After the WNBA draft, any players who were eligible to be picked by a team, but went unselected, are free to sign with any team. With clubs looking to fill out their training camp rosters and scout for future openings and players trying to fight for their roster spot or help their cause for professional opportunities in the future, the decision can be big for both sides. The Valkyries made three such signings on Wednesday ahead of training camp, bringing in players on the minimum contract.
Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda
There are plenty of players who have a realistic shot at being picked late in the draft who do not end up getting selected. Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda was certainly one of those players who was under consideration. She emerged late in her junior season at Texas as a dependable defensive player who could score when needed. For her final college season, she opted to transfer to Vanderbilt with a clearer path to minutes and she ended up being a starter on one of the top teams in the country. With plenty of firepower on the rest of the roster, she once again was expected to contribute most heavily on the defensive end and delivered consistently. While offensive ability will be a factor in the rest of her playing career, her size on the wing and ability to cover multiple positions got her this opportunity.
Caroline Ducharme
After a strong freshman season at Connecticut, there was little doubt about Caroline Ducharme’s WNBA future as she showed scoring ability and could defend multiple positions. Unfortunately, injuries became a major obstacle for the next four seasons before her college career ended. Lingering symptoms from a concussion meant that she missed almost all of two straight seasons, although she did return to win a national championship with fellow Valkyrie Kaitlyn Chen. She was healthier this season, but ended up playing a fairly limited role. It remains unclear what her basketball future holds, but she is another player who will bring the right attitude to a training camp environment.
Bailey Maupin
The final player announced by the Valkyries was shooting guard Bailey Maupin, who just finished a successful career at Texas Tech where she averaged double-figure scoring in all four seasons. The team itself had been off of the radar in her previous years, but she led them in scoring during a campaign where they put themselves on the map and returned to the NCAA tournament while garnering herself some individual honors. Her scoring ability put her in consideration to be selected late in this draft, but she ended up needing to go through the free agent process instead. The translation of offensive skill can be the hardest at the jump up to the highest level, but her consistency earned her this chance to start her professional career.
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