The Sparks rookie who made an impact in comeback win vs. Liberty

LOS ANGELES – Following Sparks practice on Saturday, head coach Lynne Roberts acknowledged that rookie forward Laura Ziegler would soon get an opportunity to play. With Cameron Brink currently sidelined due to an ankle injury and Sania Feagin being waived to add guard Kiana Williams, the team’s frontcourt depth took a hit. But Ziegler got her chance during the Sparks’ comeback win against the New York Liberty on Sunday.

Without needing to play Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby non-stop minutes, the Sparks were going to have to turn to Laura Ziegler or veteran forward Emma Cannon for backup center minutes. Roberts chose Ziegler who responded with strong minutes against a big Liberty frontline of Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Satou Sabally, and 7-footer Han Xu off the bench.

It hasn’t always been easy for the Sparks’ rookie who is playing on one of the WNBA’s new developmental contracts. She’s limited to only 12 games of action during the regular season, and those games count as long as she’s active regardless of whether or not she actually sees playing time.

Roberts admitted that the front office has been deciding how to manage the team’s developmental contracts in Ziegler and Kate Martin. But with the their options limited against New York, Ziegler was called into duty for the first time this season. And it was exactly what the Sparks needed.

“In that third quarter she kind of … got us going a little bit, just coming in and played hard-nosed. I thought she did a great job and she was a plus-one in her minutes, made her field goals and was good defensively,” Roberts said following the game. “The thing we’ve always said about Laura as a staff … she’s always in the right spot and that can make up for a lot of things, especially defensively. I thought she did a great job. We needed her and I’m really proud and happy for her.”

Ziegler played 10 minutes and finished with four points, one rebound and one assist, while shooting a perfect 2-of-2 from the field, One of those shots she made was an and-one where she challenged Sabally at the basket and finished through contact. Although she missed the ensuing free-throw, the play was representative of the toughness she brought.

And she’s been preparing for this moment behind the scenes in practice and outside of games in anticipation for when her name is finally called.

“There’s a lot of things that go into that. I think our health and performance team does a great job. We lift a lot, and coming in as a rookie is always a step up physically. Just putting on some muscle mass a little bit, playing against these older women, they do a great job of that,” Ziegler told a small group of reporters after the game.

“We have development coaches who do a lot of extra workouts with us … trying to always do stuff to make sure when you get the opportunity, you’re ready and you don’t feel behind. You just need to go out and play and do your thing and not overthink it too much.”

Moving forward, Ziegler’s role and availability is not certain. Cameron Brink is expected to miss a few weeks with the ankle sprain, and that would open up more opportunity for the rookie forward.

But again, she’s limited due to the nature of the development contracts. With one game under her belt, she has 11 remaining in which to help the Sparks. Her time on the bench and in practice helped get her ready for this moment, and she’s ready to do her part when needed.

“I get to learn every day and you got to mentally prepare yourself, envision what it’s like when you’re on the court,” Zigeler said. “I think that definitely helped. You always choose how you want to use your time and I just try to use my time to prepare me the best as possible.”

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