The preseason opener against the Phoenix Mercury may not have been a win for Seattle, but it had no bearing on the team’s record for the season. Neither team had all of its players present with many still playing out of country before the official season begins. Even so, the person it really helped was Seattle Storm Head Coach Jenny Boucek, and it helped her by providing the team with an opportunity to show its true mettle. Training is one thing, but when your team can demonstrate its abilities on the field against an actual other team, it’s quite another.

Were you able to see the preseason opening game, and if so, who do you think will make the cut and who will be put on waivers afterward? Boucek says that she was hoping to see some specific skills on the court in mind, namely communication on defense, sharing the ball and executing plays. She says that there will be at least 4 more cuts before the month is over. The team will not exceed 12 players in its entirety.

Boucek says that she was adamant about this game being about showing what the players were made of. “I’ve told them to compete, not compare. Period. No matter who you’re going against, no matter who’s got the other jersey on in practice or in the game, compete and don’t compare. It’ll drive you crazy. I want them to feel like they’ve given everything they have and done all they can control, and then they won’t have any regrets no matter what happens.”

She says it’s all about giving the youngest players on the team the chance to really prove what they can do and if they have the stuff they need to help make the team work. She also has to figure out who will be the best players to help stand in for Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Quanitra Hollingsworth and Jenna O’Hea while they are playing overseas. “It’s one of the great challenges of coaching in the WNBA: navigating this balance between overseas and here,” she said. Even if they’re on time, some of them are really beat up. They’re sick of the gym. They’ve been taught all kinds of crazy stuff that’s different than what we do, so their habits are different. And then we get them back at different times.”

So who do you think should be cut from the team, based on what you have seen? Tell us what you think will happen in the comments.

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