Anne Donovan Quotes (54 Quotes)

We don't have a lot of trade value. But my commitment is still getting that veteran leadership piece.

It looks good. It's going to be sore every time she uses it whether it's practice or a game, so it's just a matter of managing it every day.

We just had to rely so much on Lauren in the first half and she really came up big for us. You know she wasn't 100 percent, but sometimes when you're hurt you are focused only on the game itself.

There has been little respect given to female coaches in this league. I downplay it 100 victories because personal awards don't mean a whole lot, championships are what I'm about. The big picture is the more opportunities you have for women in this league, the more success we'll find for females.

I don't know how many of those (triple-doubles) we get in the league but that's special. She was below her (scoring) average tonight but she's filling up other columns. So Sheryl finds a way to help her team win a game and it doesn't necessarily have to do with scoring.

It feels good (clinching a playoff spot). But there are still two more home games left and we would like to have homecourt advantage with that second seed (in the Western Conference).

She looked great while she was out there. It's not really going to depend on how she looks.

She's going to have a decision she's going to have to make at some point.

She didn't sit out last night and I seriously doubt she'll be sitting this series.

I was dragging my feet. There was never a doubt that it wasn't going to get worked out. I'm happy. Very, very happy.

I don't want to write Erin and Leah out of here. It's just a huge adjustment here for any rookie in camp -- let alone at that position.

I was disappointed in Williams' decision not to come to camp. I've always liked her game and thought she had the skill to be in this league. It would have given us complete comfort that we would have three good point guards and could choose. Now it puts the heat on Leah and Erin. But we will be looking at what players get released and if there's any possibility out there.

Tina's value is huge. As long as I've coached USA Basketball, I don't think we've had a four who drills the 3 as consistently as Tina does. Because she can do damage from the outside, she opens everything up for us offensively. Lisa really benefits from that. And she'll benefit even more in the next few games.

BACK LOG Storm F Lauren Jackson told coach Anne Donovan her near crippling back pain had improved yesterday before the game. She said the word 'better,' ... That's the first time I've heard that since she injured it.

Awesome. She's been working hard on the sideline, obviously, because her conditioning was good, too.

We're looking to really get after it tonight. Lauren's back is definitely flared up. She was a tough cookie playing through it, but the sooner we can get her some rest the better she will be. Hopefully we can take care of business.

Leah or Erin could develop into what we need, but at this point, it's foolish to think that two inexperienced players are the way to go. Expect to see other free agents at the point position come through camp.

You had two MVPs on the court. Between Sheryl at one end and Lauren at the other end, it was fun to watch. And Swoopes, anytime you send two people to guard her as soon as she catches the ball, that tells you how good she was playing.

The relationships with players is the most important thing to me. I'm out of this business when I find I can't relate to players or that becomes challenging it's the reason I stay in it and the reason I do it.

The reality now for Lauren is that she's never going to be healthy from her knee to her ankle. It's very difficult when your star player's going to be on the side of the court on (an exercise) bike. But we've got to make adjustments.

The only thing that matters tonight, and I mean this sincerely, is that we just played a great defensive effort for 40 minutes. It's a great win for that reason. The icing on the cake is 100.

The second half, we came out and cut it to 10, and felt real good about the momentum. The crowd was in it, with just two minutes off the clock and already we had done that damage.

I said right after we won the championship that I thought we could lose at least one starter. But I had no idea they were coming after our bench.

There's been little respect given to female coaches in this league. The opportunities, when in doubt, have gone to a male or an NBA guy some with (coaching) experience, some without. To have been given an opportunity also is a responsibility. I don't tak

Parker obviously had a marvelous tournament, and we got good contributions from the other ones as well. We're in good shape you add our veteran players with our younger players, and we'll field a good team in September that will really compete hard.

We've still got to make sure that shin heals it's like a rehabrecovery process. The reality now for Lauren is that she's never going to be healthy from the knee to ankle. It's How do we best manage that It's going to be different for me and her. It's very difficult when it's your star player on a treadmill or bike on the sideline. We've got to adjust.

You want momentum. It is our last home game of the regular season, and we're expecting a good crowd.

Texas Tech had a very disappointing season, and Erin didn't have a lot of people around her. I think people looked at that team as underachieving and maybe labeled Erin the same way. But she had a tremendous pre-draft camp. When you put her with better players, she's able to rise to the occasion. I expect that she is really going to compete for that backup spot.

I bleed red, white and blue. I'm a red-blooded American that absolutely has a complete passion for the flag and what we represent.

We were all thinking, it's her putback. (Dawn) is a winner. She's the one who made the mistake, so you can guarantee she's going to get herself back in position to change the game.

Seattle just conducted a very successful draft. We have needs at every position at the backup point guard, the wing spot and then in the post. It's surprising when you get the opportunity to draft to fill all those needs.

The hope is when we go back to Seattle, we can use her even more. She was doing everything. If she's mentally doing those things, she's ready to play.

Having a successful game against Sacramento and having the season series go our way against them, I think does wonders for our confidence going into the playoffs. When you see that kind of balance on the stat sheet ... that's what you have to do against Sacramento.

I think all I can do is to continue to talk about it, and I'm not male bashing. Good men deserve opportunities, but good women also deserve opportunities, and they can have success given the right situation.

I'll give Sue Bird that shot every night of the week and she will make it nine out of ten times.

Their starting five are title contenders. On paper, they are the team to beat.

Lauren has been a cornerstone of our franchise since the day she got here and we're thrilled to keep her in a Storm uniform for years to come. She's a proven All-Star and her renewed commitment to this organization will be a big asset as we work to bring another championship to the city of Seattle.

She's an injured player who's trying to come back. Our goal is to build her up for games. And I don't think we're going to see her play 36 minutes a game.

Betty is a marquee player in this league. I think she needed to see our commitment. And after losing three players, we were determined not to lose anybody this year.

I always play better when I'm in pain.

The most important things was the free throw line, no question. The other thing was, down the stretch, I saw us lose our composure much more than I would have thought at this point of the season.

Dawn is a winner and the ultimate competitor. She has been successful at the highest level as a player for our country. Dawn is a three-time gold medal Olympian, who is respected as no other and a definite leader for our program. She has translated her on-court success into being one of the brightest coaches in our game today. Dawn defines everything 'golden' about USA Basketball, and I am so glad that she will be on the sidelines with me.

There's no standing around in this camp. The defense is brand new, including to the returning players, so keeping my patience and cool now is important.

She was adamant to play. There was no way this old coach could get a 24-year-old kid to look at the big picture.

We're relying on our practice guys, who have competed, to coming in morning and night.

Sheryl's proven herself as a class act. The people who will make a big deal out of this probably have a problem with the lifestyle. It's not an issue for me.

I am so thrilled about the opportunity to coach the Storm for years to come, ... Winning a WNBA Championship last season was an incredible experience not only for me, but for the city of Seattle. I look forward to many more successful seasons with the Storm.

The days of Lauren practicing every day, full practices every day, are gone. This last stress fracture showed Lauren the importance of being realistic and honest about her pain level.

We relied too much on Lauren in the first half. We made sure (Betty) knew she had the green light. Her second half was the difference.

She's so good at dealing with pain. This is somebody you don't have to say 'suck it up' to.