Price is right for Sky's superstar rookie

Moving to the big city from rural Mississippi can take some getting used to.

And a lot of tissue.

Chicago Sky rookie guard Armintie Price could barely keep enough of it in stock to dry her oft-teary eyes.

"The first month I was here, I was so homesick," said Price, an all-SEC selection from Ole Miss who was the Sky's top draft pick in April's WNBA draft. "I was ready to go home. I'd go back to my apartment every day after practice and I'd just be crying and crying."

On the court, however, Price somehow managed to keep herself together a bit better than that. Much better, actually.

Cool and collected, the insanely speedy Price beat out veterans and quickly found her way into the Sky's starting lineup. She got to be so good at taking the ball to the basket, dishing off and rebounding that she ultimately became one of team's go-to players.

Now, she's the frontrunner for the WNBA's Rookie of the Year award.

The league will begin to announce its top annual awards once the regular season ends early next week.

"If you look at her numbers, man, she had a great year," Sky coach Bo Overton said of Price, whose scoring average of 7.9 points per game over 26.3 minutes per game makes her the most efficient rookie in the league per 40 minutes. "She could score. She did a great job of rebounding the ball. Her assist-to-turnover ratio was really good and she played a lot of minutes for a team that was in the hunt for a playoff spot.

"I know there were a couple of other rookies that had good seasons, but Armintie really stood out. I think she's going to be right there."

And so do most WNBA analysts, who pick Price to beat out Minnesota Lynx guard Lindsey Harding, Los Angeles Sparks guards Marta Fernandez and Sidney Spencer and New York Liberty center Jessica Davenport.

"There's been a lot of talk, but I don't want to get my hopes up too high," Price said on Friday morning while she waited with her teammates in the Houston airport for a flight to New York, where the Sky will play its season finale Sunday against the Liberty. "I'll just wait and see. I've already had a lot of fun and so much has already come true for me."

Price never expected to be a starter this season, let alone from the get-go. But she attributes her seamless transition from college to the pros to the hard work she put in with her head coach at Mississippi, Carol Ross, before she arrived in Chicago.

"We worked hard on my confidence, on my strength, on my game," Price said. "But I was still nervous when I got here. I was a rookie. Everybody was watching to see if I was going to fall, if I was going to break. But I knew that if I just kept playing hard and hustling, I'd be OK."

Price's season wound up being more than OK.

Not only was she the most efficient rookie in the WNBA this year, she also ranked among its leaders in rebounds (6.1 rpg, 16th in the league) and assists (3 apg, 18th).

"Armintie is really known for her incredible speed. I mean, when we watched her in college, she was just blowing by people, just thrashing them," Overton said. "I think there was talk (before the draft) that she couldn't shoot or pass or dribble -- like being fast was her only thing.

"With athletes who are so good at one thing like that, it's hard to see all the other things they can do. But Armintie's proven that she can do everything. Her ceiling is so high, I don't think she even knows how good she can be."

My vote: I will fall into line with everyone else and vote for Price for rookie of the year.

The only WNBA postseason award vote that's probably more of a no-brainer is for most valuable player.

That's got to go to Seattle's Lauren Jackson, who leads the league in scoring (23.6 ppg) and rebounding (11.6 rpg). The Australian-born forward also ranks tops in the WNBA in blocks (2.03 bpg), which makes her a frontrunner for defensive player of the year as well.

Former Stevenson star Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever presents a good case, leading the league with 3.14 steals per game. But she missed the last 13 games of the season with a foot injury.

The Fever hopes to have her back for the playoffs.

Eye-catching: How amazing is Sky forward Chasity Melvin?

Within an hour or so of having her left eyeball literally popped out its socket during Tuesday's home game against the New York Liberty, she was in the press area reliving the whole thing with a smile.

Even more amazing was the conversation she said she had en route to the hospital.

"I was just praying to God," Melvin told reporters. "I was like, 'Thank you, God, for my right eye. At least I still got my right eye.' "

Almost as an afterthought, the grateful Melvin says she added, "But please, if you can, help me with this left eye."

Melvin's prayers were answered. Her eye popped back into place by itself before she arrived at the hospital and doctors believe she will make a full recovery.

She is traveling with the Sky to New York for its season finale but will not play even though she technically has been cleared.