The Cards in WNBA in 2025 -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 HINES-ALLEN, EVANS AND ENGSTLER IN WNBA

Following former Cards in the WNBA..the 2025 participants are Myisha Hines-Allen (Dallas Wings), Dana Evans (Las Vegas Aces) and Emily Engstler (Washington Mystics). With all the 13 teams having played at least none games now, let's take a look at how the past cards are doing in the "W".

Hines-Allen enter her eighth year in the WNBA. The first seven were with the Washington Mystics,but she wears the Dallas Wings jersey in the 2025 season. After 12 games,the Wings are at 1-11 and in seventh place in the WNBA Western Conference and has the worst record ni the league.  Hines -Allen is averaging 21 minutes a game, and scoring 6.7 ppg. She's pulling down 5.6 rebounds a game. The Wings lost yesterday to the Las Vegas Aces 84-88.

Four former Cards Left on 2024 WNBA rosters. -- Wednesday Cardinal Couple

 Hines-Allen, Engstler, Evans and Dixon remain on WNBA rosters 

We've always tried to keep up with the former Louisville Cardinals who make it to the WNBA and as we look at most teams having completed over two dozen games this season, we also see four Cards still on rosters. Our columnist Jeff McAdams gave you his look at the Cards in th "W" in Sunday' s write...I had already planned to do the same today, and just kept my original write to present today, instead of going for a new subject. 

The Washngton Mystics have half of Louisville's WNBA contingent on their roster with Myisha Hines-Allen and Emily Engstler. Hines-Allen has been in the league since 2018 and serves as a reserve on this year's Mystics squad. She has the highest shooting perentage on the squad at 52.1% In 22 games for the Mystics, she is averaging 8.4 ppg, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists. 

Engstler was the fourth pick in the 2022 by the Indiana Fever but was waived and spent time aat Minnesota before the Mystics acquired her. She also comes off the bench, and is averaging 4.7 points per game and 3.7 rebounds. 

Washington is in sixth (last) place in the WNBA's Eastern Division with a 6-19 record as of this writing. 

Dana Evans plays for the Chicago Sky and is in her fourth year in the league. She's a part time starter at Chicago (12 of 22 games so far) She averages 8.3 p.p.g. a game and 3.2 assists. Originally drafted by Dallas, she played a half dozen games in "Big D" before getting traded to the Sky in the 2021 season. . 

The Sky are currently in 4th place at 9-14 in the Eastern Division. 

Liz Dixon is on the Phoenix Mercury team. She went undrafted in 2023 but did play for the Connecticut Sun and the Mercury in 2023. The Mercury did waive her this season on July 2nd, but was brought back almost immediately to be a reserve on the squad with a seven-day contract. She is averaging 1,8 p.p.g. and 2.4 rebounds. . 

Phoenix is 13-12 on the season, good for fourth place in the league's Western Division.  

We, here at Cardinal Couple, wish all out Cards pros the best of luck the rest of the way and hope they can etch out long careers in the "W". 

paulie

 

Summer Debate -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

The year and summer are absolutely flying by as we are closing out the month of June and looking forward to the 4th of July holiday already.   But you know what that means... halfway to Christmas!

Ok ill stop freaking you all out now but the good news is that were less than a month from the Paris summer Olympics and two months from fall sport action.   So let's get into some athletics talk, shall we?

Jared put some predictions out there yesterday for fall sports.  I like the volleyball manifestation!  Paulie was finally able to put out the addition of Amanda Butler to the WBB staff so I am hoping we can bring you some more content on that in the coming weeks as she gets acclimated to the position. And our pal Cortnee Walton is now the Director of Basketball Operations on the womens side. It's good to know the DOBO...

Fresh news out of the Cardinals program

Jayden Ulrich of  UofL Track&Field and Veronica Fraley of  Vandy finish 2-3 in the discus at the 2024 @usatf Olympic Trials with throws of 62.63m (205-5) and 62.54m (205-2), respectively. 

Fraley has already met the Paris Olympic standard (64.50m/211-7).

photo: Louisville Track & Field / XC twitter

But for now... in the spirit of the summer months and off season lets debate a few fun topics, shall we?

Gymnastics is the arguably considered to be the best summer sport in the Olympics.   Followed by volleyball and water polo.  

I've said for years I wish UofL had a a gymnastics team but I don't see that happening in my lifetime.  But what is on my list for this lifetime, is going to Paris.  I seriously looked at some flights to Paris about six weeks ago and it has been on my mind a lot so hopefully one day.  

WNBA jersey/situation are generally not good.   For a few reasons, the WNBA buying experience just isnt great.  Ive ordered a fair share of them over the last few years and between it taking over a year to acquire a Dana Evans jersey after she was drafted a few years back and the quality of the product.. they can sometimes have some cheesy ads and the logos printed are not consistent.  But the Emily Engstler Indiana Fever - Stranger Things edition was the coolest one but still had such missed opportunity.  The logos were heat sealed and the ads were screenprint.   The marketing team missed the opportunity to make the jersey reversible and flipping the logo just like the Upside Down   🙃🙃🙃🙃

There's also this whole issue.   👇👇👇👇

https://justwomenssports.com/reads/wnba-basketball-kelsey-plum-revenue-sharing-pay-gap/

Im looking forward to a holiday break next week, be safe out there and don't forget to put it in reverse, Terry! Put it in reverse, Terry!   👈👈👈👈 Click here

As Always, 
Go Cards

~Daryl 

Cards in the WNBA -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Four Cards Currently on Active Rosters

We're a few weeks into the WNBA season and several former Louisville Cardinals are currently active for their respective teams. Here's how these players have fared.

Dana Evans, Chicago Sky

One of the more well-known graduates from Louisville, Evans has played a crucial role for her team. In 11 games played, Evans is averaging 27.8 minutes per game. She's posted strong numbers with 9.9 points per game, 1.5 rebounds per game, 3.9 assists per game, and 1.4 steals per game. The Sky are currently 4-7.

Liz Dixon, Phoenix Mercury

Dixon is another recent graduate from Louisville, having been with the program during the pandemic. So far, she has played a reserve role averaging 12.4 minutes per game. Dixon has contributed so far with 2.5 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game, and 0.8 assists per game. The Mercury are currently 6-6.

Emily Engstler, Washington Mystics

Having played only one season with Louisville, Engstler is the only one on this list that did not play all or most of her career with the Cards. Engstler has moved around the league some and is now on her third team. Washington is slowly easing her into the normal rotation as she has averaged 6.9 minutes per game across seven games. She is averaging 1.9 points per game, 2.1 rebounds per game, and 0.7 assists per game. The Mystics are currently 1-12.

Myisha Hines-Allen, Washington Mystics

A veteran to the WNBA at this point, Hines-Allen has proven to be a reliable contributor during her career with Washington. She is seeing 17.7 minutes per game, right on par with her career. Hines-Allen is averaging 7.3 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, 2.3 assists per game, and 0.7 steals per game.

There are several other former Cardinals who are free agents.

AD (formerly known as Asia Durr)- most recently with the Atlanta Dream.

Jazmine Jones- most recently with the Washington Mystics.

Arica Carter- most recently played overseas, most recent WNBA team is Phoenix Mercury.

Kiki Jefferson- most recently with the Minnesota Lynx.

Kianna Smith- most recently played overseas, most recent WNBA team is Connecticut Sun.

Kylee Shook- most recently with the New York Liberty.

Sam Fuehring- currently playing overseas, most recent WNBA team is Washington Mystics.

With just 12 teams in the WNBA, trying to maintain a career playing in the states is a tall task. With the expansion to 14 teams next season, we hope to see more former Cards playing in the pros. The 2025 expansion teams will be located in Toronto and Golden State (San Francisco).

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

Jared

WNBA Opener -- Mystics Fall short in 4th quarter to Liberty 85-80 -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

WASHNGTON FALLS SHORT IN FOURTH QUARTER TO NEW YORK IN WNBA SEASON OPENER

FOLLOWING the Louisville WNBA players this season in the WNBA will be something I will try to stay fairly regulary with this WNBA season, and on last night's opening night  Tuesday night, Emily Englstler and Myisha Hines-Allen had their squad, the WashIngton Mystics, in action. So did Liz Dixon's Phoenix Mercury. The Mystics will probably be the team I follow the most, since they have two of my favorite Cardinals great on roster in "E" amd "Mooks"

The Mystics ran into a NY Liberty squad that caught fire in the fourth quarter and caught and passed the DC team, doubling up the score on them in the fourth quarter 26-13 and winning 85-80. 

Not much from the Louisville contingent in the opener. Neither Hines-Allen or Engstler drew the start. Emily didnt play at all and Hines-Allen saw just 19 minutes, putting up five points and grabbing five rebounds in the loss. 

Karlie Samuelson and Shikira Austin drew the starts at forward for the Mystics but the former Stanford and Maryland veterans were not all that effective, combining for just 20 points and nine rebounds in 47 total minutes. 

We all kinda figured that Washington's Dolson, Atkins and Sykes might be prominent scorers this season for the Mystics and they held true to form in the season opener. with 59 points between them. 

It was Washington's game to lose after three  quarters, having built up a 67-59 lead after three,,,but let the visitors take over in the fourth quarter. 

In other early, first night action, the Connecticut Sun ruined Caitlin Clark's opener with the Indiana Fever, thumpimg the visiting WNBA Fever squad 92-71.

The other two opening night contests were later affairs. with the Aces and Mercury hookng up and the Lynx and Storm going against each other. The Mercury are without Brit Grinner, who is oit with a toe injury, so we hoped to see a bit of Liz Dixon, who is on the Phoenix roster. Dixon was in a reserve role and saw six minuues, grabbing three rebounds but not scoring. The visiting Phoenix squad fell 89-80 to the two-time champion Las Vegas Aces. The Minnesota Lynx defeated the Storm 83-70. DI star from last year Taylor Soule saw one minute of action for the Lynx in the win. 

I'll agree with several readers here,...it's good to see basketball's bouncing again and some of Jeff Walz's stars from years past out there. Dana Evans and the Chicago Sky get their start tonight against  Dallas at Dallas. Unfortunately, it'll only be shown on You Tube Primetime WNBA League Pass,  a subscription service.. 

paulie

Four Cards on WNBA Rosters -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Mercury, Sky and Mystics have UofL WBB alumnae on rosters. 

With the WNBA scheduled to start Tuesday., let's look at the Louisville Cards WBB players.that are on the teqam rosters in the league.  

Liz Dixon --  Phoenix Mercury. Dixon was a recent addition to the Phoenix squad,brought back on a training game contract. She did play in 10 games with the Mercury back in 2023 and was re-signed again this year, to replace Charisma Osbourne.  She averages 5.6 points per game, and 4.4 rebounds a contest. 

Dana Evans -- Chicago Sky. Dana returs to the Sky this year, her third season in the WNBA. The sharpshooting guard should be an essential part of a roster that had seven guards most recently listed. Here is an interview with her, done on May 10th.  DANA EVANS INTERVIEW

Emily Engstler --  Washington Mystics. Engstler begins her second year in the league. She was originally drafted by Indiana last year. She'l averaged 1.8 points per game last year and 0.6mrebounds. Here is a brief spotlight on her....EMILY ENGSTLER

Myisha Hines-Allen -- Washington Mystics. Hines-Allen enters her sixth season in the WNBA,and was drafted back in 2018, She vaerages 5.6 points per game and 6.4 rebounds.  The Mystics list only four forwards on their roster currently, so we like her chances to see a starting role and a lot of court time. 

We wish all our "Cardinals Forever" the best of luck this season and we're already ready for a little hoops this spring...

paulie. . 

Spring flying by!!! -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Good morning readers,


Daryl here checking in on weekend eve. The Bats are in town so I switched with Jared to accommodate that schedule.

Hope everyone had a great Derby season, I'm already looking forward to next year!   I did put a little money on the winner so I came out even on the day.  

ON A PERSONAL NOTE

I'm also happy to report that I jumped back into some commentating earlier this week for our local Spalding University softball action. The Golden Eagles are hosting some post season SLIAC conference action and I am buddies with the athletic director over there so I was happy to help out and get back to my roots on the diamond!! Its been a few years...

Here's a pic of me out there and here's the recap if you're interested.

https://spaldingathletics.com/news/2024/5/8/softball-the-sliac-quarterfinal.aspx

The ACC Softball Tournament is also going on but not for the Cardinals.   

BC got the 1-0 win over Syracuse to keep their season alive and face #4 seed Duke tomorrow and Notre Dame also advanced to see another day set to face #2 FSU.  

WNBA season opener coming up! 

Back when Dana Evans visited WBB game 2/8/24 - Photo Jared Anderson 

WNBA preseason starts today and the season officially begins next week! 

Also want to give a shoutout and say Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there but especially my own!!  Love ya mom!!!! <3

As Always
Go Cards!

~Daryl 

Sky soar over Phoenix....Dana and Liz meet in WNBA -- Monday Cardinal Couple

 

104-85 CHICAGO SKY OVER PHOENIX MERCURY

It was a relatively quiet day for UofL women's sports Sunday, but we did get a WNBA matchup between the homestanding Chicago Sky (Dana Evans) and the Phoenix Mercury (Liz Dixon). the two Cardinals great played together for a couple of years at UofL, if you will remember and were on some fabulous Cardinals teams in 2020 and 2021. The two were on two Cardinals squad that lost just eight games over the two years they played together. 

They did not get a ton of playing time in yesterday on their WNBA squads...Evans saw 18 minutes, a rebound, two assists and three points and Dixon had three minutes and a rebound. 

It is Liz Dixon's first year in the WNBA, so you have to surmise that the longer she stays, the more time she'll pick up She's on her second, t-day contract with Phoenix...I'm guessing that being a backup to Brit Griner and Megan Gustafson isn't one of the most ideal situations to be in , but they are two very good centers to learn from and -- with Griner needing a brief break from WNBA action --  I am hoping "EBreezy's" time picks up. The Mercury need wins, they stand at 6-18. Who would have figured a team with Taurasi and Griner would have such a unarchiving mark? 

Evans went to Chicago after starting and staying  in Dallas briefly her rookie year. She's developed into a steady, dependable point-guard, behind Marina Mabrey and Courtney Williams and you have to figure that she's being groomed for a starting role down the road for the Sky. She's a hard worker, a superb shooter and can distribute with the best of them . Evans also has a very deadly three-point touch and has excellent passing skills. She had a decision to make, after her junior year -- she made the right one (in my opinion) by staying in college. 

Evans was selected in the WNBA Draft, Dixon wasn't. It just goes to show that if you want it bad enough, play hard enough and show someone you have the skills to compete and contribute, good things CAN happen.

A glance at the current UofL WBB roster makes one wonder what current Cards might be WNBA players in the future? You have to love "O"'s chances (Olivia Cochran)...and Sydney Taylor has the potential to draw a lot of WNBA action if she can go on a prolonged three-point barrage this season. Taylor played well in the recent USA showing, and "Swish" led them in scoring several times. Hmmm...I wonder if she and Heidi roomed together? 

Will any of the current players on Walz's roster reach the pinnacles (or higher) of Liz and Dana?  I'm no prophet or fortune-teller but I can see half this roster getting a lot of eyes on them from WNBA scouts for WNBA rosters and roles. And, that's the beauty of it. You have to show WNBA scouts that you can do a lot more things than score and, if you play for Jeff Walz, you have to be able to do a lot more than just score...

paulie

Myshia's Mystics lose Elena Della Donne (again) and to the Sun -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 CONNECTICUT 92 - WASHINGTON 84

It was a double blow for the Washington Mystics Sunday, first, losing Elena Della Donne for second half with an injury to the same ankle that had her on the sidelines for a couple of games, and, secondly, losing (again) to the Connecticut Sun..  

We got the treat of having two Cards WNBA players ion the rosters in the nationally televised matchup between the Washington Mystics and the Connecticut Sun yesterday. Myisha Hines-Allen, who came in for an injured Elena Della Donne, saw 18 minutes for Washington, scored 14 points, hit three of her four three-point attempts and four out of her eight shots overall. Nope, not a misprint, either on the stats... Mooks went 3-4 from beyond the arc. I guess playing all those years with AD at Louisville finally paid off, in terms of long-range bombing. 

The Mystics lost this one in the fourth quarter after leading by one after three quarters. You can't blame MHA for the loss...but the squad scored just 18 points in the final stanza, while the Sun put up 27 points 

On the winner's side, Liz Dixon is on the Connecticut roster. She did not play in the contest...a coach's decision apparently, since we know of no injury to Liz. 

The two Cards greats have the distinction of being on the second (Connecticut) and third (Washington) best teams in the WNBA's Eastern Division and third and fourth best teams overall in the league. 

The Connecticut (14-5) win makes them 3-0 against the Mystics (10-8) this season. Ageless Dewanna Bonner hit six threes in the game for homestanding Connecticut  and had 28 points for Stephanie White's Sun. 

I

It had to be a heart-breaking ordeal for Mystic fans and players to see "E.D.D" leave the court again hobbling after just getting back out there again. Although limited to 13 minutes and not scoring, her leadership on the floor and respect she draws from opponents makes life a lot easier for the rest of the Mystics when she's on the court. She came down on another player's foot with 1:20 left in the first half and did not return. 

The injury was to the same ankle that she had injured earlier this season. No report has been released on the extent of this injury, but E.D.D. was helped off the court by a couple of Mystics.

Here's hoping Liz can start seeing a bit of playing time at Connecticut and Myisha continues to shine 

*********************************************************************************************************

SAILING, SALING,,,

We'll be tossing a few off-sped pitches at you this week, with Jared "on a boat, "%$#@&" -- his honeymoon cruise with wife Katy. They've told me Case will write Tuesday and Jeff Thursday. I just smile and nod. Glad to see the lads showing a bit of planning...

paulie

A Wedding Celebration - Sunday Cardinal Couple

A Wedding Celebration

Summer is a popular season for weddings.  Our own Jared Anderson got married recently, for example.  Another one happened yesterday that may be of some interest to the Cardinal Couple community.

We don't typical delve into too many non-sports-related personal events for people associated with UofL women's sports, though many of them do frequently come across our awareness thanks to social media.  But, a bit of admission, we have our favorites that we tend to keep track of more than others.  And yesterday's nuptials involved one of those favorites.

One of our favorite Attack Yorkies, Jess Laemmle, is one half of the happy couple.  She married Dalton McDaniel.

Since her playing time from 2016-2020, Laemmle has been most visible serving as color commentator on some of the teams games.  That work has kept her in contact with the staff at UofL Women's Basketball and the picture we saw is evidence of that.  In attendance were much of the coaching staff, including Jeff Walz, Stephanie Norman, and Jonneshia Pineda.  Also there were a couple of beloved former members of the staff, Sam Purcell, and then student manager Jimmy Yu.  Jimmy has joined Purcell as Director of Ops at Mississippi State.  Also picture is recently graduated Mykasa Robinson who played for two years with Laemmle and who is also maintaining a close relationship with the staff and is expected to have some role within the organization this season.

Congratulations to the happy couple, we hope to see Mrs. McDaniel again as color commentator in the KFC Yum! Center this year again.

Cards in the Pros

As we tend to do in the summer, a quick rundown of Cards in the Pros.

Emina Ekic and Racing Louisville FC were on the road, playing in Seattle, against OL Reign.  Normally a draw on the road is considered a good outcome, and Racing did get the point towards overall standings, but after being up 2-0 in the 76th minute, coming away with "only" a 2-2 draw is a bit of a bitter pill to swallow.  Ekic saw only a brief minute or so at the end of the match, and had a touch or two in that brief time, but no stats.

In the WNBA, Liz Dixon saw almost six minutes of playing time and had a rebound and an assist for a positive +/- contribution in what was otherwise a substantial Las Vegas Aces win over Dixon's Connecticut Sun.  The Aces came away with the 18 point win, 102-84.

Emily Engstler and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Phoenix Mercury in Phoenix 86-76.  Engstler too, had a positive +/- with a rebound in just short of 3 minutes of play.

On tap today:

• AD and the AD (Atlanta Dream), take on the Los Angeles Sparks at 3pm in Hotlanta.  ESPN3 streaming has the video.
• Myisha Hines-Allen and the Mystics visit Dallas (technically Arlington), also starting at 3pm.  This one is on broadcast on ABC.
• Dana Evans and the Sky are down in Indianapolis to play the Fever at 4pm.  Also on ESPN3 streaming.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

The CCRHP was not live on YouTube yesterday due to apparent issues at YouTube, but the crew did get together and record the podcast. Whether it was a part of the Twitter dilemma many experienced we can't definitely say for sure or not. If you tuned in to try and listen "live" we apologize on behalf of the Internet. You can catch the broadcast replay, though. See Below

Case returned after several weeks away, joining Jared, Paulie, and myself as we dug through the released fall sports schedules that came out this week.  There was some good discussion about what we can expect out of the Soccer program this fall with who's returning and who isn't.  We also covered the Field Hockey and Volleyball schedules.

This will be a good one to catch for a rundown of what the fall schedule overall will be like.  As always, it's in podcast form at:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cardinal-couple/episodes/A-Look-at-the-Fall-Sports-Schedules-e26e6ad

-- JMcA

CARDS in Sunday WNBA Action -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

FOUR CARDS IN SUNDAY WNBA GAMES

We are fond of following the pursuits of Louisville Cardinals women's basketball players in the WNBA and Sunday had four Cards in action. 

LAS VEGAS ACES 93 - CHICAGO SKY 80

Dana Evans did not start for the Sky, but saw 26 minutes in a loss to the 8-1 Aces. She managed 10 points for Chicago (5-5) and had a team high eight assists for the Sky. Home-standing Las Vegas is atop the Western Conference Standings and A'Ja Wilson had another huge game for Vegas. 

CONNECTICUT SUN 89 - ATLANTA DREAM 77

Two former Cards had the potential to face off in this one -- Liz Dixon (Connecticut) and AD Durr (Atlanta), but Dixon did not see action (a coach's decision). AD came off the bench for ATL and totaled 17 minutes of playing time and nine points. 

The Sun are atop the Eastern Conference with a 8-2 record and the Dream are still struggling a bit in the early season with a 2-5 mark. ATL trailed 48-44 at the half against the visiting Sun, but Connecticut won the decisive 4th quarter 24-17.

WASHINGTON MYSTICS 71 - SEATTLE 65

The visiting Mystics improved to 5-3 on the season with a win over 1-5 Seattle, a game that Washington led 46-21 at the half before coasting in. 

The Mystics are slowly working Myisha Hines-Allen back into the lineup and MHA saw 11 minutes and grabbed six rebounds. She also added a free throw to the Mystics win. The Mystics got the win without Elena Della Donne as well -- who sat with an undisclosed injury. 

Washington will visit Indiana Tuesday and Atlanta heads to New York. 

paulie

"Super Sub" Dana Evans helps Sky defeat Fever 108-103 in overtime -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

EVANS 20-POINT SECOND HALF HELPS LIFT SKY OVER INDIANA

The Chicago Sky rallied to force overtime last night against Indiana in Chicago's Wintrust arena and got a huge contribution from Dana Evans to help them win the game.

Despite Indiana's Aliyah Boston single-handedly trying to defeat the Sky, the Chicago squad was able to tie this one 91-91 as time ran out in regulation.  Poor Chicago, down to eight active players for this one and getting killed inside by the former South Carolina star, but Chicago had a surprise of their own and it came in the form of the former Louisville guard Evans. As the teams battled through the overtime, Dana drilled a three-pointer with 50 left in o.t. to give Chicago a 101-96 lead. 

And, she wasn't through. A bucket with 26 seconds to go from Evans increased the lead to seven at 103-96. And, that pretty well cinched it. Evans would add a free throw with six seconds to create the final score of 108-103. Indiana had seen victory snatched from them by the Evans express. 

Evans played 32 minutes in th Sky win, going 8-16 fom the field and 3-4 from trifecta land. Add seven assists and three steals to tose Tueday night stats, too. 

Chicago also got a ton of production from Marina Mabrey (28 points) and .Kahleah Copper (24pts.) but Evans, who did not draw thee start, spend the first half setting up players with assists and making steals. Down 67-62 after three, it didn't look promising for Chicago (5-3) but they battled for the home crowd and Evans, who has been in double figures in five of her last six games...gave Chi-Town a look at why she was one the the most illustrious scorers on UofL WBB history.  

We hope the Sky can get back up to sufficient roster numbers soon. In the meantime, though, Dana Evans is relishing the playing time, success and showing the Sky coaches that the littlest gal on the court can step up very big and give them huge numbers. 

paulie

Cards in WNBA -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

Five Cards remain on three WNBA rosters as of 5/16/23

update:  The Mystics cut Jaz and Em after this article was written and posted. 

As the WNBA squads get down to their roster sizes (11 or 12, depending on the franchise) we still find five Cardinals WBB players on three different rosters. 

Sadly, the Phoenix Mercury did cut both Liz Dixon and Kylee Shook. I was hoping, as a lot of Cardinal fans were, that one or both would remain on the roster to serve as backups to Brit Griner. But, it looks like the Phoenix squad is going to go with Megan Gustafson, who has four years of league experience, to play that role. Phoenix is down to 12 players on their roster.

The Chicago Sky has Dana Evans on their roster. Evans looks to be one that will make the opening day roster, despite there still being 16 players listed on the roster as of yesterday. Seven guards are still listed for the Sky, but two are rookies and two have just a year's experience. Also, three players haven't been assigned a roster number yet.  Evans was named to the All-Rookie team last year after leading all rookies in free throw percentage and hitting 40% from three point range. Kahleah Copper and Marina Mabrey look to maybe have the "jump" on starting spots, but now that Courtney Vandersloot went to the Liberty via free agency, and Allie Quigley is not playing this season...Dana should see plenty of minutes, we hope. And, she played her high school ball not far from Chicago and could help bring fans in. 

The Atlanta Dream have welcomed  Asia AD Durr home and she looks to be a great fit with the Dream. The Dream do have some quality guards on the roster in addition to AD, like Rhyne Howard, Danielle Robinson and Alisha Gray...but Durr scored in double figures in both Dream pre-season games so far. I love her chances of being a star at Atlanta. After the battles she had with COVID, it's so encouraging to see her back on the court...doing "incred-a-Durr" things. Shoot til your arm falls off, AD. 

That leaves us with the Washington Mystics. 

Jazmine Jones, Myisha Hines-Allen and Emily Engstler are on the roster, and I like all three players' chances of making the squad. The Mystics are down to 13 on their roster...Jones is a capable guard who was claimed off waivers from Indiana, and is one of seven guards on the roster. Engstler also came to Washington from Indiana, where she played 35 games last season I find it pretty incredulous that the Fever let her go, but they do still have Grace Berger on the roster, along with 10 rookies or first year players, so it may be a financial thing. Hines-Allen has been an essential part of the Mystics and works well in the lineup with Elena Della Donne. 

Friday is opening day for the WNBA's 27th season and the teams will play 40 regular season games in 2023. The Mystics play New York on opening night, Minnesota brings in Chicago, the Mercury goes to L.A. and Connecticut goes to Indiana. The other four WNBA squads (Las Vegas, Seattle, Atlanta and Dallas) play their first games on Saturday. 

We wish all our Cards greats a ton of success this season and will watch with interest any news on WNBA expansion. 

paulie

Cards on WNBA Rosters -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SEVEN CARDS WBB STARS ON WNBA TRAINING CAMP ROSTERS

For those of us starved for a little basketball and (arguably) tired, but mostly grateful for the college transfer portal happenings...there is good news! The WNBA squads are in training camps. Louisville women's basketball fans can track the progress of seven players and four teams. 

Before we get to who is on rosters, let's look briefly at who isn't isn't on a roster.  I couldn't find Angel McCoughtry listed anywhere, it seems to me there has to be a roster out there that could use a talented scorer and playmaker, and we all know Angel can do that, here's hoping she maybe gets a call, if she wants one. Sam Fuehring wasn't listed with the Mystics but she's done a lot of good things in Germany. Kianna Smith is no longer with the Connecticut Sun or the Sparks --  we'd guess she's playing overseas but we have no confirmation on that. 

So, who is where as the training camps go on? The Washington Mystics have three former Cardinals in Emily Engstler, Jaz Jones and Myisha Hines-Allen. The Mystics have 17 players currently in training camp...names that stand out are Elena Della Donne, Ariel tkins and Brittany Sykes. Here's hoping all three Cards make the opening day roster. 

The Phoenix Mercury have Liz Dixon and Kylee Shook in training camp. Those two (at 6'5") are third-tallest on the roster behind Brit Griner and 6'6" Angel Robinson and you have to figure one Card makes the squad as Brit's backup and the other as a strong forward.  Shook is back after taking last year off from "the league", but she did play in Australia in 2021-22 for Adelaide. We know how the Aussies love hoops, and the legendary status Asia Taylor reached "down under". 

Dana Evans is still with the Chicago Sky. She was an integral guard last year in Chi-Town and with VanderSloot not listed on the Sky roster, you'd have to thin Dana would be a contender for those minutes from last year. You won't find a tougher battler than her.

She is one of my top five players to ever play for the Cards (and, don't worry, I'm not going to give you the other four in today's article). Anyone who knows me can probably guess them, anyway. Chi-town does have a Mabrey (they're a franchise, one coming to your town very soon).  

Asia Durr (known as A.D.) is in Atlanta. One of the best to ever play the game, A.D. is on a roster that also has Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard and Danielle Robinson in their guard crew. If A.D. is "right for the fight" none of these can match her. 

So, get ready for "the season". Do you have a favorite squad? I just tend to cheer for the squads that have Cardinals WBB players on then. The problem comes when both teams playing have Cardinals on them...last year, I probably favored the Mystics the most. This year? They're a contender. 

paulie