WNBA Los Angeles Sparks rookie Cameron Brink tears ACL...

[posty 2,661]

That really sucks to have that happen in your rookie season as a professional, in any sport...

Plus she was on the USA 3x3 Olympic team, so she will obviously will need to be replaced...

What changes does USA Basketball make to its 3x3 roster?

Pelton: Based on FIBA's 3x3 rules, USA Basketball must replace Brink with another player who has sufficient qualifying points in 3x3 competitions, meaning the USA can't simply pick Aliyah Boston after she was left out of the Olympic roster for the traditional 5-on-5 team.

Additionally, USA Basketball will probably want to fill Brink's spot with another post to complement guard Hailey Van Lith, wing Rhyne Howard and fellow post Cierra Burdick. Looking through the FIBA individual rankings, the most logical replacement is Hamby, who automatically qualifies by ranking among the top 20 U.S. players in 3x3 points.

Hamby is having an All-Star season in the WNBA -- she was among the picks by ESPN's Alexa Philppou for the roster that will take on the USA's 5-on-5 Olympic team in this year's WNBA All-Star Game -- and brings more 3x3 experience than other players of that ilk.

If USA Basketball is less concerned about replacing Brink's size, Howard's Atlanta Dream teammate Allisha Gray would be another strong candidate after helping the USA win the inaugural 3x3 gold in 2021 in Tokyo. Or the USA could bring back Katie Lou Samuelson of the Indiana Fever, who was set to be part of the team three years ago before contracting COVID-19 and missing out.

Voepel: Agree with Kevin: Hamby, Samuelson or Gray appear to be the best picks to replace Brink, who has put in a lot of time with 3x3. It's heartbreaking she will miss the Olympics, something Samuelson understands all too well.

Last year, Brink was MVP of the FIBA 3x3 Women's World Cup in Vienna, Austria, as the United States won gold. She also competed in two 2023 FIBA 3x3 Women's Series stops as the Americans were second in both Montreal and Quebec.

The 3x3 tournament proved really popular among U.S. viewers in 2021, when Gray, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Stefanie Dolson won gold. Young and Plum are now on the 5-on-5 team for Paris, which might be in Brink's future.

https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/40387794/sparks-rookie-forward-cameron-brink-suffers-torn-acl

[seafoam1 2,882]

Oh NO!!

[EternalShinyAndChrome 3,992]

Hang on a second:  Brinks is rookie like Clark but SHE made the USA basketball team and Clark didn't?  WTF?  Racism?

[IGotWorms 4,057]

I’d climb that spire

[MLCKAA 563]

5 minutes ago, IGotWorms said:

I’d climb that spire

Mommy 

[edjr 6,579]

of all the sh1t Posty doesn’t care about he cares about WNBA???

[seafoam1 2,882]

1 hour ago, IGotWorms said:

I’d climb that spire

And then get arrested again. 

[RaiderHaters Revenge 4,299]

Jeezus you bunch of woke focking retards. Who gives a sh1t about women’s sports. 

[Patented Phil 1,469]

Thanks posty. 

[Maximum Overkill 1,884]

Damn, there goes my WNBA Fantasy squad! 

[posty 2,661]

12 hours ago, EternalShinyAndChrome said:

Hang on a second:  Brinks is rookie like Clark but SHE made the USA basketball team and Clark didn't?  WTF?  Racism?

Brink has 3x3 experience (winning gold at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 World Cup and Brink won the MVP), where Clark does not...  USA Basketball favors 3x3 experience in this event...

[posty 2,661]

10 hours ago, edjr said:

of all the sh1t Posty doesn’t care about he cares about WNBA???

I have watched a lot of women's basketball in high school due to a close family friend playing varsity basketball since her freshman year there...  She set the all-time scoring record (both boys and girls) for the school during her career...  She is playing in college, so I have continued to watch a lot of the game...

[iam90sbaby 2,541]

12 hours ago, RaiderHaters Revenge said:

Jeezus you bunch of woke focking retards. Who gives a sh1t about women’s sports. 

Based.

[Hawkeye21 2,390]

3 hours ago, posty said:

I have watched a lot of women's basketball in high school due to a close family friend playing varsity basketball since her freshman year there...  She set the all-time scoring record (both boys and girls) for the school during her career...  She is playing in college, so I have continued to watch a lot of the game...

Do you think it's insecurity that makes them this way?  Piss and moan about everything.

[posty 2,661]

22 hours ago, Hawkeye21 said:

Do you think it's insecurity that makes them this way?  Piss and moan about everything.

Possibly...  During her high school career, she was the scorer and would draw the defenders and get a lot of assists...  Most of the girls on the team wanted to win and accepted that the ball had to go through her...  Plus she was the best shooter as well, so it made sense...

But I think that does change in college...  It seems that everyone that plays in college has a chip on their shoulders, coming from a top player to a bunch of top players, so if it doesn't continue at that level, that is when the insecurity and resentment begins for sure...  I saw that with the family friend...  She didn't play a lot her freshman year and complained a lot about the upperclassmen that started instead of her...

[posty 2,661]

A very good article about who the USA can select for the 3x3 Olympic tournament and why Clark and Reese can't be selected...

https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/caitlin-clark-and-angel-reese-cannot-replace-cameron-brink-on-team-usas-olympic-3x3-team-but-heres-who-can/

Earlier this week, Los Angeles Sparks rookie Cameron Brink tore her ACL during a loss to the Connecticut Sun. The injury will keep the No. 2 overall pick out for the remainder of the WNBA season, and she'll also miss the Paris Olympics, where she was set to represent Team USA on the 3x3 squad. 

USA Basketball will now need to decide on a replacement for Brink in short order with the festivities in Paris set to begin in just over a month on July 26. But it's not as simple as just picking any player they want as there are specific rules regarding 3x3 eligibility.

Each player registered with FIBA for 3x3 play has an individual ranking that is "calculated based on the 9 best results in FIBA-endorsed events played in the last 12 months." For the Olympics, FIBA requires that the four-player rosters for each country feature:

• 2 players ranked within the top 10 of their country
• 2 players ranked within the top 50 of their country, or have the minimum number of ranking points

In addition to Brink, the current Team USA group features former WNBA player Cierra Burdick, Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard and TCU guard Hailey Van Lith. Burdick (ranked third among U.S. players) and Van Lith (ranked fifth) satisfy the first requirement. 

Thus, the replacement for Brink only needs to be in the top 50 of American players or have the minimum number of ranking points. FIBA's website is not clear on what that minimum number is, and their official document regarding Olympic eligibility does not mention points at all. Here is what that document says:

"To be eligible to participate in the Olympic games, all athletes must have a confirmed account at play.fiba3x3.com and at least two (2) athletes, out of the four (4) per team, have to be ranked within the top 10 of their national individual ranking (only athletes with verified eligibility are considered) on 24 June 2024 (i.e. two weeks before the Paris 2024 Sport Entries deadline on 8 July 2024; while the other two (2) athletes on the team, have to be either ranked within the top 10 of their national individual ranking (only athletes with verified eligibility are considered) on 24 June 24 or have participated in minimum one (1) FIBA 3x3 Official Competition between 1 January 2023 and 24 June 2024."

There are hundreds of Americans who have participated in at least one FIBA-sanctioned 3x3 event since the start of 2023, and the vast majority of them are unknown. That group does not include the likes of Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston or Washington Mystics forward Stefanie Dolson (who won a gold medal with Team USA's 3x3 team at the Tokyo Olympics). 

And despite being two of the biggest rising stars in the WNBA, neither Caitlin Clark nor Angel Reese are eligible as they both have no ranking points.

It's not worth listing out all of the eligible Americans, though you can click the link to see for yourself if you're so inclined. Instead, here is a short list of five potential replacements:

Dearica Hamby -- F, Los Angeles Sparks

Hamby, who is playing the best basketball of her life right now for the Sparks, is the most obvious choice to take Brink's spot. She's not quite as big as Brink, but she does fill the void of a versatile frontcourt player. Plus, she not only has 3x3 experience, she has proven she can excel on the biggest stage. In December, she was named MVP of the AmeriCup and hit the game-winning shot in the gold medal game against Brazil. 

Katie Lou Samuelson -- F, Indiana Fever

Samuelson made Team USA's 3x3 squad for the Tokyo Olympics but tested positive for COVID-19 shortly before the games and was unable to make the trip. While she didn't make the initial cut this time around, she would be a viable replacement. She also won a gold medal at the AmeriCup in December and said before that event that she feels she has "unfinished business" at the international level. Though she wouldn't offer as much versatility as Hamby, or the defensive acumen of Brink, she would give the team an elite outside shooter, and that's extremely valuable in 3x3 which scores by 1s and 2s instead of 2s and 3s. 

Camille Zimmerman -- F

Most WNBA fans are likely not familiar with Zimmerman, who did participate in training camp with the Minnesota Lynx in 2018, but has not played a game in the league. An undersized forward with a knack for rebounding, Zimmerman has played all over the world overseas and has extensive 3x3 experience with Team USA. Most recently, she was also a part of that gold medal-winning AmeriCup team alongside Hamby and Samuelson. She will likely not be USA Basketball's first call, but she deserves to be in the mix considering her commitment to the program. 

Sarah Strong -- F, UConn

If you're looking for an outside-the-box suggestion, how about the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2024? She is currently playing in the U18 AmeriCup in Colombia, but that tournament is set to end on June 23, so her calendar would be clear by the Olympics. She led Team USA to the gold medal at the U18 3x3 World Cup in both 2022 and 2023 and has a versatile game tailor-made for this format. She has to be considered a long shot, but it would be fun to see Strong on this stage. 

Allisha Gray -- G, Atlanta Dream

In terms of pure talent, Gray, who is having another strong season for the Dream, would be the second choice behind Hamby from this group. She won a 3x3 gold medal with Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics and was ninth in the entire tournament in scoring, so it's clear she can perform on that level. However, the current American team already has two guards in Howard and Van Lith. If USA Basketball wants a big to replace Brink, then Gray is out of the running. But if they're just looking for the best player available, she has a chance. 

[seafoam1 2,882]

On 6/20/2024 at 1:22 PM, Hawkeye21 said:

Do you think it's insecurity that makes them this way?  Piss and moan about everything.

To think that no woman can be competative in the nba is piss and moaning? It's just a fact. Do people have to be designated as insecure to know a fact? 

It's fine you like it. It would be better if you had quality betting tips on the games.