Latest news with #SheyPeddy
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2 days ago
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Sparks sign veteran guard amid multiple players out
The post Sparks sign veteran guard amid multiple players out appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Los Angeles Sparks came into their matchup against the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday a little short-handed. Julie Allemand is away from the team as she participates in Eurobasket for the Belgium national team, and Odyssey Sims was a late scratch from the lineup due to personal reasons. That left the team very thin in the backcourt. The Sparks made a roster move to address that with the signing of veteran guard Shey Peddy, the team announced. Advertisement The addition of Shey Peddy was a hardship contract, temporarily allowing the Sparks to make a roster move with multiple players out. Sims' being out for the game against the Lynx gave the Sparks only eight available players. The signing now brings the Sparks' active roster to nine players. In the WNBA, teams are allowed to add players past the maximum of 12 in the form of hardship contracts if they don't have enough active players. The No. 23 overall pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft, Peddy did not make her league debut until the 2019 season as a free agent with the Washington Mystics. Prior to that, she had carved out an extensive career playing professionally overseas. Peddy's last season in the WNBA was in 2023 with the Phoenix Mercury. She appeared in 18 games that season at a little over 15 minutes per game. She averaged 5.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists with splits of 36.9 percent shooting from the field, 34.8 percent shooting from the three-point line and 80 percent shooting from the free-throw line. Peddy played a total of one and half seasons for the Mystics, and three and a half seasons for the Mercury. Her best season to date was in 2022 when she started 24 of 34 games for the Mercury, averaging a career-best 9.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals. She gives the Sparks a veteran presence off the bench with the temporary absences of Sims and Allemand. Advertisement The Sparks have shown better consistency as of late, winning two of their last three games. In their most recent win against the Las Vegas Aces, Rickea Jackson had a breakout game to lead the way. Related: Rickea Jackson reveals key factor behind breakout game vs. Aces Related: Sparks make crucial roster move on key reserve ahead of Eurobasket
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2 days ago
- Sport
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Shey Peddy ready to make the most of Sparks opportunity [Exclusive]
The post Shey Peddy ready to make the most of Sparks opportunity [Exclusive] appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Los Angeles Sparks have been hit with a recent wave of injuries and absences including a leg injury to star guard Kelsey Plum whose timeline for a return is currently unknown. With the number of available players on the active roster slipping to only eight players, the Sparks signed a pair of players, including veteran guard Shey Peddy, to hardship contracts. Advertisement In addition to Shey Peddy, the Sparks also added third-year guard Grace Berger and both players will remain on hardship contracts with the Sparks until the team returns to the requisite number of active players. With Plum's return unknown and Odyssey Sims away from the team for personal reasons, it's not clear when that will be. In Peddy's case, she's a veteran who has played for a couple of teams and is used to having different teammates. It's one of the reasons why her early transition to the Sparks hasn't been as challenging as it may have been for younger players. 'I think it helps that a lot of the players I've played against or are friends of mine. . .the league is not that big so you kind of already know each other. That helped a lot,' Peddy told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. 'That made the transition easier. I think it's being a vet. I don't have as much nerves. When you're a rookie, a little younger, you've got to scope everybody out. I am who I am, everybody knows who I am. I kind of just fit in and just go like that.' Shey Peddy's approach to her hardship contract with the Sparks is crucial for the younger guards on the roster. With Plum and Sims out and Julie Allemand at Eurobasket, the Sparks are left with only three available guards; Peddy, Berger and Sarah Ashlee Barker. Berger is only in her third season and Barker is a rookie. Advertisement A steady hand like Peddy, whose WNBA career has spanned five seasons along with a lengthy career overseas with some of the same players, can help ease the transition amidst the shuffling roster. 'Just being a leader, whether it's controlling the game, the tempo, making sure we're all set up, just making sure everything's going and getting people in their right spots,' Peddy said. 'We got nothing to lose, just go out there and have fun. You guys are young, I'm new, together we're gonna make it work. . .We're all in this together regardless of how we got here, how long we've been here, we gotta make the most of it.' Shey Peddy's role for the Sparks Shey Peddy's first game with the Sparks was on Saturday in the team's loss to the Minnesota Lynx. She played seven minutes off the bench and finished with three points, one rebound and two assists while shooting 1-of-2 from the field. She got in late Friday night and was essentially thrown to the fire from the get-go as the Sparks needed available players. Advertisement But for a vet like Peddy, while her initial debut felt slightly overwhelming considering the circumstances, she feels like she was able to settle in as the game went on. After her first practice with the team, she has a better grasp as to what's expected of her on the court. 'Honestly when I got out there, I just had to put all my emotion to the side and just play. Before, it was overwhelming, and even afterward just really settling in that I had just played a whole game in less than 24 hours of finding out,' Peddy said. 'But now I had a little more time to talk to the team, we had a practice yesterday so that felt good. I'm gonna just try to go out there and do the best I can.' Peddy earned the start at point guard in her second game with the Sparks, a loss to the Seattle Storm on Tuesday. She looked more comfortable with her new teammates than she did in Saturday's game, and she helped the team get off to a good start in the first quarter. She finished with six points, four rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes. She knocked down her lone three-pointer of the game and got four attempts at the free-throw line, converting on three. On a hardship contract, Peddy's time with the Sparks is limited and the duration unknown. But while she's on the roster, she's confident she can bring winning habits on the court. Advertisement 'Just organize the offense a little bit better and obviously play defense. That's what I'm known for. To be out there, be a pest with whoever I'm gonna guard,' Peddy said. 'Try to control them as best I can, make it hard for them, and knock down some shots. Know when to be aggressive, know when to pull it back, just having a really high IQ out there.' Related: Sparks rookie drops brutally honest Kelsey Plum admission Related: Kelsey Plum's injury return remains a question mark, per Sparks coach Lynne Roberts
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5 days ago
- Sport
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With Kelsey Plum out, Sparks can't keep up with Storm in blowout loss
Sparks forward Dearica Hamby, center, drives to the basket past Seattle forward Nneka Ogwumike, left, during a 98-67 loss to the Seattle Storm at Arena on Tuesday night. (Tyler Ross / NBAE via Getty Images) If one word sums up the Sparks' season so far, it's hardship. Injuries continue to mount, and Kelsey Plum, their primary scorer and star, has joined the growing list of sidelined players. Plum's absence was sorely felt as what began as a valiant effort by the Sparks — keeping pace with the visiting Storm through the first half — quickly unraveled into a 98-67 blowout loss Tuesday at Arena. Advertisement Already down two key starters — Plum and Odyssey Sims — the Sparks were forced to piece together a new starting lineup on short notice. Dearica Hamby, Rickea Jackson, Azurá Stevens, Sarah Ashlee Barker and newly acquired Shey Peddy marked the Sparks' fifth different starting five this season. Read more: Sparks fall behind early, can't rally during loss to Lynx Peddy, signed to a hardship contract, joined the team just before Saturday's loss to the Minnesota Lynx. Since then, she has had just one practice under her belt before stepping in to replace Plum at point guard. Also signed under a hardship exception, Grace Berger flew in late Monday and joined the team just hours before the game. Berger went scoreless in16 minutes. Advertisement Running the offense through their anchor, Hamby, the Sparks (4-9) held their own through the first 20 minutes, refusing to waver. They trailed 47-37 by halftime. Hamby finished with a season-low eight points and grabbed seven rebounds. But the resilience was short-lived. As the game wore on, cracks in the offense widened. Careless passes led to a flurry of turnovers. Seattle's Gabby Williams set the tone early with six steals in the first half. She finished with eight, along with 11 points and seven assists. The Storm scored 31 points off 24 Sparks turnovers. A 14–5 run — led by former Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike — gave Seattle (7-5) a 62–42 lead with 5:37 left in the third. Ogwumike scored 10 of her 26 points in the quarter. Advertisement Read more: Kelsey Plum voices frustration over lack of calls in Sparks' loss to Valkyries Several Sparks starters — including Hamby, Jackson and Stevens — remained in the game late into the fourth, but the deficit had long grown insurmountable, with the team trailing by as many as 30 points. Jackson led the Sparks with 17 points, while Stevens finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The news of Plum's absence came as a surprise just after practice on Monday, with the Sparks ruling her out because of a lower leg injury. Dominique Malonga, who was part of the three-team trade that led to Plum being traded by Las Vegas to the Sparks, finished with seven points in 12 minutes for Seattle. Advertisement It's still unclear when Plum sustained the injury, though it presumably happened during Saturday's loss to the Lynx. She underwent imaging the next day, but the team says the results offered little clarity. Read more: WNBA motherhood: The balancing act between career and kids Even more uncertain is her return timeline. It's unclear if she will play Saturday against Minnesota. Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said Plum is 'tuned in to her body — she'll know when she's ready to go.' Through the first 12 games of the season, only Atlanta Dream star Rhyne Howard is averaging more minutes per game than Plum's 36. Advertisement A prolonged absence for Plum could spell serious trouble for a team already reeling. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
