Golden State won 84-79 in Phoenix Sunday in a preseason exhibition. It was the second game in which the Valkyries came back from down 12 or more before entering the fourth quarter tied.
The Valkyries assisted on 21 of 25 FGM, led by guard Julie Vanloo’s 6 assists.
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WNBA rosters are nearing their final forms, while fans go wackawacka because their personal favorites aren’t surviving that last cuts.
The Valkyries cut Shyanne Sellers (whose father Brad was on my fantasy team in 1993) a week ago, though her jersey was already on sale in the team shop (the lesson here is that jersey sales do not constitute a guarantee), and then Atlanta waived her yesterday.
Her Bay Area supporters were heartbroken. Surely she was among the best 12 players in camp (especially since the Valkyries are limited by injury, while their first draft pick is more serious about playing for the Latvian national team than joining an WNBA expansion team). Golden State coach Nakase told the media that she’s not seeking the 12 players that play the best, but the 12 players that fit the best.
Which is code for: The players who “fit” the 9th-through-12th roster spots have to be happy with no significant playing time. One of my favorite college coaches told me that an older coach told him: You don’t want the 12 best players. You want the eight best players, and the four nicest girls.
The last four players on a basketball roster understand that there aren’t enough minutes in a game to make everyone happy. Yet they work just as hard in practices, and excel at community relations. And when they do get on the floor during mop-up time, they play as though the score is tied.
I don’t think there’s any practical difference between the 9th-through-12th spots on the roster, but there’s something symbolic about the 12th player. People develop some emotional bond with the 12th man.
NBA Phoenix had two memorable 12th men while I was paying attention. Forward Paul Shirley is a writer now, and was a writer then. He maintained a blog while sitting on Phoenix’ bench that was so well received, I think it might’ve had the negative effect of causing him to think he deserved more of a look as a player. Forward Ed Nealy was a real crowd favorite — when garbage time was imminent, Phoenix crowds used to chant Nealy’s name.
Would Shyanne Sellers have been OK waiting for Chase Center crowds to chant for her at garbage time? Probably not, according to the judgment of the Golden State and Atlanta coaching staffs.
Among the Valkyries who appear to be vying for one of those 8-12 positions on the roster, the player who’s most impressed me is Kyara Linskens. The Belgian forward looks like she thinks about passing first, and post passers have always been my favorite players. I hope she’s around Friday night.