Special Vinyl moment for Teresa Weatherspoon was a year in the making

Teresa Weatherspoon is in her second season as the Vinyl’s head coach after being fired by the Chicago Sky. Dearica Hamby, Rhyne Howard, and Rae Burrell are also in their second season with the team. Hamby and Howard lead Vinyl in points, field goals, and minutes, but it was Burrell who created a particularly special moment for Weatherspoon, who has been a big supporter of the young guard since last season. 

Burrell is the youngest player on Vinyl’s roster, and playing in Unrivaled has helped her grow—something Weatherspoon always knew it would. She was already adamant about that during Unrivaled’s inaugural season last year. 

Burrell’s career-best performance and game-winner against the Laces about a year later proved her right. 

After the game, Weatherspoon said in the postgame media availability, “I’ve been impressed with Rae for a very long time. I’ve said this from the day I came here last year that she’s the most intriguing athlete to me here, and she’s really growing into a solid basketball player, a very confident basketball player…We believe in who she is. We believe in her growth. We believe in what she’s going to become and how she’s going to carry this game to another level as well.”

She also added, “This is a special moment for me to see what she did tonight, and it’s only going to carry over.”

Rae Burrell played her best Unrivaled game against the Laces

Teresa Weatherspoon decided to tweak her starting lineup against the Laces, trying to shake things up amid a losing streak. Rae Burrell stepped into the starting lineup for Courtney Williams and responded with her best game yet. She recorded 22 points on 8-13 shooting, 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 5 steals. 

The biggest moment of her career-best performance came with the game on the line. Vinyl only needed one more point to win the game while the Laces were six points away from the target score. Burrell subbed into the game for Williams, shot the gap on an inbound pass from Brittney Sykes to Jackie Young, took the ball to the other end of the court, was fouled by Young, and made the free-throw to seal the game. 

It was a huge moment for Burrell, who has spent most of her pro career battling with injuries and trying to earn minutes on veteran squads. This is, in large part, what Unrivaled is supposed to be for young players like Burrell: a chance to work on their game, learn from veterans, and get in-game opportunities they don’t necessarily have in the W. But it is also a chance for them to prove themselves. 

Burrell is making the most of those chances, and being coached by Teresa Weatherspoon will only help with her development. Weatherspoon was also a guard when she played and put together a very successful pro career. She was the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1997 and 1998—a feat not many guards achieve—, made five All-Star games, was named to four All-WNBA Second Teams, and led the league in assists in 1997 and in steals in 1997 and 1998.