All-Defensive Snub

Mike Thibault was asked a day later about Taj McWilliams-Franklin not being named to the WNBA’s All-Defensive Team and he still showed the same level of surprise.
Thibault, who was informed Thursday by a group of reporters of the picks, considers McWilliams-Franklin among his defenders, along with her role of being team captain. The Sun were represented by the selections of Katie Douglas to the first team for a second straight year and Margo Dydek on the second team after leading the league in blocks.
“I’m absolutely shocked because she’s the best post defensive player 1-on-1 in the league,” Thibault said of McWilliams-Franklin. “You’ve got Lisa (Leslie) and people like that, and Margo, who are shot blockers, but you’re talking about somebody who can guard somebody 1-on-1 and take them out of their rhythm.
“Especially when she made second team last year, I thought she had a chance at first team this year.”
It’ll be interesting to see if her snub inspires McWilliams-Franklin at all. A highly self-motivated player, she doesn’t tend to think too much of individual accomplishments, but did show some shyness about discussing her addition to the All-Star Game as an injury replacement.