Looking forward to Liberty-Fire tonight (in-person!), especially how both teams manipulate the middle third. Opening set from NYL yesterday: gut/zoom with a paint seal from the screener Sabally or a flow to remove the help defense. Portland working with some similar concepts...

What's awesome about this Tempo BLOB is how Marina Mabrey executes it. Toronto spams screen-the-screener baseline, so Mercury very much have it on their scout, but Mabrey ghosts the first screen instead of setting the usual backscreen. That catches Brochant a step behind. Game.

Just finished rewatching Fire-Sun. My goodness, what an absolutely unhinged game. Two fighters in the 14th round with little behind their punches but standing in there and throwing them, taking them, and sometimes landing them.

Great coverage read from A'ja Wilson. Hillmon undercuts the screen aggressively, so Wilson cuts/powers through to the rim for an and-one. A baseline inbound play the Dream saw on film, and Hillmon executed the coverage to take away the shot, but Wilson (/LVA?) just countered to great success.

Little programming note: no MMPG today. Got hit with a big new project that required weekend work (can’t get out of that player option soon enough!), so I haven’t been able to clip as many games as I’d like. Will still have content later this week.

Broke down how one small principle of the Valkyries' scheme has contributed flow and character to the WNBA's best offense, how Gabby Williams took over the "most fun game [she's] ever played," and more on 3PT shooting: riseofthevalkyries.substack.com/p/how-golden...

A couple of (the many) clips that didn't make it: The Tempo created two turnovers with Nyara Sabally blitzing the ballscreen, against both Georgia Amoore and Sonia Citron, in the fourth quarter. Veteran technique to hold the screener w/inside and attack ball w/outside hand.

Part two of Monday Morning Point Guard: Aces in the midrange again, Mystics' double big lineups, Storm backcourt of the future, Liberty game plans, Sun PG situation, the Nogić show, and Sparks screen issues. riseofthevalkyries.substack.com/p/monday-mor...

Small gameplan details can make a big difference. Against the Mystics, the Liberty made a point of taking away Rori Harmon's strong right hand drive, and Pauline Astier and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton shaded and "weaked" Harmon to great defensive success. Video:

Fire fans, this is for you!

Wrote about how the Portland Fire are scheming things up offensively, detailing how they execute their ram screens and three across actions, and dialing up the pressure defensively. How the staff’s tactics could make for a fun season at the Fire Pit: riseofthevalkyries.substack.com/p/portland-s...

Monday Morning Point Guard: Xs and Os from across the WNBA (pt. 1). Aliyah Boston's range , Emma Čechová's iso scoring, the Tempo's schemed offense, Dallas' jump ball tactic, Atlanta's UCLA screens, Kamilla Cardoso's quick slips for the Sky + more. riseofthevalkyries.substack.com/p/monday-mor...

I apologize in advance for flooding the inboxes of RotV subscribers this week. A LOT of Xs and Os coming out starting tomorrow, both on the Valkyries and across the WNBA as a whole. riseofthevalkyries.substack.com

@highkin.bsky.social If you would be so kind, DM when you have a moment

Great stuff from Eric as always. Toronto Tempo also ran WTF, in their first, with ex-Valk involvement (Fágbénlé and Conde).

Indiana Fever - top lock counter. Sims top locks Kelsey Mitchell against the offball screen, so Mitchell goes shallow, creating inside leverage for an open lane to the basket and cutting into space when Boston catches (great perimeter spacing and timing).

Couple WNBA notes: love the Lynx add of Emma Cechova. Really good mismatch sense and execution on duck-ins and at the rim, some burst on the bounce, good awareness and execution. Minimal playmaking in Euroleague, but Minnesota won't need that with Miles & Williams.

Wow, GSV waived Kate Martin. I’m sure social media will handle this with reason and nuance. Kate will be eligible for a development spot but is not guaranteed to be offered one or to sign if offered. Also GSV filed for a replacement for Iliana Rupert due to pregnancy.

Mini thread: #WNBA end-of-quarter defensive pressure. Something we saw a lot from Valkyries in 2025. "Punch" (look at Nakase's signal) can let the defense speed up the offense and can net a 2-for-1 possession, or abbreviated opponent last look (statistically valuable), at the end of quarters. (1/4)

Please remember to subscribe before the season starts Friday! Have a TON of season preview content rolling out.

Valkyries signing Miela Sowah to one of their player development spot is necessarily unexpected. Guard depth, shooting (from a team perspective) and age-appropriate role with path to more (from a player perspective) One development spot left.

Wrote about Marta Suárez and Ashlon Jackson from the Valkyries' preseason game, and whether years of draft history and results had us asking the wrong questions about Golden State's second-round picks. How will the developmental spots turn out? riseofthevalkyries.substack.com/p/last-of-th...

Quick update—the plan was to have another post out this morning, but some technical issues foiled that plan. I’ll have a more stats-first piece up over the weekend or Monday at the latest, and then get more and more frequent as the regular season gets going.

Anyone else unable to screen record WNBA league pass? Live and past games. With subscription.

Before tip-off: would appreciate if you would give @valkyriesbeat.bsky.social a sub if you haven't yet. Already, ya'll have made it possible for a full, dedicated Valkyries-only beat, and everything else just makes it even MORE exciting glad to be back, Ballhalla :) www.valkyriesbeat.com/subscribe

The Valkyries are back. On how Gabby Williams' defensive traits fit Golden State's statistical profile, Justė Jocytė arrival, and who the best expansion team in WNBA history might become. riseofthevalkyries.substack.com/p/the-valkyr...

Tomorrow: The Valkyries are back (on Saturday, at least). So is the Rise. Who the Valkyries might want to grow into, the Gabby Williams effect, and the Justė Jocytė arrival. riseofthevalkyries.substack.com

Friends, I am thrilled to introduce you to Valkyries Beat. This is where I will be writing about the Golden State Valkyries this season, running a full beat and -- with your help as subscribers -- back on the road. www.valkyriesbeat.com

Congrats to Lauren Betts and UCLA!

The Warriors organization asked me to make some videos for their YT channel. Here is the second video! Explain: How Jimmy Butler III made Steve Kerr evolve the Warriors Offense by Eric Apricot On waterbenders and earthbenders uniting and electromagnetic celebrations

Olivia Miles Draft Profile: bit.ly/4rsWQFN

I did a deep dive on Olivia Miles, including clips & data on her drive tendencies and common coverage counters, defensive pros and cons, and WNBA projection/fit for all six 2026 lottery picks. For @herhoopstats.com: herhoopstats.substack.com/p/olivia-mil...

Got another scouting report dropping tomorrow, this time on Olivia Miles, which breaks down her drive tendencies and common coverage counters, defensive pros/cons, and WNBA projection. In the meantime, here's the updated EuroLeague Women advanced team stats table:

Not much change in lottery luck this year, but Dallas picks up its second lottery win in two years. Since 2010, the Aces have been one of the luckiest lotto teams, winning 2 of 5, while the Dream have dropped more spots on average than anyone (and the Sky are 0-fer).

Before tonight's WNBA draft lottery, a look back at which teams have fared best in the lottery since 2011. The Aces have been one of the luckiest lotto teams, winning 2 of 5, while the Dream have dropped more spots on average than anyone. Data via @acrossthetimeline.com

Examining the UCLA star's game and how it projects to the WNBA level. Newsletter by Josiah Cohen: bit.ly/44cK0By

This is very well done and absolutely worth your time to read.

For @herhoopstats.com, I did a deep dive on Lauren Betts' draft profile: where her game stands on both sides of the ball, its statistical comparisons to previous highly drafted 6-foot-7 players, and how she projects to the WNBA. herhoopstats.substack.com/p/lauren-bet...

Serious basketball content (some might even call it scouting lite) coming tomorrow morning.

Great stuff by Josiah! Great follow for WBB Analytics!

EuroLeague Women four factors and team ratings through regular season round five.

EuroLeague Women advanced team stats, including Team/Opponent 4 Factors and ratings/100, and looked at a few early team storylines. Then, a breakdown of the conceptual and practical execution of Galatasaray's offense against a Schio defensive coverage. riseofthevalkyries.substack.com/p/how-many-v...

Clever from Maria Conde/Schio. They show the Spain action early (backscreen roll, pop), and Jess Shepard gets fouled. Then, off a BLOB, they show the same action, but Conde slips the back screen. If Shepard fades wing, she might be able to hold Kuier and negate the recovery to the paint/contest.

OK then, Serena Sundell! Nail tag w/ice coverage, recovers on the blind pig handoff, uses length to get the block from behind, drives the play in transition off the rebound and kicks it to Steph Talbot for three.

Geelong (WNBL) - SLOB - Box Zipper Ricky Exit (strong) Jaz Shelley inbounds and gets an exit screen to the corner, creating a good look from three. Sequenced after wheel concepts that flow into empty pick-and-roll with Mackenzie Holmes finishing in the paint.

EuroLeague Women offensive and defensive ratings through October 27. Fenerbahçe leads the pack offensively, while Girona has impressed in a group with Praha, Bourges, and Gdynia. Using a simple possession estimator and data from EuroBasket.

The offense of Iliana Rupert and Fenerbahce, the defense of Leïla Lacan (with a heuristic of defensive evaluations), and wrapping up the 2025 shot selection discussion, with a note on what it could mean for teams with new head coach hires. riseofthevalkyries.substack.com/p/individual...

Quick Leïla Lacan defense thread from Landes-Venezia. Her effortlessness (a useful heuristic) while guarding in isolation and executing basic, important defensive concepts (X out in the third clip) really stands out in conjunction with her length. She does the basic things AND the advanced things.

Fenerbahce, the Euroleague Women title favorite, is just so smooth. Doing all the small things right—everyone runs the right lane in transition (corner, corner, paint); Rupert fills fully down to the block and then lifts to take away the low help while Fener flows into empty PnR and a free layup.

Thread: Venezia 72 - 62 Mersin (October 9) Mersin failed to score for the final 5:30 and Kaila Charles led the victors with a 15-point, 11-rebound outing. Her three-point rate jumped in 2025, which she finished with the Valkyries, and she shot 2-4 from deep here.