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Published May 14, 2021

WBB: Gamecocks in the WNBA - Season Preview

Chris Wellbaum • GamecockScoop

Staff Writer

@ChrisWellbaum

The 25th WNBA season tips off Friday and five former Gamecocks are on rosters to start the season.

A’ja Wilson is the reigning league MVP, and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan joined defending champion Seattle in the off-season. They face off in one of the marquee games of opening weekend, but they have to wait until Saturday afternoon to take the court. The remaining former gamecocks all play tonight.

Miscellaneous:

Alaina Coates played for the Washington Mystics last season. The Mystics did not bring her back.

Kaela Davis signed a training camp contract with the Atlanta Dream. She joined the Dream in the middle of last season, but played in just two games. The Dream announced Thursday that Davis did not make the regular season roster.

Te’a Cooper is entering her second season with the Los Angeles Sparks, but y’all complained last season when I included her so I’ll leave her off the list this season.

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Dallas Wings

Allisha Gray (Guard, 5th season)

Dallas has undergone a massive overhaul the last two offseasons and Gray survived both, resigning with the Wings this offseason. She proved her worth last season as a veteran presence who could do all the little things on either end of the court to make her teammates better. Gray averaged career-highs of 13.1 points and 4.2 rebounds despite her younger teammates getting most of the attention.

Tyasha Harris (Guard, 2nd season)

Those overhauls include Harris, who is one of seven first or second-year players on the Dallas roster. Harris averaged 6.8 points and 2.8 assists last season, playing mostly off the bench. Harris started off hot but faded as the season went on, something that was due partly to the Wings giving up on any semblance of team basketball and just letting Arike Ogunbowale run wild. Harris will likely come off the bench again this season, backing up veteran Moriah Jefferson, who was injured most of last season.

The Wings have a glut of young guards that new coach Vickie Johnson still has to figure out how to use. It hasn’t helped that between injuries and overseas commitments the Wings haven’t come close to working with a full roster yet.

Games: Friday, May 14 at Sparks (10:30 pm eastern, Facebook); Saturday, May 22 vs Seattle (8:00 pm eastern, Facebook)

Indiana Fever

Tiffany Mitchell (Guard, 6th season)

There was some question if the Fever would bring Mitchell back last season, but they did and she had the most productive season of her career in the Wubble, averaging 12.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game, all career highs despite missing time with a wrist injury. She also led the league in free throw percentage (95.1%). The problem was that aside from getting to the line, Mitchell wasn’t very efficient, shooting just 34.6% overall and 23.3% from three while averaging 2.6 turnovers. In Mitchell’s defense, those problems were team-wide. The Fever finished with the second-worst record in the league last year and had an unimpressive off-season, generating a lot of “what are they doing?” hot takes.

Mitchell came off the bench in Indiana’s two preseason games. She scored 16 points on 6-8 shooting in a win and four points on 1-7 shooting in a loss, which pretty much sums up the Fever.

Games: Friday, May 14 at New York (7:00 pm eastern, NBA TV); Sunday, May 16 vs New York (2:00 pm eastern, CBS Sports Network); Wednesday May 19 at Connecticut (7:00 pm eastern, CBS Sports Network); Friday, May 21 vs Atlanta (7:00 pm eastern, Twitter); Sunday, May 23 vs Washington (1:00 pm eastern, ESPN3)

Las Vegas Aces

A’ja Wilson (Forward, 4th season)

Wilson won the league MVP in her third season, leading the Aces to the Finals with a dominant season that has made her one of the faces of the league. Wilson averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 1.2 steals. She probably won’t put up the same huge numbers across the board this season because the Aces welcome back center Liz Cambage , who sat out last season. That is a welcome assist for Wilson, who was operating on fumes by the time Las Vegas was swept in the Finals.

Cambage is one of the most prolific scorers in recent league history and an imposing post presence, but bringing her back isn’t the only change the Aces hope will get them over the hump. Kelsey Plum is back from an Achilles injury and Chelsea Gray comes over from the Sparks to provide a perimeter boost. However, Angel McCoughtry, last season’s second-leading scorer, is out for the season with a knee injury, and the Aces will miss her leadership and scoring from the wing..

Games: Saturday, May 15 at Seattle (3:00 pm eastern, ABC); Tuesday, May 18 at Seattle (10:00 pm eastern, ESPN2); Friday, May 21 vs Los Angeles (10:30 pm eastern, CBS Sports Network); Sunday, May 23 vs Connecticut (6:00 pm eastern, Facebook)

Seattle Storm

Mikiah Herbert Harrigan (Forward, 2nd season)

The Lynx knew Herbert Harrigan was a project when they picked her sixth overall in the 2020 draft, but they apparently decided the project wasn’t worth the wait and dealt Herbert Harrigan to Seattle for a 2022 first-round draft pick. The Storm, last year’s WNBA Champion, wanted to add shooting and were impressed by the fact that Herbert Harrigan shot 42.4% from three as a rookie. Herbert Harrigan was also a solid rebounder and shot-blocker in just 11.1 minutes per game.

Games: Saturday, May 15 vs Las Vegas (3:00 pm eastern, ABC); Tuesday, May 18 vs Las Vegas (10:00 pm eastern, ESPN2); Thursday, May 20 at Minnesota (8:00 pm eastern, NBA TV); Saturday, May 22 at Dallas (8:00 pm eastern, Facebook)