Thursday was cut day in the WNBA, and Alex Anderson was one of the victims.

The two-time Southern Conference player of the year from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga made it to the end of training camp and played well in a preseason game Monday, but she wasn’t able to secure a spot on the San Antonio Silver Stars’ roster. Each team has to be down to 13 players by this afternoon.

The first SoCon player selected in a WNBA draft — she was the 39th overall pick — Anderson was one of six players let go by the Silver Stars just two days before their season opener at Sacramento.

“I was really hoping she’d make it,” UTC coach Wes Moore said. “I knew the tough part was they had two or three players playing overseas who were coming back (and occupying roster spots), so I knew that was going to be the sticky part.

“I’m very proud of her, and it’s still a great honor to have been drafted.”

Anderson, who couldn’t be reached for comment, knew heading into camp that she wasn’t a lock to make the team. In a phone interview on April 30, she said: “If I make the team or if I don’t make the team, this experience has really helped me, because I’ve learned so much in the short time I’ve been here.”

In San Antonio’s second and final preseason game, Monday aagainst the Detroit Shock in Lubbock, Texas, Anderson played 21 minutes, scoring seven points (going 3-for-5 from the floor, with a 3-pointer) and grabbing three rebounds.

Anderson, listed at 6-foot-1, was the dominant post player in the SoCon her final two seasons, but she was moved to the wing early in training camp — a position that requires far more ball-handling and perimeter shooting than she ever did for Moore’s Lady Mocs.

Moore said he’s confident that Anderson will be able to make the transition in time, through practice and playing overseas. He said the fact she was drafted should help her chances of playing abroad.

“I know they made a decision to move her to the 3 (wing), which is her position for the future. I also knew we played her inside, so she didn’t get an opportunity to work on her perimeter skills,” he said. “That’s why I was hoping she’d be able to stick this year. I do definitely think she’s capable of developing those skills. With her work ethic and natural ability, I think she could in the future get another (WNBA) opportunity.”

Former Lady Mocs point guard Laura Hall signed a training-camp contract with the Connecticut Sun and stayed with the team for a week before being waived on April 28. Ten of the league’s 14 teams waived at least one player Thursday.

Comments