22-05-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Valkyries and their fans not willing to accept expansion team expectations
The Golden State Valkyries have no interest in becoming the basketball version of the 1962 New York Mets, an expansion team that went 40-120-1.
No 'loveable losers' tag for this crew.
The deck is deliberately stacked against the Valkies, as a first-year expansion team. They have been handed the league's castoffs, useful but expendable role players, and eager rookies, and been challenged to cobble together a squad facing a hard road to respectability.
But this team has grander plans and Wednesday night at Chase Center, in the second game of their WNBA existence, the Valkyries won their first game, 76-74 over the Washington Mystics.
They overcame a 2-0 opponent, an epically cold shooting night, and the weight of history, to rock a full-house Chase Center with a clutch stretch run.
It was historic, and that first win could have been a long time coming. The Atlanta Dream, the last WNBA expansion team (2008) lost its first 17 games en route to a 4-30 season.
The Valkyries honored the win with some celebrating. They ambushed coach Natalie Nakase with a cold-water dump in the lockeroom, causing her to attend her press conference wearing a black robe. They were all happy with the win.
But it's not like they don't think there are a lot more where that one came from.
Putting it in broader historical perspective was a task left to the fans and assorted observers.
Taking a step back and looking at the big picture, this was the culmination of decades of pioneering in the Bay Area, where women's pro basketball in America got its start, and got several boosts along the way. It was a big step for women's basketball and women's sports.
Who better to put that in perspective than Tara VanDerveer, who sat courtside Wednesday. The retired Stanford coach was the honored pounder of the Valkyries drum in a pregame ceremony. Nice full-circle moment, since VanDerveer began her basketball life as a mascot for a high school boys team, wearing a furry critter costume.
You might call VanDerveer the godmother of women's basketball in the Bay Area.
'More like the grandmother,' said VanDerveer, who clearly was enjoying the spectacle of 18,000-plus fans cheering for the sport she fought so hard to build. 'When I was first at Stanford (in 1985), there were more people in the press room than in the stands. This is just phenomenal, great enthusiasm, the growth of women's sports.'
Now it's a sport for everyone. Sitting (and standing) next to VanDerveer at midcourt was Brandin Podziemski, the Golden State Warriors ' point guard. He wore the No. 5 jersey of Kayla Thornton, who scored 18 points, including a four-point play that gave the Valkies a 70-65 lead with 1:03 to play.
Podziemski, who was also on hand for the Valkyries' Opening Night, led cheers and held discussions with refs and opposing players. Maybe he's going to become the Valkyries' Spike Lee.
'It's nothing but amazing,' Podziemski said at halftime. 'I'm super grateful just to have this experience, it's super cool for basketball fans, so they can see basketball year 'round, it's pretty special.
'I'm going to try to be at as many home games as I can, most of them. I love basketball, you know that, so to see other people play, especially women who are really dedicated to their craft, is special. ... It's going to be exciting to see how much they can grow, this year and in the years to come.'
Oh, yeah. Growth. One win does not a dynasty make, one historic night is just that. My inside sources (OK, Chronicle beat writer Marisa Ingemi) tell me that when the Valkyries lost their opener, there was plenty of social-media-world fretting about what's wrong with the team.
This is the Bay Area's second pro expansion team (the San Jose Sharks debuted in 1991-92), and its first-ever arena-packing women's pro major-sports team, and you can't expect total sanity from the fan base.
But the ones who have come to Chase so far are clearly in full-throated support of their team. It's a younger and more energetic crowd than at Warriors' games. Since tickets are relatively more affordable, there are more kids. Less of a country-club atmosphere.
'Fewer people walking around with cocktails,' as one security person said.
The fans are ready to rock, but they're not likely to happily endure hilarious bumbling by their heroes, like Mets' fans did back in '62. Those Mets had loveable and hilarious manager Casey Stengel to put a fun face on the grim reality.
The Valkyries have Nakase, who has described herself as 'super boring.' Look, she's no Casey, nobody is, but she sells herself short. She is just fine with the media, and seems a perfect fit for a young, growing team, patient and positive.
She and her team have solid backing, from ownership and fans, and are determined to ride the wave of history. Before the game, Mystics' coach Sydney Johnson was asked about the impact of the league's first expansion team in 16 years.
'It's been amazing,' Johnson said, 'just to have an expansion team start off with selling out games, playing in this beautiful arena, being in a special part of the country ... Just their enthusiasm for the game, their electric pace, it's part of our future. Right away they belong.'
Of course they do. They have brought women's pro basketball back home.
