Skepticism and doubt.
Those were two reactions the outside world had about the way the new Golden State Valkyries were constructing their roster. Through one expansion draft, two collegiate drafts and two trade deadlines, outsiders couldn't quite get a handle on Ohemaa Nyanin's strategy.
Was the focus of the franchise other team's cast offs? Did they not want collegiate stars? Were they allergic to star power?
It turns out that what general manager Nyanin was doing, with intentionality and care, was constructing a team that would compete for a championship in just its second year of existence.
She was looking for specific characteristics. For two-way players, for defensive buy-in, for high-character people, for athletes who were versatile and team-oriented. Women who would also be ambassadors for the new franchise and part of the community.
"Relentless pursuit of excellence is a big thing," Nyanin said Thursday on a conference call, two days before the Valkyries host the Atlanta Dream in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. "Not allowing for ‘no' to be the end of your story. Really trying to find ways to problem solve and pivot.
"Wanting to buy into a system and really wanting to be connected, not just on the court but off the court."
That last point is key to Nyanin's approach. She has created a connected team in every sense of the word. The players talk about their chemistry, their bond, their joy of playing with and for each other.
And much of that begins with how the woman at the top of basketball operations treats them.
WNBA Finals: Valkyries vs. Dream
Golden State Valkyries vs. Atlanta Dream
Best of seven series:
Oct. 17: 12:30 p.m. at Chase Center; NBC
Oct. 19: 5 p.m. at Chase Center; USA, CNBC
Oct. 21: 5 p.m. in Atlanta; USA, CNBC
Oct. 24: 10 a.m. in Atlanta; NBC
Oct. 26*: 5 p.m. at Chase Center; USA, CNBC
Oct. 29*: 5 p.m. in Atlanta; USA, CNBC
Oct. 31*: 5 p.m. at Chase Center; USA, CNBC
*: If necessary.
Gabby Williams has known Nyanin for a long time, through international basketball connections and Nyanin's days as the assistant general manager of the New York Liberty, where Williams' partner Marine Johannes plays.
"It's been great watching her grow into a leadership role," Williams said. "Something that's never wavered is her attention to detail, the pride she takes in doing things the right way and the pride she takes in getting to know players and making sure they're taken care of.
"Going after great people, not just great basketball players. I think working closely with players for a long time allowed her to understand the importance of that. She was always a players' relations person. Even when I would go visit Marine in New York, she would make sure I was taken care of."
Nyanin is a nurturing presence. She helps Williams find a cat sitter. She reminds Natalie Nakase to eat. She wants to make sure her people have whatever they need to do their jobs without worry.
"She just lets me coach," Nakase said. "So I don't have to worry about so much. … Her care factor for every second that we're breathing is just unmatched. When you feel like you're cared for and loved, you feel like you could be your best. She's the mom of all of us, constantly thinking about what else could she do? She wants to improve.
"Leaders are great because they care about people, not about themselves. And I think Ohemaa thrives in that role."
Nyanin originally put together a team with overlooked or discarded gems, players who had been made expendable by other teams. They added little from their first collegiate draft: Justė Joyctė who stayed in Europe, Shyanne Sellers who was waived before the season, and Kaitlyn Chen, a third-round pick with little expectation. The result was a historic playoff berth in the team's first year.
There was more opportunity in the second year. A massive free-agent market with a new collective bargaining agreement. A talent-rich collegiate draft. But, again, Nyanin was intentional and unwavering in her vision.
Knowing how much upheaval and movement the new CBA would bring to many teams, she opted for continuity with much the same roster that had achieved so much, so early. She added a stellar two-way player in Williams that she had been watching for years, who has blossomed into a league star, and Kiah Stokes, a lynchpin center with three championship rings. She re-signed or extended the core of the team.
On draft night, when the team drafted Flau'jae Johnson eighth overall and then immediately traded her to Seattle, it shocked the WNBA world. The trade, Nyanin later said, had been agreed upon ahead of time. The overall takeaway was that the Valkyries were happy with what they had. Nyanin thought they could go a long way with the roster they had constructed.
It turns out she was right.
The one thing that surprised Nyanin was how quickly the team came together this season, merging the core players and the newcomers.
"You never know how it's going to work out," she said. "The athletes did as much work as myself and the staff in trying to get to know one another on a deeper level. … The amount of time they put in with each other on and off the court."
"Ohemaa should not be ignored for the force that she is in sports," said team president Jess Smith. "How she has constructed these rosters, how she has hired, how she has built a culture in two years - it's something organizations have tried to do for decades."
Nyanin's boss is a man who likes stars, who signed Kevin Durant and has pursued LeBron James. But Nyanin said it didn't take a lot to convince team owner Joe Lacob to buy into her vision and plan of a team-oriented group, light on big-name stars and super heavy on character.
"What he has done is empower us as leaders to really lead with our heart and with our strategy and experiences," Nyanin said. "He's done an amazing job of balancing asking questions and being inquisitive and sharing his past experiences to help us create the team we have today."
Nyanin has had a vision. It has come together quickly. The moment she realized it had manifested in reality was when the players huddled on court, down double digits, in an elimination game against Dallas and took a breath together.
"The collective moment of breath was the epitome of things we have said here and there," Nyanin said. "All the little things we've put together. A breath to say, they will fight with each other and for each other.
"And that's exactly why I'm doing the job that I'm doing."
Subscribe
There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Valkyries GM's strategy once shocked WNBA world. Now it's in awe of her Finals squad.