she could be with lindsay whalen - one of the top point guards over there - along with sue bird from seattle these girls can play

WNBA draft results on WNBA.com

or go to connetcicut sun home page

looks like we may get the aussie connection in phoenix, seattle, conneticut and sacremento

go girls

Debbie Black
Announces Retirement
Sun veteran guard Debbie Black has announced that she will retire from the WNBA.

looks like it was tailor made for erin

this will possibly make the local abl a little closer as well

so where to now for erin?

does she go to the same training camp as laura summerton?

let's get some local media coverage for the girls - talking hoops at least !

did laura get anything on ch 7,9 or 10 or mix 102.3, 5aa

when she got an invite to the states - now with 2 girls - we gotta get some local media coverage 4 sure

Best of luck to you Erin, You have the full support of your basketball community, State and country. Well Done

Hi folks, fellow SUN fan here. We are really happy to get Erin in the draft and have Laura try out for the team.

The SUN, as you know were the WNBA RU. They needed defense at center and a back_up PG that can push the ball hard. It sounds like Erin is that player. I expect her to play about 10 -15 minutes a game. Whalen is known for her spectacular passing, physical play, penetrating ability, and on court leadership. Last year when Whalen left the court the Sun had to slow down and switch to a power game. Hopefully Erin can come in and just keep pushing the ball hard. Adding Dydek gives the SUN the post rotation they need to push the ball hard for forty minutes.

I don't know much about Laura except she was obviously good enough to play on the National Team. The SUN are very strong at power forward, with Taj, Jones, Willingham, and Wendy Palmer who started last year but is likely to be traded because of the salary cap, Laura may fit at forward or at wing. But the SUN have Sales and Brungo at Wing, Whalen can also play SG, so Erin may actually play more, with Whalen at SG, Sales and Douglas can play wing and SG. Brungo is the back_up at wing, quick, tall and shoots the three. Road trips are very tough in the WNBA, so you need a team that is versatile so more players can play on the road trips.

Jen Derevjanik is the back_up PG, but she is likely to be the 2nd back_up if Erin works out. Jen could be cut, but I think 3 PG's are needed.

The SUN can keep 11 players, plus they will be able to have two on injured reserve which will be Futtrell and Mahoney. (These don't count against the salary cap.) Right now I count 9 players, plus two injured, plus Erin and Laura. I don't know if they can actually keep 11 and be under the salary cap. I don't know how many players they will invite to camp.

Erin is a lock to make the team, I don't know about Laura.

The above is my best guess on the current status at the SUN. Coach T is the best in the WNBA, period.

Vann

"She's excited about the opportunity, but at the moment she doesn't feel she is ready to go over there."



"This is a fantastic opportunity for her," Adelaide head coach Chris Lucas said. "We are working together to help Erin improve some areas of her game and I have no doubt she will find success in the WNBA in the future."



Phillips was selected in the Opals squad for the first time in 2005 and is currently training in Adelaide and will travel to China with her team next week to play a series of games.
http://www.wnbl.com.au/powered_by_INTERFUSE/fs_newsitem.asp?id=1505
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Does she understand she is turning down a chance to move into a playing role for a team that could win a WNBA championship?

The SUN own her rights, so when if she does decide to play, somebody else will have taken her spot and playd a year in her place.

As reported in the paper this morning, Erin is considering not going to take up her position for the Connecticut Sun.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea. Surely she will learn more over there inside a WNBA programme.

Doesn't she have a chronic back injury and if so, has this played a part in her decission?

you would think the wnba would be the best option. I hope people are not giving her advice to stay cos they want her here. She can always come back but the chance to play over there will not always be there.

i think the 'tiser said the suns had 'rights' on her WNBA career for the next four years. 'Tiser also said her focus at the moment is on cementing an Opals spot.
Very patriotic of her, chasing country glory before the almighty dollar.

The SUN fans were very excited to sign her. But the bottom line is if she doesn't want to come to the WNBA. She shouldn't.

I think the risk is that she is favored to get the back_up spot, and if she is good, she could actually get more time because WHalen can play SG also. The SUN rotate Douglas and Sales at #2 and #3. They are weak at the wing spot so when sales goes out, Dougals moves to wing, Whalen moves to two and ____, runs the point guard spot.

Mahoney, third round pick out of Kansas State, injured w/acl, will be ready next year and she can play 1, 2, 3, and 4. She played PG for KSU until injured against Baylor. Erin could be competing with her next year, and even though she is injured, she'll be in camp and with the SUN all year.

Maybe next year. :)

Go Erin!! Door is open to the big time, take the plunge, fortune favours the bold, now or never, you cannot discover new territiories unless you lose sight of the shore!

How much more will you learn there? Why stay in little old Adelaide? Your career is important and here is the BIG break. Go forward and achieve and best wishes. We will see you in Aussie colours I am sure one day!

Probably worth keeping in mind that story of Simon Dwight -- had an NBA opportunity, didn't take it, and didn't really get another chance.

Nah, the girl knows what she is doing! She's only 19 and the sun are very excited to have her rights for the next 4 years! Just look at Suzy B. she waited god only knows how long to head to Seattle and they'll welcome her there with open arms. Playing a big part in her decision to stay in Aus is the fact that she really awnts to make the cut for the opals and as we all know that's the sacrifice many of our players make (not going to play in the WNBA to prove themselves to make the opals team ie. Harrower, tully)!

Good job erin!

Will She Stay Or Will She Go?
Thibault Unsure Whether Or Not Phillips Will Report To Sun

By NED GRIFFEN
Day Sports Writer, Connecticut Sun
Published on 4/20/2005

Mohegan  Connecticut Sun coach Mike Thibault has been perplexed, to put it mildly, as to the status of Erin Phillips.

Connecticut used its second-round pick (21st overall) Saturday to draft Phillips, a 19-year-old point guard from Australia, in the WNBA Draft. At that time, Thibault said that Phillips told him she was ready to join the team.

Shortly thereafter, Allison Tranquilli, Phillips' agent, told the Australian press that her client wasn't coming over at this time and would continue to play with the Opals, Australia's national team.

Thibault was shocked and said that he read about it before he talked with Tranquilli.

"I think the whole thing is pressure from the national team," Thibault said. "That's the whole issue. (Australian guards) Tully Bevilaqua and Kristi Harrower are here in our league, and their national team is touring China this next week and touring somewhere else in the summer.

"She's (Phillips) kind of the young and the upcoming point guard of the future, and they've put a lot of pressure on her to play. It's that simple.

"What I think happened is that nobody on her national program thought that she was going to get drafted, so there wasn't any worry. So all the sudden it's, 'Oh, shoot, Erin's been drafted. Is she leaving us?' Then the phone starts ringing. That's my theory and it's a pretty good theory."

Tranquilli , who is a player on the Opals roster, was quoted by the Women's National Basketball League of Australia Web site over the weekend about Phillips:

"Erin is only 19 and is focused on growing her game here in Australia and establishing her place in the WNBL and the Opals this year," Tranquilli told WNBL.com.au. "She's excited about the opportunity, but at the moment she doesn't feel she is ready to go over there."

Thibault and Tranquilli talked Monday.

"I made my points very clearly," Thibault said, "cut through all the myriad of reasons and got to the main ones."

Phillips, who is 5-foot-7, averaged 14 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists for the WNBL's Adelaide Quit Lightning. She also scored 40 points in a 43-minute overtime playoff game.

Connecticut had drafted Phillips because last week's retirement by Debbie Black left it with just two point guards  starter Lindsay Whalen and reserve Jen Derevjanik.

Asked if he had any feeling as to how the situation would resolve itself, Thibault said: "I don't know. I'm still working on it. But what I read was a shock to me in that the kid herself told me how excited she was and was ready for the challenge, and 24 hours later after talking to an agent, the national team and other people, it's (changed)."

The Sun would retain Phillips' rights if she didn't report to the team.

Connecticut has signed two guards to training camp contracts  Maria Conlon and Erika Valek. Valek was drafted out of Purdue in the second round last season by the Detroit Shock, was traded that same day to the Phoenix Mercury and was cut during training camp.

Conlon, who played on three national championship teams at UConn, went undrafted last season. She tried out with the Los Angeles Sparks, but was cut.

Thibault said he expects to sign one more point guard to a training camp contract today, and that he wants to keep three on the regular-season roster.

"We have a lot of other good players, so I have to worry about the ones that are here," Thibault said.

Connecticut signs Montañana

" Anna Montañana, an undrafted 6-1 forward from George Washington University, signed a training camp contract with the Sun Tuesday.

Montañana averaged 16.7 points and 6.75 rebounds for the Colonials during her senior season. She also earned All-Atlantic 10 first team honors in both 2004 and 2005.

Connecticut opens training camp April 25, and Thibault expects to sign "16 or 17" players to training camp contracts.

The Sun invited 39 undrafted free agents to camp last season and two, Le'coe Willingham and Derevjanik, made the team's 11-player roster.

Erin knows what she is doing, she has got a very strong head on her sholders and what i can see from the WNBL games fantastic family support. Erin wouldn't have made this decision easily but i have heard that the Suns are happy for her to have a year here in Adelaide to trial for the Opals and come over next year. They misy really want her.... You go Erin, you little champion.