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Comets aquire LOBO !!
April 3, 2002, 9:08PM
Comets add Lobo to arsenal
Ex-Liberty forward plagued by injuries the past three seasons
By W.H. STICKNEY JR.
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle
The Comets obtained forward Rebecca Lobo from the New York Liberty on Wednesday in exchange for the team's second-round pick (26th overall) in this month's WNBA draft.
Lobo, who has been limited to 17 games the past three seasons because of knee injuries, was one of the first three players signed by the WNBA in its inaugural season of 1997.
During a teleconference, Lobo said that while she's excited about the prospect of being a member of the four-time WNBA champion Comets, she's even more thrilled just to be back on the court again.
"I'm just excited to play the game of basketball because I haven't had that opportunity (in a while)," she said. "Just to be on the court is an exciting thought to me."
The trade reunites Lobo with Sheryl Swoopes. The two won Olympic gold in 1996, and both know what it's like to try to recover from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Swoopes sat out the 2001 WNBA season after blowing out her left knee while playing pickup basketball almost a year ago.
Lobo, 28, tore the ACL in her left knee during the first minute of the 1999 WNBA season and missed the rest of the campaign following surgery. While rehabbing in December 1999, she reinjured the knee and was forced to miss the 2000 season after undergoing a second reconstructive surgery.
Lobo, 6-4, returned to the Liberty last summer but was limited to 16 games off the bench. She averaged 1.1 points per game before being placed on the injured list.
"It's hard when you're an athlete, because everyone wants to play 40 minutes a game," Lobo said. "But at the same time, I was happy to be back on the practice court able to participate instead of doing what I had done for the two seasons before that, which was riding a (stationary) bike on the sideline.
"I still enjoyed being around my teammates. I really, really liked all of the girls that played on the team, and I loved the city of New York. But the idea of coming in and really getting a chance to play is really exciting to me."
Lobo said she never envisioned playing for any team other than the Liberty.
"To be honest, when I first signed with the WNBA and became a part of the Liberty back in 1997, I really anticipated that would be the only team I played for in my entire career," she said. "But the past three years have been difficult with the injuries and so forth.
"So right now, I'm excited for an opportunity to play for a team like Houston, the championship tradition, the type of players that they have down there. I think it can be a great fit. I really think I can help them."
Lobo started every game for the Liberty during her first two seasons. She averaged 12.4 points and 7.3 rebounds in 1997 and 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds in '98. She was an All-WNBA second-team selection in 1997.
In college, Lobo was the national Player of the Year in 1995, leading Connecticut to a 35-0 season and the NCAA championship.
Comets coach Van Chancellor has no reservations about Lobo's health and said he is delighted she is a part of the team.
"She's a great team player," Chancellor said. "She has the ability to play good defense, the ability to score some, the ability to pass the ball."
Lobo spent part of the winter playing for the Springfield, Mass., franchise in the six-team National Women's Basketball League. Chancellor's son Johnny coached the Houston Stealth to the NWBL championship and got a good look at Lobo during the season.
"He told me, `Dad, I think physically she'll be ready to play this year,' " Chancellor said.
No determination has been made as to whether Lobo will play center or power forward. If fitted into the five slot, Lobo would be the first true frontline center the Comets have had.
"I told her agent we're going to bring her in here, let her play," Chancellor said. "Wherever she plays, that's where we'll play her."
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/1339761[/URL
April 3, 2002, 9:08PM
Comets add Lobo to arsenal
Ex-Liberty forward plagued by injuries the past three seasons
By W.H. STICKNEY JR.
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle
The Comets obtained forward Rebecca Lobo from the New York Liberty on Wednesday in exchange for the team's second-round pick (26th overall) in this month's WNBA draft.
Lobo, who has been limited to 17 games the past three seasons because of knee injuries, was one of the first three players signed by the WNBA in its inaugural season of 1997.
During a teleconference, Lobo said that while she's excited about the prospect of being a member of the four-time WNBA champion Comets, she's even more thrilled just to be back on the court again.
"I'm just excited to play the game of basketball because I haven't had that opportunity (in a while)," she said. "Just to be on the court is an exciting thought to me."
The trade reunites Lobo with Sheryl Swoopes. The two won Olympic gold in 1996, and both know what it's like to try to recover from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Swoopes sat out the 2001 WNBA season after blowing out her left knee while playing pickup basketball almost a year ago.
Lobo, 28, tore the ACL in her left knee during the first minute of the 1999 WNBA season and missed the rest of the campaign following surgery. While rehabbing in December 1999, she reinjured the knee and was forced to miss the 2000 season after undergoing a second reconstructive surgery.
Lobo, 6-4, returned to the Liberty last summer but was limited to 16 games off the bench. She averaged 1.1 points per game before being placed on the injured list.
"It's hard when you're an athlete, because everyone wants to play 40 minutes a game," Lobo said. "But at the same time, I was happy to be back on the practice court able to participate instead of doing what I had done for the two seasons before that, which was riding a (stationary) bike on the sideline.
"I still enjoyed being around my teammates. I really, really liked all of the girls that played on the team, and I loved the city of New York. But the idea of coming in and really getting a chance to play is really exciting to me."
Lobo said she never envisioned playing for any team other than the Liberty.
"To be honest, when I first signed with the WNBA and became a part of the Liberty back in 1997, I really anticipated that would be the only team I played for in my entire career," she said. "But the past three years have been difficult with the injuries and so forth.
"So right now, I'm excited for an opportunity to play for a team like Houston, the championship tradition, the type of players that they have down there. I think it can be a great fit. I really think I can help them."
Lobo started every game for the Liberty during her first two seasons. She averaged 12.4 points and 7.3 rebounds in 1997 and 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds in '98. She was an All-WNBA second-team selection in 1997.
In college, Lobo was the national Player of the Year in 1995, leading Connecticut to a 35-0 season and the NCAA championship.
Comets coach Van Chancellor has no reservations about Lobo's health and said he is delighted she is a part of the team.
"She's a great team player," Chancellor said. "She has the ability to play good defense, the ability to score some, the ability to pass the ball."
Lobo spent part of the winter playing for the Springfield, Mass., franchise in the six-team National Women's Basketball League. Chancellor's son Johnny coached the Houston Stealth to the NWBL championship and got a good look at Lobo during the season.
"He told me, `Dad, I think physically she'll be ready to play this year,' " Chancellor said.
No determination has been made as to whether Lobo will play center or power forward. If fitted into the five slot, Lobo would be the first true frontline center the Comets have had.
"I told her agent we're going to bring her in here, let her play," Chancellor said. "Wherever she plays, that's where we'll play her."
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/1339761[/URL
