PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — The Portland Fire finished their inaugural regular season with a 17-27 record, but the organization believes the first season was about much more than the win-loss column.
During exit interviews, members of the team and front staff reflected on a season that established the foundation of the expansion franchise and helped shape what comes next.
General Manager Vanja Cernivec called the inaugural campaign a success, pointing to how quickly the team developed chemistry and connected with the city.
“I think it couldn’t have gone better than what we all wanted,” Cernivec said.
She said the speed at which the players embraced Sarama’s system and philosophy was one of the biggest surprises of the season.
“The surprises for me would be how fast the group got connected, how fast the group bought into our coaching staff system and philosophy,” Cernivec said.
The Fire also quickly developed a strong relationship with their fan base, something Cernivec believes will be important as the team enters its second season.
“And mostly I want to say how fast the city and the fans just fell in love with this team and supported us from day one,” she said.
Head Coach Alex Sarama echoed that belief, saying the team accomplished several things beyond its 17 wins. He pointed to player development, the organization’s connection with the community and the foundation built for the future.
“I think looking at the obvious starts with performance and almost doubled our predicted win count,” Sarama said. “But I think it’s about a lot more than that.”
Sarama said the Fire saw significant development from several players and believes the organization created a foundation for sustainable success.
“I think we’ve built the foundation here for sustainable success,” Sarama said. “I think this will be a place where players in the league want to come.”
Fan favorite Sarah Ashlee Barker saw that culture from the player perspective.
The first-year Fire forward spent the latter half of the season recovering from an ACL injury, but she remained connected to the team and returned to the bench as she continued her rehabilitation.
“When I got to come back and just be a part of the team again and be in this environment, it brought my heart a lot of joy,” Barker said.
Barker said being around her teammates allowed her to see the team from a different perspective and appreciate the way the group played together.
“I was able to see how much passion and joy they play with, the togetherness, the connectedness, the selflessness,” Barker said.
Even while injured, Barker said she wanted to give her teammates the same support they had given her.
“I think the biggest thing for me was I just wanted every single person that was on that floor and even the people on the bench to know how much belief I had in them,” Barker said.
Barker also pointed to Portland’s support of women’s basketball as one of the reasons she has embraced the city during her first season.
“I got to experience a different level of a city that actually values basketball and values women’s basketball, which was really cool,” Barker said.
As the Fire move into the offseason, the organization will look to build on that foundation through player development, free agency and the draft.
Cernivec believes Portland now has something it did not have entering its first free-agency period: a season of proof.
“We just have this concept of proof that Portland is an amazing city for women’s sport,” Cernivec said.
She also believes the team’s culture, fan support and environment can help attract players to Portland.
“I really hope that kind of shines through and people on the outside can get to see it,” Cernivec said.
The WNBA free agency could start in February of 2027.