Nearly one month after hearing her name called during the WNBA draft, former BYU basketball sharpshooter Lexi Eaton Rydalch is looking for a new team to play for.
The Seattle Storm, which selected Rydalch in the third round of last month's WNBA draft, announced Tuesday it has waived the 5-foot-10 guard, one of four players the team released. Seattle also signed another guard, Tiffany Bias, giving the Storm 13 players on its roster and needing to trim one spot before the regular season opens on Sunday.
Rydalch, who prepped at Springville High, scored eight and four points, respectively, in Seattle's two preseason games last week. While averaging 18 minutes per contest, she hit 3 of 8 shots from the field during the two games and missed all four 3-pointers she attempted, in addition to making 6 of 10 free throws. Rydalch also averaged one rebound, one steal and two turnovers per game.
She was in a tight competition for a guard spot on the Storm's roster with others like undrafted guard Blake Dietrich, who hit two 3-pointers Sunday in the preseason finale, and six-year veteran Angel Goodrich, who was also released.
Had Rydalch made the roster, she would have faced another former BYU player in her WNBA regular-season debut. The Storm opens the season at the Los Angeles Sparks this Sunday at the Staples Center. Center Jennifer Hamson is heading into her second season with the Sparks.
Rydalch is the second Utah native to be released in recent weeks. Syracuse's Brittney Martin was waived by the San Antonio Stars after being selected by the team one spot ahead of Rydalch in the WNBA draft.
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