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The WNBA season is underway and is about 20 games in, and for former Beavers Ruth Hamblin and Jamie Weisner it has been almost non-stop basketball since their Final Four run. Both players were thrown into the fire quickly in the pros and each of them are doing everything they can to make a name for themselves.
Jamie Weisner had a hard time getting her WNBA career started as she was let go by Connecticut Sun who drafted her 17th overall in the 2016 Draft. While she had a very impressive senior season winning the Pac-12 Player of the Year, and averaging 17 points and 5.3 rebounds, she failed to make a lasting impression on the Connecticut coaching staff and was cut. Late in May the Washington Mystic picked up Jamie Weisner and she has stuck with them since then. Weisner has had trouble finding minutes on this team, only averaging 3 minutes to go along 2.4 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. She is on a very guard heavy roster that includes Bria Hartley, a 2 year pro out of UCONN, Ivory Latta, a 9 year pro out of UNC, second year player Natasha Cloud, third year player Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, and number 7 overall pick in the 2016 Draft Kahleah Copper. Weisner has only appeared in 5 games, scoring a high of 5 points in a win against the Minnesota Lynx on June 26th.
Ruth Hamblin joined the Dallas Wings when they drafted her 18th overall in the 2016 Draft and she has stuck with the team since then. Hamblin put up great numbers during her senior season at Oregon State while also taking home her 2nd consecutive Pac 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Hamblin averaged 11.8 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game to finish her career at Oregon State. But Hamblin, like Weisner, has also struggled to find minutes in Dallas playing behind the likes of Courtney Paris, a 6 year pro out of Oklahoma, and Plenette Pierson, a 13 year pro out of Texas Tech. Hamblin's lack of experience puts her at a disadvantage for playing time on the Wings. She has appeared in 14 games and has averages of 6.4 minutes, 1.3 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. Hamblin's best game thus far came in a loss to the Minnesota Lynx on July 9th where she scored 3 points and grabbed 4 rebounds.
The Washington Mystics' next game is Friday July 15th at 10:00 PM ET against the Seattle Storm.
The Dallas Wings' next game is Friday July 15th at 8:30 PM ET against the Chicago Sky.