By Ned Griffen, The Day, New London, Conn.
July 1--MOHEGAN -- Renee Montgomery didn't play well enough to be chosen to play for the U.S. women's national team at the FIBA world championships last fall. And she knew it.
"When I got cut from the team, I felt like I wasn't the guard they should've have picked," Montgomery said. "It's not like you're saying, 'Oh, man, they cheated me out of a spot.' I didn't play well enough to make the team, and that makes you go and reassess things and do things differently.
Montgomery used that experience as the impetus to elevate her game. The Connecticut Sun guard is among the WNBA leaders in scoring and has made gradual progress with her defensive game. She and Connecticut play host to the defending championship Seattle Storm tonight (7:30 p.m., Mohegan Sun Arena).
Montgomery was the league's fourth-leading scorer (18.9) and eighth in assists (4.9) prior to Thursday's games.
"I came in with a mindset that I can't keep doing what I was doing," Montgomery said. "It's a maturation process. Sometimes you've got to speed it along, and that was my thought process. It's my third year (in the WNBA). It's time."
Seattle point guard Sue Bird, a fixture on the national team, was a no-brainer to be among the 12 who'd represent the U.S. at world championships. Former Sun Lindsay Whalen was the other point guard chosen by U.S. head coach Geno Auriemma and his staff.
"You never want to be chosen for no reason," Montgomery said. "The people that earned the spots, they earned their spots."
Sun coach Mike Thibault said: "Last year was probably an eye-opener for her in that regard. I know Geno and I have both told her similar things that she needs to do."
Montgomery began working on her improvements with Israel's Maccabi Ashdod this winter and averaged a team-high 17.8 points and 3.8 assists.
"I think it was just decision-making as a whole," Montgomery said about her adjustments. "When you make better decisions, there are results in it. You get more assists. You get more points. And I think decision-making as a whole and being more aggressive. I think a lot of times I was too passive, deferring, instead of taking the wheel and go."
Thibault had a plan for Montgomery when Connecticut acquired her and the top pick in the 2010 draft from Minnesota for Whalen and the second overall pick. She's getting closer to being the player Thibault envisioned.
"I would s ay offensively, it's pretty close," Thibault said. "Her assist-to-turnover ratio is good (1.7). Her scoring is up, but her production has been more efficient.
"There's two ends to the floor, and she's a work in progress on the defensive end. She's way better now than she was a couple of weeks ago on the defensive end. I think she's figuring out that there's so many good players you have to play against each night that you can't take possessions off. That's true for our whole team, but it starts with the point guard. I think when you want to be a leader as a point guard, your teammates are looking at you at both ends of the floor. I think the offensive part has been ahead of the defensive part, but it's getting there."
Both teams are short-handed tonight. The Sun (5-3) will be without reserves Allison Hightower and DeMya Walker. Hightower has been sick and will undergo tests. Walker will be at a funeral for her grandmother in New Jersey.
Seattle (4-2) is without reigning MVP Lauren Jackson. She had surgery Thursday to repair the labrum in her left hip and is expected to miss 8-12 weeks.
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