JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Waves are close to history.
On Friday night, the Waves, one of four teams in the upstart Upshot League, will tip off at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena ready to make a statement.
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The point – proving that high level women’s basketball can thrive at more than one level. It’s not the WNBA, but the Upshot League has a slew of big names on the rosters of teams in Jacksonville, Savannah, Greensboro and Charlotte, major backing and some significant momentum.
The Waves host Charlotte at 7, the first of 34 games in the inaugural season. The home opener will be televised live on WJXT Channel 4.
Watch the Waves on TV
Friday: Waves vs Charlotte Crown, 7 p.m., WJXT
May 30: Waves at Greensboro Groove, 4 p.m., WJXT
June 3: Waves at Charlotte Crown, noon, CW17
June 13: Waves at Greensboro Groove, 4 p.m., WJXT
July 8: Waves at Savannah Steel, noon, CW 17
July 25: Waves at Greensboro Groove, 4 p.m., WJXT
Aug. 15: Waves at Charlotte Crown, 4 p.m., WJXT
Aug. 22: Waves at Savannah Steel, 4 p.m., WJXT
Aug. 23: Waves at Savannah Steel, 4 p.m., WJXT
Some familiar faces in women’s basketball – former Ribault and Tennessee star Rennia Davis and Upshot president Donna Orender – headlined Tuesday’s media day to kick off the march to tipoff.
“It means a lot to me to be back home. Obviously just left training camp with Seattle,” said Davis, a first-round pick of the Minnesota Lynx in 2021.
“This opportunity for me is different than anywhere else because all of my family is here. All of my friends are here. Everybody I grew up with is here. So, this community is special to me, I’m special to this community so hoping to get some fans in the seats on Friday and moving forward.”
Orender played professionally in the Women’s Pro Basketball League before segueing into a post-playing career that included work as a production assistant at ABC Sports and later with the PGA Tour. Orender’s most visible role was serving as the second president of the WNBA.
“It started with a belief that women’s sports has tremendous value. And that Jacksonville and Savannah and all the cities and the cities that we’re about to go to would benefit from having extraordinary women athletes …,” she said. “What we like to say is rising talent uplifts all communities.”
On Tuesday, Orender said the reason for the strong belief in long-term success is that the Upshot League has planted teams in cities that share the vision about women’s sports. Upshot is launching with four teams (the Waves, Savannah Steel, Greensboro Groove and Charlotte Crown) with plans to expand to 30 teams.
“Just to win, that’s the main focus for me,” guard Shyanne Sellers said. “We’ve been blessed with a great group of girls its really competitive in practice. I’m just excited to get back out on the court and just win.”
Franchises in Baltimore and Nashville are scheduled to start play next year. Zawyer Sports & Entertainment CEO Andy Kaufmann has said Upshot has already secured $40 million in funding for the league. Major names in women’s basketball – Cheryl Miller and Tamika Catchings are two of the most recognizable women’s players of all time – are investors and aligned with the league.
Upshot isn’t the WNBA or Unrivaled, but it is positioned to be successful more than a typical minor league franchise that’s trying to get off the ground. Kauffman has made the Jacksonville Icemen a popular brand locally. The hockey team arrived in 2017 and has thrived. The Upshot League has drawn players with name value and serious credentials.
Davis, forward Jasmine Walker (seventh in 2021 by the Sparks) and center Adut Bulgak (first round in 2016) give the Waves three players with first-round pedigree.
Guards Khayla Pointer (second round in 2022), Sellers (second round in 2025), Taylor Soule (third round in 2023) and Lindsay Pulliam (third round in 2021) are all recent WNBA draft picks. Head coach Jessica Bogia said that she feels very good about the roster.
“First and foremost, it was about good people,” she said. “… It was about bringing in quality people that I felt could not only represent me but represent the brand of Jacksonville Waves but also the city and the community. And I think that’s what we have. At the forefront, we have great human beings.”