Where are the Valkyries?, 12/10 Edition
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It is common for WNBA players to play in some form of offseason competition due to the short length of the league’s season. Players need to maintain conditioning and continue to develop their games and being able to make money while doing so in an organized competition is often a preferred option. Players who are not as established in the league need to also build up their professional reputation to give themselves quality options if they do not stick at the WNBA level and current players who have not played in the WNBA are generally doing so in a league that starts in the fall and ends in the spring.
All eleven players selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the Expansion Draft are currently playing overseas or have plans to play in an offseason competition. We will cover them along with any other players that the team acquires in the leadup to the first season, usually with a column on Tuesdays. Many overseas leagues are easy to view around the world so we will also provide some links or embedded videos for upcoming games.
Kate Martin
The only player who was in the United States at the time of the draft, Kate Martin is not playing in any other competition right now, but she will be playing in the new Unrivaled 3v3 league that will start in January in Miami. We will cover her games with the Laces when they start playing, but her availability at the time of the draft did help get an immediate player perspective on the process and new team.
Julie Vanloo and Cecilia Zandalasini
There are two sets of current teammates among the players that the Valkyries selected and Cecilia Zandalasini joined Julie Vanloo this season at Galatasaray in Turkey. The historic club is trying to achieve greater success locally and in EuroCup Women this season and both players have been key to their efforts. They played on Saturday right after the draft and Vanloo had 15 points and 6 assists in 36 minutes while Zandalasini had 12 points in 27 minutes in a 73-67 win over Botas.
Iliana Rupert and Kayla Thornton
The other set of teammates is also in Turkey with Iliana Rupert and Kayla Thornton playing in Mersin, the home of Cukurova, which finished as league runners up last season. They are hoping to go one step further this season and also win EuroLeague Women, loading up their roster. Given that they have more players than can be fielded in local game, it might have been possible that the team would have rested both of them on Saturday right after the draft, but they both played in a 79-73 win over Kayseri. Rupert had 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in 34 minutes while Thornton had 11 points in 35 minutes.
Temi Fagbenle
Playing in Turkey for the third time, Temi Fagbenle joined Besiktas this season as they had ambitious plans, but could not qualify for EuroLeague Women. Instead, she has helped them advance in EuroCup Women and try to finish as high up the league standings as possible. She played on Sunday after being selected and had 18 points and 11 rebounds in 34 minutes in their win over Orman.
Maria Conde
This season marks the fifth consecutive campaign for Maria Conde with USK Praha. The Czech powerhouse is dominant in their local league with their shock upset loss last season being a once in a decade occurrence as they seek a fifteenth straight championship. The real competition that the team is trying to achieve success in is the EuroLeague Women, which their legendary coach has won with multiple teams. They did play a domestic league game on Sunday against Slovanka and she had 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists in 18 minutes during a 100-33 win.
https://fibalivestats.dcd.shared.geniussports.com/u/CBFFE/2593467/bs.html
Carla Leite
Having made her impression in two seasons at the top level in France, Carla Leite joined the defending champions, Villeneuve-d’Ascq, this season to prove herself on an elite European team too. The team has had a tough start to the season even though she has been an excellent scorer and facilitator for them and knowing that they are losing head coach Rachid Meziane to the Connecticut Sun at the end of December will not help. They were in EuroLeague Women, but have been eliminated already and will continue in EuroCup Women instead. Leite had a strong performance after being selected with 20 points and 7 assists in 31 minutes on Sunday, but the team lost to Landes 81-70.
https://fibalivestats.dcd.shared.geniussports.com/u/FFBB/2513174/bs_en_AU.html
Veronica Burton
She has not played since she was drafted, but Veronica Burton has had a good season so far with the Bendigo in Australia as they are the only undefeated team remaining after eight games. The league is popular with American players due to less adaptation needed for language and lifestyle even though it is not always the most lucrative option. Burton played in Poland the previous season for her other overseas experience.
Stephanie Talbot
While Stephanie Talbot did play a game on the day of the draft, the time difference in Australia meant that it finished long before the broadcast of the picks. She is playing for the Adelaide Lightning in her native Australia where she has been a leading player for many years now and is the team captain. The team is struggling as she was recovering from an injury at the start of the season and they are in the middle of a coaching change. She played in their game against Geelong on Sunday, a 69-59 loss where she had 7 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 blocks in 36 minutes.
https://fibalivestats.dcd.shared.geniussports.com/u/wnbl/2516013/bs.html
Monique Billings
One of the more recent players to settle on a destination, Monique Billings played her first game for Guangdong after she was drafted, scoring 9 points in their 92-90 loss to Inner Mongolia on Sunday. She was able to build some more familiarity with the team by Tuesday’s game and she had 24 points and 9 rebounds in an 81-70 win over Beijing. Unfortunately, the Chinese league is not currently as accessible for fans outside the country to follow without taking additional measures, but the league has a number of WNBA players and other experienced professionals.
Watching Upcoming Games
Games from around the world are often easily viewable so links or videos to games that Valkyries players are likely to play in will be provided here. All times Pacific Standard.
Julie Vanloo and Cecilia Zandalasini, Wednesday at 8:00am:
Temi Fagbenle, Wednesday at 9:00am:
Iliana Rupert and Kayla Thornton, Wednesday at 11:30am:
Carla Leite, Thursday at 9:00am:
Veronica Burton, Friday at 10:00pm:
Stephanie Talbot, Saturday at 5:30pm:
Maria Conde, Sunday at 8:00am:
https://embed.tvcom.cz/6e67b139-0691-43c8-a08f-5efb3b588085
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