GURU’s WNBA Musings: And From Florida We Have Liftoff

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

With opening weekend under way in the WNBA, here’s Lots of Guru random thoughts — some even applicable back in the collegiate world.

 

As events so transpired from the time Florida looked like the deal until by the time for arrival for training camps at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, near Tampa/St. Petersburg, the WNBA, which had been following the science promoting health and safety, ended up sending the entire store, save opt-outs, into one of the hottest centers of the United States, and perhaps, the world, where COVID-19 was working its evil ways.

 

There are analogies to be had for sure, take your pick, as far as this juxtaposition is concerned. And the WNBA probably has rip-chord standby procedures in existence if conditions inside the Wubble suddenly take an alarming turn in a negative result off a spike in positive testing.

 

On the other hand, near a place where many of the elder supporters of the league thrilled decades ago in TV viewing of manned rockets carrying America’s early astronauts from the Atlantic shores to eventually the moon, Saturday’s delayed date to this unique 24^th and game-scheduled shortened season and its openers, was the perfect setting to write and utter the word, “liftoff.”

 

It might be a shorter span than the previously expanded by two to 36 might have been, but a myriad of potential events could occur between now and October when a champion off the playoffs is crowned.

 

 But all-in-all business as unusual was still business in the three games played Saturday.

 

If we temporarily go back into mid-May when word came that access in the arena would be on an absolute need-to-be there basis, no fans, no media (minute exceptions), wonderment occurred as to how the actual presentation would appear.

 

And in terms of media, and even those at communications team level, a mystery existed on how to operate from afar in replicating a game-day coverage experience.

 

By then, most of us had become used to operating in a zoom environment off announcement pressers in the collegiate world involving coaching changes, besides ongoing interviews.

 

But eventually the league trotted out a plan that looked quite organized, the 12 teams have their act together, whether the key liaisons are actually in Florida or operating out of their home offices, and so far access had been fine.

 

The one thing is if one is working more on eyeing the league overall, the flood of email alerts and participations can be overwhelming, though the Guru has a few of his regulars participating in coverage, with maybe more to add on as we go.

 

And while there is no Philly team here, the Guru is maintaining prism focus through the three “adopted local” teams of the New York Liberty, Washington Mystics, and Connecticut Sun.

 

Sadly, the excitement over the New York Liberty’s return to civilization from the from two summers in the frontier town of White Plains to the new home in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center will be on hold.

 

That also goes to aspects, but not all,  of the ongoing trips to the Mohegan Sun for Connecticut and to Washington.

 

As to how to Saturday’s games looked on TV, those of us who go way back to the early growth of women’s basketball to reaching small arenas becoming jammed, to larger arenas being less so until powerhouses began filling them, the sights and sounds, hearing players yell out, the voice of the public address announcer in a slight echo intonation, it’s not anything many of us have experienced manny times in the past.

 

The announcers at ESPN and CBS Sports were on point, and from here, with the new state-of-the-art 4^th generation iPad Pro now operational, at least it is known that everything at this end works to provide viewing.

 

And of course, the conversation is now enhanced with all the social media initiatives being undertaken by the league and its players, as well as the fan base and various dedicated web operations.

 

Furthermore, it’s been so long now since the early weekend of conference tournaments in March before the sports world shut down, that the electric atmosphere of shouting crowds for their favorite teams has temporarily faded to mental cloud storage in the memory banks.

 

And actually what many months ago was perceived would be a moot point by now, even as the WNBA begins, there is an overlap of concern as to what the winter collegiate season will look like as the collegiate level is already promulgating fall sports competition over to the spring of 2021, if at all.

 

Salute to the Commissioner(s)

 

Way back in early May when the future of what a season in the WNBA would be, if at all, let alone those involving the rest of the sports world, a high ESPN operative the Guru was dealing with involving his role running the women’s side of the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), noted, she’s (Cathy Engelbert) very bullish in full steam ahead.

 

“‘We think it can happen. We’re looking at a million scenarios. We have time on our side.’”

 

“What if there’s no (resumption of) NBA.”

 

“‘We’re not the NBA. We’re smaller. We have a lot more options. It can still happen.’”

 

So, in large part, besides the work from the side of the players association, kudos to Engelbert, just in her second season, as well as the others high in the league office, who worked it night and day between then and now to reach Saturday’s launch.

 

And speaking of commissioners, word came during the afternoon competition, that the late NBA Commissioner David Stern, who was in retirement when he passed away last January and who pushed the onset of the WNBA, would be added to the previously announced Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame class, whose inductions in Knoxville, Tenn., would have been last month, but because of the virus was going to be moved to next June.”

 

Ironically, though this was likely already in the works, you’re Guru had noted to a WBHOF board member several weeks ago that with only six inductees, it would be good to have an addition or two to refresh the previously announced group.

 

The Naismith Class in Springfield, Mass., is being moved to next spring, and officials announced in 2021 there would be two classes — the one announced for this year, and the new one to be ddetermined.

 

 “David Stern's deeply held convictions a quarter century ago gave birth to the WNBA and paved the way for a new era in women's professional team sports in our country.

 

 “He brilliantly married women's basketball with NBA capabilities, a sound business plan and a marketer's touch, and his vision produced a league that remains a beacon for women in the sports world,” stated Val Ackerman, BIG EAST Commissioner and Founding President of the WNBA.

 

 “Legions of players, coaches, executives, referees and fans owe David an enormous debt of gratitude for his relentless determination to elevate women's basketball to the major league status it deserves. His induction into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame could not be more richly deserved."

 

Opening Day

 

The second weekend cancellation of tournaments aside last March in the conference world, Saturday’s three results, Seattle Storm 87, New York Liberty 71; Los Angeles Sparks 99, Phoenix Mercury 76; Washington Mystics 101, Indiana Fever 76, seemed like resumption of a next-to-step in time which would have included a lot of similar lopsided results in the first weekend of NCAA tournament play.

 

Rob Knox is in midseason form below this post writing of former Louisville star Myisha Hines-Allen’s sizzling performance in Washington’s opening win over the Indiana Fever as if he had been on press row in the Entertainment and Events Center across the Potomac River.

 

And actually the past president of the College Sports Information Directors’ Association (CoSIDA), whose term on the board ended last month, was going to be in remote mode for us, having moved from his past job at Towson University in suburban Baltimore to the University of North Carolina – Greensboro.

 

Seattle looked in championship form of two seasons ago with the return of former UConn sensation Breanna Stewart, MVP of the 2018 playoffs, and former UConn star Sue Bird, who were both out off injuries last season.

 

Sad News/Good News For Rider Fans

 

The Sad: Had she not been cut just before the deadline, recently graduated Rider superstar Stella Johnson, who led the Broncs to the top seed of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) as the nation’s leading scorer, would have been become the first Bronc to be on a WNBA opening day roster with the Phoenix Mercury, who drafted her last April.

 

The Good: Johnson will have that thrill one day later as part of the Chicago Sky lineup when they play Sunday’s second game, meeting the Las Vegas Aces at 3 p.m. That game will air on ABC-TV (Ch. 6 locally).

 

She was signed by the Sky went into hardship mode off the CoVID-19 positive test registered by Sydney Colson.

 

That game comes Sunday before what many of us here are calling the Ivy League/Princeton/Courtney Banghart Bowl when the Atlanta Dream meet the Dallas Wings at 5 p.m. on CBSSN.

 

Two Princeton players recruited in the different Tigers eras under Banghart, whose first year at North  Carolina was completed in March, will be on opposing sides.

 

Both have Ivy player of the year honors in their resumes.

 

Atlanta’s Blake Dietrick was part of Princeton’s group that became the first Ivy squad to get ranked and also have an overall unbeaten regular season.

 

 Similar status in AP history was accorded last season in Bella Alarie’s senior year under first year coach Carla Berube, a former UConn star.

 

Alarie went in the first round last April to Dallas as the No. 5 overall pick.

 

The first of Sunday’s triple header tips at noon with Connecticut and the Minnesota Lynx on ESPN.

 

No Rust for the Actives

 

In recent years, when the subject of fans and media coverage of the WNBA, especially, local, occurred, your Guru noted that the schedule was part of the problem.

 

While it was understandable to cram games around weekend dates, the downside was there were huge gaps between games the rest of the time as other factors got in the mix.

 

In the collegiate world, involving those publications regularly engaged, there’s a rhythmic flow in which the game gets reported and maybe a day later a feature off a game, and then in the next two, a look ahead to the next contest.

 

Of course, other items get added per news or should controversy rear its head.

 

Not so the WNBA.

 

Washington, for example, which has an active media crowd in terms of numbers, as does Connecticut, could go over a week between games whether home or away, which kills the momentum. 

 

And then in Washington’s case you get caught behind competition from baseball, etc., in the sports news-hole.

 

This year, however, there will be few days apart in the sprint to playoffs mode in September off the 22-per-team games scheduled.

 

Each team will mostly have one day off between games, several with two, and some with three.

 

Park of the gap gets impacted between weekend encounters and the next outing since all but one Monday will be dark as it has always been.

 

Here’s the count we did for our three “locals” of Connecticut, Washington, and New York.

 

1 Off day between games — Connecticut, 18, Washington 15, New York 15.

2 Off days between games — Connecticut 1, Washington 4, New York 5

3 Off days between games — Connecticut 2, Washington 2, New York 1

 

Asked how New York got the five two-days, the Guru quipped, the extras are for the team and league to do extra promotional marketing with Sabrina Ionescu, the overall No. 1 pick out of Oregon.

 

WNBA-NBA Synergy Curiosity

 

As the unknown was still being pursued, the Guru talking to a TV type noted that despite the original spoken date at that time for the WNBA launch, once it was known what baseball’s date was, he mused it might be wise to wait a few days to get out of baseball’s startup shadow.

 

Normally, the conflict of baseball openers and the NCAA Women’s Final Four weekend has not caused much TV viewing problems on the women’s side.

 

“Let’s face it, when the NBA restarts, that’s where a lot of the focus will be,” came the reply.

 

So given the profession competitive relationship between male and female notables from both sides — the late Kobe Bryant was a huge WBB fan, in part having daughters, and it was going to be exciting to see his impact on the women’s game prior to last winter’s tragic plane crash — so when the NBA restarts next weekend beyond the instagrams, facebook, etc., it will be interesting to see how much cross promotion occurs especially from the NBA side.

 

Collegiate Futurist Note

 

A release from the NCAA this week noted that accepted bids for future regionals involving the new format several years from now when instead of four regional sites with four teams each for the Sweet 16, there will be two eight-team locations, will be revealed in October.

 

As expected, a source plugged into the process confided that a Las Vegas group has made a bid. The All-Star game last year was successful at the home of the Las Vegas Aces and also the last several PAC-12 men’s and women’s tourneys. 

 

Several other conferences have also held tourneys there and the recent judicial rulings on gambling sites erased the long-running ban on actual parts, let alone the championship, of the NCAA tourneys to be held out in the desert and other venues with gambling.

 

Phoenix has a bid for the Women’s Final Four so in that regard the weekend-to-weekend swing from a Vegas site to stay out West could be cost effective and especially ease travel time zone details that would exist moving to the East.

 

Another source informs that there are lot of bids that have come in from across the country, including a bunch from East coast sites.

 

That begs the question, whither the Mohegan Sun might be among them. To be pursued. 

 

At one time there was thought the WNBA regular season might be split between Vegas and Mohegan.

 

And with things still out of control concerning COVID-19, that format can’t yet be swiped off the table as an emergency contingency.

 

Likewise, anything you just read involving the months ahead starting now is also subject to the impact of the current national condition.

 

That said, enjoy the rest of the weekend.