The Atlanta Dream will welcome four highly talented players heading into the 2016 season. All four prospects can not only score the ball, however they can defend just as well. Head coach Cooper is excited about Bria Holmes, Rachel Hollivay, Courtney Walker and Niya Johnson.
A Dream come true for new 'defensive demons'
Atlanta, GA -- The Atlanta Dream hosted its 2016 WNBA Draft Party at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis to gather all family, friends, and fans to see the four women that will start their new chapter with the Dream.
The four standout athletes: Bria Holmes (No.11), Rachel Hollivay (No.13), Courtney Walker (No.16), and Niya Johnson (No.28) were finally able to breathe as their names were called out to suit up for the Atlanta Dream and join their roster.
"Defensive Demons" is how Coach Michael Cooper described these four as he promised championships to come. He said, "I feel very, very good going into the season! A lot better than I have in the past."
Holmes, the 6'1 guard from West Virginia University, has great versatility, and that's what makes her ability so hard to contain, and Coach Cooper was looking for a player like Holmes to incorporate in his program.
Holmes is ranked second with 99 double-figure scoring and ranked No.3 in Mountaineers' history for career points achieving 2,001. She's a player who is deadly on defense and will be looking to pull up for her midrange shot.
The 6'4 center from Rutgers University, Rachel Hollivay work ethic, size, and energy is what's going to benefit the Dream in the paint.
"We've (need) some toughness," said Cooper. "We worked on rebounds; we're giving up second shots, and I think Rachel Hollivay and Bria Holmes will help us in that area."
Hollivay is Rutgers all-time leader in blocked shots, and she is the first woman in her program to surpass 300 career blocks.
The 5'8 guard from Texas A&M, Courtney Walker, will be a shooting threat for the Dream. She led the SEC in scoring averaging 19.7 points per game. When making his selection, Cooper had to keep in consideration that they "needed help at the small forward spot behind Angel, a backup center that was going to be a tough, tough person, and some scoring off the bench", so Walker will be a perfect fit to the puzzle.
Finally, the Dream was looking for a point guard, and they found the 5'8 guard from Baylor, Niya Johnson. Johnson is a rebounding guard with perfect timing and patience. She is one of only five Division 1 women to record 900 assists and 500 rebounds.
With these new additions, Cooper said, "I think it is going to be an interesting season for us. I think it's going to be a season where we're going to have to grow as a team and work our way through this."
The Atlanta Dream will host their first regular season home game against the Chicago Sky on May 22nd in The Mohegan Sun Arena at 3 pm.