Great Britain international Johannah Leedham is set to become only the second player from the UK to ever play in the WNBA after she was drafted 27th by the Connecticut Sun in the third round of the 2010 Draft.
Cheshire-born Needham, who shone at Franklin Pierce University where she garnered three Division II National Player of the Year awards, could face a conflict with her scheduled international duty this summer if she signs on.
The WNBA's regular season finishes on August 22, 8 days after GB's women open their Eurobasket campaign against Slovakia in Birmingham.
However Needham's college coach, Steve Hancock, has revealed that Sun head coach Mike Thibault is scheduled to hold talks with British Basketball to resolve the dilemma.
"Before drafting Johannah, I'm sure the Sun knew she was competing with her national team and felt they could come up with a solution to satisfy both teams," Hancock told the Union-Leader.
"There have been other players who were in the same situation as Johannah and things worked out. The bottom line is, whatever Johannah decides to do, it will be a good decision for her."
The Sun also had the top pick in the Draft, choosing UConn centre Tina Charles.
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Showing posts with label WNBA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WNBA. Show all posts
Friday, 9 April 2010
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Why the WNBA makes us feel better about the BBL
Intriguing nugget from the States... The first game of the WNBA Finals on Tuesday night, according to the league, had TV ratings on ESPN that were 59% up from last year. The Phoenix Mercury's 120-116 overtime victory over the Indiana Fever was the highest-scoring contest in the league's history, setting all sorts of quarter-by-quarter records and, by common consent, providing a great showcase for the women's version of the Association.
If you've never seen the WNBA, then you should. It's terrific basketball and it's a shame the NBA has never bundled it into its numerous television deals in the UK. But here's the rub. The official attendance at the American Airways Center in Phoenix was just 7,200. And that's DESPITE the fact that Suns GM, Steve Kerr, bought up 7,000 tickets and gave them away free on a first-come, first-served basis.
Now here is a league that has had some kind of national television deal since its inception. It's got the best (female) basketballers in the world. They've spent millions on marketing it, not to mention the rub it (theoretically) gets from its link with the NBA.
And yet... it's losing money, it's been losing franchises rather than adding them in recent years, and even its showpiece Finals can't draw much of a crowd.
Puts the BBL in perspective, right?
If you've never seen the WNBA, then you should. It's terrific basketball and it's a shame the NBA has never bundled it into its numerous television deals in the UK. But here's the rub. The official attendance at the American Airways Center in Phoenix was just 7,200. And that's DESPITE the fact that Suns GM, Steve Kerr, bought up 7,000 tickets and gave them away free on a first-come, first-served basis.
Now here is a league that has had some kind of national television deal since its inception. It's got the best (female) basketballers in the world. They've spent millions on marketing it, not to mention the rub it (theoretically) gets from its link with the NBA.
And yet... it's losing money, it's been losing franchises rather than adding them in recent years, and even its showpiece Finals can't draw much of a crowd.
Puts the BBL in perspective, right?
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