Vacations Over: New York Liberty Back to Work

There’s a movement happening in the WNBA and Liberty camp this season, and it’s all about the fans. Now that our local professional women’s basketball team has packed its bags and is ready to land in Newark, a region-wide appeal to new and potential followers has hit the streets.

While Liberty street teams will soon be out in full force spreading the excitement outside of the Prudential Center, hoops fans can spend a few moments now reacclimating themselves to summertime basketball.

The Liberty return all-WNBA first team selection Cappie Pondexter, one of the most dynamic players in the league. This past offseason was clouded by the controversial and insensitive comments that Pondexter made on her Twitter account in the days following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. She did, however, issue an immediate apology, and both Pondexter and the Liberty have since moved on.

On the floor, Pondexter remained sharp while competing with the UMMC Ekaterinburg basketball club in Russia. Pondexter, along with fellow American players Candace Parker and Deanna Nolan, helped the team capture the Russian national championship last month.

So how did Pondexter reward herself following last season’s WNBA campaign, in which she ranked second in the league with a 21.4 scoring average, and a long winter season overseas? She treated herself to a well-deserved vacation in Dubai.

In addition to Pondexter, other Liberty players competed on teams overseas. Leilani Mitchell took her game to France, while Janel McCarville guided her squad to the Italian League playoffs. In Poland, Nicole Powell and the Liberty’s newest signee, Ewelina Kobryn, led the Wisla Can-Pak to the league championship.

Liberty training camp opens May 15. They open the regular season June 5 on the road in Atlanta.