A blend of youth and experience comprise the Indiana Fever's 2010 roster that was made final today by Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Kelly Krauskopf. The Fever opens its 11th season Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse against the Washington Mystics (7:00 p.m., 1070 The Fan and WNBA LiveAccess), before traveling to Atlanta on Sunday to battle the Dream (7:00 p.m., 1070 The Fan and WNBA LiveAccess). Released Thursday were rookie forward Joy Cheek, a third-round draft pick who helped lead Duke to the NCAA Elite Eight in last year's NCAA Tournament; and second-year forward Christina Wirth, the Fever's second-round pick in 2009 who was a part of last year's WNBA Finals team. Newcomers to the 2010 roster are first-round draft pick Jené Morris from San Diego State and second-year guard Allie Quigley, who played parts of two seasons with the Phoenix Mercury. Quigley is a 2008 graduate of DePaul who averaged 10 points per game with a Fever-high four 3-point field goals in preseason action. Indiana's roster is paced by nine-year veteran Tamika Catchings, who was recently selected by WNBA GMs as the best small forward in the league. In the same survey, she was picked to repeat as the league's defensive player of the year, and chosen as the player with the greatest hunger to win a championship. The two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist, six-time All-Star and three-time defensive player of the year is joined on the Fever by four other returning starters - Tully Bevilaqua, Katie Douglas, Ebony Hoffman and Tammy Sutton-Brown. Second-year point guard Briann January, who played a significant role in last year's playoff run to the WNBA Finals, is expected to earn time as the club's starting point guard. With Catchings as the face of the franchise since 2001, Indiana has made six playoff appearances including five straight since 2005. What she and the Fever seek, however, is a return shot at a WNBA title after securing their first conference championship last season. Opening Night festivities on Saturday include the unveiling of an Eastern Conference championship banner from the 2009 season. It is the first Fever banner ever to be raised at Conseco Fieldhouse. 2010 indiana fever ROSTER No Player Pos Ht Wt Birthdate College Yr 41 Tully Bevilaqua G 5-7 145 07/19/1972 Australia 11 24 Tamika Catchings F 6-1 167 07/21/1979 Tennessee '01 9 50 Jessica Davenport C 6-5 215 06/21/1985 Ohio State '07 3 23 Katie Douglas G-F 6-0 165 05/07/1979 Purdue '01 9 32 Ebony Hoffman F 6-2 215 08/27/1982 USC '04 6 20 Briann January G 5-8 144 01/11/1987 Arizona State '09 1 31 Jessica Moore C 6-3 175 07/09/1982 Connecticut '05 5 10 Jené Morris G 5-9 146 07/21/1987 San Diego State '10 R 14 Shay Murphy G 5-11 164 04/15/1985 USC '07 3 22 Allie Quigley G 5-10 140 06/20/1986 DePaul '08 2 8 Tammy Sutton-Brown C 6-4 199 01/27/1978 Rutgers '01 9 Following its first visit to the WNBA Finals and three consecutive sellout crowds during the 2009 WNBA Playoffs, the Indiana Fever is eager to pursue a sixth straight playoffs appearance and a return trip to the Finals in 2010. The Fever tips off the 2010 season by hosting the Washington Mystics on Saturday, May 15 (7:00 p.m.). Season tickets are available at FeverBasketball.com or by calling (317) 917-2500.
