Evina Westbrook Moves On
Cut by the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, she eyes USA Basketball’s 3X3 Basketball Tourney
After being drafted and then released by the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, Salem’s Evina Westbrook is taking Mother’s Day weekend to honor her mom, and then will be jetting across the country Monday for her next basketball adventure—the 3 on 3 Basketball Nationals Tournament in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Westbrook—the former South Salem and UConn standout guard—was waived Wednesday by the Storm after having a solid showing in WNBA preseason games for Seattle. Veteran players say the Association’s hard salary cap is to blame for such cuts, and the policy needs to be softened to allow more young players like Westbrook to remain on team rosters. Other players have called for the league to expand the number of teams to account for the growing number of quality players.
In the meantime, Evina herself is moving on, philosophical about her release.
“[The team] needed a five (post) player due to injury,” she shared during a casual chat at the Salem Costco store on Saturday. “It was a numbers game.”
So what is next for Westbrook? The 3-on-3 basketball game—added to the Olympics in Tokyo Games in 2021.
“I’m going to Massachusetts Monday for 3 on 3 basketball,” she told me with a small smile.
The event is a big deal. The 2022 Red Bull USA Basketball 3X Nationals will be May 13-15 at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Up to 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams will take part in the tournament. Preliminary games begin May 13, and teams will be seeded based on their performance in those initial games. Several NCAA women’s teams are expected to have players involved after USA Basketball extended invitations to teams that reached the Sweet 16 at the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
The event will serve as the final evaluation of athletes for selection to various 2022 USA Basketball 3x3 men’s and women’s national teams, including the 2022 FIBA 3x3 World Cup, set for June 21-26 in Antwerp, Belgium.
Although Evina didn’t explicitly say, it seems safe to conclude she is shooting for a spot on one of those national teams. But she is also leaving her WNBA options open, too.
“I will look around the league again to see what’s up.”
Glad I took the trip to Costco with my daughter. Thanks for the update, Evina.