FIBA sets EuroLeague, EuroCup start dates; recent NCAA alums sign overseas

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Las Vegas Aces guard Kayla McBride, along with four more players in the WNBA bubble, will navigate an interesting 2020-21 EuroLeague Women season as members of Turkey’s Fenerbahçe. (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via GettyImages)

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The FIBA Europe Board met last week to determine start dates for the upcoming club seasons. Top-tier EuroLeague Women is slated to start on time with its qualifiers in September and regular season in early October, while second-tier EuroCup Women will play its qualifiers in December and begin the regular season on Jan. 6, 2021.

All EuroLeague Women teams and their national federations will meet soon to discuss exceptions to travel restrictions in order to start the season on time. Meanwhile, for EuroCup Women play, FIBA Europe is discussing the possibility of regional bubbles, with further talks to take place at October’s board meeting.

As confirmed last month, 16 teams will participate in EuroLeague and 32 in EuroCup; these games are an added competition on top of a team’s domestic league play. For example, during the 2018-19 season (the last complete season for both schedules), UMMC Ekaterinburg won, separately, the EuroLeague Women tournament title and the Russian Women’s Basketball Premier League title.

The Board also had a preliminary conversation about future European tournaments, including FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2021 — the European tournament between national teams that is part of the qualification process for the FIBA World Cup. Remaining EuroBasket qualifiers are currently slated to take place in November and February, while the tournament is scheduled for June, about a month before the Olympics.

Recent NCAA alums sign abroad

While many stars from the final AP Top 25 are making waves in the WNBA this summer, many of their teammates — and other players — will begin their professional careers this fall and winter.

Congrats to Platinum Showcase Girls Alum @kyirwin25 on signing to play professionally in German #CPElite pic.twitter.com/9OUHw7piDn

— Central PA Elite (@CentralPAElite) August 28, 2020

The list, in order of their finish in the poll (omitting teams without current non-WNBA overseas signees):

3. Baylor:

• Juicy Landrum – Pszczółka AZS-UMCS Lublin (Poland)

4. Maryland: 

• Stephanie Jones – Ślęza Wrocław (Poland)

• Sara Vujačić – Mataro Parc (Spain)

• Blair Watson – Rishon Le-Zion (Israel)

5. UConn:

• Evelyn Adebayo – Phantoms Boom (Belgium)

• Batouly Camara – Bembibre (Spain)

• Kyla Irwin – Heidelberg (Germany)

6. Louisville:

• Yacine Diop – Enisey Krasnoyarsk BC (Russia)

8. NC State: 

• Aislinn Konig – Fribourg (Switzerland)

10. UCLA:

• Japreece Dean – Dynamo Novosibirsk Region (Russia)

11. Northwestern:

• Abbie Wolf – Quesos el Pastor Zamarat (Spain)

12. Arizona:

• Dominique McBryde – Ceglédi EKK (Hungary)

13. Gonzaga:

• Jessie Loera – Breiðablik Kópavogur (Iceland)

14. Oregon State:

• Mikayla Pivec – Promete (Spain)

15. DePaul:

• Kelly Campbell – XCYDE Angels (Germany)

16. Kentucky:

• Sabrina Haines – Radivoj Korać Beograd (Serbia)

19. Florida State:

• Kiah Gillespie – Maccabi Raanana (Israel)

• Nausia Woolfolk – União Sportiva (Portugal)

23. Missouri State:

• Alexa Willard – Esperides (Greece)

25. Arizona State:

• Reili Richardson – Gréngewald Hueschtert (Luxembourg)

• Ja’Tavia Tapley – Pallacanestro Vigarano (Italy)