The name tag in front of her at Storm media day said it all: “Skylar Diggins.”
“It says Skylar Diggins now and I would like to be [referred] that way moving forward,” said the Storm point guard whose last name had been Diggins-Smith.
Diggins, who starred at Notre Dame, married former Fighting Irish football player Daniel Smith in April 2017 and the couple have two children together.
After two days at training camp, Diggins is optimistic about the Storm, who return four starters from a team that went 25-15 last year.
“Hell yeah, I feel confident,” she said. “This is definitely the most talented roster I’ve been a part of in my 13 years — 11 on the floor. So yeah, I’m really excited to get everybody here.
“Everybody looks really good. The vibes been really good. We had two great first days of camp. It’s been really good.”
AC is back
After four years, Alysha Clark returns to the Storm where she started her WNBA career in 2012.
“It feels great,” she said. “This was like home.”
During her nine-year tenure in Seattle, Clark became a fan favorite and defensive standout who helped the Storm capture league titles in 2018 and 2020.
She left in free agency in 2021 and signed a two-year deal with the Washington Mystics. Clark has spent the past two seasons with the Las Vegas Aces, which included a WNBA championship in 2023.
“From the last time that I was here to now, my role is a little bit bigger and that’s something that I’m looking forward to,” said Clark, who averaged 6.0 points and 3.6 rebounds while playing 18 of 40 games off the bench. “This is a different look for me. They want more from me offensively. Not that they need me to go out and score 20, but they want me to be aggressive and look to score.”
The 37-year-old Clark averaged a career-high 10 points in 2020 while shooting 55.8% from the field and 52.2% on three-pointers.
L.A. Sparks Northwest
Zia Cooke is one of five former Los Angeles Sparks players on the Storm roster including Nneka Ogwumike, Lexie Brown, Li Yueru and Katie Lou Samuelson.
“Everything happens for a reason,” Cooke said. “I’m happy I met Nneka in L.A. and have an opportunity to play with her now. I’ve got Lexie and Li here. That’s definitely something I’m excited for as well.
“They’re players that I’m familiar with and they’re familiar with my game and people that I look up to. For us all to be here together that definitely means a lot to me.”
GE can wait
Storm rookie Jordan Hobbs wasn’t planning on spending her summer in Seattle.
“I thought I was going to be starting a job in June somewhere on the East Coast and now I’m in Seattle and trying to make a team,” she said. “It’s been a complete 180, but I’m super grateful for it and blessed to be in this position here.”
Two weeks ago, the Storm selected Hobbs No. 34 overall in the third round of the WNBA draft, which culminated a four-year career at Michigan for the 6-foot-3 guard.
“I never really knew if the W would be an achievable goal and I always said to myself, ‘I don’t want to play overseas,’” Hobbs said. “Throughout my college career, I knew it would be four years and then I’d be done and then our season ended and I was like, ‘I don’t think I want to be done quite yet.’
“So, I made the decision I was going to play overseas and pursue the W and see what happens. I had a job in supply chain lined up and I was going to work for GE and be a corporate girl. I called them at the Final Four because I went to the [WNBA] combine and I was like ‘Hey, I’m going to pursue basketball.’”
Hobbs is one of three guards the Storm selected in the third round, including Kansas State’s Serena Sundell (No. 26) and TCU’s Madison Conner (No. 29).
Notes:
— Storm forward Mackenzie Holmes, who was taken in the third round of the 2024 WNBA draft, said she’s fully recovered from a knee injury that forced her to sit out last year.
“I got surgery last May,” she said. “At that point you never know how you’re going to hold up and how you’re going to feel. Honestly, this is probably the healthiest I’ve felt in a long time. It’s great not to have to worry about my knee and just go out there and play basketball.”
— Storm coach Noelle Quinn didn’t have an update on when touted rookie Dominique Malonga, the No. 2 overall draft pick, would join the team.
