WEBVTT - Worst and Weirdest with Emma Baccellieri 0:00:00.760 --> 0:00:02.680 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where I'm in 0:00:02.720 --> 0:00:05.960 Canada for the espnW summit and trying my hardest to 0:00:06.000 --> 0:00:10.840 say Toronto without the second te Toronto just feels weird. 0:00:10.880 --> 0:00:11.080 Man. 0:00:11.720 --> 0:00:14.200 It's Wednesday, June eighteenth, and on today's show you'll hear 0:00:14.240 --> 0:00:18.200 my conversation with Sports Illustrated Women's sports staff writer Emma Bachelari. 0:00:18.560 --> 0:00:21.200 We talk about her SI cover story on the Indiana 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:23.959 Fever and the franchise is sped up timeline in search 0:00:23.960 --> 0:00:26.239 of a title, why she'd love to write a long 0:00:26.239 --> 0:00:29.720 form profile on Links coach Cheryl Reeve, the women's basketball 0:00:29.720 --> 0:00:32.199 book she's working on with friend of the show Jordan Robinson, 0:00:32.479 --> 0:00:36.720 and her Soda substack side quest. Plus, the NWSL gets 0:00:36.720 --> 0:00:39.920 a little more international. We remember a long distance running 0:00:40.000 --> 0:00:43.160 legend and two Hoopers show the utmost respect for each 0:00:43.159 --> 0:00:46.880 other's games, while a third takes it one step too far. 0:00:47.280 --> 0:01:00.720 It's all coming up right after this. Back, y'all, here's 0:01:00.760 --> 0:01:05.039 what you need to know today in footy news, the 0:01:05.120 --> 0:01:08.160 Washington Spirit are welcoming the first ever Italian player to 0:01:08.200 --> 0:01:11.520 the NWSL after winning the Serie A league with club 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:14.800 side Juventus. Twenty five year old forward Sofia can Torre 0:01:15.120 --> 0:01:18.680 will join the DC based club Cantory, not thirteen goals 0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:21.919 and six assists across all competitions with Juventus this past season, 0:01:22.160 --> 0:01:25.160 and new Spirit head coach Adrian Gonzalez, the former DC 0:01:25.240 --> 0:01:28.160 assistant who officially begins his new head role today, is 0:01:28.200 --> 0:01:30.600 excited to have her on the roster, he told the 0:01:30.600 --> 0:01:33.600 Athletic Quote. Sofia is an important signing for this Spirit 0:01:33.680 --> 0:01:36.000 team as we continue to build up our roster to 0:01:36.040 --> 0:01:39.520 compete for trophies. Her extensive experience in the Italian leagues 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:42.600 and exceptional talent in the attacking third will help add 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:45.360 a new layer for the Spirit moving forward end quote. 0:01:45.600 --> 0:01:48.440 Can Torre has also got international experience. She's suited up 0:01:48.480 --> 0:01:52.080 thirty six times for Italy, scoring five goals. Washington is 0:01:52.120 --> 0:01:55.760 currently fourth in the NWSL standings and hoping that Kentry 0:01:55.840 --> 0:01:58.280 can help close the eight point gap between the Spirit 0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:01.760 and the first place Kansas City. Current in running news, 0:02:01.800 --> 0:02:04.840 we're sad to announce that Nina Cusick, a longtime advocate 0:02:04.880 --> 0:02:07.400 for women in long distance running, passed away last week 0:02:07.440 --> 0:02:09.880 at the age of eighty six. Cusick was a pioneer 0:02:09.880 --> 0:02:12.720 in many ways. She ran the Boston Marathon four times 0:02:12.720 --> 0:02:15.760 between nineteen sixty eight and seventy one before women were 0:02:15.760 --> 0:02:18.560 officially allowed to race. Then, due to the pressure, she 0:02:18.639 --> 0:02:21.400 and others applied, the marathon added a women's division for 0:02:21.440 --> 0:02:24.280 the first time, and in nineteen seventy two, Cusick raced 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:26.799 in it and won an inductee into the Long Distance 0:02:26.880 --> 0:02:29.560 Running Hall of Fame in nineteen ninety nine. Cusick ran 0:02:29.600 --> 0:02:32.560 more than eighty marathons in her lifetime. She also set 0:02:32.600 --> 0:02:34.840 the American record for the fifty mile run in nineteen 0:02:34.880 --> 0:02:38.079 seventy seven and won the Empire State Building Run up 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:40.720 three straight times from nineteen seventy nine to eighty one. 0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:43.919 Catherine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon 0:02:43.960 --> 0:02:47.240 as an official competitor in nineteen sixty seven before there 0:02:47.280 --> 0:02:49.560 was a spot on the race's sign up form for gender, 0:02:49.960 --> 0:02:53.520 summed up Cusick's influence to the AP, saying quote, Nina 0:02:53.600 --> 0:02:56.000 was not only a champion runner, but she was instrumental 0:02:56.000 --> 0:02:59.000 in the official acceptance of women and distance running because 0:02:59.000 --> 0:03:02.679 she did years of time work of changing rules, regulations, 0:03:02.760 --> 0:03:05.919 and submitting medical evidence to prove women's capability. 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:07.919 End quote. We hear at good game. 0:03:07.960 --> 0:03:10.560 We'll continue to remember Nina Cusick as an icon in 0:03:10.600 --> 0:03:14.520 women's sports to hoops. Only one game on the WNBA 0:03:14.600 --> 0:03:17.480 slate tonight, so no need for multiple screens. The Phoenix 0:03:17.560 --> 0:03:20.240 Merkury Pay visits the Connecticut Sun Out in Uncasville at 0:03:20.240 --> 0:03:23.919 seven pm Eastern. Catch that one streaming live on WNBA 0:03:24.040 --> 0:03:27.600 League Pass. And in softball, we've got an athlete unlimited 0:03:27.639 --> 0:03:30.720 Softball League doubleheader come in your way tonight starting at 0:03:30.720 --> 0:03:33.639 seven pm Eastern. It's the Bandits versus the Talons at 0:03:33.639 --> 0:03:37.240 Wilkins Stadium in Wichita, Kansas, followed by the Blaze against 0:03:37.240 --> 0:03:38.960 the Volts at nine thirty Eastern. 0:03:39.400 --> 0:03:42.360 If you're in the area, get there. It's another single 0:03:42.360 --> 0:03:45.840 admission doubleheader, which means it's very easy on the pockets. 0:03:46.200 --> 0:03:47.960 If you're not in Kansas, you can watch the seven 0:03:48.000 --> 0:03:50.320 pm game on ESPN two and the nine to thirty 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:55.120 contest on MLB dot Com, MLBtv, and FanDuel Sports Network. 0:03:57.520 --> 0:03:59.360 We got to take a quick break when we come 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:14.560 back in sports, with Emma Bachelari joining us now. 0:04:14.560 --> 0:04:17.040 She's a staff writer who focuses on women's sports and 0:04:17.080 --> 0:04:20.479 baseball for Sports Illustrated and Soda for her sub stack, 0:04:20.600 --> 0:04:23.440 The Soda Fountain a member of the Baseball Writers Association 0:04:23.480 --> 0:04:27.040 of America. She previously wrote for Baseball Prospectus and Deadspin, 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:29.839 and has appeared on BBC News, PBS News Hour, and 0:04:29.960 --> 0:04:34.840 MLB Network. A Duke grad food lover, expert, traveler, Amtrak evangelist, 0:04:34.880 --> 0:04:38.160 and person who knows that perfect days are found in Chicago. 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:42.239 It's Emma Bachelari. Hi, Emma, that is quite the intro. 0:04:42.400 --> 0:04:45.400 You clearly scoped out the Instagram. I appreciate it. 0:04:45.480 --> 0:04:46.000 That was great. 0:04:46.279 --> 0:04:48.080 Yeah, I want to take that Amtrak trip. 0:04:48.120 --> 0:04:50.919 It looked amazing and I was so appreciative that you 0:04:50.960 --> 0:04:51.800 found the perfect day. 0:04:51.839 --> 0:04:54.240 And of course that day was in Chicago. Duh. 0:04:54.320 --> 0:04:56.120 Yes, that is one of my best friends from college 0:04:56.160 --> 0:04:58.280 lives in Chicago and I recently had a great day 0:04:58.279 --> 0:05:00.839 with her. But yes, anyone who's looking for a way 0:05:00.839 --> 0:05:03.000 to get around the country. I spent three weeks on 0:05:03.040 --> 0:05:06.039 Amtrak and could fill its own podcast with that. I 0:05:06.200 --> 0:05:09.359 truly loved it. So yes, go take the train. 0:05:10.000 --> 0:05:12.159 I love a good train ride, and I really resent 0:05:12.240 --> 0:05:18.240 the creators of American travel who prioritized cars over public 0:05:18.240 --> 0:05:22.520 squares and trains. But that's a conversation for another time. Actually, 0:05:22.560 --> 0:05:24.360 it's a conversation for now in this sense, because I 0:05:24.360 --> 0:05:26.720 saw you were just recently in Brussels and I've never been, 0:05:27.160 --> 0:05:29.480 So instead of turning this into a full travel pod, 0:05:29.560 --> 0:05:33.120 we'll limit it to just one must do in Brussels. 0:05:33.080 --> 0:05:37.360 Obviously drink beer, but beyond that too, not to over 0:05:37.440 --> 0:05:40.360 index on trains, but they have this crazy train museum 0:05:40.400 --> 0:05:43.599 called train World in Brussels, which had a really fun 0:05:43.640 --> 0:05:46.919 train simulator, and it's especially in Europe. The history of 0:05:47.120 --> 0:05:49.200 trains are really like the history of the continent in 0:05:49.240 --> 0:05:51.520 so many ways. And I was with one of my 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:53.719 friends who does not care about trains the way I do, 0:05:53.839 --> 0:05:56.440 and train World was still the highlight of her Brussels 0:05:56.480 --> 0:05:58.840 s trip, like kind of beer and muscles aside. So yes, 0:05:58.920 --> 0:06:00.680 go to Brussels, drink some beer, and then go to 0:06:00.720 --> 0:06:01.120 the train. 0:06:01.080 --> 0:06:04.960 Museum, Beer, muscles, train World. Got it. I'm on it. 0:06:05.960 --> 0:06:07.240 Let's talk about. 0:06:06.920 --> 0:06:09.840 Your sports writing, because you did a great SI cover 0:06:09.920 --> 0:06:13.160 story on the Indiana fever, and this was a topic 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:16.440 ripe for discussion. New coach, new roster, new president, new 0:06:16.480 --> 0:06:19.680 general manager, and a new timeline for a team that 0:06:19.760 --> 0:06:22.360 realized after Caitlin Clark's arrival that they wanted to take 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:25.560 advantage of every single minute she played, every game they 0:06:25.560 --> 0:06:28.480 had her in uniform, and every opportunity to win with her. 0:06:28.520 --> 0:06:29.320 So let's start there. 0:06:29.360 --> 0:06:32.480 What did you learn about the Fever's timeline from dropping 0:06:32.520 --> 0:06:34.560 in and talking to all their big pieces. 0:06:35.160 --> 0:06:38.360 Yeah, this was really interesting to me from AFAR over 0:06:38.480 --> 0:06:41.159 the winter, just because you know, everyone has been talking 0:06:41.200 --> 0:06:43.240 so much about this big reset that we're going to 0:06:43.279 --> 0:06:46.479 see in twenty twenty six, when you know you have 0:06:46.560 --> 0:06:49.000 free agency opening up, you're going to have a new 0:06:49.040 --> 0:06:52.640 CBA ideally potentially a ton of player movement, and so 0:06:52.680 --> 0:06:54.600 many teams were kind of in like weight and see 0:06:54.640 --> 0:06:58.320 mode and the fact that the Fever so clearly were 0:06:58.360 --> 0:07:02.279 not was fascinating to me. And I think the biggest 0:07:02.279 --> 0:07:05.479 thing that came through in all of the conversations I 0:07:05.560 --> 0:07:08.760 had with you know, Kelly Cross, Coop and Ambercox and 0:07:08.839 --> 0:07:11.200 Steph White, all of these new pieces that they've brought 0:07:11.200 --> 0:07:15.680 in on the administration and coaching side, was how much 0:07:15.720 --> 0:07:18.920 they really wanted to build a true contender this year. 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:21.680 That the idea wasn't like, oh, like make it a 0:07:21.720 --> 0:07:23.559 little further in the playoffs and see how it goes, 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:26.720 but to do everything you can to potentially win it 0:07:26.760 --> 0:07:29.000 all this year, which, like as we've seen already, that's 0:07:29.320 --> 0:07:31.080 a hard thing to do. To get that many new 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:35.200 pieces to gel. It's going to take time. It's not 0:07:35.360 --> 0:07:37.680 easy to say you have a one year window, let's 0:07:37.720 --> 0:07:39.840 go and take it. But to use this year both 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:41.640 as a chance to try to win it all and 0:07:41.680 --> 0:07:45.520 to set the groundwork to then build something even bigger 0:07:45.520 --> 0:07:48.240 and greater in twenty twenty six and ideally beyond, which 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:49.800 is a tricky thing to do, right, to have a 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:51.480 window that is as open as you can get it 0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:55.240 now and also potentially in the years to come, to 0:07:55.320 --> 0:07:57.800 kind of have that be not just you're throwing open 0:07:57.800 --> 0:07:59.280 the door, but also you're trying to build for the 0:07:59.320 --> 0:08:01.800 future at the same time time. But I think they 0:08:01.800 --> 0:08:05.160 did about as create a job as you can do 0:08:05.320 --> 0:08:07.640 of getting those pieces in And then, of course the 0:08:07.680 --> 0:08:11.040 bigger question is how do you integrate them? Incorporate them, 0:08:11.160 --> 0:08:15.120 and that is not always easy. But yeah, it was 0:08:15.440 --> 0:08:18.800 interesting to work on to see exactly how they went 0:08:18.840 --> 0:08:21.720 about trying to pull that and all of that in 0:08:22.120 --> 0:08:24.960 screen for the right personalities, et cetera. And so yeah, 0:08:24.960 --> 0:08:25.680 it was fun to work on. 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:29.000 Yeah, and obviously this is a team that is in 0:08:29.040 --> 0:08:31.520 the position it's in with two of its stars, Caitlin 0:08:31.560 --> 0:08:33.959 Clark and Eleiah Boston because they were the worst of 0:08:34.000 --> 0:08:36.880 the worst, because they got to have number one picks. 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:41.560 Those players are actually signed through and beyond this season, 0:08:42.440 --> 0:08:45.600 which is rare to have two stars that you're having 0:08:47.040 --> 0:08:50.720 the rights to beyond this massive transition time in the league. 0:08:50.720 --> 0:08:53.600 We've seen across a number of teams we've looked at 0:08:53.600 --> 0:08:57.240 that they literally have one player sometimes none, that are 0:08:57.240 --> 0:08:59.880 actually signed beyond this season. And so to know that 0:08:59.880 --> 0:09:02.440 they can build around those two when they're trying to 0:09:02.440 --> 0:09:05.000 attract free agents during this what we expect to be 0:09:05.080 --> 0:09:08.319 this big free agent frenzy in the off season is 0:09:08.360 --> 0:09:12.080 great for them, but they need to prove this season 0:09:12.200 --> 0:09:14.480 essentially that they're a different franchise than the one that 0:09:14.520 --> 0:09:16.679 has gotten them to the point where they're drafting back 0:09:16.720 --> 0:09:19.680 to back number one overall picks, and that's why this 0:09:19.720 --> 0:09:22.600 season was so important to them. We've seen a lot 0:09:22.600 --> 0:09:26.520 of coverage of Eliah Boston and Caitlin Clark's relationship. 0:09:26.840 --> 0:09:28.480 We see a lot of cute little clips of them. 0:09:28.520 --> 0:09:30.440 What else did you notice when you were covering this 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:33.240 team and going to report on this team about the 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:36.400 interaction between the players and which players felt like the 0:09:36.480 --> 0:09:39.600 vocal leaders, which players felt like they led just with behavior. 0:09:39.880 --> 0:09:40.760 What did you notice? 0:09:41.640 --> 0:09:44.520 I think Kelsey Mitchell is such an important piece here, 0:09:44.559 --> 0:09:46.800 which obviously people who watch the team know, but I 0:09:46.920 --> 0:09:49.880 really think it can't be overstated how much she does 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:52.160 for this group. That she was the one piece who 0:09:52.200 --> 0:09:55.120 has really stuck through all of those rough years when 0:09:55.120 --> 0:09:58.760 they were losing to get those number one picks. It was, 0:09:59.080 --> 0:10:00.720 you know, they're in the trend, just through the worst 0:10:00.760 --> 0:10:03.640 of it, and then decided to stay. Twice She's resigned 0:10:03.640 --> 0:10:05.319 with them, once a couple of years ago and then 0:10:06.000 --> 0:10:11.439 once this off season. And hearing how both Kitlyn Leah 0:10:11.600 --> 0:10:14.040 Lexiehill all talk about her, you know, there are other 0:10:14.440 --> 0:10:18.360 newer veterans on this team, but I really think Kelsey 0:10:18.400 --> 0:10:20.720 Mitchell is She's not like a super over the top 0:10:20.800 --> 0:10:24.440 vocal leader, but they just respect her so much. She 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:26.760 has such an important part to play here on and 0:10:26.760 --> 0:10:29.319 off the floor. And I think obviously talking about the 0:10:29.440 --> 0:10:33.000 chemistry that you see between Kitlin Clark and Aliah Boston, 0:10:33.240 --> 0:10:36.280 that's huge, but that also really frees up Kelsey Mitchell 0:10:36.480 --> 0:10:38.520 at the two to do, which she does, and she 0:10:38.520 --> 0:10:40.600 had the best season of her career last year. Has 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:43.600 shown flashes with that again, like when everything is clicking here. 0:10:43.679 --> 0:10:47.200 She's really such a leader here who's so important to 0:10:47.280 --> 0:10:49.880 what they do. Obviously, Kitlyn is the point guard, that's 0:10:49.880 --> 0:10:52.880 like a natural. She also is a much more vocal, natural, 0:10:52.920 --> 0:10:54.800 outgoing leader in a lot of ways that I think 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:57.040 you see on the floor all the time and off 0:10:57.120 --> 0:10:59.360 the floor when she was injured yelling on the bench. 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:02.479 But I think it really in a lot of ways, 0:11:03.080 --> 0:11:05.439 Kelsey Mitchell is kind of the heartbeat of this group 0:11:05.640 --> 0:11:08.959 and that she just has such an important part to 0:11:08.960 --> 0:11:10.720 play here in every facet of her job. 0:11:11.520 --> 0:11:13.840 I want to hear about Natasha Howard and Dwana Bonner. 0:11:13.960 --> 0:11:17.840 Those are two really big time, successful veteran players to 0:11:17.920 --> 0:11:21.120 add to the mix. There could be a conflict in 0:11:21.200 --> 0:11:24.040 terms of who's the alpha, who's the big dog, who's 0:11:24.040 --> 0:11:27.360 the one who wants to impart wisdom? When you've got 0:11:27.400 --> 0:11:29.440 a Caitlin Clark who's only in her second year but 0:11:29.520 --> 0:11:33.800 obviously has her own solar system Essentially, how does it 0:11:33.840 --> 0:11:36.640 seemed to work out so far with those two veterans 0:11:36.679 --> 0:11:37.120 coming in? 0:11:37.840 --> 0:11:40.520 Yeah, I mean I think it's been a little bit 0:11:40.520 --> 0:11:42.880 tricky on the floor. There's certainly been an adjustment period. 0:11:42.880 --> 0:11:44.679 I think you know, anyone who's watching this team has 0:11:44.679 --> 0:11:47.440 seen do Wanna Bonner started in the starting lineup, and 0:11:47.480 --> 0:11:49.520 then it has been coming off the bench more recently. 0:11:49.800 --> 0:11:52.080 Obviously they've had some injury struggles across the board that 0:11:52.160 --> 0:11:55.640 made them shuffle some things. But I think both of 0:11:55.679 --> 0:11:59.599 these players were kind of screened coming in here for recognizing, 0:11:59.800 --> 0:12:03.840 like this is an important veteran leadership position, it is 0:12:03.920 --> 0:12:06.600 not necessarily your typical one, and just so much about 0:12:06.600 --> 0:12:10.720 this roster, about the hubbub that exists around this roster, 0:12:10.880 --> 0:12:13.720 is so different than certainly anything else you're seeing in 0:12:13.720 --> 0:12:15.760 the w But I think you can make the case 0:12:16.280 --> 0:12:19.080 anything else you're seeing in sports right now in terms 0:12:19.120 --> 0:12:22.680 of the gravity of one star like that, and how 0:12:22.720 --> 0:12:25.880 you navigate that as a team where everyone has a 0:12:25.960 --> 0:12:29.439 role to play, and recognizing that the noise is so loud, 0:12:29.679 --> 0:12:32.640 but to some extent it's just noise. They were screened 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:35.880 for knowing, like you are going to have to adjust 0:12:35.920 --> 0:12:38.240 to some different things here that weren't the case in 0:12:38.280 --> 0:12:40.760 other environments, And certainly both of them are accustomed to 0:12:40.760 --> 0:12:42.920 playing with stars don't want to. Bonnor was in Phoenix 0:12:42.960 --> 0:12:47.360 with DT forever. They know what that's like. But just 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:51.000 realizing like this is a different phase of your career. 0:12:51.080 --> 0:12:53.480 That was something dB had talked about a lot of 0:12:53.520 --> 0:12:55.880 you know, she realizes these are her last few years. 0:12:56.280 --> 0:12:59.120 She wants something different, that she feels like she has 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:01.880 something to give back and this is a chance to 0:13:01.920 --> 0:13:03.560 do that. That was something both of them talked about, 0:13:03.559 --> 0:13:06.360 but especially do Wanna Bonner and that maybe means your 0:13:06.440 --> 0:13:09.000 role shifts on the floor. That means maybe you're sharing 0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:11.440 different aspects of that with each other, with other vets, 0:13:12.240 --> 0:13:16.840 but basically just knowing They had long conversations with Kelly 0:13:16.880 --> 0:13:21.560 Cross cop with Amber Cox, and Kelly Cross knows Natasha 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:23.920 Howard very well. She had drafted her originally in Indiana, 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:26.719 and Amber Cox had worked with Dowanna Bonner that even 0:13:26.720 --> 0:13:28.680 though there's so much that's new here, they really leaned 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:32.760 on pre existing relationships and so it's certainly not an 0:13:32.840 --> 0:13:34.920 easy thing to balance in terms of being in this 0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:37.880 particular spotlight. But they really had a lot of conversations 0:13:37.880 --> 0:13:39.800 about it ahead of time in terms of finding like 0:13:39.880 --> 0:13:42.319 are these the right personalities to walk that line that 0:13:42.360 --> 0:13:43.360 they're going to have to walk. 0:13:44.360 --> 0:13:47.560 Yeah, speaking of that was so interesting to read write 0:13:47.559 --> 0:13:51.720 Thompson's story about Caitlin Clark in her final year at Iowa, 0:13:51.800 --> 0:13:54.120 and in particular how much work had to be done 0:13:54.120 --> 0:13:58.520 behind the scenes by her coaching staff and the rest 0:13:58.559 --> 0:14:02.160 of the team staff to help her better understand how 0:14:02.200 --> 0:14:08.960 her body language, her frustration, her approach to teammates that 0:14:09.040 --> 0:14:11.640 let her down by not catching a great pass or 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:15.200 finishing a shot would impact the team at large. And 0:14:15.240 --> 0:14:17.720 it feels like, obviously that's a work in progress for 0:14:17.800 --> 0:14:19.880 Caitlyn and always will be. If you're looking real hard, 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:21.640 you can still find those moments in a game when 0:14:21.680 --> 0:14:26.920 she's very clear in expressing her frustration. How is it 0:14:27.000 --> 0:14:30.520 felt in this season with all these new teammates and 0:14:30.560 --> 0:14:34.120 with this added pressure and expectation for this team to succeed. 0:14:34.680 --> 0:14:37.920 How have you seen Caitlyn either evolve in that way 0:14:38.040 --> 0:14:39.320 or still struggle in that way? 0:14:40.040 --> 0:14:41.560 I mean, I think the biggest thing is that we 0:14:41.640 --> 0:14:44.200 had this extended stretch of her on the bench, which 0:14:44.240 --> 0:14:46.440 is an extremely new role for her. She obviously wasn't 0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:49.080 injured at all in college or in her rookie year 0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:52.440 in the W and so I think for the most part, 0:14:52.480 --> 0:14:55.640 seeing that was just really interesting. Of this is someone 0:14:55.720 --> 0:14:59.360 who obviously is used to not just being a focal 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:01.320 point on the floor, but like playing to as close 0:15:01.360 --> 0:15:03.800 to forty minutes as she can and having an offense 0:15:03.960 --> 0:15:07.200 run through her where she's involved on every single play. 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:10.440 You have to step back and watch the game from 0:15:10.480 --> 0:15:13.240 the bench, I think seeing the ways in which you 0:15:13.560 --> 0:15:16.000 could try to involve herself in other ways. You heard 0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:18.600 her talk about, like you literally see the game in 0:15:18.640 --> 0:15:21.480 a different way, that was an advantage point she had 0:15:21.520 --> 0:15:25.200 much experience from. I think in the long run, we're 0:15:25.200 --> 0:15:29.160 going to see that potentially be something that helps her there. 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:31.920 Of just it's a different way to experience the game 0:15:32.200 --> 0:15:34.880 of watching it, of watching your teammates, maybe picking up 0:15:34.920 --> 0:15:36.520 on things that you don't see when you're on the 0:15:36.560 --> 0:15:38.720 floor with them. You can see them better from the bench. 0:15:40.240 --> 0:15:43.880 So I think we've seen some evolution there. I think obviously, 0:15:43.880 --> 0:15:45.880 as you said, she's still this is her second year. 0:15:45.960 --> 0:15:48.840 There's still clearly moments of frustration. There's still We just 0:15:48.880 --> 0:15:51.400 saw this weekend and she had this insane game against 0:15:51.400 --> 0:15:53.080 the Liberty and they handed them their first loss, and 0:15:53.120 --> 0:15:56.000 there was this one sequence where like she's clearly on 0:15:56.000 --> 0:15:58.560 a heater and like begging for the ball and didn't 0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:01.280 get it, and like she's going to be frustrated. She's, 0:16:01.560 --> 0:16:04.240 you know, competitive, obviously that's what makes her her. 0:16:04.680 --> 0:16:06.760 Honestly, it was probably best for her as that possession 0:16:06.760 --> 0:16:09.040 still ended in a made basket for the fever. 0:16:09.520 --> 0:16:09.640 Ye. 0:16:09.760 --> 0:16:11.760 So in that moment, as frustrated as she might have 0:16:11.800 --> 0:16:13.760 been of like how could you not keep coming back 0:16:13.760 --> 0:16:16.240 to me? I'm so hot, it was also like, oh, okay, okay, 0:16:16.240 --> 0:16:16.920 you guys can do it. 0:16:16.960 --> 0:16:18.640 In that moment, I know that I can leave it 0:16:18.720 --> 0:16:19.560 up to my teammates too. 0:16:20.080 --> 0:16:24.320 Yeah. Completely, Just like that moment of frustration is going 0:16:24.360 --> 0:16:26.240 to be there, But then you get the reminder. I 0:16:26.240 --> 0:16:28.400 think that's important, And so I think it's certainly a 0:16:28.440 --> 0:16:30.840 work in progress, and I'm interested to see as we 0:16:30.920 --> 0:16:34.520 keep going how much that time of being injured and 0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:37.280 observing and interacting with humans in a different way kind 0:16:37.360 --> 0:16:39.520 of shapes how she's able to control that. 0:16:40.480 --> 0:16:43.600 You also profiled Caitlin when she was at Iowa. Can 0:16:43.600 --> 0:16:46.120 you get a sense of how she really feels about 0:16:46.160 --> 0:16:50.000 all this coverage, all this pressure, all this expectation, even 0:16:50.040 --> 0:16:53.440 all the controversy. I think she's been pretty stoic in 0:16:53.680 --> 0:16:56.760 her own way, and also at times has said I 0:16:56.760 --> 0:16:59.640 don't really listen or watch or read, But then sometimes 0:16:59.680 --> 0:17:02.520 it becomes clear that she does, just like any other humans, 0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:05.120 sometimes engaged with what's being said about or around her. 0:17:05.640 --> 0:17:09.439 Can you get a feel for beneath the surface, what 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:12.600 it really has been like for her to be the 0:17:12.640 --> 0:17:15.000 center of focus now for a couple of years. 0:17:15.800 --> 0:17:19.119 Yeah. I mean, there are so many layers to a 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:21.320 star like that, in terms of the people they have 0:17:21.440 --> 0:17:24.720 around them, the processes that you have to go through 0:17:24.760 --> 0:17:28.439 to talk to someone like that, that it's hard to 0:17:28.480 --> 0:17:30.240 say for sure. And I think that's a good thing 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:34.120 that she's been able to insulate herself to that degree 0:17:34.520 --> 0:17:37.080 that it makes sense to tread carefully when you're really 0:17:37.160 --> 0:17:40.920 kind of just entering this new space as a star 0:17:40.960 --> 0:17:43.160 at that level. But one of the things that really 0:17:43.160 --> 0:17:45.560 stood out to me about that trip to Iowa, which 0:17:45.600 --> 0:17:49.320 was a magazine profile in September twenty twenty three, I 0:17:49.400 --> 0:17:52.360 went down so a few months after the national championship 0:17:52.480 --> 0:17:56.480 game against LSU, but before her senior season had started, 0:17:57.800 --> 0:18:02.200 was just how completely self assured she was and how 0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:05.680 it didn't exactly feel like media training. And I actually 0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:08.639 had asked the iOS Idea at the time, like what 0:18:08.720 --> 0:18:10.359 have you done here, Like this is a crazy amount 0:18:10.400 --> 0:18:12.880 of like poise and confidence for a college athlete to 0:18:12.960 --> 0:18:16.359 handle any question, But they said nothing, like she really 0:18:16.440 --> 0:18:18.960 is just like this, and I was kind of inclined 0:18:19.000 --> 0:18:22.199 to believe them, just because it really for you know, 0:18:22.480 --> 0:18:24.680 a college athlete for a college student period, like thinking 0:18:24.720 --> 0:18:27.720 about myself at twenty one or twenty two, my friends, 0:18:27.920 --> 0:18:31.800 other college athletes I've interviewed in the years since, like 0:18:32.680 --> 0:18:36.080 to just have that kind of complete self assuredness of 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:39.440 being able to answer anything, to kind of know what 0:18:39.480 --> 0:18:43.080 you're working with, to be so confident in who you 0:18:43.160 --> 0:18:46.840 are and what you want, Like it just really was 0:18:46.880 --> 0:18:49.200 a level of I'm not sure if poise is the 0:18:49.240 --> 0:18:51.240 right word, and I'm not sure if confidence is either, 0:18:51.320 --> 0:18:53.359 but kind of a mix of them. That was really 0:18:53.920 --> 0:18:57.320 striking to me, And that like I think you've seen 0:18:57.520 --> 0:19:00.959 Carrie through and I think like some people are just 0:19:01.040 --> 0:19:03.919 made to handle that. That doesn't mean that it's not 0:19:04.359 --> 0:19:07.080 incredibly hard to handle it sometimes, and I think certainly 0:19:07.119 --> 0:19:09.840 like we've seen glimpses of that in the right Thompson profile. 0:19:10.240 --> 0:19:13.160 There were moments where she had got a sense of 0:19:13.320 --> 0:19:15.640 how hard it could be. At some points, I think 0:19:15.720 --> 0:19:18.480 in certain moments in her rookie year, you could see 0:19:18.680 --> 0:19:21.960 like frustration with being that singular of a focus rather 0:19:22.000 --> 0:19:24.280 than it being more diffused across the team. Certainly last 0:19:24.359 --> 0:19:28.000 year brought challenges in terms of losing that were new 0:19:28.040 --> 0:19:31.480 to her, But I think in general, this is just 0:19:31.680 --> 0:19:35.119 someone who is very confident in what she can do, 0:19:35.240 --> 0:19:37.920 is very confident in herself. I think it's been nice 0:19:37.960 --> 0:19:40.960 to see a little bit more of her personality, which 0:19:41.240 --> 0:19:43.680 is super competitive and intense and a lot of fun 0:19:43.800 --> 0:19:45.600 come out this year. This was something we did, you know, 0:19:45.640 --> 0:19:48.399 with the cover shoot. We also had a video that 0:19:48.480 --> 0:19:50.880 went with that of the teammates interacting and quizzing each 0:19:50.880 --> 0:19:53.679 other and like her getting really into that was a 0:19:53.680 --> 0:19:57.240 lot of fun to watch. Yeah, So yeah, that's kind 0:19:57.280 --> 0:19:59.440 of I think from the thirty thousand foot view what 0:19:59.480 --> 0:20:01.440 I've seen from she's. 0:20:01.359 --> 0:20:03.280 Very funny, and a lot of times the humor comes 0:20:03.280 --> 0:20:06.600