Mya Hollingshed shocked a lot of people around the WNBA and women’s college basketball when she was chosen as the No. 8th overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft by the Las Vegas Aces. Even the Ace’s head coach and WNBA legend Becky Hammon said she felt like Mya had a tremendous upside. She loved the way she shot the ball and knew Las Vegas had the right system in place for Mya to develop and become a force in the league.
Unfortunately for Mya it did not turn out that way. There is a problem with the league in that aspect. On average only 13 of 36 draft picks in the last five years have been waived before the season began previously. It’s not just rookies either. We have seen time after time of great players being waived and that has dumbfounded fans around the league.
Mya is far too great of a player to not get another chance, but we thought she would get a little longer of an opportunity in Las Vegas. Her dream will not be forgotten. While it may be on pause for the moment big things are still going to come from the best of Boulder.
Here are some words from Breanna Stewart of Seattle Storm about the problem in the league with cutting great players:
I hate seeing so many great players being cut from WNBA teams. Salaries went up, but a very restrictive hard cap has put teams in a bind. We need to soften it to allow of our league to grow. The WNBA needs to adjust ASAP (before the next CBA).
— Breanna Stewart (@breannastewart) May 4, 2022
Despite the disappointment nobody was happier than Colorado’s head coach JR Payne when Mya was drafted:
“I just immediately went back to thinking about when she arrived on campus as a freshman and when she committed on her visit and how hardly anybody recruited her and we just saw so much potential in her. Potential is just that if you don’t have the work ethic and the drive to go along with it.”
Well Mya Hollingshed did just that and then some. Nobody imagined she would help Payne turn this program around and put it back on the map. That speaks volumes. Not only did she get the Buffs back into the big dance, but she is the first CU player to be drafted since 2013. Mya is a tremendous threat at 3-point range and her leadership on the court is immeasurable. We are confident she will land somewhere great with a team who will believe in her even more.
The pride of Boulder has an almost silky style to her game much like another former Houston player Cynthia Cooper. The smooth style and unselfish play is something to be very desired for any team. Wanting to make everyone around them better is the type of leadership that led the Houston Comets to so much success. With an asset like Mya Hollingshed any team has nowhere to go but up.