The Battalion PORTS Wednesday *June 18,191 through August, with the winners of have won Olympic gold medals. The WNBA team rosters WNBA team rosters the Eastern and Western conferences ABL, on the other hand, limits each team Eastern Conference Western Conference Preview and the two teams with the next best to two foreign-born players. Charlotte Sting Los Angeles Sparks Continued from Page 3 records advancing to single-elimina­ “The WNBA has the best players No. Name Pos. Ht. College No. Name College tion playoff games. from around the world,” Ackerman Katasha Artis F 6-0 Northeastern ’95 42 Linda Burgess bama '92 55 Michi Atkins Texas Tech ’96 32 Daedra Charles nnessee '91 “I think (the WNBA) is going to The league features Olympians and said. “These women have been play­ 23 Vicky Bullett Maryland ’89 12 Katrina Colleton land '93 3 Andrea Congre£iy|||i' . Mercer '92/Great Britian 21 Tamecka Dixon^ is'97 50 Sharon ManniQ^om^1 work and work well,” he said. “If I was ing in obscurity overseas. People’s N.C. State '91 34 Travesa GanJ, tar '94 spending sports marketing bucks it 51 Rhonda Mapp N.C. State '92 9 Lisa Leslii heads will turn when they see the skill 32 Andrea Stinson N.C. State '91 4 Mwadi Mai ^ ^ If I was spending Tora Super J. Virginia '97 11 Penny Tolei*^ Long Beach State • would be in women’s professional of these women.” - Berkeley ’93/Yugoslavia Milica Vukadii 10 Jamila Wideman Stanford '97 basketball.” Indeed. The WNBA game will be Debra Williams Louisiana Tech '96 28 Zheng Haixia ‘ ’‘’’SS&.'xPI&B China Head coach - Marynell Meadors The year-old ABL, operating with played at a level that will shock fans, Head coach - Linda Sharp Cleveland Rockers much less TV exposure and corporate sports marketing Phoenix Mercury with an up-tempo, physical style like Name Pos. Ht. College No. Name Pos. Ht. College sponsorship but with many good play­ the NBA, players and coaches say. 14 Jenny Boucek <3 5-8 Virginia '96 8 Janice Lawrence Braxton C 6-3 Louisiana Tech '84 42 Monique Ambers F 6-4 Arizona State '93 ers, believes the market is big enough for bucks it would be in “When I look at the ABL, it’s much 44 Michelle F-dWatds (3 5-9 Iowa '88 14 Marlies Askamp 6-5 Germany 0 Toni Foster / jipPfcL— 6-0 Iowa '93 Isabelle Fijalkowski C/F 6-5 Colorado '95/France Jennifer Gillom/6-3 two women’s leagues, especially since it more of a guard-based game, with so Donna Harrington C/F 6-1 Old Dominion'88 22 Mississippi '86 women’s professional Merlakii Jones \ G/F 5-9 .Florida'95 3 Tia Jackson - plays in the fall, while the WNBA plays in 10 Nancy LiebermaijS J-tt many of the good young college guards,” Anita Maxwell . F; 5-11 Now Mexico State'96 5-10 'Old Dbmfhion 80 Eva Nemcova \ ’ Jp, 6-2 Czech Republic 32 Bridget Pettis^ 5-9^, FlQnda 93 the summer. said Mary Murphy, coach of the WNBA’s 7 Michele Timm^P1 '/ 11 Tina Nicholson'y : ' Penn State'97 Australia basketball.” 21 Umeki Webb // “It’s a competitive situation. We’re Sacramento Monarchs. Lynette Woodara G 6-0 Kansas '81 5-9 N.C. State '97 31 Tara Williams***- F 5-11 Auburn'97 the underdog. But ultimately, this is “The WNBA will be much more of a Head coach - Linda Hill-MacDonald Ofkwl Richard Luker Head coach - Cheryl Miller great for women’s basketball,” ABL’s post-game, and we have a great inside- Houston Comets Sacramento Monarchs sulfa No Name Pos. Ht. College Executive director of the No. Name Pga, Ht. College iypal co-founder Gary Cavelli said. “Two out game. Overseas leagues look for post 4 Janeth Arcain F 5-11 Brazil 14 Cynthia Cooper USC '86 40 Tajama Abraham 6‘2*0 Geor9e Washington S? years ago, great college players had ESPN Chilton Sports Poll players, 6-foot-2, 6-3 and up. We have 6 Ruthie Bolton-Hollfietep J Auburn '89 I 8 Pietra Gay Louisiana State '97 30 Bridgette Gordon ^ W8r Tennessee two choices: drop their sport or play those players.” 9 Wanda Guytor Florida '89 seef 3 Patty Jo Hedgi jpky '83 33 Denique Graves Howard 97 overseas. Now, exposure to women’s Pollini warns against comparing the 6 Nekeshia I '95 24 Mikiko Hagiwara ^ wm JaPan top college players, like Lisa Leslie of the women’s game with the men’s. 23 Tammy Jai Ida '85 5 Pamela McGi S, ^ '^84c basketball is at an ,all-time high in 11 Catarina Pi Italy 7 Judy Mosley-1 I- 6-1 Hawaii £ this country.” Sparks and the Houston Comets’ Sheryl “Basketball is basketball. Physically, 43 Racquel Spurlock Louisiana Tech '97 10 Eliza Sokolow! /; '96/Pola,M 22 Sheryl Swoopes F 6-0 Texas Tech '93 3 Chantel Tremiti The WNBA hopes it will continue Swoopes, who is expecting her first child the difference between men and women 7 Tina Thompson F 6-3 USC '97 20 Corissa Yasen F PqMue’ga Head coach - MTary Murphy to grow. this month and may not play this season. is big. But technically, what we can do Head coach - Van Chancellor Although the league estimates an Foreign professionals also have with the ball can be very good,” Pollini New York Liberty Utah Starzz Name Pos. Ht. College Name Pos. Ht. College average attendance of just 4,000, the signed up, including Elena Baranova of said. Rhonda Blades . G 5-6 Vanderbilt '95 Elena Baranova Russia rl'ol Russia, a 6-5 center/forward with the “Of course, we can’t dunk every Kisha Ford ycY; G/F 5-10 Georgia Tech 97 Deborah Carter Georgia 93 I TV audience will be much bigger. The Kym Hampton JS Arizona State 84 Megan Compain Joseph’s OTNeuZe* three WNBA games a week will be Utah Starzz, and Catarina Pollini, a 6-5 time. But basketball isn’t only dunk­ Vickie Johnsony(pi^-aFUf F, uisiana Tech ’96 Lady Hardmon ;gia 92 Rebecca Loboj. "vV .6-47 nnecticut 95 Dena Head see 92 Jasmina PeraZiCi&pe'\|y'G9*. -.ft;* * ,'chl broadcast on ESPN, NBC or Lifetime. forward with the Comets who also plays ing or alley-oops. Just go out and see MtSryland '83/Yugoslavia Jessie Hicki and 93 Bhrfii C. State '87 Trena Trice Wendy Pali Irginia 96 Teresa Weathersp<pifS^*>;'A *■' (NBC will show the inaugural game in the Italian league. what we can do,” she said. “When Y Louisiana Tech '88 Tammi Reii Virginia 92 Sue Wicks Rutgers '88 d between the Los Angeles Sparks and Among the WNBA’s 80 players, 15 are you go see a team score after five Raegan Scott' Colorado 97 Sophia Witherspoon tO Florida'91 Kim Williams DePaul 97 the visiting Liberty). from 14 countries outside the United players touch the ball, that’s great Head coach - Nancy Darsch Head coach - Denise Taylor The 28-game regular season runs States, 22 are former Olympians and 12 basketball, too.” Source: WNBA 1 court. (Cheryl Miller, champion, Connecticut. Players coach of the Mercury, Teams and some marquee Soccer gets a whif of scandal tarse holds the record). WESTERN CONFERENCE: ■•?AP| PLAYERS OF THE WNBA BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) — glum’s most famous club of bribin fJonT “When I was younger, Where there is money, there is its way to the 1984 UEFA Cup final. Continued from Page 3 Los Angeles Sparks — Lisa Leslie, 1996 players that were older temptation. And from World Cup Anderlecht maintains its inno Leslie, a 6-foot-5 center, would say, ‘Oh, don’t wor­ EASTERN CONFERENCE: Olympic gold medalist. champion Brazil to a soccer also- cence, claiming its chairman paii signed with a modeling ry about it, by the time Charlotte Sting — Vicky Bullett, 1988 ran like Belgium, talk of bribes and the bribes only to protect his agency after leading the you get older, there will be Phoenix Mercury — Nancy Lieberman- game-fixing pervade the sport as tation. European soccer authoritie! Olympic team with a 19.5 a professional league,”’ Olympic gold medalist. Cline, 1976 Olympic silver medalist; 1979, much as talk of goals and standings. are still investigating. scoring average. said Leslie, an All-Ameri­ Cleveland Rockers — Lynette On Tuesday, in the latest scandal In Brazil, where soccer unleashes She first grabbed head­ can and national player of 1980 AIAW champion, Old Dominion. to hit Belgian soccer, the federation much passion as perhaps anywhere if lines in 1990 by scoring the year at Southern Cal. Woodard, 1984 Olympic gold medalist. suspended two officials on corrup­ the world, scandal struck last week. Sacramento Monarchs —- Ruthie 101 first-half points for “I came out of college Houston Comets---- Sheryl Swoopes, tion charges but ruled Eendracht The country’s Superior Sports] Morningside (Calif.) High and there wasn’t one. I went Bolton-Holifieid, 1996 Olympic gold Aalst could stay in the top division Tribunal banned both Iven| School and undoubtedly overseas and played in Italy 1996 Olympic gold medalist; 1993 NCAA despite claims it bought games to Mendes, the head of the referei would have broken the na­ and went through the same champion, Texas Tech (on maternity leave). medalist. avoid relegation to a lower division. committee until his resignationlas|ff()| tional high school scoring struggles that they had. But Earlier this year, Anderlecht ad­ month, and Mario Celso Petragilia, Utah Starzz — Dena Head, 1991 NCAA record of 105 points if the I thank God that I’m only 24 New York Liberty — Rebecca Lobo, mitted its former chairman paid president of Atletico Paranaense opposing coach hadn’t and I’m still in my prime, 1996 Olympic gold medalist; 1995 NCAA champion, Tennessee.