Shannon Johnson no Storm

Me parece interessante a vinda dela... assim a Sue não vai precisar jogar os 40 minutos e o Agler também vai poder utiliza-la como 2.
Tomara que a maré esteja mesmo melhorando pro Storm!

SEATTLE - Seattle Storm head coach and director of player personnel Brian Agler announced today the signing of 5-7 guard Shannon Johnson. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“We are thrilled to add Shannon to the Storm’s 2009 roster,” Agler said. “As a staff, one of our biggest priorities this offseason was to secure an experienced point guard to complement Sue, and Shannon does exactly that. There's absolutely no question that not only do we now have tremendous experience at the guard spots with the addition of Shannon, but we also have depth. Shannon is great a competitor and I’m excited about what she brings to the table.”

Johnson started 32 games for the Comets during the 2008 season, averaging 7.7 points, and 5.1 assists per game. She scored a season-high 17 points twice in 2008 and a career-high 35 points against the Cleveland Rockers on June 8, 2002. Johnson ranks 18th on the WNBA’s All-Time list for total points scored with 3,417 in 318 games. She also ranks 12th in assists per game, averaging 4.3 in 318 games, second in total assists with 1,372, and seventh in total steals with 467 over 10 seasons split between Orlando, Connecticut, San Antonio, Detroit and Houston.

“I'm very excited about joining the Storm this season,” said Johnson. “I’m thrilled to be a part of a team that's had so much success and I can’t wait to play in front of Seattle’s great fans. Storm fans make KeyArena one of the league’s most energetic places to play. Lastly, I look forward to playing for Brian again – having the chance to play with the roster of players he has put together is a great opportunity for me.”

Johnson was a key player off the bench for the Women’s Senior National Team that captured the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. She has been named to the All-WNBA Second Team three times (1999, 2000 and 2002) and has been named a WNBA All-Star four times (1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003).

The former University of South Carolina player was signed by the WNBA and allocated to the Orlando Miracle/Connecticut Sun on May 3, 1999. Johnson was traded, along with the Connecticut Sun’s 21st and 34th overall selections in the 2004 WNBA Draft, to the San Antonio Silver Stars in exchange for the team’s fourth, 16th and 29th picks in the 2004 WNBA Draft. On March 6, 2007 Johnson signed as a free agent with the Detroit Shock and signed, again as a free agent, with the Houston Comets on March 7, 2008.

The Seattle Storm will open its 2009 WNBA schedule on Saturday, June 6 in a 1 p.m. matchup versus the Monarchs at ARCO Arena in Sacramento. The Storm returns to Seattle on Sunday, June 7 for its first KeyArena home game at 6 p.m., also against the Monarchs. The team’s June 7, 2009 home opener falls on the 10th anniversary of the city of Seattle being selected as one of four cities to receive a WNBA expansion team in 2000.

Johnson: A Backup Plan and More

Four years ago to the day, Tully Bevilaqua left the Seattle Storm for the Indiana Fever as a free agent. Since then, the Seattle Storm has searched for a backup to All-Star point guard Sue Bird. By signing Shannon Johnson as a free agent, the Storm has added not only a player to spell Bird but much more.
"Tully added so much," Johnson said by phone from Spain, where she is playing during the offseason. "She was a big sparkplug off the bench. Hopefully I can bring that same attitude back to Seattle by being able to play some backup point."

Johnson's resume makes her vastly overqualified to be a backup. Arguably the league's top point guard during her days with the Orlando Miracle, Johnson was a four-time All-Star pick in Orlando and Connecticut who teamed with Bird to help the U.S. win gold in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Before coming to the WNBA, Johnson started her career as an ABL All-Star who led a Columbus Quest team coached by Storm Head Coach Brian Agler to both titles in the league's brief history.

"I think Shannon obviously has proven that she's a winner," said Agler. "She's been an All-Star in the WNBA, she's been an Olympic gold medalist, she's been all-league. She brings a wealth of experience. There's absolutely no question that not only do we now have tremendous experience at the guard spots with the addition of Shannon but we have depth there also. She's a proven starter. I'm just excited about what she brings to the table."

Filling the seven or eight minutes a night Bird spends on the bench has proven challenging for the Storm since Bevilaqua's departure. In hindsight, the team was spoiled by having Bevilaqua behind Bird. Since leaving, Bevilaqua has started all 129 games she has played for the Fever and has twice been named to the All-Defensive First Team.

The Storm has tried a variety of players behind Bird, including Francesca Zara, Edwige Lawson-Wade and 2008 draft pick Kimberly Beck, who will be in training camp this year. Ultimately, the team has kept coming back to Tanisha Wright, a shooting guard by trade who has never been entirely comfortable playing the point and enjoyed a breakout campaign last year when given more opportunity to play alongside Bird.

When Bird was on the bench last season, the Storm was outscored by nine points per 40 minutes. With Johnson running the show, that figure should improve considerably. But Agler decided to prioritize adding another point guard with more than just those seven or eight minutes a night in mind. He's also excited about Johnson playing the point while Bird is looking for her own offense, as she did while making a run at MVP honors over the second half of the 2008 season.

"To me, the difference is when they have the ability to play together," said Agler. "I don't think there's any question people recognize Sue has the ability to score. When we have people on our team who can set her up to do that, it's going to make us tougher."

"I think it's going to be a great opportunity for me because I respect Sue as a point guard," said Johnson. "Last year she put the team on her shoulders and played really well in terms of putting the ball in the hole. Playing against her was a hard job. Now I get the opportunity to play with her, so she's going to make my job easier and hopefully I can make her job easier also.

"Having a veteran point guard come in at times and being able to play with Sue gives you a different look. Sometimes it creates matchup problems having two quarterbacks on the floor at the same time."

During the course of their careers, Bird, Johnson and Wright have all played both guard positions. Any combination of the three will give the Storm a backcourt with two players whom opponents must respect as passers and scorers. Agler can even envision playing all three in a smaller, quicker lineup that would create matchup problems for opposing defenses. Bird is a given in the starting lineup, but either Johnson (who started 32 games last year in Houston) or Wright could get the nod alongside her.

Johnson and Agler have a lengthy history together. In addition to their experience in Columbus, Agler worked with her when he served as an assistant coach when both were in San Antonio. Johnson's comfort level with Agler was a key reason why she came to the Storm as a free agent, a decision she says she made, "Mainly because of Brian."

By phone from Spain, where she is playing during the offseason Shannon Johnson spoke to storm.wnba.com's Kevin Pelton about her decision to sign with the Storm.

"He's always been like a father figure, a great friend, someone I can depend on," Johnson explained. "We've always had a close relationship. Playing for him, I know he brings the best out in me."

The other factor in Johnson's thought process was coming to a veteran team that will contend for a championship. Johnson is still looking for a WNBA title to complement the two rings she won in the ABL as well as her gold medal, having lost in the WNBA Finals with the Shock in 2007.

"That's the one thing that I haven't done," she said. "I've been successful in my career as a professional, being an Olympian. I just haven't been able to win a WNBA championship. I got close once in Detroit. It's something that I've wanted for a long time, and hopefully I can join a squad that is heading in that direction and get that opportunity."

If the Storm is to reach that level again, Johnson figures to be a key reason. The combination of Bevilaqua and Bird led the team to the 2004 WNBA championship, and the Storm has been unable to match that success in the postseason since Bevilaqua's departure. The hope is that a veteran complement to Bird could once again prove the difference for the Storm.