Nika Mühl earns spot on Seattle Storm after impressive training camp

When the Seattle Storm selected Nika Mühl with the 14th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, team general manager Talisa Rhea made it clear that the point guard wasn’t guaranteed a roster spot when the regular season began.

“We're really open to evaluating our entire roster and having the best 11 players on our roster for the start of the regular season,” she said after the draft.

But after a strong showing in training camp, Mühl secured her place on the Storm’s opening day roster after the team traded second-year guard Jade Melbourne to reach its preferred 11-player squad.

That doesn’t come as much of a surprise, though. From the moment she stepped on the court in Seattle, Mühl has drawn rave reviews from both teammates and coaches alike.

“She found her voice at this point guard position. She doesn’t feel like a rookie,” head coach Noelle Quinn told reporters. “She’s been pretty consistent daily.”

“Everyone’s competing, and that’s something that we, I think, missed in the last couple years is having a full competition every single drill, every single possession,” Jewell Loyd said. “[Mühl] brings that for sure.”

Mühl still has to earn her keep to stay on the squad, though the early returns have been good. She put up six points, three rebounds, two assists and turned the ball over just twice in her lone exhibition game after missing the other in Canada due to a visa issues.

It also helps that Mühl believes the league is well-suited to her style of play.

“Very physical — much more physical, much more contact allowed, which I like. I like that a lot,” she said when asked about the difference between college and the WNBA. “Six fouls — honestly, I had no idea that that is the case. So I'm very excited about that.”

Dolson and Edwards team up in DC

The Washington Mystics’ frontcourt will feature a heavy UConn influence this season with Aaliyah Edwards joining Stef Dolson in the nation’s capital. On draft night, the veteran quickly welcomed the rookie to the team.

Now, Dolson is looking forward to playing alongside Edwards while also getting to know her better.

“I don't know her super well. I had been to a decent amount of UConn games, but we've probably met a few times in passing and been to a few practices,” she said. “I've just seen her game and Geno's taught her everything that he's taught me as a post player at UConn. To know that we're kind of cut from the same cloth and we've been taught the game the same way, it’s easy for me to relate to her and to teach her different things that now I've learned from being in the league now for 10 years. So I'm excited for her.”

Unlike Mühl, Edwards’ roster spot has been secured since draft night. That doesn’t mean the adjustment to the league will be any easier, though.

“Mentally right now, I'm just trying to keep up with the pace. Not only the pace on the court, but just the process of trying to learn everything within training camp these next 16 days before everything else speeds up,” Edwards said earlier in May. “It's a very condensed season, condensed schedule, so as much as you can learn and pick up with these next few days, it’s going to help you transition easier.”

She’s knows she’s ready, though.

“I think Coach (Auriemma) really prepared me for this pro lifestyle, not only on the court, but just just how to handle yourself like the treatment, the recovery, taking care of your body, all that stuff plays a big part into it,” Edwards explained.

Katie Lou Samuelson adjusting to life as a mom

After sitting out last season due to the birth of her first child, Aliya, Katie Lou Samuelson is back in action. She’s now with the Indiana Fever, her fifth team in as many years in the WNBA.

But unlike those first four seasons in the league, Samuelson isn’t just a basketball player anymore. She also has to juggle mom duties when she gets home from practice, which she believes will only help her.

“Becoming a mom has been the best thing I've ever done in my life,” Samuelson said. “It really puts things in perspective that might have bothered me before, might have worried me seems so small now. I just want her to see me doing amazing things playing the game.”

These days, Samuelson finds herself busier than she did in the early years of her career. No longer can she return from practice and just sleep. Now, basketball gets put at the back of her mind as soon as she walks through the door.

“It's just a whole different world than I've ever experienced,” she said. “Practice finishes, I do what I need to do and then I go home and that is my world and my focus. So it's been cool to have that different perspective on it.”