Tag: WNBA

WNBA Rookie Report: Mid season updates of Satou Sabally, Crystal Dangerfield, Julie Allemand and more. Weeks 2-4.

Crystal Dangerfield, Minnesota Lynx rookie
~ Aneela Khan ~ Leave a comment

The WNBA has now passed the mid season and it is now time to update on all of the rookies that have played and to give an update from their first week as a rookie. Some rookies have shined, others got injured, some did not get enough playing time, etc. We have it all covered for you from the WNBA Rookie Report committee members Teylor Haines, Blake O’Tain and myself (Aneela Khan). The rookies are reported on by their draft order.

Sabrina Ionescu

Sabrina Ionescu suffered an ankle injury and left the WNBA bubble a couple of weeks ago. She is officially considered out for the rest of the season which puts a sour note on her rookie year. – Aneela

Satou Sabally

Satou Sabally has shined for Dallas at the mid season point. She has played almost about 27 minutes per game and has averaged 12.3 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game and the most impressive stat is her 2.3 assists per game. Satou Sabally has only played in 11 out of 15 Dallas Wings games but she has been super productive in the games she has played. She also has 3 double doubles on the season so far. She still is one of the leading candidates for Rookie of the Year – Aneela

Lauren Cox

Cox has now played in 10 games for the Fever. She is still adjusting to the quicker play in the WNBA. She’s averaging 3.4 points per game, and 3.7 rebounds per game (3rd among rookies). Cox is still adjusting but has shown some bright spots so far. – Blake

Chennedy Carter

Chennedy Carter was the youngest player to score 30+ points in a game, a loss to Seattle. Carter was the clear front runner to win ROY prior to her ankle injury on August 10, but has been sidelined since. Carter’s explosiveness and playmaking ability being void from Atlanta’s offense has made them appear stagnant. She’s expected to return within this week. – Teylor

Bella Alarie

Alarie has appeared in 15 games averaging 2.3 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game. Bella is also averaging 1.1 blocks per game, 2nd among rookies. Alarie has still been unable to drain a 3 in the WNBA. She has continued to develop and provide some key minutes for Dallas. – Blake

Mikiah Herbert-Harrigan

Mikiah Herbert-Harrigan is a shooter. In the limited minutes that she touches the floor that has been the overall consensus. “Kiki McBuckets” as Napheesa Collier has recently coined her is shooting over 46 percent from behind the arc. The most impressive part is that Herbert-Harrigan has an ability to take you off the dribble and handle it well enough to what ever shot she likes. – Teylor

Tyasha Harris

Ty Harris has been one of more steady rookies even with the minutes distribution within the Wings rotation not always favoring her. The recent news of Jefferson being sidelined for the rest of the season allows for Ty to run the show for that second unit. Her vision on dribble drive sets with the intent to kick it out has fit perfectly with Mabrey and Ogunbowale’s gameplay. Harris is averaging 7 points per game and nearly 3 assists. –Teylor

Ruthy Hebard

Ruthy Hebard has found playing time in a loaded, but banged up Chicago front court averaging 14 minutes in the last five outings even snagging a start versus Atlanta. Hebard’s movement without the ball and her knack for grabbing offensive boards has been put on full display. Ruthy’s effectiveness in her short minutes on the court has make Coach Wade feel as though she’s a viable option to make plays down the stretch. Hebard is averaging 4.3 points per game along with 3.2 rebounds per game. – Teylor

Megan Walker

Walker has appeared in 12 games for the Liberty. She’s averaging  3.7 points and 1.3 boards per game. She has really struggled from the 3 point line, only 13% from 3. Walker is still a year behind all the other rookies, so look for her to come on at the end of this season, or next season. – Blake

Jocelyn Willoughby

 Is averaging 5.1 points, and 1.9 rebounds per game. Willoughby is shooting 40% from 3. Willoughby has been making very strong contributions on this very young Liberty team. – Blake

Jazmine Jones

Jones is a rookie that has really found her rhythm this season. She’s averaging 10.5 points per game, ranked 4th among rookies. Averaging 3.4 rebounds which also ranks 4th among rookies. 1.3 steals per game, 2nd among rookies. Jones has really picked up for the Liberty since Ionescu went down with an ankle injury. – Blake

Kylee Shook

Kylee Shook is surprisingly doing more on the offensive end of the ball than what she was known for, but necessarily at an efficient rate. Her mid-range game is for sure the most developed part of her game. Shook has to get better at defending in the post or she becomes liability defensively for New York when their vets rest. – Teylor

Kathleen Doyle

Doyle has played in 10 games so far. She has 1.6 points per game, on 25% from the field, and 28% from 3. It’s been a rough go for Doyle so far. In this shortened season it makes it a lot tougher for rookie, kind of thrown into the fire with no preseason. – Blake

Leaonna Odom

Leaonna Odom has played in all 14 New York Liberty games so far and she is averaging about 5.3 points per game, 2.4 rebounds per game in around 22 minutes per game. She has also been a starter for 9 games (out of 14 games played so far). She has looked good some games, not so great in others and is still feeling her way through her rookie season.-Aneela

Crystal Dangerfield

Crystal Dangerfield has excelled as a point guard for Minnesota at the halfway point. She is currently one of the top leading candidates for Rookie of the Year after some injuries to the top rookies. She has played in all 13 Lynx games and has been a starter for 11 of them. She is currently averaging 14.6 points per game and 3.2 assists per game in just under 29 minutes per game. She had a career high 29 points and 4 assists in a loss recently against the Los Angeles Sparks, a top 3 team. She just gets better and better every game. -Aneela

Brittany Brewer

Brittany Brewer has not gotten minutes for the Atlanta Dream, even as the Dream sit in 11th place out of 12th right now. She has not been able to make an impact as she has only played in 4 games so far. – Aneela

Te’a Cooper

Te’a Cooper does a lot of things that don’t always show up on the stat sheet and I believe that will either keep her on L.A.’s roster next season or she’ll get picked up elsewhere. Cooper has not scored much as of late, but her entry passes and ability to run point to rest Gray has been vital for the contending team. However, Te’a does have to improve her finishing at the basket and not just aim for creating contact. On the defensive side of the ball, Cooper continues to make life hard for opposing guards with her tenacious defense. -Teylor

Joyner Holmes

Holmes has played in 12 games, and averaged 2.7 points per game, and 2.1 rebounds per game. She is only shooting 7% from 3. I think Holmes is going to have to get that 3 pointer to go down to see more playing time. In this new Walt Hopkins system, shooting lots of 3s. -Blake

Beatrice Mompremier

Beatrice Mompremier has gotten limited playing time for the Connecticut Sun as the Sun have turned their season around after they got off to a bad start and has had some good, not so great games when she has more playing time. She’s still finding her way in the WNBA and still needs time to adjust to the WNBA. – Aneela

Kaila Charles

Charles has played in 13 games. She’s averaging 3.5 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. She’s now shooting 42% from the field, and 33% from 3. These shooting percentages are a huge improvement since our last rookie reports. She’s definitely developing into a good option off the bench for Connecticut. – Blake

Jaylyn Agnew

Jaylyn Agnew hasn’t seen much time on the court despite Atlanta being down a guard, specifically not playing at all in the last two games. Agnew is averaging nearly 7 minutes of playing time in her 10 games played. – Teylor

Stella Johnson

Stella Johnson was cut by the Chicago Sky and was quickly picked up by Washington. Johnson went from playing less than two minutes a game through eight games to starting for the Mystics in just two. Stella marked career-highs in points(25), minutes played (31), and field goals made (8) versus Atlanta. With this young Mystics team that doesn’t have a legit number one option, look for the Rider grad to make some more noise in her rookie campaign. – Teylor

Ezi Magbegor

Ezi Magbegor has played in all 15 Seattle Storm games and has looked good in her limited minutes of play. She is currently averaging 6.3 points per game and 2.5 rebounds per game in only 13 minutes per game. She is one of the future stars for the Seattle Storm and is getting better every game. – Aneela

Julie Allemand

Allemand has had an excellent rookie campaign so far. She’s averaging 5.5 assists per game which is the most by a rookie, and second in the league. Julie is shooting 48.2% from 3 which is 4th best in the WNBA. She is getting 1.5 steals per game which is first among rookies. Allemand is averaging 8.4 points per game which ranks 5th among rookies. Julie should definitely be in the rookie of the year conversation. -Blake

WNBA Rookie Report: WNBA Debuts of Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally, Chennedy Carter, Tyasha Harris and more. Week 1.

Chennedy Carter, Satou Sabally, Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings, WNBA
~ Aneela Khan ~ Leave a comment

Week 1 of the shortened WNBA season has come to a close and WNBA rookies have finally played a WNBA game. Some rookies had a great first week, other rookies struggled, some did not get enough playing time and some rookies got injured. We have it all covered for you from our WNBA Rookie Report comittee members Teylor Hines, Blake O’Tain and myself (Aneela Khan). The rookies are put together by their respective draft order.

Sabrina Ionescu

As one of the most anticipated WNBA rookie debuts in WNBA history, Sabrina Ionescu’s first game was against one of the top WNBA teams in the Seattle Storm. She struggled from the field and was 0-8 from three. She finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Four days later, she turned it around against the Dallas Wings, another young team in the WNBA. She had 33 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. She shot 55% from the field and 60% from three. Two days later, she suffered an ankle injury and was out the rest of the game. She had 10 points in 12 minutes before the injury. Ionescu’s injury will keep her out for a month, maybe longer and so unfortunately there will be no more rookie updates of Sabrina Ionescu for a while. – Aneela

Satou Sabally

As one of the most versatile players in this draft, Satou Sabally’s WNBA rookie debut was also much anticipated. Her first game was against the Atlanta Dream in which she fouled out but had 11 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Her second game was against New York and fellow rookie and Oregon team mate in Sabrina Ionescu. Sabally struggled in the game and finished with 12 points and 4 rebounds. In Sabally’s third game of the season against the Indiana Fever, she showed her versatility and promise as she had a big game and scored 23 points and had 17(!) rebounds. In her final game of the week, she struggled and ended up with 10 points and 6 rebounds. Satou Sabally still has so much upside and will continue to get better as she gets used to the WNBA. She is now one of the leading candidates for Rookie of the Year. – Aneela

Lauren Cox

Cox has still not made her WNBA Debut and still remains in COVID protocol. -Blake

Chennedy Carter

Chennedy Carter is just as great as advertised. Her handles are great and she can create her own shot whenever she pleases. The most surprising, but, also positive observation of Carter’s game has been her willingness to distribute. We often discuss Chennedy’s focus on scoring the ball, but she has shown in spurts of games that she can shift her mindset. However, it’ll be in the Dream and Carter’s best interest if she starts to cut down on the turnovers. Most of her turnovers come from trying to do too much and not letting the game flow, but those errors can be fixed. Carter wrapped up the first week of play averaging 15.3 points per game along with 4 assists. -Teylor

Bella Alarie

Bella has had a slower start in the WNBA than I expected, only putting up 3 points per game. She is definitely still adjusting to this new level of competition in the WNBA. In her 12.5 minutes per game, she is averaging 1 block, which is 3rd best among rookies. -Teylor

Mikiah Herbert Harrigan

Mikiah Herbert-Harrigan started the season not playing in the Lynx’s opener, but unfortunate injuries opened the door for playing time. In the last three games, she’s averaging nearly 13 minutes on the floor. Herbert-Harrigan has yet to find her touch offensively and that could be due to adjusting to playing heavily on the perimeter. As the season progresses, the hope is that those open shots will start to fall. On the contrast, her defensive presence has been impressive. Herbert-Harrigan’s active hands and ability to be an effective defender without fouling, specifically, in the Chicago game makes her a viable asset to the Lynx’s rotation. -Teylor

Tyasha Harris

Ty Harris has the makings of an All-Rookie team candidate. Harris has showed a little bit of everything that she’s capable of since her debut. Noticeably, she’s great with change of pace and has displayed amazing court vision early on. Harris wrapped up the first week of play averaging 7.5 points per game and 4 assists on nearly 48 percent shooting from the field. Harris’ assist-to-turnover ratio sits at 4:1 to start the season. -Teylor

Ruthy Hebard

Ruthy Hebard’s playing time has been limited due to the depth of Chicago’s front court. However, with Dolson foot injury it has allowed Hebard to come off the bench and make a difference specifically with rebounding. Most notably, in her eight minutes of play against Washington she pulled down six rebounds. With making that kind of impact in such a short amount of time, Hebard’s confidence and growth going forward for the Sky could be major. -Teylor

Megan Walker

Megan has played in 3 games for the Liberty, after passing COVID protocol. She has struggled to begin her career, she’s only shooting 18% from the field, and 0-11 from 3. Megan has scored 2 points in each of the Liberty’s 3 games. Walker was a junior who declared for the draft early, so she is younger but having a very slow start to her career to say the least. -Blake

Jocelyn Willoughby

Willoughby has made meaningful contributions for the Liberty early in this season. She’s averaging 7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, and is shooting 55 percent from 3! Willoughby has been strong defensively too, against Atlanta she had 3 steals and 2 blocks. She has definitely put of some strong stat lines for a WNBA rookie. -Blake

Jazmine Jones

Jones has played in 3 of New York’s games. She had an outstanding performance against the Atlanta Dream. Jones scored 20 points in that game, along with 2 steals and 2 blocks. Jazmine is averaging 10.3 points per game, which is 4th among rookies. Jones has also been a good rebounder averaging 3 rebounds per game, which is 5th among rookies. -Blake

Kylee Shook

Kylee Shook got off to a rough start in her first two games, but averaged 8 points and 4.5 boards in her last two. With such a young team, Shook will get a solid amount of playing time to perfect pick and pops with Clarendon running point. The main question for Shook is if she’ll be able to adapt to the physicality of the league and make a difference on the defensive of the ball like she did in college. -Teylor

Kathleen Doyle

Doyle suffered an ankle injury in practice which delayed her WNBA debut. She did make her debut against Atlanta on Sunday. She played 7 minutes 0-1 from the field, with one assist, and one turnover. Not a lot of time on the court yet for Kathleen, after her delayed debut. -Blake

Leaonna Odom

Leaonna Odom played in all four New York Liberty games in her first week as a rookie. She played the most minutes in New York’s first game and scored 9 points and had 3 rebounds. She was held scoreless in the Liberty’s second game but had 4 rebounds. In the third game, Odom scored 3 points and had 2 rebounds. In the final game of the week, Odom scored 4 points and had 1 rebound. She has shown flashes of what she can do as rookie but still has a long way to go. – Aneela

Crystal Dangerfield

Crystal Dangerfield excelled in the point guard role for Minnesota in her first week as a rookie. She had 10 points and 2 rebounds in her first game but was held scoreless in her second game. Due to injuries, Crystal Dangerfield played heavy minutes in the final two games of the week for the Minnesota Lynx and had 9 and 17 points respectively. She has played well in starters minutes, so we will see if it will be kept that way for the rest of the season. – Aneela

Brittany Brewer

Brittany Brewer has not gotten much playing time so far in the WNBA and has only seen action in 2 games for the Atlanta Dream this week. She played just 17 minutes against the Dream and had 2 points, 2 steals and 4 blocks. She just played only 3 minutes versus Indiana and was held scoreless across the board. – Aneela

Te’a Cooper

Te’a Cooper exudes the energy that the Sparks often need from their second unit along with Sykes. Her ability to execute on the pick-and-roll with both Ogwumike and Parker will keep her on the floor. The best part of Cooper’s game thus far has been her defensive prowess with how she picks players up mid-court and causes havoc. It doesn’t always result in steals or blocks, but the disruptions make a difference. It’ll be big for the Sparks if she can knock down 3-pointers consistently going forward. Through the first week of play, Cooper averaged 7.3 points per game on 47 percent shooting. -Teylor

Joyner Holmes

Holmes has played in all 4 of New York’s games so far. She’s averaging 3.5 points per game, and 2.8 rebounds per game. She is yet to hit a 3 pointer (0-7 on three point attempt). Joyner did have an excellent game against the Dallas Wings. She scored 7 points, her career high, along with 4 rebounds. -Blake

Beatrice Mompremier

Beatrice Mompremier only got limited time and played in only 3 games out of 4 for the Connecticut Sun. The most playing time she got was on July 26th against Minnesota in which she scored 2 points and had 3 rebounds in 9 minutes. – Aneela

Kaila Charles

Kaila has played in 3 of the Sun’s games, she is averaging 5.3 minutes per game. She hasn’t made a field goal yet in her WNBA career (0-3 on field goal attempts). We will see if Charles can develop a little bit more, and if the Sun utilizes her more within these next couple of games. – Blake

Jaylyn Agnew

Agnew has seen limited minutes thus far for Atlanta. In that time, the former Creighton star hasn’t been able to find a groove with her 3-point shot until their most recent game sinking both of her attempts. – Teylor

Stella Johnson

Stella Johnson has seen the court for a total of  one minute and it came in the Sky’s decisive 96-78 victory over the Sparks. There wasn’t much to dissect at that point, but hopefully Johnson can receive minutes before the team’s backup point guard arrives. -Teylor

Ezi Magbegor

Ezi Magbegor got off to a great start in her first week as a rookie. She was a terrific finisher and a great defensive presence for the Seattle Storm. She only averaged about 14 minutes per game in the four games she played but she made the most out of her minutes scoring 7.8 points per game and 2.8 rebounds per game. – Aneela

Megan Huff

Megan Huff has only played in 2 games out of 4 for the Minnesota Lynx in her first week as a rookie and has only played 3 minutes so far. – Aneela

WNBA ROOKIE REPORT: Previewing Sunday’s WNBA rookie debuts of Chennedy Carter, Satou Sabally, Bella Alarie and more.

Atlanta Dream rookies Chennedy Carter, Jaylyn Agnew and Brittany Brewer.
~ Aneela Khan ~ Leave a comment

The WNBA season tipped off and half of the league played in the WNBA season opening games. The other half of the league tip off today and with that, comes the exciting debuts of Satou Sabally, Chennedy Carter, Bella Alarie and more. We continue with our rookie previews written by Blake O’Tain, Teylor Hines and myself (Aneela Khan).

We start with the 12 pm match up between the Connecticut Sun and the Minnesota Lynx. In this match up, there are 5 rookies featured, 2 from the Sun and 3 from the Lynx.

CONNECTICUT SUN

BEATRICE MOMPREMIER (20th overall pick)

Drafted by the LA Sparks, the Connecticut Sun signed her as a rookie free agent. Beatrice Mompremier was a double double machine in college for the University of Miami. She will look to help Connecticut off the bench as the Sun lost some bench players and have added some new players. It may her take some games and she may not get the minutes right away, but she is capable – Aneela Khan

KAILA CHARLES (23rd overall pick)

After a very underwhelming senior season Charles slipped down to the twenty-fourth pick of the WNBA draft. Charles is a good rebounder for her height. She is excellent at driving to the basket, and shooting in the mid range. Charles impact may not be immediate for this strong Connecticut team, however Charles could develop into a very meaningful role for the Sun. – Blake O’Tain

MINNESOTA LYNX

MIKIAH HERBERT HARRIGAN (6th overall pick)

Mikiah Herbert-Harrigan was a surprise pick at sixth to some, but the talent is very much there. She is a well-rounded player who score at will whether it’s off the dribble, pick-and-roll or spot up situations. At 6’2 she’ll most likely move to the small forward position, but her athleticism allows for that to not be a drastic change. It’ll be important for Herbert-Harrigan to play with her competitive ferocity on both ends in order to make noise this year and beyond for the Lynx. – Teylor Hines

CRYSTAL DANGERFIELD (16th overall pick)

Crystal Dangerfield was thought to be a first round pick but fell to the second round and Minnesota Lynx drafted her 4th (16th overall). She was a steady point guard at UCONN and is very unselfish. Her size may prevent her against bigger opponents but she can develop into a very smart point guard and help the Minnesota Lynx’s bench. She may not have spectacular stats in her rookie season but she can still be a contributor. – Aneela Khan

MEGAN HUFF (2019 WNBA Draft, 26th overall pick)

Megan Huff was drafted last year by the New York Liberty and was cut from the team following preseason action. She was signed by the Minnesota Lynx after Cecilia Zandalasini said she would opt out for personal reasons. Megan Huff is a versatile scorer and rebounder and played overseas in Latvia during the winter. She will have the chance to prove herself in the WNBA and can help out the Lynx bench. – Aneela Khan

Next up, we move to the afternoon match up (3:00 pm EST) between the Chicago Sky and the Las Vegas Aces. In this match up, there are 2 rookies featured, both from the Chicago Sky.

CHICAGO SKY

RUTHY HEBARD (8th overall pick)

Ruthy Hebard is a All-American post that was one of the most efficient scorers in the nation. Hebard’s touch around the basket and her ability to get rebounds will be needed for the Sky. With the team being down a post player, Ruthy will get the opportunity to flex her wings early and show what she can do. The anticipation centered around Ruthy is to see how the pick-and-roll works with Chicago’s guards. If that connection can be built early on then she’ll certainly be another gem within that deep rotation. – Teylor Hines

STELLA JOHNSON (31st overall pick)

Stella Johnson was drafted and waived from the Mercury prior to being signed by the Sky. Although, Johnson led the NCAA Division I in scoring her load with the Sky should be light. It’ll be tough to get minutes with such a deep roster but she’ll may see the floor with such a condensed season. – Teylor Hines

Last but not least, we move onto the final match up of the day, the Atlanta Dream versus the Dallas Wings at 5:00 pm EST. There are 6 rookies featured in this match up, 3 from the Atlanta Dream and 3 from the Dallas Wings.

ATLANTA DREAM

CHENNEDY CARTER (4th overall pick)

Carter is a feisty, shoot first point guard who the Dream will look to run the offense. With some missing roster pieces she’ll get the green light to make things happen. Carter has an insane ability to create her own shot, but it’ll be pivotal if she can show more of her facilitating skills with this team. It’s expected for Carter to be a star in this league someday and it may start just start from day one. – Teylor Hines

BRITTANY BREWER (17th overall pick)

Drafted by the Atlanta Dream, Brittany Brewer has tremendous potential. The Dream drafted her in the second round to help out the Dream bench and develop, but she will get the chance to play right away as the Dream are down two forwards (Glory Johnson and Kalani Brown) and will not be available to play at the start of the season. – Aneela Khan

JAYLYN AGNEW (24th overall pick)

Jaylyn Agnew was drafted and waived by the Mystics prior to the season. The Dream needed to fill a dire need for shooting and the fit made sense. The reigning Big East Player of the Year knocked down just over 37 percent of her three-point attempts last season. With what could be a fluid bench rotation, Agnew will be able provide a spark of scoring coming from the second unit. – Teylor Hines

DALLAS WINGS

SATOU SABALLY (2nd overall pick)

Drafted second overall, Satou Sabally comes in with very high expectations and hopes to help turn the Wings franchise around. She is a very talented forward who can score, rebound, even pass the ball. She will probably be competing with Sabrina Ionescu for Rookie of the Year honors. She can also defend and is versatile. There are many great things ahead for this rookie – Aneela Khan

BELLA ALARIE (5th overall pick)

Alarie standing 6’4 can bring lots of useful traits to this young Wings team. She has a huge wingspan which allows her to be a great rebounder and a very strong shot blocker. Bella has also shown she can launch threes from deep. This Wings team is so young, Alarie could be a starter in her debut. – Blake O’Tain

TYASHA HARRIS (7th overall pick)

Ty Harris is a pure point guard who has a great feel for the game. She’s a floor general who plays with composure that’s needed within this young team. Harris’ playmaking skills with her quickness will open up more spot up opportunities for their shooters and allow her create own shots. If her shots are falling and her assists to turnover ratio proves to be efficient, she could be a vital piece to their future. – Teylor Hines

WNBA ROOKIE REPORT: Previewing Saturday’s WNBA Rookie Debuts of Sabrina Ionescu, Joyner Holmes, Julie Allemand and more.

New York Liberty Rookies
~ Aneela Khan ~ Leave a comment

The WNBA season tips off tomorrow and the New York Liberty’s top pick, the first overall pick, Sabrina Ionescu finally makes her long awaited WNBA pro debut. This season, there are 27 rookies, which is by far the most rookies in a WNBA season in recent years. Because of the sheer volume of rookies playing this year, we are going to file rookie reports on all 26 rookies. The rookie reports will come out every two weeks and will highlight which rookies played well, who had standout weeks, who did not play, etc.

In creating these rookie reports, we previewed the rookies who will be playing in Saturday’s Slate. Sunday’s slate of Rookie Debuts will be up by tomorrow. The Rookie Reports are written by Teylor Hines(@HipsterHoopz) Blake O’Tain(@wnbadaily) and myself. (Aneela Khan)

We will start with the first game of the season, the Seattle Storm vs the New York Liberty. There are 8 rookies featured in the game and New York has 7, the most of any team this year in the WNBA.

SEATTLE STORM

EZI MAGBEGOR (2019 WNBA DRAFT, 12th overall pick)

Ezi Magbegor is the only Seattle Storm rookie in this year’s team. However, she’s not a rookie by any means as she plays professionally in the WNBL for the Melbourne Boomers. She was drafted last year as 12th overall pick. She has basketball experience and is just 20 years old, which is younger than most if not all the 2020 WNBA draftees this year. She averaged 8.7 pts per game and 4.3 rebounds per game while playing in the WNBL. She is one of the intriguing rookies and will look to develop more behind Mercedes Russell and Natasha Howard. – Aneela Khan

NEW YORK LIBERTY

SABRINA IONESCU (1st overall pick)

Sabrina Ionescu is entering her WNBA pro debut with a lot of attention and publicity riding on her shoulders. As the top overall pick, she will be closely watched to see how she leads this very young New York Liberty team against stronger, veteran teams in the league. She will have to learn quickly and adjust to the pro game if New York wants to have any success this season. – Aneela Khan

MEGAN WALKER (9th overall pick)

Megan was one of the few Juniors that decided to declare for the WNBA Draft. Walker was an excellent shooter in college, and will bring some much needed shooting to the Liberty.  – Blake O’Tain

JOCELYN WILLOUGHBY (10th overall pick)

Willoughby is another talented shooter selected by the Liberty, in the draft. Willoughby started every game of her collegiate career. She is a great scorer, rebounder, and defender. It will be exciting to see how quickly she can translate those skills, into the much tougher WNBA. – Blake O’Tain

JAZMINE JONES (12th overall pick)

Jones is another strong shooter to add to this youth filled lineup. In college Jones did not shoot a lot of threes, but that is something she can develop as she translates her game to the pros. For her height Jones is a very talented rebounder. – Blake O’Tain

KYLEE SHOOK (13th overall pick)

Shook is a post drafted high in the second round with the opportunity in New York to get decent minutes. The Liberty’s young roster will allow the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year to show her ability to track down shots and knock the three. With a steady point guard at the helm, she could thrive early on pick and pop situations. – Teylor Hines

LEAONNA ODOM (15th overall pick)

Odom is a forward from Duke who was drafted in the second round. In New York, she will get the opportunity to prove herself, although it may be in a bench role. She can play multiple positions which should help her get some playing time. She may not be asked to do much in her rookie season, but she could really help elevate the Liberty’s bench. – Aneela Khan

JOYNER HOLMES (19th overall pick)

Holmes is a late addition to the Liberty team. She was selected by the Seattle Storm in the second round of the WNBA Draft, she was later released. Joyner brings a strong defensive presence to this young Liberty team. Her other strengths include inside scoring, and rebounding. – Blake O’Tain

Next up, is the Los Angeles Sparks vs the Phoenix Mercury. With such veteran led teams, only one rookie is featured in it.

LOS ANGELES SPARKS

T’EA COOPER (18th overall pick)

Cooper is a classic combo guard that was drafted and waived by The Phoenix Mercury due to roster cuts. This led to her signing with the Sparks where she’ll be looked at to shoot, shoot, and shoot again with Toliver out. Cooper’s pressure on the defensive side of the ball may also allow her to get more minutes in a scattered Derek Fisher rotation. Her path to making a roster was unorthodox, but her play could cement her place in the league for years to come. – Teylor Hines

Finally, we have the last matchup of the day, the Indiana Fever vs the defending WNBA champions, the Washington Mystics. There are 4 rookies featured in this matchup.

INDIANA FEVER

JULIE ALLEMAND (2016 WNBA Draft, 33rd overall pick)

Julie is a skilled passer, with excellent vision, and a good 3 point shooter. This will be Allemand’s first WNBA game, however she has already played with and against some highly skilled WNBA players. With Erica Wheeler out due to COVID-19 Allemand should see a good amount of playing time in the season opener on Saturday. Allemand will face her Belgium national team mate Emma Messamen, in the first game of Allemand’s WNBA career. – Blake O’Tain

LAUREN COX (3rd overall pick)**

Not available to play right away due to COVID 19 protocols and probably will not play in the season opener, Cox is an outstanding all-around player. She stands 6’4 but is a tremendous defender, a great shooter, and is an exceptional passer for her size. The Fever finished near the bottom as a team defensively last season. Cox will definitely help improve their defensive rating, for years to come. – Blake O’Tain

KATHLEEN DOYLE (14th overall pick)

Doyle is the definition of a floor general. She is a do-it-all kind of point guard, she is a great passer, but also is a very strong shooter. With Erica Wheeler not in the lineup due to COVID-19, look for Doyle to get lots of minutes in her first WNBA game. – Blake O’Tain

WASHINGTON MYSTICS

KIARA LESLIE (2019 WNBA Draft, 10th overall pick

Kiara Leslie’s start to her WNBA career was put to a halt due to injury after being drafted 10th by the Mystics in 2019. This year with the reigning champ’s roster looking a little different and coaches expecting to use their benches more, she’ll get the chance to show us what was missed. Leslie is a wing player that can score at all three levels, so she could be viable scoring option for Washington’s second unit. – Teylor Hains

WNBA G.O.A.T Coach Bracket Challenge Winner is….. + Final Remarks from the Selection Committee.

wnba coaches, tournament bracket challenge
~ Aneela Khan ~ Leave a comment
Congratulations are in order for the Greatest WNBA Coach of All Time Bracket Challenge Winner Cheryl Reeve! She won over respected head coach Mike Thibault who was the runner up! View the updated and final bracket here.

Cheryl Reeve was placed in the first region, region W. She beat out #4 seed Corey Gaines in the Sweet 16, #3 seed Sandy Brondello in the Elite 8 and #1 seed Van Chancellor (from Region N) in the Final Four. She beat out some great coaches and that is why she is the winner of the WNBA G.O.A.T Coach Bracket Challenge.

Listed below are the final thoughts of the committee members who helped shape the process of making the bracket, selecting the coaches and shaping the overall bracket.

Committee Member: Kevin Brown | Twitter: @over_short

Final Thoughts: Like the players bracket, there were few surprises.  Lin Dunn upsetting Bill Laimbeer was the biggest upset.  Mostly what I learned from this exercise is how difficult it is to compare coaches.

Thoughts on Cheryl Reeve winning the WNBA G.O.A.T Coach Challenge: This is the result supported by the numbers.  Winning percentage, playoff success, rings, you name it, if it’s measurable then it points to Cheryl Reeve.  

Committee Member: Aneela Khan | Twitter: @whoopsblogger

Final Thoughts: My final thoughts on the WNBA Coach Challenge that it was interesting and unique. With only 16 entries, it flew by quickly! I think it was also interesting that Coach Linn Dunn managed to knock off the only #1 seed Bill Laimbeer to advance to the Final Four.

Thoughts on Cheryl Reeve winning the WNBA G.O.A.T Coach Challenge: Not a surprise. Her four titles speaks volumes as well as her popularity of the Minnesota Lynx fan base and organization. Although, I would like to still tip my hat to one of the best coaches ever, Mike Thibault. He is also a legendary coach.

Committee Member: Albert Lee | Twitter: @aleeinthedmv

Final Thoughts: Overall, I thought the bracket went as expected in the end with Cheryl Reeve going head to head against Mike Thibault or Bill Laimbeer in the final of this bracket pool. I was a bit surprised that Sandy Brondello defeated Brian Agler in the first round, which was an upset in my opinion.

Thoughts on Cheryl Reeve winning the WNBA G.O.A.T Coach Challenge: Reeve is one of two WNBA head coaches to win four titles, along with Van Chancellor who she defeated in the semifinals. I have no problem with her winning the bracket, because her Lynx teams of the 2010s have played to their potential with a dynastic core that featured Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen and Rebekkah Brunson.

Committee Member: Glenn Starkey | Twitter: @Starkman55

Final Thoughts: It went pretty much as I expected and I already knew of some upsets that were going to happen. Linn Dunn was an amazing coach who was responsible for Tamika Catchings prime and had a significant impact during her time with the Fever that goes beyond her one title win. Linn Dunn almost beat out Mike Thibault for a Finals berth. Just like her Fever teams, Linn Dunn was always a contender most overlooked until it was too late.

Thoughts on Cheryl Reeve winning the WNBA G.O.A.T Coach Challenge: This makes sense. 4 titles, and took over a team that before had little known else but losing. Reeve has showed above and beyond, she is a true winner and also turned a sparsely attended Lynx team into an attendance leader year in and year out, even as her dynasty fades in the last few years.

Committee Member: Tee | Twitter: @HipsterHoopz

Final Thoughts: Despite unprecedented times, this challenge has been great to observe and a blast to work on. From a few upsets to some unexpectedly close match ups, it had everything you like in a challenge of this kind. It creates great dialogue in women’s basketball about what is valued more and that is all you can hope for. More discussions lead to more quality content.

Thoughts on Cheryl Reeve winning the WNBA G.O.A.T Coach Challenge: Coach Reeve winning this challenge doesn’t shock me at all. She was the number one overall seed in this challenge for a reason. It’s hard to argue with her resume because she wins on the biggest of stages. Reeve has the most playoff wins and the highest playoff winning percentage in league history. The Lynx’s four championships and six conference titles from 2011-2017 puts the dynasty in a league of their own.

Committee Member: Rebecca Wininger | Twitter: @zombiebecca

Thoughts on Cheryl Reeve winning the WNBA G.O.A.T Coach Challenge: Cheryl Reeve has a coaching history that is currently unparalleled in the WNBA. She’s not just a women’s basketball coach. She can coach with the best on any global court.