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KLMNO PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL Wall puts on show without even playing
Wizards point guard leaves his stamp on summer league
by Dan Steinberg
las vegas — John Wall ended his first competitive week as a member of the Washington Wiz- ards in street clothes, standing and cheering from the bench as his summer league teammates attempted to finish an undefeat- ed session in Las Vegas. The John Wall Show, though, rolled on.
Before the Wizards fell to the
New York Knicks in overtime, 109-107, Wall — wearing warm- up pants and a T-shirt — flipped an underhanded three-pointer at the rim from the sideline, drawing shouts when it dropped through the net. Midway through the second quarter, the PA announcer told fans that Wall would sign autographs at halftime; dozens immediately abandoned the gym to line up in the lobby, and staffers had to cut off the line within five minutes. Wall acted as a de-facto coach from the sideline, screaming out instructions and remaining on his feet when the rest of the bench sat down. And after a game in which he hadn’t played a minute, Wall still drew by far the biggest post-game media crowd.
“I know a lot of people wanted
to see me play, see if I was gonna live up to the hype, but I just wanted to come out here and play basketball,” Wall said of his time in Las Vegas. “I still have a whole lot to learn, and a whole lot to prove to people.” Wall said a recurring tendini- tis issue in his knees had flared up on Friday, and after playing four games in six days coaches decided to keep both Wall and third-year center JaVale McGee on the bench. Wall wound up av- eraging 23.5 points here — sec- ond-best in the 22-team circuit through Friday’s games — and a league-high 7.8 assists, against 5.3 turnovers. McGee, mean- time, averaged 19.5 points and 9.3 rebounds while shooting 69 percent from the field.
Top pick is the talk of the town in Vegas
Every time John Wall took the court in Las Vegas, he faced a packed Cox Pavilion crowd eager to see the top overall pick. While almost everyone cautions not to read too much into summer league results, here is a sampling of observations:
New Orleans Hornets Coach Monty Williams: “I’m thinking of him in the future, not so much in this [summer] league. If he works at it, he’s certainly got a chance to be not just average or good; he’s got a chance to be great.”
Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan: “The stuff that he [does] at the point guard position, with his explosiveness and really handling the ball out in transition, he’s one of a kind. And I think once he gets more comfortable playing in this league, he’s really gonna be something special.”
Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Reggie Theus: “The NBA has not slowed him down at all, at least not the summer league. This is not really the NBA, but his talent level, his skill level is exactly what you think it is.”
NBA TV analyst Mike Fratello: “He’s one of those special guys that can go end to end in just a matter of a couple seconds.”
— Dan Steinberg
Both talked about their in- creasing comfort playing to- gether, with McGee saying “we have just too much chemistry right now” for this week’s suc- cess not to carry over next fall. Drawing conclusions from the NBA Summer League is a risky business, but as owner Ted Leonsis wrote on his blog, “I would rather play well in these games than not well. I would rather our best prospects shine than not shine.” And while several players
competing for training camp in- vitations were disgusted with Saturday’s game, in which the Wizards lost a 20-point lead and gave away multiple chances to finish off a fifth straight win, the team’s most important pieces
likely surpassed expectations. “We had a great week,” Coach Flip Saunders said. “John was probably the best guard here, maybe the best player here. Ja- Vale was the best big man here. We want guys we have here to come in and dominate, and they did that.” This group will now scatter, with players mostly working out on their own until training camp. Rookie forward Trevor Booker will return to Atlanta. Guards Lester Hudson and Car- tier Martin both said they hope to receive training camp invita- tions. (Hudson, who spent time with two franchises last season, had 19 points and 9 assists on Saturday, while Martin — who played eight games with Wash- ington a year ago — led the team with 24 points.) Wall, who gave himself “a B or
a low A” for the week, said he’d take a couple days off, rest his knee, and then start working out again. He said he’ll concen- trate on improving his jump shot and locking in his shooting mechanics, and he said he learned a bit about how profes- sional teams will guard him, and how much space he can cre- ate by making outside shots. He called summer league “a great experience,” but said he’s ready for the real thing to arrive. “In the NBA, you’ve got a lot of time to get better,” he said. “I’m just ready to keep getting better.”
steinbergd@washpost.com Mystics are pushing toward the playoffs mystics from D1
are still on the active roster. Monroe is scheduled to return by early to mid August. As a result, Langhorne and
Harding both average more than 34 minutes per game this season, while Monique Currie, who is second on the team in scoring, averages just less than 28 min- utes a contest — up from the 21.4 she averaged in 2008. The effects could be seen in
Thursday afternoon’s practice — Langhorne was on the sideline with the team’s trainer for most of it and Smith sat out several drills.
“I think it’s tougher for prac-
tice,” said Smith, the two-time WNBA champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist, of having nine healthy players on the ros- ter. “In a game, the majority of the time you play nine-deep, 10, maybe 11. Nine isn’t necessarily a bad rotation. We’re a little light in the post — we just don’t have a lot options when we get in foul trouble and all that. Practice- wise is the hardest thing, we can’t even play five-on-five.” Turnovers also have been an issue for Washington. The Mys- tics turn the ball over close to 18 times per game, which ranks sec- ond in the league. The team’s re- bounding numbers also are down slightly from last season, by about two per game, but they average a plus-4.7 rebounding margin per game. An improved defense has proven to be the difference in 2010. Last season, Washington allowed an average of 77.1 points per game — and 76.3 through 18 games. This season, the Mystics allow just 73.1 points per game, behind only the Indiana Fever’s
SOCCER
Donovan hopes to bring energy to MLS
After World Cup, U.S. star sees next act as key to keeping fans’ interest
by Matt Brooks
It took Landon Donovan all of one moment to accomplish some- thing U.S. soccer has worked tire- lessly to achieve for decades. His game-winning goal in the first minute of added time to send the United States past Algeria last month and into the 2010 World Cup round of 16 catapulted the world’s game into the collective consciousness of the nation. Now, nearly a month after his rebound volley provided another step forward for his game in his country, Donovan returns to the pitch with the hope of carrying some momentum from that dra- matic Cup run into Major League Soccer. “I don’t believe in coincidence,”
Donovan said Saturday as his Los Angeles Galaxy prepared to take on D.C. United on Sunday at RFK Stadium. “And I also don’t believe success is an accident. So I think those things came together for a reason and culminated in that moment for me and also for our team. I think our team has done a lot of hard work over the last four years to put ourselves in that po- sition.”
Already considered a leader and one of the top talents on the national team and in MLS, Dono- van’s performance in South Africa has cemented him as the face of U.S. soccer. Following a news conference
Thursday to introduce French star Thierry Henry’s signing with the New York Red Bulls, MLS Commissioner Don Garber dis- cussed the importance of Dono- van to the continued progression of the sport and why his greatest value remains on native soil. “He’s become a real soccer
hero,” Garber told reporters. “MLS needs soccer heroes, and we have a great American soccer hero playing for us in L.A., hold- ing the torch for the sport in our country, and that’s very impor- tant. I don’t believe that it’s some- thing we can do without.” A successful 10-week stint with
TONI L. SANDYS/THE WASHINGTON POST
Lindsey Harding, left, and Katie Smith are playing more minutes than expected because of injuries. “We just got to get back in our
70.6 in the league rankings. “For the most part, we’ve been
playing really good team defense and that’s been winning us games even when our offense hasn’t been doing too well,” Langhorne said. Sunday, the Mystics, who had their four-game winning streak snapped in Thursday’s loss to the New York Liberty, return home for the first time since June 29 and will look to shut down a Chi- cago Sky offense that ranks 10th
out of 12 in the league in scoring. The Mystics have won two out of three meetings with the Sky this season. After falling to the Liberty, the
East’s fifth-place team, the Mys- tics are looking to get back into the groove they were in before the time off. With games against Atlanta and third-place Indiana coming up next week, wins against weaker teams such as Chicago will be important for playoff positioning.
rhythm, back in the flow,” Har- ding said. “The expectation of coming back and playing well [against New York] like we did [before the break] is really hard to do but we got that under us and we’re ready for Chicago. “We can be really good. I feel
like we’re a championship team and if we continue to play well and continue to get better, we can do that.”
castilloj@washpost.com DIGEST TELEVISION AND RADIO
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 1 p.m. 1 p.m.
1:30 p.m.
2 p.m. 8 p.m.
SOCCER 3 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
WNBA 4 p.m.
GOLF 6 a.m. 4 p.m.
Washington at Florida » MASN2, WXTR (730 AM), WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM) Tampa Bay at New York Yankees » TBS
Toronto at Baltimore » MASN, WJZ (Channel 13), WWXT (92.7 FM), WWXX (94.3 FM), WTEM (980 AM)
Chicago White Sox at Minnesota » WGN
Philadelphia at Chicago Cubs » ESPN, WWXT (92.7 FM), WWXX (94.3 FM), WTEM (980 AM)
COLLEGES UNC coaching legend Smith has memory loss Friendly, Celtic at Seattle » ESPN
MLS, Los Angeles at D.C. United » Fox Soccer Channel; Spanish WDCN (87.7 FM)
Chicago at Washington » Comcast SportsNet British Open » ESPN PGA Tour, Reno-Tahoe Open » Golf Channel
AUTO RACING 6 p.m.
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NHRA, Fram-Autolite Nationals » ESPN2
North Carolina basketball coaching great Dean Smith is dealing with memory loss. His family sent a letter to for- mer players and coaches Satur- day, discussing the 79-year-old Hall of Famer’s health after gen- erally declining to comment for privacy reasons. Smith’s condi- tion was described as a “progres- sive neurocognitive disorder that affects his memory.” “He may not immediately re- call the name of every former player from his many years of coaching, but that does not di- minish what those players meant to him or how much he cares about them,” the letter regarding Smith said. “He still remembers the words of a hymn or a jazz standard, but may not feel up to going to a concert. He still plays golf, though usually only for nine holes instead of 18.” . . . The son of former Notre Dame
Tour de France » Versus only from Comcast.
quarterback Joe Montana was among 11 Fighting Irish athletes arrested on misdemeanor charg- es of underage drinking at a party Friday night in South Bend, Ind. A total of 44 people were arrested after city police responded to a call about a fight near a roadway
and discovered the party, said St. Joseph County Police assistant chief Bill Redman. Two non-athletes face a misde- meanor charge of providing alco- hol to minors. The most recognizable athletes arrested were Nate Montana, a walk-on who was the backup to starting quarterback Dayne Crist coming out of the spring, and Tim Abromaitis, the second leading scorer on the basketball team at 16.1 points a game last season.
TENNIS Serena Williams needs sur-
gery on her right foot after cut- ting it on a broken glass at a res- taurant. The top-ranked women’s play- er was injured last week and will miss three tournaments leading to the U.S. Open, the WTA Tour said Saturday.
Williams has withdrawn from tournaments in Istanbul, Cincin- nati and Montreal. The tour Web site offered no details about what happened at the restaurant. Monday, World TeamTennis said Williams would miss the sea- son. Her Washington Kastles team said she cut the bottom of
her foot and needed stitches. . . . Fifth-seeded Albert Montañés of Spain defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero for the first time in his career to reach the Mercedes Cup final in Stuttgart, Germany. In the final, Montañés will face third-seeded Gael Monfils of France. . . . Defending champion Robin
Soderling rallied to reach the fi- nal of the Swedish Open in Bas- tad, where he will face Nicolas Almagro. Soderling edged David Ferrer, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
PRO BASKETBALL Free agent center Brad Miller has agreed to a three-year, $15 million contract with the Hous- ton Rockets. Miller averaged 8.8 points and 4.9 rebounds for Chi- cago last season. . . . In the WNBA, Tanisha Wright made a three-pointer with 52.6 seconds remaining to lift the Se- attle Storm to a 73-71 victory at Minnesota. . . . Tina Charles had 22 points
and 14 rebounds to help the Con- necticut Sun rally for a 96-80 home victory over Atlanta.
SOCCER Sebastien Le Toux scored on a
penalty kick in stoppage time to give the Philadelphia Union a 2-1 win over Toronto FC in an MLS
game in Chester, Pa. . . . Goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini made six saves to help Tottenham Hotspur tie the San Jose Earth- quakes 0-0 in an exhibition in Santa Clara, Calif.
AUTO RACING Kevin Harvick took a near wire-to-wire victory in the Camp- ing World 200 truck series race in Madison, Ill. . . . Justin Wilson won his first pole in the IndyCar Series to end Team Penske’s streak at eight in the Honda Indy Toronto, turning a series track-record lap of 104.827 mph on the 11-turn, 1.755- mile street circuit.
MISC. Manny Pacquiao reluctantly will look for another opponent for his next bout after promoter Bob Arum’s deadline for a deal with Floyd Mayweather Jr. passed without a word from May- weather. . . . Scott McCarron rattled off five birdies and an eagle on the front nine on his way to a 5-under-par 67 and a 10-under 206, giving him a one-shot lead over Robert Gar- rigus and John Mallinger head- ing into the final round of the Re- no-Tahoe Open on McCarron’s home course in Reno, Nev. — From news services
Everton of the English Premier League earlier this year bolstered Donovan’s international appeal, piquing the interest of European clubs and adding fuel to the theo- ry that American players may benefit more from playing in top European leagues than in their own backyard. Nevertheless, Donovan, 28, ap- pears willing to accept the re- sponsibility placed on him by the league and is determined to help MLS continue to improve. In De- cember, he signed a four-year contract to remain in the United States. “I’ve always prided myself on
the fact that I could stay here and help grow this sport here,” he said. “Obviously I’ve taken criti- cism for that, but I love playing here, and I love this league. “It’s a little bit difficult at times because clearly every player at some point would want a chance to play at the highest level, in this case being the [English Premier League]. So there is a little bit of a struggle there with me thinking about all of it. But at this point,
SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2010
JEFF MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGES
Landon Donovan celebrates his winning goal against Algeria during the 2010 World Cup.
United vs. Galaxy
When: 7:30 p.m. Where: RFK Stadium TV: Fox Soccer Channel
there’s no need to worry about it. I can enjoy what I’m doing now and if something becomes a real possibility, that’s fine.” Henry’s arrival continues a trend of aging international stars joining MLS rosters, from Eng- land’s David Beckham (35) to Mexican Cuauhtémoc Blanco (37) and Swede Freddie Ljungberg (33), and it’s Donovan’s hope that the big-name stars continue to cross the ocean to help draw the top Americans back to the league and facilitate the development of young talent with elite competi- tion. “It’s a really big moment for our
league,” Donovan said of the ar- rival of Henry, who turns 33 next month. “He’s a star and you can tell he’s motivated and wants to be here and wants to do well here. “We all want this league to
compete with the other sports in our country. To do that you have to keep young, talented Amer- icans here and you also have to bring in quality players that make the league better.” The national team’s strong showing in South Africa will con- tinue to further that aim, and Donovan’s continued commit- ment to the league — coupled with the lasting image of his memorable tally — can only help MLS elevate its international im- age. After returning home follow- ing their knockout-round defeat to Ghana, Donovan and several of his teammates were shown a widely popular video posted on
YouTube.com that spliced live re- actions to the game-winning goal against Algeria from around the world. Watching the video for the first time brought tears to the eyes of the players in the room, Donovan said. “What I’ve realized more than
anything is the power of a mo- ment,” Donovan said. “I’m a sports fan, and growing up, when you witness a special moment, you realize what it can do. One of those moments for me was watching Kirk Gibson hit that home run in the World Series as a Dodger fan. You’ll always have that in your head. And I’m realiz- ing now that I’m home that peo- ple have that memory and always will, of us beating Algeria and do- ing something special that hadn’t been done in a really long time. It just shows you how powerful a moment in sports can be.”
matt.brooks@
wpost.com
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