Looking forward to seeing if Liz returns to the Wings for the new season.

Alanna Smith really impressed me in the green and gold. She's got a lot of maturity for a young player

Interesting news that Liz looks like returning to the W, but requesting a trade to possibly LA.

https://twitter.com/RachGall/status/1087809593420394496
Quote:
BREAKING: Multiple sources have confirmed that Liz Cambage has requested a trade from the Dallas Wings. #WNBAinsidr

In a way she always wanted the lifestyle and glitz of the big city, just a shame one can't see if new Wings coach Agler can improve her attitude and game even further.

Right from the start she always said she wanted to play in LA, and she seems to be pretty good friends with Candace Parker, but this took me by surprise. She seemed to be much happier in Dallas than in Tulsa. Dallas' coach was pretty bad but a lot of players seemed to like him a lot as a person so getting rid of him might have been the final straw for Liz.

wont matter who her coach is or who she plays for, her disgraceful attitude will always rise to the top, maturity has not changed it, in fact shes probably a lot worse, its good to have confidence as a player but arrogance...think that should be left at home.

Anonymous
A couple of hours ago

attitude or not anyone who can score 50+ is going to get plenty of interest

and their in lies the problem!! her woeful behaviour is permitted because she can score...what does that message send out to kids

I guess the message is that if you are really good at what you do then people will pay you money to do it for them?

Between Liz's Opals commitments and her standard WNBA unreliability, combined with the WNBA CBA being renegotiated this year, it will be interesting to see how this all pans out.
Lots of talk of Maya Moore possibly wanting out of Minnesota as well.

#159

Connecticut signed her to training camp last year but yeah, her injury put her aside for that.

Depends if she puts her hand up, I'd say there would be a fair bit of interest from teams but whether she wants to 'risk' her body since by the looks of it Tokyo is her main aim.

A recent mock draft shows that the Americans have definitely woken up to Smith now:

1. Katie Lou Samuelson, 6'3 G/F, Connecticut
2. Asia Durr, 5’10 G, Louisville
3. Teaira McCowan, 6’7 C, Mississippi State
4. Arike Ogunbowale, 5’8 G, Notre Dame
5. Kalani Brown, 6’7 C, Baylor
6. Jessica Shepard, 6’4 F, Notre Dame
7. Napheesa Collier, 6’1 F, Connecticut
8. Alanna Smith, 6’4 F, Stanford
9. Ezi Magbegor, 6’4 F/C, Australia
10. Anriel Howard, 5’11 F, Mississippi State
11. Kristine Anigwe, 6’4 F, California
12. Sophie Cunningham, 6’1 G/F, Missouri

WNBA Mock Draft Big Board 3.0

a year or two ago Seekamp was in discussions as a third round pick. Given her continued rise in form - would she be in the mix still ?

Oh wow, Smith at #5 in Mechelle Voepel's latest mock draft.
Magbegor at #8, Mangakahia at #32

WNBA mock draft 2019: Predicting all three rounds

Getting three more players on WNBA teams would be great, though would Mangakahia be called onto the main roster straight away? Imagine Smith would be, and whoever to draft Ezi might like to "stash" her in the WNBL for at least another season before any decision on a call up.

I think Ezi could play straight away if the right team got her (a team that already has plenty of firepower and could just leave her with clean-up duties offensively)
It's rare for a 3rd round pick to end up on a team though. On average about 21 of the 36 players drafted will play that year.

Maya Moore just announced that she will be sitting out the 2019 WNBA season

I will not be playing professional basketball this year.

My focus in 2019 will not be on professional basketball, but will instead be on the people in my family, as well as on investing my time in some ministry dreams that have been stirring in my heart for many years.

Nicole Seekamp has just signed with the Dallas Wings. Good to see the Aussie connection there still strong with Cayla George and Assistant Coach, Erin Phillips.

No news on Liz's trade demands, or whether she might remain in Dallas.

Seekamp was close to a second / third round pick in a previous draft after college. So well done.

In good form. Gonna be good to watch.

Griffin signs with the Minnesota Lynx

Link

Alicia Froling got a mention in the latest High Post Hoops mock draft:
WNBA Mock Draft Big Board 5.0: Filling out rounds two and three

WNBA.com have made a page to link all of the latest mock drafts

What They're Saying: 2019 WNBA Draft


Because Syracuse have been knocked out of the tournament, Mangakahia now has 3 days to decide whether or not to nominate for this year's draft.

Ahead of the WNBA draft, some cherry-picked thoughts from media conference calls:

Q. I'd like to hear from Bill and from Derek about what their thoughts are on Alanna Smith from Stanford, and also Ezi Magbegor, who's been playing in the WNBL all year in Australia.

BILL LAIMBEER:
Smith, shooter. I pick No. 1, so she's not on our radar. I don't anticipate her going that far down to be in the mix of looking at her. As for the Australian kid, same thing. I don't have any [other] picks. All I have is the No. 1 overall pick, so I really haven't paid that much attention to her.

DEREK FISHER:
Yes, Alanna Smith is a really talented player. She's really versatile, which I think will be great for her transition into the WNBA, regardless of where she's drafted. She has a skill set that I think will fit in on any roster basically.
And Ezi Magbegor, who's a little bit younger and still developing as a player, but at 6-3, 6-4, she plays big. She has long arms and plays the game with a high activity level that I think also will work well for her as she transitions.


Q. Cheryl, you played Ezi Magbegor at the World Cup as part of USA Basketball. What did you make of her World Cup performances, and how did it affect her draft stock?

CHERYL REEVE: She's a player that's definitely younger. She didn't earn minutes in terms of the quality part of the game, if you will. It was more when her team was up by a lot. So that's hard to tell in terms of what is she capable of doing. I think Alanna Smith was really, really good, and that was a player that was playing in front of her. It's a young player that certainly has some upside. If she was not injured over in the Australian league, it probably would have helped her a little bit more in terms of raising her stock. But I think that people have a handle for her, and I think she'd be a value pick outside of the first round, and I think that's probably where you'll see her go.


Q. This is a question for Coach Fisher and maybe Coach Laimbeer if you want to weigh in. There is a lot of chatter that Liz Cambage wants to go to Los Angeles but also that Las Vegas wanted to trade for her. Obviously we don't know how that all stands right now, but from both of your standpoints, has the uncertainty about where she might play or if she's going to play this season impacted what you guys do with your draft?

DEREK FISHER:
I'll go first since I'm the younger and way less experienced guy here, and then Bill can follow up. For me, it's easy because of [this being] my first year and being the head coach only and not really having the responsibilities in terms of roster, draft, trade conversations, et cetera. Bill will be talking more to Penny [Toler], and Penny will be talking more to [the] Dallas [Wings], et cetera. So for me, I'm more focused on the players we do have and preparing our season in that regard. In terms of planning for Liz playing or not, yes, because if she's in Dallas, you have to plan accordingly to play against her. In terms of her possibly being on our roster at some point, I can't really comment on -- it's more of, like I said, Bill may have more insight because of his role there in Las Vegas and being involved in those conversations.

BILL LAIMBEER:
This is interesting. Lots of rumors. We got thrown in the rumor mix about Liz. The media likes to pump up big stories. There are a million rumors that are out there, from tampering to all kinds of stuff. It's a weird scenario going on right now that I don't think anybody really has a handle on what the final outcome is going to be.


Q. I was going to ask about a couple of Bay Area players, Cal's Kristine Anigwe and Stanford's Alanna Smith. LaChina, I know you spent some time with Cal. What were your impressions of Kristine? And Kara, if you don't mind talking about Alanna Smith.

KARA LAWSON: Smith is a perfect fit for the pro style game. She's somebody that has good height. She's somebody that can really shoot it. A lot of times we talk about post players shooting it, and it's a small part of their game. She's made over 80 threes this year. That's incredible. Shooting it at a 40 percent clip. She can rebound at a high level. She can block shots. She can handle the ball. So I think she's very well-suited for the next level.
I would be surprised if she didn't go in the first round because of what she brings. She brings great toughness. I think she's going to fit because she's comfortable in any spot on the floor. She's comfortable on the perimeter. When I say any spot, I mean placement of spot, not necessarily any position with the ball in her hands, and she can hurt you with the ball in her hands in different positions. The other thing I think that she does well is she can blend with different types of players. That should make her attractive to any style because she can fit with most teams' styles in this league. I like her a lot. I think she made a good jump this year having to be a go-to player and really thriving in that role.

Rhymes with los angeles ...on the weekly...

With the 2019 season just around the corner, does anyone know what team Liz would be playing for?
Initially all the noise was about LA, but that door looked closed. Could a return to Dallas be on the cards, or a no-show at all?

Handy first pre-season game for Alanna Smith this morning. Shots weren't dropping but the rest of her numbers look good:
25 min, 5 pts (1/6 2P, 1/4 3P), 7 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl, 3 blk, 1 t/o.

Las Vegas Aces Trade For All-Star Center Liz Cambage

https://www.wnba.com/news/las-vegas-aces-trade-for-all-star-center-liz-cambage/

Phoenix have traded Steph Talbot to Minnesota for a 2nd round draft pick.
Dallas have cut Cayla George & Nicole Seekamp

Erin Phillips is still there but it almost looks as though Dallas have had a gutfull of Aussies.

Leilani Mitchell was the final cut from Phoenix today to finalise their roster.
Her & Talbot were purely victims of the salary cap, and I'd be very surprised if Leilani wasn't snapped up quickly off the waiver wire.

I don't think the door is closed on Seekamp's WNBA career.

The 2019 WNBA season is upon us, and it's an Australian who has created the biggest storyline of the off-season. Flipping the league on its head was Liz Cambage who was granted a trade away from the Dallas Wings, heading to Las Vegas and instantly turning the Aces into a championship contender.

Aussies In The WNBA: 2019 Season Preview

Hey all first round is on us so good to have the women back.

Just wondering who all the players are with WNBL/Aus connections that were on a team this year and made a list, anyone care to double-check and see who've I've missed?
https://www.slamonline.com/wnba/wnba-opening-night-rosters-set-2019-season/


Atlanta Dream
Nia Coffey (Adelaide '19)

Chicago Sky
none

Connecticut Sun
Courtney Williams (Perth '18)
Rachel Banham (Bendigo '18)

Dallas Wings
waived - Nicole Seekamp* (Adelaide '19)
waived - Cayla George* (Townsville/Melbourne '19)

Indiana Fever
Betnijah Laney (Bendigo/Dandenong '19)
waived - Asia Taylor (Sydney/Perth '19)
waived - Kayla Alexander (Adelaide '19)

Los Angeles Sparks
Sydney Wiese (Townsville '18)

Los Vegas Aces
Liz Cambage* (Melbourne '18)
LTI - Lindsay Allen (Melbourne '18)
waived - Ruth Hamblin (Adelaide '19)

Minnesota Lynx
Stephanie Talbot* (Melbourne '19)
LTI - Kelsey Griffin* (Bendigo/Canberra '19)

New York Liberty
Rebecca Allen* (Melbourne/SEQ '16)
Kia Nurse (Canberra '19)
Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe (Bendigo '17)

Phoenix Mercury
Alanna Smith* (College '19)
Brianna Turner (Adelaide '20)
waived - Leilani Mitchell* (Sydney/Canberra '19)

Seattle Storm
Sami Whitcomb* (Perth '18)

Washington Mystics
Ariel Atkins (Perth '20)

Waves2Lynx - there's also:
- Alana Beard (LA) played a season for the Capitals
- Natasha Cloud (Washington) - Fire
- Carolyn Swords (Vegas) - Flames

Thanks Luuuc! I remember Cloud, thought her name was familiar. Hadn't heard of Swords and Beard was long before my WNBL time, that t'was a coup if even just an injury replacement.

Not related to the 2019 season but a fun throwback

Needs to stop reaching for every hint of a potential block or steal she can see, too. Got away with it a lot in college but her opponents are much bigger, faster and better now.

Very sad to see picked in Opals in front of Kelsey Griffin

Nice Bec Allen video interview:
(the full length one is about halfway down the page)

'There's Not Enough Teams’: Rebecca Allen On State Of WNBA & New York Liberty

https://www.wnba.com/video/leilani-mitchell-with-22-points-vs-los-angeles-sparks/

Liz Cambage today revived the tradition of Australia's best player trying to pull out the hair of an LA Sparks centre. Liz needs to improve her technique though because (1) no hair was successfully removed, and (2) she was busted and copped a flagrant foul for the attempt.

Meanwhile Leilani with 18 points (incl. 4/4 3PT), 11 assists & 5 boards tonight. And some people here think she's past being able to play for the Opals??
Not so good from an aussie perspective is Smith not even seeing the court until garbage time. It's been a steep learning curve for her this season.

They've both appeared in the pages of SLAM before—dating back to when they were teenagers. Since then, they’ve gone from prodigies to two of the most dominant forces in women’s basketball. Now, they’re about to become just the third and fourth women to grace the cover of SLAM. Cambage and Wilson are not taking the moment for granted.

35 minutes for Sami - 5 triples and 8 assists. No Stewie, no Bird, no Loyd, and they still get a road win. Howard playing like an MVP.

Talbot is having a pretty good month. Just needs to slightly dial back on some of the shots/moves she attempts but being a starter is agreeing with her.

Luuuc, you think opals will be?

Mitchell / Ebzery
Talbot / Nicholson / Wallace
Allen / Ohea
George / Smith / Magbegor
Cambage / Tolo

Reserves
PG-Lavey or Mangakahia
SG-Whitcomb* or Seekamp
SF-Blicavs
PF-Griffin* or Aokuso
C-Bunton

Maybe Cole they fail to qualify 3x3.

Career high for Bec Allen today with 21 points in 17 minutes off the bench, along with 4 assists & 4 blocks (a couple of big ones among them)

Bec Allen again on fire.
She just had a 20 point 2nd quarter to drag NY back into the game v Minnesota.

Congrats to the Washington Mystics - 2019 WNBA champs with a 3-2 series win over the Connecticut Sun

Emma Meesseman named Finals MVP, and fully deserved it. So clutch.


Now Ariel Atkins needs to get her butt down here ASAP so she can start tearing this league up.