Hey Canada! I'm coming to you via e-mail from Salt Lake City, Utah at the moment, and I'll be checking in with you once a month throughout the WNBA season and hopefully on through the playoffs and WNBA Championship. We've got a long road ahead of us before we can make our title dreams a reality, and I'll try to give you a ringside seat to all that's happening in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Sutton-Brown set a WNBA record for consecutive baskets made without a miss (14) in the Sting’s 69-64 loss to Utah on June 8. (WNBAE Photos)

Training Camp

Going through my second WNBA training camp was a little easier than last year. Not necessarily physically easier, but mentally easier, because I'd already been through it once and knew what to expect. Last season was totally different in that we had a new coaching staff and a bunch of new players on the roster – everything was new to everybody. This year all but one player from our Eastern Conference Championship team returned, which meant that we were able to move along quicker in terms of adding elements to our offence and defence.

We had some injuries and absentees on the perimeter during camp with Dawn Staley resting a sore knee for three weeks and Andrea Stinson and Allison Feaster finishing up their overseas commitments. But that gave players like Kelly Miller and Keisha Anderson the opportunity to get time with the first team and show their stuff.

Overseas Play

Speaking of overseas commitments, I played in Korea during the 2001-02 offseason, and it was quite an experience. The biggest adjustment I had to make was in my diet, because Koreans eat a steady diet of seafood, and that's not exactly one of my favourite things in the world.

From a basketball standpoint, though, Korea was great for me. There were number of WNBA-calibre post players playing in the Korean League, like Tari Phillips, and each game was a one-on-one battle in the paint.

Machanguana Trade

Competing in Korea against those players helped prepare me for the 2002 WNBA season. The coaches showed a lot of confidence in me when they traded Clarisse Machanguana to Orlando to get the number seven pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft. But along with Summer Erb and Shantia Owens, we should have a pretty good centre rotation going this year, and we'll all pick up the slack left by Clarisse's absence.

Startng the Season vs. Los Angeles and Houston

The first two games of the 2002 season were a great test for us. First up was the 2001 WNBA Finals rematch with the Los Angeles Sparks, followed by the four-time WNBA champion Houston Comets. I can't think of a better measuring stick, and we picked up wins in both games. I've had people tell me that the Los Angeles game was one of the best WNBA games they've ever seen on television, and hopefully you all were able to catch it in Canada on WTSN.

Nagging Injuries

I've had some problems with two vertebrae in my back that have flared up during camp, and prevented me from starting our first three games, but I played some good minutes in all three. I'll be ready to contribute whatever I can.

That's it for now. Thanks for tuning in!