Sparks' Cameron Brink returns to Bay Area to face Valkyries

Former Stanford star Cameron Brink is scheduled to make her Bay Area professional debut Saturday night when the Los Angeles Sparks take on the Golden State Valkyries in San Francisco for a WNBA game with playoff implications.

Brink, whose four-year Stanford career included the 2021 national championship and the 2024 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award, suffered a torn left ACL last June in the 15th game of her rookie year -- a season in which the expansion Valkyries did not exist.

The 6-foot-4 defensive specialist sat out 13 months before returning in July and has since played four games, during which she has contributed 5.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game to a 3-1 Sparks run.

Having won eight of nine overall, the Sparks (14-15) have moved into a tie with the Valkyries (14-15) for the final playoff spot with 15 games remaining. This will be the final head-to-head between the two, with Golden State having won two of their three meetings during the first four weeks of the season when Brink was still recovering.

The Sparks have surpassed 100 points in all three games of their current winning streak, but coach Lynne Roberts nonetheless has found herself gushing over Brinks' shot-blocking.

"Cam's defense," Roberts boasted to reporters this week, "is a game-changer. Literally."

Brink has recorded 10 blocks in just 45 minutes off the bench in the three-game run, while leaving the offense in the capable hands of Rickea Jackson (24.0 ppg in the past three), Kelsey Plum (21.7), Dearica Hamby (19.3) and Azura Stevens (16.7).

The Valkyries are coming off back-to-back losses to the Las Vegas Aces. Kaila Charles, signed to a hardship contract last week due to multiple Golden State injuries, contributed double-figure scoring off the bench in both games against the Aces with 13 and 11 points -- hitting nine of her 13 shots.

Playing for her fifth WNBA team, the 27-year-old Charles has seen her playing time quickly rise from 17 minutes to 22 and, most recently, 23.

"She is picking things up really well, credit to her for bringing confidence and bringing a lot of joy," Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase told reporters after Wednesday's loss. "She's out there with passion, but she's smiling, too, so she fits right in with our group."