Hoffman Learns New Role in Rookie Year

When Ebony Hoffman got the phone call from the Indiana Fever in April that she was going to be the team’s first-round draft pick, ninth overall, she felt joy and exhilaration.

She also had to wonder how four years of Pacific-10 basketball at USC with limited postseason experience -- no NCAA tournaments, a couple of Women NITs, a gold medal summer in 2002 with the U.S. team at the Confederation of Pan American Basketball Associations -- had prepared her for a WNBA career.

As Hoffman is learning during her rookie season, it depends on whether you see the glass as half empty or half full.

Statistics suggest Hoffman has a long way to go to establish herself as a pro player. She has appeared in 20 of the Fever’s 22 games, with 13 starts. She’s averaging 12.4 minutes, 2.4 points, 3.4 rebounds.

She’s not the star attraction she was at USC. The Fever is Tamika Catchings’ team.

Hoffman said she understood that and was willing to accept whatever role Coach Brian Winters has for her.

“It’s been a challenge, of course, coming off the bench,” Hoffman said. “But when the team is winning you have nothing to complain about.

“We are in first place in the East, and right now we’re doing very well. Any contribution I can bring to the team is well worth whatever time I’ve been given.”

There’s another thing to remember about rookies. With few exceptions, almost none of them come out of college or European leagues and set the WNBA on fire. Most players need a season to get used to the faster, more physical play in the WNBA, deal with the travel schedule and learn how to manage other demands on their time.

“It’s a very big adjustment coming from college to professional basketball, women’s or men’s,” Winters said. “There are more pick-and roll plays in the pro game; most colleges don’t even run the pick-and-roll. There are more games in a shorter period of time. The players are bigger, quicker and stronger.

“As far as where Ebony’s at, I like her a lot. She’s a very intelligent player and she’ll continue to get better. Her biggest growth area has to be on the defensive side. Unless they come from a very defense-oriented college system, most players have to improve there. Because there are more things they have to guard, like the pick-and-roll, and bigger, faster players.”

Winters and General Manager Kelly Krauskopf both stress that they can wait on Hoffman’s development. They envision Hoffman becoming a solid power forward who will be a handful offensively in the low post, a good rebounder and a legitimate defender. “She has very good instincts about getting to the basket, and a quick first step,” Winters said.

Hoffman also has two other important people in her corner -- Catchings and Natalie Williams. Both play her position and cut into her minutes. But both have taken Hoffman under their guidance and regularly work with her in practice.

Williams, 33, is in her sixth WNBA season and eighth year of pro ball. She is a three-time All-Star and has been an All-WNBA selection. She knows she is helping groom Hoffman to eventually replace her. Catchings, 25, is in her fourth season and is one of the league’s elite players. But she can recall the difficulty of being a young player trying to establish herself.

“I was fortunate that in my first year I was hurt so I could just sit back and watch,” Catchings said. “The biggest thing for Ebony coming in, she’s been asked to do the dirty work -- rebounding and defense, whatever the team needs her to do. She doesn’t have to score; we have plenty of people who can do that. But she’s been given her role. And if she has an open shot, put the shot in.

“I know she was the star at USC. But if you want to play in the WNBA sometimes you have to change your outlook. There are people in her [rookie] class like [Diana] Taurasi who have come out and immediately been given the chance to be stars. Coming to our team, there are a lot of things for Ebony to learn and she has some growing to do to become ‘the one.’ But she’s on a perfect team to do that.”

Hoffman said she was grateful to both players for their interest in her progress.

“I’ve got great leaders in front of me,” Hoffman said. “There’s no jealousies, no backstabbing. We’ve been a loving team that likes each other. It’s played a big part in how we’ve been doing this season.”

Of course, support from your teammates and coaches only goes so far. Hoffman says she realizes her career will be determined by how hard she works. That’s one reason she will stay in Indiana after this season and continue to train with the Fever personnel on the nuances of the pro game.

“Most rookies aren’t good until their second year,” Hoffman said. “But it’s on you to make sure you don’t sink, but swim.”