MEDLEY, Fla. (AP) — Los Angeles Sparks guard Rae Burrell could name a list of improvements she's made in her game while playing at Unrivaled during the WNBA offseason.
Her defense. Her court vision. Her passing. Her confidence. The new 3-on-3 women's basketball league has been a launchpad for Burrell as she enters her fourth WNBA season.
"I'm able to take back a lot of new information about the game, about me as a person," said Burrell, who's team Vinyl will play Rose BC in Monday's Unrivaled title game. "Even just being able to work with a team my game has improved. Playing against All-Stars and top players is not easy. It's challenging. But it's a challenge I feel like I needed."
Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart set out to give superstar players an offseason option to develop their skills in a competitive environment — while also earning good salaries — when they co-founded Unrivaled.
During its inaugural season, veterans like Collier, Chelsea Gray, Kayla McBride and others took advantage of the intense 3-on-3 play with dominant performances. But one of Unrivaled's biggest successes has been how it has helped rising stars refine their skills and gain confidence to carry into their upcoming WNBA seasons.
“We want you to see how hard we’re going on the court, but the big purpose of this is player development and getting better,” Stewart said. "Before Unrivaled happened, it would be, you play in the W, you go overseas. There’s not time to really like work on your game or figure out what you did right or wrong in one season to the next.
“For me, to see (young players) continue to get comfortable, take feedback really, really well and try to implement it, whether from the vets or the coaches, is something that’s really important.”
Monday's championship game between Rose and Vinyl will feature some of the WNBA's most electric rising stars who made their mark during Unrivaled's eight-week regular season.
Angel Reese, who is coming off a record-setting rookie season with the WNBA's Chicago Sky, helped Rose BC secure the No. 2 seed in Unrivaled's playoffs.
Reese was named Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league with 12.1 rebounds per game. She led Rose with eight blocked shots and anchored Unrivaled’s best scoring defense, which held opponents to 65.2 points per game. Reese also had a 22-point, 21-rebound game on Feb. 21, when Rose handed Collier and the Lunar Owls their only loss of the regular season.
Reese has developed as a facilitator. Her Unrivaled teammates and opponents have praised her leadership and basketball intelligence. She has also worked with four-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie at Unrivaled on finishing around the rim.
“Being able to see my growth — I put in the work,” Reese said last month. “A lot of people don’t see the work I put in. It’s great to see it come out there. But obviously I’m not done yet, and this is just the beginning.”
Reese will not play in Monday's final because of a hand injury, which also sidelined her for Rose's semifinal win over Laces BC.
Games at Unrivaled are fast and physical and consist of some of the best basketball players in the world. Players are also trained by coaches who have WNBA and NBA experience — from Naismith Hall of Famer Teresa Weatherspoon to longtime NBA assistant Phil Handy.
Rhyne Howard, who is entering her fourth season with the Atlanta Dream, soaked in as much information as she could from her Vinyl coach Weatherspoon and veteran teammate Dearica Hamby, a WNBA champ and three-time All-Star.
Howard has been one of the most consistent Unrivaled players this season, dominating on both ends of the floor. She averaged a team-high 20.5 points per game, the fourth-most in the league, and led Vinyl in 3-pointers (36).
“For me, it’s just been about being able to not only continue to create an open space, but still being able to make everybody better in such a short game,” Howard said. “I think that’s really been key to my success. And then also just the consistency that I’ve been trying to build upon.”
Aaliyah Edwards, who at 22 is one of the youngest players at Unrivaled, was the breakout star of the midseason 1-on-1 tournament. Edwards said playing alongside veterans like Stewart and Jewell Loyd on Mist BC has helped her elevate her game.
Edwards upset Stewart in the first round of Unrivaled's midseason 1-on-1 tournament en route to a runner-up finish behind Collier. Making it that far was a confidence booster for Edwards as she prepares for just her second WNBA season with the Washington Mystics.
“This is the first time I really got the chance to just be in the gym each and every day and work on my game,” Edwards said afterward, “work on challenging myself, doing something that is going to make me be successful in the summer for the upcoming W season. What I can take away from the 1-on-1 is — I can say that I’m a three-level scorer and make sure that translates over to the 5-on-5.”
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