Latest news with #BreeHall
Forbes
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Why The WNBA Union Is Pushing For More Roster Spots
The WNBA 2025 regular season kicks off tomorrow, but many of this year's draft class will be missing from the league's rosters. That is because the WNBA and its 156 roster spots available means the reality for many rookies is a short stint in the league. According to NCAA (2022) reports, there is a 0.9% chance of collegiate women's basketball players turning into professional players and with the limited 156 WNBA roster spots (thanks to the addition of 13th team, Golden State Valkyries) this many times leaves ripe talent on the sidelines or pursuing basketball outside of the United States. Furthermore, statistics from the 2022 WNBA draft demonstrate that the odds of making a WNBA roster as a second-round pick (25.2%), third-round pick (3.9%) or by going undrafted (6.5%) are vastly low. Thus, over the past two weeks as teams made the tough decision to narrow down their rosters several notable 2025 draft players were waived including Madison Scott (14th pick out of Ole Miss), Shyanne Sellers (17th pick out of Maryland), Bree Hall (19th pick out of South Carolina), Serena Sundell (1st in the 3rd round out of Kansas State), Harmoni Turner (3rd round draftee from Harvard), Deja Kelly (undrafted out of Oregon), and Kaitlyn Chen (late third round pick out of UConn). Shyanne Sellers, a guard that averaged 12.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4 assists a game during her her career at Maryland was waived not once, but twice during the preseason. Particularly, fans were quite upset as Sellers was a crowd favorite getting engaged the week of the draft to now fiancé and former Terrapins teammate Faith Masonius. Sellers was cut from both rosters without even entering a preseason game. Perhaps one of the more surprising players that did not make a final roster is Deja Kelly out of Oregon and formerly UNC Chapel Hill. The guard played in both preseason games for the Aces and when she entered off the bench was extremely efficient. Kelly averaged 12 points, and 1.5 assists. She shot 75% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc, with a 100% free throw percentage. Kelly also hit a game-winning shot against the Mercury giving the Aces the 85-84 win after scoring 15 points in 13 minutes. Although Kaitlyn Chen was a late third round pick with an uphill battle to make the Valkyries roster, many women's basketball fans were saddened to see her not on the final squad list. The first Taiwanese American to step on a WNBA court had high hopes of making the Golden State roster after an extraordinary graduate year at UConn, helping the team win its 12th national championship. Additionally and notably, Haley Jones of the Atlanta Dream (6th overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft) and Laeticia Amihere from the Valkyries (2023 8th overall first round pick) were waived earlier this week. Again, making a final roster in the WNBA is challenging but for Jones and Amihere, this was particularly gut wrenching as both players had been on rosters previously in the 2024 season. Jones, although a superb player for Tara VanDerveer at Stanford seemed to struggle to find her footing in the WNBA. She averaged just 3.9 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game in 2024 despite playing in 40 games. Amihere played for the Atlanta Dream in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Similar to Jones, she lacked shooting depth and received little playing time. However, Amihere was drafted to the Valykries in the expansion draft and in her two preseason games she averaged 12.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and one block and steal respectively. Fans were outraged at her dismissal as she made 60% of her preseason game shots, while shooting 50% from deep and even contributed 20 points in the close loss 83-82 to the LA Sparks on May 6. Time will tell if these former and current rookies will end up back in the league. For many there is still a chance to see WNBA playing time as hardship and injury hardship contracts could be extended to them later in the season (i.e., Zia Cooke former 2023 10th round pick to LA Sparks and now with the Seattle Storm). However, for many of these players they will have to resort to playing overseas as roster spots are still quite limited within the WNBA until the new CBA comes into effect in 2026 and the addition of the Toronto Tempo opens up 12 more spots. Follow me on X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pros and cons of Indiana Fever taking South Carolina's Bree Hall in 2025 WNBA Draft
South Carolina women's basketball guard Bree Hall was selected by the Indiana Fever with the 20th overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft on April 14. She was the second South Carolina player drafted. Te-Hina Paopao was selected by the Atlanta Dream in the second round at No. 18, and Sania Feagin was picked at No. 21 by the Los Angeles Sparks. Advertisement Hall was not one of the 16 hopefuls invited to attend the draft at The Shed at Hudson Yards in Manhattan, New York, so she was watching back home with her family. Aliyah Boston, Hall's former teammate from South Carolina, is the Fever's star forward/center. The two won a national championship together in 2022. The positives for South Carolina's Bree Hall Hall, a 6-foot guard, is an experienced player, with more games than any four-year player in program history. She left South Carolina with two national titles, four Final Four appearances and three SEC Tournament championships. She is one of the best defenders in the draft class, and coach Dawn Staley said Hall is in her top five of all-time defenders she has coached. Hall's on-ball defense is elite, and throughout her career, she has shut down some of the conference's premier scorers. Advertisement Hall got the nickname "Big Shot Breezy" after shooting some clutch 3-pointers in big games, including the regular-season win over LSU on Jan. 25, 2024. She's lanky, quick and intelligent, which allowed Staley to trust her in huge moments on both offense and defense. The concerns for South Carolina's Bree Hall Hall is not as dominant on offense, mainly because of the system she played in at South Carolina. She averaged just 6.3 points this season, whereas in 2023-24, she averaged 9.2. Her 3-point shooting also decreased from 44% to 38.2%, and her assists per game dropped from 1.5 to 1.0. She makes great passes and can knock down the occasional spot-up 3-pointer, but it might be a concern that her offense isn't as productive and consistent as her defense is. Final thoughts A lot of WNBA teams look for offense first, which may hurt Hall's chances, but if she proves in training camp that she can bring her offensive domination up to speed with what she brings on the defensive level, she can be a dependable guard off the bench. Advertisement Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@ and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Indiana Fever pick South Carolina's Bree Hall in 2025 WNBA Draft
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
WNBA roster cuts: Kaitlyn Chen, Deja Kelly, Shyanne Sellers among those waived ahead of 2025 season tipoff
The WNBA season is just around the corner, and with it comes players cuts. The preseason brings with it a highly competitive race for the league's coveted roster spots before the regular season begins May 16. Despite bringing in a 13th team this year with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA is still one of the smallest professional leagues in the country. Rookies have to compete with veteran players for the 12 spots on each team — and many will not make it. Advertisement Just a few weeks after the 2025 WNBA Draft, teams are beginning to waive some of the NCAA stars they drafted. A couple of notable names in the college scene have already been waived, with more surprising cuts still likely to come. Who are some of the notable players to get waived? One of the first notable rookies to get waived was Shyanne Sellers, who was waived by the Golden State Valkyries on May 3. The Maryland guard and 17th overall pick was eventually picked up by the Atlanta Dream, a team entering a new era after a busy offseason before being waived again on May 12. Another notable cut was Bree Hall, who was waived by the Indiana Fever on May 5. Hall, a former South Carolina guard with two NCAA championships, was selected with one of the Fever's second-round picks (20th overall). Advertisement On May 7, Harmoni Turner — a standout guard at Harvard and the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year — joined the list of fan favorites to get cut when she was waived by the Las Vegas Aces. Turner was picked by the Aces in the third round, at 35th overall. Why are so many WNBA players getting waived? When it comes to the WNBA, the simple answer is that there aren't enough spots to accommodate the number of talented players coming in from the NCAA. With 13 teams at 12 spots each, there are only 156 total roster spots across the league — with many of those spots already taken up by veterans and stars. In general, while first-round draft picks are likely to make rosters, most players selected in the WNBA Draft will not. Advertisement Those 12-player final rosters must be set before the start of the regular season. More than two dozen players across the WNBA have already been waived, but a good chunk of those players are rookies who went undrafted. Is the salary cap a factor? Honestly, money is not really part of the equation when it comes to the flurry of waived players during the preseason. The current minimum annual salary in the WNBA is $66,079 for a rookie salary — a number that might change soon, with the league's collective bargaining agreement set to expire in the fall. Players who are selected in the third round or go undrafted earn that amount in their first years. All of the WNBA teams have the cap space to sign rookie players, according to Spotrac, but the restrictions on roster spots are what keep teams so limited. Advertisement Rookie contracts are non-guaranteed, so teams are off the hook when they cut rookies, but a team that picks up a waived player will also pick up their existing rookie-scale contract. What's next for players who get waived? The WNBA's small rosters are a point of contention, as the league also doesn't have any kind of minor league, like the NBA's G League, where players can sign and develop. Most players who don't make rosters will end up traveling abroad to other leagues in countries like China, Russia, Turkey and more. Many of those leagues pay more than the WNBA, though players who are not big-name talent tend to make low six figures. Advertisement Other notable who have been waived: Beyond Sellers, Hall and Turner, plenty of other players and draftees who were big names in college have been cut already. Here's a look at some of the names worth noting:
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
WNBA roster cuts: Bree Hall, Shyanne Sellers among 2025 draftees waived ahead of season tip-off
The WNBA season is just around the corner, and with it comes the cuts. The preseason brings with it a highly-competitive race to snatch up one of the league's coveted roster spots before the regular season begins on May 16. Despite bringing in a 13th team this year, with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA is still one of the smallest professional leagues in the country. Rookies have to compete with veteran players for the 12 spots on each team — and many will not make it onto the team's final rosters. Advertisement Just a few weeks after the 2025 WNBA Draft, teams are beginning to waive some of the NCAA stars that they drafted. A couple of notable names in the college scene have already lost out on their WNBA spots, with more surprising cuts still likely to come. Who are some of the notable players to get waived? One of the first notable rookies to get waived was Shyanne Sellers, who was waived by the Golden State Valkyries on May 3. The Maryland guard and 17th overall pick was eventually picked up by the Atlanta Dream, a team that is entering a new era after a busy offseason. Whether Sellers is able to make the Dream's final roster is still to be determined, as Atlanta currently has more than 12 players on its roster. Another notable cut was Bree Hall, who was waived by the Indiana Fever on May 5. Hall, a former South Carolina guard with two NCAA championships under her belt, was selected with one of the Fever's second-round picks (20th overall), but loses out on a roster spot just a few weeks later. Advertisement On May 7, Harmoni Turner — a standout guard at Harvard and the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year — joined the list of fan favorites to get cut when she was waived by the Las Vegas Aces. Turner was picked by the Aces in the third round, at 35th overall. Why are so many WNBA players getting waived? When it comes to the WNBA, the simple answer is that there aren't enough spots to accommodate the number of talented players coming in from the NCAA. With 13 teams at 12 spots each, there are only 156 total roster spots across the league — with many of those spots already taken up by veterans and stars. In general, while first-round draft picks are likely to make their rosters, most players selected in the WNBA Draft will not make their team's final roster. Advertisement Those final rosters must be set before the regular season starts on May 16, meaning that teams must cut down to 12 players before then. More than two dozen players across the WNBA have already been waived; a good chunk of those players are rookies who went undrafted. Is the salary cap a factor? Honestly, money is not really part of the equation when it comes to the flurry of waivers during the preseason. The current minimum annual salary in the WNBA is $66,079 for rookie salary — a number that might change soon, with the league's collective bargaining agreement set to expire in the fall. All players who are selected in the third round or go undrafted earn this amount in their first year. All of the WNBA teams have the cap space to sign rookie players, according to Spotrac, but the restrictions on roster spots are truly what keep teams from filling out their benches a little more. Advertisement Signing a rookie contract does not guarantee that a player won't get cut from the roster. By waiving the player, the team is off the hook for that contract, while a team that picks up that player will also pick up their existing (rookie scale) contract. What's next for players who get waived? The WNBA's small rosters are a point of contention, as the league also doesn't have any kind of minor league, like the NBA's G League, that players can sign with. Most players who don't make rosters will end up traveling abroad, to other leagues in countries like China, Russia, Turkey and more. Ironically, many of these leagues pay more money than the WNBA, though players who are not big-name talent tend to make low six figures. Advertisement Other notable rookies who have been waived: Beyond Sellers, Hall and Turner, plenty of other players and draftees who were big names in college failed to make the cut in the WNBA.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dayton native cut by WNBA team after preseason debut
A WNBA team has waived a Dayton native. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The Indiana Fever announced Monday it waived Wayne High School graduate Bree Hall. 'We have waived guard Bree Hall,' the team said on social media. 'Thank you, Bree.' Advertisement As previously reported by News Center 7, Hall was drafted No. 20 overall in the 2025 WNBA draft on April 14. TRENDING STORIES: The move came after Hall scored nine points and grabbed four rebounds while playing 16 minutes in an exhibition game against Brazil's national team at the University of Iowa. 'Thankful for the opportunity. Looking forward to what's next,' she wrote on her Instagram account. The game was a homecoming for Fever star and former Iowa guard Caitlin Clark. Hall graduated from Wayne High School in 2021. She won two national championships at South Carolina. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
