April 14, 2007 -- Grumbling about the Jessica Dickson-for-nothing tradeFor John Whisenant, I'd be a bootlicking sycophant, but signing Adrian Williams (I think it's she that Brittany Wilkins must beat for a roster spot) does not make up for losing Erin Buescher, and swapping #21 for #38 makes almost no sense.
March 15, 2007 -- Hoping Stephanie Hawk gets a WNBA chanceWe could probably extend this comparison to Monarchs post Brittany Wilkins. As far as inside players who can move outside go, Wilkins showed three-point range at Iowa State; and she impressed me greatly for her spirit and untiring work ethic even while she knew she was at the end of Sacramento's bench.
January 31, 2007 -- The picture of Augustine, Kellogg, and WilkinsI wear Brittany Wilkins' #51 to Monarchs games. She's playing well in a Swiss league -- she said at wnba.com/monarchs that she scored 25 points, pulled 15 rebounds, and had four steals her last time out.
Four steals! I wrote about Wilkins' quick-handedness several times last season.
December 18, 2006 -- Guy in an Iowa State sweater at the Stanford gameAt Maples Pavilion Saturday for Utah at Stanford, someone sat in my row wearing an Iowa State sweater. "I saw Brittany Wilkins play a couple of times," he said. "She didn't play much until her senior year. Then she got drafted by the Sacramento Monarchs."
No, she didn't. She was an undrafted invitee to training camp.
"She played in a few games for them," he went on. Four games, 14 minutes, 3-of-7 shooting, one assist. Fat lot of help you are, man. I had slightly better luck with a fellow wearing a Utah shirt.
"Kim Smith was pretty solid for us," he said, "but we're really here to watch a friend of our daughter's, Morgan Warburton. She'll shoot more than she should."
October 8, 2006 -- Fourth in the league in usage rate!Phoenix's Kristen Rasmussen, who just won't shoot the ball, had the lowest Usage Rate in the WNBA in 2006, while guards like Jennifer Derevjanik and Jamie Carey, whose jobs are to make an assist if they can, shoot if they must, and not turn it over, also compile low Usage Rates. Scorers like Diana Taurasi and Seimone Augustus are at the top, as well as physical players like Kara Braxton, Vanessa Hayden, and DeMya Walker, who get lots of three-point play opportunities. (I can't resist noting that Sacramento forward Brittany Wilkins, who held Walker's roster spot until Walker returned from maternity leave, had a Usage Rate of 20.4 in her few minutes.)
September 5, 2006 -- Game Three, WNBA FinalsAssuming Game 4 follows the same type of script as Games 1 and 3, I'd suggest that the playoff MVP voters give the award to Monarchs 11th woman Kim Smith, or, if possible, 12th and 13th women Brittany Wilkins and Chameka Scott.
August 30, 2006 -- Game One, WNBA FinalsMy favorite player, Monarchs forward Brittany Wilkins, is on the inactive list. I wear Wilkins's number because I've never seen anyone else work so hard and cheerfully while knowing that the minutes would be few or none. I didn't think she'd make the team; I placed her behind Cisti Greenwalt on the preseason depth chart because Greenwalt shot a high percentage in the NWBL, and set shotblocking records in school. The next time I saw Greenwalt, she was visiting Sacramento as a Storm, so I watched them both during warmups, and was permanently sold on Wilkins's enthusiasm during the comparison.
According to wnba.com, I'm one of 10 things that are cool about Game 1 of the finalsAugust 2, 2006 -- From across the floor; I don't think she said 'bad'Until forward Brittany Wilkins is reactivated, we can only marvel at her enthusiasm on the bench. On one of the game's first possessions, DeMya Walker fell, or was pushed, out of bounds while chasing a rebound. The referee called it Houston's ball, for which Wilkins yelled "That's [bad]!". On the Monarchs' next possession, Kara Lawson hit a trey to put Sacramento ahead 3-2, prompting a Wilkins/Maiga-Ba high five on the bench.
July 31, 2006 -- The night in the luxury suiteEvery Monarch in uniform scored; forward Brittany Wilkins did the post-game address, which was the evening's highlight.
July 21, 2006 -- Fully in the game even when out of uniform, Brittany Wilkins is just greatA play went left to right, and when the pack separated at the halfline, I could see Monarchs forward Brittany Wilkins with her chin in her palm, looking most studious. She's always working hard: distributing the ball during warmups, first on her feet to yell for her teammates on the floor, fully in the game even when out of uniform. Brittany Wilkins is just great.
July 11, 2006 -- Quirky fascination with Iowa State bigsThe Detroit Pistons' only draft pick last week was Iowa State's Will Blalock, a point guard, so he doesn't exactly fit my quirky fascination with Iowa State bigs who don't play much -- Paul Shirley, Loren Meyer, Brittany Wilkins -- but perhaps Blalock will be like ISU guard Jeff Hornacek instead, who had his number retired in Utah.
July 10, 2006 -- Brittany's mom introduces herselfBrittany Wilkins' family is in town, visiting from Nebraska. Her mom found me in section 101, and said "I couldn't help but notice that you're wearing my daughter's jersey."
"Because she works so hard, and has quick hands," I said. With a second to think about it, I would've included "and a nifty jump hook".
"She's on the reserve list now, but she'll get back in there," said Char Wilkins.
July 2, 2006 -- When I thought Yo's knee might've been doneSacramento's All-Decade center Yolanda Griffith fell backward over Anastasia Kostaki in the last few minutes, and twisted her knee in some way that made one think of Joe Theismann. Considering that Griffith is hampered by bad knees *anyway*, I worry that this mishap might result in the end of her career. Griffith made it off the floor with some help, but for Thursday's game against the New York Liberty, my feelings will be severely mixed if rookie center Brittany Wilkins is off the inactive list.
June 17, 2006 -- In which Cisti Greenwalt is outhustledDear Cisti Greenwalt and Brittany Wilkins: You are two of my favorite 12th women for your NWBL or Iowa State (Jeff Hornacek and Paul Shirley!) connections, and since I didn't think I'd see you play in the game today, I watched you both during warmups. John Wooden used to say that he ran his practices as hard as he could, because players tend to revert to practice habits in the crunch. So, I noticed that one of you works very hard in the warmup, faking both ways before the uncontested shots, and buckling down hard in defensive stance against your teammates. The other seemed to be standing straight up during the hands-up shooting drill, and waving rather disinterestedly at teammates instead of getting that hand in their faces. Which of you would John Wooden be moving into his rotation?
June 15, 2006 -- Her birthdayWhen Paul Shirley lost his job as the 12th man for the Phoenix Suns, I was shocked at Suns management's poor judgment. Shirley had gained national recognition for his blogging, and he seemed to be able to handle his duties: to greet the players as they came off the floor, to work hard in practice, and to not bitch about playing time.
Since Shirley is out of the NBA and developing a TV comedy, my new favorite 12th woman is Sacramento Monarchs rookie frontliner Brittany Wilkins, who celebrates her birthday today.
Wilkins can play -- I wrote after her preseason appearance against New York that she has quick hands and a nifty hook -- but as long as she's 12th, her job is different, and she's great at it. Teammate Kara Lawson said Wilkins is the funniest Monarch in the locker room, and Wilkins's college friends from Iowa State have written that they've seen Wilkins cheer for the Monarchs as heartily as she did for the Cyclones.
She also zinged President Bush.
During the Monarchs' visit to the White House, Dubya did the grip-and-grin walk, and Wilkins introduced herself. Dubya asked her where she was from, and when she told him "the state of Nebraska," he said "I hope you didn't beat up on my Longhorns too much."
"We sure did," she said. Wilkins was named to the 2006 All-Big 12 tournament team, and the Cyclones ousted Texas in the first round -- Texas led Iowa State 57-50 with 6:23 left, but Wilkins scored five of State's next seven points to start their rally, and the next she knew, she was on the White House lawn.
June 14, 2006 -- Her assist, plus the hardest illegal screen ever setWilkins to Smith for 3!! Brittany Wilkins is my favorite 12th man since Paul Shirley. She entered the game with two minutes left, and immediately made an assist when Smith drained a three.
Perhaps the hardest illegal screen in history Wilkins stepped up to the top of the circle to set a screen, but stepped too far and too hard, and knocked the Sky defender sprawling.
May 21, 2006 -- Opening night win over the MercuryMonarch rookie center Brittany Wilkins did not make a steal or a block, but she did show that jump hook of hers.
May 10, 2006 -- Monarchs and the Sun combine for 49 stealsMonarchs center Brittany Wilkins was not credited with a quick-handed steal she made last Thursday against New York, but Tuesday's scorer rang up two steals for her in four minutes. Ordinarily, I'd say "see, I told you she has great hands!", but in this game, if you didn't get two steals, you weren't there.
May 5, 2006 -- I thought she'd be cut in favor of Cisti GreenwaltRookie center Brittany Wilkins didn't play many minutes. I made note of her quick-handed steal, but the boxscore did not credit her with such. Her one field goal was the result of a nifty hook. She'll be cut -- she's playing behind Yolanda Griffith (an MVP), Cisti Greenwalt, and Buescher -- but she doesn't deserve it based on her performance Thursday.