The Los Angeles Sparks have seen brighter days. This legacy franchise has gone from hoisting banners and retiring jerseys to missing the playoffs three years in a row. At the same time, star players like Nneka Ogwumike and Candace Parker exited Southern California for greener pastures.
This is a crossroads for the organization with two options available: either return to glory and have this be a bump on the road to success or continue to be a bottom dweller in the WNBA and become a relic of what once was.
It’s too early to give a final grade, but considering how LA did in Monday’s WNBA Draft, it seems they are back on track. The Sparks drafted Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson and McKenzie Forbes to usher in this new era of Sparks basketball.
The day after the draft, head coach Curt Miller said to the media:
Last night really felt like the start of what I came here to do, which was to build the Sparks back into a championship franchise that they’ve been and help it serve these players, become a legacy program again.
Cameron Brink’s selection as No. 2 is a clear highlight; she’s a potential franchise player for the Sparks. As a senior at Stanford, Brink averaged a near double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 9.1 rebounds per game. She also was named Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. Her elite rim protection and scoring ability made her the no-brainer to go No. 2. With Nneka Ogwumike now in Seattle, Los Angeles hopes Brink can carry on the tradition and be the next great big for the franchise.
The Sparks not only had the No. 2 pick, but also selected at No. 4. Many mock drafts expected the Sparks to going with South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso, but after Chicago snatched her up at No. 3, that option was gone. We’ll never know if LA would have gone the two bigs route with Brink and Cardoso, but we do know they drafted wing Rickea Jackson out of Tennessee with their fourth pick.
Jackson is a certified bucket who averaged 16.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the Lady Vols. Her scoring ability and versatility are hard to come by, and she’ll provide the Sparks with the dynamic wing that they’ve been missing for seasons.
During her presser with the media, Jackson said all the right things and gave some insights into what makes her so competitive, not only as a player but also as a person. She shared:
I just want to win no matter what I want to do, what it takes to win. I love winning cultures. It’s just everything is better when you are winning. For as long as I can remember, I’ve just been the most competitive person. I’m going to always give that to my brothers. Growing up, the only girl in an all boys household, it kind of makes you a little tough. It makes you super competitive, battling with them every day, everything is who’s going to win, who’s going to lose.
The third and final selection for the Sparks was USC’s McKenzie Forbes at No. 28. She was integral in the Trojans’ rise back to prominence, and USC legend Cheryl Miller made the official call announcing her selection.
Forbes will be fighting for her roster spot, but the gritty guard from Folsom sure seems ready to take on that challenge. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Forbes said:
I’m just excited to be here with an incredible organization that has a lot of history and wins championships. So just want to thank my family, my team this past year and my staff and everyone who’s helped me get to this point. Obviously just a dream come true to be here and to be able to stay in LA and play in front of a lot of the fans that I played in front of this year. Just super blessed and thankful to the organization.
This new era of Sparks basketball has begun with positive vibes and excellent grades on the direction of the organization. Still, draft night, media availability and talking with coaches and general managers are all good, but it’s fluff. In Los Angeles, winning is the only thing that matters; everything else is a distraction.
So far, the Sparks have won the PR battle, but it’s the competition on the basketball court that will decide if this is the start of a new day, or if the supposedly new Sparks remain far from the great Sparks’ teams of lore. Maybe it’s the start of a new year talking, but consider me a dreamer who believes in this organization’s direction. And I’m guessing I’m not the only one.
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