Sparks news: Lynne Roberts credits unheralded player for ‘calming‘ influence

The Los Angeles Sparks shook off their Tuesday’s loss to the Las Vegas Aces with a big double-overtime road win, 108-106, against the Seattle Storm on Friday. The Sparks had four out of their five starters score 20+ points, with the lone player in single digits being point guard Julie Allemand. Although Allemand’s box score may not jump out, Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts made sure to credit her lead guard for playing an impactful role against the Storm.

“She’s been phenomenal, and her line never really highlights her impact. But nine rebounds, that’s pretty impactful for your point guard. Five assists, she’s plus-12 for the game,” Roberts said. “She’s so steady and under control and always thinking next play and what set are we in. She just has a real calming effect. And that’s her personality too.”

“She is a competitor and so while she’s very steady, she wants to win and she’s going to do what it takes,” Roberts continued. “But she’s been a key reason for us, I think we’ve won seven of our last nine, and her kind of leading the ship out there at the point guard spot is not coincidental.”

Julie Allemand made her Sparks debut this season after being sidelined all of last year due to an ankle injury. The Sparks made the decision to bring her over for this year, but her training camp debut came late as she tended to a knee injury.

By Allemand’s own admission, she was trying too hard to fit in with the group at the start of the year, and was playing more timid than what she’s capable of. Following a successful run at EuroBasket with the Belgium national team, she came back with soaring confidence and has been able to find her role on the team. In fact, it was Lynne Roberts who told Allemand that the player who was on display for Belgium is the player she needed for the Sparks.

During the team’s recent stretch where they’ve won seven of the last nine games, a stretch that goes back to before All-Star Weekend, Allemand had moved into the starting lineup as the point guard. She replaced Odyssey Sims whom the Sparks cut back in early July.

In that time period, Allemand has only had one game where she’s scored in double figures. But she’s had two games of double digits in assists. She doesn’t necessarily need the ball in her hands or plays run for her to be impactful. With plenty of players on the team who can get a bucket, Allemand fills the gaps and balances things out with her all-around play.

The Sparks will return home and try to put together another win streak with games this coming week against the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun.

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