The WPBA Week 7 Recap

Posted On July 25, 2024July 25, 2024

While the WNBA will not have a game in San Francisco until next year, other women’s professional basketball has been played in the Bay Area. The Women’s Premier Basketball Association is in its third season as a league based solely in the area and just finished their second week at Kezar Pavilion after playing their first five weeks at the College of Alameda and their All Star Game at City College of San Francisco. The last week of the regular season will also be at Kezar on Saturday, July 28th, with games tipping off at 12, 2, 4, and 6 before their championship is determined the following weekend so there is still time to experience the league this season. Not everyone is familiar with the league, so it will be introduced before the recap of the weekend’s games.

Meeting a Player Need

The Bay Area has had a long history of a robust Pro-Am scene that met the needs of many players, giving top high school players the chance to play older players, college players the chance to play while at home for the summer or against people other than those at their school, and established overseas pros the ability to play competitively while preparing for their next season. Where it did not provide as much help was to post-college players exploring the path to being professionals outside of the WNBA. Born out of the attempt of expanding a summer league with a more national footprint, the WBPA has taken steps to help players to reach their professional goals.

Most professional leagues in the United States do not bother with sanctioning, but the WPBA went ahead and took that step to try to better connect themselves with the basketball ecosystem around the world. While many women’s basketball fans are familiar with the best basketball jobs around the world typically held by WNBA players and names from big time college programs, there are many players from other backgrounds who have taken the longer path from less prestigious leagues to establish themselves. The WPBA is trying to do their part to get their players those first opportunities with the film from their broadcasts, this year fully on YouTube, and the league’s sanctioning helping their credibility. Being able to get advice from league founder Faatimah A, who has been able to build her own professional career despite playing below the DI level in college, has also been a help for players to make those first connections.

As a result, the league has been able to bring in players from a number of different portions of the post-college pool. Some of the top players who live in the Bay Area, but spend most of the year playing elsewhere in the world, participate to keep their game sharp for the upcoming season and their presence is a great measuring stick that overseas teams can use when scouting players who are not established professionally yet. The league also has former professional and higher-level college players who might not be pursuing opportunities elsewhere, but are still looking to play at the highest level of competition available locally. That leaves room for two groups of players, those who are actively looking to use their time in the league as a springboard to an overseas opportunity as their college careers might not be enough alone to land a gig, and those who played at a lower college level who continue to develop their games as adults and wish to play in as tough a local setting as possible.

Format

Rather than having teams with home locations, the league has all eight teams play in one location each Saturday, which makes it easy for fans to check out all of the games. It also allows league personnel to be present at every game and provides a consistent experience for the broadcasts and the players. The standings take into account more than wins and losses with the points scored in each quarter also getting tallied up to give the team scoring the most points in that period a bonus. That means that even if one team takes an early lead, they cannot coast for the rest of the game and the trailing team has a chance to salvage something even if their comeback falls short.

Community Focus

From the start, the league was aware that putting on the strongest possible basketball product was not enough to sustain themselves. Besides giving players an opportunity to play in the league, there is focus on giving them the tools to further their basketball goals, including professional resources that are not always easy to obtain for players looking to reach the next level. The league also partners with ref-ology for their officials, giving opportunities to referees who are also in training to improve their officiating skills. Player development opportunities are also a focus with the league involved in clinics for high school players.

Oakland Swish vs. Berkeley Royals

The first game of the day was between two teams looking to make a late push up the standings. One of the stories in the middle of this season has been Alexis Gray-Lawson coming out of retirement to play for the Royals after spending time as a coach and mentor in the league, giving the competition another player with WNBA experience. The star of the Royals is former USC guard Rokia Doumbia and she was critical for them, consistently attacking the basket and drawing fouls.

The Swish did take the first quarter by two points and then the sides split the standings points for the second quarter, leaving plenty to be decided in the second half. The Swish took the lead for good after the break and then edged the fourth quarter too for nearly a perfect win by a 90-73 margin. Madison Michelis led them with 20 points and Nicol Berry added 19 points while Brittany Woodard grabbed 18 rebounds. Doumbia finished with 28 points and 7 steals in the loss, but the Royals did stay ahead in the standings despite winning one fewer game thanks to their efforts in previous games in winning quarters.

Hayward Reign vs. Bay City Blaze

The Blaze entered the game undefeated and the depth of their lineup showed again as they wore down the Reign, winning each quarter on their way to rolling 98-62. Myah Pace, who had a successful rookie season in the British league, led them with 25 points and 9 rebounds. Ameela Li, who was one of several players in the league who got to participate in some of the festivities surrounding the WNBA All Star Game, returned to dish out 10 assists. Lauryn Pointer led the Reign with 17 points.

Tech City Titans vs. Alameda Wolves

The next game featured the second-place team, the Wolves, against a Titans team that was looking to stay in the top half of the standings. The Wolves pressed their advantage in the paint, going to IImar’I Thomas, who was coming off a second straight dominant season in Finland, early and often, winning the first two quarters. The Titans stayed in the game by employing the opposite strategy, stretching the floor and firing away.

The Titans won the third quarter and threatened to win the game in the second half as Brandi Huffhines, who just finished her career at Chico State, went 9 for 12 from deep for 31 points, but the team could not get over the hump late, coming up short 94-86, even with her college teammate Zhaine Duckett adding 20 points. Thomas finished with 35 points and 18 rebounds for the Wolves, which also got 19 rebounds from Kamilah Jackson, one of the most experienced players in the league when it comes to overseas destinations, and 18 points from her older sister Jazmine.

San Francisco Riptide vs. Bay Area Phoenix

After a pair of long games delayed the subsequent tipoffs, there was a little bit of time to breathe after the excitement of the previous game before the last game of the day started right at 6. The Riptide were the favorites as the third-place team, but were missing their leading scorer Erica McCall and her WNBA experience as well as other veteran players. That left the door open for the Riptide to pick up their first win, even though they only had six players available.

The game was tied after the first quarter and the Riptide fought hard, leaving the game tied after the third quarter behind 29 points and 10 rebounds from Jhaina Stephens. The Phoenix buckled down and controlled the fourth quarter though to win 75-64. The victors had a balanced scoring attack among the four players who suited up and are averaging double-figures. Kiara Brown, who just finished her career at Menlo, had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Maddison Glass had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Delia Moore, coming off a successful rookie season in Ireland, had 14 points, and Iya Holley-Reid had 13 points.