Players From Both Leagues Left Facing Uncertain Future

Bill McGillis, former general manager of American Basketball League teams in Long Beach and Columbus, had this thought Tuesday, after it was announced the ABL had shut down:

“I’ll tell you one thing for sure: There’ll be a lot of WNBA players out of work next summer.”

But one prominent player agent, Bruce Levy, said he’d be surprised if the WNBA loads up its rosters with ABL players.

“They may want to be careful how many ABL players they sign,” he said.

“Remember, the WNBA players just formed a union. They’ll sign a lot of ABL players, sure, but they might wind up allowing maybe just two players per team.

“They can sign a lot of them now and worry about how to distribute them later. And I’d guess they’d have a separate draft for ABL players.”

The WNBA’s New York office was silent on the question about what will happen to the ABL’s 90 players, who became unemployed Tuesday. The league’s superstars--Chicago’s Yolanda Griffith, Portland’s Natalie Williams and Philadelphia’s Teresa Edwards--will surely be snapped up by the WNBA.

But what of the rest?

Will they head to play in Europe, South America and Japan, as women did for roughly two decades, before the ABL began play in 1996?

No one at the WNBA’s New York office was talking Tuesday. League President Val Ackerman issued only a short statement:

“This is an unfortunate setback for the women’s sports movement,” she said.

“We applaud the great efforts and passion of the ABL’s players. And all the league and key personnel who labored so hard to start and sustain the league.”

The WNBA, which began play in the summer of 1997 with eight teams, jumped to 10 last summer and will have 12 for its third season, beginning in June. The most recent expansion teams were placed in Minnesota and Orlando.

There have been no indications in the past year that the WNBA had a “battle plan” for a rapid expansion in the event of an ABL shutdown.

But Johnny Buss, owner of the Los Angeles Sparks, said Tuesday a more aggressive expansion could occur for the 2000 season.

“I’m sure we’ll stick with our two new teams for next season, but for 2000, we might add four,” he said.

The ABL has talent at least equal to the WNBA’s at every position, but particularly at point guard, where at least six would start for most WNBA teams: Edwards, Andrea Nagy (Philadelphia), Niesa Johnson (Seattle), Debbie Black (Colorado), Jennifer Azzi (San Jose) and Jennifer Rizzotti (New England).

And here are three inside power players who would start for any WNBA team: Griffith, Williams and Shalonda Enis of Seattle.

Other premier ABL players include Kate Starbird (Seattle), averaging 13.6 points per game and shooting 43% from three-point range; Edna Campbell (Colorado), the ABL’s No. 3 scorer at 17.3 points per game; Adrienne Goodson (Chicago), 17.3; Sheri Sam (San Jose), 13.5; Clarisse Machanguana (San Jose), 13.5; Kara Wolters (New England), 11 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game and injured Katie Smith and Valerie Still of Columbus.

But few of the ABL’s players were thinking that far ahead Tuesday, when shock and disappointment were setting in.

“I never thought this would happen, not in midseason,” said Black, point guard for the Colorado Xplosion. “I hate starting something and not finishing it.

“You know, all of us in the ABL had the same dream--to go into the other league in some kind of merger and beating those WNBA teams, to show that we’re the best league. Now, we’ll never get a chance to prove it.”

Top ABL Players

* Teresa Edwards, Philadelphia: Premier point guard in league.

* Natalie Williams, Portland: League’s No. 2 scorer and rebounder.

* Adrienne Goodson, Chicago: No. 4 scorer and No. 7 rebounder.

* Yolanda Griffith, Chicago: League’s leading rebounder.

* Shannon Johnson, Columbus: Top tier of point guards.

* Jennifer Azzi, San Jose: Marquee player, ’96 U.S. Olympian.

* Kate Starbird, Seattle: Naismith Award winner at Stanford, one of league’s biggest signings.

* Chasity Melvin, Philadelphia: League’s top draft choice in 1998-99.

* Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil, San Jose: Veteran was two-time NCAA player of year at Texas.

* Delisha Milton, Portland: League’s top draft pick two years ago.

* Kara Wolters, New England: 6-7 shot-blocker from Connecticut.

* Jennifer Rizzotti, New England: One of premier point guards in women’s game.

* Debbie Black, Colorado: Smallest player at 5-3 but top defender.

* Carolyn Young: New England: League’s top scorer in 1996-97 season, currently injured.

* Valerie Still, Columbus: Two-time championship series MVP.

* Katie Smith, Columbus: Member of U.S. 2000 Olympic team.