Kate Martin will be evaluated in one week after sustaining a grade two quad strain, but there isn’t yet an exact timeline for when she can return to basketball activities. She was at practice at Chase Center on Wednesday but was wearing a hoodie and on the sideline during the portion of practice that media could watch.

“Kate knows no matter if you feel a little soreness or you’re banged up, you’re still here,” head coach Natalie Nakase said earlier this week. “I told her to make sure that she is going to be the energy monitor. Today, she was on top of it because she brings so much energy. So, without Kate in practice, she just made sure she was on the sidelines, underneath every huddle and just constantly cheering on her teammates. Kate knows the job and she’s amazing.”

With Gabby Williams now practicing, the Valkyries waived Caroline Ducharme. Valkyries’ media day social media posts also showed that Iliana Rupert, Janelle Salaun, Kaila Charles and Cecilia Zandalasini are back in the Bay, so there should be some more roster moves in the coming days.

After the paywall, how can the Valkyries defense build off of last season?