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| | Thursday, August 17 McConnell Serio calls it a career | |||||
| ESPN.com news services CLEVELAND -- Between family demands and injuries, Suzie McConnell Serio concluded that it was time for her to retire. She had considered waiting until after the WNBA season to announce her retirement, then decided to go ahead with the announcement before Sunday night's game so she could bid farewell to her hometown fans. "I just thought it's time to end my career now," the two-time WNBA All-Star guard said at a news conference. The Rockers have clinched a playoffs berth, but will play their final regular-season games on the road: Tuesday at New York, and Wednesday at Washington. McConnell Serio, who will retire after the playoffs, scored 8 points in the Rockers' 77-60 victory over Washington on Sunday night. In addition to raising four children, McConnell Serio said persistent injuries in recent years had taken their toll. "I'm dealing with nagging injuries and rehabbing still," said the 34-year-old McConnell Serio, who injured her right foot in 1998 and her left foot in 1999. She credited her husband, Peter Serio, with helping her career by handling family demands and telling her, "Focus on what you need to know." Coach Dan Hughes admitted that he kept mum about McConnell Serio's pending retirement, hoping that he might have her services longer. "I kind of hoped she would change her mind," Hughes said. McConnell Serio was a regular starter this season and averaged 5.1 points. She ranks eighth in the WNBA in assists, averaging 3.8. McConnell Serio, a Penn State product, helped the U.S. women's basketball team win a gold medal in the 1988 Olympics and the bronze in the '92. She coached at Oakland Catholic High School in Pittsburgh for nine years and won a state championship in 1993.
Mystics' Owen on injured list PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Mercury placed guard Michelle Cleary on the injured list Sunday and signed former Nebraska guard Nicole Kubik. Kubik was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks in the first round of the 2000 WNBA draft but was released when the Sparks finalized their roster May 28. Kubik averaged 7.3 points and 1.3 assists in 26 minutes of preseason play with the Sparks. Clearly underwent surgery on her right knee July 27 after tearing cartilage in a game against the Cleveland Rockers three days earlier. She was averaging 2.4 points and 3.2 assists in 24 games. Cleary's assist-to-turnover ratio of 5.5 leads the WNBA. The Mercury (17-9) received a special exemption from the league to place Cleary on the injured list. They already have lost Michele Timms and Maria Stepanova to season-ending injuries. Kubik will be in uniform for Sunday's game against Sacramento. Mystics place Nagy on injured list WASHINGTON -- The Washington Mystics placed starting point guard Andrea Nagy on the injured list Thursday and signed guard Renee Robinson. Nagy, who has a strained groin, will miss at least three games. Nagy is fourth in the league in assists, averaging 5.1 per game. Robinson was a fourth-round pick by the Indiana Fever in the 2000 draft, but was traded to the Houston Comets, who placed her on waivers May 25.
Utah puts Mulitauaopele on injured list, signs Hope MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Lynx signed guard Angela Aycock for the rest of the season. Aycock, who has played in two games for the Lynx, previously had been signed to extensions of seven and 12 days earlier this month. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Lynx originally acquired Aycock as part of a six-player trade with the Phoenix Mercury in October, but she went to the Seattle Storm in this year's expansion draft. While with the Storm, Aycock was placed on injured reserve at the start of the season and played one game before being waived June 8. She played in the ABL for three years and graduated from Kansas in 1995. | ||||||