DeWanna Bonner

Health and Griner have the Mercury on the rise

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Allow me to list the many challenges that the Phoenix Mercury have this season:

*Crickets*

Coach Corey Gaines has had a smile on his face from the moment he won the Griner Lottery last September, which more than likely helped him forget the injuries, the frustration, and the ill-timed "dental work" that led his team to an abysmal 7-27 record in 2012.

Who makes the whistles blow -- and who doesn't

Finding myself in possession of a group of relatively arcane WNBA statistics, I thought I’d delve into a number of issues this week –- but I got stuck on the very first set of numbers. There was just too much to talk about to move much further.

The topic? Fouls drawn and fouls committed. But first, just a word on the importance of fouls. Obviously, a player who gets into foul trouble doesn’t get to play as much, but beyond that first-order statistic, getting to the foul line is crucial in many, many ways.

Erica McCall's game will make you smile

The best thing about Erica McCall is the big smile that’s nearly always on her face.  The positive attitude of the 6-3 forward is evident in every part of her game.  She hustles after loose balls, sprints the floor, takes instruction well and is constantly encouraging her teammates. 

“I just want to be the best I can be,” says McCall, who was named the All-Area MVP by the Bakersfield Californian.

DeWanna Bonner Named 2009 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year

You heard it here first. Last week Full Court Press named Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner its 2009 Sixth Woman of the Year, and yesterday, the WNBA followed suit. (See "Full Court's End of Season WNBA Honors.") It was the second year in a row that a rookie took home the hardware for the award which honors the league's top bench player. Last year, the award went to Minnesota's Candice Wiggins.

This year the top three vote getters for the award were all rookies. Bonner received 20 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters to earn the award. Atlanta Dream forward Angel McCoughtry, who finished the season in her team's starting line-up after Chamique Holdsclaw underwent knee surgery, came in second with 10 votes and Detroit Shock guard Shavonte Zellous finished third with four votes.
as Atlanta Dream forward Angel McCoughtry finished second with 10 votes and Detroit Shock guard Shavonte Zellous finished third with four votes.

Drafted with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 WNBA draft, Bonner, a standout at Auburn University, quickly made an impact in Phoenix. Coming off the bench in all 34 of the games in which she has played, Bonner averaged just over 21 minutes per game over the course of the regular season and was good for 11.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. With her help, the Mercury, which missed the playoffs in 2008, finished the regular season 23-11, with the best overall record in the league.

Bonner ranked first among this year's rookie class in rebounding and third in points per game. She also led all rookies in double-doubles (six, including tonight's 16-point, 13 board performance in Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals against the San Antonio Silver Stars, a must-win situation for the Mercury. To a degree, the 5.8 rebounds per game statistic understates Bonner's role as a relentless pounder on the boards. Because Bonner comes off the bench, that figure works out to 10.8 boards per game when adjusted to a "per-40-minute" basis. But even the raw numbers are impressive. On a team already loaded with talent, Bonner led the Mercury in rebounding and was third in scoring, and her 196 total rebounds in the regular season were the most ever for a Mercury reserve. (The previous record -- 147 -- was set by Kelly Schumacher in 2007.) Bonner also set a Mercury record for the most rebounds in a single season by any rookie, starter or reserve.