2020 WNBA Draft to be held as scheduled | The Boneyard

2020 WNBA Draft to be held as scheduled

Dillon77

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Thanks, Shades.
I'm going to add Howard Megdal's NY Times article because he has some quotes from various WNBA administrators (Cathy Englebert, WNBA Commissioner) and/or coaches (Minnesota's Cheryl Reeve, Atlanta's Nicki Collen).

As a point of reference, "As for underclassmen who wish to declare early for the draft — eligible if they turn 22 any time in 2020 or if they are four years past their high school graduation date — the deadline remains April 7," according to the article. Is the "four years past their high school graduation" new? I don't recall it when I used to go to the WNBA site in the past. However, there it is.

 
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Unfortunately, I’m not interested in subscribing to the NYTimes. Could you share some more key points?
 

Dillon77

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Unfortunately, I’m not interested in subscribing to the NYTimes. Could you share some more key points?

Shades:
I'll get to this Sat. a.m. first thing (tonight we're celebrating my wife's birthday ;) ;). With the Coronavirus living regulations in northern NJ, I know the way to go.
 

KnightBridgeAZ

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As a side note - article suggests that Rutgers may lose Giurantes - she is 50 / 50 right now and the article suggests that if it were not for the Covid situation she would have already declared.

Source is linked on Rutgers board.
 

Dillon77

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Unfortunately, I’m not interested in subscribing to the NYTimes. Could you share some more key points?

Some quotes/comments from the Megdal article in the NY Times.

Englebert Comments:

On the draft:

- “We want to make sure that the players who are the draftees get their moment in the limelight,” the W.N.B.A.’s commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, said in a phone interview on Wednesday from her New Jersey home, where she has worked remotely for nearly two weeks because of the coronavirus outbreak that has brought the sports world to a standstill.

- The draft is scheduled to be televised on ESPN at 7 p.m. Eastern time on April 17, with streams from players wherever they are and Engelbert “somewhere in New Jersey, announcing the draft picks live.”
“And that’s an honor for them,” she said. “So that while it’ll be virtual, and I won’t be with them, maybe they’ll be with their families and could be streamed in at home.”

And this comment about playing the actual games:

- Playing games this year is paramount, Engelbert said. Even if the league must play in empty arenas for safety’s sake, she said, she and her team are reimagining what experiencing live sports might look and feel like. It could mean playing games in one, centralized location that has been cleared for fans or playing in front of no fans in person but emphasizing other live forms of engagement, like social media.

“Getting live sports back on television, I think we have almost a public service responsibility to do everything we can,” Engelbert said. “Because it’s clear that everybody’s missing live sports.”


Nicki Collen, Atlanta

- For the league’s coaches and general managers, the April 17 draft date will still allow them to finish scouting and arranging deals. Nicki Collen, the head coach of the Atlanta Dream, said that with the team staff living all over the country, much of the work was done by teleconference, anyhow.

Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota

- “Draft preparation has not changed too drastically, as video has always been an extensive part of the evaluation process,” said Cheryl Reeve, the head coach and general manager of the Minnesota Lynx.

Reeve, whose team has the sixth overall pick, said the cancellation of the N.C.A.A. basketball tournament did affect how teams could prepare for the draft.

“What we miss is watching the next class of W.N.B.A. talent rising up, making big plays to help her team win on a big stage,” Reeve said. “But most of the evaluation work had already been completed prior to the N.C.A.A. tournament.”
 

Coler

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As a side note - article suggests that Rutgers may lose Giurantes - she is 50 / 50 right now and the article suggests that if it were not for the Covid situation she would have already declared.

Source is linked on Rutgers board.
I personally feel that it would be in her best interest to wait another year.
 
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I personally feel that it would be in her best interest to wait another year.

It’s a Megdal article, right? He tends to overstate things.
 
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Looking at updated WNBA rosters, and Seattle within the last couple of days added Ezi Magbegor to the roster.
Tuck, Russell, Ezi, and Langhorne coming off the bench. This might be the year Alysha Clark doesn't start at small forward.
 

Coler

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I guess Guirantes isn’t declaring. Wasn’t today the deadline?
 
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I guess Guirantes isn’t declaring. Wasn’t today the deadline?
D58C16E0-4FF7-4F83-8783-5096B6059D77.jpeg
 
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Guirantes is a decent player, but wasn’t worthy of Big Ten player of the year. That would be Kathleen Doyle, who will probably be a late second round pick. I’m not understanding the late first round hype for Guirantes. I’d say it’s a case of Megdal over-promoting the local player.
 

Dillon77

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Looking at updated WNBA rosters, and Seattle within the last couple of days added Ezi Magbegor to the roster.
Tuck, Russell, Ezi, and Langhorne coming off the bench. This might be the year Alysha Clark doesn't start at small forward.

Crystal Langhorne suffered a knee injury a few games into the WNBL season in Australia, which was severe enough for her to miss the rest of the season (Kat Westbeld took her "outsider" spot on Adelaide Lightening). I don't know how her recovery is going at this point.
 

KnightBridgeAZ

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Guirantes is a decent player, but wasn’t worthy of Big Ten player of the year. That would be Kathleen Doyle, who will probably be a late second round pick. I’m not understanding the late first round hype for Guirantes. I’d say it’s a case of Megdal over-promoting the local player.
Probably because Guirantes has a big upside. She can score, but she really has the all-around skills that are desirable in a league that plays completely different than college. Doyle was a great college player but will struggle to stick in the pros. Like a lot of excellent players. Guirantes may or may not struggle, but her chances are better.

As to Big Ten player of the year, yes, I also thought it was Doyle, but I did feel that Guirantes got way to little respect (in large part) from the media. From the coaches, much better.
 

eebmg

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Guirantes is a very talented player whose overall offensive game is suited to the pros but will not improve in the Rutgers 'offense'. She needed to do everything for that team and is basically self made. Decision is probably much more due to the negligible chances of the WNBA being played than improving in the Rutgers system although the newbies are very interesting and might challenge in the B10
 

eebmg

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Crystal getting herself ready for the draft


In the meantime, Dangerfield’s been trying to make the most of the last few weeks, finishing her final semester at UConn through online classes, staying active and speaking with WNBA coaches and general managers who are interested in her.
 

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