Tina Charles. Photo by: Stacy Podelski/1495 Sports
New York Liberty center Tina Charles was selected as a reserve for the 2014 Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star Game, the league announced on Tuesday. The game will be played at US Airways Center on Saturday, July 19 at 3:30 p.m. and broadcast live on ESPN.
Charles will make her third appearance in the WNBA All-Star game, having been previously selected in 2011 and 2013. The 2010 WNBA MVP, Charles was also picked to play for Team USA in the “WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun” exhibition game that year. No All-Star game was played in 2010 due to the FIBA World Championships in the Czech Republic.
In her first season in New York, Charles leads the Liberty in scoring and rebounding with 17.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. She ranks sixth in the league in scoring and fifth in rebounding. Charles has also recorded eight double-doubles this season, as well as eight 20-plus point games.
Named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week on July 7, Charles guided the Liberty to back-to-back wins over Tulsa and Minnesota. She opened the week with a 28-point, 14-rebound effort against the Shock, followed by a career-high 32 points and 10 boards against the defending WNBA Champion Lynx.
Charles will be joined on the Eastern Conference All-Star roster by Liberty guard Cappie Pondexter who earned her sixth career All-Star selection and third-straight as a starter.
Reserves were chosen by the league’s 12 head coaches. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players on their own team and selected reserves by voting for six players within their own conference, including two guards, three frontcourt players, and one player regardless of position.
Eastern Conference Reserves: Western Conference Reserves:
Jessica Breland, Frontcourt (Chicago Sky) Seimone Augustus, Backcourt (Minnesota Lynx)
Tina Charles, Frontcourt (New York Liberty) Candice Dupree, Frontcourt (Phoenix Mercury)
Erika de Souza, Frontcourt (Atlanta Dream) Glory Johnson, Frontcourt (Tulsa Shock)
Katie Douglas, Backcourt (Connecticut Sun) Nneka Ogwumike, Frontcourt (Los Angeles Sparks)
Briann January, Backcourt (Indiana Fever) Danielle Robinson, Backcourt (San Antonio Stars)
Chiney Ogwumike, Frontcourt (Connecticut Sun) Lindsay Whalen, Backcourt (Minnesota Lynx)
Replacement players, who will take the roster spot of players who cannot play due to injury, will be named by WNBA President Laurel J. Richie. Any changes to the starting lineup necessitated by injury will be made by the head coach of the respective All-Star team.
The Liberty will next be in action on Wednesday as they take on the Atlanta Dream at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is set for 11:00 a.m.
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