The New York Liberty unveiled their 20-player roster for training camp, which will be held on the campus of St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn.
For the New York Liberty, there are only a few more sleeps until Brooklyn.
The team announced it will hold their annual training camp at the Hill Center at St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn. Camp will begin on Sunday, May 5, and run through May 23. The Liberty also unveiled their 20-player roster that will partake in the spring practices.
The New York Liberty unveil their 20-player training camp roster; Six (Gray, Zahui B, Stokes, Hartley, Johannes, Raincock-Ekunwe) will miss the start due to international commitments
Camp is May 5-23 at the Hill Center at St. Joseph's College in Brooklyn#WNBA #LibertyLoud pic.twitter.com/aANxwhpYzc
— Geoff Magliocchetti (@GeoffMags5490) April 30, 2019
The list features several welcome surprises. Second-round draft selection Han Xu is set to partake, despite rumors she would spend next season in her native China. Elsewhere, Tina Charles, a free agent after last season, was given core player status by the Liberty this offseason. The team has not announced her re-signing, but her appearance on the roster seems to confirm it.
Absent from the list is Epiphanny Prince, Marissa Coleman and Kia Vaughn. Each saw their Liberty contracts expire after last season, but they have yet to be picked up by another squad. Six retained players will also miss at the least the start of training camp due to international commitments. That list includes returning contributors Amanda Zahui B., Bria Hartley, and Kiah Stokes. Zahui B. is playing in her native Sweden, while Hartley and Stokes are each competing in Turkey.
The Liberty also finalized their spring preseason schedule. They will unofficially begin their Brooklyn era with a showdown against the Chinese national team next Thursday night at Barclays Center. A pair of exhibitions at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut follow.
The first game comes against the host Connecticut Sun on May 13, followed by a showdown with the Atlanta Dream the following day. Preseason games wrap up on May 19 with another game against the Sun, this one coming at Times Union Center in Albany.
With their new Brooklyn setting, overseen by new owner and Brooklyn Nets minority owner Joseph Tsai, the Liberty will retain plenty of familiar faces. Head coach Katie Smith will return for her second season at the helm. She will be joined by assistant coach Herb Williams, who enters his fourth year on the New York bench.
Howard Megdal of High Post Hoops also reported that the team will be bringing back Maddie, the canine mascot who has been with the team since its 1997 inception. Maddie is named after the franchise’s now-former home of Madison Square Garden.
The Liberty open regular season play on May 24 against the Indiana Fever at Westchester County Center.
