Alysha Clark jumped at the chance to play close to home. After playing overseas for many years in the offseason, the Tennessee native joined Athletes Unlimited this winter.
The organization will play its fourth season in Nashville from Feb. 5-March 2.
“It's really exciting as I haven’t played at home since college,” Clark, who played at Middle Tennessee State, told The AP in a phone interview. “To go back to where everything started at this point in my career is exciting.”
The professional league had previously played in Las Vegas in its inaugural season and then Dallas the next two years.
Clark also was excited to give back to the area.
“What AU does with the players outside of the court is something I’m really excited about,” she said. “It gives me a chance to have a footprint in the community back home.”
The 37-year-old forward who has won three WNBA titles, including one with Las Vegas in 2023, was happy to see so many chances for players to compete domestically now between Athletes Unlimited and Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 women’s basketball league that opens play on Jan. 17 in Miami.
“It’s amazing the growth and opportunities with AU leading that front,” she said. “To be a part of that now and experience it speaks to the growth of women’s basketball and sports in general.”
Clark, who grew up 30 minutes from Nashville before moving there as a teenager, is just one of the players with Tennessee ties who will compete in AU this season. Chicago's Isabelle Harrison grew up in Nashville and is one of three former Tennessee Lady Vols playing. Jordan Horston and Meighan Simmons are the others.
Other WNBA players in the league include Kia Nurse, Maddie Siegrist, Kiersten Bell, Sydney Colson and Lexie Brown. AU has announced 15 of its 40 players. The rest will be disclosed at a later date.
AU Pro Basketball is five-on-five basketball, featuring players earning points both for team wins and individual performances. Teams change each week and the top four players in the standings act as captains and draft rosters. The player with the most points at the end of the season is the individual champ. Previous winners were Tianna Hawkins, NaLyssa Smith and Allisha Gray.
Brown has been with the league since its inception and was thrilled for the chance to play in Nashville. She was at an event there last month.
“They love women’s basketball, I met a couple that has a WNBA watch group that watches games around the city,” Brown said. “Its amazing. The south loves basketball. People talk about the south and football, I know a ton of basketball fans who would love a WNBA team closer in a city that people can get to from most places.”
The closest WNBA team to Nashville is Atlanta.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
FILE - Las Vegas Aces' Alysha Clark (7) looks to pass during the second half of a WNBA basketball semifinal game against the New York Liberty, Oct. 1, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
