New Generation

Hey Lisa, Sheryl, Swin and Spoon.

Diana, Alana, Nicole and Lindsay got next.

The WNBA begins its eighth season tonight with more than the usual refurbishing and replenishing brought about by drafts, trades and free-agent signings.

League officials hope they are welcoming the next generation to the summer game. A generation that grew up on the WNBA, and already has created a buzz for themselves and their style.

Diana Taurasi, drafted by Phoenix, won three national championships at Connecticut. Duke standout Alana Beard, taken by Washington, received several national player of the year awards. Both have been television fixtures the last couple of years, garnering some of ESPN’s highest ratings for their college duels.

Charlotte’s Nicole Powell and Connecticut’s Lindsay Whalen, from Stanford and Minnesota respectively, also caught the public’s attention with their play during their team’s recent NCAA tournament runs.

Those are only the top four players drafted. They are part of a rookie class the league is banking on to widen its visibility and popularity.

“This is the best rookie class I’ve seen,” New York Coach Richie Adubato said. “You can look at teams like Detroit and L.A. who, like us in the past, picked 12th and 13th and usually there wasn’t a player there that could come in and be an impact player or help you.

“But L.A. got Christi Thomas, 6-4, certainly a terrific player, a center. Detroit was able to make a deal to get Chandi Jones, an electrifying player. Yes, I think this class is going to make an impact, and I think they are going to improve the quality of play in the league.”

“Quality” is a word the league hopes to attach to its game often in 2004. There was some key free-agent movement in the off-season. Teresa Weatherspoon and Tamika Whitmore left New York for Los Angeles. Charlotte added Olympia Scott-Richardson, who last year played in Indiana.

Besides the bountiful college draft, teams also picked over the Cleveland Rocker roster when the franchise folded after last season. Nearly every team added a proven player. Some teams, such as Washington, which got Chasity Melvin, and San Antonio, which got LaToya Thomas, now expect to rebound from sub-.500 seasons and return to the playoffs.

“Parity is here and I think everybody is strong,” Adubato said. “I don’t see much weakness in too many teams.”

Taurasi’s pro career gets underway tonight with Phoenix playing host to Sacramento. She averaged 12.7 points in the Mercury’s three exhibition games and has been drawing raves.

“We have discussed with the team that Taurasi is wise beyond her years,” Sacramento Coach John Whisenant said. “She sees the whole floor, doesn’t take the ball where it shouldn’t be taken. We’ve acknowledged she is outstanding and will get better.”

If the next Detroit -- which went from the league’s worst team in 2002 to WNBA champion in 2003 -- is out there, it could come from a variety of locations. Besides the Mystics and Silver Stars, the Seattle Storm, Charlotte Sting, Sacramento Monarchs, Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx are all feeling like contenders after off-season makeovers.

The East is collectively grateful that the champion resides somewhere other than Houston or Los Angeles. Those teams had won the first six titles.

“I think it’s great an Eastern Conference team is the defending champion,” Charlotte Coach Trudi Lacey said. “It gave us all some hope of getting there ourselves.”

Even Spark Coach Michael Cooper said Detroit’s win was good for the league. “I just wish it hadn’t happened against us,” he said.

The league still has some potholes in its path.

Cleveland’s departure left the league with 13 teams, three fewer than two seasons ago. Coaches and general managers are still uneasily trying to navigate through a small salary cap ($647,000 this season) that’s making it harder for mid-level veterans making the guaranteed minimum of $43,680 to keep roster spots.

Once again it starts its season in the middle of the NBA playoffs, which can make arena time somewhat precious in places such as Los Angeles and Detroit. And the season will end later than ever. Because of the Olympics, the WNBA will shut down in August, resume the regular season in September, and finish the playoffs in October.

The All-Star game also was postponed this season because of the Olympics.

Asked if the monthlong break could irreparably harm the season, Houston (and Team USA) Coach Van Chancellor said, “I don’t think it will hurt. The fans who follow us are different than other sports fans. They’re not casual fans. The people who support WNBA are loyal. I think the Olympics will heighten the interest of women’s basketball. And when we get back [into WNBA play] we’ll be rolling.”

But those potential difficulties can’t diminish the good feelings going around the league.

WNBA President Val Ackerman said Wednesday the league is heading toward stable financial ground. “We have teams that are profitable, some since our inception,” she said. “Our teams this year across the board are bullish, expecting increased revenues, and are on their way in terms of profit. As far as the league itself, we did talk in depth of our revenues during our board of governors meetings and project that by 2007 the entire league would be profitable.”

There will be more nationally televised regular-season games. ABC will show seven games and one first-round playoff game. On cable, ESPN2 will televise 14 games and 10 playoff games including the finals. Telemundo will show 10 games, and Oxygen will air five. NBA TV will show 40 regular-season and playoff games.

There are new wrinkles on the court too. The lanes have been widened from 12 to 16 feet in hopes of creating more space for teams to attack the basket. The three-point line also was moved out to 20 feet 6 inches, the same as in international play.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

WESTERN CONFERENCE

SPARKS (24-10)

* Coach: Michael Cooper (105-25).

* Who’s new: Doneeka Hodges, Laura Macchi, Raffaella Masciadri, Christi Thomas, Teresa Weatherspoon, Tamika Whitmore.

* Who’s gone: Jennifer Gillom, Chandra Johnson, Nicky McCrimmon, Vanessa Nygaard, Shaquala Williams, Sophia Witherspoon.

* Analysis: The Sparks reached their third consecutive league championship round despite injuries and a nonproductive bench, but they lost their title to Detroit. The bench has been revamped with the additions of Weatherspoon and Whitmore, and the starters, especially Lisa Leslie, are sound. Another title run is possible.

HOUSTON (20-14)

* Coach: Van Chancellor (161-59).

* Who’s new: Lucienne Berthieu, Kedra Holland-Corn, Pollyanna Johns Kimbrough, Sheila Lambert, Felicia Ragland.

* Who’s gone: Janeth Arcain, Cynthia Cooper, Ukari Figgs, Kelley Gibson, Mfon Udoka.

* Analysis: It’s three years and counting since the Comets went past the first round of the playoffs. Now that Figgs and Cooper have retired, a point guard who can withstand the demanding Chancellor tops the Houston wish list. Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson are still one of the game’s most prolific tandems.

MINNESOTA (18-16)

* Coach: Suzie McConnell-Serio (18-16).

* Who’s new: Tasha Butts, Helen Darling, Vanessa Hayden, Amber Jacobs, Amanda Lassiter, Stacey Lovelace-Tolbert, Nicole Ohlde, Gwen Slaughter.

* Who’s gone: Svetlana Abrosimova, Jordan Adams, Janell Burse, Shaunzinski Gortman, Kristi Harrower, Sheri Sam, Georgia Schweitzer.

* Analysis: The Lynx broke through in a big way, setting a franchise record for wins and reaching the playoffs for the first time. But, judging by draft picks Hayden (6-4) and Ohlde (6-5), McConnell-Serio must believe the way to advance in the West is to get bigger. Besides height, Minnesota also needs another dependable scorer alongside all-star Katie Smith. Hayden (foot) starts the season on the injured list.

PHOENIX (8-26)

* Coach: Carrie Graf (0-0).

* Who’s new: Ashley Robinson, Diana Taurasi, Lindsay Taylor, Penny Taylor, Shereka Wright.

* Who’s gone: Edniesha Curry, Lisa Harrison, Tamicha Jackson, Iziane Castro Marques, Felicia Ragland.

* Analysis: All eyes will be on Taurasi to see if she can perform the kind of magic she did in winning three national championships at Connecticut. But veteran Penny Taylor, taken in the dispersal draft, might be a bigger prize in the short term if she can solidify the front court with all-star Adrianne Williams. Still the Mercury looks a year away from contending.

SACRAMENTO (19-15)

* Coach: John Whisenant (12-4).

* Who’s new: Rebekkah Brunson, Giuliana Mendiola.

* Who’s gone: La’Keshia Frett.

* Analysis: The Monarchs have reached the conference finals twice in the last three years only to be eliminated by the Sparks. They still have one of the league’s best front courts in Yolanda Griffith, Tangela Smith and DeMya Walker. Sacramento’s success will come down to finding a dependable shooting guard to join WNBA assist leader Ticha Penicheiro in the back court. Mendiola (back) is on the injured list.

SAN ANTONIO (12-22)

* Coach: Dee Brown (16-16).

* Who’s new: Agnieszka Bibrzycka, Jessie Hicks, Shannon Johnson, Mandisa Stevenson, LaToya Thomas.

* Who’s gone: Jennifer Azzi, Sylvia Crowley, Danielle Crockroom, LaTonya Johnson, Tausha Mills.

* Analysis: The Silver Stars moved from Utah and found a solid fan base in Texas. But they gave that fan base a lousy product. San Antonio was upgraded by adding Shannon Johnson, a four-time all-star traded here from Connecticut, and Thomas, plucked from the dispersal draft, who came on strong in the second half of last year’s rookie season. Brown last coached in Orlando in 2002, before the team relocated to Connecticut. San Antonio should be better this season, although it may be hard to tell in a conference as strong as this one.

SEATTLE (18-16)

* Coach: Anne Donovan (63-67).

* Who’s new: Janell Burse, Betty Lennox, Michelle Greco, Sheri Sam, Alicia Thompson.

* Who’s gone: Sandy Brondello, Amanda Lassiter, LaTonya Massaline, Jung Sun-Min, Rita Williams.

* Analysis: Despite a most-valuable-player season from Lauren Jackson, the injury-depleted Storm missed the playoffs by losing five of its last seven games. Donovan opted for experience over youth, forsaking the draft to add Lennox and Sam via trades. Whether they can help push Seattle past Minnesota or Sacramento for a playoff spot is a question that will be asked all season.

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EASTERN CONFERENCE

CHARLOTTE (18-16)

* Coach: Trudi Lacey (18-16).

* Who’s new: Mary Andrade, La’Keisha Frett, Kelly Mazzante, Nicole Powell, Olympia Scott-Richardson.

* Who’s gone: Rushia Brown, Erin Buescher, Shalonda Enis, Teana McKiver, Kelly Miller.

* Analysis: Lacey, who patiently waited for a head-coaching job, got the Sting into the playoffs but it was swept by Connecticut. To try to unseat Detroit, she has bulked up the roster with Powell and Scott-Richardson. The veteran core of Dawn Staley, Allison Feaster and Andrea Stinson probably has one last good shot at a ring. Three-point specialist Mazzante has to prove she can consistently get off her shot against WNBA defenses.

CONNECTICUT (18-16)

* Coach: Mike Thibault (18-16).

* Who’s new: Jessica Brungo, Jennifer Derevjanik, Candace Futrell, Asjha Jones, Lindsay Whalen, Le’coe Willingham.

* Who’s gone: Katie Douglas, Jessie Hicks, Adrienne Johnson, Shannon Johnson, Rebecca Lobo.

* Analysis: The Sun suffered an unexpected loss when key bench player Brooke Wyckoff tore a ligament in her right knee and was sidelined for the season. After Diana Taurasi, Whalen may be the most scrutinized guard from this year’s draft, and Thibault is undecided if she will start. Nonetheless, Whalen is expected to provide better passing to a team that ranked ninth in assists.

DETROIT (25-9)

* Coach: Bill Laimbeer (44-22).

* Who’s new: Jae Cross, Chandi Jones, Merlakia Jones, Stacy Stephens, Iciss Tillis.

* Who’s gone: Kedra Holland-Corn, Astou Ndiaye-Diatta, Sheila Lambert, Stacey Thomas, Ayana Walker.

* Analysis: There is only one encore after going from the league’s worst record in 2002 to winning the WNBA championship in 2003, and that’s repeating. The Shock is well stocked to defend its title, especially if rookie Chandi Jones can bring the same instant offense off the bench that Laimbeer’s former NBA teammate Vinnie Johnson once did for the Pistons.

INDIANA (16-18)

* Coach: Brian Winters (0-0).

* Who’s new: Ebony Hoffman, Deanna Jackson, Kelly Miller, Kate Starbird.

* Who’s gone: Bridget Pettis, Sonja Henning, Zuzi Klimsova, Nikki McCray, Coquese Washington.

* Analysis: A late-season fade (3-8) cost the Fever a playoff berth and sent former coach Nell Fortner packing for Auburn. Natalie Williams will be a great tutor for Hoffman. Tamika Catchings is arguably the game’s best small forward, and may soon be the league’s best player. Miller was pried away from Charlotte to be the perimeter threat.

NEW YORK (16-18)

* Coach: Richie Adubato (93-69).

* Who’s new: Shameka Christon, Bethany Donaphin, DeTrina White, Ann Wauters.

* Who’s gone: Linda Frohlich, Teresa Weatherspoon, Tamika Whitmore, Lindsay Yamasaki.

* Analysis: The Liberty missed the playoffs for the first time and had its first losing record, so the franchise’s retooling has started in earnest. Christon has the game to make an immediate impact. New York needs guard Becky Hammon to come back 100% from last year’s knee injury to have a chance to get back to the playoffs.

WASHINGTON (9-25)

* Coach: Michael Adams (0-0).

* Who’s new: Alana Beard, Kaayla Chones, Tamicha Jackson, Chasity Melvin.

* Who’s gone: Anne Burgess, Asjha Jones, Helen Luz, Jocelyn Penn.

* Analysis: When you have the league’s second-worst record, changes are expected. The Mystics have been busy, hiring Adams to replace Marianne Stanley, plucking Beard and Chones out of the April draft and adding Melvin from the dispersal draft. The best thing, however, would be for perpetual most-valuable-player candidate Chamique Holdsclaw to have an injury-free year.