Landon Buford
The Seattle Storm and third-year head coach Noelle Quinn welcomes a talented group of 16 players to its training facility at Seattle Pacific University as 2023 Storm training camp opens Sunday, April 30.
“This year’s training camp roster is filled with tough, focused, hardworking athletes who have an opportunity to not only make the roster but impact our team. Because of that, this camp will be extremely competitive,” said Quinn. “I expect consistent high energy and focus from this group as they learn the system and we establish our Storm culture from day one, including the way we work, how we want to play, and the overall standards of excellence that foster championship habits.”
The Storm welcomes back a trio of players from the 2022 season including four-time All-Star Jewell Loyd, 2022 All-Defensive Team pick Ezi Magbegor, and Mercedes Russell. Loyd, who has scored the second-most points in the WNBA since joining the league in 2015, ranked 10th in the WNBA in scoring at 16.3 points per game in 2022 while setting a Storm record by hitting 84 three-pointers over the season. Loyd and Russell won a pair of WNBA titles with Seattle in 2018 and 2020 while Magbegor earned a ring with the Storm in 2020.
Leading the group of 13 newcomers to the Seattle roster are two-time WNBA Champion Sami Whitcomb and defensive standout Kia Nurse. Whitcomb is no stranger to Storm fans, helping Seattle to a pair of WNBA titles in 2018 and 2020 before playing the last two seasons in New York. Nurse, a five-year WNBA, looked sharp in her return from a 2021 injury, averaging 11 points while shooting 41.3% from the field and 35.3% from three-point range to help Canada to a fourth-place finish at the 2022 World Cup.
The Storm also added six other free agents: guards Yvonne Turner, Arella Guirantes, Kaila Charles, and WNBA rookie Ivana Dojkić, along with former first-round pick in forward Jasmine Walker, and veteran center Theresa Plaisance. (Dojkić will join the team during the second week of training camp as she completes her overseas competition schedule.)
In the draft, Seattle selected combo guard Jordan Horston from Tennessee with its first pick. She will be joined in camp by other draftees in forward Madi Williams from Oklahoma, center Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu from South Florida, and local product Jade Loville from Arizona. The Storm welcomes 2022 third-round draft pick Jade Melbourne to training camp in 2023. Melbourne, who led the WNBL in assists (6.1 apg), earned second-team All-WNBL honors as a 20-year-old with the UC Capitals.
Seattle tips off the 2023 season with 10 of its first 15 games at home, kicking off the campaign against the defending WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces on Saturday, May 20 at 12:00 p.m. On Tuesday, May 30, the Storm hosts Breanna Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot and the rest of the New York Liberty at 7:00 p.m. Seattle honors the great Sue Bird on Sunday, June 11, retiring her No. 10 to the rafters of Climate Pledge Arena after the team hosts the Washington Mystics at 12:00 p.m.
For more information on Storm 360 Season Ticket Memberships, single game tickets, Storm Mini Plans, and Group Experiences, visit http://stormbasketball.com, or call 206-217-WNBA (9622).
2023 Seattle Storm Training Camp Roster
NO. NAME POS HT WT DOB EXP US COLLEGE COUNTRY
0 Kia Nurse G 6-0 181 Feb. 22, 1996 4 Connecticut Canada
3 Kaila Charles G/F 6-1 168 Mar. 23, 1998 3 Maryland USA
6 Jade Melbourne G 5-11 145 Aug. 18, 2002 R Australia
7 Madi Williams G/F 5-11 164 Oct. 29, 1999 R Oklahoma USA
11 Arella Guirantes G 5-11 176 Oct. 15, 1997 1 Rutgers Puerto Rico
12 Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu F/C 6-3 204 July 26, 1999 R South Florida Cameroon
13 Ezi Magbegor C 6-4 181 Aug. 13, 1999 3 Australia
18 Ivana Dojkić* G 5-11 Dec. 24, 1997 R Croatia
21 Mercedes Russell C 6-6 195 July 27, 1995 5 Tennessee USA
22 Yvonne Turner G 5-10 127 Oct. 13, 1987 4 Nebraska USA
23 Jordan Horston G/F 6-2 165 May 21, 2001 R Tennessee USA
24 Jewell Loyd G 5-10 165 Oct. 5, 1993 8 Notre Dame USA
30 Jade Loville G/F 5-11 163 Mar. 14, 2000 R Arizona USA
32 Sami Whitcomb G 5-10 154 July 20, 1988 6 Washington Australia
40 Jasmine Walker F 6-2 188 Feb. 3, 1998 2 Alabama USA
55 Theresa Plaisance F 6-5 182 May 18, 1992 9 Louisiana State USA
Head Coach: Noelle Quinn (UCLA) – 3rd year *Reporting to training camp at a later date due to overseas commitments
Assistant Coach: Pokey Chatman (LSU)
Assistant Coach: Ebony Hoffman (USC)
Assistant Coach: Perry Huang (Fresno Pacific)
