Latest news with #FIBAWomen'sEurobasket
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Breanna Stewart reveals what ‘separates' Liberty from rest of the WNBA
The post Breanna Stewart reveals what 'separates' Liberty from rest of the WNBA appeared first on ClutchPoints. Sometimes it takes a good early season blowout to see what you have on your bench, and New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart got to see exactly that on Tuesday night. Suffice it to say she loved what she saw. Advertisement 'Our bench and our depth is what separates us from anyone else, the ability to go this deep and know that there's gonna be just consistency in everything that we do,' Stewart said. 'I'm happy that everybody's coming in with confidence all the time.' The reigning WNBA champs defeated the expansion Golden State Valkyries, 95-67, in a game that was never close. The Liberty went up 15-2 and head coach Sandy Brondello turned to her bench early on. Kennedy Burke got the sub show started for New York, scoring a quick five points in 40 seconds late in the first quarter. Then, Marine Johannès got going. Liberty fans have been waiting for her to show off her three-point marksmanship this season after she came into the game 2-8 from distance. They got it in the second quarter. Advertisement After Isabelle Harrison scored to open the frame, Johannès hit consecutive threes in a 22-second span that put New York up 35-13. She finished with 18 points on 6-11 three-point shooting. Combined with Burke turning in another solid performance (seven points, five rebounds) and contributions from Harrison and Rebekah Gardner, the New York bench scored 37 points. For Gardner, it was a season-high eight points on 4-6 shooting. 'She continues to get better and better,' Brondello said. 'She's getting more comfortable in how we play and what she actually brings to us. I just love how she can get downhill and finish at the rim. She put so much work into it and she holds herself to high standards. Advertisement Stewart and Brondello's praise of the team's second unit comes from a place of experience. As last season wore on, the Liberty began to realize their own depth, riding contributions from Leonie Fiebich, Kayla Thornton and Nyara Sabally to plenty of wins down the stretch. This year's bench looks different. Fiebich is a starter and Thornton now plays for Golden State. But instead, the Liberty have a healthy Burke and a stateside Johannès who have made all the difference early in the season. Even better, Johannès is here to stay. She elected not to participate in FIBA Women's Eurobasket, meaning she will be with the team all season. 'It was really important for me to do a full season [in New York],' Johannès said. Advertisement Now four games in, the Liberty have 40 left — or the amount of total regular season games they played last year. The starting unit is well aware that the bench is going to have to continue playing a major role. As Sabrina Ionescu put it, the group has to 'come in and continue the lead that we have built or if we're down, they've got to come in and do our job better.' Marine Johannès has her 2025 Liberty breakout Grace Smith/USA Today Network via Imagn Images Liberty fans know what Johannès is capable of. They saw it during her August heater in 2023 when she went 14-21 from three over a five-game stretch that included the Commissioner's Cup championship game. Advertisement They were just waiting for the 2025 version. Johannès has looked fine in practice, getting shots up with minimal time and space necessary. It just hadn't translated into a game yet. Seeing her provide a spark off the bench was a welcome sight. 'I'm so happy for her. Any given night it could happen,' Ionescu said. 'We want her to be confident, and I think she missed the first and she just continued to shoot and got really hot and that's what Marine's capable of doing.' Johannès is doing her best to hunt her shot more. There's no question she can knock them down with the best in the league — she just needs to play each game like she knows it. Advertisement 'I was too passive in the last game,' she said of her scoreless performance against the Indiana Fever on Saturday in which she played 15 minutes and took only two shots. 'I have to keep going. Just my mentality, playing with more confidence.' The 66 combined bench minutes also help considering the stretch the team has begun. The Liberty will face Golden State again on Thursday before traveling to Washington on Friday to play the Mystics and returning home for a game against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Angel Reese's Rookie Teammate Set To Miss WNBA Season
The Chicago Sky began their training camp on Saturday, with the team's roster featuring 18 players. Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and rookie teammate Hailey Van Lith lead the young core featured in the training camp roster, while offseason additions such as Courtney Vandersloot and Ariel Atkins were also included. Advertisement Chicago will have to make some tough decisions soon, though, as every WNBA team can only have a maximum of 12 players when the 2025 season begins. While many fans debate on who will make the cut, others couldn't help but notice one player missing: rookie Ajsa Sivka. The Sky selected Sivka with the No. 10 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, one selection ahead of Van Lith. However, she wasn't named in the team's training camp roster, leading many fans to ask where she is. "So where is Ajsa Sivka??? Our Tenth pick!?" a commenter wrote on the Sky's post about their training camp roster. Another disappointed fan said, "So y'all drafted Ajsa first and she might not even play in the wnba I swear this front office makes it hard to be a fan. Spoon Carter now this smfh. NEW FRONT OFFICE PLEASE." Advertisement "Why is asja sevika not on the list?" a third supporter asked. Chicago Sky forward Ajsa Sivka poses with Commissioner Cathy Engelbert at the 2025 WNBA Carchietta-Imagn Images Ajsa Sivka's absence from the roster list confirms that she will not be playing for the Sky in the 2025 WNBA season. However, it's not a surprising development since it has been reported after she was drafted that it's a possibility. The 19-year-old Slovenian is expected to feature for her home country in the FIBA Women's Eurobasket in June, which would have complicated her participation in the WNBA. Chicago drafted her knowing that fact, according to general manager Jeff Pagliocca, as reported by Julia Poe of Chicago Tribune. For what it's worth, Sivka has every desire to play for the Sky in the WNBA, saying during draft night that she's "just really excited to play with all these great players like Angel Reese." Advertisement In another interview for Slovenian news site Sivka also confirmed that the plan is for her to play in the WNBA next year. "I'm not quite sure yet, but playing for the national team is my priority right now, so I'll probably go to Chicago next year," she said in Slovenian. "We had meetings with the clubs before the draft and I told them that I probably won't be there this year because I don't want them to count on me for nothing. They also accepted that without any problems." With that said, Sky fans will have to wait for a little bit for their promising rookie for now. Related: Fans Are Upset After Chicago Sky's Big Angel Reese, Roster Announcement
Chicago Tribune
15-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago Sky's top draft pick might not play in the WNBA this season — but front office is focused on the future
The Chicago Sky's top draft pick might not play in the WNBA this season — but the front office isn't worried about the timeline of the 19-year-old Slovenian they selected No. 10 in Monday's draft. General manager Jeff Pagliocca couldn't be higher on Ajša Sivka. He didn't expect her to be available toward the end of the first round of the draft — after all, it's not exactly common to find a 6-foot-4 forward with the fluid perimeter shot and on-ball creativity of a guard. Pagliocca believes Sivka will be an 'outlier' talent. But he also can't guarantee that Sivka will play in the WNBA this season. 'There will be ongoing conversations,' Pagliocca said. 'We drafted her because we want her to play here, so hopefully sooner rather than later, because she's got a chance to be special.' It's not uncommon for European players to defer their move to the WNBA, waiting years after their draft selection to actually come to the United States — if they come at all. Often, this is due to a lack of communication when teams make selections without ever discussing with players their interest in the WNBA. For instance, German forward Leonie Fiebich was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2020 and her draft rights were traded to the Sky in 2021. But she never actually signed with a WNBA team until last February, when her rights were traded to the New York Liberty. At the time, Fiebich said she had never spoken to anyone from the Sparks or the Sky despite the selection and transfer of her draft rights. This situation is different. Pagliocca said the Sky had 'a lot of really good conversations' with Sivka leading up to the draft which encouraged him about her intentions to play in the WNBA if she was drafted. And on draft night, Sivka, who was present in New York at the event, voiced her own enthusiasm about transitioning to the league and building a future with the Sky. 'I'm just really excited to play with all these great players like Angel Reese,' Sivka said. 'I can't wait to start.' One major obstacle stands between Sivka and the WNBA this season: FIBA Women's Eurobasket. Beyond salary caps and the different style of play, international commitments are typically the main reason that European players decline to participate in the WNBA — and Eurobasket is at the heart of this conflict. Taking place every two years, the tournament represents the pinnacle of international competition in Europe. Sivka previously represented Slovenia at the 2023 iteration of the tournament, where she was the youngest player in the competition at age 17. She started for Slovenia in the Eurobasket qualifiers earlier this year, and the team won their group with five wins. Slovenia's first game of the group phase is scheduled for June 18 in Bologna, Italy, and the tournament will conclude on June 29 in Piraeus, Greece. Many teams call players into extensive tune-up camps to prepare ahead of Eurobasket. This commitment would limit Sivka's ability to report to Chicago until midway through the WNBA season. Chicago Sky pick Ajša Sivka and Hailey Van Lith in the 1st round of the WNBA draft In 2020, the WNBA implemented a prioritization rule that requires players to report to camp by May 1 or face potential fines and suspensions. But this rule does not apply to players until after their second year in the league, which means Sivka will not face any penalties if she doesn't report to Chicago until after Eurobasket. That means the Sky have flexibility as they navigate the upcoming season with Sivka. The front office is exploring different options, which could include allowing her to defer her rookie season to 2026. But the bottom line remains the same: Pagliocca and the Sky believe Sivka is a foundational piece for the Sky, regardless of when she finally makes her WNBA debut. 'Imagine that girl two, three, four years from now — how special she might be,' Pagliocca said. 'We think she's great. We think there's not a lot of her. Players at that size that can shoot the ball, you always want them around. In our league, shooting defines a lot of success. So yeah, that's a player we want to keep here forever.'
