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To some, she is known as the Tasmanian Devil. Others simply refer to her as The Pest.
At 5-3, Debbie Black is the shortest player in the WNBA. At 36 years old, she is one of the oldest players in the WNBA. As the point guard for the now-defunct Miami Sol with a gaudy 4.28-to-1 assist/turnover ratio (not to mention nearly four rebounds per game), she is the one of the smartest players in the WNBA.
Black played her collegiate basketball for Jim Foster at St. Josephıs, and is a veteran of both the ABL and the WNBA. I recently caught up with the 2001 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. Here is what she had to say ...
Full Court Press: The Miami Sol franchise has folded. What do you think will happen to the players on the team? Will the franchise relocate, or do you think there will be an expansion draft?
Debbie Black: Logically, I would say expansion draft. I would love to see it moved to another city, but right now, I think it will be an expansion draft.
Full Court Press: What does the future of the WNBA hold? In what direction will the league brass go? What do you think the league needs to do to be successful and start turning a profit?
Debbie Black: Everything is interesting right now, because the league is going to (self-supporting) franchises. I think they are doing the right thing in the long term. The league will hopefully put teams that aren't making it into cities that will support those teams. But at this point, I don't know if we can stand without NBA support. It will be interesting to see how we make a profit without the NBA. We need more people, more ratings, and more corporate sponsors. I honestly don't know.
Full Court Press: You played in the now-defunct ABL for the Colorado Xplosion. What was the ABL experience like, and how does it compare to the WNBA? Talk about the differences between the two leagues.
Debbie Black: Coaching. The coaching is much better in the WNBA. The league has more experienced coaches. We had a lot of young coaches in the ABL who had never worked with professionals of our caliber.
I loved the ABL because it was seven months out of the year. It was a full-time job with a great salary. Players didn't have to go overseas; you stayed in one city because of length of the season. We were more of a part of the community. The ABL was really developed for us, not on the coattails of the men. But we need the help of the NBA to actually make it.
There are a lot of things that I loved about the ABL, but I realize that we are lucky to have the WNBA. The WNBA is what we have, but the ABL is what I want as a player.
Full Court Press: You are known as a tenacious defender, with the hardware and nicknames to prove it. What makes you so tough defensively? How would you instruct players to become better defenders (what can they do)?
Debbie Black: What makes me a good defender? Good question. I am up, all over someone. I don't allow them very much room to do what they need to do. Being little, I call it 'up and under.' I try to get up and under their chin[s], so they can't shoot, can't dribble, can't pass. I try to be relentless. How can I make that person the most uncomfortable without fouling? Footwork is key; I am constantly moving. I want to make them feel pressure. I need to make my opponents feel uncomfortable.
Full Court Press: For a 5-3 guard, you have an excellent rebounding average. What are the secrets to becoming a good rebounder, especially if a player is under 5-10?
Debbie Black: I really believe that rebounding is instinctual. I am not saying you can't teach it. But your best rebounders have great instincts for where the ball is going. You can teach boxing out, but the best rebounders know when to release and go for the ball. I have good instincts, and I don't know if you can teach those kind of instincts. You can get better at it, but I don't know if you can teach it.
Rebounding also involves a lot of heart. If you want to get the ball, you get it.
Full Court Press: Of all the point guards in the WNBA, you seem to have the most intense battles with the New York Liberty's Teresa Weatherspoon. What makes your matchups with T-Spoon so heated?
Debbie Black: Whether she wants to believe it or not, we are very similar. I only know her on the court. [The WNBA] was her league, but I came in. We are intense, physical, and very emotional. She isn't used to playing someone who plays her the way I play. There is an intense rivalry when we play each other. She tends to get more aggravated when we play ... possibly because she is playing someone exactly like her.
Full Court Press: You were an assistant coach to Jim Foster at Vanderbilt during the 1999-2000 season. Do you have any plans to return to coaching, and, if so, in what capacity?
Debbie Black: The older that I am getting, the more I am considering it. I wasn't sure if I saw myself as a coach, but the more I get involved, the more that I am thinking it is a natural step for me when I am done playing. However, I wouldn't want to jump into a position I wasn't ready for. I would like to be groomed, starting as an assistant ... probably at the college level, but possibly at the professional level.
Full Court Press: People often mention your age [36] as a negative factor, but your fitness level is unbelievable. What is your workout regimen?
Debbie Black: I work out every day, and I am pretty intense. I have never given myself too much time off. I have been playing basketball since I was nine. My body has been in tune with this for years; I have never missed a season. In the last few years, I have been working on my speed and doing plyometrics. I do endurance exercises, but I focus on speed. I feel that I have become better through proper training. The fact that I have never stopped playing has helped. A lot of players can't say that, because they have had injuries or missed seasons. I look at [Utah Jazz point guard] John Stockton. He has played 1,000 more games than I have, and look at him.
A lot of it has to do with maintenance. I will hopefully last quite a few more years. If I am at the top of my game, I will still compete.
Full Court Press: You maintain dual citizenship with Australia. Would you consider playing in the WNBL, the Australian women's professional league?
Debbie Black: Not now. I played there for eight years. Then I played in Colorado for three years, when I couldn't play in the WNBL [Editor's note: The ABL and the WNBL seasons overlapped]. Last year, I went to Italy. There was very little money in Australia, which is why people don't go there. But the level of competition was very good; it was the best in the world in that time because there were no teams in America. The competition was incredible at the guard level. Look at all of the elder Aussies who played in the WNBA, like Michele Timms and Sandy Brondello.
Full Court Press: In terms of efficiency, you were at the top of the WNBA this past season, with an assist-to turnover ratio greater than 4:1. What are the keys to becoming a successful point guard? What should young women focus on in order to develop into effective floor generals?
Debbie Black: Being a leader. You have to be a leader ... not necessarily vocally, but people have to know that you are in charge. You have to make sure everyone is in the right position. To be a successful point guard, you have to be a leader, however you want to define it, and everyone has to know it.
Secondly, I believe that you have to make everyone else better. You have to think how to get players involved in a game. You are secondary when it comes to scoring. You have to focus on getting the other four players on the court involved in the game, but you also have to be a threat yourself.
As for my assist-to-turnover ration, [Jim] Foster preached the value of the basketball to me. In the system, I learned how to be a better point guard in Miami, because I understood what we were trying to do. I don't take risks. The team with more possessions of the ball will win. If you can handle the ball, no one will strip you. You need to take care of the basketball, and avoid dumb mistakes.
Most importantly, I have never stopped learning. I was excited about this year. I never feel like I am done making an impact on my game and improving on something. I am always on top of where people are on the court, and I am always trying to make my teammates better players. At my age, people have a tendency to be set in their ways, but I want to keep getting better, keep improving, keep pushing. I don't think that because I am 36 that I can't learn anymore. If you want to learn, you will learn.
1/2/03
