Cal Basketball: Three Ex-Bears Get Fresh Starts in the Late-Starting WNBA
Three former Cal stars will begin a late-starting WNBA season on Saturday with new teams in the bubble at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Veteran guard Layshia Clarendon signed as a free agent in February with the New York Liberty, where she will watch the debut of No. 1 draft choice Sabrina Ionescu, the East Bay product who became a collegiate mega-star at Oregon.
Reshanda Gray, who led Cal to the 2013 Final Four, and Kristine Anigwe, who set school records for career points and rebounds, both have landed with the Los Angeles Sparks. Gray was signed as a free agent while Anigwe joins her third team in two seasons after a trade from Dallas.
The Liberty tips off vs. the title favorite Seattle Storm (9 a.m., ESPN) before the Sparks open against the Phoenix Mercury (noon, ABC).
Here’s an update on the status of all three former Golden Bears:
LAYSHIA CLARENDON: It’s been a busy off-season for Clarendon, who is entering her eighth WNBA season. As a vice president of the WNBA Players Association, she helped forge a new, eight-year collective bargaining agreement, she signed with the New York Liberty and announced her wife Jessica is pregnant.
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Layshia and Jessica Clarendon
“Super excited to announce Baby Clarendon coming Dec 2020. I’m terrified and ecstatic all at the same damn time! No one else I’d rather go on this journey with than you @jessicaclarendon," Clarendon wrote on Instagram late last month.
She added: #NoWeArentFindingOutTheSex #ShesCarrying #AintGotTimeForThat #BabyMama #QuarantineBaby #IDidThat
In the meantime, Clarendon contributed to generating a new WNBA contract that boosts the maximum player salary from $117,000 to $230,000, guarantees fully paid maternity leave and an annual child care stipend, and 50-50 revenue sharing.
The WNBA Players Association was honored last month with the 2020 Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award, presented by the Jobs with Justice Education Fund. Clarendon, who has been active in social justice movements, delivered the acceptance speech on video. “The world has finally awakened to the superpower that Black women are,” she said.
At 29, Clarendon will be the oldest player on a Liberty squad that features seven rookies and is the unanimous pick to finish to last in the WNBA. Clarendon, who was on the roster for the 2020 U.S. national team that would have played at the Tokyo Olympics, will occupy an important role for the Liberty as a calming veteran and mentor.
“Layshia is an elite facilitator and floor general with an extremely high basketball IQ,” Liberty coach Walt Hopkins said. “She not only leads vocally, but also by consistently modeling a tireless work ethic and respect for those around her. She is going to be a massive boon to our roster and our team culture – both on, and off of the court.”
Even so, all eyes will be on Ionescu, the former Orinda-Miramonte High star and two-time national collegiate player of the year.
"You know, it reminds me a lot of my freshman year at Oregon because we had seven freshmen," Ionescu told ESPN. "The ability to learn and adapt and not really know any better.
“We're playing with no pressure, honestly. No one expects us to be very good. I think having that underdog mentality that we're all going to have, it's going to help us. Maybe teams are gonna overlook us.”
KRISTINE ANIGWE: Drafted No. 9 overall by the Connecticut Sun barely a year ago, Anigwe struggled to get playing time as a rookie. The 6-foot-4 forward-center averaged just 2.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in 7.1 minutes through 17 games before being shipped to the Dallas Wings.
In 10 games at Dallas, Anigwe her numbers improved modestly to 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.9 minutes.
Now she’s in Los Angeles, which needs help up front after forward Chiney Ogwumike opted out of the 2020 season because of the coronavirus and backup center Maria Vadeevam decided to remain in Russia.
“So many people don’t get three chances and this is my third chance to really make my mark and really learn and understand my role on this team,” Anigwe said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “It isn’t to be the highest scorer or getting the most rebounds. It’s just to be a good teammate and learn from veteran players that already made their mark on the league.”
Sparks coach Derek Fisher suggested there is opportunity for the former four-time All-Pac-12 selection who led the NCAA in rebounding in 2018-19
“Kristine Anigwe is a versatile, two-way post player who will provide additional athleticism and rebounding to our frontcourt rotation,” he said after the tea acquired her,
Kristine Anigwe, far left, and Reshanda Gray, center, join the L.A. Sparks
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RESHANDA GRAY: The 6-2 forward will get the same opportunities on the Sparks’ frontline, and is expected to provide a boost on the boards.
She averaged 5.2 points and 5.2 rebounds last season for the New York Liberty.
“Coaching against Reshanda last year, her aggressiveness in the paint was obvious,” Fisher said after Gray's signing. “She’s a willing rebounder and has developed a good repertoire of post moves. We know she is someone who will mesh with our group and we’re excited to add her to the roster.”
Gray, 27, who played overseas in Italy, South Korea and Hungary in during a two-year absence from the WNBA, said she is excited to be with the Sparks, regarded as one of the league's title contenders.
“Everything happens for a reason,” Gray said. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity to represent my hometown and be a part of the Los Angeles franchise. It’s a dream come true.
“You know pressure makes diamonds, right? I feel like the worst already happened to me. I don’t have anything to lose. … I don’t have any pressure and if it is pressure, I’m going to turn it into some Tiffany diamond earrings.”
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