A combined 41 points from Kia Nurse and Layshia Clarendon weren’t enough for the New York Liberty to overcome a double-digit deficit.
The New York Liberty continue to put up solid 25-30 minute efforts in a most unusual WNBA season, but the cruel reality is that professional games last 40.
Kia Nurse and Layshia Clarendon united for 41 points, but the Liberty were unable to erase a deficit that got as high as 16, falling to the Indiana Fever by an 86-79 final on Thursday night in the Bradenton bubble. Tiffany Mitchell led the way with 19 points for Indiana, while the unrelated Kelsey Mitchell had 18 more.
“(Indiana) is good. They got to the rim. Our bigs were afraid to leave their (assignments) because of the offensive rebound ability,” head coach Walt Hopkins said in a postgame Zoom call. “I thought the rhythm the Mitchells set really set the tone.”
The Liberty (1-8) fell behind early, trailing 27-17 after the first quarter. Their halftime deficit was 11, but the remainder of the game was played mostly in the close confines of single digits. New York was able to get as close as five in the third quarter and whittled it all the way down to two in the latter stages. A late defensive lapse, however, allowed the Fever (4-5) to escape with a win.
Kelsey Mitchell, mostly held in check after 13 points in the first half, provided the dagger with a three-pointer that made it 82-77 with 31 seconds to go. New York allowed only 35 points in the second half after trailing 51-40 at halftime.
Clarendon scored quickly on the other side, but Indiana sank their free throws to close it out.
The unfortunate part for the LIberty was that their strong showing came as Nurse, a 2019 All-Star, began to find a bit of a stride. She shot only 4-of-15 from the field but she found new ways to contribute, complimenting a season-best 21 points with six rebounds. Nurse also got to the foul line 12 times, converting all but one of her attempts.
“She’s still putting in the work,” Clarendon said of Nurse’s efforts. “She had a conversation with Coach Walt with what else she can be doing. She had six rebounds and played with a lot of energy and hustle. She’s finding ways to impact the game.”
“Outside of shots falling, Nurse played really, really well,” Hopkins added. “On a night when shots weren’t falling, she found a way. That was impressive.”
Rookie Jazmine Jones also reached double-figures (11 points) for the second straight game after tallying a career-best 24 on Tuesday against Los Angeles. Both Clarendon and fellow veteran Kiah Stokes each played nearly 37 minutes, with Stokes tallying nine points on a career-best three triples.
Two of the Liberty’s past three losses have come by single digits. They’ll get another chance against Indiana on September 10.
The Liberty return to action on Saturday for a rematch with the Minnesota Lynx (6 p.m. ET, CBSSN). Minnesota won the first of two matchups on August 5, using a strong third quarter to earn a 92-66 triumph.
Tough showings in the first and final frames doomed the New York Liberty on Sunday. It was their first full showdown sans Sabrina Ionescu.
The bookend quarters of a Sunday afternoon showdown with the Phoenix Mercury doomed the New York Liberty. In the first and final frames, Phoenix outpaced New York by a 59-23 margin in the Bradenton bubble in those timeframes. Those bursts over two separate 10-minute spans allowed them to coast to a 96-67 triumph.
Sunday marked the Liberty’s first full game without top overall pick Sabrina Ionescu, who was relegated to the bench two days after suffering a sprained ankle against Atlanta on Friday. Ionescu was certainly missed on the floor at crucial stages of the game.
Phoenix jumped out to an early lead, capping off the first quarter with a 25-12 lead. The Liberty were able to keep the deficit at a relatively stable 41-27 despite earning only eight conversions from the field and earning a majority of their points from the foul line. New York also failed to hit any of their 16 three-point attempts in the first half.
In the third, the undermanned Liberty (0-4) made things interesting by taking advantage of foul trouble from Brittney Griner and Sophie Cunningham by attacking the interior and whittling a 16-point Phoenix lead to as little as two. Late antics from Diana Taurasi pushed Phoenix’s lead back to seven at 62-55, but there was still a chance for a decent showing.
Alas for New York, the Mercury (2-2) instantly took advantage of Griner’s reinsertion. She opened the quarter with a pair of three-point plays, setting the pace for a quarter that Phoenix won by a 34-11 margin. Former Liberty starter Bria Hartley set a career-best in scoring for the second straight game with 27 points (10-of-18 FG) off the bench while Taurasi fell just short of a double-double (18 points, 9 rebounds).
The Liberty were paced by Kia Nurse with 17 points. They shot 24 percent from the field overall with only Kylee Shook (3-of-6) getting to at least a 50-percent conversation rate.
New York and Phoenix will meet for a rematch in September. The Liberty return to action on Wednesday night against the Minnesota Lynx (7 p.m. ET, CBSSN/Fox Sports Go).
Kia Nurse left the New York Liberty’s opening loss early on Saturday but has been enthused by the efforts both on and off the court.
Kia Nurse may be back on duty sooner than expected.
The New York Liberty’s returning All-Star and third-year point guard left the team’s opening tilt against the Seattle Storm on Saturday with an ankle sprain but was in good spirits when meeting with the media over Zoom on Monday afternoon.
“Ankles recover when they want to recover, so we’ll see when this one does,” Nurse said. ”
Head coach Walt Hopkins officially labeled Nurse as a “day-by-day” case as the Liberty prepare to take on the Dallas Wings on Wednesday night in the WNBA’s Bradenton bubble (8 p.m. ET, CBSSN). Rookie Leaonna Odom started the second half in her place. The Liberty fell 87-71 sans Nurse to the 2018 WNBA champions that welcomed back former MVPs Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird. Rookie Leaonna Odom stepped in for Nurse in the second half and scored 9 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
Nurse played 10 minutes in the Liberty’s opening day loss before her departure. She is one of two veteran returnees to the Liberty’s 2020 roster (the other being Amanda Zahui B) and is coming off an All-Star season that saw her put up 13.7 points per game (seventh amongst Eastern Conference scorers). As a young leader…only Zahui B and free agent newcomer Layshia Clarendon have more experience…the 2018 first-round draft pick has a special role in New York’s structure, a role she has described as being a “baby vet”.
She was pleased with the valiant effort the Liberty put up against Seattle, keeping things at a single-digit deficit before the Storm pulled away over the final 10 minutes.
“I was really proud of our team going up and playing fearlessly,” Nurse said. “We obviously have a lot of new faces to the league and I think they went out there and they did what they do best. They fought and they fought hard and I think we played a pretty decent game in terms of only being together for only the two weeks that we were. I was really proud of them for that and to see the young people step up.”
Nurse is a New Yorker of many talents. Her All-Star trip to Las Vegas last season saw her compete in the league’s three-point shootout, for example. She’s using those talents to make a difference off the court in these revolutionary times.
With the league dedicating its 2020 to social justice causes, Nurse is doing her part to amplify her message. She’s looking to make a difference not only in the United States, but in her native Canada as well.
“For me, it’s really understanding that (racism) might look different in another country,” Nurse said. “In Canada, it might be more microaggressions, more polite, not as blatantly in your face or on video, but it all still exists. This is all something that still happens in my country. I’m thinking along the same lines of really understanding the background behind all these stories and obviously the indigenous people in Canada as well, the aboriginal and what has happened with our history there, really focusing on amplifying our voices and learning from the past.”
Nurse expressed hope that Canadian audiences who tuned into the nationally televised game on TSN were inspired by the WNBA’s opening day tributes to Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American victim of police brutality. Players from each of the WNBA’s dozen squads wore Taylor’s name on the back of their jerseys and observed a 26-second moment of silence prior to tip-off. Members of the Liberty also partook in a video calling for the arrest of Taylor’s murderers. Nurse said it was “an extremely tough” video to film, but it was something the team “really wanted to put forward”.
Should Nurse miss Wednesday’s showdown with the Wings, it’ll be a Bradenton-based battle of the WNBA’s youngest teams. New York and Dallas’ respective rosters feature ten rookies between them, including Megan Walker on the Liberty side. Nurse’s fellow University of Connecticut alumna entered the bubble with a pair of negative COVID-19 tests. She was chosen ninth overall in April’s draft, eight slots after the Liberty took Sabrina Ionescu with the top choice. Walker partook in Monday’s practice, though, like Nurse’s return, Hopkins was reluctant to put a timetable on Walker making her debut.
“She didn’t look out of sorts, she didn’t look lost,” Hopkins said. “She looked good. Her energy was good…She looked pretty sharp all things considered.”
Sabrina Ionescu made her unofficial New York Liberty debut on Thursday, donning the team’s traditional seafoam color scheme for the first time in a public setting.
In a video shared by the Liberty, Ionescu takes the IMG Academy court with New York assistant coach Dustin Gray and whetted the appetite of metropolitan hoops fans with several swishes, including a few from deep. Ionescu is the top overall pick of the 2020 WNBA Draft, chosen out of Oregon back in April. She is the NCAA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles and is the only player, male or female, in NCAA history to tally at least 2,000 points (2,562), 1,000 rebounds (1,040), and 1,000 assists (1,091) over her career.
Her rookie season now commences as the WNBA prepares to hold a 22-game season headquartered at IMG in Bradenton, Florida, a setup that has been referred to some as the “Wubble” by participants and media alike. The Liberty currently have 11 players on their roster, including seven rookies, after Asia Durr opted-out of the proceedings earlier this week.
Ionescu wasn’t the only one to take to the Bradenton courts. Other public participants included 2019 All-Star and third-year veteran Kia Nurse, as well as Ionescu’s fellow first-round selection Jazmine Jones (12th overall). Jones is seen likewise working with Gray, while Nurse puts up jumpers with the assistance of fellow new assistant coach Kelly Schumaker. Both assistants adorn masks and gloves while working with their players, as the WNBA attempts to commence the 2020 campaign amid surging coronavirus cases in Florida.
WNBA teams have begun their Floridan descent, as all but one of them have started to make their way to Bradenton’s IMG Academy for the opening of their 2020 season. The league is set to play a 22-game season headquartered in Florida after their May opening was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Many players have taken to social media to showcase their new surroundings and representatives of the New York Liberty are no exception. Most notably, Kiah Stokes was more than happy to play into the Liberty’s reputation as a de facto United Nations of basketball. The center/forward of Turkish descent revealed that she would be rooming with guard Kia Nurse and fellow interior prescience Amanda Zahui B, who respectively hail from Canada and Sweden.
Elsewhere, veteran newcomer Layshia Clarendon announced her departure for the endeavor with a post that expressed a hint of trepidation but also hope and confidence in the league’s medical protocols.
Bubble here we come! Definitely a little nervous with so much uncertainty around the world and really sad to leave my pregnant wife 😩 but also feel good about our medical protocols and not letting anything steal my joy in this moment. Ready to go play!!! 🤞🏽🙏🏽💪🏽🏀 pic.twitter.com/lTRvfguiiv
Rookies also got in on the social sharing, with first-round picks Sabrina Ionescu and Jazmine Jones commemorating their arrivals in their Instagram Stories.
The WNBA has opted to create a bubble-like surrounding at IMG Academy, affectionately referred to by some players and media as the “wubble” (though Stokes spoke out against that name on Twitter). Coronavirus cases have surged in Florida, but the league is confident in its setup. 137 players were tested upon their arrival in Florida this week with seven testing positive, per a league statement. The statement explains that those who tested positive “will remain in self-isolation until she satisfies public health protocols for discontinuing isolation and has been cleared by a physician”. Players and staff will be tested daily for the next two weeks and will then quarantine for four days.
Of the league’s dozen teams, only the Indiana Fever has yet to report to Florida due to “an abundance of caution due to the CDC’s close contact self-quarantine requirements”. Several players have already opted out of the 2020 season due to health concerns, including Rebecca Allen and Asia Durr of the Liberty. Numerous national names have also opted out, including All-Stars Liz Cambage of Las Vegas and Jonquel Jones of Connecticut.
Player reviews of the “wubble” appear to be mixed thus far. Participants like Minnesota’s Lexie Brown have offered positive reviews thus far, while negative response have appeared to come from Seattle’s Jewell Loyd, among others.
In their effort to press on, the WNBA has announced that the 2020 season will be dedicated to social justice. The Floridian courts and players’ warm-up uniforms will bear the “Black Lives Matter” slogan and game uniforms on opening weekend will feature the names of female victims of police brutality and racial violence. Additionally, a Social Justice Council has been formed, one whose mission is described as a “driving force of necessary and continuing conversations about race, voting rights, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and gun control amongst other important societal issues”. Clarendon is among those on the council.
“We are incredibly proud of WNBA players who continue to lead with their inspiring voices and effective actions in the league’s dedicated fight against systemic racism and violence,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in a league statement. “Working together with the WNBPA and the teams, the league aims to highlight players’ social justice efforts throughout the 2020 season and beyond. Systemic change can’t happen overnight, but it is our shared responsibility to do everything we can to raise awareness and promote the justice we hope to see in society.”
The league’s schedule is expected to be released at a later date.
The WNBA rolled out a plan for return on Monday, which involves players getting 100 percent of their salaries and social justice initiatives.
The WNBA is inching closer to tip-off after a Monday announcement, in which the league revealed that it is closing in on an agreement to stage a 22-game season without fans at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Players are set to receive their full 2020 salary and benefits, according to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
“We are finalizing a season start plan to build on the tremendous momentum generated in the league during the offseason and have used the guiding principles of health and safety of players and essential staff to establish necessary and extensive protocols,” Engelbert said in a statement. “We will continue to consult with medical experts and public health officials as well as players, team owners and other stakeholders as we move forward with our execution plan.”
“Despite the disruption caused by the global pandemic to our 2020 season, the WNBA and its Board of Governors believe strongly in supporting and valuing the elite women athletes who play in the WNBA, and therefore, players will receive their full pay and benefits during the 2020 season.”
The WNBA’s 24th season of competition was originally scheduled to begin on May 15 but was indefinitely delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. A virtual draft was help without incident in April with the New York Liberty choosing Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu with the top overall pick. The Washington Mystics are the league’s defending champions, having taken a five-game set from the Connecticut Sun last fall. Over the offseason, the league and its player’s association agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement that includes new benefits such as increased salaries ($68,000 being the new veteran minimum) and full paid maternity leave.
IMG is a private preparatory boarding school and sports training facility based in Bradenton. The 450-acre property will serve as the site for games, practices, and housing for each of the league’s dozen teams. League statements indicate that they will be in constant contact with medical specialists, public health experts, and government officials to ensure the plan can be safely conducted.
The league will also include “a devoted platform led by the players that will aim to support and strengthen both the league and teams’ reach and impact on social justice matters”. Numerous players, including Kia Nurse and Amanda Zahui B of the local Liberty, have spoken in support of the nationwide demonstrations against police brutality against African-Americans. This support will continue on the court if and when the games get rolling in Bradenton.
“The WNBA opposes racism in all its forms, and George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are the latest names in a list of countless others who have been subject to police brutality that stems from the systemic oppression of Black Lives in America,” Engelbert said. “It is our collective responsibility to use our platforms to enact change.”
“In our discussions with the league, we emphasized and they agreed that a strong commitment to a 2020 season will give the WNBA the chance to show the world that it's taking the steps needed to secure our livelihood and well-being, while also providing the opportunity to amplify our collective voice,” WNBPA President and Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike added. “This is not only necessary from a humanitarian perspective, but it may be one of the biggest opportunities that this league has and will ever have.”
While a starting date has not been announced, Engelbert told Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press that she’s hoping that her original target start date of July 24 (six days prior to the tentative resumption of the 2019-20 NBA season in Orlando) “will stick”. A potential postseason would follow the WNBA’s traditional playoff format, in which the top eight teams advance regardless of conference. The top couple earns byes to a best-of-five semifinal round while the first two runners-up get a single bye to the single-elimination quarterfinals. They play the winners of a five vs. eight/six vs. seven single-elimination first round en route to the WNBA Finals.
Members of the New York Liberty aren’t sticking to sports in these times, marching with protestors in their quest to end systematic racism.
On-court representatives of the New York Liberty are joining the fight against injustice, systematic racism, and police brutality.
Protests sparked by police brutality against African-American citizens have risen in all 50 states and the cause has now gone international. At the forefront of protests in her native Sweden is Liberty center Amanda Zahui B. The veteran has been vocal in social causes long before the modern protests began, speaking on environmental, immigration, and mental health issues through the 2019 season (previously documented by Jackie Powell of High Post Hoops). With calls for societal change at a fever pitch, Zahui B has amplified her own voice on social media, sharing her active participation in a demonstration in her native Stockholm.
In her photos, which were also shared by the Liberty’s social accounts, Zahui B brandishes a sign that reads “Cops have blood on their hands”. Earlier this week, she posted a 13-minute video on Instagram calling for reform and justice.
“I am almost at a loss of words and yet I have so many things to say,” she said in her emotional video. “I want to do something and I am trying my best to educate myself and others on the privilege white people have and the privilege there is in this world to kill an innocent black human being.”
Zahui B mentioned on Twitter that the issue of police brutality was not limited to America, criticizing the actions of the Swedish National Police Board during the demonstrations in Stockholm.
Also, and this is a big motherfucking also. Police brutality is not only in the US. It is all over the world. Yesterday we peacefully protested and YET @Polisen_Sverige felt the need to throw young girls on the ground and teargas them right after doing so.
Zahui B is not the only New Yorker using her voice to call for change. All-Star guard Kia Nurse told Complex Canada that she was planning to use her platform as a New York professional athlete to achieve change.
“With what’s going on in the world right now, obviously change needs to happen and it’s a conversation that needs to be had,” Nurse to Alex Narvaez. “I think social media is a great way to start that conversation…but it’s been heartbreaking and devastating to see what’s been going on.”
With the WNBA season on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nurse had become the face of Liberty social media, hosting a virtual talk show entitled Kickin’ It With Kia, in which the Hamilton, Canada native interviewed her teammates new and old. In the wake of current events, Nurse has put the show on hold to be a bigger figure in the quest for change.
“Deeply affected by the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, I join the rest of the world in grieving and demanding justice,” Nurse said in a statement on Liberty social media. “I am becoming educated on ways that I can be part of the change, and enjoying family this week.”
Numerous players, as well as head coach Walt Hopkins Jr., have been active on social media sharing their thoughts. One of the Liberty’s newest members, top overall pick Sabrina Ionescu, was among them.
“How can you put into words how heart breaking [sic] it is that people are being murdered based on the color of their skin? You can’t,” Ionescu said in a message posted earlier this week. “No words will heal this pain, but all I can say to my black brother and sisters is- I see you, I hear you, I love you, and I will stand with you. I will stand with you today, and everyday [sic] because BLACK LIVES MATTER.”
In conjunction with their Nets-branded sibling squads in the NBA and the G League, the Liberty also released a statement days after their home of Barclays Center was used as a hub for police brutality and injustice-related demonstrations in Brooklyn. Chief operating officer Keia Clarke and general manager Jonathan Kolb were among the signees.
After yesterday’s mandated roster cutdowns, the New York Liberty are at a dozen players ready to do battle if/when the 2020 season commences.
If and when we get a 2020 WNBA season, the New York Liberty will be ready.
The team announced several roster moves this week, waiving veteran interior prescience Reshanda Gray and declaring that international young stars Marine Johannes and Han Xu would remain overseas. These transactions put the Liberty in compliance with WNBA roster procedures, which dictated that teams had to trim their roster to a dozen players at most. Such a declaration ensures players will be paid beginning on June 1.
New York’s roster certainly looks a little different from when we last saw them. The face of the franchise and all-time leading scorer Tina Charles was dealt to the defending champions in Washington. Tanisha Wright retired and fellow veteran Brittany Boyd was waived. Another guard, Bria Hartley, signed with the Phoenix Mercury.
In their place, the Liberty are now a squad that consists of the mandated 12 players…half of which are rookies. What will new head coach Walt Hopkins be dealing with when they get back to action? Meet the team below….
G/F Rebecca Allen
Experience: 6th season From: Australia Acquired: 2015 free agent
A Victoria, Australia native, Allen earned the nickname “Spida” for her tenacious defense. But Allen began to turn heads during a 2019 breakout campaign that saw her set a new career-best in scoring (7.2 points per game) and finish fifth in the WNBA’s three-point percentage rankings (.426). In an August tilt against Minnesota, Allen set a franchise record with 20 points in a single quarter, two short of the WNBA record set by Diana Taurasi. Entering her sixth season in seafoam, Allen is now the longest-tenured New Yorker after the departures of Charles and Boyd.
G Layshia Clarendon
Experience: 8th season From: Cal-Berkeley Acquired: 2020 free agent
The newly acquired Clarendon (most recently of the Connecticut Sun) is the most tenured member of the Liberty as she enters her eighth season of action. Injuries limited her to nine games last season but she has been highly regarded for her leadership skills on and off the court. Clarendon was a first-round selection of the Indiana Fever in 2013 and reached the WNBA All-Star Game proceedings as a member of the Atlanta Dream four years later. Her resume also boasts experience with the United States national basketball squad, helping them capture the gold medal in the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Tenerife, Spain.
The hype over Ionescu has some hidden the fact that the Liberty are set to welcome back another top-two pick. Injuries would cost Durr nearly half of her rookie season, but she managed to provide a preview of what’s to come during her abbreviated debut. Of note, Durr put up a career-best-to-date 20 points in one of her first starts, a 75-69 triumph over Minnesota last June. Durr, along with teammate Kia Nurse, is also one of the newest athletic faces of the Jordan Brand, becoming the second and third WNBA players to don the Jumpman logo.
We could list every collegiate accolade that Ionescu earned during her time in Eugene, but, alas, we’re not paid by the word. To sum it up, Ionescu is the first top overall pick in Liberty history and the NCAA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles (26, more than double her closest competitor). Among her potential carry-on luggage on her flight to New York will be a trio of Pac-12 Player of the Year trophies and Nancy Lieberman Awards (awarded to women’s Division I basketball’s top point guard), as well as the most recent Player of the Year titles from the Naismith committee and the Associated Press. A sign of potential things to come were on display when Oregon took on Team USA in an exhibition last winter; she tallied 33 points and the Ducks dealt the Americans their first loss to a college team since 1999.
Chosen with one of the picks acquired from the Charles trade, Jones is a former teammate of Durr with the Cardinals (despite earning a scholarship offer from ACC competitor Florida State in the eighth grade). She enjoyed a breakout season in her final year in red, averaging a career-best 14.1 points and appeared on the premier editions of the All-ACC and ACC All-Defensive squads. The Jones family is certainly no stranger to athletic heroics. Jazmine’s sister GiGi partook in hardwood exploits at Appalachian State and Jacksonville and her brother Reginald Jr. was a tight end at Florida A&M.
If there’s a veteran face of Liberty basketball, it probably would be the Hamilton, Canada native Nurse. She partook and start in every Liberty game last season and broke out to the tune of 13.7 points per game and her first WNBA All-Star Game appearance (named a starter for Elena Delle Donne’s squad in the latter). Nurse would also partake in the league’s three-point competition, having ranked sixth in successful attempts (65). The extended hiatus has been any but an offseason for Nurse. She has become the Liberty’s social media star, hosting the socially distanced talk show “Kickin’ It with Kia” on the New York accounts and recently took home MVP honors in Australia’s WNBL as a member of the Canberra Capitals.
F Leaonna Odom
Experience: Rookie From: Duke Acquired: 2020 2nd-round pick (15th overall)
Another ACC-spawned defensive lockdown artist, Odom developed a scoring game during her latter seasons in Durham. The California native not only averaged a career-best 14.3 points in her senior season and also finished fourth in the ACC with a 54.7 field goal percentage. She also served as a flexible option, playing four different positions on the floor last year. Her defensive prowess put her on numerous award watch list (particularly the Cheryl Miller and Kartina McClain accolades bestowed to the best forwards) and her athleticism allowed her to jump up the draft board.
Another Durr teammate and Louisville alumna, Shook was another player known for her defensive prowess. Ionescu, for example, will be quite pleased to have Shook on her side in the coming years. When the Cardinals and Ducks squared off last November, Shook’s box score boasted 18 points and 15 rebounds, while Ionescu was held to 6-of-20 shooting in UL’s 72-62 victory. Shook would later become the all-time leading blocker in Cardinals history, surpassing five-time WNBA All-Star Angel McCoughtry. Her newfound ability to shoot from deep could also come up big in the new system.
The Liberty get back an exciting interior prescience in Stokes, who partook in Turkey’s EuroBasket proceedings but opted to sit out the entire 2019 WNBA season for personal reasons. Another holdover from the team’s final MSG days, Stokes is already the all-time leading blocker in Liberty history (163 over her first four seasons). More recently, Stokes has established herself on the Turkish basketball circuit, winning a pair of titles Fenerbahçe Women’s Basketball. The block master was the recipient of a new contract with the Liberty at the start of the offseason.
Another rookie yielded from the blockbuster Charles transaction, Walker was a rare junior entry into the draft proceedings. She show her way up the draft board with a breakout season in Storrs, putting up 19.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, a campaign that netted her first-team All-American honors and the AAC’s Player of the Year Award. Another three-point threat, Walker should work well with Nurse, her fellow former Husky. She sank 45.1 percent of her triple attempts last season, a mark good for ninth in the nation.
F/G Jocelyn Willoughby
Experience: Rookie From: Virginia Acquired: 2020 trade with Phoenix
Willoughby was originally chosen with the 10th pick of the WNBA Draft, but came to New York in exchange for Shatori Walker-Kimbrough’s contract (the latter was acquired from Washington in the Charles deal). Former Liberty star and ESPN expert Rebecca Lobo noted that Willoughby “can score at a high clip and high efficiency from the three-point line” Willoughby also has a pleasant knack for getting to the foul line. She shot 87 percent from the charity stripe in her senior year in Charlottesville, reaching double-digit attempts on her own eight times.
C Amanda Zahui B
Experience: 6th season From: Minnesota Acquired: 2016 trade with Tulsa
Zahui B took advantage of a new opportunity when she was pressed into regular starting duties for the first time in her career last season. The former second overall pick and Stockholm native put up new career-best averages of 8.6 points and 6.3 rebounds over 24 games before repping her homeland Sweden during EuroBasket proceedings. She wound up guiding the Swedes to their best-ever EuroBasket finish (5th). Back in America, Zahui B stole the show in a June win in Los Angeles, tallying the best single-game output of any 2019 WNBA player with 37 points.
