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SEPT. 3, 1997
(Elje $]ortlanh (0hseruer
S O
Houston Comets WNBA Most Valuable Player
ment with me,” Cooper said. “So the
he WNBA’s successful first
fact that I won two MVP awards, the
season ended with the coro­
All-WNBA First Team and win the
nation of its first great player.
championship in the inaugural sea­
Cynthia Cooper completed an
son has been a dream come true. I
MVP double, scoring 25 points Sat­
cannot have imagined that we would
urday as the Houston Comets cap­
have been so successful and it would
tured the fledgling league’s first
be such a special moment for me and
championship with a 65-51 victory
my mom."
over the New York Liberty.
During the season, the Comets
Earlier this week. Cooper was
lost three of their first seven games to
named Most Valuable Player after
the Liberty, including a pair at home.
leading the league in scoring. To­
But they came on strong down the
day, she earned MVP honors in the
stretch and won the Eastern Confer­
championshipgame, establishing her­
ence with an 18-10 record. Houston
self as the best player in the WNBA.
routed Charlotte in the semifinals.
“This is what it’s all about,” said
"When we lost those three games
Cooper, who scored 14 points in the
to New York, we went back to the
pivotal second half. “This is the
drawing board, we defined roles,
payoff, all of the hard work, the sac­
rifices that we made all summer. If 1 Cooper said. “We stayed focused on
our goals — make the playoffs, win
could be MVP it was because of the
the Eastern Conference champion­
supporting cast I had.”
ship and then the eventual WNBA
Cooper got some help from Tina
championship. We are not the same
Thompson, who scored 18 points
team that New York beat at the be­
and helped hold New York forward
ginning of the season. We have
Rebecca Lobo to nine on 3-of-8
matured and jelled together and that
shooting. The Comets had their best
showed out there on the court."
defensive game of the year while
A 10-0 run early in the second
holding the Liberty to their second-
half,
during which the Comets held
lowest output.
the
Liberty
scoreless for nearly 6 1/2
It was a crowning moment for
minutes,
broke
open a close game.
Cooper, who added a WNBA title to
Thompson
had
the
final four points
her NCAA championship and Olym­
in
the
burst,
which
gave Houston a
p ic gold medal. She spent more than
40-28
lead
with
13:36
remaining.
10 years playing overseas and has
Lobo’s
two
free
throws
made it
spent the entire season helping her
50-43
with
3:05
remaining,
butJaneth
mother battle breast cancer.
Arcainmadea 10-footer and Cooper
“I have been tucked away in Eu­
sank two foul shots, rebuilding the
rope for 11 years and my mom hasn ’ t
advantage to 11 points with 2:16 left.
been able to share any special mo­
T
Cooper made her final eight free
throws.
Tammy Jackson had 11 rebounds
for the Comets, who turned Houston
into “Clutch City" again. The city
adopted that nickname during the
two-year championship reign of the
NBA’s Houston Rockets.
"When I moved to Houston, Texas,
I never spent a day that I didn t dream
about winning the WNBA champi­
onship and about how nice it would
be,” Comets coach Van Chancellor
said. “After getting here, it’s sweeter
than I’d ever dreamed it would be
from a personal point of view. I’mso
proud for our players.”
Kym Hampton had 13 points and
13 rebounds and Vickie Johnson
added 12 points for the Liberty, who
finished 18-12. They made the play­
offs despite losing seven of their last
nine games, then regrouped to win
their semifinal at Phoenix.
“It’s painful,” Liberty guard
Teresa Weatherspoon said. “It’s a
very painful loss for us, but at the
same time, we really have to be posi­
tive about a lot of things that we’ve
done that were so successful, not
only for the Liberty organization but
for the WNBA itself.
Financed by NBA money and
marketed through former college
stars and 1996 Olympians Lobo,
Sheryl Swoopes and Lisa Leslie, the
WNBA exceeded expectations in
both attendance and television rat­
ings. The title game drew a sellout
crowd of 16,285 to The Summit.
Cot-quick Swoopes graces new Nike shoe
signature shoe, the first named for a
heryl Swoopes has been de
woman, was released in October
scribed as a cat-quick player,
panther-like in her ability to lie 1995.)
in
The Nike Air Swoopes Zoom is
wait, then attack with devastating
fast and low, like a panther making a
quickness.
sudden attack. Zoom Aircushioning
Her third signature shoe, the Air
in both heel and forefoot acts like the
Swoopes Zoom, is designed for
pads on the panther’s paw, protect­
Swoopes and players like her who
ing the foot. And to keep cool when
are quick and aggressive. (Her first
S
the action gets hot, designer Aaron
Cooper cut away chunks of the up­
per.
Attacking on the court also takes
optimal movement and the Air
Swoopes Zoom offers just that.
Now that Sheryl’s back on the
court with the Houston Comets after
having son Jordan in June.
Cynthia Cooper
p ¡versify
Call (503) 288-0033 To Advertise In
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Interested? Then
Help your community while helping yourself
he Communty Lead Education and Reduction Cams (CLEARCorpP) is new to
Portland. It is an AmeriCorps National Service Network program working to reduce
childhood lead poisoning in low to moderate income housing. Tearns of CLEARCorps
members will be trained to educate the community on lead risk reduction, while
repairing, cleaning, and painting homes to reduce lead dust levels.
T
W e are looking for people who are 17 or older and
♦
enjoy a challenge;
♦
can work as a part of a team; and
♦
want to get things done in the community.
Our first class of corps members will serve September through August 1998.
In return for 11 months of service, Corpsmembers receive a stipend of $9,175. health
care insurance, child care allowance, and an educational award of $4,725 upon
Y d l can help b le n d in g your coynouuuu
mv
Memorial Scholarship Fund in care of Bank of America.
Your support will be truly appreciated.
Call your local Bank of America for more information.
ÍEíjattk you.
service completion.
To be eligible for the 1997-98 service year, applications are due by September 10,
1997. For more information, orto request an application, call us at Portland CLEARCorps
248-5240. Applications may also be picked up at Multnomah County s Northeast
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flo rtla n h (Bbaeruer
Office, 4747 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.