Dawn Staley, a "cornerstone of the struggling ABL, and
chief drawing card of the attendance-anemic" Rage, announced
yesterday that she was leaving her hometown to join the
WNBA, according to Mel Greenberg of the PHILADELPHIA
INQUIRER. Greenberg: "And while ABL officials insisted that
the league would survive without Staley, it cannot keep
losing stars and franchises and remain viable." ABL CEO
Gary Cavalli: "The ABL is bigger than any one player. The
majority of the world's best players will still be in the
ABL." WNBA officials "were ecstatic over capturing another
one of the ABL's marquee players." WNBA President Val
Ackerman: "We couldn't be happier about it." Staley said
that the ABL's future was not a factor in her deliberations,
but the WNBA's shorter season was: "I think what it came to
is longevity. I want to play basketball as long as I can,
and I can play longer in the WNBA. ... It didn't come down
to any financial reasons." Staley has a history of knee
problems. WNBA officials said that Staley had signed a
three-year standard contract, "although some estimates have
her making much more." In addition, she will also "benefit
from the WNBA's marketing power when Nike, with whom she has
a contract, unveils a Dawn Staley sneaker in January." No
decision has been made on which team she will join
(PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 9/1). Staley's agent, Bruce Binkow,
said Staley will be used in WNBA promotions during the
offseason. Her deal "is believed to be worth a six-figure
sum annually" (Amy Shipley, WASHINGTON POST, 9/1).
CHECKING THE ABL'S PULSE: In K.C., Jenni Carlson writes
that although Staley said her decision had nothing to do
with uncertainty about the survival of the ABL, "those
following the two women's professional basketball leagues
will see it as exactly that -- another indication that the
ABL may not last" (K.C. STAR, 9/1). In DC, Amy Shipley
writes that Staley's departure "represented the latest in a
series of setbacks for the ABL" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/1). In
L.A., Earl Gustkey writes that "the ABL's vital signs may be
dropping, but you can't find any flat-lining in the area of
player loyalty. [Staley's] only the third ABL jumper" (L.A.
TIMES, 9/1). Staley: "It was a very difficult decision,
considering I was a founding member of the ABL. At the same
time, I had to look at women's basketball as a business,
like everyone else" (Barbara Huebner, BOSTON GLOBE, 9/1).
RAGE ON OR RAGE OUT? In Philadelphia, John Smallwood:
"The ABL may go on, but without Staley, there's a good
chance the Rage won't." Rage GM Jonathan Matthews: "We're
going to make this happen" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 9/1).
OUCH: ABL Quest F Valerie Still, on the WNBA's signing:
"It doesn't surprise me. It's almost sabotage the way the
WNBA will pay for the players they really want over others
in their own league" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 9/1).
A SIDE OF RIZZOTTI: In Hartford, Bruce Berlet reports
that the ABL Blizzard's Jennifer Rizzotti agreed to a new
three-year deal with the league late Monday night, "ending
months of negotiations with the ABL and WNBA." Her two-year
ABL contract had run out on Monday. Rizzotti will hold a
news conference in Hartford today (HARTFORD COURANT, 9/1).
