| "WNBA's Rising Stars" |
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Barbara Turner, Connecticut Sun By Mike Slane June 2, 2008 - Throughout the season we will look at some of the WNBA's emerging talent and the candidates for the WNBA Most Improved Player award. Previous winners include Sacramento's Nicole Powell, Houston's Michelle Snow, the Miller twins and most recently New York's Janelle McCarville. No matter the reason for their advancement, the player will have shown major improvement over previous seasons. When you have hit career highs in most scoring categories just six games into the season, chances are you're setting yourself up quite nicely to be considered for the postseason honor. Take a look at Connecticut Sun forward Barbara Turner. The third-year pro, who was dealt to Connecticut from Houston during the offseason, scored 15 in her Sun debut and reached double figures two more times, including a career-high 17 points - on a career-best six field goals - in a win over the Monarchs on May 24. Her early season average of 10.2 points is nearly four more than her previous best set during her rookie season. Turner is currently leading the league with 13 made 3-pointers after making just 17 in 56 regular-season games entering the 2008 campaign. She is also shooting a remarkable 46.6 percent from long distance - her previous high was 25 percent in 2006 - in a career-high 20.7 minutes per game. The change of scenery, increased minutes and offseason work with former NBA player and coach John Lucas has helped Turner become one of the league's most improved players, but much of her success has to be credited to her smooth transition from the power forward position to small forward while playing under coach Mike Thibault. “This year, I decided to stay here (in the United States) and completely work on transitioning to becoming a three (small forward)," said Turner prior to the start of the season. "I know that for me to be successful, and have a stable home, I need to work on that. I’m really confident in the things I’ve been working on.” Turner's offseason plan has worked to perfection as she has become the Sun's fourth-leading scorer and top option off the bench. If she continues to play at the same level throughout the season, expect the Most Improved Player Award to be within reach for the former UConn star. |
