Sparks rookies excited to start a challenging year

LOS ANGELES — It is safe to say that Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson and McKenzie Forbes are looking forward to playing for the Sparks in the WNBA.

The trio of rookies are also ready to cut themselves some slack to navigate the inevitable ups and downs they will face during the upcoming season.

“I think giving ourselves grace is extremely important,” Brink said, who was selected second overall in Monday’s night draft.

The 6-4 forward from Stanford averaged a double-double with 17.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots as a senior. She was named Pac-12 Player of the Year, the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year, and is currently attending USA 3×3 Women’s National Team training camp, with new Sparks teammate Dearica Hamby among the 17 athletes.

“I think we have to remember that we’re going to be playing against the best female basketball players in the world, so it’s going to be a challenge,” Brink continued. “I think one we’re all looking forward to and then I would also like to talk about how I have some amazing rookies with me. Rickea, I had so much fun with you at the draft. I feel like we’re going to do amazing things together. And I had to play against McKenzie this past year and she got buckets on us, so we were texting each other, how we’re finally excited to be on the same team. I think we’re going to lean on each other and I couldn’t be more excited about our draft class.”

Jackson, a 6-2 forward from Tennessee who averaged 20.2 points and 8.2 rebounds as a senior, also sees the value in relying on her new teammates.

“I’ll have to agree, just giving grace, just knowing that each and every day isn’t going to go the way you want it to go,” Jackson said. “Honestly, just treating it like you’re a freshman in college all over again and knowing there’s going to be adversity, but what it makes is overcoming it, being mentality strong and I feel like staying true to who you are and just knowing you’re here for a reason and staying confident will help us all and lean on the vets.”

The No. 4 pick in the draft said she’s looking forward to playing alongside Zia Cooke, a former teammate and someone she’s known since they were teenagers.

“We played AAU together,” Jackson said when asked about Cooke. “We’ve been friends since I can remember, so just having a person like that that’s pretty familiar with the game and she’s a great player herself, it just helps a lot and I feel like I’m going to lean on her a lot. But just seeing her reaction warmed my heart so much.

“I was just so excited to see how excited she was to have me and welcome me with open arms and Zia is always encouraging me throughout my college career. She’s always just texting me telling me to keep going, how proud of me she is and I’m just grateful to have that.”

Zia Cooke is excited that the Sparks selected Rickea Jackson with the No. 4 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. #WNBADraft pic.twitter.com/a8pOVxFuiV

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) April 16, 2024

Forbes, the team’s third-round pick (28th overall) who began her college career at Harvard and ended it at USC (14.3 points per game), echoed similar sentiments to Brink and Jackson.

“I think your college career puts you through a lot of ups and downs,” Forbes said. “Obviously, it’s a different level, but I think that leaning on those same support systems that got you to this point, leaning on our vets. I think we have a great group of vets. Layshia Clarendon and a lot of the team has already reached out to all of us and like they said, I think the three of us can lean on each other going through the same things at once.”

Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley shared insight into the team’s analytical approach to adding foundational pieces to second-year coach Curt Miller’s roster through the draft.

“We looked at advanced metrics. We looked at traditional metrics. We looked at how they compared at the college level, the WNBA level,” Pebley said during a post-draft media availability. “We looked at win shares, a lot of things that we believed were needs for us as we built out this team. We also looked at things from the eye test, the basketball IQ, especially through Curt’s lens, his system, his experience, providing context around the numbers.”

Miller, whose team finished last season 17-23 and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season, said he believes Brink and Jackson will help improve the team’s overall rebounding and rim protection.

“We feel that they are a really nice combination and they’re both modern basketball,” Miller said.

Miller added that Jackson could also add a scoring punch to a team that averaged 78.9 points per game last season, which ranked 10th of 12 teams in the WNBA.

“I’ll argue with anyone that Rickea might be the best three-level scorer in this draft,” Miller continued.

Pebley stressed the importance of culture and said it was important to learn how the Sparks can help Brink, Jackson and Forbes become successful WNBA players.

“We also wanted to make sure culture fit, that’s the ears,” Pebley said. “What we hear about them, what we hear from them, understanding them more as people, as humans, what resources they need to help them be successful. What’s worked from them in the past and what hasn’t worked for them in getting to their best selves and making sure that we’re an organization where that’s a great marriage and fit.”

The Sparks’ training camp begins April 28. They will play preseason games against the Seattle Storm on May 5 in Edmonton, Alberta, and against the Mercury in Phoenix on May 10.

The final roster cut-down date is May 13. The Sparks will tip off their WNBA season against the Atlanta Dream on May 15 at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid.

“I know we were one game from making the playoffs last year so I feel like we’re right there,” Brink said. “I know that I’m excited to do whatever I can to help the team.”