May 19
* The Washington Mystics have waived Aiysha Smith and signed Zane Teilane, a
6'7" Center, an outstanding player in a small college conference, who dunks in
practice.

On May 17 The Detroit Shock waived Zane Teilane, one of their third round draft
picks. At the time, Laimbeer said: "And despite the fact that our roster is a
little thin on guards at the moment, we couldn't pass up a 6-7 center who really
impressed us with her work ethic throughout the college season and WNBA
Pre-Draft Camp." They have a lot of big post players (think Riley, Ford,
Braxton). We didn't. Now Tree Rollins has someone big to work with. For
comparison another slender, very tall European, Margot Dydek, is 7'2", Chas is
6'3" and Kia is 6'4".

Zane's nickname is Nay-Nay, because Zane is pronounced ZAH-nay, which rhymes
with her last name Tu-LAH-nay. She is a superstar in.......Latvia! A fan club of
Latvians follow her career over here.

Position: C
Born: Sep 24, 1983
Height: 6-7 / 2,01
Weight: 170 lbs. / 77,1 kg.
College : Western Illinois '06

COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS
Mid-Continent Player of the Year (2005) … Mid-Continent Defensive Player of the
Year (2005) … All-Mid Continent First Team (2005, 2004) … Mid -Continent
All-Tournament Team (2004, 2003) …

-----------------------------------------

Leslie Crane, Western Illinois University women's basketball coach

"She can post up when she needs to and she can finish around the bucket.
(Teilane) can be dynamic off the dribble too.

"I don't see her as a power player in the league at all," Crane continued.
"She's never going to have that body bulk - she's going be strong though."

----------------------------------------


TIME OUT WITH... Zane Teilane
The only player from Latvia currently in the WNBA, rookie center Zane Teilane
has been in the United States for several years now for college. In that time,
she has taken a liking to Oprah, Natalie Portman and Antonio Banderas. Yet, she
still does not know how to drive!

Birthplace/Hometown Riga, Latvia

Class Year, Major, and Degree Senior, Interdisciplinary Studies in Business and
Fashion Merchandising, Bachelors

Have you played professionally before? No

Have you ever played on a national team? If so, for what team, whe33%n and in
which tournaments? Yes, for the Latvian National Team, U-20 European
Championship, U-21 Worlds Championship in Croatia, 2003. Womens National Team -
European Championship 2005, in Turkey.

If you could play one-on-one against any player or athlete, who would it be and
why? Kobe Bryant, to see if I can defend him :)

Who has been a role model for you in basketball? My first coach Inara
Jakabsone.

When did you become interested in the game of basketball and when did you decide
you wanted to pursue it professionally? It was in grade 6, but in high school I
knew that I wanted to go play in college and then play professionally.

Do you have any superstitions or rituals? If so, what are they and how did they
come about? I always pray before the games, and listen to music.

What are your hobbies or primary interests outside of basketball? My family,
friends, music, traveling, cooking.

Who were the major non-basketball influences in your life and why? My mom, she
always encourages me to be strong and never give up. My friends and fiance, they
always support me, encourage me to do my best.

How would others describe you? At first people might think that I am very shy,
but when they know me better it is opposite. My friends also say that I am
generous, funny, good listener.

How would you describe yourself? I think I might be shy at the beginning, but I
like to make people around me happy, I always try to think positive of others
and don't judge. Accept people for who they are.

Which languages do you speak? If any other than your native language, do yo
Latvian is my native language, English, Russian, some German.

What is one surprising fact about you that many people do not know? I am
engaged. I don't know how to drive.

Of which achievement are you most proud? Coming to a different country with a
totally different language, without even knowing where I was going, and then
finishing the university in 3 and 1/2 years, and also being able to do well in
school and on the basketball court.

If you were not a basketball player, what would you be? Maybe working in some
business, or being in an organization that helps people in the world.

Do you have any pets? What type of pets and what are their names? I have a cat,
Basis. (It is a short term in Latvian of the name basketball).

What is your favorite food? My mom's

What is your favorite color? Black, blue, and green.

What is your favorite book? Bible, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

What is your favorite movie? The Notebook, Latvian movies.

What is your favorite television show? Oprah

Who is your favorite actress? Angelina Jolie

Who is your favorite actor? Gerard Depardieu, Denzel Washington, Antonio
Banderas.

Favorite song to do a karaoke number to? Queen, "We Will Rock You".

Favorite place to visit/spend time Australia, Egypt, Italy.

Do you have any post-graduate academic plans? Graduate school.

Which current WNBA player are you most looking forward to meeting and why?
Lauren Jackson, because I think she is a very active player both in defense and
offense, a good teammate, and I hope that I can learn from her on how to improve
my game.

-------------------------------

Pre-draft assessment:

Zane Teilane, center, Western Illinois
At 6-7, she has a huge upside. Not to mention the fact that she already has a
polished international style of play, with the ability to face-up and shoot from
perimeter. She also has lateral quickness, can put the ball on floor and changes
shots on the defensive end. However, like the rest of most of the players below,
she has not really played against good competition on a consistent basis, so
questions linger.

The skinny: This year's Feenstra? Like the Silver Stars center, Teilane is a
super-tall (6-7) center from a smaller conference (Mid-Continent) where she
dominated. Teilane averaged 16.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.2 blocks as a
senior, similar to Feenstra's numbers at Liberty (though Feenstra did shoot
67.1% to Teilane's 47.8%). The comparison doesn't hold up in terms of style, as
Teilane, a native of Latvia, is a more versatile player who added 3.2 assists
per game and is comfortable at the high post. Strength may be something of an
issue, and the step up in level of play is tremendous, but Teilane held her own
in yesterday's Pre-Draft Camp and has been invited to the Draft, a good sign for
her stock.

-----------------------------------------------

“I didn't know what to expect. I've seen all those players on TV and they're
stars. And when you go there and see them in person, they're like normal
people.”
Zane Teilane quote


Tony <TonyL222@...> wrote: > I'd love nothing better than for the
Mystics to land a 6'6"-6'7"
> center - and they are out there.

Well, it's looks like we found one. So long A. Smith:

http://www.wnba.com/mystics/news/Mystics_Final_Roster051906.html








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