Is being the number one pick in the WNBA draft now a EuroLeague Women curse?
NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen's Women's Basketball Worldwide) – We're now just hours away from seeing another player take the adulation and have the proud honor of being a number one WNBA draft pick.
It's a seriously major deal and not least because of the tradition that has gone before. One glance at the WNBA's 'Who's Next?' graphic and you realize you are looking at a 'who's who' of the women's game. Not only Stateside, but globally.
Over the years, the number one picks have enjoyed a tremendous bond across The Pond in EuroLeague Women. Many have established themselves as greats of the competition, MVPs, champions or Final Four participants. Indeed, several will be heading to the Final Four 2018 in Sopron next week.
The run from 2002 until 2013 was simply staggering. Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Seimone Augustus, Candace Parker, Angel McCoughtry, Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Nneka Ogwumike and Brittney Griner have all established themselves – many winning the title and some more than once.
However, I have noticed that during the past four years, this famous and once unbreakable bond with starring in EuroLeague Women and competing at a Final Four for titles has almost evaporated. Through a mixture of misfortune, choices, circumstances, the lure of Asian basketball and other 'external' influences, I have been asking myself - has the number one pick in the WNBA draft actually become a EuroLeague Women curse?
It started with the fantastic Chiney Ogwumike. Number one pick in 2014, she landed in EuroLeague Women as arguably the biggest signing in the history of Italian side, Famila Schio. I could barely contain my excitement at seeing her in action, but having shown her talent and power with more than 19 points per outing across her first 3 games, disaster struck. She suffered a season-ending injury and it was a crushing blow to her – as well as all of the EuroLeague Women fans.
Next in line was the dynamic Jewell Loyd. The 2015 first pick suited up for Turkish juggernauts Galatasaray, with the hype and expectation levels through the roof (fairly or unfairly), with her new team riding on a high off the back of their maiden EuroLeague Women title a few months earlier. Only, Galatasaray didn't retain their title, in fact, they didn't even make the Final Four. Head coach Ekrem Memnun was fired and Loyd headed for Asia where she has played ever since during the WNBA off-season.
When Breanna Stewart was crowned as first pick in 2016, the whole of EuroLeague Women held its breath in a mixture of excitement and anticipation to see where she would sign. Would it be one of the mega-rich Russian clubs like UMMC or Dynamo Kursk - or would a Turkish giant come in with a stellar deal [like they had for the likes of Diana Taurasi and Alba Torrens]?
The answer was neither. And, here we are a couple of years later, still waiting to see Stewart tread the EuroLeague Women hardwood. That is a tough pill to swallow when you consider the long line of her predecessors who opted to compete in the best league outside of the WNBA. Seeing her rack up mind-boggling numbers in the controversial WCBA rather than in an elite tournament is still hard to digest. But, the gravitational pull to Asia was in full flow – even if it is not for basketball purposes.
Even in the past few months, rumors were swilling around EuroLeague Women circles that Stewart would finally make her belated EuroLeague Women debut and save the season of Fenerbahce, the Istanbul powerhouse who still crave an elusive title, despite having appeared in a number of Finals. But, once again, it was only a rumor.
So why did Fenerbahce need their season saved? Well, things were clearly not going to plan in a team that still contains 2017 number one pick, Kelsey Plum. All year, there have been question marks hanging over the future of the guard who took some time to adjust to her first experience overseas, but then started to show why she was top of the draft chart last year.
However, Plum was part of a Fenerbahce team in chaos who missed the Final Four for the first time since way back in 2011 – their coach Firat Okul was fired last month in the wake of their EuroLeague Women failure when they lost their Play-Offs decider with a meek and embarrassing surrender at Sopron Basket who were missing Alaina Coates.
So, to quote the WNBA itself – 'Who is next?' Only I now have a vital follow-up question. Will the curse continue, or will they be the one to snap this worrying streak and get us back to the halcyon days of number one draft picks being standouts and in some cases, even icons of EuroLeague Women?
I can't wait to find out – and of course there is still time for Plum, Loyd and particularly Stewart to add to the pre-2014 list of EuroLeague Women hits.
Paul Nilsen
FIBA
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