It’s a Big Mistake to Miss Catchings

The WNBA’s rookie class of 2002 has been living up to expectations.

The Connecticut quartet of Sue Bird (Seattle), Swin Cash (Detroit), Asjha Jones (Washington), and Tamika Williams (Minnesota) is accounting for 16.7% of their teams’ points, rebounds and assists.

The Mystics’ Stacey Dales-Schuman has been a terrific complement to Chamique Holdsclaw. Nikki Teasley, Tamara Moore, Felicia Ragland and Kayte Christensen are making solid contributions in Los Angeles, Minnesota, Seattle and Phoenix.

But Tamika Catchings is the best of them all, even if the Connecticut rookies are more high-profile.

Maybe Catchings isn’t getting her due because she plays in Indiana on a young team clawing for a playoff spot. Or because she missed last season after tearing ligaments in her right knee during her senior season at Tennessee.

Maybe people simply expect her to be good because her father, Harvey, played 12 seasons in the NBA for Philadelphia, New Jersey, Milwaukee and the Clippers.

No matter, the 6-foot-1 Catchings, 23, has been a marvel.

She is the top rookie scorer (17.7) and rebounder (8.2). Her 3.4 assists average is third among rookies, behind Bird and Teasley. She was an Eastern Conference All-Star.

And she doesn’t rest on defense. Last week against Minnesota, she became only the second WNBA player, and the first in four years, to record nine steals in a game.

But the best indicator is her impact on the team.

With eight games left, the 10-14 Fever has already tied the team record for wins in a season and has a realistic chance of stealing the fourth playoff spot in the balanced East.

So why isn’t Catchings as celebrated as others in this year’s rookie crop?

“I don’t know,” Indiana Coach Nell Fortner said. “If you can’t see it watching her play, I don’t know what else it’s going to take. She does it in every phase of the game, on both ends of the floor.

“Have enough people had a chance to see her? Probably not.... She’s impressive enough that, in every city we’ve been in, she’s creating a buzz. I wish we would have won a little more, our record was a little better. Maybe more folks would take notice.”

Catchings’ response to her lack of national attention is a shrug and a smile.

“It’s more important for me to help this team get into the playoffs,” she said. “Getting rookie of the year is not my main concern.

“I know my time will come, so I’m not tripping on people not knowing who I am. Having sat out all last year--a couple of years actually--and the players they’re hyping are the ones who just came out of college that came into the WNBA and are producing, it’s one of those things you take in stride.”

Perhaps. But watch her unquenchable thirst for the game, her relentless pursuit of rebounds, how more teams are resorting to the clutch-and-grab form of defense to try and stop her--and then consider how much better Catchings will be with more experience.

Unless something drastic happens, Catchings should be a sure thing as the league’s top rookie when postseason awards are handed out.

That’s saying something in a rookie class this talented.

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Portland’s Jackie Stiles, last year’s rookie of the year, is having a sophomore season to forget.

She was sabotaged first by bursitis in her right heel, which sidelined her for 11 games. She has a bad right wrist that will require surgery after the season, and her shoulder is giving her problems as she tries to compensate for the wrist. Her aching feet have taken away some quickness and jumping ability, making Stiles easier to defend.

A 15-point-per-game scorer last year, Stiles has averaged 5.1 points in 15 games. She has been spending more time on the bench as Coach Linda Hargrove tries to maneuver the Fire into the playoffs.

“This has been a very challenging time,” Stiles said. “I’ve never been in this position; I never missed a game in college so this is the first time I’ve had major injuries. I overcome something and I get hit by something else.

“But the team is playing great. I could have easily quit and had surgery now, but I think maybe I can make some small contribution to the team. And I spent a lot of hours in rehab just to get the few minutes I get.

“I love the game, I love to play, and I don’t want to take the easy way out. I want to do what I can to help.”