Natalie Nakase addresses Iliana Rupert’s pregnancy, Valkyries waiving Kate Martin

With so many emotions swirling in the air for the Golden State Valkyries, coach Natalie Nakase wants her team to just take it all in.

“What I’m learning through being a head coach is you’ve got to let your players sit in their emotions. You got to let them feel it, you know? You can’t just blow things off. And I’m learning that’s probably the best way we can try to continue moving on.”

With center Iliana Rupert’s pregnancy news ruling her out for the rest of the season, and the Valkyries waiving guard Kate Martin, a beloved player in the locker room, there are a lot of feelings the team has to process as they prepare for the beginning of the regular season. However, it appears as though the latter news will take some time to get over.

Ahead of the Valkyries’ season opener against the Seattle Storm on the road, Nakase opened her pre-game presser by addressing Martin’s departure.

“A lot of heartache, I would say, you don’t want to replace a person like Kate,” Nakase said solemnly. “Kate Martin was our family member, someone we cared really deeply about. And we still do care deeply about Kate.”

Martin was the Valkyries’ final roster cut at the Thursday deadline, which paved the way for Golden State to retain Laeticia Amihere and Kaitlyn Chen.

While the Grade 2 quad strain Martin suffered in training camp limited her ability to practice and compete for her spot, ultimately, the decision came down to personnel needs. With the Valkyries needing a backup point guard and Rupert being out for the season, thinning out the center position group, Chen and Amihere became far more important positionally than Martin.

“The special thing about Kate is, when you have a conversation with her, she makes you feel like you’re the most important person that’s in the room,” Nakase said. “And so with that said, it was obviously very hard, because again, we’re trying to construct the best team. But for us, it is a lot of emotions.”

Happy for Iliana Rupert’s pregnancy

However, the other emotion in the air around the Valkyries is joy for Rupert. Nakase recounted how she and the team found out about Rupert’s pregnancy and their elated reaction.

“Hearing that news that she’s pregnant, we were unbelievably happy for her,” Nakase said, recalling how ecstatic Rupert herself was about the news and all the hugs that went around. She even joked that Tiffany Hayes is talking to Rupert’s stomach whenever she has a chance.

But in that meeting, Nakase made it a priority to reassure Rupert that she doesn’t have to worry about her job security.

“The first thing I wanted to let her know was– nothing changes here for you,” Nakase said. “We love you, we care about you, and you will always be a Golden State Valkyrie; you’re always welcome here. So to let her know, with the pregnancy, that she’s safe [on the roster]. That was the biggest thing.”

Still, it’s not like the Valkyries could trade Rupert even if they wanted to. Per the new rule in the CBA, colloquially dubbed the Dearica Hamby rule, teams must get consent from pregnant players before trading them. Regardless, Nakase’s reassurance to Rupert made it clear that her pregnancy wouldn’t affect her long-term relationship with the organization.

Regardless, the Valkyries have to deal with the ripple effects stemming from losing their starting center. A starting center that was really effective for them. Last season, Rupert finished third in the league in 3-point percentage (44.2%), boasted the second-highest offensive rating on the Valkyries (116.6), and had a 16.2 PER.

Adjusting to life without Iliana Rupert

Without Rupert, the Valkyries lose a deadly sharpshooting center who made the offense go, a fact Nakase is well aware of.

“On the court, got to make adjustments,” Nakase said, switching from happy den mother mode to coach of the year, let’s solve this basketball problem mode. The first step the Valkyries have undertaken in replacing Rupert is signing rookie Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, who participated in Golden State’s training camp, to the replacement contract they were granted.

At 6-foot-2, Mwenentanda isn’t a true center, nor does she boast the shooting of Rupert. However, the Valkyries liked her effort in camp and seemed to prefer the familiarity she brings rather than an outside free agent.

Still, it could be a stopgap move until another player comes along, as the Valkyries appear to be taking their approach to this situation with caution, looking to players on the roster to solve the problem.

“We’re being very cautious and thoughtful about how we construct our roster,” Nakase said. “But with the offense, it’s more ball movement, obviously, that was a weapon. But like Kiah [Stokes], [Laeticia Amihere], they bring different weapons. And so then it’s really, how can we exploit and move towards their strengths in our offense?”

For now, the Valkyries are going to try to process the whirlwind of emotions that hit them all at once this past week. It’s not easy losing a player as beloved as Martin. And it’s not going to be as easy as everyone thinks it’ll be to replace that kind of energy and chemistry she provided. For Nakase, getting over that emotional hump will require the team facing it head-on.

“Feel it however you want to feel it, you know?” Nakase said. “I can’t tell them how to feel, but just giving them that space and that we’re in a safe space.”

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