Former Arizona forward Dominique McBryde released by LA Sparks

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In a normal year, former Arizona Wildcats forward Dominique McBryde would have been on her way to Los Angeles shortly after signing a training camp deal with the WNBA’s LA Sparks. She would have had time to impress former NBA guard and current Sparks head coach Derek Fisher, who had called her just after the draft to ask her to sign with the team.

In this decidedly abnormal year, McBryde has spent the last month sitting around Tucson waiting for camp to start. She has spent time exercising on the UA mall and getting ready for the call. The waiting ended with her name being unceremoniously removed from the Sparks’ roster late in the week.

WNBA teams had to begin cutting their rosters this week despite the lack of training camps. The deadline for meeting the 12-player roster size and the salary cap is May 26, camp or no camp. That date was set so that the players who make the rosters can begin getting paid on June 1.

Like many players, both those drafted and those signed to training camp deals, McBryde was again the victim of the COVID-19 pandemic that saw her miss the opportunity to go to the NCAA Tournament with her Arizona teammates.

Los Angeles still must cut three more players in addition to McBryde to reach the mandated 12-player roster limit. The nature of WNBA rosters and the limited number of teams meant that it was always unlikely that McBryde would make the league. However, getting to camp would have given her the opportunity to see how she stacks up against professionals on her way to pursuing a contract overseas.

With the uncertainty in the world, the next step in her professional life will be more complicated for McBryde and her agent at LivOn Global Sports Management than it would have been in different times. With one door closed, at least they know it’s time to try others.

In her two years at Arizona, McBryde averaged 7.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. She appeared in 61 games, including 58 starts, while averaging 27.9 minutes per contest.

She shot 48.1 percent from the field while wearing a Wildcat uniform, including 51.1 percent her senior season. She was money from outside, ending her Arizona career with 40.2 percent accuracy from outside.

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