The practice guys
PHOENIX — Phoenix Mercury coach Corey Gaines stands near midcourt and surveys the players running past him, occasionally shouting encouragement and admonishments.
There are a couple of athletic post players that catch his eye, along with some decent ballhandlers and a couple of shooters.
Mixed in is some, well, other talent, including a player who can’t dribble without looking at the ball and another with a white headband and a mop of gray hair who, from a distance, is a dead ringer for Izzy Mandelbaum from “Seinfeld.”
In all, there are close to 100 players in the three groups of the tryouts, giving Gaines plenty of men to fill out his roster.
That’s right. Men.
This wasn’t a tryout for the Mercury’s roster. It was to fill out the practice squad, the guys who have become a necessity for every WNBA team.
“I’m just looking for some guys who have basketball knowledge,” Gaines said. “Not necessarily guys who have the top skills, but know how to play the game. If you don’t know how to play the game, most likely you’ll hurt somebody. So you need somebody who knows basketball, and that’s what we’re looking for.”
So is just about every WNBA team.
A concept that started with high-level women’s college basketball teams a few years ago has spread across the WNBA.
Some teams, such as the Mercury, hold open tryouts to find players for their practice squads.
Phoenix had close to 200 men show up at last year’s tryouts and there were a few returnees from last year hoping to be among the 15-or-so players Gaines will keep this year.
Some had good skills, looking as if they might have played in college, shooting 3s and a few of them dunking. Others looked like they might have a hard time competing in a playground pickup game, dribbling the ball off their legs and running into each other on the 3-man weave drill.
No matter their skill level, Gaines treated them all the same.
“I imagine myself playing water polo,” he said. “You put me in water polo, I don’t know what I’m doing, I’m not going to be able to do it. It’s the same thing. It’s not their fault. I’m not the best at every sport, so I try to make it fun for them.”
One player having a blast was 64-year-old Rod Zabel, who decided to give it a try after his wife saw a note about the tryouts on the Internet.
Zabel plays three or four times a week in nearby Anthem against players often 30 years younger, so he wasn’t in the least bit intimidated by the atmosphere.
Despite a crack about the No. 73 on his back being his age and a shout of “You’re my boy, Blue!” Zabel held his own, sprinting up and down the floor, running the drills better than many of the players at the tryout.
“I love to play basketball,” Zabel said. “I’ve been playing since I was 8, so I figured well, I can have fun. And it was great.”
Part of the move to the male practice teams stems from simple math.
The WNBA allows only 11-woman rosters, so there isn’t much leeway if someone has to sit out practice. If a couple of players get hurt or sick, the team can’t even go 5-on-5. The women also need rest because many play overseas in the offseason to supplement their incomes.
Having a squad of male practice players — who aren’t allowed to be paid under WNBA rules — gives teams flexibility in practice.
