Guru’s WNBA Report: Weekend Openers Launch Season No. 25

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Following a summer of survival in the IMG Academy “wubble” in Bradenton, Fl,, in which the WNBA teams managed to succeed in fulfilling commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s fervent desire to play through while respecting COVID-19 protocols, the league returns to home arenas this weekend to launch a silver anniversary 25th season expected to be laced with gold - Olympic style - in in its middle.

Technically, while the curtain goes up Friday night and the games count, the league has already recently produced from last month’s draft through a series of ground-breaking announcements an exciting trailer filled with a multitude of broadcast platforms as well as new partnerships with Google and Amazon with its Prime Video component.

Expansion is not around the next corner but it is neither that far away.

In fact, Engelbert said Thursday afternoon on Associated Press national women’s basketball writer Doug Feinberg’s popular conversation Zoom cast that had the pandemic never occurred, discussions in that area might be further along right now then the necessary need to put them aside for the moment.

Thursday night, ESPN presented a compelling look-back on last summer’s tumultuous actions promoting Black Lives Matter in the cause of social justice and just what it was like in a three-month  endurance run of basketball around the clock playing virtually every other day until the Seattle Storm emerged with its second title — “one like no other” - in three seasons and fourth overall.

At the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn., the motto is Honor the Past, Celebrate the Present, and Promote the Future.

Certainly a lot of that will occur between now and the crowning of the 25th champion in October.

As for the past, the major transaction story among many in the off-season was longtime Los Angeles Sparks superstar Candace Parker, the former Tennessee all-American , returning to her hometown Chicago to play for the Sky.

Those two UConn alumnae stalwarts - Diana Taurasi with the Phoenix Mercury and Sue Bird with Seattle - are still around as good as ever.

Temple alum Candice Dupree has moved from the Indiana Fever coached by Immaculata alum Marianne Stanley to Seattle, which also has a Rutgers alum in Epiphany Prince. 

Saint Joseph’s grad Natasha Cloud after opting out last summer in the cause of social justice returns to the 2019 champion Washington Mystics as does Delaware alum Elena Delle Donne, who bypassed the wubble for health reasons.

The annual league survey of general managers released Thursday shows the runner up Las Vegas Aces as their favorite but with a bunch of teams loaded with talent it may take a while for a leader to emerge especially with La Salle grad Cheryl Reeve from South Jersey still coaching the Minnesota Lynx. 

The GMs picked Reeve behind Mike Thibault of Washington as best coach.

Washington also has former Rider standout Stella Johnson.

The GMs picked yet another UConn great in Seattle’s Breanna Stewart to be MVP, while Atlanta’s Aari McDonald out of recent NCAA runner up Arizona was the rookie of the year pick.

When it comes to celebrating the present, start with the GMs’ pick for most improved in the New York Liberty, who finally get to move in their new home, the Barclays Center, home of the NBA Nets, in Brooklyn. 

Fully recovered after injured early last season is the 2020 overall No. 1 pick Sabrina Ionescu out of Oregon. The Liberty also has a new mascot and open Friday night at home against Indiana. They also acquired Natasha Howard, who had been in Seattle. 

Also, former Rutgers star Betnijah Laney, voted most improved when with Atlanta, is also now with the Liberty.

There were two ownership changes with the NFL Raiders organization taking Las Vegas from MGM, while the controversy in Atlanta was resolved with the Dream going from a group that included former Georgia U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler to one involving former player - a first - UConn alum Renee Montgomery.

Speaking of former players, Vickie Johnson has succeeded Brian Agler on the Dallas Wings which has overall No. 1 pick Charli Collier from down the interstate having played for the Texas Longhorns. The Wings also have Princeton’s Bella Alarie, a 2020 first round pick.

Recent Rutgers grad, by the way, Arella Guirantes, is on the Los Angeles Sparks.

And in Atlanta after Nicki Collen left to succeed new LSU coach Kim Mulkey at Baylor,  assistant Mike Petersen took an interim position while they look for a permanent successor.

Two recent college coaches are now team presidents with LSU’s Nikki Fargas holding office in Las Vegas and former George Washington coach and UConn and WNBA star Jen Rizzotti returning to her home state to head the business side of the Connecticut Sun, which has Jonquel Jones back on the hardwood but lost Alyssa Thomas, the former Maryland star, to injury struck with ehile playing overseas.

As for promoting the future, after being parked by necessity last summer, the league launches the Commissioner’s Cup, a series of 10 designated games per team within each of the two conferences with the championship to be played with $500,000 prize  money involved on August 12 in Phoenix, the competition being the first WNBA event after the Olympics.

Conference games had lost some meaning when the playoff qualifiers were changed to the best overall eight teams.

The designated games, all before the Olympics, will be the the first home and road games against each conference opponent, with Prime Video airing most, and the top team in each of the mini tournament from each side will advance to the championship.

“This will be a great way to build rivalries within the conferences,” Engelbert said during Feinberg’s Zoom cast.

There will be an all-star game played the first week of the Olympic break with the precise date and site still to be revealed.

Year 25 means look for picks of the top 25 players and moments of all time in the league.

Since we’re talking some future, on a general note, while newspapers continue to decline, league coverage on the internet is better than ever and continues to grow.

Thus, on a personal note, three talents out of Temple University, the Guru’s alma mater, will be bringing writing and broadcast skills to Team Guru in the months ahead, Sam Cohn, who is also the assigned USBWA mentee on the college side, Sage Hurley, and Lindsey Moppert.

And that’s the opening report.