Atlanta Dream well represented in WNBA All-Star Game

The 2014 WNBA All Star Game takes place in Phoenix, Arizona this year, but the city of Atlanta will be well represented in the contest, as Atlanta Dream guard Shoni Schimmel and forward Angel McCoughtry were voted into the Eastern Conference starting line up, the league announced yesterday.

Schimmel, who is in the midst of her first year in the league, led all Eastern Conference guards in the voting, and she has been tearing the league up since her arrival in Atlanta. She set a WNBA record for assists in her first four games in the league with 37, and Schimmel entered Tuesday’s nationally televised game ranked 15th in the league with 3.9 assists per game, and eighth among all rookies in scoring per game (8.1). She finished Tuesday’s victory over the Connecticut Sun with just three points however, but did grab three boards and dish out four assists in just 14+ minutes on the floor. Schimmel also leads Atlanta in three-pointers with 25.

For McCoughtry, it’s the third consecutive season she has been voted to start in the All-Star Game, and she grabbed the third most votes in the East at the forward position. McCoughtry is second in the league in steals per game (2.3), fourth in scoring (19.6) and is top 10 in free throw percentage and top 15 in assists, and oh yeah, is up for an ESPY in the Best WNBA Player category. McCoughtry led all scorers last night with 22 points and finished the night with six rebounds and four assists.

The Dream will also be well represented on the East’s bench as well, as head coach Michael Cooper, assistant coaches Karleen Thompson and Teresa Edwards, and head athletic trainer Michael Douglas will serve the Eastern squad during the game, as the coaching staff is picked much like the MLB game, in the two representatives in the league’s finals serve as the All Star coaches. (Minnesota’s coaching staff will anchor the West.)

Only the starting lineups were announced yesterday, so there is the possibility that more Dream players will join the pair of Louisville products in the desert. (Specifically, I expect Erika de Souza to be announced with the reserves announcement.) The first-place Dream will face the Indiana Fever this Saturday in Indy.