In the Golden State Valkyries’ third offensive possession in their preseason game against the Los Angeles Sparks, Monique Billings received the ball just past the halfway line.
Billings passed the ball to Tiffany Hayes and ran towards the basket, surpassing her defender and being completely alone in the mid-range. Hayes returned the ball to her and Billings scored the shot.
This was a moment that took 19 months to materialize: the first basket in Golden State history.
Tuesday’s game, which ended in an 83-82 home loss to the Sparks, marked the debut of the Valkyries, the team’s first encounter and the first glimpse of what will be the new WNBA franchise since 2008.
They’ve been working on this since 2016, so seeing it come to fruition is incredible. For us to be the first to wear this jersey and then go out and see this fanbase, it was amazing. To be able to count on our fans who give us that energy, to be a sixth man on the court, especially for the first game, they never wavered. It’s huge.
Kayla Thornton
Tuesday’s morning workout was the first time the team did any official basketball activity at Chase Center. For the past few months, coach Natalie Nakase has used a whiteboard with the same purple sideline and baseline markings as her actual court. But until the workout, that was as close as she had gotten to the real thing.
Upon stepping onto Chase for the morning practice, Nakase began to take in the magnitude of his home court. He took a lap around the stadium, familiarizing himself with his new surroundings.
At the game, the Chase Center crowd, with 17,428 people, made it clear that they had wanted a WNBA team for a long time. The stadium was full of fans dressed in purple Valkyries gear, singing and cheering from the moment Golden State was down by 14 points, until they rallied in the third quarter.
With a minute left in the period, Kate Martin drew a foul on a three-pointer and, before sinking the three free throws, took a moment to turn to the fans and raise her arms, eliciting a deafening roar.
After the Valkyries made a stop on the other end, Laeticia Amihere hit a three-pointer from the corner to give Golden State their first lead in the game and the crowd erupted.
Our fanbase showed up. I feel very fortunate for all these fans who showed up at a preseason game. But they not only showed up, they made noise. It felt like a playoff game. That’s how it felt and you could see our players feeding off their passion. Every time there was a dive on the floor or a block or a hard foul, the fans responded.
Natalie Nakase
The third quarter was where Golden State showed the “killer” identity it’s trying to adopt this season, outscoring Los Angeles 31-18 in the period.
After scoring 1 of 14 three-pointers in the first half, the Valkyries were confident that their shots would start to fall and, once they did, they would get into an offensive rhythm.
Golden State finished the night with 42.4% field goal shooting, including 21.4% from three-pointers.
I told them when we entered the locker room, please, don’t get discouraged. This is the first time we’ve all played together and we’re learning a new system. We’ve exceeded our expectations of how this first game was going to be.
Kayla Thornton
Her career was spearheaded by a bench unit consisting of Martin, Carla Leite, Julie Vanloo, Kyara Linskens, and Amihere, who led the team with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
It’s the rhythm: they found their rhythm in that unit.
Natalie Nakase
Playing with rhythm is something he has repeatedly mentioned when talking about his team’s offensive identity.
It all depends on the stops they get, but also on running to the right places. They flowed a little better than the other units.
Natalie Nakase
Nakase plans to try different groups and combinations during the rest of the preseason before deciding on his starting five and established rotation, but he believes that, with his style, he can fit anyone.
While the Valkyries build their base, they emphasize a “process over results” mentality. And, despite the defeat, Tuesday was the next step in that process.
My first words to my coaches when we met were how proud I am. I feel like a mother, but we have worked very hard. We’ve had a couple of double days and we’ve really given it our all. So to see everything unfold in a preseason game in front of that crowd, I feel very proud.
Natalie Nakase
