Julie Vanloo reveals ‘rock bottom’ feeling before Sparks signing
The post Julie Vanloo reveals ‘rock bottom’ feeling before Sparks signing appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The Sparks initially had to wait for Julie Vanloo to clear waivers before signing her, but once she did, she was immediately available for the team’s game last week against the New York Liberty.
On Thursday, Vanloo had her best game in a Sparks jersey, albeit the team’s 91-82 loss to the Minnesota Lynx. She finished with 15 points, two rebounds and three assists while shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range in 17 minutes off the bench. Following the game, Vanloo spoke about the disappointment she initially felt when waived by the Valkyries.
Vanloo is in her second season in the WNBA after playing with the Washington Mystics last year as a rookie. She was left unprotected in the expansion draft and was selected by the Valkyries.
She appeared in nine games for the Valkyries this season, including two starts, at just about 20 minutes per game. She averaged 4.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists. Vanloo had temporarily left the Valkyries to play for the Belgium national team at Eurobasket, and the team had signed rookie guard Kaitlyn Chen to a hardship contract in the meantime.
Upon her return from Eurobasket, the Valkyries revealed their intentions to keep the players they had and cut Vanloo. For Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, as soon as she found out Vanloo was available, she immediately implored general manager Raegan Pebley to try and sign her. She brings the type of offensive punch the team has needed with the second unit.
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