Many WNBA players take their talents overseas during the “offseason,” and the Aces are no exception. While Moriah Jefferson is in Las Vegas making appearances on behalf of the team, the majority of the remaining 11 players on the roster are hooping it up around the world.
Be sure to check the official online home of the Aces each week for updates on how your favorite players are performing in their adopted countries.
A Quick Overseas Primer—International competition differs slightly in structure from the way professional sports leagues operate in the United States. While each country has its own league, many teams also take part in EuroLeague and EuroCup competition.
EuroLeague—Founded in 1958, the EuroLeague is the highest professional basketball league in Europe. At the start of the 2017-18 season, 18 teams were vying for the EuroLeague championship. Fourteen of those teams had byes into the regular season, while four additional teams participated in a late-September-early October qualifying round. The top two finishers in the qualifying round advanced to the regular season.
The 16 teams were broken up into two groups of eight for the regular season, which ends on January 31. The top four teams from each group qualify for the quarterfinals, which begin on February 28. The Final Four is slated for April 20, with the Finals scheduled for April 22.
EuroCup—Dating back to 2002, the EuroCup competition is an annual second-tier level competition in Europe. At the start of the 2017-18 season, 42 teams were vying for the EuroCup championship. Thirty-eight of those teams had byes into the regular season, while four additional teams participated in a late-September qualifying round. The top two teams in the qualifying round advanced to the regular season.
The forty teams were broken up into 10 groups of four teams each for the regular season, which ended on November 30. The playoffs began on December 14, and the round of 16 got underway in early January. The round of eight concludes on February 1, with the Final Four and Championship Game stretching into April.
Cierra Burdick—Kazanochka Kazan (Russia) Burdick plays for Kazanochka Kazan in the Russian League. Kazanochka is in seventh place in the PBL with a 6-8 record. Burdick is averaging a team-high 12.9 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, while also contributing 2.1 assists and knocking down 87.5 percent of her free throw attempts.
NEXT GAME: PBL—February 18 vs. Dynamo NR
| PBL Standings | ||
| 1 | UMMC | 13-1 |
| 2 | Dynamo K | 12-0 |
| 3 | Nadezhda O | 10-3 |
| 4 | Enisey | 6-6 |
| 5 | Sparta&K MR | 6-6 |
| 6 | MBA | 6-7 |
| 7 | Kazanochka | 6-8 |
| 8 | Dynamo NR | 5-8 |
| 9 | Dynamo M | 3-9 |
| 10 | Inventa | 3-10 |
| 11 | Spartak N | 0-12 |
Nia Coffey—Maccabi R. Hen (Israel) Coffey is averaging 16.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists for Maccabi R. Hen in the Israeli League. Maccabi R. Hen is 14-5 in league play, and tied for second place, one game back of Elitzur Holon. Coffey is also connecting on 85.5 percent of her free throws.
NEXT GAME: Israeli League—February 19 vs. Elitzur Holon
| Israeli League Standings | ||
| Places 1-6 | ||
| 1 | Elitzur Holon | 15-4 |
| 2 | Maccabi R.Hen | 14-5 |
| 3 | Maccabi Ashdod | 14-5 |
| 4 | Elitzur Ramla | 10-9 |
| 5 | Ramat Hasharon | 9-10 |
| 6 | Hap. Petah Tikva | 8-11 |
| Places 7-10 | ||
| 7 | Maccabi Raanana | 9-10 |
| 8 | Bnot Hertzeliya | 8-11 |
| 9 | B. Yehuda | 4-15 |
| 10 | H.R. Le-Zion | 4-15 |
Sydney Colson—H.R. Le-Zion (Israel) Colson plays in the Israeli League where she is averaging 15.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 9.2 assists for H.R. Le-Zion. She is also making 34.3 percent of her shots from beyond the arc, and 77.0 percent from the free throw line. H.R. Le-Zion is in 10th place in the Israeli League.
NEXT GAME: Israeli League—February 19 vs. B. Yehuda
| Israeli League Standings | ||
| Places 1-6 | ||
| 1 | Elitzur Holon | 15-4 |
| 2 | Maccabi R.Hen | 14-5 |
| 3 | Maccabi Ashdod | 14-5 |
| 4 | Elitzur Ramla | 10-9 |
| 5 | Ramat Hasharon | 9-10 |
| 6 | Hap. Petah Tikva | 8-11 |
| Places 7-10 | ||
| 7 | Maccabi Raanana | 9-10 |
| 8 | Bnot Hertzeliya | 8-11 |
| 9 | B. Yehuda | 4-15 |
| 10 | H.R. Le-Zion | 4-15 |
Dearica Hamby—Ragusa (Italy) Hamby plays for Ragusa in the Italian League, and the EuroCup. Ragusa finished the EuroCup regular season with a perfect 6-0 mark, and beat Basket Gdynia in the Round of 16. In the Round of Eight, however, they lost their first game of their two-game series 87-61 to Girona. Ragusa is 10-5 (third place) in the Italian League.
Hamby is one of four double-digit scorers for Ragusa in league play, averaging 15.8 points per game. She also averages 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists, while making 51.7 percent of her shots from the field.
In EuroCup competition, Hamby averages a team-high 19.8 points, and 7.2 rebounds. She is making 56.5 percent of her field goal attempts.
NEXT GAME: Eurocup—February 1 vs. Girona
| Italian League A1 Standings | ||
| 1 | Familia Schio | 14-2 |
| 2 | Venezia | 12-4 |
| 3 | Ragusa | 10-6 |
| 4 | Napoli | 9-7 |
| 5 | Lucca | 9-7 |
| 6 | San Martino | 8-8 |
| 7 | Broni | 6-10 |
| 8 | Torino | 6-10 |
| 9 | Vigarano | 5-11 |
| 10 | Battipaglia | 1-15 |
Sequoia Holmes—Bnei Yehuda (Israel) Holmes is Bnei Yehuda’s top scorer in the Israeli League averaging 16.0 points per game. She also leads the team with 9.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Bnei Yehuda is in ninth place in the Israeli League with a 4-15 record.
NEXT GAME: Israeli League—February 19 vs. H.R. Le-Zion
| Israeli League Standings | ||
| Places 1-6 | ||
| 1 | Elitzur Holon | 15-4 |
| 2 | Maccabi R.Hen | 14-5 |
| 3 | Maccabi Ashdod | 14-5 |
| 4 | Elitzur Ramla | 10-9 |
| 5 | Ramat Hasharon | 9-10 |
| 6 | Hap. Petah Tikva | 8-11 |
| Places 7-10 | ||
| 7 | Maccabi Raanana | 9-10 |
| 8 | Bnot Hertzeliya | 8-11 |
| 9 | B. Yehuda | 4-15 |
| 10 | H.R. Le-Zion | 4-15 |
Kayla McBride—Yakin Dogu (Turkey) McBride and Yakin Dogu are in first place in the EuroLeague standings with an 11-2 mark, two games ahead of her Aces’ teammate Kelsey Plum and Fenerbahce. Yakin Dogu is also in first place in the KBSL—one game ahead of Plum and company—with a record of 15-1.
McBride has played in 14 of Yakin Dogu’s Turkish League games, and is averaging 14.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists, while making 54.4 percent of her shots from the field, and 86.2 percent from the charity stripe.
McBride is the team’s leading scorer in EuroLeague competition, averaging 18.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, while making 52.1 percent of her field goal attempts, 37.5 percent of her shots from long distance, and 89.4 percent from the free throw line.
NEXT GAME: EuroLeague—January 31 vs. Nadezhda O
| EuroLeague Standings | ||
| Group A | ||
| 1 | Dynamo J | 13-0 |
| 2 | Sporon Basket | 9-4 |
| 3 | Bourges | 7-6 |
| 4 | USK Praha | 7-6 |
| 5 | Galatasaray | 6-7 |
| 6 | Villanueva | 4-9 |
| 7 | CCC Polkowice | 3-10 |
| 8 | Castors Braine | 3-10 |
| EuroLeague Standings | ||
| Group B | ||
| 1 | Yakin Dogu | 11-2 |
| 2 | UMMC | 10-3 |
| 3 | Fenerbahce | 9-4 |
| 4 | Familia Schio | 7-6 |
| 5 | Avenida | 6-7 |
| 6 | Nadezhda O | 4-9 |
| 7 | Willa Krakow | 4-9 |
| 8 | Lattes Monto | 1-12 |
| KBSL Standings | ||
| 1 | Yakin Dogu | 15-1 |
| 2 | Fenerbahce | 14-2 |
| 3 | Hatay | 14-2 |
| 4 | Mersin BSB | 10-6 |
| 5 | Besiktas | 9-7 |
| 6 | Botas | 9-7 |
| 7 | Abdullah Gul | 9-7 |
| 8 | Galatasaray | 8-8 |
| 9 | Cukurova | 8-8 |
| 10 | Canik Belediye | 7-9 |
| 11 | OGM Orman | 5-10 |
| 12 | Adana ASKI | 2-13 |
| 13 | Istanbul Univ. | 1-15 |
| 14 | Bornova | 0-16 |
Shay Murphy—Canik Belediyespor (Turkey) Murphy is averaging a team-high 19.1 points in the Turkish League (KBSL), while grabbing 6.2 rebounds and handing out 2.3 assists per game. She is also connecting on 48.1 percent of her shots from the field, 41.5 percent from long range, and 78.4 percent from the free throw line.
Canik Belediyesi is in 10th place in the KBSL with a 7-9 mark, and just two games out of fifth place.
NEXT GAME: KBSL—February 4 vs. Hatay
| KBSL Standings | ||
| 1 | Yakin Dogu | 15-1 |
| 2 | Fenerbahce | 14-2 |
| 3 | Hatay | 14-2 |
| 4 | Mersin BSB | 10-6 |
| 5 | Besiktas | 9-7 |
| 6 | Botas | 9-7 |
| 7 | Abdullah Gul | 9-7 |
| 8 | Galatasaray | 8-8 |
| 9 | Cukurova | 8-8 |
| 10 | Canik Belediye | 7-9 |
| 11 | OGM Orman | 5-10 |
| 12 | Adana ASKI | 2-13 |
| 13 | Istanbul Univ. | 1-15 |
| 14 | Bornova | 0-16 |
Kelsey Plum—Fenerbahce (Turkey) Plum has played in 10 of Fenerbahce’s first 16 Turkish League (KBSL) games this season, and is averaging 13.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, while connecting on 42.5 percent of her shots from beyond the arc, and 94.6 percent from the free throw line.
The team is 14-2 in league play, and tied for second place, one game behind front-running Yakin Dogu (15-1).
In EuroLeague competition, Fenerbahce is 9-4, and in third place in Group B. Plum is averaging 7.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 13 games, while connecting on 33.3 percent of her shots from long range.
NEXT GAME: EuroLeague—January 31 vs. Wisla Krakow
| EuroLeague Standings | ||
| Group A | ||
| 1 | Dynamo J | 13-0 |
| 2 | Sporon Basket | 9-4 |
| 3 | Bourges | 7-6 |
| 4 | USK Praha | 7-6 |
| 5 | Galatasaray | 6-7 |
| 6 | Villanueva | 4-9 |
| 7 | CCC Polkowice | 3-10 |
| 8 | Castors Braine | 3-10 |
| EuroLeague Standings | ||
| Group B | ||
| 1 | Yakin Dogu | 11-2 |
| 2 | UMMC | 10-3 |
| 3 | Fenerbahce | 9-4 |
| 4 | Familia Schio | 7-6 |
| 5 | Avenida | 6-7 |
| 6 | Nadezhda O | 4-9 |
| 7 | Willa Krakow | 4-9 |
| 8 | Lattes Monto | 1-12 |
| KBSL Standings | ||
| 1 | Yakin Dogu | 15-1 |
| 2 | Fenerbahce | 14-2 |
| 3 | Hatay | 14-2 |
| 4 | Mersin BSB | 10-6 |
| 5 | Besiktas | 9-7 |
| 6 | Botas | 9-7 |
| 7 | Abdullah Gul | 9-7 |
| 8 | Galatasaray | 8-8 |
| 9 | Cukurova | 8-8 |
| 10 | Canik Belediye | 7-9 |
| 11 | OGM Orman | 5-10 |
| 12 | Adana ASKI | 2-13 |
| 13 | Istanbul Univ. | 1-15 |
| 14 | Bornova | 0-16 |