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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Valkyries mailbag: New addition Iliana Rupert? Why isn't Kate Martin playing more?
The post Valkyries mailbag: New addition Iliana Rupert? Why isn't Kate Martin playing more? appeared first on ClutchPoints. A 10-12 is not a bad record for the Golden State Valkyries halfway through their inaugural season in the WNBA. According to some preseason predictions, the Valkyries weren't even supposed to win eight games. In summary, they've weathered injuries and EuroBasket absences. In a new situation, veteran forward Kayla Thornton took full advantage of the opportunity and elevated her game to an all-star level. And the franchise has sold out 11 straight Chase Center crowds, every single home game this season. While a 1-5 record in July thus far has put a bit of a damper on some of Golden State's historic success, the newest WNBA franchise has a genuine opportunity to make a competitive push for the playoffs. The Valkyries are ninth in the conference, just outside the playoff picture. They sit a game behind the 7-seed Washington Mystics and the 8-seed Las Vegas Aces, and a game and a half behind the 6-seed Indiana Fever. Barring any drastic moves, the Valkyries' 12-player roster is set in stone, a relief for many after a lot of turnover since training camp. That sets the table for first-year head coach Natalie Nakase and her coaching staff to cement their rotation, which has fluctuated significantly thus far. It's a testament to Golden State's deep roster as well as Nakase's adaptive coaching style. However, it also leaves talented players without minutes at times, making for some rotational question marks moving forward. With that in mind, a lot of you sent some intriguing Valkyrie questions, so let's get into it! The new Valkyrie in town: What's up with Iliana Rupert? Many of you have asked about French center Iliana Rupert, with questions ranging from who she is and whether she's good, to how the roster and rotation will look once she's joined. Rupert was the Valkyries' expansion draft pick from the Atlanta Dream. She was overseas for EuroBasket for the first half of the WNBA season, competing with France (alongside Janelle Salaün). Rupert averaged 8.7 points and 4.2 rebounds in six games in the tournament. As the Valkyries have learned this season, integrating players who have been away from the team isn't always the most seamless process. But the team remains confident that Rupert will be a contributor right away because of her personality and character. At practice, Nakase talked about what she's seen from Rupert in the few days she's been with the team. 'We just had her practice for two days, so I'm just kind of seeing what rhythm I like her with. Whether she's playing the four or whether she's playing the five, I'm still deciding on that,' Nakase said. From an X's and O's standpoint, she emphasized Rupert's ability to stretch the floor as well as her ability as a playmaker and a rim defender. '[Rupert] fits into the element of who we are, as a person. She's very selfless, she picks things up really easily, she has a high IQ. And she always puts the team first.' There's bound to be some experimentation with Rupert because of how dynamic her potential is on this roster. But if Rupert plays to the size and shooting she theoretically offers, she's going to get minutes from Nakase. Rotational logjam: Why isn't Kate Martin playing more? I got a couple of questions about Kate Martin's minutes, mainly, why aren't they higher? I understand the sentiment behind these questions. Her playing time oscillates between closing with the final unit to not playing at all in the second half of games. She played well when the EuroBasket players were gone, and now that they're back, her role is different. She's the future of the Valkyries; they need to develop her! These are all valid feelings regarding Martin's playing time. As for the reason why Martin isn't playing more, I have a couple of theories and speculations. The main one being the easiest to point out: the guard rotation is very deep. That makes it hard for any of the Valkyrie guards to get stable, guaranteed minutes. Veronica Burton and Tiffany Hayes are pretty much penciled in for 27-35 minutes a game in Nakase's rotation. After them, Nakase plays whatever guards best fit the matchup. If the Valkyries need stability, Nakase tends to go with Kaitlyn Chen. If it's on-ball creation and tempo, Carla Leite. For Martin she usually gets more minutes in matchups that necessitate spacing, length, and defense. Still, the Valkyries have experimented with three-guard lineups, with varying degrees of success, and those are the lineups Martin gets more run. But I will say the argument that Golden State is making a huge mistake by not playing Martin more is a bit overblown. Looking at the advanced stats, Martin's on/off numbers aren't anything spectacular. The Valkyries have the exact same offensive rating with and without Martin on the floor. As for defensive rating, the Valkyries are a 99.4 with Martin and a 96.1 without, marginally better. If anything, I think the playing time Martin is currently getting is perfect. The only adjustment I would make is for the Valkyries to ride her hot hand when she gets going. I'll concede that there are times when Martin's in a first-half rhythm that gets derailed by not getting playing time in the second half. Where's the mascot? In April, the Valkyries put out a job notice for a mascot and held auditions to determine who would be the newest face of the newest WNBA team. But if you've been to any of these Valkyrie games, there has been no mascot in sight! Sure, the Valkyries have the G-S-V chant, a crowd that consistently does 'The Wave,' and a fun lights-out cell-phone flashlights out segment in between the fourth quarter; it's all very engaging from a fan perspective. But no mascot yet. Unless you count Brandin Podziemski, who I believe has been to literally every home game. He was even at the Valkyries road game in Las Vegas, decked out in one of his many Valkyrie jerseys. Sidebar, I personally believe he's at that perfect in between of having a fun time courtside and locked in on what's happening on the court. Is it a little strange Podziemski's on the court mimicking a traveling call after a Caitlin Clark turnover? Maybe, but his job courtside is to hype up the crowd and the players to an extent! It's better than the alternative of not engaging with the team and the fans whatsoever. Also, for Dub Nation fans, being at Chase Center all the time means he's verifiably in the gym working on his game. That's good news for Warriors fans. So while the Valkyries should figure out that mascot they promised, they got Podz holding down the fort for now.
Times
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
A £4m house for £25 — are Omaze raffles too good to be true?
Hannah Drury, 42, was trying not to feel deflated as she returned in near-darkness to her Somerset home from the primary school where she works as a music teacher. It was January 3, a lovely Christmas holiday with her family had just ended, and she had just attended a staff training day before the start of term. Then, she looked at her phone to find she had several missed calls and a voicemail message purporting to be from a representative of the property raffle company Omaze, asking her to call him back. 'I told my husband and we both agreed it was probably a friend mucking around or something,' says Hannah, who, along with her husband, Rupert, 50, is an opera singer in her spare time. 'I eventually decided I'd ring him back and, if it felt like a scam, I was going to hang up.' A few days earlier, Hannah had paid £25 to enter the draw for a £4 million luxury house on the shores of Coniston Water in the Lake District, although she had given it little thought. She had really been interested in the following month's draw, which was for a grand townhouse in Bath. 'I noticed how beautiful it was. But, you know, nobody ever enters these things with an expectation of a win, do they? It just hadn't even come into my psyche that this was ever an option,' she says. After calling the number back, and being convinced it wasn't a scam, Hannah was let in on the news: she and Rupert, who is a secondary school music teacher, had beaten hundreds of thousands of other entrants to win the property — along with £250,000 in cash, tax-free, to spend on its maintenance. Within minutes, an Omaze presenter called Paul Rees was knocking on the front door of the house in Frome that they share with their children, aged three, seven and nine, to whisk them off to do an interview. Startled by their sudden arrival, she was told that the Omaze staff and crew always learn who the winner is a day before, so they have time to get there. Suddenly, the day had become very weird indeed. By Monday, after a weekend digesting the news, the family were driving up to the Lakes to see their new home, booking some emergency time off work. 'We were put up in a beautiful hotel. And then we got the big reveal on Tuesday and we got to see the house for the first time. And then stayed overnight again. Then we came home on Wednesday and it was back to work.' After taking a vow of silence, unable to tell colleagues or friends, Omaze issued a press release on the Friday and, suddenly, the Drurys were mobbed. 'The parents were all in the playground coming up and hugging me. I couldn't believe it — I still can't,' she says. When they got to the house, they were overwhelmed, describing it as 'a million times better' than the pictures on the internet, noting that it's 'not very close to anything, which is delightful'. The nearest town, Coniston, is a 40-minute walk or ten-minute drive away. The home was bought from a local seller by Omaze after a two-year hunt. It had been redeveloped, opened out and modernised by the company, including being fitted with huge windows, which provided breathtaking views of the lake, the mountains and Grizedale forest. There is also a private jetty and six acres of natural woodland with streams and a spa house. Hannah and Rupert decided to keep the house and share it with their friends, who can stay free of charge. 'The cash prize of £250,000 to support the house means that I'm able to offer it to my friends and family and say, just go and enjoy it.' For the long term they have decided to list the house with a holiday lettings agency. Similar properties can go for £15,000 a week during peak season and can 'clear £100,000 a year'. They have no intention of leaving their native Somerset and will stay in their teaching jobs. 'I think we're both very happy with our lifestyle, with our careers, with our children being happy in school. We both have jobs that we love,' she says. Hannah and Rupert's extraordinary raffle win has meant a transformational change. 'This will change my children's lives. This is a multi-generation life-changing event,' Hannah says. However, that isn't always the case. How many winners actually keep their property? Before Covid, the idea of raffling a home was almost unheard of. But this changed during the pandemic, as swathes of the country were stuck at home and dreaming of pastures new. Sensing an obsession in the making, Omaze, which was founded in Los Angeles in 2012, raffled its first British home in 2020, and has now done 39. Its model is to buy, redevelop and give away properties worth many millions of pounds in its draws. At the same time, smaller players like Raffle House (founded in 2018) and Tramway Path (2019) started growing rapidly. Anoushka Millard, the vice president for property at Omaze, emphasises that it goes big on the bling — buying 'places with real desirability and wide-ranging appeal' with features such as 'landscaped gardens, swimming pools, home gyms and saunas, an office space, striking views, high-spec kitchens, as well as nearby amenities and attractions'. Omaze winners can either take the home for themselves, rent it out or sell it, with the money raised by the ticket sales going back to the company and a charity partner, which has included Comic Relief, London's air ambulance charity, the Teenage Cancer Trust and British Heart Foundation. The company says that it has raised £93.8 million since 2020. A few questions have occasionally been raised about Omaze's buying methodology in a handful of rare, but high-profile cases. Vicky Curtis-Cresswell, a former Miss Wales finalist who won a £6 million home in Norfolk in February — in Omaze's most expensive draw that also raised millions for Comic Relief — has been unable to move in after it emerged that an extension, tennis court and swimming pool at the property do not appear to have planning permission. At the time of winning the house, the 38-year-old had said it felt like an 'enormous weight' had been lifted from her shoulders, as she had been struggling to afford to rent at the time. Omaze says it 'takes all appropriate measures to guarantee that the winner will always receive a good and marketable title' including 'comprehensive surveys and checks, such as a level three building survey, title and Land Registry search, local authority search, EPC assessment, and environmental assessments'. 'Omaze has taken every possible step to bring the issue to a swift resolution, including submitting a retrospective planning application to address the recommendations made by North Norfolk district council. Omaze is committed to achieving a successful conclusion without any further delay – and will continue working closely with the council to ensure the matter is resolved as efficiently as possible.' Omaze says Curtis-Cresswell has received her £250,000 cash prize and will incur no costs to remedy the situation. A similar example took place when a raffle winner, Glen Elmy, from Walsall, gave back the keys to the home he had won on the Devon coast after three days in October 2021 and was given a cash payout of £3 million instead. The five-bedroom home was being threatened by coastal erosion, neighbours had told him. Omaze denied this, saying: 'As with all its properties, Omaze carried out extensive professional surveys, searches and inspections prior to purchasing the house in Devon. Omaze can confirm that none of these reports raised any material concerns with the property, including in relation to coastal erosion. The property is fully insurable.' Another winner, Darren Wordon, 49, and wife Mandy, won a £2.5 million property in Radford near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, in 2021. The home, known as Willowbrook House, was sold in December 2022, with flooding affecting it just before he moved in. 'During a period of exceptionally heavy rain before the prize draw launched, a blocked culvert within the vicinity of the property referenced caused water to temporarily pool and back up towards the property,' says Omaze. 'The culvert was unblocked and bypassed, allowing water to dissipate immediately and prevent any further issues. Omaze then had a specialist engineer carry out works to further secure the property against future extreme weather.' Mercifully, these examples do, however, seem rare. Win a house, sell it on Of those who have won Omaze homes, remarkably few appear to have kept them for more than a few months. Given the size of the homes, how far away they live from them and the cost of maintaining the homes, many winners prefer to sell them and pocket the cash. However, when putting them on the market, a few winners have reported finding that their valuations are far smaller than the price advertised by Omaze. Lauren Keene, 24, a nanny from Gloucester, won a draw for a £3 million mansion on the Wirral, but put it on the market for £2.5 million after spending a few nights there. An 81-year-old Southampton widow, Patricia Moule, who won a £4 million Highland mansion in 58 acres on the banks of Loch Rannoch in April, put it on the market weeks later for £3.975 million. Meanwhile, Tom Steenson, 63, put a Devon home on the market for £2.35 million — more than its original £2 million valuation — after opting to keep his job in the car industry and stay in Maidstone, Kent. Omaze did not say how many people had chosen to keep the properties, and stressed that it was up to the winners what they did with them and most make excellent money — but it's believed that only a handful kept them. Carol and Tom Steenson also sold their £2m Omaze house in Devon MARK FIELD PHOTOGRAPHY What about raffling your own home? If you don't have Omaze's marketing clout, the problem is advertising. You have to do this yourself, putting up a sign in front of your house, using social media, or websites such as Raffall where you can advertise them. However, Raffall's draws don't always drum up enough interest — 50 home-rafflers gave up and stayed put after raffles, while 18 succeeded. If your home has the necessary amount of bling, could you get Omaze to buy it from you? Probably not. Millard says she uses a network of special buying agents to procure the perfect houses according to the company's business model. She says that even though 'people email in from time to time' with suggestions, none have made the grade. Alisa Zotimova, the chief executive of AZ Real Estate, an estate agency in Marylebone, central London, is a sceptic. 'There are so many companies running raffles now. In 90 per cent of cases they don't sell enough tickets to make it worthwhile and the seller finds themselves back at square one.'
The Citizen
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
R1m for a watch? Johann Rupert's Cartier proves luxury is alive
The most expensive Cartier watch is worth R4 230 654. Richemont, owned by Johann Rupert, one of South Africa's billionaires, has seen remarkable growth for the quarter ended 30 June 2025, a time when luxury goods are not a priority for many. In a time when most people are struggling to make ends meet and are living hand-to-mouth, one would assume that everyone is struggling. However, just beneath the surface of this collective hardship lies a vastly different reality where luxury is thriving. Richemont is a luxury goods holding company that owns brands such as Cartier. Watches from this brand range between R59 000 and R4 million. Rupert's company's sales went up by 6% at constant exchange rates and by 3% at the actual exchange rate. ALSO READ: Johann Rupert the wealthiest person in SA according to two rich lists Rupert is richer, thanks to watches According to a media statement by Richemont, sales from the jewellery division increased by 11%. However, analysts had predicted an 8% growth. Richemont's jewellery division includes Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Buccellati. One item from any of these brands would cost more than R100 000, showing that the economic crisis experienced by people does not apply to everyone. This unsettling truth echoes the message from George Orwell's Animal Farm, where the animals rise for equality, only to find that some are more equal than others. While many line up for groceries, a few browse exclusive boutiques, untouched by the economic strain that defines the daily life for most. Watches are an investment People who can often afford high-end jewellery buy it as a form of investment. A Cartier watch, after a few years, can be worth more than it was purchased for. Richemont's data show that for the first quarter, Europe led in sales, while the Middle East and Africa contributed the least to growth. ALSO READ: Jannie Mouton back on Forbes' list – Here are South Africa's dollar-billionaires 'Retail sales accounted for 69% of Group sales, with growth across all regions, excluding Japan. 'Wholesale sales growth was driven by solid increases in the Americas, Europe and Middle East and Africa. Online retail sales showed robust growth across almost all regions.' How much is it worth? According to Cartier's website, the cheapest watch is Tank Must de Cartier, which is worth R59 156,63 ($3 300). The most expensive is Santos de Cartier wwatch,worth R4 230 654 ($236,000). However, there are some older collections worth significantly more than the ones available in-store and online. Like the Cartier Cheich Montre Bracelet in Yellow Gold Circa 1983, which was sold for $1.1 million in 2022. One of the most popular items from Cartier is their Love bracelet. The bracelet is worth R109 326,03 ($6 100). NOW READ: 'Imagine if he took the Guptas': Is Rupert's place in US delegation double standards or good for business?
Telegraph
15-07-2025
- Telegraph
My husband and I loved America. After he died, I decided to visit every US state
At the end of July, when I fly to Hawaii, I will complete a challenge I set myself 12 years ago, after my husband died: to visit all 50 US states. My first trip to America was back in 1978, so you could say the journey began then. Over the 34 years of our marriage, Rupert – who was chief executive at Carlton Television – and I travelled to the States many times, both for his work and on family holidays with our two sons. We think Rupert was half American, though we can't say for sure. His father, Kenneth, was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, but at just five years old was placed in an orphanage and sent by train to Canada. At 14, Kenneth moved to England, later naturalised as British before the war and went on to serve in the Fleet Air Arm. Before we lost Rupert in 2013, he and I travelled together to California, New York, Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, South Carolina, Nevada, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Georgia and Illinois – sometimes for his work, sometimes for pleasure – and we skied in Colorado and Vermont. The summer Rupert died, my dear friend Mary Ledding – a film lawyer from LA who had also been recently widowed – invited me to join her on a visit to her daughter in Washington State. At some point during that trip, I said: 'Wouldn't it be fun to visit all 50 states?' And so the idea was born. The following year we holidayed in Oregon and Idaho, and after that, we made it our tradition to plan a US trip every summer. There was no time frame, it was just a bit of fun to try to spend a night in every US state – which Mary would organise. I reciprocated each time by organising a week in the UK, so we have spent the past 12 years exploring both her home country and mine, seeing places we would never have ordinarily visited. We met Mary through Rupert's work. She and her late husband, Richard, came to the UK in 1994, and we discovered a shared love of horse racing when we took them to The Oaks at Epsom for some corporate hospitality. At the time, I was working for The Jockey Club, and we quickly became firm friends. It's a friendship that Mary and I have carried on ever since – and we travel so well together. We really do laugh a lot, which makes all the difference. Our first trip of the challenge began in Kentucky, where we went to watch a horse part-owned by Mary that was due to race in April 2014. We flew into Cincinnati, Ohio, to tick that state off the list, then spent the week racing and visiting stud farms before popping over the border from Louisville for a night in Indiana – my 20th state. In 2015, we took a small cruise to Alaska, flying into Juneau to see brown and black bears and watch whales breaching. It was incredible – but packing for it was quite another story. The boat was tiny, with just nine passengers and four crew, and afterwards I was heading straight to Catalina Island (off the coast of LA) for the annual reunion of the family Rupert grew up with. So I had to squeeze wellies, fleeces and waterproofs alongside shorts, swimwear and sundresses into a single small duffel. Quite the challenge. In 2016, we travelled through North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Mary had to fly back, but I carried on alone to tick off Maryland too. Everywhere we visited felt so different, though I often think we didn't get the full flavour of each state – we tended to explore the areas closest to the borders, where the character can sometimes blur a little. The following year, we visited Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, meeting in Dallas – I'd flown in from the UK, and Mary from California. After landing, we had a five-hour drive to our motel in Arkansas. We arrived late, dumped our bags, turned on the air conditioning and headed to reception to ask where we could get a glass of wine – only to be told, firmly, that this was a dry county and there was no wine for 25 miles! We see the funny side now… After Oklahoma, we stayed with friends of Mary's near Gainesville, Texas. Sometimes we treated ourselves to nice hotels and dinners out; other times, it was motels and garage sandwiches or McDonald's. A week before I was due to fly to the US in 2018, I scuppered our plans by falling off a ladder and spending a week in intensive care. We rebooked for 2019 instead, staying first with Mary's cousins in Minneapolis, Minnesota, before heading on to Iowa and Wisconsin. While there, we noticed on the map that if we drove just 20 miles east, we could tick off Michigan too. It meant a longer drive back the next day – but it was worth it. We always allocated a week to each trip and travelled by car. After the Covid years, we explored Montana, Wyoming and South and North Dakota. Standing in front of Mount Rushmore is something I'll never forget – nor the vast skies and emptiness of 'flyover country'. I remember being struck first by the sheer size of the US in Vermont. From the top of a mountain, there were just trees stretching endlessly to the horizon – nothing built, made or shaped by human hands. In 2023, we flew into Rhode Island, ticking off New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania on the way. We always drive; hiring a car gives us the freedom to explore at our own pace. The Jersey Shore was extraordinary – all lights, noise and music. In summer 2024, Mary and I visited Mississippi and Alabama, taking in Memphis and Graceland. That winter, I returned to the US for the Breeders' Cup in Del Mar, California, and with the finish line in sight, took the opportunity to add Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska to the list. In Kansas, I stayed in Concordia and visited the Orphan Train Museum – hoping to trace more of Rupert's family. He died of leukaemia at just 59, which was incredibly hard on our two boys; my father‑in‑law, Kenneth, also died of leukaemia at exactly the same age. We'd always assumed Kenneth had been born to a teenage mother, but at the museum I learnt that Minneapolis and St Paul lost around 1,400 people to Spanish Flu in the last three months of 1918 – so that might have been how he was orphaned. Visiting that museum was one of the stand‑out experiences of all my travels in the US, though it brought more questions than answers. For our final flourish earlier this year, Mary and I flew into Phoenix to stay in Arizona, which I loved. We visited the Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon before driving on into Utah, stopping at the Four Corners Monument, then heading back via Gallup, New Mexico, along Route 66. What have I learnt from my odyssey? Above all, it's how welcoming people have been in so many places – especially in states less frequented by visitors from abroad. I'm a positive person, so if there were any less enjoyable moments, I've long since forgotten them. To me, getting out and living your life is crucial. Many Brits say they've been to America and have plenty of thoughts about it – but for most, their experience is limited to New York, Florida and California. All wonderful places, of course, but there's so much more to the United States. This challenge has allowed me to meet people across the country and created countless cherished memories. Friendship has been vital throughout, and I feel incredibly lucky to have found someone to travel with. Twelve years after losing Rupert, I'm still exploring – and my friendship with Mary has made it possible. I'm heading to Hawaii in late July for a week with Mary, before flying on to a celebration party with Rupert's 'family' on Catalina Island. No doubt we'll be asked: 'What next?' We want to see polar bears and the northern lights… but we have no firm plans yet. We just know we'll keep travelling and laughing together for as long as we can.
San Francisco Chronicle
14-07-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Valkyries waive Stephanie Talbot to make room for center Iliana Rupert
The Golden State Valkyries had a choice to make with the imminent arrival of French center Iliana Rupert, and they made it over the weekend with the release of veteran forward Stephanie Talbot. Talbot, 31, averaged 3.6 points in her 16 games while shooting a career-low 33.9% from the field and 25.0% from 3-point range. She started 10 games while the Valkyries were short on size during the absence of multiple players participating in the EuroBasket tournament, but she never developed any offensive rhythm. She played just six minutes last Monday in Atlanta against the Dream, then did not play in a win over Indiana or a loss Saturday to the Las Vegas Aces. The Australian veteran has struggled since tearing her ACL with Los Angeles in 2023 and was left unprotected in the expansion draft. Talbot admitted to the Chronicle in June that she had struggled with role changes but was especially frustrated that her 3-point shot, which she made her career on as a 35.2% career shooter, hadn't come around. 'I'm maybe a little bit more nervous,' she said. 'It was crazy at first, when I, when I put up the matchups up and I was starting after I didn't even play last game… Obviously my shot has not been falling lately, and trying to find time to work on that when we play so many games is tough.' Rookie guard Kaitlyn Chen and forward Laeticia Amihere both played themselves onto the roster. Chen has shot 54.5% in her 15 minutes per game while Amihere is averaging 5.6 rebounds off the bench. Before the win in Indiana, GM Ohemaa Nyanin said that they were using every game to evaluate the choice they'd have to make. 'What's tough is being able to say yes to something or no to something, because things change on a daily basis,' Nyanin said about projecting the roster. 'In the span of (several game stretches), any and everything can happen. So we have to be nimble to not allow for one situation to overtake any other situation.' Talbot had one of just three guaranteed contracts on the Valkyries, along with those of Monique Billings and Kayla Thornton; her $125,000 salary was second only to Tiffany Hayes' $200,000. That means her deal will continue to count towards the salary cap. The Valkyries nevertheless remain considerably under the cap, even after they formally sign Rupert. Rupert was the Valkyries' expansion draft pick from Atlanta, and is expected to join the team this week. She won't play until after the All-Star break. The Valkyries return from the break by hosting Dallas on July 25, followed by a five-game East Coast road trip. Golden State struggled late in games due to fatigue and against bigs in the paint against Atlanta and Las Vegas. The addition of the 6-foot-4 Rupert could alleviate some of those issues. Rupert shot 33.3% from 3-point range in 37 WNBA games between Las Vegas and Atlanta in 2022 and 2023, respectively, including time spent playing for Nakase with the Aces. She scored 8.2 points per game for France at EuroBasket this summer. Leite's poor shooting: Rookie point guard Carla Leite has shot a woeful 8.8% from 3-point range this season, or 3-for-34. Out of every WNBA player with at least 34 3-point attempts, that is the lowest percentage by a good amount, with Breanna Stewart next at 21.0%. Leite shot 40.3% from range in France last season, where she averaged 16.2 points per game. She is averaging 6.7 points per game for the Valkyries, nearly exclusively from within 10 feet of the hoop. 'I went a week without even touching a ball, so I lost a little bit of my shot,' Leite said in Las Vegas. 'I need to adapt myself now that I am back. I don't understand why I'm not making my shots, so I don't want to put pressure on that.' Nakase has encouraged players to shoot from 3, even if it's not falling for them. 'I told (Leite) to let it fly,' Nakase said. 'I told her after (the Indiana game) that she played perfect. She was out for a couple of weeks, so do I expect an amazing 3-point percentage? No, I expected competitiveness and rebounding, and that's what she did.' The Valkyries are still figuring out how to score consistently, and when they're at their best, Leite can be tough to stop driving to the paint and facilitating with the ball.
