to play next summer. We'll see how it pans out, where I'll be, who wants me and all of that. But, yeah, right now I feel pretty good. I still feel like I can help a team out.
cont...
http://seattletimes.com/html/womenshoopsblog/2019362618_storm_exit_interviews_the_word_5.html
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Buckskin86
Moderator
Katie Smith: A true basketball role model
November 8, 2012
By KIM NORTH - Times Leader Sports Writer ([email protected])
Katie Smith wasn't born with a basketball in her hands.
But it didn't take her parents long to put one there.
"I started playing basketball at the age of five," Smith said while attending the iBELIEVE Foundation fundraiser at Belmont Hills Country Club last week.
T-L Photo/KIM NORTH
PICTURED WITH Katie Smith, center, are iBELIEVE Foundation members Chris Dutton left, and Patrick Klein.
And, as they say, the rest is history.
Smith, a 5-11 dynamo on the hardwood, has a list of accomplishments that would rival Who's Who in college and professional basketball.
In high school, she was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year as she guided Logan High School to the Ohio Division I state championship game. She was also named a high school All-American by the WBCA and took part in the first-ever WBCA All-Star Game in 1992 where she scored 14 points and earned MVP honors.
From 1992-96, Smith was a 4-year starter for The Ohio State University women's team, breaking the Big Ten's all-time scoring record - male or female. She was voted the conference MVP as a senior.
For that accomplishment, she was the first female to have her number retired by OSU on Jan. 21, 2001. She was inducted into the Varsity O Hall of Fame later that year in October.
cont...
http://www.timesleaderonline.com/pa...h--A-true-basketball-role-model.html?nav=5013
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