TORRANCE — After a 10-game sample size, it goes without saying the Sparks are better with veteran guard Layshia Clarendon in the starting lineup.
“I would say, your dreams will come true,” Clarendon began when asked for a message to a younger Layshia. “You will have a lot of heartache within this game, but it will all be worth it and to always know that you’re valuable no matter what happens.”
The Sparks are 6-4 when Clarendon starts. Without Clarendon, the Sparks have gone 3-11.
“We missed her for 14 games. Certainly, you can feel it when we didn’t have her and you feel the difference when we do have Layshia on the court,” Sparks first-year head coach Curt Miller said.
Clarendon, a San Bernardino native, grew up going to Sparks games, traveling more than 60 miles each way. Ten years later, the 5-foot-9 Cajon High graduate is finally playing at home in Southern California for the first time in their professional basketball career.
However, the journey to get back to Los Angeles as a pro has been arduous.
“I’ve been a starter in this league. I’ve been a bench player in this league. I’ve been an All-Star,” Clarendon said. “I’ve been out for one year, so I just know every single role in this league and I know how valuable they are and I know how hard each and every one is. None of the roles are easy. People think starting is easy. People think, ‘Oh, you’re on the bench.’ There’s pressure and there’s difficulty to every single role in this league. It’s how can you perform consistently through them all.”
The 32-year-old Clarendon is the definition of a veteran point guard, having played for six of the 12 WNBA teams.
But for the first time in their career, Clarendon has taken on a new challenge of playing out of position as the Sparks’ starting small forward. They’re averaging 7.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game, shooting an above-career average 35.2% from 3, while playing a…
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