This Team Could Melt Some Gold

Think that U.S. women’s Olympic team of 1996 was great?

Then take a look at this one, The Times’ 1998 All-Woman team--the best from the American Basketball League and the Women’s National Basketball Assn.

The ’96 U.S. team went 60-0 on its way to a gold medal in Atlanta. But against this bunch, that team might go 0-60.

OK, three members of The Times team were ’96 Olympians--Lisa Leslie, Teresa Edwards and Jennifer Azzi.

But here’s the point: One WNBA season and 1 1/2 ABL seasons after the Atlanta Olympics have shown that America’s best female players were not all in Atlanta in the summer of ’96.

Many were in places like Italy, Brazil, Australia, Japan, Turkey and Germany.

For most of the last 20 years, America’s best female basketball players had to go overseas to play professionally. Then in September, 1995, the ABL announced it would play its first season in 1996.

Now, from all over the world, they’ve come home.

Where have they been?

* Yolanda Griffith of the ABL’s Long Beach StingRays was playing in the German pro leagues. Her daughter, Candace, now 8, is the only little girl in Long Beach who speaks German and whose Mom is arguably the world’s best player.

* When the WNBA’s most valuable player, Cynthia Cooper of the Houston Comets, heard that women’s pro basketball was finally starting in the U.S., she was in her ninth Italian pro season.

* Valerie Still of the ABL’s Columbus Quest had played for 10 years in Italy, France and Spain.

* Natalie Williams of the Portland Power made a strategic blunder in 1995, committing herself to a year of trying to make the ’96 U.S. Olympic volleyball team (she was the next-to-last cut). Now, she’s on her way to a possible MVP award in the ABL.

* Katie Smith of the Quest was an Ohio State senior, thought to be too young for the Olympic team. Wrong then, wrong now. Pencil her in for a backcourt slot on the next three Olympic teams.

* Edwards played 10 seasons in Italy, Japan, France and Spain and was already the world’s premier point guard when the ABL began. She’s big, strong, fast and, when she wants to be, an unstoppable scorer. She’s the Atlanta Glory’s head coach . . . and the league’s No. 2 scorer.

* Leslie, who played one season in Italy before joining the Olympic team and then the Sparks of the WNBA, is a complete basketball player--big, surprisingly strong for her seemingly slender frame (she led the WNBA in rebounding), effective inside and out. Her former coach, Linda Sharp, said of her last season: “In a pinch, I wouldn’t hesitate to play her at point guard.”

With Griffith, Williams and Leslie you have rebound dominance--about 30 a game. Griffith is relentless, on defensive rebounds or putbacks at the other end.

Williams gives you low post muscle plus a near-unstoppable left-handed short-range jump shot. She’s a master at anticipation and position.

Leslie does more things at a high level than anyone in the women’s game, from ballhandling to pounding the boards.

The point guard rules. Edwards sets up inside players, dishing off on the drive or taking it to the basket herself.

Smith plays her physical game inside or knocks down jump shots from mid-range.

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Times’ 1998 All-Woman Team

FIRST TEAM

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PositionPlayer League Age Ht Exp College F--Yolanda Griffith, StingRays ABL 27 6-4 5 Fla. Atlantic F--Lisa Leslie, Sparks WNBA 25 6-5 2 USC F--Natalie Williams, Port. ABL 27 6-1 2 UCLA G--Katie Smith, Col. ABL 23 5-11 2 Ohio St. G--Teresa Edwards, Atl. ABL 33 5-11 10 Georgia

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SECOND TEAM

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PositionPlayer League Age Ht Exp College F--Wendy Palmer, Utah WNBA 23 6-2 1 Virginia F--Adrienne Goodson, Phil. ABL 31 6-0 6 Old Dominion F--Valerie Still, Col. ABL 36 6-1 14 Kentucky G--Jennifer Azzi, SanJ. ABL 29 5-8 7 Stanford G--Cynthia Cooper, Hou. WNBA 34 5-10 12 USC

*--*

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Honorable mention: Carolyn Jones (ABL, New England); Debbie Black (ABL, Colorado); Andrea Lloyd (ABL, Columbus); Elena Baranova (WNBA, Utah); Teresa Weatherspoon (WNBA, New York); Beverly Williams (ABL, Long Beach); Ruthie Bolton-Holifield (WNBA, Sacramento).

Note: Nicki McCray, the ABL’s most valuable player last season, jumped from the ABL to the WNBA last summer. Because she missed a season, she wasn’t considered for this team; F-frontcourt; G-guard; Exp.--Years pro experience.