Graduating Syracuse senior Juanita Ward survived the first cut of training camp on Wednesday as she endeavors to make the 11-player roster of the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock.
Ward was one of only five players invited to training camp from an open tryout earlier this month. The other four players were cut Wednesday by coach Nolan Richardson, who formerly led the Arkansas men’s basketball team to an NCAA national championship and two other Final Four appearances in the 1990s.
Ward is now up against about 17 other players vying for one of 11 positions on the Shock’s roster. The final roster must be set by May 14 and the Shock will play its first regular-season game May 15.
Only one other former SU player, Leigh Aziz, has played in a WNBA game. She saw action in seven games for the Indiana Fever in 2003. Several others have been on rosters at one time, including Vaida Sipaviciute, Fantasia Goodwin, Julie McBride and Beth Record.
On Thursday, Ward talked about her experience with Chris Wagner, who covers the Syracuse women’s basketball team for The Post-Standard:
Q. How competitve was the tryout camp?
A. It was very competitive. There were 50 to 60 girls and all of them came to compete for one thing, and that was to make the team. No one was leaving anything off the court.
Q. Why did you choose to try out for Tulsa?
A. It's all because of Coach Richardson. I love the way he plays. His system is unbelievable. It's fast-paced. It's run and get out and go. He doesn't have just one set player. It's a team, and if you're a team you can win any kind of ball game. I love the way he wants us to push the ball. I love the way he wants us to get out and defend and be aggressive. Plus, he makes everything fun. He's a funny guy.
Q. Did you know any of this beforehand?
A. I knew a little bit about him from when he was coaching at Arkansas. I knew the type of game he played when he was coaching the guys. He loves to push the ball, and that's something that I love to do.
Q. He's known for his "40 Minutes of Hell" defense, but does he emphasize offense as much as defense?
A. Coach Richardson focuses on both defense and offense. He says our defense is going to make us have a better offense.
Q. Are they using you mainly at small forward or guard — or the mixture of the two that you've always been?
A. Small forward mainly, but he told me he doesn't have set positions. It's not a 1, 2, 3, 4 type thing. He's mainly just about playing basketball. He knows that at any point in a game, a center could become a point guard and would have to handle the ball. He just wants us to play basketball.
Q. What does he like about your game?
A. He likes that I'm aggressive and physical and that I'm a scrappy defender.
Q. Have you surprised yourself at the next level?
A. You never know what to expect when you come to a new team, and that's at any level from high school to college and from college to the pros. At this level, everybody can play. But I have surprised myself because there are a lot of girls on the team that can do multiple things. You have to learn to mature and learn to understand what the coach wants you to do at any given moment.
Q. The Shock can only keep 11 players on the roster. What do you think your chances are of making it?
A. It's not up to me, it's up to the coach. I'm going to continue to try to do what will keep me on the basketball team.
Q. But do you think you have a good shot?
A. I'm not going to go talking like that because that's jumping the gun. It's up to the coach whether I stay. If I stay, then that's what it is. But I'm going to continue to work hard and do what it takes to make the basketball team.
Q. If it doesn't work out, what's Plan B?
A. I'll have to weigh that when it happens.
Q. Would you go to Europe?
A. If that opportunity presents itself, then yes, but as of right now my main focus is making the team here.
Q. How often are practices?
A. Two-a-days. One starts at 10 in the morning and the other at 7.
Q. How's your body been recovering in between?
A. It's a lot of icing and rest. It's like going back to high school and when I was playing in the Adidas and Nike camps and the travel teams. You've just got to rest up and play. If this is what I want to do. then I have to be prepared for it.
Chris Wagner
cwagner@syracuse.com