Alright, this is wild! Our Valkyries are gearing up for the WNBA season’s final push, but three of our absolute key frontcourt players, Gabby Williams, Janelle Salaün, and Cecilia Zandalasini, were nowhere to be seen at practice on Thursday. That’s a huge gut punch, especially with Friday’s game against the Portland Fire, the first of a back-to-back, right around the corner. It’s looking super unlikely we’ll see them on the court.
World Cup Exhaustion Hits Hard, But The Rest Of The Squad Is Gassed Up
So, why are our stars sidelined? They’re all recovering from the FIBA World Cup. Williams and Salaün were out there battling for France in the gold medal game against the U.S., while Zandalasini was repping Italy. You know that kind of high-stakes play puts serious mileage on the legs. Coach Natalie Nakase wasn’t even going to commit one way or the other for Friday’s game, saying she’d “check in with them, see how they feel and we go from there.” She even mentioned, “Someone could show up and just not feel good.” Seriously, you can’t blame them after Williams averaged 25.9 minutes over six games, Zandalasini logged 29.7 minutes in four, and Salaün played 21.7 minutes over six! That’s a lot of basketball.
But here’s the kicker: while those three are recovering, Coach Nakase herself is back after serving as an assistant for the victorious American squad, and Miela Sowah also returned after playing for Australia. The rest of the Valkyries, who didn’t go to the World Cup and had a three-week break, they’re not just ready, they’re chomping at the bit! Thursday’s practice was all about “emptying the tank” to get ready for these final four games. Nakase said they had an intensive film session, scouted Portland hard, and even played all four quarters in practice. She said, “They’re ready to go,” and that their last eight practices with her staff really showed today. It’s about “staying aligned with the different coverages that we’re going to throw at teams.” Thank goodness we’re one of the league’s deepest teams, because we’re going to need everyone!
Seeding Is On The Line With Four Games To Go
We’ve already locked up a playoff berth, which is awesome, but the focus now is all about fine-tuning our strategy, staying healthy, and securing that precious seeding. We came into Thursday just two games behind first-place Minnesota, but also only two games ahead of Las Vegas, who are totally still in reach of that second spot. Our magic number to lock up at least the No. 2 seed? Just three! That’s huge. Center Kiah Stokes, who’s got three WNBA rings herself from the Aces, put it perfectly: “It doesn’t matter. Every team that makes the playoffs is going to be a great team. Any given night, they can win, they can lose. For us it’s just making sure we can control what we can control and making sure that we’re playing our best basketball.” She also stressed the balance for these final four games: “We want to stay healthy going into playoffs, but we have to use this time to fine tune. So it’s a good mix of staying ready, staying sharp, going hard, but I think also trying to get rest when you can.”
So, we’re without a huge chunk of our frontcourt for the foreseeable future, starting with the Portland Fire tonight. It’s tough, but this team has depth, they’re hungry, and they know what’s at stake. Let’s see if the rest of the squad can step up and secure that crucial No. 2 seed heading into the playoffs!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply