For Leonie Fiebig, the challenge also turned into an advantage.
Fiebic had heard about the tempo and the physical aspects but didn’t know much about what to expect from the move to the WNBA from Spanish club Casademont Zaragoza.
The league also didn’t know much about the 6-foot-4 winger.
Fiebic can be “a little sneaky,” she said earlier this season.
It might help you create more shots.
It also bought us time for development.
His average playing time in his first game was 8.4 minutes, suggesting he initially had no expectations or specific role.
Liberty University coach Sandy Brondello predicted Fiebic’s potential would extend beyond 3-point shooting and defense, but that didn’t happen right away.
Fiebic felt like there were more games than practices during the first month.
With an expanded role while Courtney VanderSloot was away from the Liberty for personal reasons, there was a limited amount of development to be done in the protected laboratory of the practice court before he could get anywhere near his 4.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game numbers Saturday against the Sparks at Barclays Center.
Fiebic made his first start and recorded three points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals as the Liberty beat Los Angeles on Thursday.
She became just the third freshman in 2024 to record at least five rebounds and five assists in a game, joining Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
She has been a regular in the fourth quarter as part of the Liberty’s closing unit recently, and with VanderSloot (working to return to the game) and Betnijah-Rainey-Hamilton (right knee) questionable for Saturday, Fiebich could continue to be a key presence.
“You can see him getting more and more comfortable on the court because he’s getting to know his teammates better, he knows their tendencies, he knows where they want to put the ball on offense, he knows how to be a little more alert on defense,” Fiebich said Thursday. “You can see him getting better and better.”
Last season, the Liberty acquired Fiebic’s rights from the Sky in a four-team trade.
She was originally drafted in 2020, traded to Chicago the following year, went on to play in Europe as a mainstay with Zaragoza and signed her first WNBA training camp contract in February.
However, the Liberty had a number of wingers, which limited Fiebic’s playing time.
So she adapted immediately.
Fiebic learned to prepare defensively as if anyone could score, as opposed to a structured set that would end only on the best shot.
There were various rules.
Liberty had a tendency that matched her instincts.
Fievich even deemed there to be “a little less physical contact” than in Europe because the referees don’t allow the same kind of contact as in Europe, she said.
“I had a lot of fouls in the first game, so I learned from that,” Fiebic said, “so now I’m adapting.”
Fiebic’s skill set, centered around 3-point shooting and defense, reminded Brondello of Mercury wing Rebecca Allen, and on Thursday, Fiebic stole the ball from the Sparks’ Kia Nurse to ignite a third-quarter run.
She grabbed the ball, ran up the court, pump-fakeed, glanced over her shoulder.
Sabrina Ionescu was late on a string of fast breaks.
As shooters, both men have similar mindsets, Fiebich said.
That’s why she figured Ionescu had to be out there somewhere.
There, finding the Liberty guards in position, Fiebic made a behind-the-back pass to Ionescu, who drained a 3-pointer that started a 9-0 run.
When the Sparks cut a 17-point deficit to five in the fourth quarter, Fiebic returned to the game and, along with Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and reserves Ivana Dojkic and Ionescu, held the lead until Jones fouled out.
She drilled a 3-pointer from the corner to push Liberty’s lead to nine with 2:05 left, then assisted on Ionescu’s 3-pointer 30 seconds later and grabbed two rebounds.
Fiebic played the entire fourth quarter against the Mystics on June 9, scoring a career-high 12 points on 4-of-8 3-pointers, and also played against the Aces later that week.
She also clocked 7 minutes, 19 seconds in her final match against the Mercury.
“We always rave about her,” Brondello said, “but it doesn’t always show in the grades. … She does all the little things really well.”
That playing time could disappear if VanderSloot and Lainie Hamilton return.
But at this point, and especially after the past two weeks, Fiebich’s contributions can no longer be ignored.
She has a specific role in the WNBA.
