The WPBA held their first ever combine in April, giving aspiring professional players the opportunity to be scouted for those opportunities. While the WNBA was the ultimate goal for players, there are other competitions taking place during this time of year that also need players. Some of those leagues begin next month while the largest number of opportunities will come in overseas leagues during the fall, but some players have already started their professional careers this month.
Sacha Washington
While none of the combine participants ended up being selected in the WNBA Draft, Sacha Washington did sign a contract with the Atlanta Dream after the event. She had four strong college seasons at Vanderbilt and was the most consistent post performer for the combine, playing for the Phoenix and being chosen for the Select Game for top performers. She ended up playing in one preseason game, recording 5 points and 4 rebounds before ultimately being waived by the team.
Adrianna Smith
While it is more common for Australian players to head to the state leagues there after their college seasons end, there are some foreign players who immediately make the jump there instead of waiting to start their professional careers in Europe in the fall. Adrianna Smith had a standout combine playing for the Blaze and was chosen for the Select Game at the end. After finishing an excellent career at Maine, she joined the Dandenong Rangers in Australia’s NBL1 South at the start of May and immediately became a key player. She had 29 points, 17 rebound, and 9 assists in her debut and has also had a 30 point game.
Upshot
There have always been a variety of regional leagues over the summer in the United States for women who have finished their college careers that are separate from the pro-am scene that allows current high school and college players to participate. The WPBA is one of the leagues that expanded the possibilities in that space to better link the American professional scene to the greater basketball ecosystem.
In terms of ambition and initial backing, the new UPSHOT league is on a different level than its predecessors. This is their first season with all four teams in the Southeast, allowing them to be a strong draw from players based in that region. With the WPBA combine drawing players from around the country as well as internationally, this league was a logical destination for many players.
Last Friday was the opening day for all of their teams and there were multiple combine participants on rosters. Kharyssa Richardson is playing for the Savannah Steel after finishing her college career at Mississippi State and playing for the Swish and in the Select Game at the combine. Jennifer Levine is a developmental player for the Greensboro Groove after finishing her college career at UNC Greensboro and playing for the Reign and in the Select Game at the combine.
The league also had training camp rosters after tryouts that featured some players who did not end up making the team. Jessenia Lawson, who played for the Wolves and had a strong Select Game appearance after finishing her college career at Loyola Marymount, tried out with the Savannah Steel. She was joined by Nette Howard, who is working on starting a professional career after pursuing other opportunities in recent years and played for the Swish and in the Select Game at the combine. Ayanna Mazyck, one of the players with professional experience at the combine as she suited up for the Blaze, was with the Charlotte Crown.
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