Vanloo caught off guard as she’s waived by Valkyries

VALKYRIES

In four games for the Valkyries this season, rookie guard Kaitlyn Chen, out of UConn, has averaged 4.3 points, 1.5 assists and 19.3 minutes. Jeff Chiu / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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By Nathan Canilao

NCANILAO@BAYAREANEWSGROUP.COM

The Valkyries have waived Julie Vanloo, the team announced on Monday.

The move comes as a surprise as Vanloo was expected to return to the team following her stint playing for Belgium at the EuroBasket tournament. The Valkyries temporally suspended her contract on June 10.

The Valkyries also announced that they are reactivating forwards Janelle Salaün and Cecilia Zandalasini.

Vanloo helped Belgium win a gold medal on Sunday. The second-year guard appeared to have been waived as she returned to San Francisco on Monday.

“Literally just touched down in the Bay. I need some time to process all of this man and put my feels into words,” Vanloo said in an Instagram story post. “I can’t right now.”

The move signals that the Valkyries will move forward with rookie guard Kaitlyn Chen on the roster. The former UConn star has gotten heavy minutes this last week with Vanloo at EuroBasket and fellow rookie point guard Carla Leite out for the last four games with a back injury.

While Vanloo had her moments with the Valkyries, she also showed her limitations in her short stint with the team. Vanloo was known for her ball vision and ability drive through traffic using her handle. But averaged 2.6 turnovers per game and shot 21.6% from beyond the arc on four attempts per game.

Chen’s ceiling is lower than Vanloo’s, but Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase seemed comfortable with her running the offense as a connector to different lineups. Through four games, Chen has averaged 4.3 points and 1.5 assists in 19 minutes. Chen was a part of Golden State’s closing lineup during Friday’s game against the Chicago Sky.

The Valkyries have also waived forward Chloe Bibby and guard Bree Hall.

Bibby played a significant role for the Valkyries off the bench. She averaged 6.4 points and 2.3 rebounds across five games. In her season debut against the Caitlin Clark-led Indiana Fever, Bibby scored 12 points.

Hall appeared in two games, scoring three total points.

The last time the Valkyries had all of their EuroBasket departures play in a game was in their June 7 win over the Las Vegas Aces. Since then, the Valkyries have gone 6-2.

Golden State won its last game, routing the Seattle Storm at home on Sunday. The expansion team will have just two home games in July.