Australian rookie Liz Cambage in a media day interview with SBN's Swish Appeal.
There are plenty of reasons for intrigue with the Tulsa Shock in town today for a 2 p.m. preseason game against the Seattle Storm at KeyArena.
For University of Washington women's basketball fans, there's the debut of former Stanford forward Kayla Pedersen and former UCLA guard Darxia Morris, both of whom most recently challenged Courtney Vandersloot and Gonzaga in the 2011 NCAA women's basketball tournament Spokane regional this past March.
There's also guard Marion Jones, who is embarking upon her second season in the WNBA. And then there's former Storm guards Betty Lennox and 40-year-old Sheryl Swoopes who will make their first trip to Seattle as members of the Tulsa Shock.
But the center of attention will be 6-foot-8 Australian center Liz Cambage, who the Shock acquired with the second pick in the 2011 WNBA draft behind Maya Moore.
WNBA Draft 2011 Prospect Capsule: Elizabeth Cambage – "She's Definitely One Of The Most Exciting Prospects in Australian Women's Basketball" - Swish Appeal
Not many people outside of Australia heard of Elizabeth Cambage prior to the 2010 FIBA World Championships. But there was the teenage sensation, all 6'8 of her was on display, showing off post moves with skill against the likes of Sylvia Fowles and Tina Charles. She wasn't afraid to be physical, and she backed down from no one. She now will be eligible for the WNBA draft, but she comes with questions; the biggest of which is will she even come here and play for multiple seasons?
After some controversy about whether Cambage would even play in the WNBA, she announced that she will play this season and skip the 2012 season to prepare for the London Olympics with the Australia Opals (similar to Australian Storm forward Lauren Jackson).
Looking at the Shock's roster, Cambage would seem to be the likely starter for the Shock. But given Shock coach Nolan Richardson's hockey-like substitution patterns and the fact that she missed a portion of camp due to Visa issues, it's hard to figure how much she'll play.