Indiana Fever assistant Tully Bevilaqua will experience a special moment as the Fever host the Portland Fire. Bevilaqua was one of the Fire’s founding players more than 20 years ago. The 53-year-old Australian is an advance scout and video coordinator for the Fever.
Bevilaqua was a member of the Fire for all three years of their first iteration. The Fever will host the Fire on Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which will serve as a full-circle moment for Bevilaqua.
Bevilaqua’s Fond Memories of the Portland Fire
Bevilaqua has fond memories about her time with the Portland Fire. She flashed a sheepish smile and said, “Don’t worry, my mom still reminds me!” when talking about her shorter hair back then.
Portland’s first WNBA team held its inaugural campaign in 2000. In the Fire’s first victory over the Seattle Storm, Bevilaqua recorded 2 points, four assists and a game-high eight rebounds.
“The team was on a momentum (swing), uphill in terms of crowd attendances, records, that kind of thing,” Bevilaqua said of those Fire days. “So, it was a real surprise, real disappointment, when we folded. So, to have it come back, it’s like we’re getting to finish that story or not finish it, restarting it. …
The Fire’s Return and Bevilaqua’s Perspective
The Fire folded in 2002 after just three seasons. It took 24 years for them to finally return as one of two WNBA expansion teams this season, the other being the Toronto Tempo.
“They’ve got a huge following, and it just reminds me of the team from back in my day. They’re playing with the same integrity, fight. We were all like the sixth- or seventh-(best) players from rosters that have come together, and you can just see it with the way they’re playing out there. They’re playing with so much passion.” Bevilaqua said.
Despite bouncing around, her love of the Fire was never extinguished.
Upset Victory Over the Los Angeles Sparks
One moment Bevilaqua holds close is Portland’s 2000 upset of Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie and the eventual WNBA champion Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks were on a 12-game winning streak, which began with a 94-81 road win over the Fire, and were closing in on the Houston Comets’ 1998 record of 15 straight regular-season wins. In their rematch with the Sparks, the Fire shocked the WNBA world with a gritty 80-77 road victory, holding the Sparks to just 41.9 percent shooting from the field.
Bevilaqua totalled 7 points, three rebounds and two assists to hand the Sparks their third of only four regular-season losses that year.
“No one expected us to win. … We were playing them in L.A., missing players. I think we’d gone down to the beach al
Bevilaqua played for five teams across 14 WNBA seasons, winning a championship with the Storm in 2004 and spending six years with the Fever from 2005 to 2010. The team went 37-59 and failed to make the playoffs during that span.