In a season marked by cautious strides forward, the Los Angeles Sparks have seen lots of changes at the guard position. But in the post, they’ve been highly efficient: Dearica Hamby and Azura Stevens are each averaging career highs in points per game, at 17.5 and 15.0, respectively. Both are shooting over 50% from the field, and they’re combining for 16.5 rebounds per game. Cameron Brink has been back for three games and already has two games with three or more blocks.
This success set rookie forward Sania Feagin up for a challenge: not just making the roster, but carving out a role on a team laden with experienced post players. But she did, and she repeatedly used her limited minutes to prove her worth.
Despite glimpses of her potential — and a knack for hustle plays and defensive bursts — her evolving role faces another challenging turn with Brink’s return.
At first glance, Feagin’s stats of 1.3 points and 0.6 rebounds in 5.3 minutes per game show a deeper bench player backing up two All-Star-caliber players. But her on-floor moments tell a different story.
After only playing seven minutes all season, Feagin entered the game against the Seattle Storm on June 17, played 11 minutes, and turned her minutes into a statement despite the 31-point loss. She had three blocks, including a statement rejection on Storm guard Erica Wheeler in the third quarter. She showed flashes of confidence in the high post, finding cutters and distributing the ball.
After the game, Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts told reporters, “I wanted to give her a shot here and just see if she could bring some life. We needed some life. … She had a great block. She’s a big, strong kid and she just brings energy, she talks, all those things. So we can build on that with her.”
A few weeks later, Feagin had a career-high 8 points in 13 minutes against the Washington Mystics on July 15. That performance came two days after Roberts said Feagin would get more of an opportunity following the Sparks waiving center Mercedes Russell.
“I know she’s ready. She’s been doing a good job of staying engaged,” Roberts said. “It’s hard. It’s hard as a rookie anyways, and it’s hard when you’re not playing to stay engaged, but she’s done a good job of that. This will give her a chance to learn by being out there a little bit more, playing through mistakes, and getting the intensity and speed of things.”
Feagin made an impact again in the Sparks’ best win of the season on July 26. In a 101-99 victory over the New York Liberty, Feagin notched 4 points on 2-for-2 shooting and strong defense on 6’6 Liberty center Jonquel Jones.
“It felt good, honestly,” Feagin told The Next before Tuesday’s game against the Indiana Fever about how it felt to make an impact on the court. “It felt good to get a little burn, just to go out there and show what I’m capable of doing. … My team has given me the confidence to go out there and just be who I am and be great.”
Immediately after she began to pick up speed, the momentum shifted, as Brink returned on July 29 after a 13-month recovery from a torn ACL. As an offensive threat and a defensive powerhouse, Brink’s role on the Sparks was cemented even before she returned to the court. In her return against the Las Vegas Aces, Brink notched 5 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block, all within her 15-minute limit. In the next game, she filled the stat sheet again.
So where does that leave Feagin?
She’s on the short end of a classic rookie adjustment arc: moments as an energetic spark and glimpses of opportunity, then taking a back seat to an established talent. It’s hardly unusual. For rookies like Feagin, their first season in the WNBA is met with a common refrain: “staying ready.” Her further-reduced minutes now will be about a block here, a hustle rebound there, smart passes — all things Feagin has shown she’s capable of. In fact, this was something that drew the Sparks staff to Feagin in the draft.
Her leaders have told her to “stay ready no matter what,” Feagin said. “My time will come. I’m a rookie, so just keep taking my time and keep showing what I’m capable of.”
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In an era where college players are consistently transferring, Feagin “stuck it out” at South Carolina and played behind players like Aliyah Boston and Kamilla Cardoso. Both Roberts and Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley found that admirable.
Roberts told reporters on draft night, “To have a player like her in a program like that stay all four years, when she’s kind of had to wait her turn, I think speaks volumes to her work ethic and character. And those are things that we want in our franchise. We want players that are willing to put in the work and improve.”
When asked about Feagin’s role going forward after Brink’s return, Roberts said, “We are still figuring it out. You bring a player back of Cam’s caliber and her potential, she’s still on a minutes restriction, so to be completely candid, I’m still figuring it out. I don’t have an answer right now. But to have depth is a blessing.
“As I’ve said all season long, Sania will be a WNBA player. She’s done a good job of staying engaged, and it’s hard as a player. You play and then you don’t, but she can just control what she can control with her work ethic and her attitude and all the things, and she’s done a tremendous job of that.”
When asked about her goals for the rest of the season, Feagin said she wants to keep learning and growing, and maybe spend some more time on her 3-point shot — a major key in Roberts’ dynamic offensive system. In other words, she’s continuing to adapt, in a season when she’s done so much of that already.
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