Coach Jackie interviews Meg Stacy (Thee W Artiste @ wnbaart)

Timestamp: 17:27

• Draymond and Sheryl Swoopes on why Angel Reese makes this WNBA Finals must-watch.
• "You should tune into the finals because of Angel Reese... She alone is worth the price of the ticket... 
• Angel is gonna have people watching this because there's a large consortium of people who wants to see her succeed.
• There's an even larger group of people who wants to see her fail, and they're gonna watch to see her fail."
• 📺 Watch on YouTube | 🎧 Listen everywhere podcasts are available

Here are the best 15 players in the postseason, as ranked by Michael Voepel, Alexa Philippou, Kendra Andrews and Kareem Copeland.

The rankings come with one asterisk: Dream guard Allisha Gray, when healthy, is easily one of the WNBA’s best. But she sustained a hand injury in the first game of the semifinals and hasn’t played since. Gray made the cut after she said Thursday she was optimistic about playing in Game 1 at Chase Center in San Francisco.

1. Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream

2. Gabby Williams, Golden State Valkyries

3. Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream

4. Jordin Canada, Atlanta Dream

5. Veronica Burton, Golden State Valkyries

6. Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream

7. Tiffany Hayes, Golden State Valkyries

8. Kiah Stokes, Golden State Valkyries

9. DeWanna Bonner, Atlanta Dream

10. Kayla Thornton, Golden State Valkyries

11. Cecilia Zandalasini, Golden State Valkyries

12. Naz Hillmon, Atlanta Dream

13. Kaila Charles, Golden State Valkyries

14. Kaitlyn Chen, Golden State Valkyries

15. Isobel Borlase, Atlanta Dream

Read Full Article About Their Rankings - https://www.tsn.ca/wnba/article/reese-sits-first-in-ranking-of-top-15-players-in-the-wnba-finals-n1-50190828/

Three years ago, during a press conference to officially introduce the Golden State Valkyries as the WNBA's first expansion franchise since 2008, Joe Lacob took the microphone and gave the rest of the league a warning.

"First press conference with the Warriors, I said we will win a championship in the first five years," said Lacob, who has owned the NBA's Golden State Warriors since 2010 and paid a then-record-setting $50 million expansion fee for the Valkyries in 2023. "I'm telling you right now, we will win a WNBA championship in the first five years of this franchise."

At that point, the Valkyries were little more than an idea. They were seven months away from hiring Ohemaa Nyanin as their general manager, a year away from hiring Natalie Nakase as their coach and 14 months away from having any players on their roster.

Lacob's success in turning the Warriors into one of the premier franchises in all of sports made it hard to completely write off his proclamation. The Warriors had won 29 and 26 games, respectively, in the two seasons before he bought the team. Five years later, they won their first championship since 1975, and have since added three more titles in the Steph Curry era.

Still, few outside of the Bay Area thought the Valkyries, who will host Game 1 of the WNBA Finals against the Atlanta Dream on Saturday, would actually follow suit. And even the most strident believers, including Lacob himself, never imagined they could do so as soon as their second season.

"It's just a perfect confluence of events and people and experience and timing. It's just a lot of things that have all come together at the right time," Lacob said this week. "I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I am shocked by this, I'm not. I think all the ingredients were there and I made that prediction knowingly and understood what I was saying. Now to do it in two years, no one could sit here and tell you that would be something they would predict. No one, not even me."

READ MORE - https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/wnba-finals-golden-state-valkyries-joe-lacob-prediction-atlanta-dream/

This is a piece written about a family friend and amazing woman who has kind of accidentally become a minor celebrity through sheer force of personality and her love of the Valks!

We’re having a great discussion in our household right now and figured I would bring it here. For context, neighbor watches MNBA. Only ever watches WNBA when we he hands out in our apt. So he was around the second half of the game. And I mentioned I was frustrated that Angel didn’t really get touches. Like she’s cooking and they shy away from setting her up. He points out she didn’t look like she wanted the ball. I said you’re not wrong but, how can the 24 year old on the team assert herself in a way that doesn’t seem pretentious and self absorbed? He said “Stars demand.” But I say there’s a delicate balance.

But I’m wondering how do you jump from “young one” to “let her cook” like A’ja?

Welcome to In Style Saturday, where we check out the fashion of players, fans, teams, etc.

Show us your favorites:

• Player tunnel fits
• Sneakers and signature shoes
• Social media posts featuring fits, sneakers, merchandise, custom gear, etc
• WNBA jerseys and team merchandise
• Team logos, branding and color schemes
• Custom apparel, collections or fan-made designs
• Throwback uniforms you want to see return
• Merchandise you wish teams would create
• Who has the best tunnel style in the league?
• Which team has the strongest color scheme?
• What is your favorite WNBA jersey of all time? Or is it a college jersey that is your go-to?

Share your photos, links and opinions below.

Genuinely asking but is there a law or rule they have to abide by? In the W most teams just go back to the locker room these days, the only thing it seems to be good for is starting fake outrage , and I doubt most fans care if its played or not...so who is it for and why do they still do it?

I personally don't care one way or the other (though personally i find it wholly tedious in person at games) but it seems silly at this point and wholly unnecessary topic that just draws the ire of bad actors when they have no other entities to project their hatred upon.

Why doesn't the W just... get rid of the national anthem?

The WNBA today announced the game officials assigned to the 2026 WNBA Finals.

WNBA Finals action tips off tomorrow with Game 1 at Chase Center in San Francisco, where the No. 2 seed Golden State Valkyries will host the No. 4 seed Atlanta Dream (NBC/Peacock; 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT).

Finals officials are selected by the WNBA Referee Operations management team based on key criteria assessed throughout the season including: WNBA Referee Operations grades and rankings, play-calling accuracy and team ratings. Officials are evaluated after each playoff round to determine advancement to the next playoff round.

“This group of officials has earned the right to represent the WNBA and their profession on the ultimate stage, the Finals,” said Bethany Donaphin, Head of WNBA League Operations. “Being selected to officiate in the WNBA Finals is an opportunity they have worked for and is testament to their on-court achievements this season and across their respective careers.”

The 14 referees assigned to the 2026 WNBA Finals are listed below and include 12 on-court officials and two alternates*:

https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-announces-2026-wnba-finals-officials

FIRST TEAM
🏀Shakira Austin
🏀Rhyne Howard
🏀Angel Reese
🏀Gabby Williams
🏀A’ja Wilson

SECOND TEAM
🏀Veronica Burton
🏀Jordin Canada
🏀Sonia Citron
🏀Breanna Stewart
🏀Kiah Stokes

Congrats to all!

edit: All-Defensive* oops 🫠

On the afternoon of Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals last week, Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard warmed up on a stationary bike just outside the visitors’ tunnel of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The Dream were one win shy of sweeping the New York Liberty and clinching the franchise’s first WNBA Finals appearance since 2013. Understandably, Howard appeared locked in, wearing a steady game face as she pedaled out the final moments of the team’s media availability before shootaround.

Her demeanor shifted after a question about the impact of LaToya Sanders, one of her assistant coaches. A full smile now radiated across Howard’s face as she sat back in her seat, her expression answering the question before she even said a word.

“My mom, she’s like, ‘[LaToya]’s your big sister.’ We’re so much alike. I think that’s what helps [LaToya] to keep me grounded,” Howard said. “I think she’s been perfect thus far. I hope that I can have her for the rest of my career.”

In her second season with the Dream, and her fifth as an assistant coach, Sanders has become a pivotal sideline contributor to Atlanta’s on-court success. Those close to Sanders, whose 12-year professional career included seven WNBA seasons and a 2019 championship, laud her basketball intellect and meticulous work ethic. Her pursuit of excellence in basketball, whether as a coach or a player, has been tireless.

Ultimately, her work is for one goal: to pull the best out of her players, to win a championship and one day, hopefully soon, to become a head coach. For now, she’s looking for her first title as an assistant.

“You sacrifice a lot as a player. You sacrifice a lot as a coach,” Sanders said. “To then come out with the ultimate prize, a championship, it would be wonderful.”

Among Sanders’ responsibilities is working individually with Howard and Angel Reese, two of the Dream’s All-Stars. She helps craft training plans and watches film with them, tailoring her presentations to highlight how they can use their skill sets to exploit defenses in upcoming games.

Sanders’ key to the pair’s success? Finding ways to elevate their teammates’ play.

“Both of them know that when other players get involved and have success, that the game is easier for them,” Sanders said. “We feel like no matter how good you are, there’s always areas that even the best players can improve in. We try to focus on those so they can be unstoppable.”

READ MORE - https://andscape.com/features/latoya-sanders-atlanta-dream-coach-wnba-finals-championship/

1. Who will be the priorities for the Golden State defense?

In their three-game regular-season sweep of the Dream, the Valkyries worked their defensive matchup magic on Rhyne Howard. For the 2026 season, Howard averaged her fewest points per against Golden State, all while shooting barely above 30 percent from the field. With Howard’s offensive impact extinguished, largely due to the work of Williams, Atlanta managed to score less than 75 points per game across their three losses to Golden State, their poorest average against any team.

Beginning on Saturday in San Francisco, however, the Valkyries will face what the Dream themselves rightly insist is a different team, with the offensive command of Jordin Canada, plus the addition of the experienced DeWanna Bonner, equipping Atlanta with more offensive weapons that will require schemes and strategies.

Simply silencing Howard is no longer enough if Canada and Bonner, and maybe a returned Allisha Gray, have loud games.

So, what’s the approach for Nakase and company? Is corralling the speedy Canada now at the top of the scouting report? How much attention will she send to Angel Reese? And what happens if Angel and Naz Hillmon hit the wide-open, dare 3s they’re likely to see? Howard, meanwhile, still looms as a threat.

The Dream, somewhat surprisingly, might present more challenges for the Golden State defense than the Wings or Aces did.

2. Can the clutch magic of Ballhalla keep carrying the Valkyries?

In their seven-game postseason, Golden State has played 26 clutch minutes, as defined by WNBA Stats. Both Burton and Williams have been on the court for all those minutes. Burton has shot 50 percent from the field in clutch time, while Williams has scored nearly a point per minute in the clutch, with a playoff-leading 25-clutchtime points.

In contrast, their opponents have hit under 28 percent of their shots in clutch situations.

Is all this sustainable? Yes, the Golden State defense is very good, but holding opponents to such poor shooting requires more than a bit of fortune. On the other side, can Williams, never considered a star-level offensive option, keep performing like one when it matters the most?

Atlanta, likewise, has been nails in the clutch, arguably overperforming expectations even more than Golden State; the Valkyries have outscored opponents by six points in their 26 clutch minutes, while the Dream have a scoring margin of +15 points in their 16 clutch minutes. So, it’s also fair to question whether the Dream can keep it up in clutch moments.

And maybe, there’s no concern for the Valkyries because Ballhalla will continue to conjure it’s greatest magic in winning time.

3. Will Nakase keep pushing the right rotational buttons?

The Valkyries are dangerous because of a shared belief that anyone is capable of being that difference maker. While Nakase devises defensive schemes to stall out other teams’ stars, her counterparts often cannot do the same, as Golden State’s offensive egalitarianism can upend the most exacting plans. Even as Williams has emerged as a more featured offensive star in the postseason, she still is averaging just 31 minutes per game in the playoffs, the most of any Valkyrie. Four Dream players, for comparison, are at more than 33 minutes per game; head coach Karl Smesko, in contrast to Nakase, eliminates potentially complicated choices and maximizes his core.

A well of potential contributors is a positive, until it’s not.

If Nakase’s pulse doesn’t produce in near-perfect fashion, do things start to get sticky for Golden State, where her efforts to identify an X factor begin to resemble DeMarco’s desperation?

Read Full Article - https://www.swishappeal.com/wnba-content/88848/finals-preview-gsv-valkyries-atl-dream-natalie-nakase-history-light-years-lacob-gabby-williams-veronica-burton-defense-clutch-kaitlyn-chen-championship-title-expansion-prediction-stokes-rotation-lineu

We saw the post from u/RodBlago1699 and dug into some numbers.

Regarding Burton and Canada: For the regular season, we had them #1 and #3 in our Net Points on passing metric, which is the value of their assists minus the cost of their bad pass turnovers. They are ranked #3 and #2, respectively, in Net Points on creating turnovers.

So if we stick with those metrics, let's look at last year, the Aces vs. the Mercury. The Aces didn't have anyone in the top 10 in passing, but the Mercury had Alyssa Thomas at #1. Neither team had a player in the top 10 in creating turnovers.
 
What about the year before? It was the Liberty and the Lynx. The Liberty had three players in the top 10 in passing, the Lynx had one. In terms of creating turnovers, the Lynx had one player in the top 10. 
 
So I'd say that what GSV and ATL have this year in terms of good guards is not a standard formula for achieving success. (In general, in my experience, the biggest formula is just maximizing the talent that you have, so this doesn't surprise me.)

Let us know if there's anything else you want our team to dig into!

-Dean Oliver, data scientist for ESPN Analytics

By Shayna Rubin

Just two years into the franchise’s existence, the Golden State Valkyries are still introducing themselves. To the WNBA, and to the Bay Area. The Valkyries’ introduction quickly turned into its arrival, as the lavender-clad franchise is in the WNBA Finals, four wins shy of a title and coronation — much earlier than expected.

A roster pieced together with players discarded by other teams is so bound by a collective identity that it has taken historic performances, overtime stunners and grind-it-out upsets to beat them in any game this year.

The Atlanta Dream are the last hurdle. They’re a team that Golden State swept 3-0 in the regular season, but one that has grown tremendously since their last matchup on July 4.

The Valkyries have a defense that disrupts even the most star-studded and accomplished teams in the league, but the Dream present perhaps their trickiest challenge yet: a multifaceted offense and a top-ranked defense that can go toe-to-toe with Golden State’s unit.

“A defensive-minded Finals, which is great,” head coach Natalie Nakase said. “So for us, we’re still trying to thrive for our four quarters. I think we’re about three quarters of really good, intense defense, and so just can’t wait for game day to show to see if we can perform four quarters.”

Here are the keys to watch heading into the Finals, which start with Game 1 on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Chase Center.

Veronica Burton vs. Jordin Canada:

The Dream may be without one of their best scorers in Allisha Gray, who underwent a minor procedure on her hand after injuring it during Game 1 of the semifinals against the New York Liberty.

Whether she plays, the Dream can score on a variety of levels — from 3-point distance, off second-chance opportunities and on-ball — but the key may lie at the point of attack with Dream guard Jordin Canada, who emerged as a key scorer beyond the arc while also taking advantage of Atlanta’s spacing that created open driving lanes.

The Valkyries’ strength defensively has always been at the point of attack, derived from Burton and Gabby Williams’ ball pressure. Statistically, Burton’s defensive impact shows in the numbers when she’s on or off the court. The Valkyries boast a stingy 96.7 defensive rating when Burton is on the court in 44 regular season games, according to hoopsjunkie, which drops to 103.5 when she’s off the court. The 6.8-point gap is one of the larger ones in the WNBA.

Burton and Williams collaborate to muck up screens and force much more stagnant half-court offensive possessions for the other team. Canada directs Atlanta into a dynamic offense with multiple threats — Rhyne Howard is dangerous from distance, averaging 8.8 3-point shots per game, while Gray and Canada can capitalize on space and score off the dribble.

If Burton and Williams can contest up top without fouling and prevent any need for help defense, they could hold Atlanta at bay.

The Angel Reese factor:

Reese is a main driver of the Dream’s feisty defense because she can wrangle rebounds like few others. That doesn’t just mean cleaning up on defense — Reese is a master of creating second-chance opportunities on the offensive boards, another main source of scoring for this Dream team.

“She just has a knack for the ball,” center Kiah Stokes said. “She has great hands, great timing. I just feel like wherever the ball is going, she’s going to be right there. It’s one of her specialties. I think that’s what got her to an elite spot in her career. And then obviously her offensive game has taken leaps, so we can’t really discount that, either. But, really, just trying to keep her off the glass as much as possible.”

The Valkyries have stated clearly the priority against Reese: get physical and box out.

That’s easier said than done. Stokes showed it’s entirely possible when she took on the Las Vegas Aces’ 6-foot-4 A’ja Wilson in the semifinal. She collected 21 rebounds in the first two games and helped Golden State win the rebounding battle in each of their three victories for the sweep. Six-foot-four Aminata Gueye tag-teamed with Stokes effectively from off the bench to give Golden State some size in the series.

Kayla Thornton was also essential in the rebounding game last series and may be an X-factor against Reese. The Valkyries’ defensive rating with Thornton on the court is stingy, too: a 95.9 rating on against a 103.0 rating with her off in 44 regular-season games.

Burton does the little things that will also help. She’s able to defend multiple positions and get physical under the rim, which could present another challenge for Reese.

The biggest difference between the Dream on July 4 and now? Veteran DeWanna Bonner.

The Dream signed her on Aug. 27 after the Phoenix Mercury bought out her contract. There’s a Warriors connection there; former director of basketball operations Nick U’Ren now serves as the Mercury general manager and negotiated the buyout specifically to put Bonner into free agency, where the 39-year-old could sign with a contender in what might be her final season or close to it.

And she has been just the presence Atlanta needs in this series. Bonner, a two-time champion, adds more length to complement Reese’s rebounding and scoring. She’s averaging 13.2 points per game and 6.4 rebounds in the playoffs.

“The biggest difference is DeWanna Bonner,” Williams said Wednesday. “On and off the court. I can imagine how much she’s talking in the locker room about what it takes to win. I think the championship experience is going to give Atlanta a different type of boost.”

Valkyries have Gabby Williams:

A title seemed far out of reach for the Valkyries without a bucket-getter — a player who could take the ball with a game on the line and score at near will.

Williams has been that player, consistently taking her calling card as a two-way player to the next level.

Against both Dallas and Las Vegas, Williams glided into the closer role. Her 17-foot jump shot gave the Valkyries their ultimate lead after erasing a 16-point deficit against the Wings.

She scored eight points in overtime in a deciding Game 3 against the Aces, including a step-back midrange shot that served as the dagger.

She averaged 14.4 points per game in the regular season, leading the Valkyries. In the playoffs, that average bumped to 22.7 points per game.

What’s fueling this ascent? Williams has said a few times: Golden State’s belief that she could.

“They just believe in me here,” Williams said on Tuesday. “It’s really it. I know it’s not respected as much here, but I’ve played on big stages before. I played in the Olympics, I’ve played for championships, so I know what it feels like to play big games. Just now, our culture is great here and we have other champions. We have WNBA champions. Kiah has won three times, KT (Kayla Thornton) has won, (Cecilia Zandalasini) has won, so we know how to get it done.”

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/article/valkyries-dream-wnba-finals-22477432.php

Natalie Nakase has a game plan for the Atlanta Dream. She also has a few instructions for Ballhalla, the thousands of passionate Golden State Valkyries fans who will be inside Chase Center when the WNBA Finals begin.

Bring the noise, and bring it often. Make life absolutely miserable for the visitors. And don’t wait for the game to get interesting before getting involved.

Nakase sent that message directly to the Valkyries’ passionate fan base ahead of Saturday’s Game 1 against Atlanta. The first-year head coach doesn’t want a polite home crowd. She wants an atmosphere that makes opposing players feel the heat in every possession.

“I mean, you guys know, since we’re prepping for a great game plan, Ballhalla better be prepping for a game plan,” Nakase said. “So as soon as they’re announced, I need some hostility. As soon as they do a challenge, I need hostility. If they’re shooting free throws, I need that thing to be rocking.“

“So game plan, Ballhalla, get ready, get prepped, because we definitely got to use Ballhalla’s sixth man.“

Read More - https://fadeawayworld.net/wnba/natalie-nakase-sends-clear-message-to-ballhalla-ahead-of-wnba-finals-i-need-hostility

Surrounded by a group of reporters gathered for the 2018 WNBA Draft at the Nike headquarters in New York, Gabby Williams made a first impression fans could trust.

“I’ll be whatever you want me to be,” Williams said after being selected No. 4 overall by the Chicago Sky. “I don’t need the ball 20 times to make something happen.”

Eight years later, Williams and that same attitude are in the midst of history with the Golden State Valkyries.

After signing with the 2025 expansion team this offseason, Williams became the centerpiece of one of the most stunning WNBA stories in recent memory by leading the Valkyries to the Finals in their second season.

Guard Veronica Burton knew from the moment Williams entered the facility she was a winner because of her skill set, her energy and her basketball curiosity. Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase knew Williams could help bring the franchise a championship because of shared goals.

As a highly-sought after free agent who reached career highs in scoring (11.6 per game), assists (4.2) and steals (WNBA high 2.3) in 2025 as she helped the Seattle Storm to the playoffs, Williams didn’t use her free agency conversations with the Valkyries to ask about minutes or shots.

“She's just a humble star,” Nakase told reporters Wednesday. “... She is the best two-way player in the world, and she's not asking for anything. She just was asking for our culture — a culture that loved and cared about people, and brought out the best. And I was like, ‘That's it?’”

An emphasis on care and trust might not seem like much when it’s engrained into your team’s DNA. For Williams, though, it was everything. It wasn’t a given in her previous professional stops, but that culture — and the way Williams embodies it — might be the key to what makes the Valkyries a title threat.

Read More - https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/wnba/2026/10/15/gabby-williams-right-fit-golden-state-valkyries-to-wnba-finals/92260327007/

The Indiana Fever have announced that Aliyah Boston had a right knee arthroscopy to repair the lateral meniscus.

So, AB played this season on one functional leg... definitely explains why she seemed a bit off at times, and honestly, she had hell of a season for a player playing on one leg. Full recovery can take months apparently so it's likely she'll skip Unrivaled to rehab.

Super cool! You “pick” an orange (basketball) and the ball aligns to a prize. Not pictured is a wall with what players most inspire you and some other cool stuff! Hadn’t seen this mentioned anywhere but I walked by it this morning and wanted to share!

At 12:01 p.m, there were over 35K people ahead of me! Guess I'll be watching the game at home 😭

Whoever gets tickets, say hi to Angel for me! 😆

Ohemaa Nyanin caught heat for the Valkyries’ surprising trade on draft night, but now the roster she constructed is at the doorstep of a championship.

Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin smiled Thursday as she reflected on the experience of this season and her career more broadly. Her team was about to play in the WNBA Finals against the Atlanta Dream in their second year as a franchise and her second year as general manager.

Six months earlier, the same Zoom setting with reporters felt far different. Nyanin had just traded the Valkyries’ first-round draft pick, LSU star Flau’jae Johnson, and had few answers for the public as to why.

Beyond that whirlwind night, she has done some big things right.

“A lot of people would like to say, just because you’re a first-time GM, you’re going to make errors,” Nyanin said. “Or they start negative, and what we’ve been able to accomplish in this organization in a very short amount of time is, yes, those things happen, and what can we do together to shine?”

In the days following the bizarre WNBA draft day trade where the Valkyries sent the rights to Johnson to Seattle for a 2028 selection and second-round pick Marta Suarez – who didn’t make the team out of training camp – there was a lot of confusion about what kind of team the Valkyries were going to be.

Nyanin, who joined the Valkyries in 2024 after working as the assistant general manager for the New York Liberty, made key free-agent signings in the offseason to bring in Gabby Williams and Kiah Stokes, two essential pieces to the Finals squad.

But it’s been the smaller moves that have made the Valkyries who they are. Kaila Charles, who was cut by Dallas midseason last year, or Kaitlyn Chen, a third-round pick who was a bit of a surprise to stay on the roster after being cut and re-signed early last season.

“The athletes did just as much work as myself and the staff have in turn, in trying to get to know one another on a deeper level and not trying to be surface (level),” Nyanin said. She also lauded “the unexpectedness of the amount of time that they put in with each other, both on and off the court.”

Read More - https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/10/15/ohemaa-nyanin-golden-state-valkyries-roster-wnba-finals/

His teams led the country in 3-pointers made almost every year. He had eight 30-win seasons there, took the school to the NCAA tournament 10 times in a 13-year span and was basically an annual lock for his conference’s coach of the year award.

But there was a ceiling. And the Atlanta Dream called him at the right time.

Smesko had come to grips with the fact that winning a national championship at FGCU was highly unlikely. Highly, highly unlikely. So, when the Dream called two years ago with an offer — leave the campus that has a beach and come take over a WNBA club — Smesko stepped out of his comfort zone.

The result: Another pair of 30-win seasons, and now a trip to the WNBA Finals. The championship he was never going to get at FGCU is now four wins away, with the title series against the favored Golden State Valkyries set to begin on Saturday.

“As good as we were at Florida Gulf Coast, the odds were very stacked against us to make that type of championship run,” Smesko said. “In the pros, I definitely thought there was more of an opportunity. It’s a more equal playing field to win the whole thing and that was appealing to me.”

To the finals in Year 2

It’s a matchup of second-year coaches: Smesko in Atlanta and Natalie Nakase in Golden State, which is in just its second year of existence. The Valkyries went 3-0 against the Dream this season, making them just the second team to sweep Smesko’s club in his tenure there. Las Vegas did it last season, and the Aces went on to win the WNBA title as well.

But in Smesko they trust, and the Dream have gone 5-0 in the playoffs to earn their finals berth.

“He’s a coach that really believes in you and he knows what’s best,” Dream center Angel Reese said. “And I’m really thankful for him, for being able to help me with my career and help me be better for the team — because I don’t think I would be in this situation and thriving as I am individually without him.”

Smesko is quiet in many ways, and fiercely loyal. The offer from the Dream came as FGCU was starting its 2024-25 season; he wound up leaving after two games that year, though some at the school believe he was tempted to try to handle both jobs at once for a few months and finish that season. He ended up turning the keys to FGCU over to longtime top assistant Chelsea Lyles, who did what her mentor does — won 30 games and got the Eagles to the NCAA tournament.

Lyles wound up following Smesko to Atlanta after that season, as did others with FGCU ties. He has made clear that the familiarity has made life easier, and the Dream have back-to-back 30-14 regular season records as proof of how it paid off.

“It’s been huge,” Smesko said, “because we think about the game a little differently.”

They do, indeed. FGCU, in the Smesko era, had an offense like few others in college basketball.

How the system works

Midrange shots were essentially banned. The only acceptable shots were layups, 3-pointers and free throws. It wasn’t a gimmick. It was math. Layups and free throws are the easiest shots to make in basketball, and if his teams could make more than one-third of their 3-point tries then that would lead to more points than making half of their midrange shots.

It doesn’t work quite that way at the WNBA level; a 24-second shot clock has forced Smesko to grudgingly accept that some midrange shots will have to be tried. But he still preaches the taproots of what he used in college: layups, 3s and free throws.

“The moment that Karl and the coaching staff got here, we were working on 3s,” Dream guard Jordin Canada said. “He just talked about how making one more 3 every 25 shots would increase your percentage. Like, something that small. And we constantly worked on it, worked on it, worked on it. ... I think it’s just a testament to him believing in that everybody can shoot the 3 and working on it consistently.”

Part of the annual schedule at FGCU, it seemed, was frustration over how the NCAA selection committee would seed the Eagles. There were a number of years that school officials, conference officials and even other coaches felt that the committee didn’t give FGCU its deserved spot on the bracket and seeded them far lower than what was merited.

READ MORE - https://apnews.com/article/karl-smesko-atlanta-dream-wnba-finals-a03309ac138e21e61990f227ee93344a

By Cora Hall

It has been 27 years since Tamika Catchings and Chamique Holdsclaw stepped on the court together for Lady Vols basketball, but they've spent this year reconnecting as part of USA Sports' WNBA coverage team.

Now, the two Tennessee legends will cover their first WNBA Finals together, Catchings as a game analyst and Holdsclaw as a studio analyst. The seven-game series between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries begins Oct. 17 (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC), and USA Network will broadcast Games 2 and 3 along with Games 5-7, if necessary.

"With our relationship, we've gone through the highs and lows over the years, just from a standpoint of life happens, we're busy, we're doing different things," Catchings said on a call with media on Oct. 15. "This has pulled us back together and having more conversation, talking more about the game. We're back to being teammates ... it's just been awesome."

Catchings and Holdsclaw played together from 1997-99 at Tennessee under legendary coach Pat Summitt, and the duo led the Lady Vols to an undefeated national championship in 1998.

Studio host Elle Duncan said getting to know Holdsclaw on a personal level during long days for Wednesday night doubleheaders has been one of the best parts of this season.

Holdsclaw, who was inducted to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in August, came into the job with humility. Duncan said Holdsclaw looked at her one night and told her, "I'm a rookie, Elle. Help me, tell me what I need to know." Holdsclaw has also provided a calming presence to balance Duncan's self-described "frenetic energy."

"She is the human embodiment of aromatherapy ... she's so centered and just grounded, and she's inquisitive," Duncan said. "She was really, really, really adamant that she wanted to be good at this, and she grew so much in this space. She is an amazing woman who has so much conviction and uses her platform in every possible way to shine light on a lot of different topics and places that need it. She's a one-of-one. There's a reason she's one of the GOATs."

Kate Scott, who does play-by-play with Catchings, echoed Duncan's sentiment that getting to know Catchings has been one of her favorite parts of this season.

When they walk into arenas, Scott called the love Catchings receives "overwhelming," and she joked she becomes Catchings' bodyguard after the broadcast ends and the fans start lining up.

"Just seeing the love that she and Chamique have gotten online and in the social spaces, that people have missed these players, that they are so happy to have them back," Scott said. "And what an honor it is for Elle, for me, for all of us at USA to get to be a part of their revival and get to just kind of sit next to the shine and the recognition that they so desperately deserve. It's been an awesome part of this journey this year."

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/womens-basketball/2026/10/15/tamika-catchings-chamique-holdsclaw-wnba-finals-usa-network-lady-vols/92267874007/

Sabrina Ionescu is teaming up with Market of Choice and Food for Lane County for their annual food drive to help fight hunger in the community.

Market of Choice is matching customer cash donations up to $10,000 at its four Eugene stores. Ionescu is adding a $5,000 match through the SI20 Foundation.

"SI20 Foundation also matches. As we match a $10,000, they'll match a $5,000," said Dewey Weddington, vice president of marketing at Market of Choice. "So between the two of us, we're matching $15,000 of registered donations. Last year, that made a big difference. I mean, that was $30,000 that we easily hit, but we went beyond that and ended up a little over $51,000."

The Oregon basketball great is using her social media platform to encourage people to participate.

"So grateful to have a relationship with Sabrina Ionescu. She loves to give back here and just help spread the message of how important it is that everybody come out and help. We like to say dunk on food insecurity," said Rebecca Sprinson, director of communications for Food for Lane County.

Ionescu continues to give back to the community she calls home. The food drive runs through Nov. 30.

https://www.kezi.com/news/local/eugene-food-drive-gets-a-boost-from-wnbas-sabrina-ionescu/article_71092f9b-747e-4ec6-9527-6c600a937c02.html