Mystics F Chamique Holdsclaw was featured on ABC's
"Good Morning America" this morning, as Robin Roberts
reported that her pro debut tonight "has become one of the
most eagerly-anticipated events in sports history." Roberts
says that Holdsclaw has been a "basketball sensation for
nearly a decade," but now hype around her "is reaching epic
proportions." Holdsclaw, on the heightened media interest
and demands for her time before her debut: "I've been pretty
successful. I have a huge following and people want to see
Chamique Holdsclaw, and I think I'm in a unique position, so
I feel like in my own right, I'm obligated to do this for
the game of basketball, but I enjoy it also" (ABC, 6/10).
A CORNERSTONE? The Mystics' attendance "should exceed"
20,000 at MCI Center for Holdsclaw's debut tonight (USA
TODAY, 6/10). The team has sold about 6,500 season tickets,
300 less than at the start of last season (WASHINGTON POST,
6/10). In Boston, Susan Bickelhaupt writes that Holdsclaw's
arrival "is a much-needed bright spot for women's
basketball," and fans "don't just hope Holdsclaw will bring
the magic touch. They assume it" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/9). In
N.Y., Kristie Ackert calls Holdsclaw the "most hyped college
player ever" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/10). The AP's Melissa
Murphy: "Touted as the Michael Jordan of the WNBA, Holdsclaw
is expected to be the league's crossover star" (AP, 6/6).
