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Speaker 1: You had your Alaska homecoming game, like see you on

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Speaker 1: Instagram and everything. How many people came to see you.

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Speaker 1: I was like, is this all of Alaska?

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Speaker 2: Like it was crazy, it was super special, Like it

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Speaker 2: felt kind of weird playing in that arena just because

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Speaker 2: like the last time I played there was in high school.

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Speaker 2: I won my volleyball state championships in there, my basketball

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Speaker 2: was and then my wrestling state championship, So it was

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Speaker 2: just cool.

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Speaker 1: A lot of state championships.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and it was just like one of those moments

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Speaker 2: where like you're back where everything started, Like it kind

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Speaker 2: of just seemed like a movie or like a fairy tale.

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Speaker 2: I knew I was making an impact, but I think

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Speaker 2: that really opened my eyes to see, like there's people

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Speaker 2: that certain young girls look up to to find that

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Speaker 2: pathway to doing what they want to do in life,

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Speaker 2: and you know, to be that for the girls of

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Speaker 2: like my same culture. It's I don't even got the

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Speaker 2: words to describe it, Like it's just so crazy to me, Like.

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Speaker 1: Man, welcome back to sometimes. I hope today We've got

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Speaker 1: a highly requested guest on the pod, Quick Humble Brag

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Speaker 1: about our superstar last year's pact told Player of the year,

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Speaker 1: the fastest Utah player to reach a thousand points. She's

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Speaker 1: second in scoring in the PAC twelve right now, averaging

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Speaker 1: twenty one points a game none other than Utah superstar

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Speaker 1: Elisa Peee. Thanks for hopping on the pod.

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Speaker 2: Thank you for having me.

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Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, I'm so excited to get into things.

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Speaker 1: We're headed into the final stretch of Pack twelve regular season.

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Speaker 1: Tell me about how tough the PAC twelve is. I mean,

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Speaker 1: you guys are six in the pack and eighteenth in

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Speaker 1: the nation. It's deep.

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Speaker 2: Oh yeah, yeah, I mean every game is literally like

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Speaker 2: it feels like a tournament game. Like you're playing some

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Speaker 2: really good teams and you know, you don't really ever

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Speaker 2: get a break to like a team that she thinks,

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Speaker 2: oh like like we don't even really gotta try hard

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Speaker 2: to beat them. You know, like every game is super

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Speaker 2: important to you know, just play your hardest and it's

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Speaker 2: just a battle. But I also think it's it's a

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Speaker 2: cool thing. It kind of makes you know, rankings and

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Speaker 2: stuff a little tricky sometimes, but especially this year, it's

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Speaker 2: just like, you know, it's anybody's game, and so you know,

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Speaker 2: you just really it really comes down to who wants

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Speaker 2: it more, and you know, it's it's been fun to

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Speaker 2: be a part of I think like ever since I've

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Speaker 2: been in the pack, it's been it's been like that,

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Speaker 2: And so I don't know, just to play at such

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Speaker 2: a high competitive level, it's it's super.

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Speaker 1: Fun, no, for sure. I mean the pack has always

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Speaker 1: been tough, like you know, and I feel like people

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Speaker 1: on the East Coast, the games are broadcasted over there,

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Speaker 1: so they don't know. But I mean, even though Arizona

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Speaker 1: State's been down the last few years, it's still not

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Speaker 1: an easy game, Like they're still come out prepared and

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Speaker 1: ready to go. So top to bottom, there's a lot

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Speaker 1: of competition. But tell me who has been the toughest

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Speaker 1: Pac twelve matchup so far?

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Speaker 2: Well, we lost to the same team twice I think

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Speaker 2: in the span of like three weeks. Of Oregon State.

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Speaker 2: Oh damn, they've they've been playing really well. And you know, there,

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Speaker 2: I feel like a tough matchup for us, and we've

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Speaker 2: been hoping hopefully we'll we'll get them in the tournament

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Speaker 2: if there are times a charm But I think Oregon State,

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Speaker 2: they've been playing really well.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, laterally we're gonna talk about sleeper teams.

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Speaker 1: But I think Oregon State this year has come out

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Speaker 1: of nowhere because last year they were kind of rebuilding.

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Speaker 1: I feel like this year they're getting it together. Their

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Speaker 1: close game against UCLA, it's been really exciting to watch

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Speaker 1: them play. But before we get out of Pac twelve,

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Speaker 1: talk to me about you hooping against the number one

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Speaker 1: team in the nation thirty seven points. I was watching

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Speaker 1: it like, yeah, that's what she does. It's hard to stop.

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Speaker 1: What was your mindset like heading into that game because

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Speaker 1: it was a huge game.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it was a really big game for us, and

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Speaker 2: I think like personally, going against a team that's a

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Speaker 2: very good defensive team and kind of like, I don't know,

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Speaker 2: like I feel like I haven't played somebody like Camilla

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Speaker 2: and you know other posts that they had, and they're

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Speaker 2: very deep on the post end. So personally, I just

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Speaker 2: I was a little nervous. So I'm not gonna lie

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Speaker 2: I get kind of nervous, But you know, my mindset

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Speaker 2: going into that game was just, you know, like, what

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Speaker 2: do we got to lose? And my mindset every game

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Speaker 2: is really like I don't care who who's on the

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Speaker 2: other side of the court. You know, I'm gonna like,

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Speaker 2: I'm not gonna play with fear or nothing like that.

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Speaker 2: I'm just gonna go out there and be me. So

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Speaker 2: I think as the game went on a little bit,

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Speaker 2: like I got like I was feeling myself a little bit,

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Speaker 2: I got comfortable, and you know, I just started letting

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Speaker 2: the game come to me, and you know, I ended

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Speaker 2: up having a really good game. It was kind of

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Speaker 2: sad that we didn't get to win, but you know

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Speaker 2: it was it was a good thing for us and

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Speaker 2: a good challenge for us.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean watching it, it was working for you.

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Speaker 1: Everybody saw that, and I think South Carolina saw that

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Speaker 1: as well. They threw the whole roster at you. And

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Speaker 1: so tell me a little bit about there's a big

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Speaker 1: difference of play from the Pats well to the SEC,

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Speaker 1: especially with the team like South Carolina. So you mentioned

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Speaker 1: plays people like you have Camilla and then you have

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Speaker 1: Ashland and then they just all keep atch no matter

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Speaker 1: who it was. How were you able to still get

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Speaker 1: things going for yourself? What was really working for you

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Speaker 1: to have the performance that you did.

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Speaker 2: Like with all those different type of defenders they had

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Speaker 2: on me, I think each of them were different, Like

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Speaker 2: Camilla obviously is super tall, and you know, I have

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Speaker 2: to find a way to get around her, get her

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Speaker 2: out to the perimeter, so I could kind of create

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Speaker 2: in space. But with like when I'm playing against somebody

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Speaker 2: who I know, it says I'm six to two on

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Speaker 2: the roster, but I'm a good like five.

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Speaker 1: Ten, It's okay. You don't have to you don't have

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Speaker 1: to come clean.

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Speaker 2: No, everybody knows this, so it's just no shame in

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Speaker 2: my game.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

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Speaker 2: But when I have like shorter defenders maybe like six

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Speaker 2: two six one six two, like, I try to just

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Speaker 2: use my body well to create shots. And I was

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Speaker 2: kind of just using that to my advantage the whole

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Speaker 2: game with whoever was guarding me.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I mean I've played against you. You know

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Speaker 1: what to do. It's like, do you take away one thing?

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Speaker 1: The footwork is on lock, you can pull people out.

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Speaker 1: I think that the versatility of your game is what

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Speaker 1: makes so hard for people to not only scout you,

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Speaker 1: but you know, they can scout somebody, But once you

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Speaker 1: get there, it's a whole nother thing. It's a whole

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Speaker 1: other beast once you get there. But talking about Oregon

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Speaker 1: State being our sleeper team, is there any players within

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Speaker 1: the Pac twelve or outside of it that you've kind

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Speaker 1: of been impressed by the season that was maybe under

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Speaker 1: the radar in past years.

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Speaker 2: Reagan Beers for sure. Quick yeah, yeah, Like I hate

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Speaker 2: playing against her. I can't even lie, Like that's somebody

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Speaker 2: who could match me in like strength and so you know,

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Speaker 2: and she knows how to use her body so well,

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Speaker 2: and she has great hands and finishes so well. Like

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Speaker 2: it's it's a hard matchup for anybody really. So but

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Speaker 2: she's been doing her thing. I saw she she got

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Speaker 2: hurt I think in their last game. But no, she's

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Speaker 2: I think been a player that I've been like super

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Speaker 2: impressed with so far in.

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Speaker 1: The power I agree last year, coming in as a freshman,

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Speaker 1: she had a huge game against us because, like you know,

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Speaker 1: you scout somebody like, oh they're a freshmen. She came

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Speaker 1: in with hitting out buckets. I was like, Oh, you're

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Speaker 1: the real deal. Sorry for the disrespect, miss Beers, but

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Speaker 1: I think that there's a lot of young players in

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Speaker 1: the pack right now that are very talented with huge upsides.

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Speaker 1: Without giving away your scatting report, I want you to

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Speaker 1: kind of talk to me a little bit about breaking down,

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Speaker 1: how good they are, what makes them sexual, what sets

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Speaker 1: them apart. So first one being my girl, miss Lauren Betts,

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Speaker 1: what do you think has really improved in her game

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Speaker 1: or helped her get to what she's doing this year?

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Speaker 2: I think just everything, like just her finishing and like

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Speaker 2: confidence is a huge thing, and like you could just

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Speaker 2: see it in her game when she plays down low,

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Speaker 2: you know she when she's going to score, like you

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Speaker 2: know when she's going to score. So I just think

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Speaker 2: that offensive rebounding obviously she's a great offensive rebounder, and

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Speaker 2: just like how physical she is. I think that's super important,

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Speaker 2: like when you play in that position.

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Speaker 1: So yeah, I think she's come a long way from

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Speaker 1: last year. And number one thing being confidence to see

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Speaker 1: her growth. But another young player from la that has

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Speaker 1: been absolutely hooping this year, Juju. Talk to me about

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Speaker 1: what it's like going into a game. You're a prolific

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Speaker 1: scorer yourself, so what is it like going to get

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Speaker 1: somebody else like her that you guys have to really

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Speaker 1: focus on when playing against her.

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Speaker 2: We always say it's not on one person to stop

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Speaker 2: somebody who's a great score, It's on our whole team

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Speaker 2: and being present and making your presence felt. I think

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Speaker 2: even when you're not guarding the ball, and so like

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Speaker 2: that's something that's super important when playing against a player

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Speaker 2: like that. And I mean, yeah, she's like there's just

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Speaker 2: some shots that she hits. I'm just like, there's literally

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Speaker 2: nothing you could do about that.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, So it's.

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Speaker 2: Like, you know, you gotta give credit where credit is due.

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Speaker 2: And you know, I thought we did a great job

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Speaker 2: on her last game. So you know, we're just going

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Speaker 2: to build on that and you know, do what we

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Speaker 2: do focusing on the game plan and sticks to that.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean it's the same thing with you when

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Speaker 1: I watch you play, like you think you're there and

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Speaker 1: you hit a shot and it's like, well, just got

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Speaker 1: to eat that one. It is what it is, like,

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Speaker 1: you can't have any hard feelings about it. But switching

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Speaker 1: gears for Minty here, before we get into your early basketball,

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Speaker 1: we're starting a new thing. Last week we started with

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Speaker 1: Georgia and Tahina. But it's gonna be my my question

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Speaker 1: of the day for the audience to get to know

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Speaker 1: the way that your mind thinks. So this wass going

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Speaker 1: to be at a left field. I want to let

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Speaker 1: you know in advance, So like don't freak out about it.

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Speaker 1: So would you rather choose to gain the ability to

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Speaker 1: read minds? However, every time you use the power, you

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Speaker 1: uncontrollably pee your pants? Yeah? Yeah, yeah yeah. So there's

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Speaker 1: ways to go about. I'll give you my answer once

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Speaker 1: you give me yours.

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Speaker 2: I don't think so. I don't even know if I

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Speaker 2: would want to be reading people's linds.

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Speaker 1: Okay, E see me, I'm nosy, like I want to know,

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Speaker 1: so I feel like my way about it would be

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Speaker 1: I would like know who I want to read minds

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Speaker 1: with when I want to do it. So I would

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Speaker 1: my bathroom breaks or wear a diaper if I know

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Speaker 1: I'm going to an event where I want to read

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Speaker 1: people's minds. But that's just me being nosy. And then

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Speaker 1: our next question for you is what's the biggest animal

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Speaker 1: you feel like you could beat in a fistfight like one,

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Speaker 1: I want no weapons in their terrain. You in an

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Speaker 1: animal going head to head? Who do you think you

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Speaker 1: can beat?

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Speaker 2: Hmmm, dang, I don't want to.

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Speaker 1: I don't want to influence your decision with mine, so

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Speaker 1: I gotta hear yours first.

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Speaker 2: Okay, probably no, I was gonna say kangaroo but I'll

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Speaker 2: be seeing videos of them giving people hands.

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Speaker 1: Giving people business. Can you jack? Oh my god, he

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Speaker 1: was giving out hands.

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Speaker 2: Shoot, what's the soft animal? I don't know. I probably

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Speaker 2: have to go with like a maybe a black bear

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Speaker 2: or something. Wow, it's it's I don't know if I

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Speaker 2: could actually do it, but I heard because in Alaska,

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Speaker 2: like there's been some incidents where like black bears would

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Speaker 2: come to people's campsites and stuff, and they said that,

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Speaker 2: like since just like a smaller bear, like if you

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Speaker 2: punch it in the nose, it would just run away.

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Speaker 2: So I feel like I could do that.

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Speaker 1: Hey, yo, that'd be crazy. Oh my god, Well, black

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Speaker 1: bear's tough. Mine mine is a giraffe. I feel like

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Speaker 1: i'd take out the knees and then go for it.

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Speaker 1: I feel like I could do it. I don't know, though,

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Speaker 1: black bear seems kind of cooler than a draft. Not

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Speaker 1: to lave you were up boxing with one, that'd be crazy.

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Speaker 2: I feel like I would only want if it ran

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Speaker 2: away though, if it worked, if my tactic works.

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Speaker 1: Like, if it runs away, I'm not you don't have

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Speaker 1: to chase after it, Like that's a dub in my book,

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Speaker 1: So you'll be fine, but you mentioned Alaska, So let's

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Speaker 1: talk about your early hoops. Grew up in Anchorage, and

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Speaker 1: before we get into it factor myth, is it true

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Speaker 1: the whole like sunlight and there's just straight up days

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Speaker 1: of darkness situation, because I feel like that doesn't work

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Speaker 1: for me.

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Speaker 2: Well. In the summer, like in Anchorage where I grew up,

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Speaker 2: the sun sets, but it doesn't really set, like it

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Speaker 2: never gets pitch blackout in the summer, like it will

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Speaker 2: always stay like kind of light out. But in the town,

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Speaker 2: like a smaller town where I used to live, it's

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Speaker 2: called Barrow, and there's like a span of like I

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Speaker 2: want to say, like two to three months where the

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Speaker 2: sun doesn't set at all.

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Speaker 1: Wow.

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Speaker 2: And then there's like it's the opposite, like in the winter,

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Speaker 2: like the sun doesn't come up for a couple of

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Speaker 2: months too.

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Speaker 1: So stop it what it's come down. I'm sorry. Props

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Speaker 1: to you for dealing with that, I know, But talk

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Speaker 1: to me about what it's like growing up in Alaska

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Speaker 1: and in your community. Had a big family, four brothers,

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Speaker 1: four sisters. You're the oldest girl. Tell me about that

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Speaker 1: family dynamic growing up with that many siblings. I just

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Speaker 1: had one and I thought that was a lot. So

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Speaker 1: how is all those siblings in one house?

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Speaker 2: It was definitely a lot of trouble, but you know,

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Speaker 2: it was never boring. It was never boring. Like we're

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Speaker 2: always and zero privacy because we lived in a house

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Speaker 2: where you know, there was two rooms. My parents have

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Speaker 2: one of the rooms and then one bathroom, and so

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Speaker 2: we're always just like all open each other's business. So

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Speaker 2: it's like very transparent and honestly, like like when people

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Speaker 2: ask me about kids, like I always want to say,

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Speaker 2: like I have I want a big family because of

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Speaker 2: like how it was growing up, Like it was so

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Speaker 2: much fun and you know, like I wouldn't have had

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Speaker 2: it any other way. Like I love my siblings to death,

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Speaker 2: even though they get on my nerves. But yeah, you know,

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Speaker 2: it's it's it's a bond that just like you can't

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Speaker 2: get nowhere else, I think, and like my family is

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Speaker 2: super important to me, and it's like like something that

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Speaker 2: is a trait about me that I kind of try

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Speaker 2: to live with on my teams and stuff like that,

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Speaker 2: like a family dynamic. So that's why that's super important

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Speaker 2: to me.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I know, I agree. I think that the silly

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Speaker 1: dynamic they get on your nerves like nobody else will.

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Speaker 1: It could be the simplest of things, but I'm like

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Speaker 1: losing it. But that's amazing to hear that you guys

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Speaker 1: are all so close. And I mean growing up, you

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Speaker 1: played football with all your brothers and your dad coached

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Speaker 1: their team. So was it true that he made you

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Speaker 1: go one on one against every boy at practice? Because me, personally,

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Speaker 1: I'm not a football gal, So I could not handle that.

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Speaker 1: So talk me about if that's true, what that was like?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, So, like he would he would run our position

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Speaker 2: because I was the offensive lineman and the defensive lineman.

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Speaker 2: So sometimes we would do.

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Speaker 1: This you were in the heat.

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Speaker 2: Sometimes we would do this drill where it was just

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Speaker 2: one on ones. You know, you got one person blocking

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Speaker 2: and I was one blocking, and then somebody trying to

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Speaker 2: get to the cornerback. And so like he would literally

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Speaker 2: just like have me go block and go through the

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Speaker 2: whole line of boys and just be standing there like

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Speaker 2: like we're gonna keep going till one of y'all beats her.

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Speaker 2: Like he's just like, yeah, there the boy's head and

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Speaker 2: you're like saying, you're getting beat by a girl. And

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Speaker 2: it was funny.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, No, I mean him saying that definitely got them

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Speaker 1: fired up. I'm sure, like you're like, hey, you don't.

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Speaker 1: You don't need to hype up like that because I

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Speaker 1: know that really be getting in boys heads, especially when

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Speaker 1: they're young. But you played a million different other sports,

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Speaker 1: having thirteen state titles across your high school career, first

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Speaker 1: of all, Like, how did you have the time for

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Speaker 1: all of that? You have foreign volleyball, foreign shot put,

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Speaker 1: two in discus, and one in wrestling, and you sing.

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Speaker 1: So is there anything that you know you're not good

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Speaker 1: at or you just always been good at everything?

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Speaker 2: Shoot, I don't know. Yeah, I've always been Wow, And

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Speaker 2: I was like, yeah, my dad he put us in

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Speaker 2: every any and everything like and we always like even

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Speaker 2: if we weren't like doing it competitively, like we did

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Speaker 2: it at home or something. So and it's just like

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Speaker 2: a composition thing with my siblings and everybody, like you

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Speaker 2: gotta be good.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, there's no other way, I'm sure. But being from Alaska,

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Speaker 1: I'm sure it was hard getting recruited. It's harder for

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Speaker 1: college coaches to get there. There's not a lot of

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Speaker 1: a teams. I'm sure it's hard to travel to the mainland,

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Speaker 1: so What was your recruiting process, like your five star recruit,

344
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Speaker 1: three time Alaska Gatoray Play the Year. What was that

345
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Speaker 1: like getting recruited? Was it more setting in film or

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Speaker 1: do people I'm sure they made the trip out to

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Speaker 1: see you.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, exposure has always been like a problem with sports

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Speaker 2: in Alaska, and like we just had people like my

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Speaker 2: high school coach was really good about like his connections

351
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Speaker 2: and stuff like that, so he had some connections to

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00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:33,520
Speaker 2: coaches and people who know people. And but really I

353
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Speaker 2: think what helped me a lot was just traveling on

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Speaker 2: my AAU teams in the summers, going to you know,

355
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Speaker 2: some good tournaments and just getting in front of college coaches.

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Speaker 2: I think that's really what got me my offers and

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Speaker 2: things like that. And you know, it was kind of

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Speaker 2: tough because you know, you only play, you're only playing

359
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Speaker 2: so many games, and you know you have that much

360
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Speaker 2: time to show out, and you know, because once you

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Speaker 2: go back to Alaska, ain't nobody gonna watch you. So

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Speaker 2: it was you know, you had to show out and

363
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Speaker 2: be prepared when you went. And that's kind of how

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00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:06,840
Speaker 2: my recruiting process went, and cause I never really knew

365
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Speaker 2: how it went either, Like I didn't understand it or

366
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Speaker 2: nothing like that, because you know, I never had anybody

367
00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:13,480
Speaker 2: in my family or nobody that went through it, so

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Speaker 2: I didn't have anybody that knew about it. But once

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Speaker 2: I got more serious about it, I started talking to

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Speaker 2: you know, my high school coaches and stuff like that

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Speaker 2: about it more, and you know, they kind of helped me,

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Speaker 2: you know, get myself out there and things like that.

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Speaker 1: You had all these different state titles in all these

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Speaker 1: different sports. So when for you did it become basketball?

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Speaker 1: You were like, this is what I want to focus on.

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Speaker 1: I want to go to college for basketball. I want

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Speaker 1: to do all these different things, especially being the first

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Speaker 1: in a while to come from Alaska.

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Speaker 2: Honestly, like throughout my whole, like high school, I was

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Speaker 2: a multi sport athlete and my main focus was basketball.

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Speaker 2: But I don't think there was ever a point like

382
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Speaker 2: before college like that I put everything else aside. I

383
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Speaker 2: don't think it hindered me really, like going into to college,

384
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Speaker 2: because I don't know, like my dad, he had a

385
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Speaker 2: reason behind everything he did, and you know, putting us

386
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Speaker 2: in a bunch of different sports just kind of gave

387
00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:11,480
Speaker 2: us like different skill sets and different strengths from each

388
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Speaker 2: one I think, And I think when you play so

389
00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:16,960
Speaker 2: many different sports like you, I don't know it just

390
00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:20,359
Speaker 2: movements and things like that come more naturally to you.

391
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Speaker 2: And I think that's what, honestly like helped me become

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00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:27,000
Speaker 2: a better athlete. But yeah, like to answer your question,

393
00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:29,719
Speaker 2: I never really until I got to college, put everything

394
00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:33,480
Speaker 2: else on hold and just was strictly basketball.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. I feel like I was the same way in

396
00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:38,480
Speaker 1: that I played every sport imaginal growing up. I did

397
00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:41,160
Speaker 1: not do shot put, I did not wrestle. I wish

398
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Speaker 1: I could, but I did, you know, soccers, the volleyball,

399
00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:46,879
Speaker 1: his waterfallow, all these different things, and I feel like

400
00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:49,400
Speaker 1: it sets you apart. Like you said, the different movements.

401
00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:51,560
Speaker 1: I think it's also you have all these different friends

402
00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:53,560
Speaker 1: and all these different places. You're working with different types

403
00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:55,359
Speaker 1: of people, so when you get to college you know

404
00:18:55,359 --> 00:18:57,840
Speaker 1: how to work with people from different backgrounds. And then

405
00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:00,600
Speaker 1: even further than that, like she's like, I may have

406
00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:02,919
Speaker 1: burned out if I only did basketball, Like I was

407
00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:05,000
Speaker 1: such a busy person. I needed to have all these

408
00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:08,560
Speaker 1: different things. Like if I only played basketball my whole life,

409
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Speaker 1: oh my god, Look, I would get tired of it.

410
00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:14,640
Speaker 1: I'm like I needed all these different things to do.

411
00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:18,959
Speaker 1: But what kind of made you choose USC. Was there

412
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Speaker 1: any other schools that almost got you or did you

413
00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:23,840
Speaker 1: always kind of have USC in your mind in terms

414
00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:25,920
Speaker 1: of that's where you wanted to go. Yeah.

415
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Speaker 2: I think once I went on my visit to USC

416
00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:30,560
Speaker 2: that my mind was pretty set. I still had a

417
00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:33,520
Speaker 2: couple more visits after that. I went to Arizona State

418
00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:38,600
Speaker 2: and then Pepperdine and Alicia Milton was the coach at

419
00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:42,640
Speaker 2: Pepperdine and so, like, I really I loved my Yes,

420
00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:46,159
Speaker 2: she's she's the best, yeah, and so you know, I

421
00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:49,760
Speaker 2: really wanted to play for her. And Arizona State was

422
00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:51,720
Speaker 2: it was a pretty close one for me too. I

423
00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:54,560
Speaker 2: enjoy my visit there too. But I think, you know,

424
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Speaker 2: like like I said, like, once I went on my

425
00:19:56,359 --> 00:19:58,560
Speaker 2: USC visit, you know, I kind of have my mindset

426
00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:02,320
Speaker 2: that I was going to go there, And I think

427
00:20:02,359 --> 00:20:05,040
Speaker 2: it was just you know, my brother he was on

428
00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:08,399
Speaker 2: the football team there, so I had him there, and

429
00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:11,600
Speaker 2: then you know, I really like the coaches there, Coach

430
00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:14,919
Speaker 2: Erica Hughes and coach Mark Track I played for, and

431
00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:19,040
Speaker 2: you know, I just I just felt like that was

432
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Speaker 2: the right decision. For me at the time, you know,

433
00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:23,800
Speaker 2: but looking back at it, you know, I don't know

434
00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:28,080
Speaker 2: how how good I was at kind of decision making

435
00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:32,200
Speaker 2: and like really weighing everything out, but I wouldn't have

436
00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:35,080
Speaker 2: changed my decision. I'm glad I went there and experienced

437
00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:38,080
Speaker 2: what I did, and you know, everything happens for a reason,

438
00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:40,520
Speaker 2: So you know, in the moment, that's what felt right

439
00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:42,600
Speaker 2: for me, and that's why I chose you to see.

440
00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:45,359
Speaker 1: I think you're completely right on that point of like

441
00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:48,679
Speaker 1: we're seventeen, sixteen seventeen making a decision where you're going

442
00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:50,200
Speaker 1: to be for the next four years of your life,

443
00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:53,280
Speaker 1: and you're making this decision not like you're trying to

444
00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:55,600
Speaker 1: get information for people, but recruiting is a business at

445
00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:58,000
Speaker 1: the same time, so you know, you go on the visits,

446
00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:01,640
Speaker 1: everything's perfect for that weekend. We've did you know, how

447
00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:03,400
Speaker 1: to put it, put on the show for a weekend.

448
00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:06,080
Speaker 1: So I think it's you touched on a really important

449
00:21:06,119 --> 00:21:09,480
Speaker 1: point where like, making a college decision is so hard.

450
00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:12,159
Speaker 1: It's not just basketball, it's the school that you're going to,

451
00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:14,920
Speaker 1: the community that you're joining. For you going from Anchorage

452
00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:18,520
Speaker 1: to la that's a big culture change up. So tell

453
00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:20,960
Speaker 1: me a little bit about what that was like you

454
00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:23,320
Speaker 1: having your brother there, how important that was to help

455
00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:24,200
Speaker 1: you with that transition.

456
00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:27,760
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, like we talked about earlier, I'm a big,

457
00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:30,440
Speaker 2: like family person, and you know, I'm super close with them.

458
00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:34,200
Speaker 2: So I think having my brother in college where I'm

459
00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:37,720
Speaker 2: away from home for the first time and ever, I

460
00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:41,320
Speaker 2: think that really helped me not be so homesick and

461
00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:44,800
Speaker 2: you know, kind of just feel more I guess secure.

462
00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:47,439
Speaker 2: You know, having my big brother there was just it

463
00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:52,480
Speaker 2: was great and oh man, like Alaska in LA it's

464
00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:54,159
Speaker 2: like polar opposites.

465
00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:57,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, I can imagine.

466
00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:00,000
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was a big I was glad to be

467
00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:01,679
Speaker 2: out of the cold, and I was glad it was

468
00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:03,600
Speaker 2: it was warm all the time. But you know, the

469
00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:05,760
Speaker 2: people are just so much different and it's just like

470
00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:08,280
Speaker 2: such a big city to where you know, I'm used

471
00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:11,280
Speaker 2: to like such a close knit community coming from Alaska,

472
00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:14,640
Speaker 2: like everybody knows everybody, and so it was just kind

473
00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:18,800
Speaker 2: of new for me, and it just took me a while. Well, honestly,

474
00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:20,520
Speaker 2: while I was over there, I don't even know if

475
00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:22,439
Speaker 2: I broke out of my show, but you know, I

476
00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:25,560
Speaker 2: was just kind of very to myself. And conservative, just

477
00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:29,000
Speaker 2: because LA is very outgoing and the people are so outgoing,

478
00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:31,560
Speaker 2: and it's just it was a lot for me. So

479
00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:34,159
Speaker 2: I just really kept to myself, and I don't know,

480
00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:36,160
Speaker 2: I was just always with my teammates or with my brother.

481
00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:40,159
Speaker 2: But once I like got used to it, and you know,

482
00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:43,639
Speaker 2: LA was it was somewhere like I like living and

483
00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:46,240
Speaker 2: just because like I feel like going to college there

484
00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:50,240
Speaker 2: in USC like it wasn't I guess the full LA experience,

485
00:22:50,359 --> 00:22:53,040
Speaker 2: just because especially when you're a student athlete and like

486
00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:55,280
Speaker 2: you got no car or nothing like that, you're always

487
00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:57,480
Speaker 2: on campus. So yeah, it got better in the sense

488
00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:00,600
Speaker 2: of that where you know, we kind of like I'm

489
00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:04,440
Speaker 2: meeting people within our campus and other athletes and things

490
00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:04,760
Speaker 2: like that.

491
00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:08,560
Speaker 1: So with that transition, do you feel like there was

492
00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,320
Speaker 1: anybody in particular that really helped with that transition outside

493
00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:13,280
Speaker 1: of your brother, maybe a teammate, maybe a coach. Did

494
00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:16,280
Speaker 1: you were you able to find a community maybe outside

495
00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:18,240
Speaker 1: of the team on the USC campus that helped you

496
00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:20,840
Speaker 1: kind of get the rhythm, get into things, help you

497
00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:21,960
Speaker 1: feel comfortable in La.

498
00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:26,120
Speaker 2: One of the seniors that was there my freshman year,

499
00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:30,280
Speaker 2: Kayla Overbeck. She was somebody who really was like a

500
00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:33,520
Speaker 2: mentor to me, and she was my same position. So

501
00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:36,480
Speaker 2: you know, she had a car and she had been

502
00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:39,640
Speaker 2: in LA for a little while, so you know, she

503
00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:42,199
Speaker 2: would take me out and get outside of campus and

504
00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:45,280
Speaker 2: things like that. So she's someone who definitely helped me

505
00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:49,320
Speaker 2: get more comfortable and just in LA and getting a

506
00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:53,679
Speaker 2: feel for it. And then two of my teammates that

507
00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:57,560
Speaker 2: I became super close with, Kira White and Jordan Jenkins,

508
00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:00,679
Speaker 2: and then India Rogers for a little bit until she transferred.

509
00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:03,760
Speaker 2: You know, we would just always be out doing stuff.

510
00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:05,920
Speaker 2: I don't know, we just took advantage because I feel

511
00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:10,160
Speaker 2: like our freshman year we didn't really do anything like that,

512
00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:12,800
Speaker 2: and then COVID hit and then we're like, okay, the

513
00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:17,080
Speaker 2: next year, we gotta take advantage of being outside and

514
00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:20,080
Speaker 2: you know all these things. So I think my last

515
00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:24,320
Speaker 2: year there was probably where I felt like, I don't know,

516
00:24:24,560 --> 00:24:27,080
Speaker 2: just like like I fit in more and I understood

517
00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:29,480
Speaker 2: more and it was just more comfortable in that community.

518
00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:32,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I feel like it takes time, and I

519
00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:34,879
Speaker 1: feel like not a lot of college athletes talk about

520
00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,560
Speaker 1: your immersing yourself into a whole new community. It's like

521
00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:40,720
Speaker 1: your first time away from home, and it's also like,

522
00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:43,320
Speaker 1: I don't know, I get nervous about meeting new people,

523
00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:45,600
Speaker 1: forming connections, opening up to people. And I feel like

524
00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:50,040
Speaker 1: COVID hitting our freshman year changed the trajectory of everything,

525
00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:53,080
Speaker 1: like to taking things for granted prior now wanting to

526
00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:55,479
Speaker 1: get out more, making connections and doing all the different things.

527
00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:57,840
Speaker 1: But it takes a while for a lot of people,

528
00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:01,399
Speaker 1: myself included, to really feel like close knit. And I

529
00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:04,480
Speaker 1: think that it pays dividends then to know their performance

530
00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:06,520
Speaker 1: off the court, but just how you're doing in general,

531
00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:09,200
Speaker 1: like going to class, the campus, like meeting more people.

532
00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:13,160
Speaker 1: It makes all the difference. But jumping into that freshman

533
00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:16,320
Speaker 1: year that you had, it was lit. You came out hot,

534
00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:20,200
Speaker 1: averaging sixteen to eight Pattel Freshman of the Year. What

535
00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:22,439
Speaker 1: was clicking for you freshman year because it looked like

536
00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:22,840
Speaker 1: a lot.

537
00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:26,080
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think just the team we had. We had

538
00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:28,679
Speaker 2: a very talented team. Like I just felt like I

539
00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:31,640
Speaker 2: think when conference started, like we started to click more

540
00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:35,320
Speaker 2: in pre conference games, wasn't I wasn't doing as well

541
00:25:35,359 --> 00:25:38,119
Speaker 2: as I knew I should have, And I had some

542
00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:41,440
Speaker 2: talks with the coaches and just kind of getting a

543
00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:43,600
Speaker 2: sense of what they needed from me and kind of

544
00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:47,280
Speaker 2: like vice versa what I needed from them. And so

545
00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:51,320
Speaker 2: I think going into conference the first game, I think

546
00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:55,879
Speaker 2: we played Arizona or something like that, and I just

547
00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:58,640
Speaker 2: went out there and seize the moment. Really, I stopped

548
00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:01,600
Speaker 2: stopped trying to be in my head so much. You know,

549
00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:03,560
Speaker 2: coming as a freshman, it's it's kind of tough to

550
00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,560
Speaker 2: do that because you know you're you're gonna make mistakes

551
00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:09,080
Speaker 2: and it's new, and so, you know, I felt like

552
00:26:09,119 --> 00:26:10,480
Speaker 2: I was kind of letting that get to me a

553
00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:12,720
Speaker 2: little bit. But once I've just let all that go

554
00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:15,399
Speaker 2: and you know, went out there and just was playing

555
00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:18,720
Speaker 2: more freely. And you know, my coaches put me in

556
00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:22,200
Speaker 2: great positions to do well as well, so that helped

557
00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:24,280
Speaker 2: a lot. And you know that turned around for me

558
00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:27,960
Speaker 2: was just what click the most of just you know,

559
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:31,080
Speaker 2: not being afraid to go out there and make mistakes

560
00:26:31,119 --> 00:26:32,679
Speaker 2: and just learn from them.

561
00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:35,080
Speaker 1: Yeah, it sounds like we're a very similar mindset, Like

562
00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:37,320
Speaker 1: we both play the best when we're free and not thinking,

563
00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:39,679
Speaker 1: and when things start to go wrong, I'm up in

564
00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:42,840
Speaker 1: my head, I'm nervous, I'm thinking, I'm misshot, I want

565
00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:45,280
Speaker 1: to perform a certain way. But like when you get

566
00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:47,439
Speaker 1: out there and play loose and just have confidence in

567
00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:50,360
Speaker 1: your game and what you bring, I mean, like there's

568
00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:52,240
Speaker 1: nothing they can do to stop you. And I think

569
00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:55,000
Speaker 1: that that freshman hump is hard because you come from

570
00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:57,600
Speaker 1: high school and everything's easy, Like you're chilling, Like I

571
00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:00,879
Speaker 1: could pull up out there do whatever and just like

572
00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:03,639
Speaker 1: get straight at buckets. But now it's the whole new system.

573
00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:06,479
Speaker 1: You're playing against other great players. There's expectations that you

574
00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:08,359
Speaker 1: have for yourself, and so it adds a lot more.

575
00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:11,480
Speaker 1: But I mean, sophomore and junior year you battle with

576
00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:14,359
Speaker 1: some injuries, and then heading into your senior year, you

577
00:27:14,359 --> 00:27:16,919
Speaker 1: decided to enter the transfer portal. And I feel like

578
00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:19,760
Speaker 1: there's a lot of misconceptions about the transfer portal and

579
00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:22,720
Speaker 1: why people decide to leave and all this outside noise

580
00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:25,040
Speaker 1: about it. So talk to me about what led to

581
00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:27,520
Speaker 1: your decision and what that process was like for you

582
00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:29,439
Speaker 1: deciding to go into the transfer portal.

583
00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:33,800
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I I don't know, Like you said, I

584
00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:36,280
Speaker 2: was battling with some injuries and things like that, so

585
00:27:36,480 --> 00:27:39,040
Speaker 2: it was super tough for me to kind of bounce

586
00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:41,840
Speaker 2: back from that. It was just a bad spreading ankle

587
00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:45,560
Speaker 2: and it had me out for like shoot, from the

588
00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:49,919
Speaker 2: end of October to I think mid January. So I

589
00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:52,439
Speaker 2: missed a lot of the season. But it was just

590
00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:55,760
Speaker 2: that coming back part that was super hard. And I

591
00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:58,680
Speaker 2: think like the biggest thing that got me was probably

592
00:27:58,760 --> 00:28:03,560
Speaker 2: like getting back to playing and then not playing like

593
00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:07,359
Speaker 2: you know you could play. It's just like frustrating and like,

594
00:28:07,359 --> 00:28:09,720
Speaker 2: like I said, it's a mental thing, and so I

595
00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:12,640
Speaker 2: think that's what happened me for so long, and that's

596
00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:17,200
Speaker 2: what was my problem really. And my last year at USC,

597
00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:21,880
Speaker 2: we had that coaching change. Coach Lindsay was hired as

598
00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:23,720
Speaker 2: our head coach and then she brought in a whole

599
00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:26,920
Speaker 2: new staff. You know, I was just I was going

600
00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:30,080
Speaker 2: through a really tough time, not only with basketball, but

601
00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:34,240
Speaker 2: just with my family. I had three of my family

602
00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:38,040
Speaker 2: members passed away within half a year, and so it

603
00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:40,560
Speaker 2: was super tough on me. It was the first time

604
00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:43,080
Speaker 2: I really lost people who were so close to me,

605
00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:45,520
Speaker 2: and so I didn't really know how to deal with that,

606
00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:49,280
Speaker 2: and you know, I might not have dealed with it

607
00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:51,480
Speaker 2: the best way, but I don't know. I just felt

608
00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:54,480
Speaker 2: so like I just needed a fresh start, and so

609
00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:57,520
Speaker 2: I decided to answer the transfer portal, and you know

610
00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:01,000
Speaker 2: kind of get that because like, I'm not gonna lie,

611
00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:04,200
Speaker 2: Like when somebody's going through a tough time, like it's hard,

612
00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:07,160
Speaker 2: it's hard as a coach to know how to support

613
00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:10,920
Speaker 2: them sometimes, and especially with what I was going through,

614
00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:14,160
Speaker 2: and you know, my family is so like dear to

615
00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:15,920
Speaker 2: me that you know, it kind of it just tore

616
00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:19,040
Speaker 2: me apart. So I couldn't expect everybody to you know,

617
00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:20,680
Speaker 2: be there in the way that I needed them to

618
00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:23,520
Speaker 2: be there for me or even like because I didn't

619
00:29:23,560 --> 00:29:25,520
Speaker 2: know either, to be honest, like I didn't know what

620
00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:28,600
Speaker 2: I needed. So it was a mental battle for me

621
00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:31,480
Speaker 2: my last year there. And so like I said, I

622
00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:35,560
Speaker 2: just wanted a fresh start, and that also like kind

623
00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:38,000
Speaker 2: of pushed me to you know, It's like it's almost

624
00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:40,160
Speaker 2: like you're going back to freshman year. You got to

625
00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:42,720
Speaker 2: prove yourself all over again, and you know, you're playing

626
00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:46,120
Speaker 2: for new coaches and things like that. So I think

627
00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:49,880
Speaker 2: just having that discipline and just that commitment to you know,

628
00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:52,440
Speaker 2: get myself out of this hole was was what I

629
00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:55,480
Speaker 2: needed to do. And like starting somewhere new was I

630
00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:58,720
Speaker 2: think that little push for me entering the transfer portal,

631
00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:01,719
Speaker 2: it was It was a lot different from when I

632
00:30:01,920 --> 00:30:04,560
Speaker 2: was coming out of high school. Like you said, like,

633
00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:08,560
Speaker 2: we're super young, we don't really know what's best for us,

634
00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:11,600
Speaker 2: and you know what decision is best for us. So

635
00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:15,200
Speaker 2: I think going into the transfer portal, I really like

636
00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:21,160
Speaker 2: sat down and talked to my parents and just really

637
00:30:21,160 --> 00:30:25,040
Speaker 2: thought about what I needed in a program and what

638
00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:27,600
Speaker 2: was going to help me based on the experience that

639
00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:30,960
Speaker 2: I've already had my last three years, and so you know,

640
00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:33,920
Speaker 2: I think it was much more like intentional going into

641
00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:34,960
Speaker 2: the transfer portal.

642
00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:37,760
Speaker 1: Well, I really appreciate you sharing all that with me.

643
00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:41,160
Speaker 1: That is a lot to handle, being a college student,

644
00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:44,240
Speaker 1: being anybody. I think, especially with how much you talked

645
00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:46,840
Speaker 1: about how important your family is to you, the community

646
00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:49,200
Speaker 1: that you had an anchorage, and so I appreciate you

647
00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:52,280
Speaker 1: sharing that. But I think it shows you know how

648
00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:54,959
Speaker 1: strong you are, Like you talked about having that discipline

649
00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:58,160
Speaker 1: to keep going, keep pushing, confiding in your family. It's

650
00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:02,120
Speaker 1: a lot to handle, and I mean it's hard, and

651
00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:04,600
Speaker 1: the transfer portal was hard already, and you're already dealing

652
00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:07,600
Speaker 1: with so much the ankle injury, you're in LA, you're

653
00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:09,840
Speaker 1: away from your family, there's all these different things going on,

654
00:31:10,240 --> 00:31:13,760
Speaker 1: and so choosing a place like Utah knowing what you

655
00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:16,200
Speaker 1: were going through, looking for that support system, looking for

656
00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:19,200
Speaker 1: that new community, but also getting back into basketball. What

657
00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:23,000
Speaker 1: about Utah and Coach Roberts and the girls on that

658
00:31:23,040 --> 00:31:26,040
Speaker 1: team really set apart why they were so special and

659
00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:27,720
Speaker 1: why you want to end up going there.

660
00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:30,600
Speaker 2: Like you said, like when you go on visits and stuff,

661
00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:33,560
Speaker 2: it's like you get a good time. You know they're

662
00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:35,920
Speaker 2: gonna they're gonna cater to you and do all this.

663
00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:39,160
Speaker 2: But I was really like when I came on my

664
00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:41,560
Speaker 2: visit here, it was right after I went on my

665
00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:45,600
Speaker 2: visit to Gonzaga, and I was I was pretty close to,

666
00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:48,320
Speaker 2: you know, making my decision to go there because I

667
00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:50,880
Speaker 2: really enjoyed my visit and all that. But once I

668
00:31:50,960 --> 00:31:54,880
Speaker 2: came here and I just loved it. And the biggest

669
00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:58,320
Speaker 2: thing I think that stuck out to me was their

670
00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:01,080
Speaker 2: culture and their identity. Like they had a very like

671
00:32:01,320 --> 00:32:05,040
Speaker 2: set thing about them that you know, they knew were

672
00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:08,080
Speaker 2: a part of their program and you know, it was

673
00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:12,080
Speaker 2: evident to like anybody who watched them, and so that

674
00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:16,160
Speaker 2: was a big thing. And then especially after having you know,

675
00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:19,400
Speaker 2: not so good of years the past two before I

676
00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:23,520
Speaker 2: entered the transfer portal, just hearing coach Lynn and you

677
00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:25,440
Speaker 2: know the rest of the staff talk about my game

678
00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:28,320
Speaker 2: and like I could really tell like they believed in me,

679
00:32:28,760 --> 00:32:32,400
Speaker 2: and that was something that was super important to me,

680
00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:34,720
Speaker 2: just because, like you know, at the time, I don't

681
00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:36,880
Speaker 2: I didn't even know if I had any belief in myself.

682
00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:40,320
Speaker 2: So to have somebody like that's gonna, you know, believe

683
00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:43,120
Speaker 2: in you no matter what, you know, after having two

684
00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:47,640
Speaker 2: bad years, I think that's where I got my confidence

685
00:32:47,720 --> 00:32:51,400
Speaker 2: back and I got like more comfortable and confident in myself,

686
00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:54,520
Speaker 2: and you know, I just think it's it's it's super

687
00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:58,800
Speaker 2: important to have your coaches just believe in you and

688
00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:00,680
Speaker 2: push you to your potential.

689
00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:03,760
Speaker 1: So, yeah, you're completely right. I couldn't have said any better.

690
00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:08,000
Speaker 1: I think finding a staff a program that believes in

691
00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:10,520
Speaker 1: you not only in your own court capabilities and seeing

692
00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:12,160
Speaker 1: things that you may not even see in yourself at

693
00:33:12,160 --> 00:33:14,320
Speaker 1: the time, but it sounds like they're also going to

694
00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:17,120
Speaker 1: support you as a person. First everything you're going through,

695
00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:20,080
Speaker 1: learning about you, learning about your community and how they

696
00:33:20,080 --> 00:33:23,000
Speaker 1: can best support you through that, and then in that

697
00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:25,280
Speaker 1: instill that confidence that you may not have right now,

698
00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:26,960
Speaker 1: but they believe in you and they believe in the

699
00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:29,600
Speaker 1: process that they want you to have. I think that

700
00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:31,320
Speaker 1: that means the world, and I think that we can

701
00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:33,640
Speaker 1: see it in so many different cases about how that

702
00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:36,960
Speaker 1: changes somebody's game. And you came in and you came

703
00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:40,400
Speaker 1: out hot, And what was that like for you after

704
00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:44,160
Speaker 1: having two tough years to be able to come out,

705
00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:47,640
Speaker 1: change your mindset, work through a lot of different things,

706
00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:49,880
Speaker 1: and still be able to come out and perform like

707
00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:50,280
Speaker 1: you did.

708
00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:53,560
Speaker 2: It was just like it felt so good, Like I

709
00:33:53,640 --> 00:33:56,360
Speaker 2: just felt like I was me again, because I hadn't

710
00:33:56,360 --> 00:34:01,160
Speaker 2: felt like myself for shoot for years really and you know,

711
00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:04,080
Speaker 2: just to get that feeling back and to do it

712
00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:07,920
Speaker 2: with people who fully support you and you know, believe

713
00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:10,040
Speaker 2: in you, it was it was such a great feeling.

714
00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:13,640
Speaker 2: And you know, at first, like to be honest, when

715
00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:16,520
Speaker 2: I was doing well, it was kind of like nerve

716
00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:20,320
Speaker 2: wracking in a sense, just because like, like I feel

717
00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:22,600
Speaker 2: like I was in a slump for so long, where

718
00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:25,280
Speaker 2: like I had this fear of falling back into that slump.

719
00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:28,040
Speaker 2: So it was like sometimes I was putting that extra

720
00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:32,560
Speaker 2: pressure on myself and you know, when I realized, you know,

721
00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:35,359
Speaker 2: I worked for this, and you know, I worked through

722
00:34:35,440 --> 00:34:38,160
Speaker 2: everything to get where I'm at, Like I kind of

723
00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:39,520
Speaker 2: just took off from there.

724
00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:42,759
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I saw it from an outside point

725
00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:45,640
Speaker 1: of view. You did take off and task me about

726
00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:48,040
Speaker 1: you know, you talking about the community at Utah. What

727
00:34:48,160 --> 00:34:50,680
Speaker 1: made it so special? What were some of those things

728
00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:53,920
Speaker 1: that helped you flip that switch to kind of pull

729
00:34:53,960 --> 00:34:56,000
Speaker 1: yourself out of that hole. Yeah.

730
00:34:56,040 --> 00:34:58,279
Speaker 2: I think when I first got here, you know, we

731
00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:00,680
Speaker 2: did a lot of things in the summer, we're together

732
00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:05,279
Speaker 2: with the team outdoor stuff like hiking, going swimming and

733
00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:07,960
Speaker 2: things like that, and so that type of stuff like

734
00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:11,239
Speaker 2: really reminded me of back home in Alaska. So I

735
00:35:11,239 --> 00:35:14,279
Speaker 2: feel like just having that sense of community and like

736
00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:17,120
Speaker 2: that sense of like where you come from, like that reminder,

737
00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:20,040
Speaker 2: I think that really helped me. And then I also

738
00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:23,040
Speaker 2: have family out here too. My cousin that past her

739
00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:25,520
Speaker 2: brother lives here, so I got to spend a lot

740
00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:28,799
Speaker 2: of time with him and his kids. So you know,

741
00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:31,960
Speaker 2: anytime that I have with my family, it's it's super

742
00:35:32,040 --> 00:35:34,960
Speaker 2: like just healing, I think every time I do. And

743
00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:38,920
Speaker 2: so being around genuine good people it really helped me

744
00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:40,960
Speaker 2: to you know, bring myself out that home.

745
00:35:41,239 --> 00:35:43,960
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I mean having family around is so important.

746
00:35:44,040 --> 00:35:46,160
Speaker 1: I mean that's part of the reason why I chose

747
00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:49,320
Speaker 1: Stanford almost only an hour way from home. So being

748
00:35:49,400 --> 00:35:52,600
Speaker 1: in Utah and having that family around you, I know,

749
00:35:52,640 --> 00:35:55,720
Speaker 1: it's special for my serparate experience. You have grandparents at games,

750
00:35:55,760 --> 00:35:58,560
Speaker 1: lay season tickets, people that you haven't seen in years,

751
00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:01,600
Speaker 1: come out, family members, whatever may be. After a hard game,

752
00:36:01,800 --> 00:36:04,439
Speaker 1: you can go get a meal with them. So how

753
00:36:04,480 --> 00:36:06,319
Speaker 1: special was that to be able to have that home

754
00:36:06,360 --> 00:36:08,640
Speaker 1: away from home there in Utah. And I'm sure and

755
00:36:08,719 --> 00:36:10,279
Speaker 1: your family was able to come out more because they

756
00:36:10,280 --> 00:36:11,879
Speaker 1: have a family there to stay with. It's just all

757
00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:15,120
Speaker 1: these little things add up to then not only your

758
00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:17,600
Speaker 1: performance on the court, but more importantly just how you're

759
00:36:17,640 --> 00:36:20,240
Speaker 1: doing and the mental and just feeling whole.

760
00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:25,040
Speaker 2: It's a huge difference just having family there, like because

761
00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:27,400
Speaker 2: like you said, like stuff as simple as just like

762
00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:29,800
Speaker 2: going out to eat all together, like after a game

763
00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:31,960
Speaker 2: and things like that. It just that kind of stugget

764
00:36:32,040 --> 00:36:34,600
Speaker 2: reading me so much joy and you know, just having

765
00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:38,600
Speaker 2: people to hug and see they're like physically supporting you.

766
00:36:38,680 --> 00:36:41,640
Speaker 2: It's just there's no greater feeling I feel like, and

767
00:36:42,480 --> 00:36:45,200
Speaker 2: my family from back home has come out to a

768
00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:48,160
Speaker 2: lot of games too, and so I just love seeing

769
00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:49,920
Speaker 2: them on my games. I get a little nervous still

770
00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:53,960
Speaker 2: with my dad be coming to my games, but it's

771
00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:56,120
Speaker 2: always good to have them there. Yeah.

772
00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:58,520
Speaker 1: No, I can feel that my mom coached me growing up,

773
00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:01,319
Speaker 1: so there's always there's an extra bit of nerves there.

774
00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:04,840
Speaker 1: It's like, you know, there's always something extra there. And

775
00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:07,520
Speaker 1: then with my dad, I'm like, okay, play it cool,

776
00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:09,480
Speaker 1: you know, keep her in check. I don't need to

777
00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:11,600
Speaker 1: have a little film session out of the game with her.

778
00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:14,320
Speaker 1: But I think it's so special to be able to

779
00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:16,560
Speaker 1: have family there, and like you said, just like having

780
00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:19,000
Speaker 1: that embrace after a game, good game or bad game, whatever.

781
00:37:19,080 --> 00:37:21,480
Speaker 1: Maybe getting to go and see your people is a

782
00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:28,400
Speaker 1: special type of feeling. You're getting more comfortable at Utah.

783
00:37:28,480 --> 00:37:31,040
Speaker 1: The girls are great, the staff, the university, the whole thing.

784
00:37:31,600 --> 00:37:35,120
Speaker 1: Was there maybe a game or practice that really made

785
00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:37,319
Speaker 1: you feel like this is where I belong, Like you're

786
00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:39,480
Speaker 1: feeling back to yourself and you're hooping and all this

787
00:37:39,560 --> 00:37:40,200
Speaker 1: different stuff.

788
00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:44,640
Speaker 2: I think when we first started, right before I don't

789
00:37:44,680 --> 00:37:46,560
Speaker 2: know if it was right before conference, it might have

790
00:37:46,640 --> 00:37:50,319
Speaker 2: been like beginning of season, like when we played Oklahoma

791
00:37:51,080 --> 00:37:53,680
Speaker 2: and I think the score was like one hundred and

792
00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:57,160
Speaker 2: twenty four to shoot. I forget what they had, but

793
00:37:57,239 --> 00:38:00,000
Speaker 2: it was just like I remember y'all whooped up, y'all whooped.

794
00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:06,160
Speaker 1: I remember I see the score and being like, oh.

795
00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:08,279
Speaker 2: So, But I think that game was that for me,

796
00:38:08,840 --> 00:38:11,600
Speaker 2: just because you know, it was just so much fun.

797
00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:14,840
Speaker 2: Everything was clicking. It was just like we couldn't miss.

798
00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:19,879
Speaker 2: And just playing with teammates who like get joy out

799
00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:23,759
Speaker 2: of like seeing their teammates doing good. That's just like

800
00:38:23,960 --> 00:38:26,480
Speaker 2: it's such a great feeling and just like playing as

801
00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:29,560
Speaker 2: a team. I know it sounds so cliche, but like that,

802
00:38:29,719 --> 00:38:31,759
Speaker 2: it literally it's so much fun. It makes it so

803
00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:35,040
Speaker 2: much more fun. And so, you know, I think that

804
00:38:35,120 --> 00:38:38,360
Speaker 2: was a game where I was like, I love it here.

805
00:38:38,760 --> 00:38:40,920
Speaker 1: Well that's a good game. Y'all won by like eighty

806
00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:44,399
Speaker 1: and y'all couldn't miss. That's a great game to pick.

807
00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:47,480
Speaker 1: But I think you touched on it. It's completely right,

808
00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:49,680
Speaker 1: like when you have a team and it seems like

809
00:38:49,880 --> 00:38:52,080
Speaker 1: from playing at you guys and watch you guys, like

810
00:38:52,520 --> 00:38:55,000
Speaker 1: the camaraderie spins off the court as well, and that's

811
00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:58,239
Speaker 1: what makes the chemistry so special. And so was there

812
00:38:58,280 --> 00:39:00,799
Speaker 1: a time, I feel like the year that we won,

813
00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:02,880
Speaker 1: I was we were in the summertime, and I was like, oh, yeah,

814
00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:05,480
Speaker 1: like we gonna be good. You know. Was there a

815
00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:07,600
Speaker 1: time because you guys end up going to sweet sixteen

816
00:39:07,640 --> 00:39:09,799
Speaker 1: and all these different things, was there a moment in

817
00:39:09,840 --> 00:39:12,479
Speaker 1: time where you're like, oh, like this chemistry is gonna

818
00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:14,040
Speaker 1: push us, we can be a contender.

819
00:39:14,719 --> 00:39:18,560
Speaker 2: Yeah. I think when we first started like official practices

820
00:39:18,880 --> 00:39:21,960
Speaker 2: and we started to play against you know, like our

821
00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:24,319
Speaker 2: practice boys and things like that, like there's just like

822
00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:27,560
Speaker 2: glimpses where you could just tell, like it's just a

823
00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:30,960
Speaker 2: scary sight out there, like the way we have so

824
00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:33,799
Speaker 2: many skilled players, but at the same time, like everybody

825
00:39:33,880 --> 00:39:39,000
Speaker 2: is so like unselfish and just willing to create great

826
00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:43,399
Speaker 2: shots and like create team basketball. I think that's kind

827
00:39:43,400 --> 00:39:46,799
Speaker 2: of what I noticed, or like I thought to myself, like, like,

828
00:39:46,840 --> 00:39:50,319
Speaker 2: we're gonna be really good when we started playing. Yeah,

829
00:39:50,360 --> 00:39:52,880
Speaker 2: we were. We were We were clicking like right away,

830
00:39:53,440 --> 00:39:55,560
Speaker 2: and I think there was only like one time in

831
00:39:55,600 --> 00:39:59,520
Speaker 2: the season really where we kind of hit like a

832
00:39:59,560 --> 00:40:03,480
Speaker 2: slump a few games and you know, it didn't it

833
00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:06,040
Speaker 2: didn't last too long. But you know, every team goes

834
00:40:06,080 --> 00:40:09,520
Speaker 2: through those. But I think we were pretty consistent with

835
00:40:09,960 --> 00:40:13,080
Speaker 2: just like clicking together throughout the whole season. And you know,

836
00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:13,960
Speaker 2: it was super fun.

837
00:40:14,880 --> 00:40:17,560
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I witnessed the clicking first hand. It

838
00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:21,279
Speaker 1: was hard. It's hard to stuff y'all. Like I think,

839
00:40:21,280 --> 00:40:23,000
Speaker 1: it's one thing when a team has a lot of

840
00:40:23,040 --> 00:40:26,520
Speaker 1: talented players but they don't play together. Oh, it's easy

841
00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:28,440
Speaker 1: to guard them, right, Like everybody wants to do their

842
00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:30,879
Speaker 1: own thing. But playing somebody like y'all on the team

843
00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:32,960
Speaker 1: that you guys have been kind of building these past

844
00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:36,000
Speaker 1: few years, it's gonna be somebody's night every night, and

845
00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:38,759
Speaker 1: all of you guys at one point, it's like, you know,

846
00:40:39,440 --> 00:40:40,839
Speaker 1: sometimes you want to get in the other team's head

847
00:40:40,840 --> 00:40:42,879
Speaker 1: because you know they're gonna fall apart. Y'all aren't gonna

848
00:40:42,880 --> 00:40:45,959
Speaker 1: fall apart, which is very annoying from a competitor standpoint.

849
00:40:46,120 --> 00:40:49,399
Speaker 1: You know, things get tough. You guys are swinging the ball. Oh,

850
00:40:49,440 --> 00:40:51,680
Speaker 1: she hits a shot. She hits a shot, and they're

851
00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:54,720
Speaker 1: yarding you, and it's like, can y'all slow down please

852
00:40:54,719 --> 00:40:57,680
Speaker 1: with the threes? Like cool it. You know, it's a

853
00:40:57,680 --> 00:41:00,360
Speaker 1: lot to handle. Yeah, but you were top of the

854
00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:03,400
Speaker 1: Pac twelve and Utah's first time the Sweet sixteen since

855
00:41:03,480 --> 00:41:06,920
Speaker 1: two thousand and six twenty seven to five record, and

856
00:41:06,960 --> 00:41:09,799
Speaker 1: you were the first Utah Pack twelve player of the year.

857
00:41:10,280 --> 00:41:12,680
Speaker 1: Talk to me about just how because I remember when

858
00:41:12,680 --> 00:41:14,560
Speaker 1: we were there and we lost and then that means

859
00:41:14,680 --> 00:41:16,560
Speaker 1: we were co champs and I was like, ugh, you know,

860
00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:20,640
Speaker 1: but like it was, it was the atmosphere in there

861
00:41:20,960 --> 00:41:24,440
Speaker 1: was absolutely insane. So what was that like getting to

862
00:41:24,520 --> 00:41:26,839
Speaker 1: kind of bring that honor to Utah and for coach

863
00:41:26,920 --> 00:41:29,040
Speaker 1: Lynn who's been building that program for years now.

864
00:41:29,360 --> 00:41:31,560
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I say it a lot, but it's

865
00:41:31,640 --> 00:41:34,000
Speaker 2: just so cool to see, like, especially because I've been

866
00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:36,719
Speaker 2: in the Pack since my freshman year, like just to

867
00:41:36,760 --> 00:41:40,040
Speaker 2: see where this program like kind of started and where

868
00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:42,480
Speaker 2: it's at now. It's just it's just so crazy to

869
00:41:42,520 --> 00:41:45,000
Speaker 2: think about, Like you would have never thought, you know,

870
00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:47,040
Speaker 2: it would be what it is today. You know. I

871
00:41:47,120 --> 00:41:50,040
Speaker 2: just think it's such a cool thing that no, Coach

872
00:41:50,120 --> 00:41:54,120
Speaker 2: Gavin and Coach Lynn have been coaching together for a

873
00:41:54,160 --> 00:41:57,360
Speaker 2: long time now, and you know, just having those two

874
00:41:57,480 --> 00:42:01,080
Speaker 2: like build this program from like the round up, it's

875
00:42:01,160 --> 00:42:03,120
Speaker 2: just such a cool thing to see, and I feel

876
00:42:03,120 --> 00:42:07,640
Speaker 2: like that's why this program is so doesn't get complacent

877
00:42:07,719 --> 00:42:10,359
Speaker 2: and stays hungry just because you know, they've been at

878
00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:12,600
Speaker 2: the bottom and you know, once you're at the top,

879
00:42:12,680 --> 00:42:15,759
Speaker 2: you want to stay there and keep pushing. So it's

880
00:42:15,800 --> 00:42:18,040
Speaker 2: a great thing to see and I'm super happy for

881
00:42:18,239 --> 00:42:20,239
Speaker 2: you know, the program, and that I could be a

882
00:42:20,280 --> 00:42:20,719
Speaker 2: part of this.

883
00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:24,080
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, you're completely right. Seeing you saw our

884
00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:27,200
Speaker 1: freshman year, it was like, you know, they were one

885
00:42:27,239 --> 00:42:30,480
Speaker 1: of those games it's like, okay, but they see you

886
00:42:30,520 --> 00:42:33,680
Speaker 1: guys now, it's it's been a complete flip, which is

887
00:42:33,760 --> 00:42:36,239
Speaker 1: wild to have seen just in a short amount of time.

888
00:42:36,680 --> 00:42:39,040
Speaker 1: And so you guys make it to the Sweet sixteen.

889
00:42:39,680 --> 00:42:41,920
Speaker 1: It was a really tough loss. I remember watching and

890
00:42:41,960 --> 00:42:44,839
Speaker 1: I was like, come on, you like pull it out,

891
00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:48,280
Speaker 1: you know I was. But tell me about that Sweet

892
00:42:48,280 --> 00:42:51,120
Speaker 1: sixteen experience, because it's really something special getting to make

893
00:42:51,120 --> 00:42:53,840
Speaker 1: it deep in the tournament playing LSU who ended up winning.

894
00:42:54,560 --> 00:42:57,319
Speaker 1: Talk to me about that game, the tough loss I've

895
00:42:57,320 --> 00:42:59,400
Speaker 1: been there, and what you guys focused on in the

896
00:42:59,440 --> 00:43:01,960
Speaker 1: off season to you know, use that as motivation for

897
00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:02,640
Speaker 1: now this year.

898
00:43:02,840 --> 00:43:07,160
Speaker 2: Yeah, that was that one hurt. Yeah, Oh my goodness,

899
00:43:08,480 --> 00:43:14,680
Speaker 2: but up trauma here, it's o great. You know, I

900
00:43:14,680 --> 00:43:17,320
Speaker 2: think that game was good for us. We played against

901
00:43:17,440 --> 00:43:19,959
Speaker 2: you know, a great team who was super physical, super

902
00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:23,640
Speaker 2: athletic and very skilled, and you know, I think that

903
00:43:23,719 --> 00:43:25,839
Speaker 2: was the first team we kind of faced that was

904
00:43:26,560 --> 00:43:30,040
Speaker 2: like that, and I thought we did a great job

905
00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:33,000
Speaker 2: throughout the whole game. You know, it kind of came

906
00:43:33,080 --> 00:43:35,759
Speaker 2: down to those couple of possessions where you know, we

907
00:43:36,200 --> 00:43:38,960
Speaker 2: missed a rebound or something like that. So I think

908
00:43:39,800 --> 00:43:42,920
Speaker 2: just harping on that coming into this season, like how

909
00:43:43,280 --> 00:43:46,480
Speaker 2: important it is to you know, just play hard and

910
00:43:47,239 --> 00:43:49,879
Speaker 2: just wanted more than the other team, and just how

911
00:43:49,880 --> 00:43:52,920
Speaker 2: important those like fifty fifty balls are. That's something that

912
00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:55,440
Speaker 2: we've like harped on a lot this year, I feel like,

913
00:43:55,600 --> 00:43:57,880
Speaker 2: and you know, whenever we key and on that and

914
00:43:57,920 --> 00:43:59,960
Speaker 2: we do a good job of it, like we went games.

915
00:44:00,120 --> 00:44:02,719
Speaker 2: So that's kind of been the carryover I think to

916
00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:04,040
Speaker 2: this year for.

917
00:44:04,040 --> 00:44:05,880
Speaker 1: Sure, Like when you lose a game, especially at the

918
00:44:05,960 --> 00:44:07,319
Speaker 1: end of the season, and it comes down to those

919
00:44:07,320 --> 00:44:09,279
Speaker 1: little things, those things are going to be harped on

920
00:44:09,560 --> 00:44:12,920
Speaker 1: all off season. I already know coach Linn was on

921
00:44:13,440 --> 00:44:15,480
Speaker 1: and now this season I'm sure it was a focus.

922
00:44:15,840 --> 00:44:19,319
Speaker 1: But coming from last season into this season, what do

923
00:44:19,400 --> 00:44:22,000
Speaker 1: you feel like we're your biggest focuses, you know, pack

924
00:44:22,040 --> 00:44:23,719
Speaker 1: to the Player of the year. You're already at the top,

925
00:44:23,719 --> 00:44:25,439
Speaker 1: but now you get the target on your back, right,

926
00:44:25,719 --> 00:44:28,680
Speaker 1: and so how did you continue to elevate your game

927
00:44:28,920 --> 00:44:29,920
Speaker 1: as we see it now?

928
00:44:30,360 --> 00:44:35,120
Speaker 2: I think just being confident and then taking great shots.

929
00:44:35,120 --> 00:44:38,399
Speaker 2: I feel like a lot of times, you know, I'm

930
00:44:38,400 --> 00:44:40,879
Speaker 2: being keened in on and you know, it opens things

931
00:44:40,960 --> 00:44:45,000
Speaker 2: up for my teammates. So just like really focusing on

932
00:44:45,880 --> 00:44:49,280
Speaker 2: just like decision making and how to make my teammates

933
00:44:49,320 --> 00:44:52,799
Speaker 2: around me better in those kind of situations. Yeah. I

934
00:44:52,840 --> 00:44:55,080
Speaker 2: mean my outside game too, was something that I try

935
00:44:55,120 --> 00:44:57,520
Speaker 2: to focus on more, just because you know, like I

936
00:44:57,560 --> 00:45:00,160
Speaker 2: did a lot you know, on the block and the

937
00:45:00,200 --> 00:45:02,600
Speaker 2: post last year, so you know people are going to

938
00:45:02,640 --> 00:45:05,360
Speaker 2: try to take that away. So just you know, creating

939
00:45:05,400 --> 00:45:10,760
Speaker 2: a better just getting more sharp on those outside something

940
00:45:11,040 --> 00:45:11,759
Speaker 2: focused on too.

941
00:45:12,520 --> 00:45:14,520
Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, I mean you could see it paying off

942
00:45:14,640 --> 00:45:16,839
Speaker 1: in this season. And I think one thing that makes

943
00:45:16,840 --> 00:45:19,360
Speaker 1: you so special is that you're very selfless in the

944
00:45:19,360 --> 00:45:21,360
Speaker 1: way that you play, and so it's hard to stop

945
00:45:21,400 --> 00:45:24,680
Speaker 1: you because obviously we know you can score, we know

946
00:45:24,719 --> 00:45:27,360
Speaker 1: you can rebound, but like you said, like focusing on

947
00:45:27,440 --> 00:45:31,279
Speaker 1: those great shots and you understand the great players around you,

948
00:45:31,320 --> 00:45:33,279
Speaker 1: so when you catch a double, it's hard to do

949
00:45:33,360 --> 00:45:36,480
Speaker 1: w because you're like, oh, passive here, passively here. I

950
00:45:36,480 --> 00:45:38,600
Speaker 1: remember scouting and it was like, well, you have to

951
00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:41,320
Speaker 1: like blindsider like double one when you don't see because

952
00:45:41,400 --> 00:45:44,799
Speaker 1: if she sees you coming, she's thrown it out to

953
00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:47,440
Speaker 1: one of their open shooters. So it's really hard to

954
00:45:47,440 --> 00:45:49,759
Speaker 1: stop somebody like you where you impact the game in

955
00:45:49,800 --> 00:45:53,239
Speaker 1: all these different areas, which I think, just quick give

956
00:45:53,280 --> 00:45:57,000
Speaker 1: you some flowers. I think it's very great that. Oh gosh,

957
00:45:57,080 --> 00:45:59,000
Speaker 1: of course I'm a big fan thing girling over here.

958
00:45:59,239 --> 00:46:03,799
Speaker 1: But preseason, you guys are ranked number five, which is

959
00:46:04,360 --> 00:46:07,080
Speaker 1: high is preseason ranking ever, I believe, And you guys

960
00:46:07,080 --> 00:46:10,440
Speaker 1: have a really strong upperclassman core that came back and

961
00:46:10,520 --> 00:46:12,719
Speaker 1: so I know how deep you guys are. But I'm

962
00:46:12,719 --> 00:46:15,319
Speaker 1: a name some of your players one by one and

963
00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:17,960
Speaker 1: then you can give them like a quick little what

964
00:46:18,040 --> 00:46:20,319
Speaker 1: makes him so great? One for me, who is like

965
00:46:20,400 --> 00:46:22,200
Speaker 1: an unsung hero who I feel like doesn't get a

966
00:46:22,200 --> 00:46:24,840
Speaker 1: lot of flowers all the time is Kennedy McLean, who's

967
00:46:24,840 --> 00:46:27,640
Speaker 1: like an absolute bucket. So talk to me about her.

968
00:46:28,120 --> 00:46:31,600
Speaker 2: Oh Man, Kennedy, it don't matter if her foot's hurting,

969
00:46:31,680 --> 00:46:33,839
Speaker 2: if she just sprained her ankle. Like, she's gonna give

970
00:46:33,840 --> 00:46:36,080
Speaker 2: one hundred and ten percent and she's gonna go hard

971
00:46:36,120 --> 00:46:38,920
Speaker 2: all the time. Yeah, you know, on both ends. And

972
00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:41,960
Speaker 2: I think that's what's so, that's what's so special about

973
00:46:41,960 --> 00:46:44,600
Speaker 2: her and just the way she you know, she knocks

974
00:46:44,640 --> 00:46:47,719
Speaker 2: down important shots a lot of the time for us,

975
00:46:48,280 --> 00:46:51,600
Speaker 2: And you know, I just in the last few games,

976
00:46:51,600 --> 00:46:55,120
Speaker 2: I've just been loving, like love to see her gain

977
00:46:55,200 --> 00:46:59,040
Speaker 2: confidence and like just gain you know that like attack

978
00:46:59,160 --> 00:47:02,120
Speaker 2: mode because you know, I think the way a lot

979
00:47:02,160 --> 00:47:04,120
Speaker 2: of teams are playing us, you know, she has to

980
00:47:04,239 --> 00:47:07,320
Speaker 2: play that way, and you know when she does, she's

981
00:47:07,640 --> 00:47:08,560
Speaker 2: she's hard to stop.

982
00:47:08,680 --> 00:47:14,000
Speaker 1: So yeah, I know, girl, they've stepped back reversus. I'm

983
00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:17,000
Speaker 1: like slow, and she like doesn't get tired, which is

984
00:47:17,360 --> 00:47:20,359
Speaker 1: very frustrated ladies at her.

985
00:47:20,800 --> 00:47:22,840
Speaker 2: She plays so hard, but she doesn't get tired. It

986
00:47:22,840 --> 00:47:23,880
Speaker 2: doesn't make no sense.

987
00:47:24,640 --> 00:47:27,040
Speaker 1: Yes, for forty minutes, I'm like, give her a song,

988
00:47:27,400 --> 00:47:32,160
Speaker 1: come on, I'm guessed. But she's a bucket. And I

989
00:47:32,239 --> 00:47:34,600
Speaker 1: know Gianna's out with an injury this year, but like

990
00:47:34,719 --> 00:47:36,840
Speaker 1: I remember seeing her freshman year and we had to

991
00:47:36,840 --> 00:47:39,480
Speaker 1: throw Anna Wilson on her and Anna's ar man, go

992
00:47:39,560 --> 00:47:42,120
Speaker 1: to it. I'm like Anna on a freshman she over

993
00:47:42,120 --> 00:47:44,839
Speaker 1: be here. I have a vivid memory of watching your

994
00:47:44,880 --> 00:47:47,720
Speaker 1: hit like behind the back step back three in Maple's

995
00:47:47,760 --> 00:47:50,400
Speaker 1: her freshman year and I remember Anna turning to me

996
00:47:50,440 --> 00:47:53,080
Speaker 1: and being like, well, oh well, like what do we

997
00:47:53,120 --> 00:47:57,160
Speaker 1: do with that? She's so skilled and talk to me

998
00:47:57,200 --> 00:47:59,480
Speaker 1: about what makes her so special? And even being out

999
00:47:59,480 --> 00:48:01,600
Speaker 1: this year, you can tell that she's still so engaged.

1000
00:48:01,680 --> 00:48:04,000
Speaker 1: Right she's on the bench. It's not phasing her. She's

1001
00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:05,360
Speaker 1: still being such a great teammate.

1002
00:48:05,560 --> 00:48:08,880
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly that she's a great teammate. And you know,

1003
00:48:08,960 --> 00:48:11,919
Speaker 2: as skilled as she is, like she brings so much

1004
00:48:11,920 --> 00:48:14,799
Speaker 2: more to our team, and it's shown a lot ever

1005
00:48:14,840 --> 00:48:17,360
Speaker 2: since she she's gotten hurt. You know, she's on the

1006
00:48:17,400 --> 00:48:21,560
Speaker 2: bench counting miss box outs and you know who's who's

1007
00:48:21,600 --> 00:48:24,680
Speaker 2: doing this, who's doing that? So she's very much locked

1008
00:48:24,719 --> 00:48:29,360
Speaker 2: into the games. But like she's just a pure bucket,

1009
00:48:29,520 --> 00:48:33,080
Speaker 2: Like you need a bucket, She's gonna go get one.

1010
00:48:33,400 --> 00:48:36,680
Speaker 2: So you know, it's super fun playing with her. I'm

1011
00:48:36,800 --> 00:48:38,520
Speaker 2: sad that I didn't get to play with her that

1012
00:48:38,640 --> 00:48:41,080
Speaker 2: much my last year. But you know something I've been

1013
00:48:41,120 --> 00:48:44,040
Speaker 2: super impressed with her ever since she's been out with

1014
00:48:44,040 --> 00:48:47,040
Speaker 2: her injury is just how much more vocal she's been

1015
00:48:47,239 --> 00:48:49,320
Speaker 2: in that sense, because she's not the she's not the

1016
00:48:49,360 --> 00:48:53,120
Speaker 2: loudest person. She's a pretty quiet person, so you know,

1017
00:48:53,200 --> 00:48:55,800
Speaker 2: just seeing her grow into that role, it's been super

1018
00:48:55,840 --> 00:48:56,520
Speaker 2: cool to see.

1019
00:48:57,320 --> 00:48:59,520
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I'm a big fan of her, not

1020
00:48:59,560 --> 00:49:01,279
Speaker 1: only on the court, but off the court. I know

1021
00:49:01,400 --> 00:49:05,680
Speaker 1: Iszie Palmer and seeing their TikTok together literally never failed

1022
00:49:05,680 --> 00:49:07,879
Speaker 1: to make me laugh because she gonna she's gonna give

1023
00:49:07,880 --> 00:49:11,920
Speaker 1: it everything she got sh sorry Gianna, no rhythm, but

1024
00:49:11,960 --> 00:49:19,520
Speaker 1: like she's given it no shame, which honestly, I respect

1025
00:49:19,560 --> 00:49:21,640
Speaker 1: it because me I'll be like, don't for me in this,

1026
00:49:22,040 --> 00:49:25,200
Speaker 1: she goes for it, which I love. Tell me a

1027
00:49:25,200 --> 00:49:28,680
Speaker 1: little bit about the changes that you've seen in your

1028
00:49:28,719 --> 00:49:31,680
Speaker 1: game since you've been at Utah. You know what things

1029
00:49:32,160 --> 00:49:36,200
Speaker 1: has Coach Linz focused on with you and expanding because

1030
00:49:36,200 --> 00:49:39,120
Speaker 1: you have a really wide skill set. You do it

1031
00:49:39,160 --> 00:49:42,080
Speaker 1: all from handling to finishing around the ram, shooting threes,

1032
00:49:42,120 --> 00:49:44,320
Speaker 1: all these different things. So how do you feel like

1033
00:49:44,320 --> 00:49:46,640
Speaker 1: your game has elevated in your time at Utah.

1034
00:49:47,360 --> 00:49:51,160
Speaker 2: I think the biggest thing for me was getting in

1035
00:49:51,560 --> 00:49:55,560
Speaker 2: better shape and like taking conditioning and like strength just

1036
00:49:56,080 --> 00:49:58,359
Speaker 2: super serious and so I think once I did that,

1037
00:49:58,400 --> 00:50:01,200
Speaker 2: it kind of put me in a better position for

1038
00:50:01,360 --> 00:50:04,879
Speaker 2: me to perform well. But I think since I've been

1039
00:50:04,880 --> 00:50:07,760
Speaker 2: at Utah, I've gained a lot of confidence. Like I've said,

1040
00:50:08,000 --> 00:50:10,160
Speaker 2: you know, I feel like, I don't know, I feel

1041
00:50:10,160 --> 00:50:11,719
Speaker 2: like when you're on a team full of shooters, like

1042
00:50:11,840 --> 00:50:13,560
Speaker 2: you got no choice but to be a good shooter.

1043
00:50:13,719 --> 00:50:16,560
Speaker 2: So I feel like that that part of my gam

1044
00:50:16,640 --> 00:50:20,680
Speaker 2: has definitely gotten better. And then just like I feel

1045
00:50:20,680 --> 00:50:23,759
Speaker 2: like with the experience, it's just so much different, Like

1046
00:50:23,800 --> 00:50:26,760
Speaker 2: you understand and you see things like so much different.

1047
00:50:26,840 --> 00:50:29,800
Speaker 2: You kind of make it make it easier for yourself

1048
00:50:30,080 --> 00:50:32,719
Speaker 2: in like ways you probably wouldn't have your freshman year.

1049
00:50:32,840 --> 00:50:37,840
Speaker 2: So I think those things and then being smarter about

1050
00:50:37,880 --> 00:50:41,000
Speaker 2: my decisions and being disciplined things like that.

1051
00:50:42,080 --> 00:50:44,320
Speaker 1: Yeah, now I think senior year is definitely a different

1052
00:50:44,440 --> 00:50:46,680
Speaker 1: mindset that you have with freshman year. You're just trying

1053
00:50:46,680 --> 00:50:50,160
Speaker 1: to survive out there. Senior year, it's like, oh, you know,

1054
00:50:50,640 --> 00:50:53,560
Speaker 1: I know this is coming. You understand teams better what

1055
00:50:53,640 --> 00:50:57,200
Speaker 1: you're looking for as well. Shoot, senior year, Haley committed

1056
00:50:57,239 --> 00:51:01,000
Speaker 1: to freshman year. Big difference even now, a lot of

1057
00:51:01,000 --> 00:51:03,600
Speaker 1: growth and I'm sure for you as well. But getting

1058
00:51:03,640 --> 00:51:06,920
Speaker 1: into the future WNBA has been the dream. You're all

1059
00:51:06,960 --> 00:51:09,480
Speaker 1: over the mock drafts, which I love to see, but

1060
00:51:09,680 --> 00:51:12,200
Speaker 1: I know for me last year I struggled with having

1061
00:51:12,239 --> 00:51:14,520
Speaker 1: that in the future and wanting to focus on that

1062
00:51:14,800 --> 00:51:17,319
Speaker 1: about the draft, but also keeping where your feet are

1063
00:51:17,560 --> 00:51:20,520
Speaker 1: and you know, balancing your mind and all these different things.

1064
00:51:20,520 --> 00:51:24,680
Speaker 1: So how have you worked on preparing for that next

1065
00:51:24,760 --> 00:51:28,560
Speaker 1: chapter while still focusing on your senior season here at Utah.

1066
00:51:29,040 --> 00:51:32,480
Speaker 2: Yeah, Like, I feel like I'm in a pretty similar spot,

1067
00:51:32,560 --> 00:51:35,200
Speaker 2: like you said, like just it's kind of hard to

1068
00:51:35,280 --> 00:51:38,399
Speaker 2: focus on just one thing, and you know, the main

1069
00:51:38,440 --> 00:51:41,240
Speaker 2: thing is where you're at now. And I think i've,

1070
00:51:42,080 --> 00:51:45,399
Speaker 2: like when I first started to you know, kind of

1071
00:51:45,880 --> 00:51:49,000
Speaker 2: have that just I focus on the WNBA and like

1072
00:51:49,320 --> 00:51:50,840
Speaker 2: have that in the back of my mind and just

1073
00:51:50,880 --> 00:51:53,719
Speaker 2: thinking about like my future and things like that. You know,

1074
00:51:53,800 --> 00:51:56,520
Speaker 2: it got kind of just like overwhelming a little bit.

1075
00:51:56,640 --> 00:51:58,919
Speaker 2: You know, it was kind of just I guess took

1076
00:51:58,960 --> 00:52:02,239
Speaker 2: away from it's like my focus on the now, Like

1077
00:52:02,320 --> 00:52:06,280
Speaker 2: you said, And so I just try to just trust

1078
00:52:06,280 --> 00:52:09,120
Speaker 2: in my coaches that they will do like everything in

1079
00:52:09,160 --> 00:52:11,440
Speaker 2: their power to put me in the best position like

1080
00:52:11,600 --> 00:52:15,200
Speaker 2: for that, and then also just taking care of things

1081
00:52:15,239 --> 00:52:17,680
Speaker 2: like signing with the agent and things like that to

1082
00:52:18,080 --> 00:52:20,000
Speaker 2: get me prepared for that. So I don't really have

1083
00:52:20,080 --> 00:52:23,440
Speaker 2: to worry about it. But yeah, I've just been trying

1084
00:52:23,480 --> 00:52:26,120
Speaker 2: to trying to focus on, you know, the end of

1085
00:52:26,200 --> 00:52:29,480
Speaker 2: season because you know it's getting down to it's getting

1086
00:52:29,520 --> 00:52:32,440
Speaker 2: down to the wire, so you know, really got to

1087
00:52:32,480 --> 00:52:33,279
Speaker 2: focus in now.

1088
00:52:33,400 --> 00:52:36,439
Speaker 1: So yeah, it's about to be crunch time. Oh yeah, yeah,

1089
00:52:36,480 --> 00:52:39,120
Speaker 1: and the Pac twelve. The rankings are all over the

1090
00:52:39,160 --> 00:52:42,080
Speaker 1: place right now, that's a tournament and then into March madness.

1091
00:52:42,120 --> 00:52:44,040
Speaker 1: But before we get in to the end of the season,

1092
00:52:44,080 --> 00:52:46,080
Speaker 1: I want to talk about at the beginning, you had

1093
00:52:46,120 --> 00:52:50,200
Speaker 1: your Alaska homecoming game and it looked like see you

1094
00:52:50,320 --> 00:52:54,319
Speaker 1: on Instagram and everything. How many people came to see you.

1095
00:52:54,960 --> 00:52:57,520
Speaker 1: I was like, is this all of Alaska? Like it

1096
00:52:57,680 --> 00:53:03,080
Speaker 1: was crazy? And so play against University of Anchorage, how

1097
00:53:03,200 --> 00:53:05,920
Speaker 1: special was it? Because we've talked about how important community

1098
00:53:06,000 --> 00:53:08,480
Speaker 1: is to you, how special was it to go and

1099
00:53:08,520 --> 00:53:11,120
Speaker 1: play in your home state, have your community come out,

1100
00:53:11,200 --> 00:53:14,360
Speaker 1: but also like you're a really big role model for

1101
00:53:14,440 --> 00:53:16,960
Speaker 1: a lot of the young girls in Alaska, but also

1102
00:53:17,080 --> 00:53:19,560
Speaker 1: for young Polynesian girls. So tell me about the impact

1103
00:53:19,600 --> 00:53:21,640
Speaker 1: that it had on you getting to go back and

1104
00:53:21,680 --> 00:53:25,200
Speaker 1: see everything that. You know, you kind of showed another

1105
00:53:25,239 --> 00:53:27,239
Speaker 1: gateway that people can take out of Alaska to play

1106
00:53:27,239 --> 00:53:28,560
Speaker 1: basketball and do all these different things.

1107
00:53:28,640 --> 00:53:31,799
Speaker 2: It was super special, Like that trip was everything for me,

1108
00:53:32,080 --> 00:53:34,960
Speaker 2: and I was so so grateful and so glad that

1109
00:53:35,000 --> 00:53:37,360
Speaker 2: we got to take that trip. It felt kind of

1110
00:53:37,400 --> 00:53:40,359
Speaker 2: weird playing in that arena just because like the last

1111
00:53:40,360 --> 00:53:43,960
Speaker 2: time I've played there was in high school, and you know,

1112
00:53:44,080 --> 00:53:48,120
Speaker 2: even like I won my all my volleyball state championships

1113
00:53:48,120 --> 00:53:51,040
Speaker 2: in there, my basketball was and then my wrestling state championship,

1114
00:53:51,120 --> 00:53:53,200
Speaker 2: So it was just cool to like, oh.

1115
00:53:53,080 --> 00:53:55,040
Speaker 1: Wow, a lot of state championships.

1116
00:53:56,080 --> 00:53:59,000
Speaker 2: Yeah, but it was just cool to like go back

1117
00:53:59,040 --> 00:54:01,480
Speaker 2: there and it was just like one of those moments

1118
00:54:01,480 --> 00:54:05,279
Speaker 2: where like you're back where everything started, and like it

1119
00:54:05,600 --> 00:54:07,200
Speaker 2: kind of just seemed like a movie or like a

1120
00:54:07,239 --> 00:54:12,000
Speaker 2: fairy tale and just to have like everybody who I

1121
00:54:12,040 --> 00:54:15,600
Speaker 2: grew up around and my family and just like old

1122
00:54:15,719 --> 00:54:19,719
Speaker 2: coaches and everything like that. It was just unlike anything

1123
00:54:20,120 --> 00:54:24,400
Speaker 2: I've ever experienced. And you know, seeing the impact that

1124
00:54:24,440 --> 00:54:26,600
Speaker 2: I have on so many people and seeing all the

1125
00:54:26,600 --> 00:54:28,480
Speaker 2: people that came out to support me, it was just

1126
00:54:29,160 --> 00:54:32,480
Speaker 2: I knew I was making an impact, but I think

1127
00:54:32,600 --> 00:54:36,200
Speaker 2: that really opened my eyes to see, like there's people

1128
00:54:36,239 --> 00:54:40,240
Speaker 2: that certain young girls look up to when they're younger

1129
00:54:40,320 --> 00:54:44,759
Speaker 2: to you know, kind of find that pathway to doing

1130
00:54:44,760 --> 00:54:47,400
Speaker 2: what they want to do in life. And you know,

1131
00:54:47,480 --> 00:54:50,800
Speaker 2: to be that for the girls of like my same culture,

1132
00:54:50,880 --> 00:54:53,600
Speaker 2: it's I don't even got the words to describe it,

1133
00:54:53,640 --> 00:54:57,879
Speaker 2: Like it's just so crazy to me, Like man, like, yeah,

1134
00:54:57,920 --> 00:55:00,239
Speaker 2: it's just so crazy, and I'm just so I'm just

1135
00:55:00,239 --> 00:55:03,120
Speaker 2: so blessed and grateful to be in this position and

1136
00:55:03,160 --> 00:55:05,799
Speaker 2: to have so many people think so highly of me

1137
00:55:05,880 --> 00:55:07,600
Speaker 2: and just support me the way they do.

1138
00:55:07,680 --> 00:55:11,040
Speaker 1: So you couldn't move suddenly better. I think I couldn't

1139
00:55:11,040 --> 00:55:13,480
Speaker 1: agree more in that, Like you get so caught up

1140
00:55:13,480 --> 00:55:15,560
Speaker 1: in the day to day of in the grind, you're

1141
00:55:15,560 --> 00:55:18,200
Speaker 1: in school, you're doing basketball stuff that you're not thinking

1142
00:55:18,239 --> 00:55:20,480
Speaker 1: about how young girls areut here looking up to you,

1143
00:55:20,719 --> 00:55:22,759
Speaker 1: and I'm like I'm just trying to make it through

1144
00:55:22,760 --> 00:55:25,560
Speaker 1: the day. And then it's like, oh wow, like I'm

1145
00:55:25,560 --> 00:55:27,760
Speaker 1: over here looking up to other people, and there's people

1146
00:55:27,760 --> 00:55:29,839
Speaker 1: behind me looking up to me as well. And I

1147
00:55:29,880 --> 00:55:32,279
Speaker 1: think what's so special about what you said is like

1148
00:55:33,000 --> 00:55:37,840
Speaker 1: being that representation for your community and how important that

1149
00:55:38,000 --> 00:55:42,080
Speaker 1: is for you being who you are and showing that

1150
00:55:42,280 --> 00:55:44,160
Speaker 1: the young Polynesian girls in a last Girl or whatever

1151
00:55:44,160 --> 00:55:46,279
Speaker 1: they are all around the world, like you're somebody that

1152
00:55:46,280 --> 00:55:48,160
Speaker 1: they can look up to be like, oh, she looks

1153
00:55:48,200 --> 00:55:50,440
Speaker 1: like me. Like being that representation that you didn't have

1154
00:55:50,920 --> 00:55:53,640
Speaker 1: is so special. And I think being in that position

1155
00:55:53,760 --> 00:55:55,879
Speaker 1: is probably like I don't think of myself that way.

1156
00:55:56,040 --> 00:55:57,800
Speaker 1: You know, your namely gives you crap. You do it

1157
00:55:58,120 --> 00:56:01,000
Speaker 1: ver like you don't think of your stuff in that light,

1158
00:56:01,200 --> 00:56:04,839
Speaker 1: But when you have experiences like that, it's surreal. And

1159
00:56:05,880 --> 00:56:08,560
Speaker 1: just tell me more about Like the tattoos in the

1160
00:56:08,560 --> 00:56:12,600
Speaker 1: Polynesian community is huge, and break down what that's like too,

1161
00:56:13,120 --> 00:56:14,959
Speaker 1: not only for you to have them, but to see

1162
00:56:15,000 --> 00:56:18,360
Speaker 1: people like seeing you have that on national TV on

1163
00:56:18,440 --> 00:56:20,960
Speaker 1: the biggest stage. How important is that for you to

1164
00:56:20,960 --> 00:56:22,480
Speaker 1: share your culture in that light?

1165
00:56:23,120 --> 00:56:26,040
Speaker 2: It's super important because you know, I wear like my

1166
00:56:26,200 --> 00:56:29,960
Speaker 2: culture of being Polynesia, being native, like I wear that

1167
00:56:30,040 --> 00:56:34,200
Speaker 2: on my sleeve and I mean to be able to,

1168
00:56:34,880 --> 00:56:37,239
Speaker 2: you know, have a piece of artwork, you know, and

1169
00:56:37,600 --> 00:56:40,759
Speaker 2: tattoos are like especially in like the Polynesian culture, it's

1170
00:56:40,800 --> 00:56:43,200
Speaker 2: like to tell a story. Mine doesn't have like a

1171
00:56:43,200 --> 00:56:46,600
Speaker 2: specific story. It's just the designs, but you know that's

1172
00:56:47,160 --> 00:56:50,239
Speaker 2: kind of the history behind that. But just to have

1173
00:56:50,320 --> 00:56:54,400
Speaker 2: that and to kind of have that as like a

1174
00:56:54,480 --> 00:56:57,640
Speaker 2: piece of me to represent my culture and you know,

1175
00:56:57,719 --> 00:57:00,440
Speaker 2: kind of showcase that out to the world, it's it's

1176
00:57:00,520 --> 00:57:01,480
Speaker 2: super special for me.

1177
00:57:02,000 --> 00:57:04,279
Speaker 1: I think that's that's really cool, like the piece of

1178
00:57:04,360 --> 00:57:05,880
Speaker 1: you and then you get to share with the world

1179
00:57:06,000 --> 00:57:07,759
Speaker 1: and other people getting to look up to you and

1180
00:57:07,800 --> 00:57:10,719
Speaker 1: see that, like it's really special. And I just want

1181
00:57:10,719 --> 00:57:13,760
Speaker 1: to give you your flowers real quick about how amazing

1182
00:57:13,800 --> 00:57:16,120
Speaker 1: I think you are as a player, but it's crazy

1183
00:57:16,120 --> 00:57:18,680
Speaker 1: to think that as a person it's even better.

1184
00:57:18,760 --> 00:57:19,640
Speaker 2: Thank you.

1185
00:57:19,640 --> 00:57:22,000
Speaker 1: You're bringing Utah back to prominence from the moment you

1186
00:57:22,040 --> 00:57:25,600
Speaker 1: stepped on campus. This inspirational comeback, pulling yourself out of

1187
00:57:25,840 --> 00:57:28,919
Speaker 1: a dark place from sophomore junior year and just being

1188
00:57:28,920 --> 00:57:32,960
Speaker 1: able to redefine yourself as a person in the national spotlight.

1189
00:57:33,120 --> 00:57:35,520
Speaker 1: Being this beacon that we've talked about for representation for

1190
00:57:35,560 --> 00:57:38,000
Speaker 1: your community. I think it's really special and I give

1191
00:57:38,040 --> 00:57:39,920
Speaker 1: you all the kudos, all the flowers, all the things,

1192
00:57:39,960 --> 00:57:42,760
Speaker 1: as you know. So just just a quick just quick

1193
00:57:42,840 --> 00:57:44,920
Speaker 1: love on you, real quick, big fan over here, as

1194
00:57:44,960 --> 00:57:47,400
Speaker 1: you can tell. But before we wrap up, we're going

1195
00:57:47,480 --> 00:57:49,920
Speaker 1: to get into our vibe check, which is rapid fire.

1196
00:57:50,280 --> 00:57:53,040
Speaker 1: Some guests have been great, some guests have been okay,

1197
00:57:53,280 --> 00:57:56,720
Speaker 1: So I think you're gonna do great. Great, So we'll

1198
00:57:56,760 --> 00:57:59,600
Speaker 1: start it off with what's the drill you never want

1199
00:57:59,640 --> 00:58:00,640
Speaker 1: to see on practice plan?

1200
00:58:01,200 --> 00:58:02,680
Speaker 2: Oh? Three minute drill?

1201
00:58:03,560 --> 00:58:04,080
Speaker 1: What is that?

1202
00:58:04,440 --> 00:58:08,800
Speaker 2: It's so it's three down in backs every minute, but

1203
00:58:09,360 --> 00:58:11,000
Speaker 2: she doesn't give us the full minute. We got to

1204
00:58:11,000 --> 00:58:15,120
Speaker 2: finish in forty five seconds. So yeah, we used to

1205
00:58:15,200 --> 00:58:17,800
Speaker 2: do that if we would give up offense rebound on

1206
00:58:17,880 --> 00:58:19,600
Speaker 2: a free throw. That was terrible.

1207
00:58:20,200 --> 00:58:24,400
Speaker 1: Oh no, no, no, no no, not going to do that. Okay,

1208
00:58:24,640 --> 00:58:26,520
Speaker 1: game winning shot or game winning block.

1209
00:58:26,960 --> 00:58:31,400
Speaker 2: Oh, game winning block. I feel like that's.

1210
00:58:31,200 --> 00:58:34,280
Speaker 1: Oh, I think you're the first one to say that. Actually,

1211
00:58:34,720 --> 00:58:37,880
Speaker 1: that's good. Okay. Where's the toughest place to play on

1212
00:58:37,920 --> 00:58:38,840
Speaker 1: the road? And why.

1213
00:58:40,520 --> 00:58:43,000
Speaker 2: See? I want to say Colorado because like even though

1214
00:58:43,040 --> 00:58:46,760
Speaker 2: we're at elevation, like their elevation is higher so that

1215
00:58:46,800 --> 00:58:48,040
Speaker 2: one's a pretty tough it.

1216
00:58:49,360 --> 00:58:52,280
Speaker 1: Yeah, that I hate playing at Colorado. Oh my god,

1217
00:58:52,320 --> 00:58:53,960
Speaker 1: I'm out of breath when the second I get off

1218
00:58:53,960 --> 00:58:58,520
Speaker 1: the plane. It's horrible. Who's the biggest trash talker you've

1219
00:58:58,520 --> 00:59:01,040
Speaker 1: played against? It could be on Utah or outside of it.

1220
00:59:01,600 --> 00:59:04,880
Speaker 2: Dangn. I don't know. I feel like people don't really

1221
00:59:05,000 --> 00:59:07,720
Speaker 2: or I don't be hearing them really. But the only

1222
00:59:07,800 --> 00:59:10,520
Speaker 2: time my dad was probably LSU and juries.

1223
00:59:10,720 --> 00:59:14,920
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, she'd be chatting. She be chatting. Okay, are

1224
00:59:14,920 --> 00:59:16,400
Speaker 1: you do you feel I don't feel like you don't

1225
00:59:16,400 --> 00:59:18,160
Speaker 1: really trash to talk very much. You just kind of

1226
00:59:18,200 --> 00:59:20,560
Speaker 1: do your thing out there and then it speaks for you.

1227
00:59:20,920 --> 00:59:21,800
Speaker 1: Biggest flopper.

1228
00:59:22,640 --> 00:59:31,920
Speaker 2: Oh oh oh, we have an answer. I'm gonna say

1229
00:59:32,600 --> 00:59:36,880
Speaker 2: Bella off of Washington State because I remember this there's

1230
00:59:36,920 --> 00:59:41,280
Speaker 2: sometimes vividly where I had the ball and I literally

1231
00:59:41,320 --> 00:59:43,800
Speaker 2: like took a jab step and this girl's already on

1232
00:59:43,840 --> 00:59:44,320
Speaker 2: the floor.

1233
00:59:44,520 --> 00:59:50,720
Speaker 1: I was like, bro, no, I you're completely right, because

1234
00:59:51,080 --> 00:59:53,720
Speaker 1: she does. I haven't thought of her, but she do

1235
00:59:53,760 --> 00:59:56,400
Speaker 1: be flopping. And I remember she took a charge on

1236
00:59:56,440 --> 00:59:58,400
Speaker 1: Talana or something, and I was like, if you don't

1237
00:59:58,440 --> 01:00:01,840
Speaker 1: get up, you are so you're a foot taller than

1238
01:00:01,840 --> 01:00:07,560
Speaker 1: this girl, Charlie. That's a good one. That's a sleeper flopper.

1239
01:00:07,640 --> 01:00:11,640
Speaker 1: You're right, Okay. Who's the hardest player to guard?

1240
01:00:12,880 --> 01:00:14,120
Speaker 2: Ringing beers?

1241
01:00:14,560 --> 01:00:18,360
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, we talked about that earlier. Okay, what's your

1242
01:00:18,400 --> 01:00:19,680
Speaker 1: biggest basketball.

1243
01:00:19,760 --> 01:00:22,560
Speaker 2: I'm gonna say it when somebody got I'm probably guilty

1244
01:00:22,600 --> 01:00:25,040
Speaker 2: of this too sometimes, but with somebody got a wild

1245
01:00:25,320 --> 01:00:27,560
Speaker 2: and left hand lay up and they shoot it with

1246
01:00:27,600 --> 01:00:28,320
Speaker 2: their right hand.

1247
01:00:28,960 --> 01:00:32,400
Speaker 1: They're right. You gotta be safe, better safe than sorry. Honestly,

1248
01:00:32,560 --> 01:00:39,400
Speaker 1: sometimes too, I just know, like whenever a lamp is

1249
01:00:39,440 --> 01:00:42,520
Speaker 1: too open, that's when I freak out. I'm like, oh,

1250
01:00:42,600 --> 01:00:46,160
Speaker 1: like I feel my handshake. I'm like, oh god, not

1251
01:00:46,320 --> 01:00:51,040
Speaker 1: used to this. Okay, what is your favorite end game celebration?

1252
01:00:51,760 --> 01:00:54,680
Speaker 2: I don't really be celebrating like that.

1253
01:00:54,680 --> 01:00:56,680
Speaker 1: That's a lie. I'll be seeing you throw up some

1254
01:00:56,760 --> 01:00:57,640
Speaker 1: hands for threes.

1255
01:00:57,680 --> 01:01:02,800
Speaker 2: You'd be doing sometimes, yeah, the three because we got

1256
01:01:02,880 --> 01:01:04,040
Speaker 2: some shooters, for real.

1257
01:01:05,440 --> 01:01:10,680
Speaker 1: I was gonna say, I've seen it. Don't come on here, Okay,

1258
01:01:11,800 --> 01:01:14,360
Speaker 1: who is your celebrity looking like? If you if you

1259
01:01:14,400 --> 01:01:15,680
Speaker 1: feel like you have one, or you're just one of

1260
01:01:15,680 --> 01:01:16,960
Speaker 1: a kind. That's what some people have said.

1261
01:01:16,960 --> 01:01:17,920
Speaker 2: I don't feel like I have.

1262
01:01:19,880 --> 01:01:22,440
Speaker 1: A kind. I guess one of a kind. That's fine.

1263
01:01:22,920 --> 01:01:25,040
Speaker 1: If you could pick someone to play a two on

1264
01:01:25,120 --> 01:01:27,720
Speaker 1: two with and then you can't pick a teammate of yours,

1265
01:01:28,040 --> 01:01:28,760
Speaker 1: who would you pick?

1266
01:01:30,520 --> 01:01:31,360
Speaker 2: I would pick.

1267
01:01:32,840 --> 01:01:38,480
Speaker 1: Charlie's a bucket, bucket one hundred. That's a good pick.

1268
01:01:38,520 --> 01:01:41,040
Speaker 1: We haven't had that one yet. Okay. What's your favorite

1269
01:01:41,040 --> 01:01:41,960
Speaker 1: pregame hype song?

1270
01:01:42,280 --> 01:01:46,280
Speaker 2: I like Up All Night by Drake Nicki Minaj.

1271
01:01:46,760 --> 01:01:50,640
Speaker 1: Oh that's a good one. That's a good one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Yeah,

1272
01:01:50,680 --> 01:01:53,920
Speaker 1: that's a good pick. I like that one. Okay. Last

1273
01:01:53,960 --> 01:01:56,880
Speaker 1: one is the best impression of coach Roberts.

1274
01:01:57,000 --> 01:02:04,600
Speaker 2: Oh, she does a lot of things. Hold on, damn,

1275
01:02:04,600 --> 01:02:06,160
Speaker 2: I feel like I'm gonna get in trouble for this.

1276
01:02:07,120 --> 01:02:10,840
Speaker 1: It's okay. I'll apologize for you. I'll say I asked

1277
01:02:10,880 --> 01:02:14,400
Speaker 1: you arm Oh my goodness, I've be seeing her yell

1278
01:02:14,440 --> 01:02:16,440
Speaker 1: at the refs. I've been seeing her yell at the

1279
01:02:16,440 --> 01:02:18,960
Speaker 1: rest a lot. She'd be up in there, yere to

1280
01:02:19,080 --> 01:02:19,920
Speaker 1: be a good one about that.

1281
01:02:20,240 --> 01:02:24,120
Speaker 2: When she'd be saying a lot, she'll be like, let

1282
01:02:24,160 --> 01:02:26,320
Speaker 2: me just use one of the refs as let me

1283
01:02:26,400 --> 01:02:26,600
Speaker 2: use the.

1284
01:02:26,680 --> 01:02:30,040
Speaker 1: Lik not Melissa.

1285
01:02:32,400 --> 01:02:37,000
Speaker 2: She'd be like she she'd be like, Melissa, what game

1286
01:02:37,040 --> 01:02:39,960
Speaker 2: are you watching? Like she'll be yelling. I said, I'm like,

1287
01:02:40,000 --> 01:02:44,080
Speaker 2: I'm surprised she doesn't get thrown out. It's really crazy

1288
01:02:44,120 --> 01:02:44,840
Speaker 2: that she doesn't.

1289
01:02:45,240 --> 01:02:47,760
Speaker 1: You know what, You're so right, because she'd be chirpling

1290
01:02:47,800 --> 01:02:49,800
Speaker 1: at your Remember there's just one time I was taking

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Speaker 1: out the ball in front of your bench and I

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Speaker 1: was like right next to her. She was like, Haley,

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Speaker 1: just talk to me about something. She said, Hey, you

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Speaker 1: know you father, Haley, you know your father. I'm like, girl,

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Speaker 1: I'm trying to focus right now. Lynn. She charing. But yeah,

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Speaker 1: not Melissa. Melissa be trying her best. She really do.

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Speaker 1: But this is a rap. Melissa, You've been so great.

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Speaker 1: Thank you so much for coming on.

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Speaker 2: Of course, thank you for having me.

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Speaker 1: Of course, and thank you to everybody for listening. We'll

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Speaker 1: be back with another episode of Sometimes I Hope the

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Speaker 1: players Tribute dot Com