After March Madness, women’s pro basketball options are slim

DALLAS (AP) — March Madness may have been thelast time for fans to see many of the talented college womenplayers compete.

Players’ options for professional basketball careers arelimited, whether in the U.S. or overseas — the jobs just aren’tthere.

“You can be a great college player and not make a WNBA roster,”ESPN WNBA analyst LaChina Robinson said. “You’re not only competingwith players that are currently on roster, but also a ton ofwomen’s basketball players overseas that have been honing theirskills and waiting for opportunity to break into the WNBA.”

The numbers paint a challenging picture.

— There are only 12 WNBA teams and 144 roster spots with most ofthose being filled by returning players.

— Over the past six seasons, 64% of players drafted made WNBArosters according to basketball website ‘Beyond Women’s Sports’.The high mark was 28 of the 36 draftees in 2019. The low was only20 the year before.

Even if a player does get into the league, it’s a battle forplaying time.

Only 60% of players drafted got on the court to play minutestheir first year since 2017 according to the basketball website’Her Hoop Stats.” It’s part of the reason why five of thefirst-round picks in 2021 are no longer in the league.

There has been talk of WNBA expansion, but nothing has come tofruition yet. Players often turn to playing professionallyoverseas, working on their games and looking for another shot toplay at home.

Now those jobs are also at a premium.

Brittney Griner’s nine-month incarceration in Moscow along withthe war with Ukraine has led to the elimination of dozens ofpotential jobs in Russia.

Griner is back in the WNBA after her nine-month legal fight inRussia, during which she was detained when customs officials saidthey found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage, thenlater arrested before being released in a high-level prisonerexchange between the U.S. and Russia.

The lost jobs in Russia has a trickle down on openings in othercountries as top players who once played there are lookingelsewhere for work.

Longtime agent Brian Dyke said that there a fewer countries nowthat he can send players to. Besides Russia, China and Koreastopped signing foreign players few years ago because of thecoronavirus. Neither has started again. That’s roughly anotherthree dozen jobs gone.

“In Korea, everyone used to get $25,000 a month,” Dyke said.“It’s a huge loss not having those jobs as those are two of thebiggest markets.”

Dyke also said he wouldn’t send some of his clients to play inother countries because of the political climate.

While the overseas job market is shrinking, there are start-upleagues looking to fil the void.

Athletes Unlimited just completed its second season. Over adozen WNBA players competed last month in it. The four-teamcompetition in Dallas is an opportunity for players to stay in theU.S. during the offseason and make up to $50,000 during thefive-week season.

Staying in the U.S. is becoming more important with the WNBA nowrequiring players to be present at the start of training camp. Therequirement can impact playing opportunities outside of the leaguefor WNBA players. Their overseas contract have to includeprovisions that allow players to return to the U.S. in the middleof a postseason run overseas.

It all makes the path to a professional basketball career forwomen harder than ever.

Players had to declare by March 26 if they planned to enter theWNBA draft unless they were still playing in the NCAA Tournament.Those players had 48 hours after their last game to declare. SouthCarolina’s Zia Cooke and Dorka Juhasz from UConn are among playersheaded to the draft.

Others like 6-foot-6 Elizabeth Kitley from Virginia Tech arestaying in college, where they enjoy various amenities due to TitleIX, including taking charter flights vs flying commercial. Kitley,a senior, despite being a possible first-round pick is one of manycollege players who have an extra year of eligibility because ofCOVID.

The new name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities womenbasketball players also have is playing into their decisions onturning pro.

“NIL definitely plays a major role,” said South Carolina starAliyah Boston, who decided to forgo her COVID year and enter theWNBA draft as the likely No. 1 overall pick. “NIL is somethingthat’s a blessing. It gives you a head start on life before youneed to get there.”

Making a WNBA roster isn’t something that Boston is going tohave to worry about.

Tennessee forward Tamari Key isn’t rushing to find out if shewould.

“Everyone says college is the best years of your life… why passup… especially when you have enjoyed your time at the school,” the6-6 Key wrote on social media.

Key, who will return for a fifth-year after missing most of hersenior season with blood clot issues, added:

“Why go to the league right away when there are potentially notenough spots?”