International Players of Interest 2018 WNBA Draft

[Wbbfan1]

International Names to Know for 2018 WNBA Draft - Women's Basketball 24.7

I'd take Musina with the Overall #1 Pick if she expresses an interest in playing in the WNBA. She's an immediate difference maker.

 

[CocoHusky]

International Names to Know for 2018 WNBA Draft - Women's Basketball 24.7
I'd take Musina with the Overall #1 Pick if she expresses an interest in playing in the WNBA. She's an immediate difference maker.

My first thought is that American players are at a disadvantage then by deciding going to college.
Had Musina , Maria Vadeeva, & Julia Reisingerova decided to go to college they would be going into thier sophmore year (Freshmen for Reisingerova) and would not be WNBA eligible.
So apparently European kids can skip just a year and be WNBA eligible. Cecilia Zandalasini was rated a top 5 prospect by ESPN in the class of 2015 and here she is throwing up jumpers for the Minnesota in 2017 as a free agent.

The WNBA needs to correct this double standard.
Before someone chimes in that it might be based on age cutoff both Musina and Vadeeva played in FIBA U19 this summer in Italy.
Russia at the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2017 - FIBA.basketball

 

[Shades]

My first thought is that American players are at a disadvantage then by deciding to go to college.

International players tend to turn pro at a young age. That doesn't happen in America. WNBA players have to be drafted unless they're past their draft age, then they become free agents. Since women's basketball is not nearly as lucrative as the men's side and there are relatively few jobs available and they're hard to get, it's probably a good thing to encourage the players to get their degrees.

Cecilia Zandalasini was rated a top 5 prospect by ESPN in the class of 2015 and here she is throwing up jumpers for the Minnesota in 2017 as a free agent.

Minnesota basically locked her in as reserved player and gave her a look at life in the WNBA. She made no impact and probably won't for years on that veteran team. But she did get a WNBA Championship on her resume and got to travel America for a few weeks, so it was time we'll spent for her.

She turns 22 next year, so as an American college student, that would have made her eligible for the 2018 WNBA Draft, so not a huge difference.

The WNBA needs to correct this double standard.

Are you saying American players shouldn't be restricted from leaving college early (most that are eligible to leave a year early don't do it), or are you saying international players should be restricted to the same age requirement as the college players?

I'm not exactly sure why there's a difference. Maybe the WNBA doesn't want to impose their standards on non-American players who have already decided what to do with their lives? I'm personally not bothered by the little bit of difference in age requirement. American college players have their own advantages. It's easier to see how good they are and they tend to be much more reliable showing up to WNBA training camp.

 

[rt bb fan]

What is the incentive for the overseas players? If they have playing professional for a couple of years thay are probably making good money . So why play in the WNBA for very little money.

 

[MilfordHusky]

What is the incentive for the overseas players? If they have playing professional for a couple of years thay are probably making good money . So why play in the WNBA for very little money.

The WNBA is the highest level of competition, outside of FIBA and the Olympics. "By far," according to Sue Bird.

 

[Shades]

What is the incentive for the overseas players? If they have playing professional for a couple of years thay are probably making good money . So why play in the WNBA for very little money.

The players that make the most money overseas are the the best players in the WNBA. Make your mark in the WNBA, get bigger paycheck overseas.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

How can we keep track of these international players? And are there great internet pages for us to keep track of UConn alumnae and other American players overseas? Really appreciate the Kiah Stokes updates. But could we get a page for UConn alumnae abroad? Always wonder how they're doing.

 

[CocoHusky]

International players tend to turn pro at a young age. That doesn't happen in America. WNBA players have to be drafted unless they're past their draft age, then they become free agents. Since women's basketball is not nearly as lucrative as the men's side and there are relatively few jobs available and they're hard to get, it's probably a good thing to encourage the players to get their degrees.
Minnesota basically locked her in as reserved player and gave her a look at life in the WNBA. She made no impact and probably won't for years on that veteran team. But she did get a WNBA Championship on her resume and got to travel America for a few weeks, so it was time we'll spent for her.
She turns 22 next year, so as an American college student, that would have made her eligible for the 2018 WNBA Draft, so not a huge difference.
Are you saying American players shouldn't be restricted from leaving college early (most that are eligible to leave a year early don't do it), or are you saying international players should be restricted to the same age requirement as the college players?
I'm not exactly sure why there's a difference. Maybe the WNBA doesn't want to impose their standards on non-American players who have already decided what to do with their lives? I'm personally not bothered by the little bit of difference in age requirement. American college players have their own advantages. It's easier to see how good they are and they tend to be much more reliable showing up to WNBA training camp.

I'm not sure where you are coming from with most of this so let me start over.
A list of WNBA eligible Europen palyers was posted by @Wbbfan1. I assume the list is correct. That list of players included Musina, Maria Vadeeva, & Julia Reisingerova. If Musina , Maria Vadeeva, & Julia Reisingerova were American they WOULD NOT be eligible to enter the WNBA because....

"The WNBA "requires players to be at least 22, to have completed their college eligibility, to have graduated from a four-year college or to be four years removed from high school."

Musina & Maria Vadeeva cannot possibly 22 because both competed for Russia in the FIBA U19 Championship in July 2017-this past summer. You can't be 19 or under in summer of 2017 and be 22 by end of calendar year 2018. Julia Reisingerova competed for FIBA U16 in summer of 2014. You can't be 16 or under in the summer of 2014 and be 22 by end of calendar year 2018.
Cecilia Zandalasini was born March 16, 1996 acording to her biography. Cecilia Zandalasini played in the WNBA this past season (2017) when she was 21. Cecilia Zandalasini should not have been eligible for the WNBA draft. My angst based on these three specific cases is that the WNBA is using a different critera for Europen players than it is for American players. I know of several American players that are 21 that would love to be 21 and playing in the WNBA, so why can't they?

 

[awhom111]

How can we keep track of these international players? And are there great internet pages for us to keep track of UConn alumnae and other American players overseas? Really appreciate the Kiah Stokes updates. But could we get a page for UConn alumnae abroad? Always wonder how they're doing.

I am not going to claim that it's great, but the site linked in the post covers every league overseas that former Huskies are playing in these days. I cover China, Russia, Turkey, France, Poland, and Israel. League with no former Huskies that I cover include Australia, Spain, Italy, Germany, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. EuroLeague and EuroCup are also covered obviously along with a couple other cross-national leagues. Every former collegian, WNBA player, and WNBA draftee gets mentioned in the games that they play.

I'm not sure where you are coming from with most of this so let me start over.
A list of WNBA eligible Europen palyers was posted by @Wbbfan1. I assume the list is correct. That list of players included Musina, Maria Vadeeva, & Julia Reisingerova. If Musina , Maria Vadeeva, & Julia Reisingerova were American they WOULD NOT be eligible to enter the WNBA because....

"The WNBA "requires players to be at least 22, to have completed their college eligibility, to have graduated from a four-year college or to be four years removed from high school."

Musina & Maria Vadeeva cannot possibly 22 because both competed for Russia in the FIBA U19 Championship in July 2017-this past summer. You can't be 19 or under in summer of 2017 and be 22 by end of calendar year 2018. Julia Reisingerova competed for FIBA U16 in summer of 2014. You can't be 16 or under in the summer of 2014 and be 22 by end of calendar year 2018.
Cecilia Zandalasini was born March 16, 1996 acording to her biography. Cecilia Zandalasini played in the WNBA this past season (2017) when she was 21. Cecilia Zandalasini should not have been eligible for the WNBA draft. My angst based on these three specific cases is that the WNBA is using a different critera for Europen players than it is for American players. I know of several American players that are 21 that would love to be 21 and playing in the WNBA, so why can't they?

I try explain the rules differences between international and non-international players here:
The International Draft Disparity - Women's Basketball 24.7

Basically there's more to read in the CBA than the first quote. Recently, a total of six international players played in the WNBA at an age where their American counterparts could not.

I also wrote the original article on the 1998-born internationals that might be considered in this year's draft. This latest article was inspired by both the Zandalasini confusion and also the Ezi recruitment since I think she's somewhere in the second half of the first round if the 2019 draft were held today and thus has a difficult decision.

 

[bballnut90]

My first thought is that American players are at a disadvantage then by deciding going to college.
Had Musina , Maria Vadeeva, & Julia Reisingerova decided to go to college they would be going into thier sophmore year (Freshmen for Reisingerova) and would not be WNBA eligible.
So apparently European kids can skip just a year and be WNBA eligible. Cecilia Zandalasini was rated a top 5 prospect by ESPN in the class of 2015 and here she is throwing up jumpers for the Minnesota in 2017 as a free agent.

The WNBA needs to correct this double standard.
Before someone chimes in that it might be based on age cutoff both Musina and Vadeeva played in FIBA U19 this summer in Italy.
Russia at the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2017 - FIBA.basketball

I don't think it's an advantage--in basketball, college gives players time to grow and develop into very good WNBA caliber players. Cecilia had a grand total of 2 points in the regular season and 2 points in the playoffs. If you drafted or signed any of the other top 10 kids in her class (including Anigwe, Ogunbowale, Collier, KLS, Durr, Shepard, Higgs and Lambert), I'm guessing most of them would have been more productive than Cecelia was. I think that's a function of the development they've had in college basketball.


I do think college is a hinderance in other sports though. Volleyball is loaded internationally with players 18-21 who are considered the very best players in the world who've been training with national teams for years. In the USA, everyone goes to college (which is a significantly lower level than top pro leagues) and even the best prodigies don't train full time with the national team until after college.

 

[CocoHusky]

I don't think it's an advantage--in basketball, college gives players time to grow and develop into very good WNBA caliber players. Cecilia had a grand total of 2 points in the regular season and 2 points in the playoffs. If you drafted or signed any of the other top 10 kids in her class (including Anigwe, Ogunbowale, Collier, KLS, Durr, Shepard, Higgs and Lambert), I'm guessing most of them would have been more productive than Cecelia was. I think that's a function of the development they've had in college basketball.
I do think college is a hinderance in other sports though. Volleyball is loaded internationally with players 18-21 who are considered the very best players in the world who've been training with national teams for years. In the USA, everyone goes to college (which is a significantly lower level than top pro leagues) and even the best prodigies don't train full time with the national team until after college.

The advantage I'm taking about has nothing to do with performance or development. BTW KLS would have probably averaged more than 2 point per game in WNBA. The andvantage I'm talking about is simply the earlier opportunity to turn pro. Still have not verifeid this but it appears that a non-American player can turn pro in Europe immediately out of HS and be NBA eligible the very next year vs. an American College player who must attend 3-4 years of college before being WNBA eligible. The ability to turn pro 3-4 years earlier is a significant advantage especially if you consider the average WNBA career. It is literally the difference betweeen Cecilia and Diamond DeShields. Cecilia is in the WNBA one year after graduating from HS. Diamond is not in the WNBA and she would not have been able to be in the WNBA until she had attended college for 4 years (2013-17).

 

[CocoHusky]

I am not going to claim that it's great, but the site linked in the post covers every league overseas that former Huskies are playing in these days. I cover China, Russia, Turkey, France, Poland, and Israel. League with no former Huskies that I cover include Australia, Spain, Italy, Germany, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. EuroLeague and EuroCup are also covered obviously along with a couple other cross-national leagues. Every former collegian, WNBA player, and WNBA draftee gets mentioned in the games that they play.



I try explain the rules differences between international and non-international players here:
The International Draft Disparity - Women's Basketball 24.7

Basically there's more to read in the CBA than the first quote. Recently, a total of six international players played in the WNBA at an age where their American counterparts could not.

I also wrote the original article on the 1998-born internationals that might be considered in this year's draft. This latest article was inspired by both the Zandalasini confusion and also the Ezi recruitment since I think she's somewhere in the second half of the first round if the 2019 draft were held today and thus has a difficult decision.

Welcome to the BY and thanks for the informative post.
Still slightly confused by these statements in the article:

"Attending college means a postponement of those goals for at least two years. Even foreign players who decide that the college system is not for them and return home to play professionally are not automatically eligible for the next draft"

"An initial bout of confusion came last season when the Lynx signed Cecilia Zandalasini, a free agent who somewhat surprisingly went undrafted in her year of eligibility in 2016."

Zandalasini played FIBA U18 in the Summer of 2014 how would she have been WNBA draft eligible by Spring of 2016?

What would make a European Player NOT automatically eligible after playing a year of professional basketball?

Thanks

 

[DefenseBB]

In my research of the International Players eligibility, for this years group mentioned, all will be 20 (year of birth 1998) and would have completed their sophomore year of college. So you can't skip a year, you would have to skip 2 years and be eligible for the draft.

Zandalasini was in the HoopGurlz class of 2015 but has a March 1996 birthday and in most cases in the US would have been in the 2014 class. At the 2014 FIBA, she would have been 18. She was eligible for 2016 (age 20) but was not signed until 2017. Her "class year" is what is the curve ball here as she was a year older than KLS, Durr, Shepard and Salvadores.

I think that solves the confusion.

In all the American sports leagues, there are different rules for US vs. foreign players
Baseball draft for American's is HS Senior year (17/18), for International age 16
Hockey is age 18 by Sept 15th of that year-all candidates
NBA is age 19/20, one year from HS.
NFL must be out of HS 3 years. Not really any international athletes here.
Soccer is quirky as MLS says players must have used all college eligibility. The best leagues are overseas and they do not have a draft and sign/stockpile players in their academies starting as young as 14.

 

[awhom111]

Welcome to the BY and thanks for the informative post.
Still slightly confused by these statements in the article:

"Attending college means a postponement of those goals for at least two years. Even foreign players who decide that the college system is not for them and return home to play professionally are not automatically eligible for the next draft"

"An initial bout of confusion came last season when the Lynx signed Cecilia Zandalasini, a free agent who somewhat surprisingly went undrafted in her year of eligibility in 2016."

Zandalasini played FIBA U18 in the Summer of 2014 how would she have been WNBA draft eligible by Spring of 2016?

What would make a European Player NOT automatically eligible after playing a year of professional basketball?

Thanks

Zandalasini was born on 3/16/96 so she was eligible in 2016 and would have been eligible in 2018 if she went to college.

Diandra Tchatchouang played two years (2009-10 and 2010-11) at Maryland. She was born 6/14/91. She was not eligible to be drafted until 2013, after two seasons back in France.

 

[CocoHusky]

Zandalasini was born on 3/16/96 so she was eligible in 2016 and would have been eligible in 2018 if she went to college.
Diandra Tchatchouang played two years (2009-10 and 2010-11) at Maryland. She was born 6/14/91. She was not eligible to be drafted until 2013, after two seasons back in France.

So to summarize then by not going to college a player can become WNBA eligible two years faster ?

 

[awhom111]

So to summarize then by not going to college a player can become WNBA eligible two years faster ?

Yes, international players who do not go to American college (or presumably Simon Fraser) are eligible two years earlier than Americans or international players who go to American college. If Kia Nurse had decided to play collegiately in the Canadian system instead of the American system, she would have been eligible at 20.

 

[CocoHusky]

Yes, international players who do not go to American college (or presumably Simon Fraser) are eligible two years earlier than Americans or international players who go to American college. If Kia Nurse had decided to play collegiately in the Canadian system instead of the American system, she would have been eligible at 20.

Thank you for clarifying. My point was and remains, this is not an equitable system.

 

[MSGRET]

I'm not sure where you are coming from with most of this so let me start over.
A list of WNBA eligible Europen palyers was posted by @Wbbfan1. I assume the list is correct. That list of players included Musina, Maria Vadeeva, & Julia Reisingerova. If Musina , Maria Vadeeva, & Julia Reisingerova were American they WOULD NOT be eligible to enter the WNBA because....

"The WNBA "requires players to be at least 22, to have completed their college eligibility, to have graduated from a four-year college or to be four years removed from high school."

Musina & Maria Vadeeva cannot possibly 22 because both competed for Russia in the FIBA U19 Championship in July 2017-this past summer. You can't be 19 or under in summer of 2017 and be 22 by end of calendar year 2018. Julia Reisingerova competed for FIBA U16 in summer of 2014. You can't be 16 or under in the summer of 2014 and be 22 by end of calendar year 2018.
Cecilia Zandalasini was born March 16, 1996 acording to her biography. Cecilia Zandalasini played in the WNBA this past season (2017) when she was 21. Cecilia Zandalasini should not have been eligible for the WNBA draft. My angst based on these three specific cases is that the WNBA is using a different critera for Europen players than it is for American players. I know of several American players that are 21 that would love to be 21 and playing in the WNBA, so why can't they?

Most Western European high school students graduate at or around 16, then move on to either technical schools or university prep schools for the ones that have qualified for college. That may be the reason why they are eligible for the WNBA draft at 20.

 

[CocoHusky]

Most Western European high school students graduate at or around 16, then move on to either technical schools or university prep schools for the ones that have qualified for college. That may be the reason why they are eligible for the WNBA draft at 20.

This (graduating at 16) literally would have no impact on the WNBA rule for eligibility because the rule is not based on when a person graduates it is based on turning 22 in the year the draft is conducted.

 

[j66kicker]

I'm not an expert on this, but I suspect that as soon as there is any money for players in the WNBA (if ever), the players will challenge the system and start coming out early. Also suspect the league won't push back too hard, and will attempt to compromise with more lax rules rather than push their case, knowing their rules would probably be found to be illegally discriminating against younger players.

 

[bballnut90]

The advantage I'm taking about has nothing to do with performance or development. BTW KLS would have probably averaged more than 2 point per game in WNBA. The andvantage I'm talking about is simply the earlier opportunity to turn pro. Still have not verifeid this but it appears that a non-American player can turn pro in Europe immediately out of HS and be NBA eligible the very next year vs. an American College player who must attend 3-4 years of college before being WNBA eligible. The ability to turn pro 3-4 years earlier is a significant advantage especially if you consider the average WNBA career. It is literally the difference betweeen Cecilia and Diamond DeShields. Cecilia is in the WNBA one year after graduating from HS. Diamond is not in the WNBA and she would not have been able to be in the WNBA until she had attended college for 4 years (2013-17).

I misinterpreted your original post—thanks for clarifying.

 

[awhom111]

Thank you for clarifying. My point was and remains, this is not an equitable system.

I agree. I had three different proposals for evening them up (at 20, 21, or 22) in the article. Is there one that you would prefer?

 

[CocoHusky]

I agree. I had three different proposals for evening them up (at 20, 21, or 22) in the article. Is there one that you would prefer?

20 would be my preference.

 

[Shades]

I agree. I had three different proposals for evening them up (at 20, 21, or 22) in the article. Is there one that you would prefer?

Did you see the tweet your boss made where she thinks it’s unfair that NCAA players can’t enter the draft as early as an international player not in the NCAA, but at the same time she feels it’s important for players to stay in school longer for development. So basically she feels it’s unfair for a player in the NCAA system being unable to decide for themself to make their own mistakes. Isn’t that what rules are for... helping young people from making bad decisions?

Let’s say a player thinks they’re great in high school and wants to head straight to the pros. Can’t an American play oversees as a pro out of high school and then be eligible for the draft at age 20, same as an international player? If this is the case, what is inequitable?

 

[awhom111]

Did you see the tweet your boss made where she thinks it’s unfair that NCAA players can’t enter the draft as early as an international player not in the NCAA, but at the same time she feels it’s important for players to stay in school longer for development. So basically she feels it’s unfair for a player in the NCAA system being unable to decide for themself to make their own mistakes. Isn’t that what rules are for... helping young people from making bad decisions?

Let’s say a player thinks they’re great in high school and wants to head straight to the pros. Can’t an American play oversees as a pro out of high school and then be eligible for the draft at age 20, same as an international player? If this is the case, what is inequitable?

Mo likes to put the (Blue) Devil in devil's advocate. It's what she does on every issue so you mostly can't tell what her actual position is on it.

I am no CBA-reading expert, but no, my interpretation is that players born in the United States have no such option and can only qualify under the non-international rules.