Perseverance paying off for older rookies in the WNBA
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Yvonne Anderson understood that making a WNBA roster as an undrafted rookie was going to be tough and getting that chance a decade after
she left college would be even tougher.
But the former Texas standout, now 32, was invited to camp this
spring by the Connecticut Sun, who had been following her international career. She played in numerous countries, eventually
becoming a Serbian citizen and making a
name for herself on that nation’s Olympic team last summer. She
averaged 14 points
and scored 15 in a loss to the United States at the Tokyo Games.
“If you don’t watch overseas basketball, if you’re not scouting
specifically for me then you might not
have heard of me before the Olympics,” Anderson said. “But, being seen in the United States and facing the United States and having, like, a good
showing, it didn’t hurt at all.”
And despite arriving late from overseas
commitments, she impressed the Sun
enough to make the roster, becoming the
oldest rookie in the WNBA since Marion Jones entered the
league back in 2010 at age 34.
“Right now, I’m just trying to fill a role with my team and
show them I know how to play,” Anderson said before making her season debut in the Sun’s home
opener Saturday. “But, knowing that I’ve
made it to the top league, it’s another check mark for me. It’s one of the last things I
haven’t done and it’s an amazing feeling to
be able to play at home.”
Anderson, whose father is St. John’s men’s coach Mike Anderson,
is one of several older WNBA rookies, most of whom also made a
name for themselves playing professionally
overseas or for national teams.
Those include Anderson’s teammate for
Serbia, Tina Krajisnik, and Rebekah Gardner, who are both 31-yearold rookies with the defending champion Chicago Sky. The Washington Mystics
have 29-year-old Rui Machida from Japan, who like Anderson and Krajisnik, raised
her profile at the Tokyo Olympics. She led Japan to a silver medal.
“Obviously, in the Olympics I had confidence playing against team USA,” she said through an interpreter
WNBA,
will be the first with three co-hosts. FIFA selected the bid as joint host in June 2018.
Sixty games are to be played in the U.S., including all from the
quarterfinals on. Canada and Mexico are to
host 10 games each. Chicago, Minneapolis and Arizona dropped
out in March 2018 because of what city officials said were burdensome financial demands by FIFA. At the time, Charlotte, North Carolina; Las Vegas; Salt Lake City;
and Tampa, Florida, were cut.fedex Field
in Landover, Maryland, withdrew in April.montreal
dropped out last August after the Quebec provincial government withdrew its
support. It was replaced in April by Vancouver, British Columbia, which made
an initial bid in 2017, then said in March 2018 it had been rejected because it refused to comply with FIFA’S requirements that include tax waivers and putting agreements
under Swiss law.the remaining areas and
stadiums:
UNITED STATES
Arlington, Texas, AT&T Stadium; Atlanta, Mercedes-benz
Stadium; Baltimore, M&T Bank Stadium; Cincinnati, Paul
Brown Stadium; Denver, Empower Field at Mile High; East Rutherford, New Jersey, Metlife Stadium; Foxborough, Massachusetts, Gillette Stadium; Houston, NRG Stadium; Inglewood, California, Sofi Stadium; Kansas City, Missouri, Arrowhead Stadium; Miami Gardens, Florida, Hard Rock Stadium; Nashville, Tennessee, Nissan
Stadium; Orlando, Florida, Camping World Stadium; Pasadena, California, Rose
Bowl; Philadelphia, Lincoln Financial Field; Santa Clara, California, Levi’s Stadium; Seattle, Lumen Field.
CANADA
Edmonton, Alberta, Commonwealth Stadium; Toronto, BMO Field; Vancouver, British Columbia, B.C. Place.
MEXICO
Guadalajara, Estadio Akron; Mexico City, Estadio Azteca; Monterrey, Estadio
BBVA.