Former Husky Elle Ladine Is Taking Things “Day by Day” in Storm Training Camp
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - A challenging senior season for Elle Ladine, a standout performer for a Washington Huskies program that’s been on the rise in recent years under Tina Langley, resulted in the Bay Area native falling off draft boards. Once the WNBA draft had passed, there was wonder regarding where Ladine might get a camp invite, as her shooting ability is too good to just pass up without at least a look.
The team that ended up giving Ladine a call was none other than the Seattle Storm, a team that Elle had been near for her four-year collegiate career at Washington and one she’d watched often over the summers during her time in purple and gold.
With a new opportunity in front of her, Ladine took time after the Storm’s fourth training camp practice to discuss her journey to this point.
Washington Husky guard Elle Ladine as seen throughout the 2025-26 season at Alaska Airlines Arena. (Photos by Bryant Garduque for Circling Seattle Sports)
As mentioned, Ladine didn’t hear her name called during the 2026 entry draft, after being mocked as a third-round selection before a difficult senior season. After leading the Huskies in scoring and being named to the All-Big Ten Second Team during the 2024-25 campaign, Elle saw the start of her senior year hampered by an off-court injury.
There had been plenty of excitement coming into the year for both Ladine and the Huskies, given their return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Kelsey Plum’s final season, and with Ladine being part of a strong returning group, aided by outside additions in Avery Howell, Brynn McGaughy, and Yulia Grabovskaia. Additionally, Ladine’s strong junior season gave hope that a trio of Sayvia Sellers, Howell, and Ladine could lead Washington to a deep tournament run if those three fired on all cylinders. Things didn’t go smoothly for Elle, in a somewhat cruel way, given that aforementioned injury.
As a result of that lower-body injury, Elle ended up playing the fewest games in a season of her collegiate career and saw her average points nearly cut in half. While her assist and rebounding numbers were somewhat similar to her stellar junior year campaign, she was never truly able to regain the shooting form that had become a key strength for her. A lethal volume shooter who’s shown an ability to get to the rim and displays contagious energy for her teammates, she was never fully able to find her stride throughout the season and her draft stock fell because of that.
Yet, despite these struggles and not hearing her name called, it wouldn’t take long for a door to open for Ladine after the draft had concluded. The Storm called Elle right after the final names had been called, extending an invitation to their training camp, something that Ladine shared she wasn’t expecting.
“Honestly, I was just grateful for any opportunity... The career I’ve had, I know it was a strong career, but I just didn’t know what to expect with the draft because it depends on how other picks land and all that. I definitely was watching, tuned in. Didn’t know that the opportunity to be at a training camp would be from the Storm, but when I heard that they were interested in having me at camp, I was all for it.”
Elle had watched the draft, tuned in to see if her name would be called by one of the now 15 teams in the WNBA, but she wasn’t sure what to expect after that tough final campaign at Washington. Ladine had been integral to this new era for the Husky program, a member of head coach Tina Langley's first recruiting class, helping transform it during her four seasons on Montlake.
In the year before Ladine's arrival, the Huskies were ranked last in the Pac-12 and there was no clear direction in the years that followed the Kelsey Plum era. In the four seasons since Ladine and Langley’s first recruiting class set foot on UW’s campus, they climbed the Big Ten ranks and returned to the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2017. That recruiting class Ladine was part of helped build Washington into a program once again primed to make noise in the NCAA Tournament, a foundation she helped lay. And if she misses her old roommates and Husky coaches, she lives just ten minutes up the road from them if she wishes to make a visit, something she’s done a few times already.
“Because I live by myself now, if I get a little lonely, I’ll go back to ten minutes up the road, just hang out with my roommates, because we’re all still in school technically, don’t graduate till June. Everyone’s here, and we’re doing school... Coach [Langley], she calls me, she checks in on me. We text back and forth. I talk to her all the time.”
In doing her part to build the program, Ladine was set up for success by the staff that recruited her in the first place. While some of that was about the play styles Ladine would need to know to fit in at the professional level, it was also about enjoying the journey and taking things day by day.
“Basketball-wise, like coach [Langley] and the staff that she brings in, they do a great job of preparing us for just any pro style that you want to play. They’re very smart and strategic. I’m super grateful I learned a lot from them there, but on and off the court, I think they taught me a lot about enjoying the journey. If you don’t enjoy the journey, it’s not meant for you, because most of it is the work in here, and not a lot of it is just the wins... You’ve just got to enjoy the journey, and that’s what they taught me. I’m really grateful for that because I use it on and off the court.”
Washington Husky guard Elle Ladine as seen throughout the 2024-25 season at Alaska Airlines Arena. (Photos by Rowan Schaberg for Circling Seattle Sports)
The struggles of not being as available to her team as she’d liked due to the injury, and of not finding the shooting form we’ve become accustomed to with her, could’ve easily weighed Ladine down. Instead, the 21-year-old with non-stop energy viewed the year as a way to grow on and off the court. Perhaps putting into immediate usage the mindset of enjoying the journey that Washington’s staff had instilled in her.
“For me, it was a lot of growth that I had to go through on and off the court. It was a great year, honestly. I learned so much, both off and on the court. Whatever happened, I was just trying to be there for my team, and my team was there for me. I just grew a lot. Nothing is perfect. The people who I had around helped me keep going. It was a growing year, and I’m grateful for it.”
Ladine is no stranger to what the Storm have built in Seattle. Elle shared that she always did her best to attend games at Climate Pledge Arena every summer since she started her collegiate career at Washington, well aware of the winning history and the electric fanbase that has some crossover to those who watched her play just up the road.
Even with some familiarity with what this Storm franchise is about, Elle was aware that Seattle is in a bit of a transition period under a new coaching staff and amid heavy roster turnover. She views it as a growing experience, just as she viewed her trying senior season.
“I know this is a great program; they have four championships and great fans. I’ve been to all the Summer Games throughout the years that I’ve lived here. So I know that we have a great fan base. But I also knew that a new coach was coming in, and it was going to be reestablished. I knew it was gonna be hard work that had to be done, and it was gonna be a good learning experience, a growing experience for me. So that’s really what I came in expecting. ”
Guard Elle Ladine on the first day of Seattle Storm training camp at the BECU Center for Basketball Performance, Sunday, April 19th, 2026. (Photo via the Seattle Storm)
For many Husky fans, it was thrilling to see Ladine be invited to Storm camp. Ladine had become a fan favorite for her fun play style on the court and her joy off it. Elle is doing what any camp invite should strive to do, and that’s pouring her effort in full force, with an open mind to grow. Her toughness has already been highlighted by head coach Sonia Raman, not a traditional characteristic you’d associate with someone whose playstyle is that of a sharpshooter.
“I think it’s toughness, I see a lot of toughness out of her, a lot of grit. She comes in confident, and she’s playing super hard in practice. I get to see Elle quite a bit this year, coming here and moving to Seattle. I went over to those UW games, got to catch them in action, and saw some really good stuff from her and her teammates. There was some familiarity with her game on my part, going into it. Just really impressed, especially with the toughness that she brings.”
“I’m trying to show them that I’m willing to work hard, learn, and am honestly grateful for the experience. I’m learning a lot, and I’m just trying to get better at what I do, basketball, and so it’s been great.”
Ladine seems like a natural fit for this year's Storm roster, a young group with plenty of personality that’s already shown how fun they will be to follow on and off the court, despite just a few training camp practices being in the books. It’s a similar vibe to the locker room that Washington had, as the Husky group over the last few years has talked at length about their tight bond, showcased in different ways, such as how so few of them transferred out or the amount of time they spend together, seen in social media posts. While it’s obviously not exactly the same, that high-energy, inclusive environment has made the transition for Ladine a bit easier.
“Everyone here is super welcoming, and no one’s really closed off. Even though some people are a little older and some are a little younger, I feel like everyone’s here to help each other, especially as a whole new team. It’s pretty awesome, the vets are super welcoming, and they’re authentically themselves. That just makes us be ourselves, too. I think that’s why off the court, we have that click, like, automatically. It’s amazing. It’s so fun. ”
That comfort seems to be translating into success in practice sessions, as the April 23rd session we attended saw her hit several three-pointers off the catch and even get to the rim when a shot wasn’t immediately available. It was something that Raman noticed and complimented Ladine on when we asked after the practice session.
“She had a great practice today. I think one of the things that was really fun to see is that she’s a great shooter. We started running her off some things to free her up for a shot, and her teammates started to understand that, too. Once it was a close one, they were battling back and forth, next basket wins, they just started leaning into that and continued to feed the hot hand. It’s been fun to see her continue to take steps forward in that area, and her teammates are certainly recognizing it too. ”
Both preseason contests for the Storm could be considered homecomings for Ladine, with Saturday’s game against the Golden State Valkyries sure to be heavily attended by family members, as she grew up in the Bay Area. Next Wednesday’s exhibition game against Portland will take place at a venue where Ladine attended Storm games over the course of the offseason at Washington, and it is a little under five miles from where she played her collegiate hoops.
While it’s fun to think ahead to a Bay Area homecoming on Saturday or even having her former Husky teammates in attendance next Wednesday, Elle is focused on the day-to-day of training camp so that she can continue to make the most of the current opportunity.
“I have no idea, honestly. I’m from San Francisco, so on Saturday, I’ll have some fam come in just to support. Obviously, being a rookie, you don’t know what to expect. I’m learning, so they’re just going to be there to support the team and me. But yeah, on Wednesday, we’ll see, when that time comes, if people want to come, I guess I gotta get some tickets.”
For Ladine, just stepping onto the court is fulfilling a dream she’s had since she was a little kid. As she’s continued to watch the game grow, Elle shares that her dream for it has grown as well. Every step she’s taken since getting the call to join Storm training camp is another step towards realizing that dream on a grander scale.
“Just gotta take it day by day,” Ladine remarked with a small grin.
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