Aces counting on Sixth Players of Year past and (maybe) present

The Aces have the 2023 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year in Alysha Clark, and could very well have this season’s honoree in Tiffany Hayes.

Both will be crucial as the Aces look to do what has never been done in the league: come back from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five playoff series. That mission begins in Game 3 at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Michelob Ultra Arena.

“It’s a series for a reason. There’s no championship won off two wins,” Clark said after Tuesday’s Game 2 loss. “I’ve had a lot of playoff experience where I’ve been up 2-0, down 2-0. The series is not over.”

The contest marked Clark’s 18th start of the season, and the 13-year WNBA veteran scored the Aces’ first six points.

When the Aces lost the lead in the second quarter, Hayes was the X-factor to help them briefly regain it, scoring six points in the period over less than four minutes.

And then with the game on the line, Clark was again at the ready, making two free throws to bring the Aces within a point, then hitting another 3 to tie it with a minute-and-a-half to play.

Clark’s longevity has required years of consistency and leadership on and off the court, which has made her a valuable voice in the Aces’ locker room.

Hayes’ aggressive play in her 12th WNBA season has been so vital that coach Becky Hammon has consistently said she doesn’t know where the Aces’ season would have ended had the front office not agreed to call Hayes despite her short-lived retirement.

The way they have embraced their roles is indicative of what made the Aces so successful in years past, and their relationship is illustrative of a team culture and chemistry that will need to radiate from every player in Game 3 if the Aces hope to avoid elimination.

High praise

Last week, the Aces had just completed their final practice at home before embarking on the cross-country trip to New York for Game 1.

When asked to discuss the potential passing of the baton from one Sixth Player of the Year to another, Hayes had such high praise for Clark that she had to be cut short to prevent anyone from crying.

“(Clark) has never steered me wrong in anything,” Hayes said after leading with the fact that Clark cooks for her teammates.

They met while playing for separate teams in Israel. Both players prioritize defense, which is why Hayes said she long admired Clark’s game before they became teammates.

This year, Clark finished second in voting for the WNBA’s Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award, given annually to the player who “exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court, including ethical behavior, fair play and integrity.”

“If I ask for help for something, she’s always there to help me, always there to answer a question for me on and off the court,” Hayes said. “That’s the type of person you’re looking for. For an award like that, who would not pick (Clark)?”

When it was Clark’s turn to return the favor, she laid out Hayes’ case for the Sixth Player of the Year.

“When I think of a sixth player, I think of somebody that comes in and makes an instant impact,” Clark said. “(Hayes) is somebody that shows up on both the things that don’t show up on the box score and then on things that do.”

Unexpected difficulties

Hayes’ production off the bench hasn’t gone unnoticed. She won The Associated Press Sixth Player award, but the league’s winner has yet to be announced. She and Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich are the overwhelming favorites.

Clark was the one to tell Hayes she won the AP honor, and the teammates remember the moment fondly, but they recognize that the journey there has been unexpected after a season with plenty of struggles.

Hayes admitted that she thought her time with the Aces would be “a little easier.”

“But, I mean, who am I to be an athlete if I don’t accept a little pressure in a situation and accept when things get tough?” she said. “You gotta just adjust to that and keep it moving. And that’s just what we’ve been doing all year — not just me, all of us, because they’re not used to this situation, either.”

That’s the approach that Hammon believes the Aces’ organization started to build even before she arrived.

Clark winning the award in 2023 added her to a list of Aces Sixth Player honorees that includes Kelsey Plum (2021) and Dearica Hamby (2019 and 2020).

“Our success has brought in really great players,” Hammon said, adding that the Aces don’t make a habit of signing young free agents because of the extended playing time they’ll inevitably want.

They select players who embrace the “specific role,” Hammon said.

On Friday, it will be imperative that decision pays off.

Contact Callie Fin at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.