Post-Draft Interview with Storm GM Talisa Rhea

I was able to interview Storm General Manager Talisa Rhea after the draft concluded.

The WNBA Draft took place on Monday evening and while the Seattle Storm did not have a first-round pick this year thanks to the Gabby Williams trade, they still had four draft picks including three in the second round.

The Storm made three selections and traded the 18th overall pick to the New York Liberty in which they acquired a 2023 2nd round pick.

With their first pick (17th overall), Seattle selected 6’5” Center from North Carolina State, Elissa Cunane. Cunane was generally considered a Top 10 prospect and was invited to the WNBA Draft Green Room.

She averaged 14.8 PPG and 7.9 RPG while shooting 54% from the field throughout her career. Cunane has a strong post up game but can also stretch the floor to knock down shots from beyond the arc.

With their next pick (18th overall), Seattle selected Lorela Cubaj - 6’4” PF from Georgia Tech. Cubaj was then immediately traded to the New York Liberty for a future 2nd round draft pick in 2023.

The Storm were up again to make their third selection of the second round (21st overall) where they went to a familiar well. They drafted Evina Westbrook, 6’0” Guard from the UConn Huskies. I had a feeling Seattle would choose one of the Huskies with their multiple draft picks in the 2nd round and they continued that tradition.

Seattle really likes Evina’s versatility and that is on full display in the YouTube highlight clip below. In a game against UCLA, she put up 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists while also having to play a lot of point guard for the injured Paige Bueckers. The fact that Westbrook can play and guard multiple positions made her a very attractive player to the Storm.

Normally, when it gets to the third round of the WNBA Draft you’re not expecting much. Most players in the 2nd round don’t even make a final roster in the WNBA unfortunately. Third-round players almost have no chance at all. With that in mind, Talisa Rhea and the Storm front office made an excellent selection in drafting 19-year old Jade Melbourne out of Australia.

Many mock drafts had Melbourne going early in the 2nd round or around Seattle’s first pick at 17. The fact that the Storm were able to select her 33rd overall makes her a potential steal of this draft.

In 2019, Seattle selected Ezi Magbegor 12th overall and came to an agreement with her that she would stay overseas and stay in Australia for a year before joining the Storm roster in 2020. Ezi was also just 19 years old at the time and needed a little more experience playing in the Australian league. Magbegor joined the team in 2020 and has developed into one of their bright young stars on the roster.

With Sue Bird and Briann January, there likely isn’t a roster space available for Jade in 2022. But January has already announced her intention to retire after this upcoming WNBA season and Sue Bird seriously considered retiring after the 2021 season. At a minimum, Seattle will be looking for a backup point guard in 2023 and they might be in need of both a backup and starter at that position.

It makes a ton of sense to stash Jade Melbourne overseas for a least one year and bring her onto the team the following season. Although, the Storm will have to come to an agreement with the player and she may decline that option. We will have to wait and see how it plays out.

Once the draft was over, I had the opportunity to speak with Seattle’s General Manager, Talisa Rhea, for an exclusive 1-on-1 interview. We discussed the team’s approach to the draft with having to wait until the second round, the characteristics of each player they selected, the importance of adding a draft asset to next season’s draft with the trade, the potential to stash a player overseas for a year, and more. Below you can read the full transcription of the interview.

Interview with Talisa Rhea

Jeff Brown: When you don’t have a pick until the 2nd round, how does that change your scouting and what you’re looking for in the draft?

Talisa Rhea: It’s tough because you’re trying to project who’s going to be there. It’s always about being prepared for all scenarios. I think just being comfortable and familiar with more players, understanding who’s going to likely be there around the time you’re picking. It definitely was a wait and see (approach) and once we got closer to the bottom half of the first round we started looking at scenarios that could play out. Who might be there where we’re picking.

JB: Were you surprised when Elissa Cunane was still available? I felt a lot of mocks had her going in the Top 10. Second part, what impresses you the most about her game?

TR: Yeah, we were surprised! We definitely thought she’d go in the first round. We were excited that she was still there, for sure! I think she’s polished, she’s versatile, offensively she can play out on the perimeter, she can post up. She’s physical and can guard. She’s a great person and will be a really great fit culturally as well.

JB: With the limited roster spots you have available, how important was it for you to find a trading partner who was willing to trade a future draft pick? How aggressive were you guys with that or did New York come to you? How did that play out?

TR: We were definitely open. We had three picks in that second round. The move allowed us to get an asset for next year which I think is great. Plus, we still got a couple of really good players in the second round. We accomplished a couple of goals tonight. We got some really good talent and also got an additional asset for the future.

JB: The UConn connection in Seattle has always been really strong throughout the years. What is it about Connecticut players that helps them stand out and what specifically about Evina stood out to you?

TR: They’re an accomplished program that plays at a really high level. They demand a lot from their players. They have really talented players. I think with Evina, she’s just been consistent in who she is. She can play multiple positions. She’s played some at the point, she can play out on the wing, she can guard multiple positions. I think the style in which they play meshes pretty well with how we play. Her versatility, her athleticism, and size at the guard spot; we see all of those as elements that will help her come in and transition to the team.

JB: Is that something where her game could translate better in the WNBA?

TR: Yeah, in different environments or different styles of play you can see any player make that jump and play in a different way. She has the skills for sure. She’s very skilled, very talented, and she has the athleticism. I think all of those pieces can come together can help with that transition.

JB: Talking about the pipelines, with you guys and Australia, most recently with Ezi and Steph Talbot, you select Jade Melbourne in the third round - what impresses you about her?

TR: Just a really young, but mature point guard. She’s only 19. We think she could be a really valuable piece in the future. She’s really skilled, she has a high basketball IQ, she’s a really good teammate. She has a lot of those intangibles we look for. Someone who has a very high ceiling, so we look forward to exploring that potential with her.

JB: With Jade, from what I saw in the mock drafts - I think I saw one had her in the first round but most had her going in the 2nd round, did you consider taking her at 21? Was there any nervousness waiting for her to fall to 33? Or did your internal mocks give you more confidence that she would still be there (in the third round)?

TR: It was kind of all over the place to be honest. We definitely knew we liked her. When Westbrook was available we felt she was a really good piece to bring into camp at 21. Really, we just took our chances and when she was still there we were definitely very happy! We like her (Jade’s) game a lot.

JB: When you drafted Ezi you came to an agreement that she would stay overseas in 2019 and join the team the following season in 2020. Have you had similar discussions with Jade because from a roster perspective, it looks like 2023 would be a lot better opportunity?

TR: Yeah, exactly! We’re in those conversations right now. We think there’s great future potential so we’ll have those conversations now with her agent and see how it plays out.

JB: But that’s the plan? Obviously, the player has to agree to it. But in a perfect world that’s something you would envision happening (her staying overseas at least one year)?

TR: We would like to be able to have her in the future. We’ll have those conversations and see what they’re thinking.

JB: What do you guys say to Elissa and Evina, obviously roster spots are going to be hard to come by, what is the message for them heading into training camp?

TR: We want to see their strengths. We picked them for a reason. We want them to have confidence in that and who they are. Understand that we value who they are. Everyone knows how competitive our league is. Any team it’s difficult to make. If they come in, work hard, and compete - we’ll see what happens.

Notes: Thanks to Talisa Rhea for spending time to speak with me after the draft today. Thanks to all my subscribers for your support!