Committed Veal vows patience, improvement
Jeff Metcalfe
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 14, 2002
Kristen Veal cuts herself some slack, but not much.
The 20-year-old, who was the youngest player in the WNBA last season, said, "There is no law that says I have to be 10 months better" than Connecticut's Sue Bird or any of the other collegians about to enter the league.
"I sort of need to step back and not expect it to happen so fast."
Bird, a point guard projected to be the top pick in Friday's WNBA draft, is a year older than Veal, which puts the Australian's rookie season with the Mercury into perspective.
Averaging 22.7 minutes a game, Veal was fifth in the WNBA in assists (4.3 per game).
Those ahead of her were Sacramento's Ticha Penicheiro (7.5), New York's Teresa Weatherspoon (6.3) Charlotte's Dawn Staley (5.6) and Utah's Jennifer Azzi (5.3).
Each of those players averaged 30 to 37 minutes, and the youngest is age 27.
"I don't see players that age doing the things she can do," said Mercury general manager Seth Sulka, who took Veal with the 13th pick in the 2001 draft. "She had to bear a lot of weight in a difficult situation for even a veteran point guard. She's a kid with some very special skills who needs to grow up, get older and earn the trust of her teammates. She lives in a gym and is very committed to being a basketball player."
She is committed to the point that she agreed to arthroscopic surgery on her left knee in mid-December and on her right knee 10 weeks later, even though it cost her most of the Australian WNBL season with the champion Canberra Capitals. The purpose was to be ready for Mercury training camp, which begins April 29, and Veal might be ready for some limited work. She can do light, straightahead running now.
Her only frustration is that the decision to have the first surgery wasn't made sooner. Her lateral ligaments were too tight, causing her kneecaps to pull out of joint. The surgery released the ligaments.
"Pardon my language, but it felt like a (BS) injury, because it wasn't enough to sit you out like a broken arm or a stress fracture (would)," Veal said. "But it was enough (that) it would play in the back of your head. It was (nagging) and pretty much always there."
She missed three games late last season on injured reserve, then returned to record four assists in 11 minutes of a 56-38 rout of the playoff-bound Houston Comets.
That game was the last for Veal's mentor, Michele Timms, leaving Veal, 23-year-old Adriana Moises Pinto and newly acquired swing guard Gordana Grubin as the point options.
Grubin will be late to camp because her Polish team is in the EuroLeague Final Four, which ends April 28.
Moises Pinto helped her team make the Italian League playoffs.
Grubin, at 29, is the veteran that Sulka and coach Cynthia Cooper felt they had to have. But she can be used more as a shooting guard if Veal and Moises Pinto can both play well in transition - a strength of Veal's - and in the half court.
"For me, it's trying to find the balance in momentum, in pushing the ball up, bringing it down, running through an offense, getting it to the right players and making sure we have structure," Veal said.
Not to mention protecting the ball to lower a team-high 82 turnovers and regaining her shooting touch.
"I (stunk)," Veal said of her 28 percent shooting from the field last season.
Returning well before the start of camp put Veal into the player-appearance rotation less than two weeks after having most of her hair cut off to raise money for cancer research.
"You can shave your head or spray paint it some ridiculous color," said Veal, suddenly an expert on hats and bandannas. "It's going to be interesting when I start playing because I sweat a lot, so I'm going to be in trouble. I might have to wear a headband."
Reach the reporter at jeff.metcalfe@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8053.
|
 |
|
|
local headlines
|
