TORRANCE — With less than a week on the job in the WNBA, it is only natural that Sparks rookies Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson are still trying to figure things out. The lottery picks are working hard to position themselves in the organization’s “core four” players, a concept detailed by first-year general manager Raegan Pebley on Wednesday at the team’s media day at El Camino College.
“I’m still figuring that out to be frank. I think we’re with a great group of vets, a great group of girls, they really take us in,” Brink said. “I think we need to listen to the coaching staff. We’re only three days in really, so still figuring that out but continuing to play hard and be myself.”
“Continue to be a sponge and lean on our vets,” Jackson added. “That’s been helping us get through training camp, all the overload of information, so we’re going to continue to do that.”
The Sparks, led by coach Curt Miller, opened training camp Sunday.
After a 17-23 record last season, which ended with missing the playoffs for a franchise-record third straight season, the organization was rewarded with the No. 2 overall pick in the WNBA draft, which the Sparks used to select Brink from Stanford. During the WNBA’s free agency period, the Sparks acquired 2019 All-Star guard Kia Nurse and the No. 4 pick from the Seattle Storm, which the franchise used to draft Jackson from Tennessee, in exchange for the Sparks’ 2026 first-round pick.
“Our goal is that we are building organizationally a core four,” Pebley said. “We want our top six to arguably be starters for any other team in this league.
“We want every player on this roster to be high EQ, high IQ, great culture fits, great skill sets that fit the system that Curt’s building and we believe that those things can all lead in the end to WNBA championships. Championships aren’t usually built overnight, it takes time.”
The Sparks have 18 players on their training camp roster, well above the…
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