When Unrivaled’s rosters for the league’s second season were revealed, Breeze BC immediately jumped out as an early fan favorite. With young stars like Paige Bueckers, Rickea Jackson, Dominique Malonga, and Cameron Brink alongside Kate Martin and Aari McDonald, Breeze’s roster represents a new generation of players younger fans can immediately relate to.
Considering all of the veteran star power and experience in Unrivaled, Breeze’s youth could have been a disadvantage. So far, it hasn’t been. Breeze’s young stars made one thing abundantly clear: they can hang with and beat more veteran teams.
Now, they have to back up that statement with a strong performance against one of the top teams in the league. Their next opponent is Rose BC, the reigning champions and one of the best teams in the league so far.
The Rose will be the Breeze’s toughest opponent yet
The Breeze didn’t get an easy draw for their first game of the season. For Bueckers, Malonga, McDonald, and Brink, it was their first Unrivaled game period. Only Jackson and Martin played in Unrivaled last season. They had to play a Phantom team featuring veterans Kelsey Plum, Aliyah Boston, Tiffany Hayes, and Natasha Cloud as well as youngster Kiki Iriafen. Dana Evans didn’t play.
Hayes, Boston, and Plum all put together strong scoring games. So did Bueckers, Jackson, and Malonga, though. Their efforts were enough to power Breeze to a 69-62 win over Phantom.
Bueckers and co followed up their first win with a decisive win over the Hive. All Breeze players who played scored in double figures. Malonga and Bueckers both finished with a double-double. Hive was able to somewhat bounce back from a 42-24 deficit after the first half, but was still no real match for Breeze’s young stars. To be fair, the Hive’s roster only features one player with any Unrivaled experience.
The Rose will be a different beast. They have four returners from last season, including the reigning Finals MVP, and integrated newcomers Shakira Austin and Sug Sutton quickly. Gray is one of the most lethal players in Unrivaled this season, and her teammates complement her well. Azurá Stevens is one of the more versatile bigs in Unrivaled, Shakira Austin thrives in the spaced setting, and the pick-and-roll game between Gray and either big is almost unstoppable. Lexie Hull and Sug Sutton are great role players, and Kahleah Copper hasn’t even made her season debut yet.
If the Breeze can hang with this team, their status as a possible contender will be solidified.