Speaker 1: In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
Speaker 1: iheartwomen's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
Speaker 1: Welcome to another episode of In Case you missed It
Speaker 1: with Christina Williams. And it's Friday, and it's also July fourth,
Speaker 1: so if you celebrate that, happy July fourth.
Speaker 2: But it's a Friday and you already know what time
Speaker 2: it is.
Speaker 1: We know that we have important conversations every single Friday
Speaker 1: here on the show, and today is no different. And
Speaker 1: I'm super excited about this week's guest because she's in
Speaker 1: New York early, just like myself, but she hails from the.
Speaker 2: Streets of North Babylon.
Speaker 1: She's a two time national champion at Yukon, a two
Speaker 1: time Turkish Super League champion as well. Was drafted in
Speaker 1: twenty fourteen at seventh overall the WNBA. That's really made
Speaker 1: a name for herself after nearly a decade of playing
Speaker 1: pro basketball. So helped me in honoring and welcoming Bria
Speaker 1: Hartley to the show. Welcome to the show. Thanks for
Speaker 1: having me Ria. So I know that things have been
Speaker 1: super busy from you, but listen, you.
Speaker 2: Grew up in New York ands.
Speaker 1: You made a name for yourself at Yukon, and now
Speaker 1: you're back in Connecticut nearly ten years after being drafted.
Speaker 1: How do you feel coming into this season. Does it
Speaker 1: feel like sort of a homecoming for you to be
Speaker 1: back into w.
Speaker 2: Yeah, No, it's crazy, especially after missing the last two
Speaker 2: seasons just with injuries. It's just been a really warm welcome,
Speaker 2: and it's honestly, it's all I've been focused on the
Speaker 2: ever since I've tore my ACL the second time, So
Speaker 2: just to have the opportunity to get back here, it's
Speaker 2: just been I'm just really really grateful. And then I
Speaker 2: just try to go out there and play the game
Speaker 2: that I love. You know what I'm saying, Enjoy every
Speaker 2: moment of it, go out there and play hard and
Speaker 2: try to represent myself and this organization really well.
Speaker 1: You talked about having two ACL injuries throughout your career.
Speaker 1: What was that like trying to get back to yourself
Speaker 1: and the player that you know you could be.
Speaker 2: What was that journey like for you? Everybody knows it's
Speaker 2: not a journey that's easy at all. It was really tough.
Speaker 2: I think the timing of mine was also really tough.
Speaker 2: It's really, the beginning of my prime is when I
Speaker 2: had my first one, and then when I felt like
Speaker 2: I was coming back a little bit, my second one happened.
Speaker 2: So trying to get back now I'm thirty two, kind
Speaker 2: of towards the end of my prime, it is a
Speaker 2: lot harder. It's kind of discouraging where you're like, our
Speaker 2: team's gonna take a risk on me? Are they gonna
Speaker 2: want me because I'm older? But I thought Connecticut kind
Speaker 2: of called me in and they saw what value I
Speaker 2: could bring, And honestly, I came in and I played
Speaker 2: really well. It wasn't for certain, but I kind of
Speaker 2: just bet on myself and I had confidence in myself
Speaker 2: and the work that I put in the last few
Speaker 2: years just to get my body right and to feel good.
Speaker 1: And this Sun team is a young team, just still
Speaker 1: finding their way under a new head coach. So what
Speaker 1: has it been like trying to find that bedroom presence
Speaker 1: on this young team and you guys are all learning together,
Speaker 1: So what has that experience been like so far?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, we take it day by day. It's
Speaker 2: always kind of difficult when you have a bunch of
Speaker 2: new players together, a lot of young players. I think
Speaker 2: with my role being here, just the experience I have
Speaker 2: throughout the league is just trying to help these young
Speaker 2: players just kind of reach their potential and just kind
Speaker 2: of teach them how to think the game at the
Speaker 2: next level, how to play the game at the next level.
Speaker 2: And I really embrace that role. But then at the
Speaker 2: same time, I also feel like, in order for people
Speaker 2: to value what you're saying, you got to make sure
Speaker 2: you're going out there performing and doing what you need
Speaker 2: to do. So I'm also focused on making sure I'm
Speaker 2: trying to be as consistent as possible, just working on
Speaker 2: how I feel on the core and building my confidence
Speaker 2: with it being my first season back in a few years,
Speaker 2: so I'm trying to balance all that. But it's been cool,
Speaker 2: you know. Like I said, I'm grateful to have the
Speaker 2: opportunity to play like I love playing basketball. I'm out
Speaker 2: there having fun being able to do that kind of
Speaker 2: back in my normal routine. The last couple of years,
Speaker 2: it's been weird not playing in the summer. So I'm
Speaker 2: just happy that I'm back here and just happy to
Speaker 2: try to guide these rookies and help them in this
Speaker 2: way possible.
Speaker 1: And he talks about having two years or moved from
Speaker 1: the w from your perspective, what's different from even just
Speaker 1: two years ago compared to now.
Speaker 2: I will say when I first came back, I was like,
Speaker 2: was it always this physical? Like it was always more
Speaker 2: physical than college, And I don't know, maybe I know
Speaker 2: for sure it was a lot faster when I was younger,
Speaker 2: with injuries kind of slowed me down, So maybe it's that,
Speaker 2: But it does feel like it's a lot more physical
Speaker 2: than what I remember. But you know, I've gotten bit
Speaker 2: bigger physically and stronger, so just kind of adjusting to
Speaker 2: that at first, even like not playing after a while,
Speaker 2: getting used to getting hit and everything. I think the
Speaker 2: first couple of games, I was like taking a step back.
Speaker 2: Now I'm like prepared for it and ready. So that's
Speaker 2: the biggest thing that I've noticed. And then the league
Speaker 2: is also obviously it's a lot younger than when I
Speaker 2: was here. I'm i think probably the second or third
Speaker 2: oldest on the team, so that feels a little weird
Speaker 2: when I was used to being like one of the
Speaker 2: younger ones on the team. So it's just a shift.
Speaker 2: It's a lot of different coaches, a lot of different
Speaker 2: fas for when I first came in the league. It's
Speaker 2: been a lot of movement with the league, but then
Speaker 2: the growth of the league, the charter flights. I remember
Speaker 2: getting on the first charter flight. I was like, oh,
Speaker 2: this is nice, Like this is different from what I'm
Speaker 2: used to. So there's just a lot more things for
Speaker 2: like the quality of life that you can have when
Speaker 2: you're playing in the W now compared to when I
Speaker 2: was here a few years ago.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I met you when you played for the New
Speaker 1: York Liberty and you've had several souless what hasn't been
Speaker 1: like to just reunited with the player like Tina Charles
Speaker 1: and be close to the New York City area where
Speaker 1: you grew up.
Speaker 2: No, it's awesome. I mean being back here in Connecticut.
Speaker 2: I spent a lot of years here, a lot of
Speaker 2: time in New York. Especially this drive. This drive from
Speaker 2: Connecticut New York. I used to do it all the time.
Speaker 2: So it's nice to be closer to the family again.
Speaker 2: I was out in the Midwest and out in the
Speaker 2: West for a little bit. Having that option and my
Speaker 2: son loves it too, to have like my family close by.
Speaker 2: My brother's in Boston, so I'm able to see my
Speaker 2: family a lot more, so that's good. And then being
Speaker 2: back to Tina, we had that relationship, We have that
Speaker 2: connection on the court playing together for three years and
Speaker 2: then I mean we also go back to Yukon and
Speaker 2: everything like that, so we always had a really good relationship.
Speaker 2: Even I went to Turkey this year and I saw
Speaker 2: her over there, got to watch her play. So we've
Speaker 2: always kept in touch. So it was nice just to
Speaker 2: get back and be able to play with her again.
Speaker 1: When you think about the Bria who came into the
Speaker 1: league in twenty fourteen compared to who you are now,
Speaker 1: what would surprise her the most about who you are now?
Speaker 2: I think just my ability to think the game now.
Speaker 2: I think when I came in, I was always like,
Speaker 2: had a decent IQ, but it just wasn't to that
Speaker 2: level where a point guard needed to be in this
Speaker 2: league yet. And I remember just kind of I run
Speaker 2: a play and I'm like, oh, I need this gardener
Speaker 2: action and I'm like, oh, I forget I need this
Speaker 2: post and the action as well, and then just kind
Speaker 2: of thinking at the next level. So I think I
Speaker 2: did have a really good coach in Mike Tebow my
Speaker 2: first three years, and then I Haddil Lambier my next
Speaker 2: few years. So I was fortunate to come in and
Speaker 2: have coaches that really taught me the game and taught
Speaker 2: me just the next level. So they helped me become
Speaker 2: a better player than even going overseas all that experience
Speaker 2: over there, you have different coaches where you're able to
Speaker 2: learn different styles of play, either the French national team,
Speaker 2: the Turkish League, different things like that. I've seen different
Speaker 2: styles of basketball. I've been able to adjust and to
Speaker 2: learn different aspects from all of that to incorporate it
Speaker 2: in my game now.
Speaker 1: And he talked about having to adjust, and you're someone
Speaker 1: who's been like a journey woman in the league and
Speaker 1: you've played for so many different teams five and the
Speaker 1: nine years span, and what would you say that experience?
Speaker 1: How has that experience helped you to adapt and adjustede
Speaker 1: to different situations that you've been in.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think the biggest thing for me is I
Speaker 2: think I can really go to any team and kind
Speaker 2: of make an impact on any role. Like I've been
Speaker 2: on teams where I was a starter. I've been on
Speaker 2: teams where I'm a sixth man. I've been on teams
Speaker 2: where I'm towards the end of the bench, and I
Speaker 2: think I've learned how to adapt and bring a quality
Speaker 2: of leadership, whether it's from a starter's perspective or from
Speaker 2: the bench. And I think teams of value that I've
Speaker 2: played for, and that's one of the reasons I've been
Speaker 2: able to last in this league along. I think when
Speaker 2: you go out there and you have an attitude where
Speaker 2: you're trying to get better every day, you're trying to
Speaker 2: be positive, and you're trying to help others and be
Speaker 2: unselfish and help your team in whatever way you can,
Speaker 2: I think that is valued. So it's been good. And
Speaker 2: then if you want me to come in, I'm just
Speaker 2: playing my game basketball. You know, I'm a scoring guard
Speaker 2: that could come in. I can also facilitate for others,
Speaker 2: and I just try to embrace just who I am really.
Speaker 1: And on the flip side, I mean, you mentioned your
Speaker 1: son earlier, but how has being a mom helped you
Speaker 1: when it came to how you moved through the league,
Speaker 1: When you come to those decisions about what team you
Speaker 1: want to play for, where you want to be with
Speaker 1: the situation is how has that helped?
Speaker 2: I think for me, especially my first free agency when
Speaker 2: I ended up going to Phoenix. Being a mom was
Speaker 2: a big factor in that. I think going to play
Speaker 2: for coach Sandy Brundello, she just had this perspective where
Speaker 2: she really understood what I needed, and then she also
Speaker 2: just helped in her own way and like she didn't
Speaker 2: have to do those things, but you know, like I
Speaker 2: tore my acl, I'm rehabbing, I'm in Arizona, kind of
Speaker 2: buy myself with my son to be like, oh, he
Speaker 2: can come to my house and help. We were going
Speaker 2: to the Bubble the year before that and I was
Speaker 2: like kind of figured it out and I was like,
Speaker 2: I don't know if I have anyone who can come
Speaker 2: with me. She's like, that's all right, Like we're gonna
Speaker 2: get you there. We're gonna make sure we have everything
Speaker 2: you need. And I think that was not to say
Speaker 2: other programs different, but I think it was just a
Speaker 2: different perspective from someone who has been a mom and
Speaker 2: really understood what was needed, because I think there were
Speaker 2: certain things that I didn't even understand that I needed
Speaker 2: or needed to ask for prior to that, being a
Speaker 2: young mom in the league and just trying to figure
Speaker 2: it out. So I think that factored in They had
Speaker 2: nanny's at the game and everything like that when I
Speaker 2: was going there, so I knew I could go there,
Speaker 2: even though I was leaving my East Coast roots. I
Speaker 2: knew I could go there and I would have the
Speaker 2: resources that I need. But then even with that new
Speaker 2: CBA in twenty twenty, we added some different things for mom.
Speaker 2: I was a player rep with most of the teams
Speaker 2: I've played for, and I really did advocate for a
Speaker 2: lot of that stuff for moms to have so that
Speaker 2: we have just a better quality of life and a
Speaker 2: better work life balance, because I think prior to that
Speaker 2: it really it really was a bit difficult to try
Speaker 2: to manage all that. But now I think we're understanding
Speaker 2: that women can have kids and still come back and
Speaker 2: play at the top of their game and almost be better.
Speaker 2: I mean, you look at the feast of Collier. I
Speaker 2: think me after I had my son, some of my
Speaker 2: best years are there. So it's just good that the
Speaker 2: league is now adapting to that and establishing things to
Speaker 2: help moms. You talked about how difficult it used to be.
Speaker 1: Can you elaborate on like going back to when you
Speaker 1: were pregnant with your son and everything that you had
Speaker 1: to go through in those early years, you kind of
Speaker 1: had to take the hit in order to.
Speaker 2: The benefits of JAM And yeah, there was a lot
Speaker 2: in the old CBA. There was like four sentences in
Speaker 2: that maternity leave, like there was no maternity leave. I
Speaker 2: remember I was young and I probably didn't understand, but
Speaker 2: I remember, like I didn't tell Coach T I was pregnant,
Speaker 2: so I was like four and a half months pregnant
Speaker 2: or something like that. I was like, I don't know,
Speaker 2: they might cut me this or that, like because you
Speaker 2: weren't protected in that same way.
Speaker 1: Then.
Speaker 2: I just think with my pregnancy coming back in New York,
Speaker 2: just as far as the resources you had, I think
Speaker 2: you only got a one bedroom. We just have to
Speaker 2: share hotels. So my son when I came back playing,
Speaker 2: my son was four months so he was traveling with
Speaker 2: me and I was paying for a nanny to for
Speaker 2: her flight. I was paying for the hotel room, and
Speaker 2: then I was paying the nanny on top of that,
Speaker 2: you know what I mean. So all this stuff like
Speaker 2: that adds up. Whereas now, okay, we take charters flights
Speaker 2: and if you have a caregiver, you have a child
Speaker 2: that can come, they automatically give you a two bedroom
Speaker 2: if you're a mom. I remember I was in DC
Speaker 2: when I initially got pregnant, So I was like, Oh,
Speaker 2: I'm gonna go back to DC only like three hundred
Speaker 2: dollars a month for the extra bedroom. I get traded
Speaker 2: to New York. They're talking about fifteen hundred dollars a
Speaker 2: month for extra bedroom. I was like, I'm not paying that.
Speaker 2: So my son's carib is in the living room and
Speaker 2: stuff like that. So there's a lot of different things
Speaker 2: I think people don't necessarily know through that experience. That
Speaker 2: is just different now and we have a lot more
Speaker 2: resources that it could still there's a lot of things
Speaker 2: we can still improve on, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2: Like that's just the first step.
Speaker 1: But.
Speaker 2: It is better than what it used to be.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and the league, you guys are currently in the
Speaker 1: middle of CBA negotiations now, and I know Satoo Sobii
Speaker 1: made some comments the other day about how those negotiations
Speaker 1: were going in terms of the offer.
Speaker 2: That the league made.
Speaker 1: What could you tell us if you know anything about,
Speaker 1: you know, the current negotiation process and what is the
Speaker 1: conversation amongst the players when it comes to this new CBA.
Speaker 2: I think the biggest thing for us is the business.
Speaker 2: We want to make sure that the money represents what
Speaker 2: the business is earning. So now we're approaching this as
Speaker 2: far as like, we want to make sure we're getting
Speaker 2: what we're worth and we won't want to go out
Speaker 2: there and be low balled. We want to make sure
Speaker 2: that we're making the amount of money. Especially with the
Speaker 2: growth of women's basketball the last few years. We all
Speaker 2: see it. We see it in the stands, we see
Speaker 2: it in Jersey sales, we see it in the TV viewership.
Speaker 2: So our salaries should reflect that. And that's the biggest
Speaker 2: kind of point that we want to make this year.
Speaker 1: And do you feel like those conversations that the league
Speaker 1: is being receptive to what you guys are trying to.
Speaker 2: Negotiate on some things? I think that being receptive on
Speaker 2: some other things maybe not. And I think that's where
Speaker 2: we have a bit more back and forth, and the
Speaker 2: conversation is ongoing, and we're going to keep having those conversations.
Speaker 2: We're keep pushing for the things that we feel like
Speaker 2: we deserve, and that's just kind of where we're at
Speaker 2: right now. We still have a bit of time before
Speaker 2: that needs to be determined and it will still continue
Speaker 2: to be discussions. And you talked about the differences.
Speaker 1: You said, it's like night and day between some of
Speaker 1: your earlier years in the CVA in terms of the
Speaker 1: motherhood benefits and what you received now. But I want
Speaker 1: to go back to just being a mom because I
Speaker 1: remember seeing you in the offseason this year at Athletes Unlimited.
Speaker 2: I could not believe your son was that big. I'm like,
Speaker 2: oh my god, the Liberty days, but he was so small.
Speaker 1: Yeah, all this it didn't like to just have him
Speaker 1: on this journey with you, And is he into sports?
Speaker 1: What is his relationship like with basketball? Is he enjoying it?
Speaker 2: What's going on now? It's awesome. It's awesome. Honestly. I
Speaker 2: will say when I got injured a couple of years,
Speaker 2: he started kindergarten and it was just kind of like
Speaker 2: figuring out where I was living and all that stuff.
Speaker 2: So I had some time away from him a bit
Speaker 2: more than I would have liked. But every time around him,
Speaker 2: like he's definitely like attached to me very much. So, uh,
Speaker 2: he still does his own thing. He's independent at the
Speaker 2: same time, but then like he's like, where's my mom?
Speaker 2: So it's cool then to see how much he's grown,
Speaker 2: Like he's gotten so tall, like it's crazy.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 2: Then with basketball, he actually doesn't play as much basketball yet.
Speaker 2: I feel like every time we try to do basketball,
Speaker 2: it's like in the winter, and it was like the
Speaker 2: COVID years then a lot of times if I was
Speaker 2: overseas or something, he'd come visit me for extended period
Speaker 2: of time and you missed like the whole window. So
Speaker 2: he's really big into soccer. So he was playing for
Speaker 2: a soccer club in Minneapolis that they're pretty good. It
Speaker 2: was eight and under. They actually we just played in Minnesota.
Speaker 2: He had a soccer tournament the day before our game
Speaker 2: and they played up nine and under and the kids
Speaker 2: didn't even score. They won every game by like four
Speaker 2: plus goals, So like they're really good. He really likes soccer.
Speaker 2: He really favors that right now. But I'm knocking too
Speaker 2: because most people don't know that I played soccer a
Speaker 2: lot when I was younger. Soccer is my first sport.
Speaker 2: I actually didn't start playing basketball till I was like nine,
Speaker 2: So I played soccer since I was four or five
Speaker 2: years old. So I'm like, okay, he kind of just
Speaker 2: take that same journey. I do want him to kind
Speaker 2: of try basketball a little bit. I think right now
Speaker 2: he's just used to being around adults in the gym,
Speaker 2: where sometimes he gets discouraged and he's like, nah, I
Speaker 2: don't want to do that. Like if we're making all
Speaker 2: our shots, he gets mad because he's not making it.
Speaker 2: But if you put him out, he's done some like
Speaker 2: basketball sessions and stuff, and when he's with kids his aide,
Speaker 2: then all of a sudden he wants to play. So
Speaker 2: it's just getting him around, getting him more organized basketball
Speaker 2: and like little like training sessions. Then he's fine with it.
Speaker 2: But sometimes moving around all the time, finding a new
Speaker 2: program here and there has kind of been the difficult
Speaker 2: part of it. I love that for him, and I'm.
Speaker 1: Looking forward to seeing what sport he chooses in the future. Saying, so,
Speaker 1: going back to those Yukon days and you want to
Speaker 1: titles and championship teams have a certain mindset and culture.
Speaker 1: What's one thing from those Yukon runs that you find
Speaker 1: yourself trying to implement on this Connecticut Sun team, even
Speaker 1: if it's not about necessarily winning. Right now, I think the.
Speaker 2: Biggest thing is paying attention to the small details and
Speaker 2: building those good habits even in games sometimes, like you know,
Speaker 2: there's been some games where we've kind of gotten blown out,
Speaker 2: and I like to remind the rookies like we're still building,
Speaker 2: Like we're still out here, we're down, like we still
Speaker 2: need to execute, we still need to work on the
Speaker 2: things we need to work on. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2: We're not just out here like oh, we're losing, like
Speaker 2: I'm gonna give up, Like no, I'm going out there.
Speaker 2: I'm playing hard. We're building our confidence, you know what
Speaker 2: I'm saying. We have Anissa, she had back to back
Speaker 2: double doubles. We want her to go out there and
Speaker 2: still play her game. We want to know I to
Speaker 2: come on. She's a defensive stopper, she can get to
Speaker 2: her mid range all that, Like we want her to
Speaker 2: be on attack. So that's the biggest thing I tried
Speaker 2: to implement with her. And then another thing is just
Speaker 2: like I think sometimes when people train, we're like, oh
Speaker 2: we do this, like, oh, yes, I got it right.
Speaker 2: And the biggest thing is like you don't do something
Speaker 2: till you get it right. You want to do something
Speaker 2: you can't get it wrong, so you want to constantly,
Speaker 2: like stay on that and keep perfecting your craft.
Speaker 1: At the end of the day, this Connecticut Sun team
Speaker 1: is really gained the reputation around the Lake.
Speaker 2: For being a team that takes no e as.
Speaker 1: What's the chemistry like amongst all the players and just
Speaker 1: the sisterhood that you guys have been able to build
Speaker 1: and develop in a short amount of time.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think we're continuing to grow. I think we
Speaker 2: came in, like I said, we had a bunch of
Speaker 2: new players. They only had two returning players from last year.
Speaker 2: And I mean I played with Tina for three years.
Speaker 2: I played with La for I think one season, but
Speaker 2: that's really it. I don't really play with anyone else.
Speaker 2: So like we're building that chemistry, and I think as
Speaker 2: the year goes on, we're building even more and more
Speaker 2: chemistry on the court and then off the court. I think,
Speaker 2: you know, we had some games. These games are physical.
Speaker 2: You know, they get physical, they get chippy. Like we're
Speaker 2: not gonna back down either though, Like you know, we're
Speaker 2: gonna step up, We're gonna fight for each other. We're
Speaker 2: gonna make sure that we're out there. We're kind of
Speaker 2: coming together and always gonna have our teammates back.
Speaker 1: What's the philosophy that coach Rashid is trying to implement
Speaker 1: with this spot. I think the biggest thing for us
Speaker 1: is like coming out with toughness, coming out with energy
Speaker 1: is the biggest thing that we need to do because
Speaker 1: I think there's some games that we're kind of on
Speaker 1: our heels and then the team comes out physical and
Speaker 1: with this physical energy and we kind of get knocked
Speaker 1: back and we're like, oh snap, and it's like no,
Speaker 1: we got to come up.
Speaker 2: We gotta show up ready. And we're continued to build
Speaker 2: on that. We have a group of that's really talented,
Speaker 2: you know what I mean, and then we got some
Speaker 2: players with experience, and so we just want to continue
Speaker 2: to go out there and bring our energy no matter what.
Speaker 1: How would you say that you view what success looks
Speaker 1: like in this part, in this journey of your career,
Speaker 1: through all of the adversity that you've been through.
Speaker 2: The biggest thing for me, I've always say like it's
Speaker 2: me against me every time I'm in the gym, like
Speaker 2: I'm making sure I'm getting better and being a better
Speaker 2: version of myself. And I try not to compare myself
Speaker 2: to anyone else because everybody's journey, everybody's adversity that they've
Speaker 2: dealt with is completely different, you know, Like everyone has
Speaker 2: some adversity, but you know what I'm saying, it's all different.
Speaker 2: So I make sure like for me at first, it's like, okay,
Speaker 2: just getting back to lead. Like I remember Alyssa Thomas
Speaker 2: tried to talk trash to me in Again and she
Speaker 2: was like, oh, you on a sorry team or something
Speaker 2: like that. I'm like, girl, I'm grateful to be on
Speaker 2: a team, like it was taken away from me for
Speaker 2: two years. So like you could talk trash, that doesn't
Speaker 2: affect me because I'm here. Like most people after two
Speaker 2: acls kind of stop. So that's my perspective is that
Speaker 2: I'm getting one percent better every day and I'm reaching
Speaker 2: the little goals that I set for myself every day.
Speaker 2: And then also on top of that, at the end
Speaker 2: of the day, I'm an example for my son. So
Speaker 2: through this process and everything I've been through, he's been
Speaker 2: right by my side and he's been watching me, and
Speaker 2: I want to make sure that I'm the best example
Speaker 2: for him and how to deal with adversity and how
Speaker 2: to kind of approach life. You know, sometimes things don't
Speaker 2: always go your way, But that don't mean you got
Speaker 2: to get knocked down and stay down. You can still
Speaker 2: push her. He talks about, you know, I wanted to
Speaker 2: keep going.
Speaker 1: Was there ever a time through those two injuries that
Speaker 1: you felt like it was a rap, like you.
Speaker 2: Didn't want to go on? And what helped you push through?
Speaker 2: So I'll say, I don't think there was ever a
Speaker 2: moment where I didn't want to go on, but there
Speaker 2: was a moment where I felt like I wouldn't get
Speaker 2: the opportunity. I felt like kind of people just wrote
Speaker 2: me off. They're like, ah, she even injured, she's done.
Speaker 2: And I mean people said these things to me, you
Speaker 2: know what I'm saying, like, oh, she's probably done or
Speaker 2: this and that. So I do think there was moments.
Speaker 2: I mean, even I didn't get signed to Connecticut. I didn't
Speaker 2: get signed to a training camp before camp started this year,
Speaker 2: so it kind of just felt like, you know, people
Speaker 2: just wrote me off. I'm older, They're like, she has injuries,
Speaker 2: she can't do this. And even though I played well
Speaker 2: in AU, I just kind of felt like, you know,
Speaker 2: maybe they're just moving in a different direction. And then
Speaker 2: when Connecticut called and I did get the opportunity. I
Speaker 2: just tried to make sure I make the most of it.
Speaker 2: And then even last year I ended up getting cut
Speaker 2: from Vegas. I was living in DC for the summer.
Speaker 2: I went to a few games and people were like, oh,
Speaker 2: you were tired, and it really used to piss me
Speaker 2: off because I'm just like, no, I'm not like I'm
Speaker 2: trying to get signed with a team.
Speaker 3: You.
Speaker 2: I'm trying to do all this stuff. And like I said,
Speaker 2: I think the biggest thing for me, like the W
Speaker 2: was always the goal. Don't get me wrong, but I
Speaker 2: was to the point where I was just like, I
Speaker 2: just want to play basketball. I knew I could play overseas,
Speaker 2: and then we have AU now in different leagues in
Speaker 2: the States that I was just like, I'm just grateful
Speaker 2: and I want the opportunity to play basketball. And I
Speaker 2: think once I got that perspective and kind of stop
Speaker 2: pressing about the W, then all of a sudden, that
Speaker 2: W called came. So I'm just grateful.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And the league this week announced three new expansion
Speaker 1: teams by twenty thirty. How excited are you to see
Speaker 1: the league continuing to expand?
Speaker 2: No, I love it. It's just crazy because I don't
Speaker 2: know if I ever thought I would see it in
Speaker 2: my playing career, even like the charter flights and everything
Speaker 2: like that. So to be able to kind of still
Speaker 2: benefit from that and see all that stuff is really
Speaker 2: really cool. I'm excited for them to add to Toronto
Speaker 2: team next year in Portland, right, so that'll be really cool.
Speaker 2: I'm just excited to see the league grow and to
Speaker 2: have more opportunities because I still feel like there's a
Speaker 2: lot of players that are pretty good that aren't on
Speaker 2: teams now or that have been way from teams this
Speaker 2: year that also deserve opportunity to play on some teams.
Speaker 2: So we just want to continue to grow our league
Speaker 2: and show case they're really good women's basketball players that
Speaker 2: we have. So I'm a little biased because we're from
Speaker 2: New York and I feel like New York has the
Speaker 2: best hoopers in the world. Like New York pretty different, right,
Speaker 2: very different?
Speaker 1: Uh, just talk about your upbringing and who inspired you
Speaker 1: growing up in New York City to want to play
Speaker 1: basketball to get into the sport.
Speaker 2: So you know, it's crazy. Growing up, I was like
Speaker 2: a really active kid. My dad was a pro boxer,
Speaker 2: so at first he took me to the boxing gym
Speaker 2: with him all the time. And then I have a brother.
Speaker 2: I have two older brothers that play sports. So my brother,
Speaker 2: like I did everything he played besides football, but like
Speaker 2: everything he played. And then I was a kid. We
Speaker 2: grew up like we had the basketball hoop in the driveway.
Speaker 2: We was playing kickball out there. We had a bunch
Speaker 2: of kids on the box. So I was just active
Speaker 2: and always did a bunch of sports. But then I
Speaker 2: think like as I got older, I just kind of
Speaker 2: shifted more towards basketball, and especially when I started playing
Speaker 2: in New York City, so I had a I was
Speaker 2: playing like a Long Island team, which we were local,
Speaker 2: like we were all right, we wasn't really that good.
Speaker 2: And then a coach like kind of found me just like, nah,
Speaker 2: I want you to go to AAU Nationals. And at
Speaker 2: this point I didn't even play AU. This is like
Speaker 2: twelve under. I didn't even play AU at all. I
Speaker 2: was playing more soccer at that age in the summertime.
Speaker 2: So he was like, nah, you're gonna go. I'm gonna
Speaker 2: put you on this team from Harlem, like they're going
Speaker 2: to AU Nationals. Go play with them. So when I
Speaker 2: went out there, and I started playing. That's when I
Speaker 2: feel like that's when I just started to grow. And
Speaker 2: then I started playing like on the A Circuit and everything.
Speaker 2: That's when I started getting looks and everything. And then
Speaker 2: I just think my passion for basketball group and then
Speaker 2: like that street ball, like we would play Nike Swiss League,
Speaker 2: We're playing at Riverbank State Park, We're playing at Rockeup
Speaker 2: Park and everything. Like I still think, say, we used
Speaker 2: to play on concrete, because I'll never play on concrete again.
Speaker 2: But it was just a different toughness and a different
Speaker 2: like you know you out there in New York too,
Speaker 2: those tournaments, like you got the announcer kind of talking trash,
Speaker 2: like sorry about the game, Like it's a different it's
Speaker 2: a different breed out there when you when you're playing
Speaker 2: in New York City. So I think I just love
Speaker 2: that competitive side of it and it's kind of that
Speaker 2: g and then I think that's when I really started
Speaker 2: to be like, Nah, basketball is it for me?
Speaker 1: I asked Super this question when she's on this show.
Speaker 2: She's from New York.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but what do you think separates New York City
Speaker 1: guards from everyone else in the country?
Speaker 2: Makes what makes me different? I think it's that I
Speaker 2: always say, like we play basketball, but then we a
Speaker 2: little rough around the edges, like we come out there
Speaker 2: like we're trying to hoop, and then like we talk trash.
Speaker 2: Like I always say, like talking trash is a love
Speaker 2: language for New Yorkers and everything. So I feel like
Speaker 2: just that grit that you have, like you know, they
Speaker 2: say it's the concrete jungle. You have that extra grit
Speaker 2: about you. You got that extra toughness and confidence, borderline
Speaker 2: arrogance when you come out there playing. So I think
Speaker 2: that's really what separates New York guards. Who's the best
Speaker 2: trash talker in the week because you run up trash
Speaker 2: talk Listen Thomas for sure, Like she just me talking.
Speaker 3: I'm like, girl, you always she's quiet vibes and those
Speaker 3: she don't She's quiet everywhere else, but on the court,
Speaker 3: Like when you on the court, it's just like, nah,
Speaker 3: she always are.
Speaker 2: It's a few, but she's always the one that stand
Speaker 2: out for me. That's hilarious.
Speaker 1: No, But like from the from the surface level, Alyssa
Speaker 1: comes off very quiet, very introverted. So it's it's so
Speaker 1: crazy to hear she's one of the craziest.
Speaker 2: Trash talkers in the league. For her. We ain't played
Speaker 2: Kelsey Plumb this year, nough, But Kelsey's my dog. But
Speaker 2: Kelsey me talking too. She definitely did.
Speaker 1: And a few more before you get out of here.
Speaker 1: We always like to ask players to reflect on that
Speaker 1: welcome to the W moment. And you came into the
Speaker 1: league at a very unique time. So who is that
Speaker 1: player who gave you your welcome to the W moment?
Speaker 2: I always say this, and it's just like people may
Speaker 2: not even like remember her, but I always say our
Speaker 2: MINSI Harrington was my welcome to the W moment. And
Speaker 2: I remember like it was like an emphasis on the scout,
Speaker 2: Like she plays passion lane and she plays passing lane.
Speaker 2: She pays plass and lance and literally like I come
Speaker 2: out there and I go to make a cross court pass,
Speaker 2: she just jumps the gap. And I remember Coach she
Speaker 2: was like sub, like, just sub me right out right
Speaker 2: back to the bad He's like, what do we say
Speaker 2: on this scout? And I was like, dang, Like so
Speaker 2: that was my welcome to the W moment. What excites
Speaker 2: you the most about this new chapter for your career?
Speaker 2: For you, I'm just excited to be out here playing
Speaker 2: you know what I'm saying, at thirty two years old,
Speaker 2: still being around here in my body, like I feel great.
Speaker 2: Like obviously the last couple of years I have been moved,
Speaker 2: but like I feel like I'm moving really well and
Speaker 2: I continue to get better and better the more that
Speaker 2: I play in these games. So I'm just really excited
Speaker 2: to play, going into this league and then seeing this
Speaker 2: league grow the next two years. I'm just hoping I
Speaker 2: have the opportunity to play for a few more years.
Speaker 1: So for you, I want to thank you for joining
Speaker 1: us on In Case you missed It with Christina Williams
Speaker 1: this week. I'm excited to continue to see.
Speaker 2: You who and I know that all.
Speaker 1: The fans listening are excited to see the Connecticut son
Speaker 1: and what you all do this season.
Speaker 2: Thank you.
Speaker 1: In Case you missed It with Christina Williams is an
Speaker 1: iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
Speaker 1: and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app,
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.