Man, the crowds in LA just don’t hit the same as those wild South Carolina days. Still, for Sania Feagin, year one in the WNBA was a total emotional ride—maybe even messier than college. She just wrapped up her rookie season with the Sparks, and honestly? The whole thing’s been a blur. Nerves, surprises, a lot of “am I good enough?” and then grinding like crazy just to prove, yeah, she belongs.
That Draft Night Heart Attack
Draft night in New York—oof, she still gets sweaty just thinking about it. Sania was the only Gamecock in the building, white-knuckling it as one name after another got called. There’s glitz, there’s cameras, but mostly? Stress.
“I was super emotional,” she said. “Everyone dreams about this. And when your name keeps not getting called, you start freaking out. But hey, things happen for a reason, and it worked out.”
LA snapped her up at pick #21 (second round vibes), right after her old South Carolina buddies: Te-Hina Paopao went to Atlanta at #18, Bree Hall to Indiana at #20.
Coach Dawn Staley—who might actually be psychic—shot her a text before the draft: “Your time is coming.” Sania held onto that like a lifeline.
Camp: Survive or Go Home
Getting drafted? Cool. But a WNBA roster spot? Whole different beast. Just twelve players per team, and rookies get cut all the time. Sania knew she had to scrap for her spot.
“I just played my game, tried to be myself,” she said. “Goal one: make the roster. Once I did? Work even harder.” Simple as that.
And then came the viral prank: Sparks GM Raegan Pebley called her in, put on a fake serious face—classic “sorry, you’ve been cut” energy. Sania’s heart basically left the building. Then they dropped the real news. She made it.
“My heart was beating out of my chest,” she laughed. “But man, I was hyped.”
Rookie Year: Learning from the Sidelines
Just like at South Carolina, Sania didn’t exactly get superstar minutes—mostly riding the pine, peeping the vets. She played in just 16 outta 44 games, about 5 minutes per night (if you blinked, you missed her).
Best game? Easy. In July, facing the Mystics, she popped off: 8 points, a block, a steal, all in 13 minutes. Not bad at all.
She’s all about soaking it up, though. “I just tried to be a sponge,” she said. “Watched the vets—Hamby, Rickea Jackson—studied their moves, their hustle. Just tried to be ready for my shot.”
The To-Do List
Sania knows exactly what’s holding her back: she needs a deeper bag. Translation? Hit threes and get nastier in the paint. “Gotta bang bodies more,” she said. Every rookie forward hears that. Welcome to the W.
Australia, Here She Comes
Like, half the WNBA, Sania’s heading overseas for the off-season grind. Next stop: Australia, balling with the Adelaide Lightning in the WNBL. She’s got her first game October 19 against the Perth Lynx.
It’s a test, and she knows it. “Being in Australia solo? That’ll toughen me up mentally,” she said. “Physically, it’s just another level. I’m gonna get better. When I come back for year two? Watch out.”
From the panic of draft night to the hustle of training camp, Feagin’s first year feels like the first wild chapter in a saga that’s just barely getting started. Stat sheet? Eh, whatever. She’s laying the real foundation. And with a fresh passport stamp and a chip on her shoulder, year two’s about to get spicy.
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