WESTERN CONFERENCE

COLORADO XPLOSION

* Coach: Sheryl Estes.

* 1996: 25-15.

* Key players: Crystal Robinson, Debbie Black, Tari Phillips, Vicki Hall. Top rookies: Keisha Anderson, Dana Wynn.

* Outlook: Colorado hopes for a quick start this time. The Xplosion opened 4-9 last season, and finished by winning 21 of its final 31 and making the playoffs. Robinson, an all-leaguer, was a top-10 scorer and rebounder. Black, the ABL’s shortest player at 5-3, is probably its best defender, and, like the Sparks’ Jamila Wideman, has a cult following. She led the league in steals by 66 and was second in assists. Black wore down late last season but this season she’ll be spelled by Anderson.

LONG BEACH STINGRAYS

* Coach: Maura McHugh.

* 1996: New team.

* Key players: Yolanda Griffith, Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil, Venus Lacy, Beverly Williams. Top rookie: Griffith.

* Outlook: The StingRays’ premier players are solid, but can they hold together for 44 games? Davis-Wrightsil and Lacy have been plagued throughout camp by old injuries. Griffith, the ABL’s No. 1 draft pick, played four seasons of pro ball in Germany, and will quickly be seen as a premier ABL player. Cass Bauer (6-4) has had an impressive camp.

PORTLAND POWER

* Coach: Lin Dunn.

* 1996: 14-26.

* Key players: Natalie Williams, Jennifer Jacoby, Katy Steding, Molly Goodenbour. Top rookie: DeLisha Milton.

* Outlook: Williams finishes in the top five in any “best women’s player in the world” poll. Playing in only 32 games last year, she had 400 rebounds to lead the league by 60. She was also fifth in scoring and third in blocked shots. Dunn, with the second draft pick, took Milton, a superb defender. Is Milton’s addition enough to improve on 14-26? It doesn’t appear so.

SAN JOSE LASERS

* Coach: Angela Beck.

* 1996: 18-22.

* Key players: Jennifer Azzi, Sonja Henning, Sheri Sam. Top rookies: Clarisse Machanguana, Kedra Holland-Corn, Katryna Gaither.

* Outlook: The Lasers had the league’s best draft and signed a premier coach. Beck left Nebraska after 11 seasons. Azzi and her great floor game were lost most of last season because of shoulder surgery. Machanguana, from Old Dominion and Mozambique, impressed everyone at the Final Four and was the sixth draft pick. Gaither is a big-time inside player from Notre Dame. Major improvement is expected for San Jose.

SEATTLE REIGN

* Coach: Jacquie Hullah.

* 1996: 17-23.

* Key players: Val Whiting, Kate Paye, Angela Aycock, Rhonda Smith. Top rookies: Kate Starbird, Shalonda Enis.

* Outlook: The Reign is counting heavily on Starbird and Enis, who started all four Seattle exhibition games. It remains to be seen if Starbird can run the court in the offensive transition as easily as she did at Stanford. Enis, from Alabama, is already a power rebounder, leading the team in three exhibition games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

ATLANTA GLORY

* Coach: Teresa Edwards.

* 1996: 18-22.

* Key players: Teresa Edwards, Katrina McClain, Saudia Roundtree, Niesa Johnson. Top rookies: Tracy Henderson, Abby Conklin.

* Outlook: Easily the league’s most improved team, with six new players. McClain was a major ABL signee--she averaged 14.1 points and shot 74% from the field at the 1996 Olympics. Edwards was second in last season’s most-valuable-player voting. Henderson, a tenacious defender, and Conklin add muscle and rebounding.

COLUMBUS QUEST

* Coach: Brian Agler.

* 1996: 31-9.

* Key players: Andrea Lloyd, Valerie Still, Katie Smith. Top rookie: Jannon Roland.

* Outlook: The defending champions took a major hit with the defection of league MVP Nikki McCray to the WNBA. The team may start slowly, adjusting to McCray’s absence and the late training camp arrival of Smith, who re-signed after long negotiations with the WNBA. Still, 35, said she would retire a year ago but changed her mind after a superb playoff showing. Not what they were, but still very good.

NEW ENGLAND BLIZZARD

* Coach: K.C. Jones.

* 1996: 16-24.

* Key players: Carolyn Jones, Jen Rizzotti, Shanda Berry. Top rookies: Kara Wolters, Carla Berube.

* Outlook: K.C. Jones will rely heavily on Wolters. Carolyn Jones was the ABL’s leading scorer (21.2) and shot 86% from the line in 1996, Berry was the No. 4 rebounder (8.2) and Rizzotti was fifth in assists. The coach on Wolters: “She’s 6-7, can shoot hook shots, has shot-blocking ability and can rebound. What she needs is more self-confidence. She can be a great player.”

PHILADELPHIA RAGE

* Coach: Lisa Boyer.

* 1996: 21-19.

* Key players: Dawn Staley, Taj McWilliams, Adrienne Goodson, Michelle Marciniak, Marta Sobral. Top rookies: La’Keshia Frett, Beth Morgan.

* Outlook: The Rage, recently moved from Richmond, is much improved . . . but so are most other teams. Staley is the league’s best point guard and she’ll be paired with Marciniak in the backcourt. McWilliams was the league’s second-best rebounder last season, and Goodsen scored 17.3 a game.

LEAGUE DIFFERENCES

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CATEGORY ABL WNBA BASKETBALL 30-inch men’s ball 28 1/2- to 29-inch women’s ball TEAMS* 9 8 GAMES** 44 28 TIME OF GAMES 20-minute halves Four 10-minute quarters SHOT CLOCK 25 seconds 30 seconds SEASON October-March June-August PLAYOFFS Two rounds best of Two rounds, best of three three, best of five in finals ROSTERS 11 10 TOP SALARIES*** $150,000 $50,000

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NOTE: *WNBA to add two teams in 1998; **WNBA will play 30 games in 1998; ***WNBA plans to announce “salary adjustment” before 1998 season.