Latest news with #LynneRoberts
Reuters
a day ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Sparks F Cameron Brink to return from ACL tear vs. Aces
July 29 - Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink will make her season debut Tuesday against the visiting Las Vegas Aces after missing the team's first 25 games due to a torn left ACL that has required 13 months of rehabilitation. Brink and Sparks coach Lynne Roberts confirmed Brink's availability after practice on Monday. Roberts told reporters that Brink will likely be on a minutes restriction. Brink was cleared to return earlier this month and has been ramping up in practice. "It's great to get in and get reps," Brink told the Long Beach Press Telegram. "My teammates are super supportive, coaching me up. My coaches are super patient. I'm feeling great, just getting the reps that I need to feel comfortable." Brink was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft behind Caitlin Clark. Brink averaged 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks over her first 15 games (all starts), but went down early in a June 2024 game against the Connecticut Sun with the ACL injury. She missed not only a year-plus of her nascent professional career, but also the 2024 Paris Olympics. She was set to play on Team USA's 3x3 women's basketball team that earned the bronze medal. Roberts is in her first season as the Sparks' coach, as she took over after the team went 8-32 last year to finish last in the league standings. To date, Los Angeles is 11-14 but riding a league-best five-game winning streak into Tuesday's game with Las Vegas. "She's been tremendous," Roberts said of Brink. "It's hard. The offseason is one thing, but when your teammates are out there and you're over there doing leg curls, it's hard. And she's been a tremendous teammate. I'm really, really proud of her." --Field Level Media
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sparks' Cameron Brink gets a major injury update from Lynne Roberts
The post Sparks' Cameron Brink gets a major injury update from Lynne Roberts appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Los Angeles Sparks are getting closer to the return fans have long been waiting for. After over a year sidelined by a torn ACL, Cameron Brink confirmed on Saturday that she has been medically cleared to return and is now working to get back into game shape. 'I'm cleared. It's just getting reps at this point. Just getting back up to speed with everybody,' Brink said ahead of the Sparks' matchup with the New York Liberty, according to Ben Pickman on X. The 23-year-old forward has been absent significantly since suffering a non-contact knee injury against the Connecticut Sun in June 2024. The next day, the team announced she had torn her ACL, ending her rookie season and forcing her to miss the Paris Olympics, where she was set to represent Team USA in 3×3 basketball. Later, Brink shared on Instagram that while the injury was tough, she was determined to come back even stronger. Her absence left the Sparks with a major hole in the paint. Los Angeles finished the 2024 season with a league-worst 8-32 record, and their interior defense and rebounding continue to be concerns in 2025. Though the team has improved offensively — currently ranking third in points per game — they remain among the worst in rebounds and turnovers, two areas where Brink's presence could make an immediate impact. Head coach Lynne Roberts said Brink is not back yet, but she is making progress. The coaching staff is being cautious and letting her take her time to find the right rhythm and be fully fit before bringing her back into the rotation. Brink's return to the Sparks would boost their defensive capabilities and offer leadership for a young team searching for its direction. Brink's rebounding, rim protection, and ability to score are essential components of a team trying to make a return to the playoffs. While the Sparks are currently 10th in the WNBA standings, the team could use a boost — specifically a boost from someone like Brink — as the season ends. For now, the Sparks and their fans will have to wait a bit longer, but all signs point to Cameron Brink's highly anticipated return being just around the corner. Related: How Julie Allemand has fit in with Sparks amid WNBA return [Exclusive] Related: Dearica Hamby drops truth bomb on Sparks' win streak
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Julie Allemand has fit in with Sparks amid WNBA return [Exclusive]
The post How Julie Allemand has fit in with Sparks amid WNBA return [Exclusive] appeared first on ClutchPoints. Back during the 2024 WNBA offseason, the Los Angeles Sparks acquired Julie Allemand in a sign-and-trade with the Chicago Sky. Allemand, who had a solid rookie season with the Indiana Fever in 2020, as well as extensive experience playing professionally overseas, was supposed to give the Sparks a quality option at point guard, a position that they hadn't been able to fill since Chelsea Gray departed in free agency. Allemand was making her return to the league after sitting out the 2023 season due to her commitments with the Belgium national team. But her Sparks debut ended up having to be postponed. Allemand suffered an ankle injury before the 2024 season began and ended up missing the entire season. The Sparks suspended her contract in the meantime, so she did not count towards the salary cap. But after injury rehab that went well, the Sparks made the decision to have her join the roster for the 2025 season. After a bit of a transition period where Allemand had to get used to being back in the WNBA and with new teammates, she's been able to flourish in new head coach Lynne Roberts' system. After returning from the Belgium national team, where she won the 2025 Eurobasket championship, Allemand has felt more free and comfortable with the Sparks. 'I think it was hard for me before Eurobasket to find my spot, my place on this team. So Eurobasket helped a lot especially because I came back from an injury, a surgery, so it wasn't easy. I needed some time and I think I was too hard on myself at the beginning with the Sparks,' Allemand told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. 'I was just like, okay, now I'm going to bring everything that I had over there and just try to be better. . .I'm not thinking too much. I think I was thinking way too much.' Julie Allemand's fluid role for the Sparks The added confidence that Allemand brought back from Eurobasket has come at a crucial time for the Sparks. A team that has been searching for consistency throughout the regular season so far, the Sparks have found themselves in the middle of the playoff hunt as the second half of the season gets underway. With the Sparks showing improved play on the court, Julie Allemand has been a big factor in that transformation. She began the season coming off the bench and started a few games amid multiple injuries and absences. But since the Sparks decided to part ways with veteran guard Odyssey Sims, Allemand has been a permanent fixture in the starting lineup alongside Kelsey Plum in the backcourt. With four other starters who can score the ball, Allemand serves as a connector of sorts. She keeps the ball moving and keeps the offense flowing while not needing shot attempts to be effective. In the past five games, Allemand has racked up double digits in assists in two of them. She's had no less than four assists in any of them. She's only scored in double digits in one of those games, and the Sparks have won all five. Once Allemand returned from the national team, Roberts told her that the team needed the player who was on display at Eurobasket. 'Coach said, 'we're really happy and really proud of you what you did over there, and we want you to be back and not think, and just play your game,' and I think that's just what I'm trying to do,' Allemand said. 'Just being myself, being the point guard that I can be, helping my teammates, involve my teammates when they are on the court, and just be myself.' With the first week of the second half of the regular season complete, Allemand has appeared in a total of 15 games, including eight starts, at a little over 23 minutes per game. She's been averaging 4.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from the three-point line. One of her best all-around games of the season came during the Sparks' win against the Connecticut Sun on July 24. She finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals while shooting 4-of-5 from the field. But one of her biggest qualities she brings to the Sparks is her ability to be the primary ball-handler and take some of the pressure off Kelsey Plum. Adjusting to play with another strong guard can be challenging, and Allemand and Plum have developed a strong chemistry since the beginning of the season. 'I think we can really create for each other. . .we just needed to find time. It was the first time I was playing with her. I didn't even have training camp, so it took time,' Allemand said. 'But what we already saw is good. And I hope we're going to keep going like that, getting to know each other. That's going to be the most important thing. And then just play our game. I like it. I think we can do great things.' Julie Allemand's return to the WNBA It's been three years since Julie Allemand was last in the WNBA. She had a strong rookie season in the bubble with the Fever, averaging a career-best 8.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists. She sat out the 2021 season due to personal reasons. In 2022, she had been traded by the Fever to the Sky, but was unable to build upon her rookie year. Following a two-year hiatus that involved injury rehab, Allemand found herself back in a league that had changed tremendously since she last played. While the upcoming CBA negotiations hang like a cloud over the entire league, Allemand is hopeful that the WNBA will continue to grow. 'Last time I was here, we didn't have charter flights. So first of all, I was impressed. But I think it's getting better and better,' Allemand said. 'The improvement is good, and also the CBA will be different next season. So I'm really excited and looking forward to it. It's nice to be back and play games. I want to enjoy it, and I can see the improvements.' Related: Sparks' tunnel fits turn heads before Liberty clash Related: Sparks' Cameron Brink gets a major injury update from Lynne Roberts
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sparks make Cameron Brink injury announcement on looming return from ACL tear
Cameron Brink is just about there. After having surgery on a torn left ACL in July 2024, the Los Angeles Sparks' second-year forward is ready to get back on the court. Sparks coach Lynne Roberts told the Associated Press that Brink wouldn't play Saturday against the Liberty, but that she'd be "back soon." Brink is ready to be back, for sure. 'I've put in a lot of hard work," she told the AP. "I feel like what people usually see is me living my life normally, but people don't see the hours and hours that I put in the gym with my trainers, amazing training staff. I've been working my (behind) off, so I definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel for sure.' MORE: Paige Bueckers set a new WNBA rookie record Brink was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft behind Caitlin Clark. She played 15 games before her injury, averaging 21.9 minutes per night. She put up 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Brink is about as talented as any frontcourt player in the league, capable of doing so many things on the floor. It'll be a great thing both for the Sparks and for the WNBA to get her back in the game. MORE: Sophie Cunningham could hardly miss in upset win over Aces
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
La sparks' cameron brink nears return after 13-month acl recovery
Cameron Brink can see the light at the end of the tunnel. She's been out for 13 months after tearing the ACL in her left knee in a game at Connecticut in June last season. Now she's been cleared to play again and is eager to get back on the court with her Los Angeles Sparks teammates. 'I feel great. I'm super thankful that the Sparks have let me take my time and really feel great coming back,' Brink said to a few reporters after shootaround Saturday. 'I'm excited to be out there with my teammates.' Brink has been working toward playing in a game. After the Sparks finished their pregame shootaround Brink went to the Barclays Center practice court and got in another 20-minute workout. 'I've put in a lot of hard work. I feel like what people usually see is me living my life normally but people don't see the hours and hours that I put in the gym with my trainers amazing training staff,' she said. 'I've been working my (behind) off so I definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel for sure.' Coach Lynne Roberts said that Brink won't play against the Liberty on Saturday night but expects the 6-foot-4 forward back soon. Three of their next four games are at home after Saturday. 'It's hard to come in midseason and then you add the mental aspect that every athlete struggles with being out that long,' Roberts said. Brink's been around the team as much as she could over the past year and also found ways to keep herself busy during the long rehab process starting a podcast and graduating from Stanford. 'It's really tough mental waking up every day and watching your team from the sideline cheering everyone on. I love cheering on my teammates but there comes a point where I want to be out there too,' Brink said. 'So I'm just really happy to be at that point and just thankful for everyone along the way.' Brink said that it's been tough during the long recovery period. She knows it will take time to get back to where she was before she got injured. Before she got hurt, Brink, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, was averaging 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks. 'It's a little nerve-wracking for sure. I'm just really going to try to be patient with myself because I'm definitely not where I was last year,' she said. 'It's still a work in progress but yeah just thankful for the fans. Really excited to be able to just go out there and do what I love.'
