Why the San Antonio Silver Stars of the WNBA Are on a Very Impressive Roll

With the possible exception of London-bound Becky Hammon, the San Antonio Silver Stars are the WNBA team least looking forward to the league’s quadrennial month-long, mid-season Olympic hiatus. 

Head coach Dan Hughes’s squad won its sixth consecutive game Friday evening in Washington, over the Mystics, 78-73. 

The victory was the Silver Stars’ eighth in their last nine games and the first time in three outings that they were not required to dig themselves out from a double-digit first-half deficit.

Smooth forward Sophia Young awoke from a first-half slumber to single-handedly outscore Washington in the third quarter with 13 points as San Antonio broke open a close contest. 

Veteran reserve Jia Perkins had shouldered the scoring load in the opening 20 minutes, with nine points on 4-for-7 shooting.

Defending league champion Minnesota’s fine 13-3 opening to the season has garnered significant attention, but the deep and talented Texans have quietly established themselves as an elite unit and a serious title contender.

Floor general Hammon, set to perform with Russia for the second consecutive Olympiad, orchestrates the attack for Hughes while leading the circuit in assists. Stanford’s heady Jayne Appel and stout but shifty Danielle Adams, the last center to have gotten the better of a Brittney Griner-led team, share the post.

Now healthy veteran Shamika Christon brings the prettiest-looking jump shot this side of Kevin Durant to the table on a regular basis. 

And youth is served through starting guard Danielle Robinson, known as “Red Rondo” to the San Antonio broadcast crew, and rapidly developing rookie Shenise Johnson, from Miami.

Finally, there’s Coach Hughes. 

His laid-back, down-home manner conjures images of the NFL’s Bum Phillips. But his work more befits the subject of Bum’s most famous quote. You may recall that Phillips once said of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Chuck Noll, “He can take his’n and beat your’n, or he can take your’n and beat his’n.” 

Methinks ol’ Dan is quite satisfied with his current “his’n.” Don’t be surprised if they capture him a championship ring.