On the morning of the Golden State Valkyries growth draft, Veronica Burton obtained a telephone name that may immediately change her life. The WNBA’s latest franchise, situated in San Francisco, was planning on choosing her from the Connecticut Solar’s checklist of unprotected gamers.
Burton, whereas taking part in skilled basketball in Australia, discovered she would quickly want to maneuver to the Bay Space, a area she had by no means even visited. Her one-season tenure in Uncasville, Connecticut— a small city just a few hours away from her hometown in Newton, Massachusetts — was coming to a sudden finish.
The growth draft, which befell on Dec. 7 and noticed 11 gamers get chosen, offered a method for the Valkyries to assemble their inaugural roster. Of the 11 gamers drafted, 8 performed within the WNBA final season: Phoenix Mercury ahead Monique Billings, Washington Mystics guard Julie Vanloo, Las Vegas Aces guard Kate Martin, New York Liberty ahead Kayla Thornton, Indiana Fever ahead Temi Fagbenle, Minnesota Lynx ahead Cecilia Zandalasini, Los Angeles Sparks ahead Stephanie Talbot, and Burton, a guard who spent final season returning residence to play for the Connecticut Solar after beginning her profession with two seasons on the Dallas Wings.
The foundations have been easy: every crew might shield six gamers, however groups weren’t required to share these lists with the gamers themselves. All of these gamers have been eligible to be chosen by Golden State as a result of they have been left unprotected by their WNBA groups.
Some knew prematurely that they have been unprotected and subsequently prone to being drafted. Others didn’t.
Behind-the-scenes within the WNBA growth draft
WNBA followers and media had loads of enjoyable making mock drafts and predictions (we right here at SB Nation additionally partook within the train). It’s comprehensible; growth offers a uncommon alternative for followers to play normal supervisor — and given the truth that it’s been 16 years since growth final befell within the W, there was a wholesome urge for food to take action.
However, for the gamers themselves, growth is actual life.
So, what’s it wish to have your destiny decided by a draft?
“It’s undoubtedly a mixture of feelings – however the high one being pleasure, for certain,” Burton instructed SB Nation. “It’s an unimaginable alternative, and only a blessing, to be part of this draft and of historical past. With the ability to play within the inaugural season and within the Bay Space is one thing that I might have by no means even dreamed of. It’s one thing that I don’t wish to take as a right.”
For Burton, a hard-nosed defender who had established herself as an efficient backup level guard, the method was made simpler as a result of the Connecticut Solar opted to tell her earlier than the draft that she was not one among their six protected gamers.
“From a psychological standpoint, it simply gave me extra perception,” Burton stated. “They have been very clear and clear about it. I feel that was useful. I knew it was a chance — I knew I might nonetheless be in Connecticut, or I knew I may very well be picked up on this draft. There’s nonetheless some nerves or anxiousness, however it wasn’t essentially a ‘left at midnight’ anxiousness.”
However, not each franchise gave unprotected gamers the identical heads up — the WNBA didn’t require it, and the unprotected gamers lists weren’t made public.
Newly appointed Solar normal supervisor Morgan Tuck instructed SB Nation that determining who to guard was troublesome (within the Solar’s case, backup massive Olivia Nelson-Ododa was possible protected over Burton).
“There’s a purpose why they put a restrict on what number of you may shield, and it’d be simple in the event you might shield everybody that you recognize you don’t wish to lose,” Tuck stated. “People who we ended up not defending — it doesn’t imply that they’re not needed. It’s onerous when it’s a must to go away folks out or shield sure folks over others.”
Burton landed in Connecticut in June after being waived by the Dallas Wings early within the 2024 season. Immediately, it was an ideal match. She performed 19.3 minutes per sport within the 2024 playoffs, averaging 4.9 factors and 1.9 assists. Within the first spherical towards the Indiana Fever, she was typically tasked with guarding Fever star Caitlin Clark.
“I’m extraordinarily grateful for them,” Burton stated of the Solar group. “I simply discovered my rhythm, my confidence there.”
Had she returned to Connecticut, she’d be taking a look at a drastically totally different crew, anyway. Stephanie White, who coached the Solar final season, is now the Fever’s head coach, and he or she introduced her high assistants together with her to Indiana. Rachid Meziane, a French skilled basketball coach, will possible convey a brand-new employees with him to Connecticut.
Nonetheless, it was a tenure that gave Burton a crucial perspective.
“They’re not there, however they simply instilled in me a confidence that I struggled with at occasions within the W,” she stated. “They simply valued me. They knew what I delivered to the desk, and so they let me be me. And similar with the gamers — each participant taught me one thing new.”
Tuck echoed Burton’s sentiments.
“Clearly, we have been unhappy to see Veronica chosen to be taken — she was nice,” Tuck stated. “I feel everybody can see simply how nice of an individual she was, and as a participant as effectively.”
Veronica Burton was balling out in Australia when she obtained picked
Proper now, the 24-year-old level guard is within the midst of a standout season with the Bendigo Spirit within the Girls’s Nationwide Basketball League (WNBL) in Australia. She’s averaging 14.5 factors, 6.3 rebounds, and 4 assists per sport in her first season within the WNBL.
“It’s undoubtedly an excellent aggressive league, which is one thing that I needed coming right here,” Burton stated. “It’s challenged me in numerous methods, but additionally stretched me for the very best. My crew has been nice. it’s been a very clean transition, particularly culturally. It’s not too massive of a shift as a result of there’s no language barrier.”
This winter, there are two home skilled ladies’s basketball leagues for WNBA gamers seeking to keep within the US — Unmatched and Athletes Limitless — however Burton opted to play in a extra conventional 5-on-5 league abroad, explaining she felt that within the first few offseasons of her profession, that’d be most helpful.
Waiting for the Valkyries’ upcoming season
Veronica Burton hasn’t had a lot of a possibility to talk extensively together with her new Valkyries coaches and teammates, because the group’s incoming gamers are at present scattered everywhere in the world.
Julie Vanloo, Temi Fagbenle, Iliana Rupert, and Cecilia Zandalasini are taking part in in Turkey. Monique Billings is in China. Burton and Stephanie Talbot are in Australia, Maria Conde is in Czechoslovakia, Carla Leite in France, and Kate Martin in Miami. The Valkyries completely epitomize the globalized nature of the ladies’s sport and the present
However, Burton has gotten to talk with Kayla Thornton — who she beforehand performed with in Dallas — and her new head coach, Natalie Nakase. The message has been clear: the Valkyries have assembled an ultra-competitive, hard-working group.
“All of us have a chip on our shoulder, and we’re all able to compete,” Burton stated. “Everybody form of assumes, you recognize, ‘first yr, we’ll see what they will do. Simply benefit from what you may have.’ However when you may have simply form of the mindset that you just’re hungry and the underdog mindset — a minimum of for me, I don’t know, I’ve actually excessive expectations for this yr. The grittiness will come out and simply the eagerness and pleasure to play.”
On the day of the growth draft, Nakase defined that the incoming Valkyries gamers can have a “ridiculous work ethic” and an “ultra-competitive mindset”, qualities that have been non-negotiable for all chosen gamers.
“The excessive character will actually come via,” Burton stated. “And I actually do suppose that goes a good distance in terms of successful, and [establishing] a successful tradition and a successful program. Simply excited to be part of it and observe their lead.”
This text is the fifth installment of SB Nation’s new “WNBA Defined” sequence, a weekly column diving deep into totally different matters associated to ladies’s basketball. You possibly can learn final week’s column about Athletes Limitless right here.
