the newest WNBA basketball sickos

The kids are here and they're living up to the hype.

Good morning,

Hope everyone had a fun long weekend.

I:

• Went to an NWSL game and saw the Spirit beat the Reign

• Went dad mode (I have no kids) on my first BBQ of the summer

• Watched a lot of hoops!

If you’re new here, I hope you’ll subscribe to Here’s Basketball and join a community of more than 2,200 women’s hoops fans.

And if you’re already here, I hope you’ll consider sharing the newsletter with a friend! (It’s the most effective way for me to grow this little newsletter thing.)

Plus, if you make it to the bottom of this newsletter, I’ll give you my Rookie Rankings (so far). Here we go!

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What is a basketball sicko?

If you’re new to the term “sicko,” it’s pretty easily identifiable on the court. To me, being a sicko means your passion for the game is worn on your sleeve. You’re animated in the highs and lows of a game. When you a hit a big shot, you let the crowd (and your defender) know how big it was. When you lose a close game, you look defeated, because basketball is that important to you.

It’s no knock to anyone who isn’t a sicko by the way — sometimes a job is a job, and there are plenty of things more important than a job.

But the true sickos find superstardom because fans live and die with them.

Angel Reese is the basketball sicko I can’t stop watching

Reese was one of the most interesting prospects in the draft. Her stardom was on par with Caitlin Clark's, and unlike the No. 1 pick, she has a championship ring to show from her time at LSU. But skeptics painted her lack of low-post moves and wonky jump shot as too much of a concern to take a chance on in the draft lottery. She fell to pick No. 7.

To a degree, those concerns are still legitimate (though with plenty of time to fix). But sometimes we, as a society, underestimate what elite competitors can achieve.

Reese’s tenacity at the rim has her averaging 12.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game (4.5 offensive), and the Chicago Sky, a team many expect to finish at very bottom of the WNBA standings, are 2-2 including a win over the championship-hopeful New York Liberty.

Of course, Reese let everyone know how she felt about her team being picked to finish last (12th) in the league after that win:

Reese's competitiveness was taken to the next level in her team's most recent game — not in her actions on the court, but off it.

In a close loss to the Connecticut Sun, she got into it with last year’s MVP runner-up Alyssa Thomas, another true basketball sicko, who tossed her to the floor. Thomas was ejected.

After the game, Reese THANKED HER!:

Here’s what she said in written form:

“It’s not just because I’m a rookie, it’s because I’m a basketball player. They don’t give a damn if I’m a rookie. I want them to come at me every day. I want them to come at everybody. They’re not supposed to be nice to me. I hope ya’ll know that. They’re not supposed to be nice to me or lay down because I’m Angel Reese.

“Thank you, AT, for sending a message to me because I got back up and kept pushing. Me and AT have been cool since we were in Maryland so I know there’s no hard feelings and I appreciate her for going at me every day.”

Ugh, I love it.

Basketball sickos love when other sickos bring them the competition they crave. And Reese has proven she’s ready for it at the top level of the game, too.

I’ve got one more sicko for you: Cameron Brink

I’m trying to keep this read a bit shorter but it’d be silly for me not to mention Brink on the sicko list.

Of course, I also have to mention that Brink was not basketball lover for life:

But now that she’s here… she’s leading the entire WNBA in blocks with 3.2 of them per game! She’s only 6’4, which is tall, but not like, Block Everything In Sight tall. The sicko mindset will do that!

I’ll spoil my rookie rankings a bit by saying she’s been the most impressive newcomer to me so far, averaging 10.8 points on 52.8% shooting with 5.8 boards, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals to add to the league-leading block average. The Sparks are just 1-4, but it looks like they've found a cornerstone.

This draft class freaking rules.

My Rookie Rankings Through 2 Weeks

1. Cameron Brink, Sparks - shot-swatter, 3-point shooter (?!), game-changer

2. Caitlin Clark, Fever - superstar playmaker, shot consistency (?), tempo-starter

3. Angel Reese, Sky - rim-runner, clean-up crew, hustler

4. Rickea Jackson, Sparks - sniper (!), bucket-getter

5. Julie Vanloo, Mystics - playmaker, sniper, is 31 years old so really only a rookie in name

Special shoutout (in no order): Kate Martin, Aces, Aaliyah Edwards, Mystics, Sevi Uzun, Wings