The Storm's Big Challenge: Fowles
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Kevin Pelton, stormbasketball.com | July 29, 2010
As the Seattle Storm prepares to host the Chicago Sky on Friday (7:00 pm., KONG 6/16, 1150 AM KKNW,
), one player in particular looms large. In her third season, Chicago center Sylvia Fowles has emerged as one of the league's top players and a contender for MVP, averaging 18.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.
"Sylvia is probably as dominating a post player with her back to the basket as there is in the league, so that obviously challenges every team that they play," said Storm Head Coach 
Brian Agler. "She's also a tremendous rebounder. She's one of the best in the world. I would have to say she's probably the best back-to-the-basket player there is right now in the women's game."
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Fowles' potential was obvious as soon as she arrived on the scene at Louisiana State, and she fell to the No. 2 pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft only because Candace Parker was in the same draft. Yet during her first two professional seasons, Fowles only scratched the surface of her immense talent. Injuries were the biggest factor. Fowles missed half of her rookie season with a sprained knee and sat out 10 games last year due to ankle and shoulder injuries. Already, the 25 games she's played this year are a career high.
Storm stars 
Sue Bird and 
Lauren Jackson got a glimpse of what a healthy Fowles could do in Russia, where they were all teammates with Spartak Moscow Region during the 2008-09 European season. Bird and Fowles played together again last season.
"It's impossible to guard her when she's healthy," said Jackson. "She's one of those players who is so strong. I've definitely seen her play in games where she's completely taken over."
"She had a tendency early on, a couple years ago in Russia, to lose that attack mode," added Bird. "I hate to say passive, but not using her attributes the way she should always. Now, you watch her on film and she's constantly jockeying for position, when she catches the ball, going hard to the rim. She's so big that even double-teams can't stop her. She's just a force down there."
It's helped that Fowles is now the unquestioned focal point of the Chicago offense after she traded post-up opportunities with fellow All-Star Candice Dupree during her first two seasons. Fowles has also added to her skills, including going from making 64.6 percent of her free throws last season to 80.3 percent this year, allowing her to make opponents pay for sending her to the line.
At a chiseled 6-6, Fowles is one of the few players in the league who has a physical advantage over Jackson in the paint. In the Sky's win at Allstate Arena in May, Fowles had 19 points and eight rebounds as well as four blocks.
"Sylvia's got some serious poundage on Lauren," said Bird. "Sylvia is a beast. When she wants to be, I don't know how you stop her."
"I think it's going to be a team effort against Sylvia," Jackson said. "She's a great player, one of the best posts in the world, definitely, and strong - probably stronger than any woman I know. It's always tough against her. You just have to hope she has an off night. I'll do what I can to try to stop her, but she's very strong and she's talented."
The versatility of the Storm's frontcourt players will help them against Fowles at the other end of the floor. Jackson, 
Camille Little and 
Le'coe Willingham all have the ability to pull Fowles away from the basket with their shooting, which will help keep her from setting up shop as a shot-blocking presence in the paint.
Stopping Fowles may be impossible, but if the Storm can at least hold her in check it will go a long ways toward helping the team extend its 12-game winning streak.
