![After eight years entrenched in a supporting role, the 30-year-old Roneeka Hodges displayed indications of a potential breakout with the Tulsa Shock in 2012, scoring a career-high 10.2 points per game in 20 games."She is a hard worker who continues to improve and expand her game, but more importantly she wants to be in Tulsa and is committed to helping us move toward becoming a playoff level team," said Tulsa head coach Gary Kloppenburg.With the departure of Temeka Johnson, Hodges could assume increasing priority in the Shock's back-court.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/hash/00/65/0065f9ee5a51c2ea5ca7522f6a8f5475.png?itok=Jq5m0oGa "After eight years entrenched in a supporting role, the 30-year-old Roneeka Hodges displayed indications of a potential breakout with the Tulsa Shock in 2012, scoring a career-high 10.2 points per game in 20 games."She is a hard worker who continues to improve and expand her game, but more importantly she wants to be in Tulsa and is committed to helping us move toward becoming a playoff level team," said Tulsa head coach Gary Kloppenburg.With the departure of Temeka Johnson, Hodges could assume increasing priority in the Shock's back-court."){kind=small}
Thursday marked the busiest day yet in the WNBA free agent market, with four teams releasing declarations.
The Washington Mystics were the first team to make a roster announcement with the acquisitions of Ashley Corral and Avery Warley. Corral did not get past training camp last season with the Seattle Storm, while Warley was picked up as a rookie free agent by the Phoenix Mercury. Injuries and ongoing debate over Phoenix's motives effectively allowed several players to get extended auditions, Warley included.
The Tulsa Shock followed, addressing a need for veteran leadership to continue guiding the young brethren in Oklahoma, disclosing that unrestricted free agent Roneeka Hodges was signed to a multi-year deal.
Hodges has relocated multiple times since her original team, the Houston Comets, folded in 2008. Her journey included stints with the Minnesota Lynx, San Antonio Silver Stars and Indiana Fever. Indiana traded Hodges for Karima Christmas in 2012, a move that perhaps barred Hodges a chance to pick up her first WNBA championship, but she will likely represent an anchor of experience for Tulsa, whose moves may be in anticipation of landing a high-caliber college guard in the draft.
Cementing Hodges in Oklahoma became more imperative after Seattle made a swift response to their roster shortage with Lauren Jackson and Ann Wauters not playing in 2013. Temeka Johnson and Noelle Quinn, both unrestricted free agents, signed new deals with the Storm. The transaction may appear surprising to West Coast fans expecting the team to locate stopgaps in the interior, but the pair should stabilize a shaky back-court, allowing their cornerstone point guard, Sue Bird, to increase her offensive utility.
Johnson was drafted in 2005 by the Mystics, winning Rookie of the Year honors. From there, she spent three seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks and another three years with Phoenix, winning a championship in 2009. Johnson played for Tulsa last season and published a remake of her first children's novel, titled Temeka's Choice.
Quinn launched her WNBA career in 2007 with Minnesota, moved to Los Angeles in 2009 and traversed to Washington in 2012.
The biggest free agent news item was found in Atlanta. The Dream stated that marquee athlete Angel McCoughtry, a restricted free agent, agreed to a new multi-year contract.
McCoughtry's 2012 timeline is considered the most tumultuous by women's basketball fans. While she did take part in the United States gold medal run during the 2012 Olympics, her accolades were quickly enveloped by controversy. An apparent rift between McCoughtry and former head coach Marynell Meadors caused the Louisville prodigy to inexplicably skip games, ultimately leading to Atlanta firing Meadors and promoting Fred Williams to head coach shortly after the Olympic break.
Pundits suggested Atlanta was catering too much to the melodramatic forward, but the sequence morphed to stranger forms when McCoughtry was suspended at the same time Williams was hired. McCoughtry was later re-instated after a private meeting with Williams, and her new deal indicates a willingness to shift the plot surrounding the league's youngest franchise.
Although the Dream will keep one of the league's most opportunistic scorers, more time may be needed to determine how deep McCoughtry's past behavior will impact her cohorts; former teammate Lindsey Harding left Atlanta for Los Angeles earlier this week.
![After eight years entrenched in a supporting role, the 30-year-old Roneeka Hodges displayed indications of a potential breakout with the Tulsa Shock in 2012, scoring a career-high 10.2 points per game in 20 games."She is a hard worker who continues to improve and expand her game, but more importantly she wants to be in Tulsa and is committed to helping us move toward becoming a playoff level team," said Tulsa head coach Gary Kloppenburg.With the departure of Temeka Johnson, Hodges could assume increasing priority in the Shock's back-court.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/8f/22/8f226733f223120bf4c075f2d2eb10be.png?itok=f-VK_GSJ "After eight years entrenched in a supporting role, the 30-year-old Roneeka Hodges displayed indications of a potential breakout with the Tulsa Shock in 2012, scoring a career-high 10.2 points per game in 20 games."She is a hard worker who continues to improve and expand her game, but more importantly she wants to be in Tulsa and is committed to helping us move toward becoming a playoff level team," said Tulsa head coach Gary Kloppenburg.With the departure of Temeka Johnson, Hodges could assume increasing priority in the Shock's back-court.")
![Noelle Quinn, along with just about everyone else who had the unfortunate distinction of playing for the Washington Mystics at some point in the last two seasons, will start fresh at Seattle for 2013 to help strengthen their unit of guards.“Seattle has a rich basketball history with legendary fans and a culture of excellence. I look forward to being a part of that,” Quinn said.Statistically, Quinn's best year was 2010, when she posted 10.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for the Los Angeles Sparks.”Noelle is a very versatile perimeter player with size,” said Seattle head coach Brian Agler. "We have admired Noelle's ability over the years and believe she is a great fit for the Seattle Storm."](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/70/f9/70f905dd40b740a7df1fcb622267717a.jpg?itok=SiHJlL7B "Noelle Quinn, along with just about everyone else who had the unfortunate distinction of playing for the Washington Mystics at some point in the last two seasons, will start fresh at Seattle for 2013 to help strengthen their unit of guards.“Seattle has a rich basketball history with legendary fans and a culture of excellence. I look forward to being a part of that,” Quinn said.Statistically, Quinn's best year was 2010, when she posted 10.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for the Los Angeles Sparks.”Noelle is a very versatile perimeter player with size,” said Seattle head coach Brian Agler. "We have admired Noelle's ability over the years and believe she is a great fit for the Seattle Storm."")
.Johnson will likely adjust to a back-up role in Seattle with Sue Bird running the point, but her integration with the Storm will form a safety net for the city's only professional basketball team should Bird suffer an injury.“She is a fierce competitor, a great leader and has excellent point guard skills at both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. Temeka really gained our respect by how she has played against us over the years,” said Seattle head coach Brian Agler.")
![Angel McCoughtry, the eccentric, explosive forward for the Atlanta Dream, won her first WNBA scoring title in 2012. Despite missing 10 games, including Atlanta's infamous "soap opera," McCoughtry finished with 21.4 points per game and led the WNBA in steals with 2.5 per game.However, after last year's debacle, just what did the relevant parties mention in the press release to announce her new contract?“She’s an Olympian and elite player who has played extremely well during her WNBA career in Atlanta, and it’s exciting to know she will continue to build her career with the Dream," said Atlanta head coach Fred Williams.“Atlanta is now my home, as well as the only WNBA team I’ve ever played for and I look forward to competing for more championships with my teammates in the years to come,” McCoughtry said.How true such statements ring may depend on individual attitude.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/6a/79/6a794d9c693fbe4bfb2b1a65ca3a73b7.jpg?itok=os08n9cG "Angel McCoughtry, the eccentric, explosive forward for the Atlanta Dream, won her first WNBA scoring title in 2012. Despite missing 10 games, including Atlanta's infamous "soap opera," McCoughtry finished with 21.4 points per game and led the WNBA in steals with 2.5 per game.However, after last year's debacle, just what did the relevant parties mention in the press release to announce her new contract?“She’s an Olympian and elite player who has played extremely well during her WNBA career in Atlanta, and it’s exciting to know she will continue to build her career with the Dream," said Atlanta head coach Fred Williams.“Atlanta is now my home, as well as the only WNBA team I’ve ever played for and I look forward to competing for more championships with my teammates in the years to come,” McCoughtry said.How true such statements ring may depend on individual attitude.")
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