It is training camp time for the 12 WNBA teams. That means rosters currently at 19-21 players will need to be pared down to 12 by opening night in mid May.
I'm not a basketball coach and I would not relish the job of telling a rookie right out of college or a veteran player that I had cut them from the roster.
I imagine there is a lot of competition in the camps, everyone trying to show they have what it takes to propel the team forward to victory in games, a winning season, the playoffs and a championship.
Let's look at the Atlanta Dream, a team I like because my mom is from Louisville and my wife's favorite player is Shoni Shimmel.
Here is the roster right now. There is a good mix of experience and youth here with six players with more than 5 years in the league, including the leagues most seasoned player DMJ with 18 years and six rookies and eight players with less than two years in the league. How does a coach decide where to make the cut?
2016 Atlanta Dream Roster (as of April 20, 2016)
No. Player Pos Ht. Wt. Birth Date Exp From
10 Matee Ajavon G 5-8 160 5/7/86 8 Rutgers
45 Kara Braxton C 6-6 224 2/18/83 10 Georgia
11 Cierra Burdick F 6-2 162 9/30/93 1 Tennessee
8 Carla Cortijo G 5-8 135 7/21/87 1 Texas
12 Damiris Dantas F 6-3 196 11/17/92 2 Brazil
21 Reshanda Gray F 6-2 192 6/1/93 1 California
15 Tiffany Hayes G 5-10 155 9/20/89 4 Connecticut
5 Roneeka Hodges G 5-11 165 7/19/82 11 Florida St.
14 Rachel Hollivay C 6-4 210 10/24/93 R Rutgers
32 Bria Holmes G 6-1 170 4/19/94 R West Virginia
2 Niya Johnson G 5-8 160 10/14/93 R Baylor
20 Sancho Lyttle F 6-4 175 9/20/83 11 Houston
35 Angel McCoughtry G/F 6-1 160 9/10/86 7 Louisville
22 Ariel Massengale G 5-7 149 6/10/93 R Tennessee
1 DeLisha Milton-Jones F/C 6-1 185 9/11/74 18 Florida
30 Tina Roy G 5-11 — ——- R South Carolina
23 Shoni Schimmel G 5-9 161 5/4/92 2 Louisville
0 Meighan Simmons G 5-9 140 1/25/92 1 Tennessee
3 Amanda Thompson F 6-1 172 11/18/87 2 Oklahoma
33 Courtney Walker G 5-8 160 4/28/94 R Texas A&M
52 Elizabeth Williams C/F 6-3 192 6/23/93 1 Duke
According to the numbers nine of these women will not make the final roster. There are players who will have little competition for their spot, Angel McCoughtry for example. Players like Shoni Schimmel who entered training camp in less than full form last season will have intense competition from a slew of rookie and 2nd year guards; Walker, Simmons, Roy, Massengale, Johnson,, Holmes, Cortijo for her spot.
At the Forward position DMJ will have competition from Williams, Thompson, Holivay, Gray, and Burdick.
Update 5-1-16
The Dream cut 10 year veteran Kara Braxton who was the biggest player on their roster. Still on the roster is 6-4 rookie Rachel Holivay. Two inches shorter but ten years younger. Also no longer on the roster is Amanda Thompson a forward with two years experience in the league.
As we approach the start of the regular season more cuts will come in Atlanta and at the other eleven training camps around the country. With so much young talent Braxton is surely not the only veteran to lose out to youth this season.
Already the Stars have waived veteran Danielle Adams, but I bet she ends up elsewhere in the league.
Update 5-3-16
Yesterday the Dream traded Shoni Schimmel to the NY Liberty for a second round draft pick in 2017. Coach Cooper was not impressed when she came to camp without the proper conditioning to begin the five month season.
http://www.ajc.com/news/
The number eight pick in 2014 traded for what will likely be something like pick number 20-24 in 2017. I understand and respect Schimmel's commitment to family and her decision not to play overseas in the off season. Unfortunately in the competition for one of only 144 WNBA roster spots this lack of overseas play hurts one's chances.
Schimmel has her work cut out for her to make the Liberty roster which is packed with more experienced guards than she was competing with in Atlanta.
While the Liberty have three Rookie guards in camp they are thick with guards with equal or more experience than Schimmel. Brittany Boyd has one year of WNBA experience and one winter overseas so has about as much experience as Shoni who has not played overseas. Sugar Rogers is the same height and weight as Schimmel and has one more year of professional experience and international play on top of that. Then there are the veterans; returning Liberty players Tanisha Wright and Epiphany Prince, and recent free agent signings Lindsay Harding and Shavonte Zellous.
That all being said we have already got our tickets to see the Liberty play the Seattle Storm at Key Arena in June in hopes of seeing Schimmel take the court and wow us with a little Showtime?
