A’ja Wilson, two games into her WNBA career, is adjusting to additional attention off the court and on it, where she’s been hounded by double and triple teams as the focal point of opposing defenses.
Sam Gordon
Reporter: UNLV
Email: sgordon@reviewjournal.com
X: @BySamGordon
Sam Gordon was born and raised in Minneapolis and is back for his second stint with the Review-Journal. He’s covered the NFL, NBA, the Big Ten, the Mountain West and prep sports for various publications during his professional tenure. Gordon, a University of Minnesota graduate, is a basketball junkie who coached high school basketball for three seasons.
Troy Brown, now 18 and one of the most accomplished high school basketball players in Las Vegas history, is back in his hometown preparing to play in the NBA after a brief detour at Oregon.
Guards Kayla McBride and Kelsey Plum concluded their seasons in Turkey at the beginning of the week and joined the Aces on Thursday.
The Aces had one day to regroup as they search for the first victory in franchise history at Capital One Arena in Washington.
The Aces have signed second-year guard Lindsay Allen to complete their 12-woman WNBA roster. Las Vegas coach Bill Laimbeer drafted Allen in the second round last year when he was with the New York Liberty.
Bill Laimbeer’s resume brims with championships — two as a power forward with the NBA’s Detroit Pistons and three as a coach with the defunct Detroit Shock of the WNBA.
The Centennial girls and Bishop Gorman boys won the Class 4A state track and field championships Saturday at Carson High School.
Rancho’s 800-meter relay team completed the race in 1 minute, 39.64 seconds to win the Class 4A girls state track and field championship for the second consecutive year and set a stadium record at Carson High School.
The Bulldogs, motivated by their loss in the state semifinals a year ago, completed a dominant season — they didn’t lose a set during the region or state tournaments — with a 25-21, 25-18, 25-22 victory over Foothill.
The Aces waived guards Sydney Colson and Morgan William on Thursday, and temporarily suspended guards Kelsey Plum and Kayla McBride. They also waived forward Valeriane Ayayi, who never reported to training camp.
Joey Fox ran the 100-meter dash in a state-best time of 10.67 seconds to win the Sunset Region championship Saturday and is one of the Bengals’ most successful athletes.
Las Vegan Sequoia Holmes was among three cuts made by the Aces on Wednesday. They also waived forwards Cierra Burdick and Ivey Slaughter, giving them 13 players in camp.
The Falcons (32-11) followed their first-ever Sunrise Region championship with a grueling 26-24, 23-25, 24-26, 25-21, 15-13 win over host Arbor View (29-10).
The Aces signed Shoni Schimmel over the weekend, hoping she can alleviate some of their 3-point shooting woes. She last played for the New York Liberty under Aces coach Bill Laimbeer in 2016 and is a two-time all-star.
Caleb Stearman, as a 6-foot-5-inch All-Sunrise Reigon setter, has helped propel the Falcons to their first-ever Class 4A state boys volleyball tournament, and is eyeing the school’s first state championship.
