WNBA roundup: Bevilaqua takes Fever coaching job; more training camp deals
By Mike Peden
As the buildup to the WNBA Draft grows, teams continue to shore up their personnel.
A trio of announcements were issued on Thursday. In the coaching realm, the Indiana Fever hired Tully Bevilaqua as the team’s player development coach.
“I am very honored to rejoin the Indiana Fever team again,” Bevilaqua said in a statement released by the Fever. “I am truly proud to represent this Fever organization that has been characterized by great success and professionalism.”
Bevilaqua has not held a WNBA coaching job before, but the 44-year-old native of Australia has kept a profile in Indiana since her retirement in 2012. For the last three years, she covered the Fever as a television analyst. She is also co-owner of Gym41, a business that offers fitness classes in the Indianapolis community.
Bevilaqua is also known for a few athletic achievements in her 14-year WNBA career. She won a championship in 2004 with Seattle, but she entered her prime in Indiana, playing six seasons there. A defensive stalwart, Bevilaqua still ranks 10th on the all-time steals list with 573. She finished her playing career in San Antonio.
Elsewhere, the San Antonio Stars added Sequoia Holmes and Courtney Williams (not to be confused with Connecticut’s Courtney Williams) to their training camp roster. Holmes, 30, has spent most of her professional career overseas. Her WNBA experience is brief, playing for Houston in 2008 and Phoenix in 2010.
Williams, a 6-foot-1 guard from Texas A&M, received a training camp offer from Minnesota last year, but failed to make the cut. She played for Cadi La Seu in Spain last winter. Williams ranks ninth in career scoring at Texas A&M, racking up 1,462 points.
Staying within state lines, the Dallas Wings inked Kayla Thornton to a training camp contract. Her WNBA experience is minimal, playing in just 10 games for Washington in the 2015 season.