Latest news with #Fiebich
New York Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Leonie Fiebich did exactly what Liberty needed — and then some — in win
WASHINGTON — Leonie Fiebich is a not-so-secret stabilizer for the Liberty. She never gets too high or too low. She doesn't always put up the flashiest numbers. Her defensive efforts can go unappreciated by the average eye. But not to her teammates. She can score, but she knows her role on a team loaded with offensive firepower. In Friday's 85-63 win, though, with the Liberty gassed from playing a game the night before, Fiebich came in and did exactly what the Liberty needed from her. 3 Leonie Fiebich looks to make a move during the Liberty's 85-63 blowout road win over the Mystics on May 30, 2025. NBAE via Getty Images Fiebich played her best game of the season. She scored 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting (2-for-3 from deep) and contributed nine rebounds, three blocks and an assist. 3 Leonie Fiebich goes up for a layup during the Liberty's blowout road victory over the Mystics. NBAE via Getty Images It was the type of showing coach Sandy Brondello has come to expect from her German forward. 'Every day, you know what you're going to get day-in and day-out,' Brondello said of Fiebich. 'We appreciate that. She loves defense; she's so versatile. But you can see that. She was shooting 3s. She was cutting. She was posting out. So it was great for us.' Jonquel Jones called Fiebich a defensive anchor of the team. She can guard the opposing team's best guards or wings, using her length and athleticism to shut them down. 'She's someone that we're not worried about that matchup,' Jones said. 'We understand that she can go out there and just be really productive in that sense, but it's something that maybe other people overlook but we don't overlook it on our team. We understand how valuable she is to us.' Backup center Nyara Sabally remains sidelined with a right knee issue. Friday marked the fourth game Sabally missed this week after discomfort flared up in her surgically repaired knee while warming up for the Liberty's game at Indiana. Brondello has said Sabally is 'fine' and has expressed caution with not wanting to rush Sabally back to the floor before she's ready. 3 Nyara Sabally during a game last season. Michelle Farsi/New York Post 'Hopefully, she's back by Sunday,' Brondello said pregame. 'She's making progress but we want to make sure she's feeling 100 percent.' Sabally did an individual workout Thursday and has been shooting, Brondello said. But concern surrounding Sabally's knee continues to grow the longer she remains out. Jones recorded her fourth double-double of the season Friday and 26th since joining the Liberty before the 2023 season. Jones grabbed 18 rebounds, her most in a regular-season game since 2019. She also scored 14 points. The Liberty have yet to lose when Jones posts a double-double.
New York Post
21-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Leonie Fiebich shows why she is ‘invaluable' to Liberty even after little prep for season
In the Liberty locker room before Saturday's win, Jonquel Jones was making light of her recent defensive assignments. She drew the Sun's Tina Charles in the Liberty's preseason opener and was tasked with trying to help slow reigning league MVP A'ja Wilson in the team's season opener. Advertisement Leonie Fiebich then chimed in from her stall, 'Well, Chelsey Gray isn't any different.' Fiebich was less than a week removed from helping her WNBA offseason team, Valencia, win the Spanish league finals. She arrived in Brooklyn on Thursday and had only one practice under her belt before the season opener. Advertisement Fiebich was starting to fall victim to her jet lag Saturday. But after receiving her 2024 championship ring and watching the team's banner rise into the Barclays Center rafters, Fiebich logged nearly 30 minutes of playing time as she reclaimed her spot in the Liberty's starting lineup. Fiebich didn't have the most impressive offensive night — two points and one assist. Her energy and aggressiveness on defense — all while her internal clock was off — was quite impressive. Fiebiech was one of the main players hounding Gray, who had 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting. Fiebich also had three steals and a blocked shot. Advertisement 3 Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich (13) drives to the basket in the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Aces at Barclays Center. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images 'I'd hate having someone like Leo guard me, too,' coach Sandy Brondello said Tuesday. 'She's so smart. She's KYP [the acronym for Know Your Personnel]. She knows how to help, knows how exactly we want to play.' Fiebich's familiarity with the Liberty from last season is what made her reintegration with minimal prep mostly seamless this past weekend. 'All the things that I've seen from Leo last year, it's kind of like the expectation now,' Jones said. 'It is very impressive [what she did Saturday] — I will say that — but I also feel like Leo, we understand what the standard is and we hold her to that standard. And she delivers every time.' Advertisement After the Sparks drafted her in the second round in 2020, Fiebich, of Landsberg, Germany, continued to develop her game while playing overseas. She was traded twice — most recently to the Liberty in 2023 — before she even suited up for a WNBA team. Fiebich made her WNBA debut last season. It was obvious early on that she was more than ready for the opportunity. 3 Leonie Fiebich looks on before the Liberty's home-opening win over the Aces. NBAE via Getty Images Her defensive versatility paired with her steady 3-point shot made Fiebich an X factor off the bench. But it became increasingly obvious that she was destined for a bigger role. Lineups with Fiebich gave the Liberty a lot more defensive oomph and shooting compared to lineups that featured Courtney Vandersloot. When the playoffs started, Brondello determined it was time for Fiebich to assume a regular starting job. 'What she brings us is so invaluable,' Brondello said. 'We could have moved her in there early, but I wanted to make it at the right time. And she finished the game. So I always say it's not who starts, it's who finishes, and that's the most important.' Fiebich earned All-Rookie honors and finished second in the Sixth Player of the Year voting last season. Advertisement In the postseason, she averaged 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists. She also shot 52.1 percent from deep and averaged 2.2 3-pointers per game. Fiebich was the last player to arrive at Liberty training camp this month as she finished her overseas commitments. But even in her absence, there was no question she'd be a starter this season. 'Sometimes it's still a bit surreal for me that I'm starting in a championship team,' Fiebich said. Advertisement 3 Leonie Fiebich of the New York Liberty is introduced before the game against the Las Vegas Aces during a WNBA game on May 17, 2024. NBAE via Getty Images Fiebich's whirlwind of a week caught up to her on Sunday. She had a fever and was feeling under the weather. 'It was a lot,' Fiebich admits. 'Ending a season, traveling, playing 30 minutes, so my body definitely took a break.' Advertisement Rebekah Gardner is pretty familiar with Fiebich's game as the two squared off against one another while playing in Spain. She said Fiebich's size and length made her a tough player to guard. 'She's been great,' Gardner said. 'And I'm sure she's gonna be even better than last year.'
