Storm's Svetlana Abrosimova dives back into basketball - Jun 17, 2010 (by Eurobasket News)
There was a time when Svetlana Abrosimova (6'1''-F-80, college: Connecticut) had to leave it all behind. The feel of the basketball no longer excited her. The roar from fans no longer warmed her. And, worst of all, the wins with her Russian national team and the WNBA's Connecticut Sun felt empty.
'This is my passion and when I feel like I'm a little tired of it, I'm not going to force myself to do it,' said Abrosimova, a Storm reserve. 'When I felt like it was just a job, I was like, 'It's time to stop.' I was on a good team, we were winning and I still didn't get the joy out of it because it was too much emotions and I was getting empty inside.'
Playing just six WNBA games in 2008 because of the Olympics and her own disinterest, Abrosimova took the 2009 summer off. She visited family and dove into another passion, deep-sea scuba diving.
If you think Abrosimova is a risk-taker on the basketball court, you should see her far beneath the Red Sea or off the coast of Spain. For the past 10 years she's studied historical ruins in preparation for dives.
The interest originated with her father, who helped build submarines while raising his family in St. Petersburg, Russia. Abrosimova, 29, likes exploring wrecked battleships and underwater caves.
Her dream is to dive in Australia, watching sharks mate.
'Nothing surprises me about Svetlana,' Storm coach Brian Agler said. 'She's a worldly kind of person.'
Her hobby requires trust in her diving partner and an ability to keep her wits.
'She's not afraid to try anything,' said Storm forward Swin Cash, Abrosimova's college teammate at Connecticut. 'She always right on that edge. Sometimes she's over it, but you need a risk-taker sometimes because she's always making that play.'
Mentally refreshed after her summer off, Abrosimova played in Russia and started thinking about returning to the WNBA. Agler jokes that she recruited the Storm, which did not really have a spot available with reserves Suzy Batkovic-Brown, Janell Burse and Katie Gearlds expected to return.
But those players backed out, opening space for Agler to sign forwards Le'coe Willingham, Jana Vesela and Abrosimova.
Abrosimova and Willingham have a combined 16 years of WNBA experience, and Vesela has played professionally in Europe since 2001.
The Storm (9-1), which plays at Indiana (6-4) Thursday, has won its past five games by an average of 19 points. The margin, often built before halftime, has allowed Agler to play the trio of veteran reserves liberally. And they haven't disappointed, Abrosimova averaging 22.4 minutes and 8.2 points during the past five games, and Willingham averaging 12.8 minutes and shooting 52.6 percent. Vesela is shooting 75 percent in 9.8 minutes.
'You talk about bench players, and the first two (for Seattle) are starters in this league,' said Storm guard Sue Bird, who also played with Abrosimova at UConn. 'To have that kind of lift is huge for us, and you can see a difference in the way our team plays and the energy that they bring.'
An energy that Abrosimova rediscovered while diving deep below the surface.
'This is exciting, again,' she said.
Courtesy of www.seattletimes.com
