WNBA notes from Exhibition Season

4,256 Views | 70 Replies | Last: 1 hr ago by ClayK
Woodacre
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Jaelyn Brown, Indiana: 14:48 minutes, 1-6 shooting, 4 rebounds, +9 in her team's 5 pt OT win.
McKenzie Forbes, Dallas: 3:56 minutes, 0-2 shooting, 1 block, -10 in her team's 34 pt loss. The notes euphemistically say "The team will move in another direction." Her WNBA bio makes no mention of Cal.
Dalayah Daniels, Minnesota: first game is Tuesday
Woodacre
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As foreshadowed: McKenzie Forbes was waived by the Dallas Wings.
Ashfield63
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It would be great for Jaelyn to make the Fever's roster. From what I have read, they need to cut 4 players. One source on Tik Tok, who is a WBB fan did not think Jaelyn would make the team. She looked very good yesterday, and is in great shape. Stephanie White is an excellent coach, and the Fever are looking for a WNBA Champion this season. Jaelyn is my favorite Cal Bear, wishing her the best!!
CalWSportsFan
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two were cut today: Indiana Fever Waive Jillian Alleyne and Bree Hall

They apparently have to get down to 11, not 12 and have 3 left including their draft pick, so... https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/basketball/wnba/fever/2025/05/05/indiana-fever-2025-roster-team-cuts-bree-hall-jillian-alleyne-waived/83459375007/



3Cats4CAL
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Woodacre said:

As foreshadowed: McKenzie Forbes was waived by the Dallas Wings.

Hoping the same for Daniel's and Curry
SFCALBear72
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FYI. Layshia Clarendon will be a studio analyst with the Valkyries. It was announced today on Instagram.
First exhibition game tomorrow (Tuesday) night.

KPIX (CBS5) and KPIX+
Ashfield63
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3Cats4CAL said:

Woodacre said:

As foreshadowed: McKenzie Forbes was waived by the Dallas Wings.

Hoping the same for Daniel's and Curry

Curry wasn't drafted as far as I know. Was she signed to a team's training camp?
Ashfield63
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SFCALBear72 said:

FYI. Layshia Clarendon will be a studio analyst with the Valkyries. It was announced today on Instagram.
First exhibition game tomorrow (Tuesday) night.

KPIX (CBS5) and KPIX+
Congratulations!! Layshia is a very good announcer......Too many of them talk constantly!! Thanks to my son, I got to speak briefly with Layshia before the N.C. State game... very gracious person.. a Cal Bear who has accomplished so much in WBB and represented UCB in this competitive world of sports!!!
BearBint
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Ashfield63 said:

SFCALBear72 said:

FYI. Layshia Clarendon will be a studio analyst with the Valkyries. It was announced today on Instagram.
First exhibition game tomorrow (Tuesday) night.

KPIX (CBS5) and KPIX+
Congratulations!! Layshia is a very good announcer......Too many of them talk constantly!! Thanks to my son, I got to speak briefly with Layshia before the N.C. State game... very gracious person.. a Cal Bear who has accomplished so much in WBB and represented UCB in this competitive world of sports!!!
"Too many of them talk constantly!!" Yes--and it's especially irritating when announcers chat together about the star player on the court--or bench--and ignore what's actually going on.
"Don't get distracted, myself. Don't get distracted." Self-talk from a young relative
BearBint
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Ashfield63 said:

3Cats4CAL said:

Woodacre said:

As foreshadowed: McKenzie Forbes was waived by the Dallas Wings.

Hoping the same for Daniel's and Curry

Curry wasn't drafted as far as I know. Was she signed to a team's training camp?
Not that I can find.
"Don't get distracted, myself. Don't get distracted." Self-talk from a young relative
Woodacre
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Curry was not invited anywhere. And Kianna Smith, despite good numbers in Korea, is also not an invite this year.
3Cats4CAL
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So much for transferring to Louisville to get drafted in the WNBA.
ClayK
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The money is in Europe. If Curry commanded a bigger salary in Europe after playing at Louisville, it was a sound financial move. Don't know if that's the case, of course -- there are a lot of factors involved.
mbBear
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ClayK said:

The money is in Europe. If Curry commanded a bigger salary in Europe after playing at Louisville, it was a sound financial move. Don't know if that's the case, of course -- there are a lot of factors involved.
I thought the new media deal now puts the WNBA on par with most anything in Europe?
CalWSportsFan
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I think that remains to be determined:

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/21/nx-s1-5159991/wnba-players-association-opts-out-contract
mbBear
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CalWSportsFan said:

I think that remains to be determined:

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/21/nx-s1-5159991/wnba-players-association-opts-out-contract

Thanks for that.
Okay, so they need to figure out something by October. But obviously things will change from their 65k minimum salary...
The NBA is working to see how they expand their brand internationally, and it will interesting to see if the WNBA follows that path a bit. No matter what, we certainly see more international players than ever before here in the US, beginning with the college ranks...
ClayK
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Traditionally, it's been very hard to get Euros to come play in the WNBA. The money is less than they get in Europe and the competition is much tougher -- not to mention playing year round is very hard on your body.

As for the new CBA, we'll see how that plays out. The top players want, and deserve, more money, but it remains to be seen what the new rookie scale and vet minimums will be. (And there will be a strike next spring.)

The international influx at the college level, at least in some areas, springs from different roots, especially now with a little NIL cash thrown in.

CalWSportsFan
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Clay, women's soccer draws well in Europe, but how does basketball do? I know the money in this case really comes from sponsors, but just curious what you know?
mbBear
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ClayK said:

Traditionally, it's been very hard to get Euros to come play in the WNBA. The money is less than they get in Europe and the competition is much tougher -- not to mention playing year round is very hard on your body.

As for the new CBA, we'll see how that plays out. The top players want, and deserve, more money, but it remains to be seen what the new rookie scale and vet minimums will be. (And there will be a strike next spring.)

The international influx at the college level, at least in some areas, springs from different roots, especially now with a little NIL cash thrown in.



Not sure how you go down the path of "traditionally" after everything women's basketball has experienced in the last 2 years. Attendance, ratings, media (social and traditional), and you feel like the status quo will be maintained?
You want to make a ( Cal NiL) wager that there will be a quote from an international player within a year who specifically says they "came over" because they want to play against Caitlin Clark, and be part of the WNBA? Maybe international sponsors step up, I could be way off;
Of course it all has to play out, and I hope the players association has great leadership;. every American major sport has benefited from the work of their unions...I hope the women have the same success.
Woodacre
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D. Daniels had zero minutes in Minnesota's first exhibition game…unless she's injured, it's typically an indication that the end is near.
ClayK
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The financing of women's basketball in Europe has always been a bit murky, but it's a club system -- which means most clubs have youth programs in a number of sports, and the more kids that sign up, the more money the club makes. So presumably if your men's and women's basketball teams are .good, you have a strong youth program.

The salaries in women's soccer in Europe have skyrocketed the past couple years, and will have a major impact on the NWSL. Soccer has been a very patriarchal sport in other countries, but times are changing.

As for the WNBA, if the salaries go up significantly in the CBA, we'll see more Euros, but summer is also the time for international competitions. This year it's Eurobasket and naturally countries want their best players -- the ones who would play in the W -- to stay home. Then there are the World Championships every four years, a major event in the women's game, and of course the Olympics. And Olympic qualifying. So there's almost always something going on internationally, and other countries treat that much differently than the U.S. They practice together a lot, pay their players and unlike the U.S. can't rely on raw talent and just sticking a bunch of stars together at the last minute.

As with everything, it's not as simple as it seems.
CalWSportsFan
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I went to the Valkyries game last night along with 17,000+ others... Just wanted to say it was amazing. I never would have imagined, as a little girl shooting baskets, trying to play like John Havlicek, that I would be sitting watching a pro team in my town. What a night (and a pretty fun game too). First photo during warmups.

BearBint
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Thanks! 17k is not bad for a new franchise of a women's game.
"Don't get distracted, myself. Don't get distracted." Self-talk from a young relative
CalWSportsFan
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Yeah, it seemed packed....I think some fans may have been engaged in the lobby or elsewhere watching the other Golden State team in action too...

It was my first time at the Chase Center and I was really impressed and pleased that, though it was loud, the entertainment action during down-time was well-done and fun. The video board really had it going on too with lots of fan engagement. Even the little girls who played basketball at half-time were pretty darn fun to watch. I was also surprised how easy it was to hop MUNI back to BART and back home. A win all around and the team only lost by a point 82-83.
ClayK
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I watched on TV and it was a well-played game, especially for an exhibition. Crowd was definitely into it.

The Valkyries will struggle to score in the regular season, I think, but of course you can't read too much into a preseason game.

xxnatedoggxx
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It's official, Dalayah Daniels has been waived.
HoopDreams
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I was really surprised she was drafted

xxnatedoggxx said:



It's official, Dalayah Daniels has been waived.
RedlessWardrobe
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BearBint said:

Thanks! 17k is not bad for a new franchise of a women's game.
I know that the "glitz" of a NBA counterpart like the WNBA is going to be a draw for WBB fans,(especially the younger ones), but it still amazes me how they can draw 17k for this game, and Cal Marketing couldn't figure out a way this past season how to attract at least 6k for the last 7 games or so of our season, based on how entertaining our team was. To the average consumer is the "drop down" from the WNBA to NCAA Division 1 make that much of a difference? There should be a way to offset that.
ClayK
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First, the third round of the WNBA draft is purely a PR exercise, as it allows a bunch of local stories to be written about the draftees who have very little chance to make a team.

Second, the Warriors are a professional organization and understand the business. Cal, as has been pointed out in other threads, is simply not very professional -- which worked better when colleges pretended that sports were played by student-athletes.

It will be interesting to see, though, how the Valkyries draw as the season goes along. They don't look like they'll be very good, and may be forced to play a grind-it-out style that won't be really exciting to watch.
RedlessWardrobe
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ClayK said:

First, the third round of the WNBA draft is purely a PR exercise, as it allows a bunch of local stories to be written about the draftees who have very little chance to make a team.

Second, the Warriors are a professional organization and understand the business. Cal, as has been pointed out in other threads, is simply not very professional -- which worked better when colleges pretended that sports were played by student-athletes.

It will be interesting to see, though, how the Valkyries draw as the season goes along. They don't look like they'll be very good, and may be forced to play a grind-it-out style that won't be really exciting to watch.
I appreciate your comments on the Valkyries, and they are certainly a valid subject on this forum.
But what sticks with me is that this is Cal WBB site, and I would expect some of the posters here to be more engaged in discussing how the emergence of a pro team could inspire more interest in our CAL BEARS women's team. I understand that the Warriors are a professional organization and understand the business, but you would think that the Cal Athletic department would figure out some way to capitalize on the next pro team in order to raise interest and attendance in the Cal team. It's here where I really think that our friend Shocky's constant criticism of the Cal marketing department is indeed justified.
CalWSportsFan
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They've sold 10K season tickets, the first WNBA franchise to do that. So that's a good base....

Quote:

On Wednesday, the team announced it had sold more than 10,000 season tickets, becoming the first team in WNBA history to do so. The Valkyries had already set records for season ticket deposits, reaching 22,000, but converting deposits into actual ticket packages sold is a different proposition. Hitting the 10,000 season tickets mark is quite the milestone for an expansion team and provides a clear data point that the WNBA made the right choice in putting their first expansion franchise since 2008 in San Francisco.



https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/the-golden-state-valkyries-become-first-wnba-team-to-sell-10000-season-tickets/
annarborbear
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Ideas for building attendance:

1. Winning, especially with some well-known local players on the roster (We need schools like Berkeley High, O'Dowd, Oakland Tech, Salesian, and St.Mary's to re-emerge as powers in girls basketball).

2. NIL - you have to have it to recruit the players that can win.

3. Congressional action on the portal - if the roster turns over every year, fans cannot identify.

4. Free tickets to all Cal students and other local students.

5. Actually ask the fans what they would prefer in regard to the game day experience.

6. Parking availability as a priority, not as an afterthought.

7. Hold a couple of games at Chase as lead-in doubleheaders with the Valkeries.

Unfortunately, I am not sure that I will see any of these in my lifetime.

stu
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annarborbear said:

Unfortunately, I am not sure that I will see any of these in my lifetime.
Are you a student?
RedlessWardrobe
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The fact that aabear doubts that any of his suggestions will become reality exemplifies the very issue that exists.
annarborbear
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stu said:

annarborbear said:

Unfortunately, I am not sure that I will see any of these in my lifetime.
Are you a student?

I think I recall being one back in the 60's.
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