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Message: [QUOTE="Carnac, post: 2827153, member: 5798"] [B]Anyone wondering why the Sparks continue to employ Beard, here's the reason: NEW YORK, [/B]Aug. 30, 2018 – Los Angeles Sparks guard/forward [URL='http://www.wnba.com/player/alana-beard/']Alana Beard[/URL] has been named the 2018 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, the WNBA announced today. [B]Beard earned the honor for the second consecutive season,[/B] becoming the fifth player in league history to win the award in back-to-back seasons. Beard received 16 votes from a national panel of 39 sportswriters and broadcasters. Three-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Sylvia Fowles of the Minnesota Lynx finished second with nine votes. Tiffany Hayes of the Atlanta Dream finished third with four votes, while Jessica Breland of Atlanta and two-time Defensive Player of the Year Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury finished tied for fourth with two votes apiece. [IMG]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ8e7g122Vl6Mlq0_Izgpyfun4yB2agAFVmhROlpn_V64fzIUqU[/IMG] [I]"I don't know if it's because I'm hard on myself, or because of the way the season played out," Beard said. "But I was shocked when I received the honor. At the same time, I'm really grateful for it. Because it's amazing for this to be happening, back-to-back, so late in my career."[/I] [I]"I hang my hat on the things I know I can do. I know I can out-work anyone," [/I]Beard said.[I] "I put my head down and keep pushing no matter what. Nothing will stop me from doing my job. "As a defender, we're dealing with an increased skill level from offensive players. And with rule changes like defensive three seconds. But I have to give credit to [coach] Brian Agler and my teammates, because we implement a system. And if we stick with it, we're a pretty darn good defensive group."[/I] Beard received nine of a possible 11 All-Defensive First Team votes from a panel of the league’s head coaches. She earned her fifth WNBA All-Defensive First Team selection and ninth All-Defensive nod overall (including four Second Team honors). Beard (48 points) is joined on the [B]WNBA All-Defensive First Team[/B] by Phoenix Mercury center [B]Brittney[/B] [B]Griner[/B] (41), Connecticut Sun guard [B]Jasmine Thomas[/B] (41), Seattle Storm forward [B]Natasha Howard[/B] (37) and Atlanta Dream forward [B]Jessica Breland[/B] (34). [B]The WNBA All-Defensive Second Team [/B]consists of Minnesota Lynx center [B]Sylvia Fowles[/B] (32 points), Dream guard [B]Tiffany Hayes[/B] (32), Lynx forward [B]Rebekkah Brunson[/B] (23), Sparks forward [B]Nneka Ogwumike[/B] (22) and Washington Mystics rookie guard [B]Ariel Atkins[/B] (19). [URL='http://www.wnba.com/news/sparks-alana-beard-named-2018-defensive-player-of-the-year/'][Story][/URL] [/QUOTE]

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