Another big change for the Lynx org, along with news of assistant coach Katie Smith's departure to Ohio State.

From the Lynx's statement:

“We are excited for Clare’s new opportunity with Unrivaled and thank her for 11 great years inside the Lynx organization,” said Minnesota Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Cheryl Reeve. “Clare was tireless in her efforts to support the Lynx players and staff in her roles as Director of Lynx Basketball Operations and subsequently General Manager. We will miss her, and we wish her well as she embarks on this new journey.” 

Duwelius will now serve as General Manager and Executive Vice President at Lynx forward Napheesa Collier’s new league, Unrivaled, which is set to begin play in January 2025. Duwelius joined the Lynx organization in 2014, serving on Reeve’s staff as Basketball Operations Coordinator. In 11 seasons, she advanced through the ranks becoming Basketball Operations Manager, Assistant General Manager and finally General Manager in 2022, prior to the 2023 season.  

Duwelius’ work resulted in the transformation of Minnesota’s roster into a title contender, as well as building a sustained winning culture within the organization. In her second year as general manager in 2024, Duwelius was instrumental in the construction of a team that reached the WNBA Finals through transactions made in free agency, the draft and trades prior to and during the season. The Des Moines, Iowa native has served on Lynx teams that have made 10 postseason appearances, four WNBA Finals trips and two WNBA Championship titles in 2015 and 2017. 

From Unrivaled's press release:

Today, professional women's basketball league Unrivaled announced that Clare Duwelius has been named Executive Vice President and General Manager, effective immediately.

Duwelius will play a pivotal role in shaping the direction of the Unrivaled's basketball operations and is tasked with leading the league's efforts in contract negotiations with players and coaches, overseeing the league's referees, regulating playing rules, and managing additional league administration. Duwelius will work closely with President of Basketball Operations Luke Cooper as well as Unrivaled President Alex Bazzell.

"As we've continued to construct a first-class basketball operations staff at Unrivaled, we are thrilled to welcome Clare Duwelius as a critical piece of our league," said Unrivaled Commissioner Micky Lawler. "Her track record and proven excellency speak for themselves, and she brings years of unparalleled experience from a storied and successful franchise. We're grateful that she is joining Unrivaled for this next step of her career and look forward to her leadership beginning with our inaugural season in January."

Clare Duwelius joins Unrivaled from the Minnesota Lynx, where she recently completed her 11th season with the team and her second as General Manager after having been promoted in 2022 from her previous role as Assistant General Manager.

Duwelius started with the Lynx in 2014 as the Basketball Operations Coordinator and was elevated to Basketball Operations Manager in 2016 and Assistant General Manager in 2018.

"I am thrilled to join Unrivaled as the league's first Executive Vice President and General Manager. I look forward to making a strategic mark on this incredible new league that proudly features the world's best players," said Duwelius. "I am beyond thankful to Glen & Becky Taylor, Cheryl Reeve and the long list of staff and players I have had the privilege of working alongside for over a decade in Minnesota. The experiences and growth, both personally and professionally, have prepared me for this exciting new chapter."

As a member of the Lynx staff, Duwelius served on teams that won two WNBA Championship titles (2015 and 2017), made four WNBA Finals trips (2015-17, 2024), appeared in 10 playoffs (2014-2021, 2023-24), and won one WNBA Commissioner's Cup Championship (2024).

A Des Moines, Iowa native, Duwelius graduated from Wayne State College where she played on the women's basketball team and earned her degree in Sports Management. Upon graduating, Duwelius went on to obtain her Master's degree in Business Administration from Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) while serving as the Graduate Assistant for the SMSU women's basketball team.

Jayson Tatum’s impact as an NBA superstar was signed, sealed, and delivered when he helped guide the Boston Celtics to an NBA Finals win over Dallas last June.

With his first title in hand, Tatum is interested in making an entrepreneurial move into ownership of an expansion WNBA franchise in his hometown of St. Louis.

Jacob Feldman of Sportico reported more than a week ago that Tatum “informally agreed to invest in the team should it come to fruition and contribute behind the scenes to the group’s pitch, both to other potential big-name investors and the league itself.”

Influential Saint Louis University alum and billionaire Richard Chaifetz would be part of the ownership group along with David Hoffman, according to Sportico.

Chaifetz has stated interest in bringing an NBA franchise to St. Louis, and the arena where SLU men’s and women’s basketball teams play is named for him and his family.

Hoffman, a real estate developer, owns a St. Louis Blues minor league affiliate and has recently purchase a few small to mid-size newspapers throughout the nation. He is interested in purchasing the St. Louis Post-Dispatch if Lee Enterprises were to put it up for sale.

Noa Dalzell, who covers the NBA and WNBA for The Source, asked Tatum about his WNBA plans during a Celtics shootaround on Nov. 1, 2024.

“I can’t speak on it too much right now, but there will be a time when I can, and I’ll be able to elaborate,” Tatum told Dalzell.

An NBA player can own up to 4% of a WNBA franchise. While Tatum is not a billionaire, he is on track to become the first NBA player to net $1 billion solely on his respective NBA compensation.

Kelsey Plum is set to unveil her new Kingmakers signature cigar collection at Eight Lounge, a renowned cigar and cocktail venue at Resorts World Las Vegas. The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, offering attendees the chance to meet the Las Vegas point guard and Olympic gold medalist.

The evening promises to attract a notable crowd of cigar enthusiasts. While the event is open to the public, space is limited, and reservations are highly recommended. Attendees may also encounter other prominent Vegas athletes.

To mark the occasion, Eight Lounge will feature a special pairing of Plum's cigar with its signature Peanut Butter Chocolate Martini. The cocktail, priced at $80, is crafted with Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, crème de cacao, Mr. Black coffee liqueur, and heavy cream.

Plum’s cigar is wrapped in Connecticut shade-grown paper and filled with premium Nicaraguan tobaccos from Estelí. It offers flavors of vanilla and buttery toasted nuts, finishing with a daring peppercorn note. The cigar's smooth smoke is designed to complement the martini's dessert-like qualities, creating a sophisticated indulgence.

Following the event, Plum’s Kingmakers cigar will be available for purchase in the lounge's humidor and on the menu, regularly priced at $65.

https://preview.redd.it/l2kyc784j60e1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c60b357713a7a609b4fd5651ae7576f58bc20204

https://news3lv.com/news/local/aces-superstar-kelsey-plum-to-launch-kingmakers-cigar-line-at-eight-lounge

“Your philosophy in basketball will get you to a certain point. After that, you need individuals to take you to the next step.” This quote from 11x National Championship-winning head coach Geno Auriemma is a reflection of how the Hall of Fame coach sees the sport—prioritizing the importance of systems, emphasizing that individual talent is only the next step in making all the difference. Caitlin Clark’s arrival has shown the basketball world just how powerful one individual’s influence can be. Despite the undeniable Caitlin Clark effect, however, Auriemma believes true growth in the sport requires more than just one star— rather needs a thorough systematic approach.

The UConn Huskies head coach appeared on a podcast where he discussed how popularity surged in men’s basketball and how the same phenomenon is now spilling over into the women’s game. While comparing the two, Auriemma couldn’t help but share his honest thoughts on how individual personalities can boost the league’s visibility, but sustaining that popularity in the long run requires something more.

Geno Auriemma highlights the alternatives rather than relying on the “Caitlin Clark effect”

“The point is where are we going next and if we think that you know, one kid you know, one Caitlin Clark is going to be enough to take this where it needs to go, it’s not. Or one Paige Bueckers, it’s not. What they do is they show you the way, they show you what’s possible, and then the people that run the operation have to now capitalize on it, and then the younger generation, the high school people have to prepare these kids, so that when they get to college, we have something good to work with, and then we send them up to the WNBA and then they have something good to work with,” Auriemma explained on Make a Difference with Phil Martelli.

As Auriemma pointed out, while authorities must capitalize on the current surge in interest, Caitlin Clark herself had echoed a similar sentiment earlier. “Just how it’s evolved and in such a short period of time, I think shows everyone, you know, there are real opportunities here and there has been opportunity. So I think that’s what so exciting. So the more we can continue to expand that,” the reigning ROTY had said earlier.

credited superstars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese for driving the rising interest in the WNBA as they make their mark in the league. However, she believes that the networks responsible for broadcasting the WNBA during her playing years didn’t do the league—or its past stars—any justice.

“[The WNBA] is 28 years young. There a lot of leagues that it took to year 30 to really make a growth, so it’s coming. The crazy think that I think, it’s little fixes. And this is where my role is, is to question and to push and to encourage. ABC, the first time they put the Women’s NCAA game on ABC was the first year that Caitlin Clark made the championship game. Are you surprised that the viewership was up? Are you surprised that people actually saw the product? It was buried for so long on ESPN,” mentioned Parker recently.

She also pointed out how the rise of streaming and social media is making women’s basketball more accessible than ever, and it’s happening just as the league is welcoming its biggest stars. While Parker’s perspective on the matter doesn’t fully align with Auriemma’s, they do share a common frustration.

“You couldn’t even watch the game live all right so there were a lot of great players and no one saw them play,” the UConn head coach had stated in the same podcast while explaining viewership dynamics which can echo Parker’s frustration with league’s inefficient broadcasting.

Regardless of whether you side with Auriemma or Parker, one thing is clear: the Caitlin Clark effect is undeniable. However, both of the legend’s sentiments suggest that to sustain this momentum and elevate the game further, it’s crucial for the league and everyone involved in basketball to keep pushing forward. The key is to continue developing young talent and capitalizing on the influence of the current stars to ensure lasting growth.

https://www.essentiallysports.com/wnba-ncaa-college-basketball-news-one-caitlin-clark-is-not-enough-geno-auriemma-calls-for-change-over-basketball-programs-alarming-flaw/

Which team should Bueckers be secretly rooting to go to?

Ranking the top WNBA landing spots for Paige Bueckers

3. Washington Mystics

Washington has the lowest odds to win the draft lottery at 10.4%. The Mystics are in a transition period after parting ways with head coach Eric Thibault and GM Mike Thibault. The organization hit the reset button and would love nothing more than to bring Bueckers to D.C.

Washington also holds the No. 6 pick in the 2025 draft, the same selection the front office used last year to pick Aaliyah Edwards. Bueckers would be thrilled to reunite with her former Connecticut teammate.

The Mystics want to regain their championship form, and drafting Bueckers would give Washington a clear vision for the future. However, there's not only a question mark about which direction they'll take when hiring a new GM and head coach but also uncertainty about how the new leadership will retool the current roster.

2. Dallas Wings

Thanks to the Sky, the Wings have the highest chance of selecting Bueckers at 45.4%. Like many other teams, Dallas fired its head coach Latricia Trammell. The Wings announced on Friday that they hired former Sparks head coach Curt Miller as their new GM and executive vice president of operations. Miller's first order of business will be finding a new head coach.

Injuries piled up for the Wings last season, ultimately leading to Dallas missing the playoffs and finishing with the second-worst record in the league (9-31). Shortly after the Wings' season ended, Natasha Howard announced that she won't re-sign with the organization in free agency.

Satou Sabally will also be a free agent. She posted a TikTok and talked about how she's "super excited" to be a free agent. She liked comments from Fever fans pushing for her to go to Indiana. A Wings fan commented and pleaded for Sabally to remain in Dallas, to which she said, "Dallas will always be my first real American hometown." It sounds like she's ready for a change of scenery.

Many unknowns are floating around the organization, but hiring Miller was a great move. Losing Howard (and maybe Sabally) wouldn't sting as much for Wings fans if they knew Bueckers would soon be on her way to Texas to play alongside star Arike Ogunbowale. That duo would be a lot of fun to watch, but there's another landing spot that makes more sense for Bueckers.

1. Los Angeles Sparks

The Sparks have the second-best odds to land Bueckers at 44.2%, narrowly trailing the Wings. It's the fourth season in a row that Los Angeles will select in the lottery.

The main downside about LA is that the organization shockingly fired Miller and is searching for a new coach to continue its rebuild. Bueckers would've fit perfectly in Miller's system, which makes the Wings an intriguing destination. However, there's something LA has that Dallas doesn't.

A young core of Bueckers, Cameron Brink, and Rickea Jackson would rival the Fever as the best in the league. Bueckers would be the perfect lead guard. It's fitting that they'd play together in one of the largest media markets in the world. Stars shine the brightest in Hollywood.

Drafting Bueckers would be a game-changer for the Sparks, but their current priority is finding the best coach to lead LA in the right direction. Let's see how things shake out.

https://highposthoops.com/ranking-paige-bueckers-potential-wnba-landing-spots-from-worst-to-best

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma says Clark is subtle about what she says on court, but it is effective in getting under the skin of her rivals.

"When people talk about in the WNBA, 'Why are these people beating up Caitlin Clark?,' it's because she talks a lot of s*** on the court," Auriemma explained on the Make A Difference podcast.

"That's what makes her good. So she's not like this angel walking out there and everybody else is beating her up.

"No, she's got a lot to say. She's a lot like Paige [Bueckers], those guys have a lot to say, they just do it subtly, and they're tough. We need more of that, and we need more great games, better games, and some rules modifications."

Clark, who starred for Indiana Fever last year, has had other coaches comment on her dialogue during matches. Las Vegas Aces’ Becky Hammon recently commented that "no one talks more crap than Caitlin”.

One player with first-hand knowledge of playing against Clark is Angel Reese. The Chicago Sky star shot to fame in 2022 while the duo were still playing in the NCAA women’s basketball league.

Reese’s LSU team got the better of Clark’s Iowa in the title match. In a now iconic photo, Reese shows the crowd her championship ring finger while a disappointed Clark watches on in the foreground.

Reese, Another fan of trash-talking, insists it is good for women’s basketball. She points out that it is a standard tactic used in men’s sports.

“My life literally just changed from that game. It’s just a full-circle moment of how women are viewed when it comes to trash-talking. It’s OK in men’s sports,” the 22-year-old recently said.

“We’re going to normalize that in women’s sports as well. So it’s just super-competitive. I think we’re two great competitors.”

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/othersport/1974285/caitlin-clark-wnba-target

I thought this story was pertinent to the WNBA because it talks about the sports journey of a former WNBA VP, Danette Leighton (Sacramento Monarchs), who quit sports as a kid but still rose to the executive level because of the confidence and intangibles she learned in sports. I am happy to chat about this topic and the Women's Sports Foundation study, which I have studied extensively.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2024/11/10/womens-sports-foundation-study-girls-sports-leaders/76148564007/

Would love to hear everybody's thoughts on who y'all think will be the best player in the league next season? We saw A'ja Wilson take that title this season. What's a good top 5 list to start for the 2025 season?

https://twsn.net/2024/11/caitlin-clark-will-be-the-greatest-wnba-player-in-2025-debate

Coach White joined the Wake Up Call on 107.5 the Fan in Indiana to discuss all things Fever and had this to say when asked how she plans on improving the team’s defense.

“I think first and foremost, we lay the level of expectation. You are going to be expected to defend if you want to be on the floor. It is not about being an elite 1-on-1 defender. It is about being a great defensive team.”

The Sun had the best defensive rating in the W last season and were second in 2023. White knows how to build an elite defense and must get more from every player on the Fever. She mentioned ball pressure, completing assignments in multiple coverages, and effort as areas of focus. White wants to force other teams into difficult shots, and it will be a needed emphasis in Indiana. 

White credited the team’s basketball IQ and believes she will have no issues implementing a defensive identity. The Fever were lacking on the defensive end in 2024, but it is not a personnel issue. Lexie Hull, Caitlin Clark, and Aliyah Boston can be average to above defenders in the right system. It is on coach White to figure things out and get them to offer more on this end of the floor.

The Fever must improve on defense to win a championship. Since 2010, every WNBA champion has finished the regular season sixth or better in defensive rating. Indiana does not need to be the best team, but above average is the bar to winning it all. Caitlin Clark will drive an elite offense. The Fever need the D to make the next leap. 

Stephanie White preaching defense should be exactly what the Indiana Fever and their fans want to hear. She coached the franchise to the WNBA Finals in 2015 with the fifth-best defensive rating. White knows how to maximize her talent and win in Indiana. Fever fans should be excited about what is to come.

We are going to try our something new. We still want you to post lots of WNBA content on the subreddit, but we also want you guys to be able to basically talk about anything you would like to talk about with other WNBA fans. We are doing a weekly thread, that may in fact turn into a daily thread if it gets a good response from you guys.

In this thread we can talk about just about anything. Less restrictions that the overall subreddit.

• Self promotion of their blogs, youtubes, IG's, tiktoks, podcasts, but no selling merchandise. We will consider allowing this eventually on certain days if this becomes a daily thread.
• Show off your fandom by posting pics of your merch or memorabilia, cards, etc.
• Memes
• Photos
• Humor, jokes, funny topics, etc..
• Newbie questions
• Off-topic things that don't have anything to do with the WNBA

Also, we have added a Wiki to the sub, feel free to message the mods if you think anything should be added to it:

WNBA Wiki

Although they have yet to step foot on the court, or even put together a roster of players, there is already significant excitement about the coming addition of the Golden State Valkyries to US women’s basketball’s top-tier WNBA.

The franchise was announced as the league’s 13th back in October 2023, when rights to a WNBA expansion team were awarded to the Golden State Warriors franchise of the men’s NBA.

Four NBA Championships since 2015 and the emergence of stars Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and more made the Warriors the league’s most valuable franchise.

However, when the identity of the new women's franchise was revealed, it was violet and black, not blue and gold that the team’s branding was fashioned from.

Unlike many other WNBA affiliates of NBA teams, the Valkyries are more than happy to distance themselves from their successful brother franchise in favor of forging their own path forward.

“We want to make sure, even when you see our Valkyrie violet, that you think of us,” explained Jess Smith, Golden State Valkyries president.https://www.sportcal.com/features/in-the-boardroom-with-the-golden-state-valkyries/?cf-view&cf-closed

The WNBA has asked a Nevada federal court to toss the lawsuit of a female basketball player, arguing that the suit, which claims the Las Vegas Aces traded her to a less prestigious team after learning she was pregnant, failed to show the league was her employer.

The Aces also filed a reply Wednesday urging a dismissal, saying plaintiff Dearica Hamby has failed to allege facts that show she suffered harm.

Hamby, an Olympic medalist and three-time All-Star, is a forward in the Women's National Basketball Association. Her lawsuit alleges that both the Aces and the WNBA retaliated against her in violation of federal and Nevada state civil rights laws after she announced her pregnancy.

The WNBA argues in its Wednesday filing that Hamby fails to plausibly allege in her amended complaint that the WNBA employed her. And even if she had, her retaliation claim against the league fails for "multiple independent reasons," the WNBA said.

The only allegations in her complaint about her relationship with the league are general and related to the investigation it conducted concerning her transfer.

"These allegations are insufficient, as a matter of law, to establish joint employment," the WNBA filing said.

The league, according to the WNBA, does not have direct involvement in evaluating her performance or other employer functions. Hamby admits "that, as set forth in the [collective bargaining agreement], each WNBA team is a privately owned entity," the league said. In addition, Hamby does not allege the WNBA set her compensation, according to the filing. It was the Aces, not the WNBA, that made the decision to trade her to the Sparks, the league said.

Hamby's suit also claims that after she complained, the league retaliated by not extending her marketing agreement. However, the WNBA argues she did not plead a causal link between her alleged protected activity and the nonrenewal of the agreement, which occurred five months later.

"While a plaintiff need not explicitly plead a prima facie case, the complaint must still 'allege direct or circumstantial evidence from which causation can be inferred, such as an employer's pattern of antagonism following the protected conduct ... or the temporal proximity of the protected activity and the occurrence of the adverse action,'" according to the Cloud v. Brennan federal sex discrimination lawsuit filed by a U.S. Postal Service employee.

The team said in its filing that Hamby has failed to show she suffered harm.

"To survive a motion to dismiss, Hamby must show 'some harm' beyond the act of the transfer, and she failed to do so," the team said, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis.

The Aces go on to say that "the harm she alleged is unrelated to terms and conditions of her employment."

Hamby claims she is subject to different taxes in California and has lost marketing, endorsement, and sponsorship opportunities, without citing specific examples.

"However, whether Hamby is subject to different taxes or can effectively market her name, image, and likeness to third party sponsors are matters outside the scope of the term and conditions of her employment with the Aces," the Aces' filing argues.

The parties did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hamby is represented by Dana Sniegocki, Erin S. Norgaard and Artur Davis of HKM Employment Attorneys LLP.

The WNBA is represented by Ismail Amin and Marian Massey of TALG NV Ltd. and Elise Bloom, Michelle Annese and Jordan Glassberg of Proskauer Rose LLP.

The Aces are represented by Greg Gilbert, Dora Lane and Erica Medley of Holland & Hart LLP.

The case is Hamby v. WNBA LLC et al., case number 2:24-cv-01474, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada.

On being cut by the Indiana Fever, the team that drafted her No. 15 overall:

As a rookie, you come in and you’re just trying to find your role. You’re trying to find your spot, especially if you’re not a household name, like Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese or Kamilla [Cardoso], you’re trying to find your place. And so when I was in Indiana, I was just trying to navigate my whole rookie year. You know, you go into something and you’re excited, but you still have a focus on making the team, and so Indiana had a different situation where we had 13 players on a roster for a certain amount of time. Somebody was injured, so one person always had to go since the beginning. And so obviously, I was the rookie, so I understood that at some point it could have been me, but I got positive feedback from the coaches and the GM telling me, “You’ve done everything we asked you to, it’s only 144 spots.” So it’s really up to them who they decide to keep and who they decide to have in their program. And it’s not a knock on me. A lot of people do take it, like, a confidence thing. And it kills your confidence. But me personally, I felt like I belonged. I knew I belonged, and so I think you have to have that and you have to consistently have that fight and that hunger in you to know that you belong somewhere in order to get back there.

On Diana Taurasi’s leadership:

I think when you have vets like that, it’s not so much about necessarily playing against them, but more of being able to watch them. I think that you can learn a lot by watching someone and I think that the way she came in, the way she prepared for games, for practices, the way she took care of her body, the way she spoke to her teammates, her coaches, the amount of input she had on the team, and just her voice and her leadership, I think that alone helped me grow. When you think of it, she’s been playing in the league almost since I was born! It’s crazy to go and be able to play with the GOAT of women’s basketball.

Watch full interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKieUBYWq4U

Anyone know where I can get a Napheesa men’s size jersey that says Lynx (and not just Minnesota) in the front? Trying to find one for a Christmas present, but zero luck on my search so far.

As one of New York's longest tenured players, the WNBA veteran finally got her championship moment. But the path to a trophy began well before the 2024 season.

As the longest-tenured Liberty player alongside Sabrina Ionescu, Laney-Hamilton had a front-row seat to New York’s ups and downs over the last four seasons. This year saw landmark viewership and attendance numbers, but the Liberty guard/forward remembers the days of smaller crowds and less media attention just as prominently.

“When we first started at Barclays [Center] together, we didn’t have the crowd that we have with all of the support,” Laney-Hamilton says. “We didn’t have the team that we have and being able to contend the way that we can now, but we’ve just continued to push and grow together as players, as teammates, as members of this organization.” 

Laney-Hamilton knows that the Liberty’s championship does not come without the foundation laid by franchise greats. Former players such as Teresa Weatherspoon attended Game 5 at Barclays Center and also participated in the team’s celebrations throughout the following week. 

The trophy is all the more meaningful knowing the sacrifices that came throughout the 27 years prior. 

Read More: https://www.si.com/wnba/betnijah-laney-hamilton-new-york-liberty-title-culmination

Marsh made his transition to the WNBA in 2022, leading the player development efforts of Las Vegas Aces from 2022 to 2024. He helped lead the Aces to back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023, and is most well-known for helping elevate the game of Jackie Young, one of the Aces’ Olympic guards, who went from being a relatively inconsistent shooter to a knockdown threat.

“Truly changed my career,” Young wrote on X shortly after Marsh’s hiring was announced.

Marsh thanked the Aces in his first official comments after being announced as Chicago’s new head coach.

“Thank you to Coach Hammon, our staff and all of the Aces’ players for allowing me to make history with you as we brought the city of Las Vegas back-to-back championships,” he said. “I love you all and wouldn’t be in this position without you.”

Hammon, who hired Marsh from the Pacers, has long been one of his vocal believers.

“I have a lot of confidence in Tyler,” Hammon told Fieldhouse Files in 2023. “I’m really happy that he wanted to come and join my staff. But don’t confuse his quietness for being intimidated or whatever. He’s like strength and calm in a storm, he’s got a lot of it factor to him.”

“When it’s his turn, he’s gonna be fantastic. Trust me, he’s one of the good ones.”

Sky leadership similarly expressed their excitement with the promising hire.

“Coach Marsh is widely respected for the development of elite players and shares our goal of being a playoff and championship contender every year,” the Sky said in a statement on Saturday night.

Marsh will prioritize the development of the Sky’s young players, headlined by last year’s draft picks Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, while moving the franchise back toward playoff — and ultimately, championship — contention. Working with Reese in particular as a finisher around the basket, and with the Sky’s young guards as shooters, Marsh has the potential to vastly improve the team’s offense.

It’s very early, but he seems to be on the right track as far as earning the buy-in of his young athletes; he reportedly spoke to Angel Reese shortly after accepting the position, and she turned to Twitter to express her approval in the hiring with a simple message.

Read More: https://www.sbnation.com/wnba/2024/11/7/24290357/tyler-marsh-chicago-sky-angel-reese-head-coach-las-vegas-aces-jackie-young-player-development

Hornets forward Grant Williams wants to see a WNBA expansion team in Charlotte.

And, he wants to see it done right.

“I’ve been trying to bring a team to Charlotte for the past 2.5, 3 years, but that’s up to [WNBA Commissioner] Cathy [Engelbert] and them,” Williams said at Hornets shootaround in Charlotte last week. “Nothing we can say or do about that. The WNBA is in charge of that, they hired a third-party firm to do all that. I feel like it’s a competitive landscape now.”

To say the landscape is competitive is an understatement. Williams is far from the only professional athlete — or person for that matter — hoping to get involved with bringing a WNBA team to their hometown or city.

His former Celtics teammate, Jayson Tatum, has been linked to a bid in his hometown of St. Louis, while Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has expressed interest in a team in Kansas City, where he’s become a legend.

Read More: https://www.sbnation.com/wnba/2024/11/7/24289849/grant-williams-wnba-expansion-team-charlotte-hornets