WNBA: How Valkyries exceed expectations in their first year
The Valkyries fight for a playoffs position in the WNBA, something unusual for an expansion team in the league.
San Francisco – Kayla Thornton He captured the rebound and ran down the court. The eaves of the Golden State Valkyries He made a euro Step around the only defender who interposed between her and the basket, reached the hoop and led an inverted tray.
The crowd exploded, presuming that the comeback in the second half against the Chicago Sky I was almost complete. Thornton He retired through the band, where the owner of Golden State, Joe Lacobhis hand hit him. She gave him a swipe, stopped and released a roar, causing even greater frenzy in the fans.
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Scenes like this in the Chase Center have become common for The WNBA expansion franchise in 17 years. Golden State He has exhausted the tickets of his 11 games at home this season and leads the WNBA in assistance.
In Nordic mythology, Valhalla is the last abode of the great warriors fallen in battle. In summer, the Chase Center transforms into ballhalla, the nickname that Valkyries They give their local court, which usually attracts 18,000 fans.
Energy has been in effervescence in the bay area since Golden State He obtained a team 20 months ago. The violet color of the Valkyries You could see in the streets of San Francisco a year before they began playing their meetings, and Golden State It became the first team in the history of women’s sports to sell 15,000 seasonal fertilizers deposits. The city supported them, already mid -opening season, the Valkyries They are on their way to having the greatest assistance at any team in the history of the WNBA, according to Across The Timeline.
The achievements of Golden State On the court they have been like a surprise. When Valkyries They opened the camp in April, the directive said that the success of this season would be measured by the level of commitment of the players. However, The Valkyries (10-12) aspire to become the first WNBA expansion team to reach the postseason in its first year. Golden State He has one of the five best defenses in the league, limiting his opponents to the second lowest score in the League.
And although the team arrived limping at the game of the star game, losing five of six games so far in July, the Valkyries They have exceeded almost all expectations around their first seasoneven those who had set themselves.
“I think we exceed the expectations that we look at,” he said Thornton to AM850. “I thought it would take us a little more time to meet us, familiarize us with the system …
“The fact that we go out to play with joy and disinterest. That makes the game much easier.”
Natalie Nakase knew that The ability of their players to connect with each other would be crucial in a new team formed from two drafts and free agency. And while the coach and the directive of Golden State They built the template throughout the last year, had a particular ideal in mind.
“We needed to choose players with that mentality of prioritizing the team before them; with that resentment,” he said Nakase to AM850. “I felt that, as they all had that, it would become our standard. It was not a face or elite player.”
The need for connection is something that Nakase He learned during his stage as an assistant coach in the NBA with the Lob City the Clippers. That team had Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordanbut lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs of 2017.
“I still talk to those boys and keep telling me: ‘If we had connected, if we had had good chemistry, what would have happened?'” He said Nakase. “But no (we had it). … That is what I learned: you have to be connected. If you are not connected and in tune in these parties, it will not work.”
Nakase states that Valkyries They do not have a face of the franchise, but the 12 players of the squad make up their identity. The pivot of Golden State, Temi FagbenleHe explained that they are a team composed of sixth women. Thorntonwho previously played in the superequipo of New York Liberty with Sabrina ionc and Breanna Stewart who won the title of 2024, said that each member of the Valkyries He has been waiting for his chance to shine.
They do not have an ostentatious template full of former lottery selections or All-League selections, but their self-denial has allowed them to achieve an early success. The Valkyries They have already won more than double matches than the last expansion team, the Atlanta Dreamin its debut season in 2008 (four), and more than the Seattle Storm (six) in its first season in 2000.
“We have many players who were in different teams and succeeded, but they hadn’t managed to shine, prove their worth,” he said Thornton. “So we can unite now and gather all those who have worked hard waiting for this kind of moment, to gather all this type of girls, create something beautiful.”
Thorntonin its tenth season, it is an excellent example, going from role player with the Liberty To be there with the Valkyriesthe first player since 2006 to be selected All-Star of an expansion franchise.
That amount of commitment (of the players, the coaches and the management) was necessary to be part of the Valkyries.
When the general manager Ohemaa Nyanin presented the idea of Golden State To the players and the staff I was looking for to build this team, it made it clear that they should only come to San Francisco if they wanted to help build something from scratch and could handle the ups and downs that that entails.
“If we can create something together, would you not like to be part of it? You have to be very brave in many ways to want to be part of something like that. There were no pink glasses,” he said Nyanin to AM850. “Ah, and, by the way, it has proven to be extremely difficult.”
But another part of the message of Nyanin He fit well with the players.
“He told us: ‘We have personally selected each of you to organize this. They would not be here if we did not think they are ready for work,” he said Tiffany Hayes13 -year -old veteran of the WNBA.
As soon as the players arrived at the camp, Nakase He told them that they would be “murderers.” Their game style would be largely based on their defense and the need for their rivals to feel them in each possession.
“Coach Natalie, when he needs to press us, do it,” he said Thornton. “It gives us a lot of confidence and that is what I respect about her. … it is competitive, it is a beast. That gives us strength. Playing for her makes us want to play.”
Nakase demands a high level of intensity for 40 minutes, and during the preseason, Thornton He admitted that this represented a change of mentality for her. Little by little, it began to be a habit, and Valkyries They believe that this has made them competitive in almost all the games that play. Golden State He has not lost a game for more than nine points since June 5.
“When I see videos of the action and I see the players either throwing themselves to the hurt Nakase. “That, it is impossible to teach it. I feel that, every time we play, we can beat anyone with that competitive mentality.”
Lacob was sitting On stage with the WNBA commissioner, Cathy Engelbertwhile the then mayor of San Francisco London Breed and the executive co -chair of the Golden State Warriors, Peter Guberin October 2023, when Golden State He received the franchise, Lacob He proclaimed something that basketball fans of the Bay area have heard him say before: “The goal is to win a championship in five years.”
For Lacob That was a comfortable schedule, but, like many people, I had low expectations for the inaugural season.
“I thought we would be a lottery team next year,” he said Lacob to AM850 as it exploded in laughter.
Instead, they are in the middle of the race for the playoffs.
Nakase She was also prepared for this to be dedicated to learning each other, to understand the ability to be trained from her players, as they understood what she expects from them. But Golden State It goes far beyond building the foundations.
“With our game planning, we can expand the limits,” he said Nakase. “We said we wanted to be the best team in defense. Well, let’s continue like this, and take it to another level. Let’s now move on to individual defense. Now we can build more, set more goals.”
And the five -year objective of Lacob It is still used as motivation to continue building about what they have achieved so far.
“I do not consider it a schedule, but our polar star,” he said Nyanin. “Every day you get to work and try to create a championship product.
“The goal is a championship. Great. Now, how do you get there? And, honestly, you will only arrive if you gather excellent people and all have a common goal that they want to pursue.”
