April 26, 2012
SEATTLE -
Seattle Storm Head Coach and General Manager Brian Agler announced the Storm's roster for the 2012 training camp, including five newcomers signed to camp contracts: guards Dellena Criner, Ashley Corral and Jacqua Williams and centers Ashley Gayle and Lindsay Taylor. They bring the Storm's camp roster to 19 players.
WNBA training camps open April 29 and the Storm will hold its first practice Sunday afternoon at Seattle Pacific University.
Criner played at Nevada from 2005-09, finishing her career as the school's all-time leader in games played and steals. She was named the WAC's Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and a senior and won the Wolf Pack's Ruth I. Russell Award as the school's top female student-athlete.
A native of Vancouver, Wash., Corral recently finished her career at USC, becoming the Trojans' all-time leader in three-pointers with 292, which ranks second in Pac-12 history. Corral won the State Farm College 3-Point Championship at the Final Four in New Orleans. Her sister Heather has signed a National Letter of Intent to play at the University of Washington next year.
Williams, a product of Seattle's Rainier Beach High School, played for Georgia Tech from 2005-09. She is the school's all-time leader with 370 steals and ranked fourth in the NCAA in steals per game (3.8) as a junior. Williams was named to the ACC All-Defensive Team as both a junior and a senior.
With 370 career blocks,
Gayle passed the University of Texas' all-time school record early last season. She also broke the record for blocks in a season with 117 as a junior, when her 3.5 blocks per game ranked fourth in Division I.
A second-round pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft, Taylor spent that season with the Phoenix Mercury, seeing action in five games. She previously was part of the Storm's training camp in 2006. This winter, Taylor played for Qujing in the Chinese WCBA, averaging 23.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and a league-leading 2.4 blocks per game.
Seattle previously re-signed Sue Bird, Katie Smith and Tanisha Wright as free agents and added All-Stars Tina Thompson and Ann Wauters via free agency. The Storm drafted Tennessee standout Shekinna Striklen with the second overall pick in the WNBA Draft.
The Storm opens the regular season May 18 when it hosts the Los Angeles Sparks and No. 1 overall draft pick Nneka Ogwumike.
Thoughts From Nevada Head Coach Jane Albright
"The opportunity that is ahead for Dellena is exciting for our Wolf Pack family."
"The coaches from Seattle saw her at the Final Four Pro Player Development Camp and were very impressed with her skill set."
"Her experience, determination, and athleticism will help her be successful as she continues to pursue her professional goals."
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