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A little more than an hour after the WNBA draft ended Friday night, McBryde — the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats’ versatile senior forward — signed a training camp contract with the Los Angeles Sparks. She tweeted that it was “a dream come true … I can’t wait to get to work.â€�

McBryde will wear the same uniform as some of the biggest names to play in the league — Candace Parker, Nneka Ogwumike, Seimone Augustus, Kristi Toliver, Chiney Ogwumike and Chelsea Gray. She’ll battle three of L.A.’s Friday night draft picks — Beatrice Mompremier from Miami, Leonie Fiebich from Germany and Tynice Martin from West Virginia — for one of a dozen coveted roster spots.

Signing as an undrafted free agent and sticking in the league is rare, but it’s been done before. The Sparks’ Tierra Ruffin-Pratt went undrafted out of North Carolina in 2013, signed out of training camp with the Washington Mystics and saw action in all 34 games that season. Indiana’s Erica Wheeler rose from an undrafted free agent to MVP of the 2019 All-Star game.

McBryde said she’s ready for the challenge. She averaged 6.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a senior, shooting 51% from the field and 40% from 3-point range.

“Now I know what I’m up against,� McBryde told the Star on Saturday. “This is an opportunity to prove myself and what I’m capable of. I talked to my parents and (Sparks) Coach (Derek) Fisher about my mindset. Coach Fisher complimented my basketball IQ and my ability to adjust. If I were to make the roster, it would be amazing — it’s a star-studded lineup filled with five all-stars. Even if I don’t make it, I will be picking the brains of the best the world has to offer. It blows my mind as a basketball fan. Now I have to turn this into an opportunity to be part of the team — not back down to the challenge and show I can be of value to them.�

McBryde and the Sparks came together quickly.

On Thursday, McBryde was in the midst of a run and missed a call from ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ coach Adia Barnes. Then she noticed she was in a group text with a Coach Fisher.

“I was like, Coach Fisher? Coach Fisher? I had to look it up … oh, Derek Fisher, WNBA coach,� McBryde said.

McBryde talked to Fisher that evening about the possibility of the Sparks drafting her or getting a training camp contract if she went undrafted. McBryde watched Friday’s draft intently with her mom and dad on a Zoom call, knowing that she’d get a chance if she wasn’t taken.

“It’s not the end of the world, and I knew there were possibilities,� McBryde said. “My agent (Anita Smith) called, and the rest is history. I was so excited and still speechless. From the day before talking to a great NBA player, who now helps WNBA players as a coach. I have the opportunity to compete for a spot and it’s an amazing opportunity that many people don’t get.

“Coach Fisher believes in me and respects me for the player I am — that means the world to me.�

He isn’t the only one.

“I’m so excited for Dominique,� Barnes said. “It’s a perfect situation for her. She fits in the WNBA because she is a versatile forward who shots the 3 well. She proved she can do that last season. It’s a really good opportunity for her. Derek is a good coach and she’ll like playing for him.�

Remembering 1998

Barnes said she doesn’t remember too much about her WNBA Draft experience, which culminated in a fourth-round selection by the Sacramento Monarchs in 1998.

“I remember being a little sad and bummed that it took a while,� Barnes said. “But I was happy for the opportunity.

“I was the first ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ player drafted (in the WNBA). It was still a good feeling to get the opportunity to go to the WNBA. I know a lot of people didn’t have that, so I was grateful.â€�

The Monarchs soon sent Barnes a contract to sign and a jersey, and the UA had a little celebration for her. Barnes then hopped on a plane to go to training camp, came back to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ for graduation and left again for the season.

New rules change could be ‘good and bad,’ Barnes says

There has been talk that the NCAA will vote to allow transfers to play right away.

The rules change, which would only apply to first-time transfers, could be a game changer for many programs, including ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s. But while Barnes has added five transfers to her program — Aari McDonald, McBryde, Tee Tee Starks, Shaina Pellington and now Bendu Yeaney — she has never asked the NCAA for waivers to let them play right away.

“I like that development year for work in basketball and getting adjusted to the school, campus life and the next year they are ready to go,� Barnes said. “Otherwise, they are thrown into the fire.�

Barnes said it would be hard for the NCAA to keep up with all the transfers if the rules change passes. She said it’s “good and bad.�

“It’s bad because it will be more like men’s basketball where you are building a team every year — this changes women’s basketball,� she said.

“The positive is letting them transfer one time and you no longer have to tell lies about your former institution. Or they say that their grandma is sick. They want to play and they are saying lies — it’s hard. I’ve been on that end where lies are said. It’s hurtful. If they let them transfer once it eliminates that. So, it’s good and bad.�