Valkyries waive Julie Vanloo, Chloe Bibby, Bree Hall
making space for the returning EuroBasketeers
Waiver announcements today
The Valkyries announced the waiver of Julie Vanloo, Chloe Bibby, and Bree Hall today.
The waivers make a lot of basketball sense, but it’s still emotional. We’ve come to enjoy their underdog stories and, well, they’ve been with us for a very large percentage of the franchise’s existence.
After these waivers, that leaves the Valkyries with the maximum number of players (12):
Carla Leite
Kaitlyn Chen
Laeticia Amihere
Kayla Thornton
Stephanie Talbot
Janelle Salaün
Temi Fágbénlé
Tiffany Hayes
Kate Martin
Veronica Burton
Cecilia Zandalasini
Monique Billings
However, there have been rampant reports that French star center Iliana Rupert will be joining GSV soon. That would mean one player would have to go.
I would think that player would be Kaitlyn Chen. She’s played respectably as a backup point guard and has looked better every game. I would love if she were the 13th player on the roster. But that’s not allowed. (Maybe next CBA.)
If Rupert were to join, that could happen on any timeline as Chen and Amihere are on rest-of-season contracts.
So I’ll conclude with some tributes to Vanloo and Bibby. Bree Hall never really got a chance, so I don’t have any video on her. Good luck to all of them, and they will all be Honorary Valkyries in my heart.
Farewell to Julie Vanloo, the Goddess of Chaos
I have a soft spot for players who try the weird delightful play; these players often have odd plays happen to them as well. Julie Vanloo exemplified that and she was the reigning Goddess of Chaos. (Laeticia Amihere is currently Deputy Goddess of Chaos and if she stays on the team, she will be elevated to full Goddess of Chaos.)
JVL was on the plane back and found out on landing. OUCH.
I first came to appreciate Julie from her opening interview. Not just her boldness, but the way she helped and nurtured Carla Leite and even Cecilia Zandalasini.
And here’s my old video celebrating one of her chaotic good peaks which introduced the Valkyries to the world with a bang:
Farewell, Goddess of Chaos!
Farewell to Chloe Bibby
Bibby was a flamethrowing pick-and-pop three point sharpshooter on a team whose shooting motto is We Lose Money On Every Sale, But We Make It Up In Volume™.
She shot 42.1% 3P which puts her only behind Zandalasini (47.1%) and Chen (50% but on 2 3PA) in team history.
Good luck, Chloe!