Sky's Canty drop-kicks talk of retirement - for now

Memo to any stray basketballs around the popular Mexican resort town of Cabo San Lucas: Dominique Canty is coming your way.

And the Chicago Sky point guard won't be happy to see you.

"I'm not thinking about a basketball when I'm there," Canty said, beginning to laugh. "If I see one, I might kick it in the ocean."

Canty loves basketball.

Really, she does.

Her aversion to it happens only when she goes on a long overdue vacation, as she will take soon after eight straight months of playing basketball.

She'll want fun, sun and relaxing- and nothing to do with basketball.

Normally, though, she can't get enough of the game.

The Chicago native and former Whitney Young star is a gym rat even at age 33, which is practically senior citizen status in the WNBA.

A team captain, Canty is the Sky's most veteran veteran, and she says the last thing she's doing is slowing down.

"I like to compete and I really love playing," said Canty, who began training camp with the Sky in May, just days after the end of an overseas season that started in January. "I still have a lot in me."

Her play this season, her 12th, reflects that. Heading into Friday's final home game, Canty had recorded career bests in points (9.1 ppg), assists (3.2 apg), field goal percentage (43 percent) and minutes (26 mpg).

Earlier this season she became just the ninth woman in WNBA history to record 2,500 points, 900 rebounds and 900 assists.

The others in that club? Elite players such as Diana Taurasi, Tamika Catchings, Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Katie Smith and Becky Hammon. Not bad company.

"I've improved year by year," Canty said. "This year, I took more of an aggressive role and tried to put the team on my back a little more."

Sometimes the load was heavy. Too heavy.

Despite Canty's efforts, a blockbuster season out of all-star center Sylvia Fowles and all kinds of exciting moments from rookie guard Epiphanny Prince, the Sky failed to make the playoffs again.

That means the Sky has yet to make the playoffs in its five years of existence, four years with Canty on the roster.

"It's a big disappointment," Canty said. "And you just get tired of saying it."

Canty says the playoff misses get harder to take.

Retirement isn't in her vocabulary yet. She's signed through next season, but she knows she's on the back end of her career.

"I want to make the playoffs more than ever," Canty said. "I want to chase that championship, at least make it to the championship, to get that feeling of what it's like.

"You don't know how many more years you have left. I mean, nobody knows that. But especially if you're toward the end of your career, you don't know and you have a sense of urgency about everything."

For Canty, that includes the way she treats her body. She's made health and fitness a huge priority as she tries to extend her career.

"As you get older, that body changes," Canty said with a laugh. "So I've changed some things up."

Canty says she has improved her diet, spends a lot of time icing in the training room to help her sore muscles and joints recuperate and has even tried acupuncture. She also makes extra trips to the weight room to make sure she maintains her strength.

"When I was younger, I got out of practice and I was gone. I wasn't doing all that extra stuff," Canty said. "But I can't do that anymore. I know I've got to maintain my body. Everything I've done has helped so much. I've felt great this year."

Canty knows the time is coming when she won't feel so great, no matter what she does. She dreads that time, but she doesn't dwell on it.

"I'll listen to my body. If it says, 'It's time,' then I'll quit," Canty said. "But I figure if I can continue to keep up with the youngins, then I'm OK."

Sky coach Steven Key says as good as Canty has been, she may get passed up next season by Prince, her protégé.

"Maybe Dominique goes from being a starter to coming off the bench for us next year, not playing quite as many minutes," Key said. "I mean, that would be pretty good having a player like her come off the bench for you."

Maybe so, but Canty's not buying into the idea just yet.

"When I get back here, I'll be fighting (for her usual starting spot)," Canty said firmly. "I don't care what they say. I'm not backing down from anybody. I'm not giving up that easy."

pbabcock@dailyherald.com