Latest news with #BreeHall
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wayne High School graduate signs with WNBA team
A former Wayne High School standout has signed with a WNBA team. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Bree Hall has signed with the WNBA expansion team, Golden State Valkyries, according to a social media post. She played four years of college basketball at South Carolina, went to two Final Fours, and won two national championships. Advertisement TRENDING STORIES: Hall was drafted back in April by the Indiana Fever in the second round of the WNBA draft, but got waived before the preseason ended. She was on the bench and watched Golden State beat Indiana, 88-77, on Thursday night. Hall did not play. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Valkyries' Move Before Fever Game Fuels Speculation
Valkyries' Move Before Fever Game Fuels Speculation originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Indiana Fever are headed to the Bay Area to take on the Golden State Valkyries in their first ever WNBA matchup on Thursday. Advertisement Before the matchup with Caitlin Clark and the Fever, the Valkyries raised some eyebrows by signing guard Bree Hall to help replace their six players at EuroBasket 2025. Hall will be available to play against Indiana on Thursday, the team that chose her with the No. 20 overall pick in this year's draft out of South Carolina. She attended training camp with the Fever but did not make the final roster. Despite the immediate possibility of a revenge game, Fever fans found a silver lining in the Valkyries' decision to sign Hall. Former Indiana Fever guard Aari McDonald (2) and Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase (right).Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK; Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Golden State became the latest team to pass up on free agent guard Aari McDonald, who recently impressed with the Fever while Clark missed five games with a quad injury. Advertisement However, she had to be released as soon as Clark and Sophie Cunningham returned from injury and restored Indiana to the 10-player minimum. McDonald immediately became a free agent, allowed to sign with any team besides the Fever before completing a 10-day waiver period. With the Valkyries filling out their roster, the Los Angeles Sparks signing Grace Berger to a hardship contract and no moves from the Chicago Sky — who need a point guard after Courtney Vandersloot's season-ending injury — fans are starting to think McDonald is holding out for a Fever return. "Yeah Aari is definitely ours no way you sign Bree Hall before her," said a Fever fan on X. Advertisement "Aari is ours.. there's no way they signing Bree ahead of her," echoed another. "Aari welcome back in a couple days," wrote one user. "Another day passes by and Aari McDonald has stayed SOLID," said a hopeful fan on Wednesday. "4 more to go." McDonald, 26, averaged 11.0 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals in 25.3 minutes while helping the Fever to a 2-1 record in the three games she played. The initial 10-day waiting period is not the only obstacle to Indiana getting her back. Assuming there is not another injury crisis, they would have to free up one more roster spot by releasing or trading a player in order to sign McDonald. Advertisement It would not be an easy decision, but it is one the Fever could only make if another team does not snap up McDonald first. After the Valkyries' latest move, that looks more likely. Related: Caitlin Clark's Teammate Had No Words After Being Released By Indiana Fever Related: Valkyries Coach Sends Strong Message on Kate Martin This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fever Draft Pick Reacts to Joining New Team Before Caitlin Clark Matchup
Fever Draft Pick Reacts to Joining New Team Before Caitlin Clark Matchup originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Indiana Fever had three picks in the 2025 WNBA draft but only one remains on the active roster: forward Makayla Timpson. Forward Yvonne Ejim and guard Bree Hall were with the team during training camp and preseason but were waived before the start of the regular se ason. Advertisement But on Wednesday, Hall found herself a new home. The Golden State Valkyries announced they had signed the 21-year-old. "Roster Update: The Golden State Valkyries have signed guard Bree Hall," the Valkyries posted on social media. Interestingly enough, her first game as a member of Golden State will be against her former team on Thursday. It's unclear if she'll get any minutes but if she does, it'll mark her WNBA regular season debut. "Hall will be available on Thursday against Indiana," the Valkyries said. Shortly after the news, Hall took to social media to repost the news and add a GIF, showing her excitement. She didn't add any words. Bree Hall's Instagram story.@breezyhall/Instagram The Fever took Hall with the 20th overall pick after spending her college career playing under Dawn Staley at South Carolina. There, the 6-foot-1 guard won two national championships, four SEC regular season titles and three SEC Tournament titles. Advertisement In her college career, Hall averaged 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. The Valkyries currently sit at 5-6, having won three of their last four games. Thursday's matchup against the Fever will mark the first-ever meeting between the two teams, with Golden State in the midst of its inaugural season. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET at the Chase Center. Related: Iowa Hawkeyes Left Speechless by Caitlin Clark's Latest Admission Related: Caitlin Clark's Impact on the WNBA is Clear After New Update This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
CBS News
2 days ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Golden State Valkyries to host Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever in 1st ever matchup. Here's how to watch
The Golden State Valkyries are set to host Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in the first ever matchup between the two teams Thursday night. Golden State (5-6) is returning back to Chase Center from Texas, after losing to the Dallas Wings 80-71 on Tuesday. Paige Bueckers, the top pick in this year's WNBA draft, and Arike Ogunbowale combined for 39 points. Monique Billings led the Valkyries in scoring Tuesday with a season-high 18 points, followed by Kayla Thornton with 17. Meanwhile, the Fever (8-4) are arriving in the Bay Area after defeating the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday in a game that was marred by multiple scuffles, three ejections and questions about the game's officiating. In the third quarter, Clark was hit in the face by Jacy Sheldon and knocked to the ground by Marina Mabrey. Clark and Mabrey were assessed technical fouls, while Sheldon was assessed a flagrant foul. Ahead of Thursday's matchup, the Valkyries announced they signed guard Bree Hall, who was drafted by the Fever in this year's draft. Hall, who won two NCAA titles with South Carolina, will be available to play in Thursday night's game. Roster Update: The Golden State Valkyries have signed guard @breezyhalll. Hall will be available on Thursday against Indiana. — Golden State Valkyries (@valkyries) June 18, 2025 How to watch the Golden State Valkyries On TV: KPIX Channel 5 in the Bay Area, CBS 13 in Sacramento KPIX Channel 5 in the Bay Area, CBS 13 in Sacramento What: Golden State Valkyries vs. Indiana Fever Golden State Valkyries vs. Indiana Fever Date : Thursday, June 19 : Thursday, June 19 Time: 7 p.m. PT 7 p.m. PT Location: Chase Center, San Francisco Pregame and postgame show KPIX 5 will also have pregame and postgame coverage. On TV: KPIX Channel 5 in the Bay Area, CBS 13 in Sacramento KPIX Channel 5 in the Bay Area, CBS 13 in Sacramento Date: Thursday, June 19 Thursday, June 19 Time: Pregame: 6:30 p.m. | Postgame: 9 p.m.
Forbes
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Why The WNBA Union Is Pushing For More Roster Spots
The WNBA 2025 regular season kicks off tomorrow, but many of this year's draft class will be missing from the league's rosters. That is because the WNBA and its 156 roster spots available means the reality for many rookies is a short stint in the league. According to NCAA (2022) reports, there is a 0.9% chance of collegiate women's basketball players turning into professional players and with the limited 156 WNBA roster spots (thanks to the addition of 13th team, Golden State Valkyries) this many times leaves ripe talent on the sidelines or pursuing basketball outside of the United States. Furthermore, statistics from the 2022 WNBA draft demonstrate that the odds of making a WNBA roster as a second-round pick (25.2%), third-round pick (3.9%) or by going undrafted (6.5%) are vastly low. Thus, over the past two weeks as teams made the tough decision to narrow down their rosters several notable 2025 draft players were waived including Madison Scott (14th pick out of Ole Miss), Shyanne Sellers (17th pick out of Maryland), Bree Hall (19th pick out of South Carolina), Serena Sundell (1st in the 3rd round out of Kansas State), Harmoni Turner (3rd round draftee from Harvard), Deja Kelly (undrafted out of Oregon), and Kaitlyn Chen (late third round pick out of UConn). Shyanne Sellers, a guard that averaged 12.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4 assists a game during her her career at Maryland was waived not once, but twice during the preseason. Particularly, fans were quite upset as Sellers was a crowd favorite getting engaged the week of the draft to now fiancé and former Terrapins teammate Faith Masonius. Sellers was cut from both rosters without even entering a preseason game. Perhaps one of the more surprising players that did not make a final roster is Deja Kelly out of Oregon and formerly UNC Chapel Hill. The guard played in both preseason games for the Aces and when she entered off the bench was extremely efficient. Kelly averaged 12 points, and 1.5 assists. She shot 75% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc, with a 100% free throw percentage. Kelly also hit a game-winning shot against the Mercury giving the Aces the 85-84 win after scoring 15 points in 13 minutes. Although Kaitlyn Chen was a late third round pick with an uphill battle to make the Valkyries roster, many women's basketball fans were saddened to see her not on the final squad list. The first Taiwanese American to step on a WNBA court had high hopes of making the Golden State roster after an extraordinary graduate year at UConn, helping the team win its 12th national championship. Additionally and notably, Haley Jones of the Atlanta Dream (6th overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft) and Laeticia Amihere from the Valkyries (2023 8th overall first round pick) were waived earlier this week. Again, making a final roster in the WNBA is challenging but for Jones and Amihere, this was particularly gut wrenching as both players had been on rosters previously in the 2024 season. Jones, although a superb player for Tara VanDerveer at Stanford seemed to struggle to find her footing in the WNBA. She averaged just 3.9 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game in 2024 despite playing in 40 games. Amihere played for the Atlanta Dream in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Similar to Jones, she lacked shooting depth and received little playing time. However, Amihere was drafted to the Valykries in the expansion draft and in her two preseason games she averaged 12.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and one block and steal respectively. Fans were outraged at her dismissal as she made 60% of her preseason game shots, while shooting 50% from deep and even contributed 20 points in the close loss 83-82 to the LA Sparks on May 6. Time will tell if these former and current rookies will end up back in the league. For many there is still a chance to see WNBA playing time as hardship and injury hardship contracts could be extended to them later in the season (i.e., Zia Cooke former 2023 10th round pick to LA Sparks and now with the Seattle Storm). However, for many of these players they will have to resort to playing overseas as roster spots are still quite limited within the WNBA until the new CBA comes into effect in 2026 and the addition of the Toronto Tempo opens up 12 more spots. Follow me on X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
