Chaos reigned over the final moments between Laces Basketball Club and Mist Basketball Club. With the target score set at 82, the two teams came agonizingly close as rushed layups, three-pointers and desperation passes filled the final sequence. Amid the scramble, the deciding moment went to Breanna Stewart. Calm under pressure, she walked to the line and made the winning free throw, sealing an 83-81 victory and the Mist Basketball Club’s second straight victory.
“It’s just part of the game. You don’t necessarily want to see a game end like that with any sort of controversy or challenge, but I think the main thing is to stay calm and keep our team together,” Mist coach Zach O’Brien said. as he shared his views on the game.
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“There are always going to be outside factors involved, so you just have to block them out and control what you can, and I think we just have to be quicker to adapt to the referees, and they’re not going to change, so you have to,” the coach added.
Everything seems okay when the whistle goes in your favor. The real test comes when this is not the case. That’s the question many in the league are asking today. The contact that sparked the controversy seemed minimal on first viewing, but it sparked fierce debate. What followed was less about the call itself and more about how teams and players react when the margins are so slim.
But there’s also some truth behind Breanna Stewart’s coach’s take on the matter. As a coach, you cannot control external factors. Your skill pretty much ends at the glass, and that’s all there is to it. So you need to get your readings quickly and quickly.
But as they say, all is fair in love and war, so Stewart should be happy with the eventual results. Well, that’s it for Breanna Stewart’s battle on the field; Aside from that, she is also engrossed in another, more important confrontation regarding the ABC.
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Stewart’s stern warning to her WNBA colleagues
Breanna Stewart has taken on a rare leadership role at a tense time for the WNBA. While negotiations between the WNBA Players Association and the league are ongoing, Stewart urged other players to stay aligned as talks intensify. Discussions have even included a moratorium on free agency and league activities, creating urgency as the scheduled start date draws closer.
After reports of such a proposal surfaced, Stewart was quick to warn her WNBA peers. According to Kendra Andrews, Stewart said players understand that any offer sent without a new CBA should not be recognized.
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Breanna Stewart, with her Unrivaled colleagues Co-founder Napheesa Collier, has consistently spoken out against pay discrimination and been vocal for a better deal with the CBA, but has also faced criticism because she has ownership stakes in both the WNBPA and the Unrivaled League, leading to a conflict of interest.
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Despite missing the deadline (January 9), the WNBPA also failed to find a conclusion on the long-awaited agreement with the league, and shared its disappointment with the entire situation through an official statement.
“Despite our willingness to compromise to reach an agreement, the WNBA and its teams failed to bring us to the table with the same spirit and seriousness. Instead, they remained committed to undervaluing player contributions, ignoring player concerns, and running out of time.”
Now, with things looking closer than ever to a possible lockout, it appears the WNBA this season will be further delayed. With neither party willing to give an inch to their demands, will there be a possibility in the near future that events like Unrivaled and Project B could be the future of women’s basketball? We don’t have an answer yet, but we will surely have it in the coming months.
The position Coach Zach O’Brien sends clear message about unmatched officials after controversial Breanna Stewart call appeared first on EssentiallySport.
