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Speaker 1: Full Circle is an iheartwoman's sports production and partnership with

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Speaker 1: Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on

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Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Speaker 2: Hey, y'all, welcome back to Full Circle. I'm Lexi Brown.

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Speaker 2: I'm here with Mariah Rose and we have a very

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Speaker 2: special guest today. We are wrapping up season one and

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Speaker 2: we promise you'll some guests. We have a very very

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Speaker 2: special one. As always, most of our guests do not

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Speaker 2: need an introduction, but we will give her one anyway.

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Speaker 2: We have Atlanta, Georgia's finest, a top twenty five player

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Speaker 2: twenty twelve class played at the University of Tennessee under

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Speaker 2: the Great Pat Summit, and she now graces our screens

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Speaker 2: almost every day on ESPN. One third of the Big

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Speaker 2: Three and my good sis Andrea Carter Yay, thank you,

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Speaker 2: thank you, thank you great and the other half thank

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Speaker 2: you you forgot to say the other half guys. Oh yeah,

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Speaker 2: I do call her other half guys. I don't think

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Speaker 2: everyone realizes how close we are. I didn't even realize

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Speaker 2: that I've known Jerry since we've been like thirteen years old. Ye, Like, yes,

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Speaker 2: our friendship is approaching twenty years. Wow, that's crazy. Our

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Speaker 2: friendship is almost as old as you. Mariah whuld you

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Speaker 2: put it that way?

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Speaker 1: That sounds crazy.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it is a little crazy.

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Speaker 2: It is a little crazy. So I was texting Drea

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Speaker 2: yesterday and she was like, what are we talking about?

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Speaker 2: Like any college hoops that I said, No, girl, this

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Speaker 2: is all about you. So let's start from the beginning

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Speaker 2: and what made you pick up that beautiful basketball.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. I was one hundred percent ready to talk, like,

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Speaker 3: you know, top teams, who I'm looking for, who I

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Speaker 3: want to see bounce back. We'll get to that later.

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Speaker 3: All about you. That's okay. No, I appreciate I appreciate

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Speaker 3: that I picked up a basketball. I think I first

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Speaker 3: started playing when I was four years old. My stepdad,

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Speaker 3: who was the man who raised me, so I called

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Speaker 3: my dad. He was my coach. He coached me from

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Speaker 3: a very young age, put me in a ton of

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Speaker 3: rec leagues, and yeah, my mom and my dad just

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Speaker 3: saw passion in it and saw how much I loved it.

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Speaker 3: I was not very good, but I was like lanky athletic,

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Speaker 3: just was running around all the time. But I loved

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Speaker 3: it like I was the kid that my dad actually

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Speaker 3: used like I'm guessing it was Excel back then. I

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Speaker 3: don't know if it was Excel, but would put like

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Speaker 3: basketball drills on, you know, the left side, and then

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Speaker 3: would put dates at the top and I would have

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Speaker 3: to write it like how many drills I did each day?

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Speaker 3: How many right hand dribbles, left hand dribbles, circles? And

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Speaker 3: I loved doing that. So I just think from a

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Speaker 3: very young age, I loved it. I wanted to be

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Speaker 3: good at it, and my parents did a really good

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Speaker 3: job at just fostering that belief and that passion and

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Speaker 3: pouring into it and then making sure I was with

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Speaker 3: good coaches and in good places along the way.

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Speaker 2: Perfect way talking about good coaches, Drea, you won three.

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Speaker 3: State championships in high school.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, And if y'all are not hip to Atlanta Women's basketball,

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Speaker 2: Buford High School was like a basketball powerhouse machine, like.

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Speaker 3: I went remember. Do you remember when I almost went

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Speaker 3: to school there? Yes? I do remember.

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Speaker 2: Wait, Okay, so tell us a little about Beviefford, Tell

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Speaker 2: them about Breakfast Club, tell them all of the things.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, Beuford, it's now I now call it. I now

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Speaker 3: call it Beuford University. But I do just want to

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Speaker 3: let everyone know that I did not go to the

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Speaker 3: current Buford High School that is in place. The Buford

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Speaker 3: High School that I went to is now Beuford Middle School.

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Speaker 3: Like when I went to Buford, we were two a

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Speaker 3: we did try to schedule all of the big schools

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Speaker 3: at least for like summer scrimmages because we were a

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Speaker 3: small school. But we were led by Jean Durden who

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Speaker 3: started it Dade County. Came to Buford and had some

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Speaker 3: success but hadn't won a state championship yet, and my

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Speaker 3: parents heard about him. They wanted to get me in

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Speaker 3: Beauford I was actually went to. I would have went

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Speaker 3: to Grayson High School had we not moved, and I

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Speaker 3: ended up going to Buford. But what happened was Grayson

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Speaker 3: split off into Archer and it was like a big divide,

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Speaker 3: and so we ended up moving so I could get

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Speaker 3: to Beauford. But coach Dirden is he's like a legend

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Speaker 3: in Georgia in basketball. He has a ton of connections

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Speaker 3: to college coaches. He is very fundamental, play hard, buy

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Speaker 3: the book, do everything the right way. You don't walk,

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Speaker 3: you sprint like in our games, we all were knee

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Speaker 3: pads because we were expected to dive on the floor.

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Speaker 3: We actually weren't even allowed to. You know, how something happens,

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Speaker 3: you can throw the basketball back to the ref. We

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Speaker 3: weren't allowed to do that. You guys got a run

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Speaker 3: up and give it to them. Yes, we had to

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Speaker 3: run and hand the ball to the ref. Every dead ball,

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Speaker 3: like anything that happened, like if the ball went way

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Speaker 3: out of bounds, I would have to go get it

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Speaker 3: and take it to the rest three and hand it

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Speaker 3: to them because it was like a sign of respect.

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Speaker 3: That's just through coach Jordan's He still does that to

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Speaker 3: this day. But he's he was tough, and he was

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Speaker 3: tough on me, and he was hard on me. I

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Speaker 3: had some emotional days as a kid. I was a

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Speaker 3: very emotional kid. But I remember, you know, there was

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Speaker 3: a summer scrimmage where he caught a time out and

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Speaker 3: told everyone to come to the sidelines and just met

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Speaker 3: me at half court and just tore me apart, like

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Speaker 3: in front of everyone. And but that's just who he was,

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Speaker 3: Like he knew what I was capable of and what

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Speaker 3: he expected of me. And there were some practices where

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Speaker 3: he wouldn't answer any of my questions, Like I was

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Speaker 3: trying to become a better leader, and I would just

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Speaker 3: look at him like what am I supposed to do?

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Speaker 3: And he would just ignore me on purpose. But it

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Speaker 3: made me, It made me better and it worked. But

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Speaker 3: it was we just played hard, like we outplayed everyone

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Speaker 3: at other times.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I remember, because I was supposed to go to

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Speaker 2: school there, and for many of those reasons you just listed,

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Speaker 2: I was not.

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Speaker 3: I was not the place for LEXI.

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Speaker 2: I was like, I'm gonna go to a regular public

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Speaker 2: school with the coach that also coaches golf and just

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Speaker 2: chills all day, which I love shout out to coach Sellers,

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Speaker 2: but like if you compare my high school coach to coach.

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Speaker 3: Durden, Buford was like that in everything.

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Speaker 1: I remember having a long day of all algebra two

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Speaker 1: and I had to go play volleyball against Buford and

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Speaker 1: I was like, bro like, come on, Broke, can we

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Speaker 1: play Thursday?

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Speaker 3: Right though?

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Speaker 2: Buford was nuts. So when you were playing high school basketball,

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Speaker 2: you know we have AAU as well. Talk a little

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Speaker 2: bit about like your AAU team Georgia Elite. Yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 2: another team that I mean, I guys, I had to

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Speaker 2: play against Drea all the damn time, and it was

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Speaker 2: she was a freaking nightmare defensively. I mean she just

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Speaker 2: was one of the best defenders I've ever played against.

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Speaker 2: But talk about like your AAU stuff and how that

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Speaker 2: was so much different from being at Buford. Yeah, you know,

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Speaker 2: it's crazy, Like my AU coach was very similar to

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Speaker 2: coach Durden, coach Tim Ellis.

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Speaker 3: He cussed a lot more than coach Jrden, but like

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Speaker 3: was just as hard on us and he would he

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Speaker 3: would be the first to tell you that.

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Speaker 1: But he.

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Speaker 3: Great guy, great leader, and that team. You know, it's crazy,

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Speaker 3: like we weren't there were like Nike teams, Adidas teams,

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Speaker 3: there were all these like teams that were signed to

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Speaker 3: a brand, and we weren't. Like we were just we

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Speaker 3: were just Georgia Elite. And we had a bunch of

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Speaker 3: players that ended up going like Erica went to Georgia,

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Speaker 3: I ended up going to Tennessee. We had Lauren who

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Speaker 3: went to Florida State. We had some other teammates that

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Speaker 3: went to smaller schools. But like kind of similar to Buford,

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Speaker 3: we just had a system, Like we had a we

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Speaker 3: had a system on offense, we had a system on defense.

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Speaker 3: We had so many plays, we executed, we played hard,

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Speaker 3: we rotated in and out, and we were just a

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Speaker 3: very connected team. Like I think at that time, people

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Speaker 3: were flying in and out to get to their AAU teams.

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Speaker 3: This is before there were any rules, so you had

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Speaker 3: like people in California playing for the Tennessee Flight. But

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Speaker 3: our team, like we were almost like a high school

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Speaker 3: team because we and we hung out together and we

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Speaker 3: spent a lot of time together, and so I think

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Speaker 3: that affected when we would go to the gyms. But

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Speaker 3: I don't think people understand. Maybe they're this lit now.

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Speaker 3: I don't know. I haven't been to an AAU tournament

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Speaker 3: in a while, but our AAU tournaments, Lexi, you know this.

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Speaker 3: We're so lit. We're popping. They are two wall packed.

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Speaker 3: People were standing along the baseline like you you dragged

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Speaker 3: the ball out of the baseline, and you have people watching,

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Speaker 3: like right next to you or like college coaches just

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Speaker 3: sitting there. Especially our games against Lexi's team, So it

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Speaker 3: was it was a lot of fun that she later joined.

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Speaker 3: I did later join that team because here's what so

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Speaker 3: what happened was I had a great experience too because

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Speaker 3: most of my teammates for the Georgia Elite were two

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Speaker 3: years older than me, So it was sad once they

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Speaker 3: graduated because then I didn't have anywhere to go, so

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Speaker 3: I just joined Nice. She was an AU free agent.

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Speaker 2: Stary, so like that that, I mean, you talk about

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Speaker 2: that relationship you built with AU. Do you think that

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Speaker 2: like affected your decision to go to Tennessee or wherever

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Speaker 2: you were deciding to go to college, because you know,

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Speaker 2: now everybody's like kind of doing their own thing, like

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Speaker 2: I'm going to go here because it's good for me,

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Speaker 2: and I feel like a lot of younger players are

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Speaker 2: not picking the right colleges because they're not like looking

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Speaker 2: like big picture, like is this a good environment for me?

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Speaker 2: Like my teammates are just like how am I going

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Speaker 2: to do? So like talk about like your decision to

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Speaker 2: go to Tennessee and like what that process was.

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Speaker 3: Like Yeah, I think you know, it was actually hard.

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Speaker 3: My decision was because I was very close with a

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Speaker 3: lot of my AAU teammates, but my best friend was Erica,

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Speaker 3: who ended up committing to Georgia, and so I was

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Speaker 3: very pulled. My three schools were Connecticut, they were Georgia,

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Speaker 3: and they were Tennessee and then my best friend goes

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Speaker 3: to Georgia. Obviously Connecticut is having incredible amounts of success

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Speaker 3: because this was like that era for Yukon. Yeah, Yukon

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Speaker 3: was having a ton of success. Erica went to Georgia.

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Speaker 3: But Tennessee was where I always wanted to go, Like

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Speaker 3: that was just it was my dream school. I read

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Speaker 3: all of Pat Summit's books. I loved her, I loved

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Speaker 3: Tamika Catching's mi nana who passed while I was in school, actually,

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Speaker 3: but we used to watch Kandas Parker play. Like Tennessee

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Speaker 3: was where I wanted to go. And when I went

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Speaker 3: on my first visit my freshman year in high school,

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Speaker 3: it just felt different and I knew I didn't want

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Speaker 3: to go anywhere else. As soon as Pat offered me,

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Speaker 3: I committed like six months later because my dad said

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Speaker 3: I needed to win a state championship before I committed

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Speaker 3: to college. So I did that. He was like, if

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Speaker 3: you win, stays, and yeah, if you win again that

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Speaker 3: you commit. So but no, I do think, I hope

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Speaker 3: and I know obviously nil is such a big factor

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Speaker 3: now and obviously getting paid is huge for your future.

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Speaker 3: It can put you in positions that you couldn't possibly

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Speaker 3: be in so of course that is a factor. But

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Speaker 3: I do hope that players today go to a place

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Speaker 3: where they feel cared for and where they connect to

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Speaker 3: the campus and the team and the staff, because there

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Speaker 3: are situations like mine in particular, where the on the

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Speaker 3: court doesn't go the way you want it to go,

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Speaker 3: and I hope there are other factors there that contribute

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Speaker 3: to their happiness, otherwise they're going to be miserable. Obviously,

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Speaker 3: the checks are an entirely different factor in themselves, but

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Speaker 3: that is not like if basketball is not going well,

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Speaker 3: but money's still going to my bank account. Okay, great,

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Speaker 3: but maybe did not be right now, right right right.

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Speaker 3: But I do think as far as like connections go,

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Speaker 3: where you go to school is important for if basketball

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Speaker 3: doesn't work out, you want to have those connections, and

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Speaker 3: my connections at Tennessee have gotten me so many places

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Speaker 3: once basketball didn't work out for me.

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Speaker 1: I was going to ask if you could imagine what

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Speaker 1: making that decision would look like in today's world where

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Speaker 1: you have this dream school but that might not be

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Speaker 1: the school writing the check. I can only imagine how

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Speaker 1: different that would be.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, it's so crazy, And some schools literally just

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Speaker 3: have more money to give, and so you have these

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Speaker 3: athletes that are like, my family's connected to this school,

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Speaker 3: it's close to my home or whatever, but you have

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Speaker 3: this other school who's going to put my family in

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Speaker 3: a financial position that we never dreamed of, and you're

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Speaker 3: torn a little bit between that. I can't imagine. The

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Speaker 3: recruiting process was already too much for me. That's why

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Speaker 3: I committed very early. So same, all of this being

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Speaker 3: factored in, I think would be incredibly overwhelming for me.

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Speaker 2: So you talked about like your on court stuff not

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Speaker 2: going well, Talk a little bit about that.

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Speaker 3: Also.

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Speaker 2: I want to preface this by I watched Drea her

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Speaker 2: knee when we were in high school during a pickup

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Speaker 2: game and she, guys, she got up and kept playing.

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Speaker 3: Her knee was torn.

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Speaker 2: She's like, I'm good, guys, and kept playing like that's

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Speaker 2: just this is this is a tough girl right here.

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Speaker 2: But I know, like you know, dealing with that throughout

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Speaker 2: college was tough. So like, talk a little bit like

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Speaker 2: what that was like. And when you made the decision

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Speaker 2: to medically retire, and you know how you just had

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Speaker 2: to make a very extreme pivot, like in the midst

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Speaker 2: of your.

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Speaker 3: Dreams yeah, that was that was crazy. I didn't know

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Speaker 3: my aco was torn. I actually, like I remember tearing it.

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Speaker 3: I remember exactly where we were and the game and

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Speaker 3: playing and I remember like being like going down and

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Speaker 3: being like, oh, like that didn't feel good. I don't

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Speaker 3: know what that was, but like just playing through it.

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Speaker 3: I have a very high pain intolerance. But then that

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Speaker 3: night and the next morning, like at Buford, we had

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Speaker 3: to wear kakis to school, and I remember my knee

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Speaker 3: being too swollen to like put my khakis on. And

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Speaker 3: that was when so I ended up going into school

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Speaker 3: and they were like, yeah, this is not this is

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Speaker 3: not good, Like you need to see a doctor. And

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Speaker 3: I remember going to the doctor and not thinking that

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Speaker 3: my aco. I wasn't even thinking about my aco being torn.

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Speaker 3: And then they came and told me and they were like,

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Speaker 3: it is partially torn. You cannot play basketball on it.

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Speaker 3: You will completely tear it. We're going to have to

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Speaker 3: have surgery. And that was the summer I was training

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Speaker 3: for Team USA. It was the summer before my senior

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Speaker 3: year of high school. And at that point that was

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Speaker 3: just a lot of change in general. One was not

286
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Speaker 3: playing obviously, I didn't play that summer I missed most

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Speaker 3: of my senior year. But that fall was also when

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Speaker 3: pat Summit made her announcement that what she was dealing

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Speaker 3: with and the Alzheimer's and all of that, and so

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Speaker 3: then that was another change, and I still helped, you know,

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Speaker 3: kept with my commitment to the University of Tennessee. I

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Speaker 3: knew I didn't want to go anywhere else, and so

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Speaker 3: that was a change. And long story, I'll try to

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Speaker 3: make a long story short. So I tore my ACL.

295
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Speaker 3: I missed most of my senior year. I came back

296
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Speaker 3: for the end of my senior year and I played

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Speaker 3: and to end the year region tournament, tried to win

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Speaker 3: a state championship. We didn't. But in the state tournament,

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Speaker 3: I ended up like trying to tip a ball and

300
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Speaker 3: going into the bleachers and I dislocated my shoulder. Ended

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Speaker 3: up playing through that. So fast forward, we lose state.

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Speaker 3: I get to Tennessee. My knee is fine, like my

303
00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:09,840
Speaker 3: knee feels great, no issues with my left knee, but

304
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Speaker 3: my shoulder keeps dislocating. So I ended up having a

305
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Speaker 3: torn labor in my shoulder. So then I end up

306
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Speaker 3: I start as a freshman. I'm starting I think I

307
00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:22,520
Speaker 3: played seven games, went up. In one game, got hit,

308
00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:25,360
Speaker 3: fell on it, it dislocated. In the UNC game, I

309
00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:28,840
Speaker 3: was just reaching to tip a ball and my shoulder dislocated.

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Speaker 3: And at that point they were like, they were like,

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Speaker 3: your shoulder's not staying in place. We're gonna shut you down,

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Speaker 3: We're gonna red shirt you, You're gonna have surgery. So

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Speaker 3: I missed most of my senior year of high school

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Speaker 3: with a knee, came back and played, then I missed

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Speaker 3: most of my freshman year of college with a shoulder,

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Speaker 3: and then my sophomore year, I'm playing well, like shoulders fixed,

317
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Speaker 3: knees fixed, I'm still like needing confidence offensively, but that

318
00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:56,600
Speaker 3: wasn't my role on that team. So like defense, energy,

319
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Speaker 3: chasing Lexi around everywhere on the court, that was my role.

320
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Speaker 3: And basically in practice, I go down on my knee,

321
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Speaker 3: my left knee, same one as my aco, but it

322
00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:11,120
Speaker 3: ended up being my meniscus, and they were like, your

323
00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:13,480
Speaker 3: meniscus is slightly torn, but you can play on it,

324
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Speaker 3: like if you want to play, you can play on it.

325
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Speaker 3: And I was like I'm playing and through playing on

326
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Speaker 3: that that is what ended up being the injury that

327
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Speaker 3: I never recovered. From because I ended up tearing it

328
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Speaker 3: so much that I was bone on bone for that year.

329
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Speaker 3: Tried to do a scope surgery, tried to wear a brace,

330
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Speaker 3: played another year, wasn't as effective. I wasn't practicing as

331
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Speaker 3: much and ended up having a fifth year to play.

332
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Speaker 3: But that summer the doctors were like, you can play,

333
00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:48,600
Speaker 3: but you probably will only practice once a week. You

334
00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:52,000
Speaker 3: really shouldn't run on this. If you continue playing basketball,

335
00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:55,120
Speaker 3: you're gonna be on crutches in your thirties. What we

336
00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:57,800
Speaker 3: would do for your knee is a knee replacement, but

337
00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:00,000
Speaker 3: you're too young for that. We don't want to get

338
00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,160
Speaker 3: you and need replacement in your early twenties. Nobody would

339
00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:04,639
Speaker 3: do that. They were like, you can play if you want,

340
00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:06,840
Speaker 3: but you're not going to have a very lengthy career.

341
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Speaker 3: It was just one of those decisions where I already

342
00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:12,359
Speaker 3: felt like I wasn't the player that I wanted to

343
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Speaker 3: be anymore, and to keep pushing it and keep trying,

344
00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:20,760
Speaker 3: and I was in so much pain, like walking, sitting, standing.

345
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Speaker 3: I was taking tour it all, which was a blood thinner,

346
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Speaker 3: so I was bruising all the time. I didn't I

347
00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:29,320
Speaker 3: just felt awful. I loved my teammates. I loved the game,

348
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Speaker 3: I missed it, but it was coming with so much pain,

349
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Speaker 3: and so I made the decision, obviously, with my loved

350
00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:37,880
Speaker 3: ones and the doctors and my coaches and teammates, to

351
00:17:38,119 --> 00:17:39,880
Speaker 3: medically retire. And that was how it ended.

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Speaker 2: What's that crazy thing that they were like, But the

353
00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:46,680
Speaker 2: dogs were like, you're nineteen years old, twenty years old,

354
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Speaker 2: and they're like, well, you could play if you want, Like,

355
00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:51,879
Speaker 2: of course the kid is going to be like, yes,

356
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Speaker 2: I'm playing. Like I just feel like trainers, training staffs

357
00:17:55,840 --> 00:18:01,520
Speaker 2: and doctors, especially for athletes, they're just so like irresponsible

358
00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:03,879
Speaker 2: to me sometimes and I've seen it happen so much,

359
00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:05,879
Speaker 2: so I remember, I remember when all that was going on,

360
00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:09,160
Speaker 2: and I was like, because knowing I know any of

361
00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:11,679
Speaker 2: our listeners, we have a lot of new fans that

362
00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:13,800
Speaker 2: are listeners, they have no idea what type of player

363
00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:16,119
Speaker 2: you were, So even seeing you deal with that, with

364
00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:19,400
Speaker 2: the type of player that you were, everybody was just like,

365
00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:21,679
Speaker 2: like it sucks, and like you hate seeing someone you

366
00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:22,640
Speaker 2: care about deal with that.

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Speaker 1: Right, That's what I was curious about because knowing we

368
00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:28,399
Speaker 1: see this a lot, all of us working in media

369
00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:32,119
Speaker 1: now in some form of capacity with fans getting frustrated

370
00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:34,920
Speaker 1: when a player has so much talent but just can't

371
00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:37,800
Speaker 1: quote quote unquote seem to stay healthy. But I always

372
00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:40,360
Speaker 1: wonder from a player perspective, what's that like? Because it's

373
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Speaker 1: not like you want to be dealing with all of

374
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Speaker 1: these issues, but mentally you want to get out there.

375
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Speaker 1: You want to be the player that you know that

376
00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:50,320
Speaker 1: you can be, but you just physically can't. Like what

377
00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:52,240
Speaker 1: is that like emotionally as a player?

378
00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:55,160
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's hard, and I also think it's

379
00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:59,119
Speaker 3: something that can end up spirally really quickly, because, like

380
00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:01,679
Speaker 3: everything in your body ends up being connected. Right, So,

381
00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:04,399
Speaker 3: if you sprain your ankle, but you want to be

382
00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:06,800
Speaker 3: out there on the floor and you're pushing through on

383
00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:09,960
Speaker 3: this ankle, it ends up putting pressure on your knee,

384
00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:11,520
Speaker 3: or puts pressure on your hip, or it ends up

385
00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,480
Speaker 3: putting pressure on your other ankle, And like so many things,

386
00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:16,879
Speaker 3: you try to push through one injury and you end

387
00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:20,720
Speaker 3: up overcompensating in some way and putting more pressure on

388
00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:23,600
Speaker 3: another part of your body. But it's because you want

389
00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:25,399
Speaker 3: to be out there on the floor, or do you

390
00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:28,000
Speaker 3: miss time being out there on the floor and try

391
00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:31,160
Speaker 3: to get healthy and then sometimes things are just freak accidents,

392
00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:33,639
Speaker 3: like you step on someone's foot and you roll your

393
00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:36,119
Speaker 3: ankle or you like, there are just so many things

394
00:19:36,119 --> 00:19:38,880
Speaker 3: that happen in sport. But I do think there are

395
00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:42,439
Speaker 3: times where trying to push through one injury ends up

396
00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:46,639
Speaker 3: leading to another. And so I do hope that players

397
00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:48,240
Speaker 3: today and this is why I know a lot of

398
00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:51,600
Speaker 3: players get outside opinions when something happens to them, just

399
00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:55,040
Speaker 3: to make sure they're they're completely covered on all their

400
00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:58,080
Speaker 3: basis on what they should do. But there is there's

401
00:19:58,119 --> 00:20:01,679
Speaker 3: a lot of pressure to perform and pushed through not

402
00:20:01,720 --> 00:20:04,160
Speaker 3: just physical injuries, but a lot of these players now

403
00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:06,960
Speaker 3: they push through mental things that they're dealing with because

404
00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:09,200
Speaker 3: mental health is so real and there are so many

405
00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:12,520
Speaker 3: issues in that aspect. So there's a lot of pressure

406
00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:14,480
Speaker 3: to be out there on the floor, and I don't

407
00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:16,080
Speaker 3: I do think that gets overlooked.

408
00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:21,280
Speaker 1: A lot people definitely romanticized the pushing through every back

409
00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:24,160
Speaker 1: in the day, Michael Jordan played an All Lady too.

410
00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:29,040
Speaker 1: You know, everybody romanticizes pushing through an injury, and it's like, okay, no,

411
00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:30,359
Speaker 1: you know.

412
00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:33,520
Speaker 3: I used to be one of those people. A lot

413
00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:34,240
Speaker 3: I got sick.

414
00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:37,480
Speaker 2: Yeah no, no, I ain't no pushing through nothing like

415
00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:40,120
Speaker 2: you're always going to be like you said, over compensating.

416
00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:43,439
Speaker 2: I feel like the mental piece is so important. And

417
00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:47,159
Speaker 2: I feel like out of all a lot of women's

418
00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:50,200
Speaker 2: basketball players that have you know, come and went, had

419
00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:51,119
Speaker 2: a career that they.

420
00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:53,880
Speaker 3: Wanted or didn't have, you have like made.

421
00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:57,720
Speaker 2: One of the most graceful, amazing pivots that I've ever.

422
00:20:57,520 --> 00:20:58,919
Speaker 3: Seen in my life.

423
00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:04,000
Speaker 2: So out was like when because I remember after school

424
00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:08,080
Speaker 2: like you were not doing any of this like media broadcasting,

425
00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:09,879
Speaker 2: like you were just like figuring your shit out like

426
00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:12,520
Speaker 2: all of us are usually doing. And then all of

427
00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:15,720
Speaker 2: a sudden, like you're You're on ESPN every freaking day.

428
00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:19,080
Speaker 1: So I was gonna say, we're still sitting here on

429
00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:21,879
Speaker 1: TV talking like you might not be playing, but you

430
00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:23,639
Speaker 1: might be on TV more than the players.

431
00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:29,840
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's like football, yousketball this. Yeah. Yeah.

432
00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:34,720
Speaker 3: What's crazy is while it feels, I think the recent

433
00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:38,480
Speaker 3: years and how these recent years have blown up have

434
00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:42,159
Speaker 3: made it seem more graceful than it was because I

435
00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:47,400
Speaker 3: was on TV in twenty seventeen, like, and I don't

436
00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:49,639
Speaker 3: think people know that or they don't remember it. Or

437
00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:52,719
Speaker 3: they didn't like they weren't following that closely. Like it

438
00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:55,320
Speaker 3: was SEC Network and I was doing SEC Network shows

439
00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:59,720
Speaker 3: and I was also calling games online. So basically, like again,

440
00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:03,480
Speaker 3: story short, I end up deciding not to play my

441
00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:06,639
Speaker 3: fifth year, but I was still finishing my master's degree

442
00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:09,439
Speaker 3: because I graduated in three years. So I started my

443
00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:11,879
Speaker 3: masters my fourth year on the team, and I was

444
00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:13,879
Speaker 3: going to finish my master's on my fifth year on

445
00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:17,680
Speaker 3: the team. I wasn't playing anymore, but Tennessee still basically

446
00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:20,679
Speaker 3: gave me a grad assistantship to cover my scholarship, and

447
00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:24,239
Speaker 3: I worked in our academic department for athletes, so like

448
00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:27,000
Speaker 3: the athletes academic building, that's where I worked every day

449
00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:31,920
Speaker 3: and I to finish grad school. But while I was playing,

450
00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,359
Speaker 3: I became really good friends with Maria Taylor, who is

451
00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:38,680
Speaker 3: like one of the best and brightest and smartest, amazing,

452
00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:42,760
Speaker 3: amazing people on TV or in just in any space.

453
00:22:43,359 --> 00:22:46,399
Speaker 3: She is such a light and I got connected with

454
00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:50,080
Speaker 3: her and she I went down to Charlotte to visit her.

455
00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:51,520
Speaker 3: She was living there at the time. She took me

456
00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:54,639
Speaker 3: to the SEC Network studio. I met some people there. Actually,

457
00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:56,840
Speaker 3: the person I met there this was in twenty sixteen.

458
00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:01,159
Speaker 3: The person I met there is now my current at ESPN,

459
00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:03,760
Speaker 3: which is just so crazy about the full circle of moments.

460
00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:09,560
Speaker 3: There's so many of them. But basically right Tennessee. While

461
00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:14,159
Speaker 3: I was finishing my master's degree at Tennessee, the university

462
00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:17,320
Speaker 3: asked if I would be the color analyst for their

463
00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:21,280
Speaker 3: SEC network plus games, so like for the Tennessee games

464
00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:23,800
Speaker 3: that were online. They wanted me to be the analyst.

465
00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:26,800
Speaker 3: The schools book those people, and so I did like

466
00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:29,920
Speaker 3: a couple of run through sessions with Ball for Life films,

467
00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:32,159
Speaker 3: trying to learn TV. I didn't study TV. I did

468
00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:36,320
Speaker 3: study communication. My masters was in kinesiology. I never thought this.

469
00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:38,359
Speaker 3: I never saw myself being on TV. I was like

470
00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:40,680
Speaker 3: friends with Maria and she was like, you should think

471
00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:42,920
Speaker 3: about doing TV. You speak, well, you know the game

472
00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:44,280
Speaker 3: We've sen your inn I remember.

473
00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:50,120
Speaker 2: I was like no cameras, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, and.

474
00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:55,359
Speaker 3: Basically calling the Tennessee games. So one of my assistants

475
00:23:55,359 --> 00:23:57,520
Speaker 3: went to Kentucky and one of my assistants went to

476
00:23:57,560 --> 00:24:01,600
Speaker 3: South Carolina that coached me at Tennessee, and the one

477
00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:05,360
Speaker 3: at Kentucky was like, hey, our analyst just backed out

478
00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:07,560
Speaker 3: of the game. That's in a couple of days. We're

479
00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:10,000
Speaker 3: playing Mississippi State. This was the year Misissippi statement to

480
00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:12,399
Speaker 3: the Final four, so they were playing Misissippi State. Can

481
00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:14,679
Speaker 3: you come be the analyst for our game? So I

482
00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:19,480
Speaker 3: missed class, drove to Lexington, called the game. The game

483
00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:22,000
Speaker 3: went to overtime. It shouldn't have went to overtime. And

484
00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:24,320
Speaker 3: I think it was an online game, but when it

485
00:24:24,359 --> 00:24:27,560
Speaker 3: went to overtime, I think people started listening or watching

486
00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:30,119
Speaker 3: and they're like, who is calling this game? And it

487
00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:33,960
Speaker 3: was me, And that is basically how ESPN got wind

488
00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,199
Speaker 3: of me. The boss at the time was Pat Lowry,

489
00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:37,760
Speaker 3: and everyone was like, you need to meet Pat Lowry.

490
00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:41,600
Speaker 3: You need to meet Pat Lowry. Fast forwarding. I ended

491
00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:43,840
Speaker 3: up meeting her at the SEC tournament. She said she

492
00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:45,919
Speaker 3: had like fifteen minutes of her time. We ended up

493
00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:49,480
Speaker 3: talking for like an hour. But while we were talking,

494
00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:52,679
Speaker 3: Nicky Fargus walks up to me and starts chatting. Nel

495
00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:54,640
Speaker 3: Fordner walks up to me. These were coaches in the

496
00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,480
Speaker 3: SEC at the time who I had relationships with, be

497
00:24:57,480 --> 00:24:59,840
Speaker 3: it through recruiting or just from my time as a player.

498
00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:03,359
Speaker 3: And Pat was like, all right, the championship game is tomorrow.

499
00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:05,119
Speaker 3: I want you to sit in the truck with me

500
00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:07,040
Speaker 3: and watch the game, and I'm just going to pick

501
00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:11,600
Speaker 3: your brain. So the championship game happens South Carolina, Mississippi

502
00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:13,479
Speaker 3: State is who I think it was, and she's like,

503
00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:15,160
Speaker 3: you know, what are they going to run here? I'm

504
00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:17,480
Speaker 3: like Victoria Vivian's to the corner. She's like, what's what's

505
00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:19,639
Speaker 3: don want here? I'm like a Lena Coach short corner,

506
00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:24,000
Speaker 3: like just just talking. And it was that in March.

507
00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:27,840
Speaker 3: She was like, all right, next winter, which would be

508
00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:30,040
Speaker 3: twenty seventeen. She's like, all right, next winter, I'll give

509
00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:33,200
Speaker 3: you two games on TV and if you do well,

510
00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:36,199
Speaker 3: then you'll get more. And so that was basically my

511
00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:40,679
Speaker 3: first like unspoken TV opportunity. And December came around. I

512
00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:44,000
Speaker 3: think it was November, actually November. December came around and

513
00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:46,240
Speaker 3: I had a Mississippi State game and I had a

514
00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:49,360
Speaker 3: Florida game on TV, and I ended up doing more

515
00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:55,119
Speaker 3: games that year, and it kind of went, that's insane.

516
00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:57,160
Speaker 3: It's never heard that before.

517
00:25:57,920 --> 00:26:02,560
Speaker 2: Yeah, literally, Okay, so now we're pivoting a few more

518
00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:06,960
Speaker 2: years whatever. Now you're doing football, you're doing college game day,

519
00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:09,400
Speaker 2: like you're doing everything, but I think your most notable

520
00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:15,240
Speaker 2: thing as of now is the Big Three? So how

521
00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:18,840
Speaker 2: did that come together? Was it random? Did you guys

522
00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:22,520
Speaker 2: plan that? Did y'all just all happen to be around

523
00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:24,159
Speaker 2: each other at the same time. They're like, you know what,

524
00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:27,000
Speaker 2: y'all three do it? Y'all cover WNBA because you know

525
00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:29,840
Speaker 2: how people used to be about the w They kind

526
00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:34,719
Speaker 2: of like here, damn, So how did that come about?

527
00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:39,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's it's kind of crazy because so when I

528
00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:41,159
Speaker 3: I did well, you know, lex say, I was an

529
00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:44,960
Speaker 3: Orange Theory coach calling games, doing TV like I didn't.

530
00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:47,200
Speaker 3: I did that for four years, so my first TV

531
00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:49,600
Speaker 3: game is twenty seventeen. I didn't go full time at

532
00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:53,359
Speaker 3: ESPN until twenty twenty one, so like, Orange Theory paid

533
00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:55,639
Speaker 3: my salary while I was trying to get more and

534
00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:57,679
Speaker 3: more on TV. But in twenty twenty one, I went

535
00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:00,679
Speaker 3: full time. That's when they were like, you're gonna do football, softball,

536
00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:02,719
Speaker 3: and baseball at this, at this, at this, And I

537
00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:06,280
Speaker 3: did everything and then finally worked to get to the

538
00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:07,720
Speaker 3: point where I could say, hey, I just want to

539
00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:10,360
Speaker 3: get back to doing basketball only. And that's been these

540
00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:13,679
Speaker 3: last couple of years or I've really just focused on basketball,

541
00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:19,760
Speaker 3: the Big Three. Honestly, it feels random because it really

542
00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:22,480
Speaker 3: was the first year so we did College Game Day.

543
00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:27,240
Speaker 3: That was for our listeners, who's the big three? Oh yeah,

544
00:27:27,359 --> 00:27:30,159
Speaker 3: for those that don't know the Big three, it is

545
00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:35,400
Speaker 3: me Elle, Duncan and chine Okay, so that is now,

546
00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:40,280
Speaker 3: that is the Big Three. And honestly, it happened very organically,

547
00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:44,159
Speaker 3: like we had a College Game Day crew that was

548
00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:46,359
Speaker 3: people rotated in and out. So sometimes it was like

549
00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:50,400
Speaker 3: me Elle joined and it was Rebecca Lobo and Carolyn

550
00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:52,560
Speaker 3: Peck or maybe it was Carolyn Peck and Cheney or

551
00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:54,680
Speaker 3: it was it was just whoever it could be there

552
00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:58,120
Speaker 3: that week. And then Chinee did join for a couple

553
00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:01,600
Speaker 3: of shows and joined all of us, and the decision

554
00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:08,080
Speaker 3: makers it was for the NCAA tournament. Yeah, they were like, yeah,

555
00:28:08,119 --> 00:28:10,560
Speaker 3: that's what happened. So really the whole crew, it was

556
00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:15,080
Speaker 3: all of us throughout the season and then for the tournament,

557
00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:18,359
Speaker 3: I think Cheney and I. Yeah, like Rebecca went to

558
00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:21,080
Speaker 3: call games in the NCAA Tournament and so then it

559
00:28:21,119 --> 00:28:23,760
Speaker 3: was just meet Ellen Chaney in the studio because Carolyn

560
00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:28,800
Speaker 3: was calling games too, and that tournament in the studio,

561
00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:32,879
Speaker 3: we just vibed like we were in there for sixteen

562
00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:39,080
Speaker 3: hours straight watching basketball, talking trash, enjoying each other, making jokes,

563
00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:42,440
Speaker 3: getting to know each other. And that is really that stretch.

564
00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:44,880
Speaker 3: And I think two like fans who were really keeping

565
00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:46,840
Speaker 3: up with the tournament, we're also spending time with us

566
00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:50,600
Speaker 3: every day. So it was just this huge commitment to

567
00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:53,800
Speaker 3: watching women's basketball with the three of us getting you

568
00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:57,360
Speaker 3: from one game to the next, explaining what one game means,

569
00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:00,880
Speaker 3: explaining another matchup, arguing about what's more, and it was

570
00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:02,960
Speaker 3: kind of like we were just hanging out with women's college.

571
00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:08,719
Speaker 3: That's how two weeks straight and it blew up and exploded,

572
00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:11,920
Speaker 3: and that's what led to us being the game day

573
00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:14,920
Speaker 3: crew and us getting WNBA opportunities, And really, I think

574
00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:17,080
Speaker 3: they just wanted to keep the three of us together

575
00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:20,440
Speaker 3: because of the chemistry and the energy that we had

576
00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:21,200
Speaker 3: in that tournament.

577
00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:23,880
Speaker 2: I mean, that tournament wouldn't be that tournament without y'all.

578
00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:26,640
Speaker 2: Like I don't care what anybody says, I don't care

579
00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:30,360
Speaker 2: what anybody says. If y'all three were not together covering it,

580
00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:34,040
Speaker 2: it would not have had the impact or the enjoyment

581
00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:36,320
Speaker 2: that I think everybody like literally I was on Twitter

582
00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:38,320
Speaker 2: is when I was still on Twitter, like, yes, we

583
00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:40,800
Speaker 2: were talking about the games, but like everybody was talking

584
00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:42,400
Speaker 2: about y'all, like it was so.

585
00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:46,080
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, it was insane. I remember my mom

586
00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:54,680
Speaker 1: telling me. I was like, I didn't even like peep that.

587
00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:57,200
Speaker 1: And then I think, you know, coming up, because I

588
00:29:57,360 --> 00:30:00,040
Speaker 1: always come from a different background from you, because I

589
00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:02,320
Speaker 1: always wanted to do media, and so I paid attention

590
00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:04,640
Speaker 1: to things like that, and coming up when I was younger,

591
00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:06,800
Speaker 1: it was like stage Steel, like it was Sage Steel,

592
00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:07,280
Speaker 1: Stage Steels.

593
00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:08,720
Speaker 3: She was the only one.

594
00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:11,000
Speaker 1: And then it was like I went to Georgia too,

595
00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:14,080
Speaker 1: so Maria Taylor was like and I was studying sportsbroadcasting,

596
00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:17,160
Speaker 1: so Maria Taylor was like god to us. And then

597
00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:20,040
Speaker 1: coming up and I got a little bit older, I

598
00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:21,680
Speaker 1: look at the TV one day and I'm like, oh

599
00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:24,840
Speaker 1: my god, it's just like it's just it's three black

600
00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:27,800
Speaker 1: women up there talking. Everybody has their own perspective, their

601
00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:30,640
Speaker 1: own personality, their own unique thing that they bring to

602
00:30:30,680 --> 00:30:34,680
Speaker 1: the table. And it was so exciting, especially to see

603
00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:39,200
Speaker 1: you guys get give excellent coverage but be yourselves like

604
00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:41,520
Speaker 1: it really felt like you were being yourselves. I think

605
00:30:41,520 --> 00:30:42,520
Speaker 1: that's what carried.

606
00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:46,000
Speaker 3: With the audience. Yeah, yeah, I think that too, Like

607
00:30:46,080 --> 00:30:49,320
Speaker 3: and we're all so different, Like Elle is a mom

608
00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:51,720
Speaker 3: and she's the auntie and she's you know, gonna give

609
00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:54,120
Speaker 3: references that Toenay and I don't even know. And then

610
00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:56,840
Speaker 3: Janay is just like this ball of energy that has

611
00:30:56,880 --> 00:30:58,720
Speaker 3: so much energy. She's so bright. And then I can

612
00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:02,240
Speaker 3: like overthink and over analyze, and we have different voices,

613
00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:06,120
Speaker 3: different energies, but it just worked so well. We were

614
00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:08,920
Speaker 3: playing off of each other really well. I will also

615
00:31:09,080 --> 00:31:12,280
Speaker 3: say just because I do always try to make sure

616
00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:17,760
Speaker 3: the players and the games are the focus. Like the

617
00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:23,160
Speaker 3: games were also so good, like I think had if

618
00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:24,880
Speaker 3: we were, and I think we could have done it

619
00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:26,920
Speaker 3: just because we got We get along so well, we

620
00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:30,440
Speaker 3: can kind of make anything seem exciting. But the fact

621
00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:34,800
Speaker 3: that we didn't have to fake excitement or fake interest

622
00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:39,239
Speaker 3: or like pretend that something was impactful when really it

623
00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:42,120
Speaker 3: wasn't impactful. We didn't have to make it up. There

624
00:31:42,160 --> 00:31:47,080
Speaker 3: really was genuine performances and games and content and moments

625
00:31:47,320 --> 00:31:50,440
Speaker 3: that we were excited about. And I think that genuine

626
00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:54,920
Speaker 3: authenticity coming from what we were watching was what was showing.

627
00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:57,880
Speaker 3: It was honestly like the perfect mix, because if the

628
00:31:57,920 --> 00:32:00,000
Speaker 3: games weren't as good, we might not have been as good,

629
00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:02,160
Speaker 3: and if we weren't as good, maybe people wouldn't have

630
00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:04,320
Speaker 3: been as interested in the game. But we just had both.

631
00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:08,240
Speaker 3: So it was this perfect meeting of like high quality

632
00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:10,560
Speaker 3: on both ends. And I was I'm honestly glad we

633
00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:13,040
Speaker 3: were able to meet that moment because the games were

634
00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:14,840
Speaker 3: so good, we just wanted to match that.

635
00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:18,480
Speaker 2: Yeah, y'all sur past I remember we were just talking

636
00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:21,160
Speaker 2: our last episode. Remember when we used to have one

637
00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:25,120
Speaker 2: channel for all of the tournament games. Yes, and like

638
00:32:25,320 --> 00:32:27,320
Speaker 2: you just were lucky if you got ten minutes of

639
00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:30,200
Speaker 2: airtime and you're the number one even the country and

640
00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:33,400
Speaker 2: you're sharing a screen with everybody else. And now every

641
00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:36,720
Speaker 2: game like has their own things. So yeah, like y'all

642
00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:39,440
Speaker 2: really rose to the occasion. And I do think, I mean,

643
00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:40,960
Speaker 2: I'm going to give I mean, you're.

644
00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:41,800
Speaker 3: Going to give the players credit.

645
00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:44,040
Speaker 2: Obviously what they did on the court is important, but

646
00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:47,320
Speaker 2: I'm definitely going to contribute that tournament, in particular y'all's

647
00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:49,920
Speaker 2: coverage to it to you know, one of the driving

648
00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:54,240
Speaker 2: forces of this like explosion of interest in women's basketball

649
00:32:54,360 --> 00:32:57,160
Speaker 2: from your perspective, Like, what are some other things that

650
00:32:57,200 --> 00:33:00,200
Speaker 2: you feel are driving that explosion? How's it felt on

651
00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:01,800
Speaker 2: the media side of it, because you know, I like

652
00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:04,480
Speaker 2: dibble and dabble in the media, Mariah is like in

653
00:33:04,520 --> 00:33:07,080
Speaker 2: a completely different media space than you are, So like,

654
00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:07,440
Speaker 2: what is.

655
00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:10,720
Speaker 3: It like like on that side of it? I think

656
00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:14,120
Speaker 3: that's all of it, though, Like I think the collective

657
00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:18,959
Speaker 3: investment and so obviously like companies and brands investing in

658
00:33:19,040 --> 00:33:21,280
Speaker 3: these players and who they are as people. And I

659
00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:24,320
Speaker 3: think and actually, we just had some research elements in

660
00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:26,600
Speaker 3: this college basketball meeting that I was a part of,

661
00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:30,120
Speaker 3: and they were saying how women's basketball fans are more

662
00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:32,600
Speaker 3: connected to the individual player. This was based on like

663
00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:35,320
Speaker 3: a survey that came out, but how women's basketball fans

664
00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:39,440
Speaker 3: are more connected to the individuals. And I think because

665
00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:43,040
Speaker 3: of nil and brand deals and opportunities to see who

666
00:33:43,080 --> 00:33:47,720
Speaker 3: these women are, that has helped fans new fans pick

667
00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:50,200
Speaker 3: a player and ride for that player and follow that

668
00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:53,160
Speaker 3: player's team, and wherever that player goes, they're following that player.

669
00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:56,240
Speaker 3: So the investment from brands for sure, and giving these

670
00:33:56,240 --> 00:34:01,040
Speaker 3: women opportunities to show who they are through partnerships and

671
00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:04,400
Speaker 3: through brands and through connections. That's huge, But also the

672
00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:07,959
Speaker 3: investment too, Like I noticed a big shift that season,

673
00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:11,680
Speaker 3: So this was two tournaments ago, where like we were

674
00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:16,799
Speaker 3: getting requests from Good Morning America, first, take Get Up,

675
00:34:17,040 --> 00:34:20,439
Speaker 3: like these other sport channels. I mean that these other

676
00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:24,359
Speaker 3: sports shows that ESPNA has always had, showing this incredible

677
00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:28,319
Speaker 3: interest in women's basketball, and these are shows that they're

678
00:34:28,360 --> 00:34:30,520
Speaker 3: going to talk about the hottest topic. That's the point

679
00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:33,040
Speaker 3: of the show, right like whatever is new. So we

680
00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:35,920
Speaker 3: were getting these requests that we hadn't gotten before. So

681
00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:39,440
Speaker 3: our workload and our assignments and are the things we

682
00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:41,560
Speaker 3: were being asked to do was increasing, But we were

683
00:34:41,640 --> 00:34:44,800
Speaker 3: very willing to do it because that grows the game.

684
00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:49,480
Speaker 3: So that from more people being invested, from content creators

685
00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:53,920
Speaker 3: being more invested and creating fun and quick and entertaining

686
00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:56,640
Speaker 3: ways to talk about these players and talk about these games.

687
00:34:56,680 --> 00:34:58,880
Speaker 3: And you know, people's attention spans are so short, Like

688
00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:01,040
Speaker 3: some people don't want to listen to me talk for

689
00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:04,239
Speaker 3: thirty minutes about all the breakdowns in the x's and o's.

690
00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:06,120
Speaker 3: They might just want to hear someone like Marian get

691
00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:08,400
Speaker 3: into it, get right into it, tell us the big things.

692
00:35:08,440 --> 00:35:12,279
Speaker 3: And so it's the overall commitment to the sport and

693
00:35:12,400 --> 00:35:15,359
Speaker 3: being able to see it and take it in from

694
00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:18,080
Speaker 3: different angles in different ways that I think it's been

695
00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:21,239
Speaker 3: able to grow. And again, of course, the product being

696
00:35:21,239 --> 00:35:24,000
Speaker 3: good always helps, Like we can't sell something that's not good,

697
00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:27,319
Speaker 3: So it's just a mix of all of that. My

698
00:35:27,560 --> 00:35:28,879
Speaker 3: thing is with.

699
00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:32,279
Speaker 1: That tournament in particular, there was a huge that was

700
00:35:32,280 --> 00:35:35,240
Speaker 1: a moment, like it was insane, everybody was paying attention,

701
00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:39,960
Speaker 1: everybody loved it, and I always wondered from college right,

702
00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:44,040
Speaker 1: it seemed like with women's sports basketball in particular, people

703
00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:48,120
Speaker 1: were so willing to digest women's sports in the college format,

704
00:35:48,200 --> 00:35:50,600
Speaker 1: like people were obsessed with it. People were very interested

705
00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:53,200
Speaker 1: in it, and when that interest sort of carried over

706
00:35:53,440 --> 00:35:56,200
Speaker 1: into the W on a larger scale, there was this.

707
00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:58,240
Speaker 3: Like of new fans.

708
00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:01,240
Speaker 1: How do you view that trend position from the interest

709
00:36:01,760 --> 00:36:05,279
Speaker 1: being in college students and why people are so fascinated

710
00:36:05,320 --> 00:36:09,120
Speaker 1: with those games in particular, and how that transition happens

711
00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:09,719
Speaker 1: into the W.

712
00:36:11,280 --> 00:36:15,000
Speaker 3: I think people are interested in college athletics in particular

713
00:36:15,239 --> 00:36:20,560
Speaker 3: because you know, those players are like trying to collectively

714
00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:23,759
Speaker 3: get themselves to the next level. Like, to me, the

715
00:36:23,760 --> 00:36:26,080
Speaker 3: best thing about college athletics is that those players are

716
00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:29,440
Speaker 3: playing like with a goal in mind for their career

717
00:36:29,640 --> 00:36:32,080
Speaker 3: and their future and their family, and they're like the

718
00:36:32,120 --> 00:36:36,520
Speaker 3: rest of their lives are really determined by those four

719
00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:39,600
Speaker 3: years with that team or the teams that they end

720
00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:42,160
Speaker 3: up going to, or what they do in college determines

721
00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:45,600
Speaker 3: what they're doing at the next level, and so I

722
00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:48,520
Speaker 3: think that's particularly interesting. Also, I think people are just

723
00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:52,480
Speaker 3: very connected to the universities. Like people love their schools.

724
00:36:52,520 --> 00:36:56,000
Speaker 3: There are very committed fans to the schools. We haven't

725
00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:59,360
Speaker 3: always seen that at the pro level. For women's basketball,

726
00:36:59,360 --> 00:37:02,279
Speaker 3: we haven't seen like some we have. But this is

727
00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:05,399
Speaker 3: the first time really where I feel like players are

728
00:37:05,440 --> 00:37:10,239
Speaker 3: being followed from college wherever they go in the W

729
00:37:10,920 --> 00:37:14,279
Speaker 3: like college fans who attached to these players, which I

730
00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:17,839
Speaker 3: do give nil credit social media credit, like fans can

731
00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:21,560
Speaker 3: now instead of just connecting to Yukon or Tennessee or

732
00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:24,080
Speaker 3: whatever's on the front of the jerseys, fans can get

733
00:37:24,120 --> 00:37:27,400
Speaker 3: to connect to these players individually and it has led

734
00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:30,920
Speaker 3: to following those players into the W and so now

735
00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:37,640
Speaker 3: the fandom has just grown immensely from college basketball transitioning

736
00:37:37,680 --> 00:37:41,319
Speaker 3: into the w people are following that transition now where really,

737
00:37:41,360 --> 00:37:43,120
Speaker 3: you weren't getting as much le so you can speak

738
00:37:43,160 --> 00:37:46,560
Speaker 3: to this, You weren't getting that follow from one stage

739
00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:48,880
Speaker 3: to the net. Yeah, Like people would just obviously for

740
00:37:48,920 --> 00:37:51,759
Speaker 3: the superstars, and you would watch the absolute, you know,

741
00:37:52,520 --> 00:37:55,720
Speaker 3: most incredible players on their team, and these dynasty teams

742
00:37:55,760 --> 00:37:57,480
Speaker 3: and the teams that won a lot of championships, they

743
00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:00,160
Speaker 3: had a ton of fans. But now, and you see

744
00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:02,959
Speaker 3: this in the NBA at times, where like the top

745
00:38:02,960 --> 00:38:06,360
Speaker 3: player can go to a bad team and that team

746
00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:09,320
Speaker 3: still has a lot of fans because people love that player.

747
00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:12,200
Speaker 3: And we didn't always have that. I mean, you think

748
00:38:12,239 --> 00:38:14,480
Speaker 3: about the links that links team.

749
00:38:15,239 --> 00:38:18,720
Speaker 2: You don't as amazing as all of them were as individuals,

750
00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:22,280
Speaker 2: you think of them as the unit. And I feel

751
00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:26,200
Speaker 2: like that part of WNBA fandom is sometimes I miss

752
00:38:26,239 --> 00:38:30,279
Speaker 2: that because now, like you said, everybody is like just

753
00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:33,720
Speaker 2: attaching themselves to one individual player.

754
00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:35,440
Speaker 3: This is not an individual sport.

755
00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:37,960
Speaker 2: I do understand that in the last few years the

756
00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:40,880
Speaker 2: w people have been bouncing around a lot. I'm hoping

757
00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:45,000
Speaker 2: that with this new CBA players will start walking in

758
00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:48,879
Speaker 2: to three four year deals. So now there's a way

759
00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:52,920
Speaker 2: to marry these individual fandoms and then these team fandoms

760
00:38:52,960 --> 00:38:55,640
Speaker 2: and then like it can just overall make the ecosystem

761
00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:58,160
Speaker 2: better because I feel like it's a little it's a

762
00:38:58,200 --> 00:39:01,000
Speaker 2: little spooky right now, not gonna lie, but again, now

763
00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:03,720
Speaker 2: everyone is like sitting around, like where's my favorite player

764
00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:04,120
Speaker 2: gonna go.

765
00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:07,759
Speaker 3: It's like the basketball hunger games for fans right now.

766
00:39:07,800 --> 00:39:09,920
Speaker 3: It's crazy. That's the next step.

767
00:39:10,080 --> 00:39:14,000
Speaker 1: That's something that women's basketball has over men's basketball. In

768
00:39:14,040 --> 00:39:16,320
Speaker 1: my opinion, Lexi and I have spoken about this before

769
00:39:16,640 --> 00:39:19,319
Speaker 1: that when they're in college, they're there for more than

770
00:39:19,440 --> 00:39:21,680
Speaker 1: just a year. Even the best of the best players

771
00:39:21,719 --> 00:39:23,560
Speaker 1: are there for more than just a year. So we're

772
00:39:23,640 --> 00:39:27,320
Speaker 1: following this storyline of Juju Walkins, We're following this storyline

773
00:39:27,360 --> 00:39:30,560
Speaker 1: of Caitlin Clark, and then she has this rival Angel Reese,

774
00:39:30,560 --> 00:39:32,440
Speaker 1: and we get to see them play and somebody win,

775
00:39:32,560 --> 00:39:34,080
Speaker 1: and then we get to see it again next year.

776
00:39:34,360 --> 00:39:37,040
Speaker 1: Whereas it makes us like fall in love with that

777
00:39:37,120 --> 00:39:38,920
Speaker 1: story and then you follow it into the league like

778
00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:42,320
Speaker 1: most Indiana Fever fans, most of those people are from Indiana.

779
00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:45,800
Speaker 1: But to Lexi's point, that means that we have to

780
00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:48,600
Speaker 1: keep these teams together so that people are watching what's

781
00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:51,040
Speaker 1: happening around these players and falling in love with that too.

782
00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:54,160
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, and that's where I think, like that's what

783
00:39:54,239 --> 00:39:57,880
Speaker 3: I hope the w also gets back to, like these

784
00:39:57,960 --> 00:40:00,680
Speaker 3: teams will stay together and whoever the super star is,

785
00:40:00,920 --> 00:40:03,840
Speaker 3: of course that's the superstar, but you also start to

786
00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:06,799
Speaker 3: appreciate what the other It's something the Aces have done

787
00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:07,319
Speaker 3: really well.

788
00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:11,480
Speaker 2: Obviously they've been built asking us for four years out.

789
00:40:12,800 --> 00:40:17,040
Speaker 3: It's for a reason, yes, it's a reason, but you

790
00:40:17,080 --> 00:40:20,160
Speaker 3: see obviously the superstar, but even just watching their finals run,

791
00:40:20,560 --> 00:40:25,280
Speaker 3: you watch how that superstar in Asia just uplifts everyone,

792
00:40:25,360 --> 00:40:29,680
Speaker 3: how everyone thrives around that player, and you can celebrate

793
00:40:29,680 --> 00:40:31,440
Speaker 3: what Chelse he's able to do, what Jackie's able to

794
00:40:31,480 --> 00:40:34,600
Speaker 3: do with Dana Jewel and that team. Obviously, you hope

795
00:40:34,600 --> 00:40:37,880
Speaker 3: they stay together and you become Aces fans, like a

796
00:40:37,880 --> 00:40:40,759
Speaker 3: fan of Asia Wilson is amazing, and they also turn

797
00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:43,040
Speaker 3: into a fan of the Aces. And I hope what

798
00:40:43,080 --> 00:40:45,040
Speaker 3: the Aces have been able to build in terms of

799
00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:49,520
Speaker 3: just their organizational fandom, like growing that at all of

800
00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:52,960
Speaker 3: the leagues as players stay there and build those teams

801
00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:54,879
Speaker 3: around them because that's what you think about. Like when

802
00:40:54,880 --> 00:40:56,880
Speaker 3: you mentioned the links or you mentioned the sparks, we

803
00:40:56,960 --> 00:41:00,200
Speaker 3: also got to see the links and the sparks got

804
00:41:00,239 --> 00:41:03,799
Speaker 3: it back and forth, and so you attance yourself too.

805
00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:06,360
Speaker 3: Are you cheering for Candace? Are you cheering for Maya?

806
00:41:06,440 --> 00:41:08,400
Speaker 3: Are you cheering for Kandas's teammates? Are you cheering for

807
00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:10,719
Speaker 3: Maya's teammates? Who are you rooting for? And you get

808
00:41:10,719 --> 00:41:13,279
Speaker 3: to pick a side, And so getting back to some

809
00:41:13,360 --> 00:41:17,279
Speaker 3: of those rivalries and back and forth where you are

810
00:41:17,440 --> 00:41:20,879
Speaker 3: feeling like you're following a storyline in the W that's

811
00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:22,439
Speaker 3: where it gets that the NBA has had it too.

812
00:41:22,600 --> 00:41:25,120
Speaker 3: You know, these rivalries where these teams go back and forth.

813
00:41:25,520 --> 00:41:28,000
Speaker 3: That's that's the fun part to me that I think

814
00:41:28,080 --> 00:41:31,399
Speaker 3: is the next step for the W are getting back

815
00:41:31,440 --> 00:41:33,600
Speaker 3: to it like we were there and now we're here.

816
00:41:33,800 --> 00:41:34,839
Speaker 3: Ever going to get back there?

817
00:41:35,440 --> 00:41:35,680
Speaker 2: Yeah?

818
00:41:35,880 --> 00:41:37,279
Speaker 3: No, I agree, trust me.

819
00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:42,400
Speaker 1: I definitely feel like that's a way that the WNBA

820
00:41:42,520 --> 00:41:45,319
Speaker 1: could take a page out of College's book so that

821
00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:47,120
Speaker 1: we can have that. I know, got a little bit

822
00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:49,799
Speaker 1: toxic there for a minute with the rivalry thing, but

823
00:41:49,880 --> 00:41:53,520
Speaker 1: people do love this team versus that team, and at

824
00:41:53,520 --> 00:41:56,040
Speaker 1: the beginning, that rivalry was very much about basketball, at

825
00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:58,000
Speaker 1: least for me, like it was like, Okay, who's going

826
00:41:58,040 --> 00:42:00,040
Speaker 1: to win this year? Because they were going at it

827
00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:02,319
Speaker 1: as far as March Madness was concerned, as far as

828
00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:04,560
Speaker 1: winning championships were one out of that rivalry, you know,

829
00:42:04,760 --> 00:42:06,560
Speaker 1: And that's what made people so attached to it.

830
00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:08,600
Speaker 3: Once we start seeing, you.

831
00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:11,640
Speaker 1: Know, Asia and the Aces have a rival that's like

832
00:42:12,239 --> 00:42:14,719
Speaker 1: them and the team. It's the same people every year,

833
00:42:14,800 --> 00:42:17,359
Speaker 1: and we see them talking trash and stuff like that.

834
00:42:17,360 --> 00:42:18,960
Speaker 1: That will it'll come back.

835
00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:21,320
Speaker 2: But it's like we don't have like we literally don't

836
00:42:21,360 --> 00:42:25,320
Speaker 2: have that. Like they've been trying to like make fetch happen.

837
00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:27,640
Speaker 2: It's just not there. And I'm like, I feel like

838
00:42:28,560 --> 00:42:32,200
Speaker 2: that is literally like the piece that's missing in our

839
00:42:32,280 --> 00:42:36,000
Speaker 2: league is like having like team like real team rivalries,

840
00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:39,080
Speaker 2: like real competition, real bad energy.

841
00:42:38,880 --> 00:42:40,480
Speaker 3: Within the confines of the game.

842
00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:43,880
Speaker 2: Of course, some reason everybody thinks that that whatever that

843
00:42:44,040 --> 00:42:45,560
Speaker 2: is leaves when the game is over.

844
00:42:45,640 --> 00:42:47,360
Speaker 3: Now, it stays right where it is because that's.

845
00:42:47,200 --> 00:43:00,720
Speaker 2: Where it belongs. It's just as far as work talking

846
00:43:00,719 --> 00:43:05,399
Speaker 2: about the W, so we're gonna pivot the W. When

847
00:43:05,440 --> 00:43:07,600
Speaker 2: you look at all these new teams. You know, we

848
00:43:07,640 --> 00:43:10,839
Speaker 2: have everybody free agent blah blah blah. What franchise are

849
00:43:10,880 --> 00:43:14,560
Speaker 2: you like looking at to like where this this year is?

850
00:43:14,680 --> 00:43:17,759
Speaker 3: Like y'all gotta like figure it out?

851
00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:21,120
Speaker 2: Like now, Like what is like one franchise that you're

852
00:43:21,160 --> 00:43:22,799
Speaker 2: like looking at, Like okay, like.

853
00:43:22,760 --> 00:43:25,120
Speaker 3: In terms of figuring it out like on the court,

854
00:43:25,360 --> 00:43:27,640
Speaker 3: off the court, like you need.

855
00:43:27,520 --> 00:43:32,239
Speaker 2: To, Like this team is due for some success they

856
00:43:32,239 --> 00:43:35,440
Speaker 2: need to figure out. Okay, they need yeah, both, but

857
00:43:35,520 --> 00:43:37,960
Speaker 2: like now it's like basically everyone has like an open slate,

858
00:43:38,520 --> 00:43:41,080
Speaker 2: like an empty roster to like make the right moves.

859
00:43:41,120 --> 00:43:43,200
Speaker 2: I mean, I feel like there's a lot of answers here,

860
00:43:43,239 --> 00:43:44,040
Speaker 2: but I'm interest to see.

861
00:43:44,120 --> 00:43:47,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, but you know there are a lot of answers.

862
00:43:47,840 --> 00:43:50,600
Speaker 3: I am particularly interested and I'll tell you why. But

863
00:43:50,680 --> 00:43:55,920
Speaker 3: I'm particularly interested in the Sparks because there was actually

864
00:43:55,920 --> 00:43:58,160
Speaker 3: some research done, research done, I don't know if it

865
00:43:58,200 --> 00:44:00,880
Speaker 3: was last year or the year before, and the Sparks

866
00:44:01,440 --> 00:44:03,360
Speaker 3: had not been doing very well, like the Sparks have,

867
00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:06,800
Speaker 3: you know, they've struggled, they just have in recent years.

868
00:44:07,280 --> 00:44:10,480
Speaker 3: And the Sparks were still from research that we pulled

869
00:44:10,840 --> 00:44:15,239
Speaker 3: one of the top like searched teams like the Sparks change.

870
00:44:15,200 --> 00:44:17,000
Speaker 3: You know, out you can search websites and who's clicking

871
00:44:17,040 --> 00:44:19,160
Speaker 3: on what, and like looking at the Sparks and what

872
00:44:19,200 --> 00:44:23,160
Speaker 3: they were doing, like purple and gold is those colors

873
00:44:23,200 --> 00:44:26,879
Speaker 3: are legendary in the basketball world. And that is an

874
00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:31,360
Speaker 3: organization and a franchise that I feel like we've seen

875
00:44:31,640 --> 00:44:34,600
Speaker 3: have such great success at such high levels, and then

876
00:44:34,640 --> 00:44:37,840
Speaker 3: we have seen plummet to the depths from a variety

877
00:44:37,880 --> 00:44:41,239
Speaker 3: of different things happening from decisions and things like that

878
00:44:41,360 --> 00:44:44,640
Speaker 3: at the top, players leaving, players coming, and so that

879
00:44:44,760 --> 00:44:47,640
Speaker 3: franchise in particular, like you have the Lakers and you

880
00:44:47,680 --> 00:44:51,880
Speaker 3: have the Sparks, and those two organizations, they're supposed to thrive.

881
00:44:52,000 --> 00:44:56,560
Speaker 3: That's that's La Basketball, and that's that's probably who I'm like,

882
00:44:56,600 --> 00:44:59,319
Speaker 3: what are the Sparks, What are the Sparks going to do?

883
00:44:59,600 --> 00:45:02,160
Speaker 3: What is their plan? And how are they moving forward

884
00:45:02,200 --> 00:45:03,120
Speaker 3: to get back on top.

885
00:45:05,200 --> 00:45:09,400
Speaker 1: I'm curious who you think would be the first expansion

886
00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:11,840
Speaker 1: team to win a championship? Me and Lexi, you have

887
00:45:11,960 --> 00:45:14,000
Speaker 1: gone back and forth about this one a couple of times.

888
00:45:14,400 --> 00:45:16,040
Speaker 3: First expansion times.

889
00:45:16,080 --> 00:45:19,640
Speaker 2: What did I say, I don't remember the Valkyries, I said,

890
00:45:19,680 --> 00:45:21,360
Speaker 2: the Valkyries Okay, I said the Valkyries.

891
00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:24,520
Speaker 3: There, they're a year ahead, so that that gives them.

892
00:45:24,480 --> 00:45:27,000
Speaker 2: But they're still I'm still I'm going to still put

893
00:45:27,040 --> 00:45:29,080
Speaker 2: them in this conversation.

894
00:45:29,840 --> 00:45:30,919
Speaker 3: Okay, who'd you say, Maura?

895
00:45:31,880 --> 00:45:34,360
Speaker 1: Okay, Well, I had Lexi to pull up the years

896
00:45:34,480 --> 00:45:37,640
Speaker 1: after my answer because my original answer was going to

897
00:45:37,640 --> 00:45:40,160
Speaker 1: be Toronto, and then I found out they were going

898
00:45:40,200 --> 00:45:42,600
Speaker 1: to be a team to like twenty thirty. So that's

899
00:45:42,600 --> 00:45:45,040
Speaker 1: so mean to the other teams.

900
00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:47,560
Speaker 3: I did, right, I do need to I need to

901
00:45:47,600 --> 00:45:51,719
Speaker 3: see who's going to uh who comes in when? But

902
00:45:53,200 --> 00:45:56,439
Speaker 3: I just like to es yeah, but that I've seen.

903
00:45:57,080 --> 00:45:59,040
Speaker 3: I also want to go back to Lexi, who what

904
00:45:59,200 --> 00:46:01,800
Speaker 3: team are you the most interested in? Like in general,

905
00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:05,120
Speaker 3: I said the Sparks. Who are you the most interested

906
00:46:05,400 --> 00:46:10,880
Speaker 3: The Sky? That's a good one, the Sky only because.

907
00:46:11,960 --> 00:46:15,000
Speaker 2: They're whatever drama that happened at the end of the year,

908
00:46:15,719 --> 00:46:18,000
Speaker 2: even though it was blown so out of proportion, because

909
00:46:18,040 --> 00:46:21,239
Speaker 2: this is not the first time a star in Chicago

910
00:46:21,320 --> 00:46:23,600
Speaker 2: has wanted to be out of Chicago. This is like

911
00:46:23,880 --> 00:46:26,720
Speaker 2: their mo so this is just the first time people

912
00:46:26,760 --> 00:46:27,399
Speaker 2: actually care.

913
00:46:27,600 --> 00:46:28,080
Speaker 3: I guess.

914
00:46:29,520 --> 00:46:31,839
Speaker 2: I mean, I think that there needs to be some

915
00:46:31,920 --> 00:46:35,239
Speaker 2: type of conversation or change at the top. Literally that

916
00:46:35,400 --> 00:46:37,399
Speaker 2: we won a championship in twenty twenty one, Like, we're

917
00:46:37,440 --> 00:46:39,440
Speaker 2: not that far removed from winning a championship.

918
00:46:39,440 --> 00:46:42,000
Speaker 3: So the fact that.

919
00:46:41,120 --> 00:46:44,839
Speaker 2: This has happened so quickly, they can't keep people on

920
00:46:44,880 --> 00:46:48,160
Speaker 2: the team. It's not a destination. Chicago is beautiful, great

921
00:46:48,200 --> 00:46:50,640
Speaker 2: city in the summer. They have the Bulls, they have

922
00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:53,120
Speaker 2: the football team, they have the big like Chicago should

923
00:46:53,160 --> 00:46:54,279
Speaker 2: be one of those teams.

924
00:46:54,320 --> 00:46:56,200
Speaker 3: Even when I'm on Gills, they said New York.

925
00:46:56,160 --> 00:46:59,279
Speaker 2: Chicago, LA are like the big basketball markets, Like that's

926
00:46:59,320 --> 00:47:09,080
Speaker 2: what should be. When she said we need to make changes.

927
00:47:09,520 --> 00:47:14,520
Speaker 3: Yeah, the st Chicago is an excellent Chicago is an

928
00:47:14,560 --> 00:47:16,600
Speaker 3: excellent team in terms of what are what are you

929
00:47:16,719 --> 00:47:18,800
Speaker 3: all about to do from here? What are you about

930
00:47:18,880 --> 00:47:26,040
Speaker 3: to do? That's a that's a good one expansion team. Honestly,

931
00:47:26,160 --> 00:47:30,040
Speaker 3: Like with the way that the Valkyries, I would hope

932
00:47:30,040 --> 00:47:33,400
Speaker 3: that everyone starts to follow the Valkyries blueprint in terms

933
00:47:33,440 --> 00:47:39,120
Speaker 3: of fan engagement and building a team. And despite people

934
00:47:39,239 --> 00:47:43,720
Speaker 3: having so much criticism about roster decisions, having success because

935
00:47:43,719 --> 00:47:46,360
Speaker 3: of the internal decisions that were made for that roster

936
00:47:46,520 --> 00:47:49,359
Speaker 3: and putting a team together that clicked and that worked.

937
00:47:50,680 --> 00:47:53,040
Speaker 3: I would say I and I have a lot of

938
00:47:53,840 --> 00:47:57,359
Speaker 3: belief in Natalie Nicasse and her basketball mind and what

939
00:47:57,440 --> 00:47:59,920
Speaker 3: she would be able to do. Not that I wouldn't

940
00:47:59,920 --> 00:48:01,560
Speaker 3: have belief in any of the other coaches that then

941
00:48:01,640 --> 00:48:03,919
Speaker 3: end up, you know, taking jobs and things like that.

942
00:48:04,400 --> 00:48:07,160
Speaker 3: But I think the Valkyries do have, and now you're

943
00:48:07,200 --> 00:48:10,960
Speaker 3: giving them opportunities to get new players, get new pieces,

944
00:48:11,160 --> 00:48:14,880
Speaker 3: put a team together from not an expansion draft. I

945
00:48:14,920 --> 00:48:17,239
Speaker 3: think the Valkyries are they have a head start, so

946
00:48:17,320 --> 00:48:21,239
Speaker 3: my eyes would be on them for sure. Yeah, I

947
00:48:21,280 --> 00:48:22,240
Speaker 3: would be interested.

948
00:48:22,680 --> 00:48:24,960
Speaker 1: I don't keep running back to this question. But another

949
00:48:25,080 --> 00:48:27,200
Speaker 1: team that I would like to throw in the fold

950
00:48:27,760 --> 00:48:30,879
Speaker 1: is the Dallas Wings. I would love to see where

951
00:48:30,880 --> 00:48:34,839
Speaker 1: they go with this new era and so many free

952
00:48:34,880 --> 00:48:39,440
Speaker 1: agents and everything with the sky funny point to.

953
00:48:39,480 --> 00:48:39,880
Speaker 3: Both of you.

954
00:48:40,320 --> 00:48:42,560
Speaker 1: I saw a tweet the other day and it was

955
00:48:42,600 --> 00:48:45,560
Speaker 1: a sky Slash Angel rees fan. We were just talking

956
00:48:45,600 --> 00:48:47,359
Speaker 1: about fans like that, that's so funny, but a sky

957
00:48:47,400 --> 00:48:49,719
Speaker 1: Slash Angel rees fan and they put a compilation of

958
00:48:49,760 --> 00:48:52,120
Speaker 1: all the celebrities that came out to games and then

959
00:48:52,160 --> 00:48:55,120
Speaker 1: like the score and them getting blown out, but nobody

960
00:48:55,160 --> 00:48:58,319
Speaker 1: like the average casual isn't really paying attention to that.

961
00:48:58,320 --> 00:49:01,160
Speaker 1: They're like, oh my god, look it's Glover Loo or

962
00:49:01,560 --> 00:49:02,680
Speaker 1: Lotto or whoever.

963
00:49:03,040 --> 00:49:05,520
Speaker 2: But it's like, why are you Like people are so weird.

964
00:49:05,840 --> 00:49:08,880
Speaker 2: Like at the end of the day, I was watching something.

965
00:49:09,360 --> 00:49:11,279
Speaker 2: We were also at a football game, and they had

966
00:49:11,320 --> 00:49:13,680
Speaker 2: like in the middle of like a timeout, the players

967
00:49:13,680 --> 00:49:15,799
Speaker 2: are still on the field, they had like fans like

968
00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:18,279
Speaker 2: on the field doing some type of fan thing, And

969
00:49:18,320 --> 00:49:21,919
Speaker 2: I'm like, sports is sports, yes, obviously, but like it's

970
00:49:22,040 --> 00:49:27,960
Speaker 2: entertainment now, Like we sports isn't a whole different stratosphere now.

971
00:49:28,239 --> 00:49:31,799
Speaker 2: And the faster the WNBA picks up on that, right,

972
00:49:32,400 --> 00:49:32,759
Speaker 2: That's why I.

973
00:49:32,800 --> 00:49:35,680
Speaker 1: Bring that up, because this guy have a unique opportunity

974
00:49:35,719 --> 00:49:38,840
Speaker 1: with being Chicago, a big basketball market, a great city,

975
00:49:39,040 --> 00:49:41,359
Speaker 1: having Angel there, She's doing all these things on and

976
00:49:41,360 --> 00:49:44,520
Speaker 1: off the court, and all these celebrities court side at

977
00:49:44,520 --> 00:49:47,120
Speaker 1: the game whatever. Like if they were able to match

978
00:49:47,200 --> 00:49:49,759
Speaker 1: that with the energy they had in twenty twenty.

979
00:49:49,520 --> 00:49:55,440
Speaker 2: One, realistically, one team can win the championship, just one. Yeah, yeah,

980
00:49:55,480 --> 00:49:58,080
Speaker 2: So you might as well use these opportunities and moments

981
00:49:58,080 --> 00:50:01,480
Speaker 2: in these talented, amazing women you have on your rosters

982
00:50:01,480 --> 00:50:04,359
Speaker 2: to at least not waste your season away because you're

983
00:50:04,400 --> 00:50:07,200
Speaker 2: not waving like and maybe.

984
00:50:06,960 --> 00:50:09,800
Speaker 3: That's where obviously, like there was some drama at the

985
00:50:09,880 --> 00:50:13,840
Speaker 3: end of last season, but there is like part of

986
00:50:13,880 --> 00:50:17,399
Speaker 3: me when I think about La versus Chicago, and LA

987
00:50:17,560 --> 00:50:20,200
Speaker 3: was my first where my mind went first, because I

988
00:50:20,200 --> 00:50:23,439
Speaker 3: do feel like Chicago they have the tools, like they

989
00:50:23,520 --> 00:50:26,920
Speaker 3: have things they just won recently. They have Angel Reese

990
00:50:27,000 --> 00:50:31,279
Speaker 3: who literally anyone will come watch and see and watch

991
00:50:31,320 --> 00:50:35,720
Speaker 3: on the court, who also improved tremendously from one season

992
00:50:35,760 --> 00:50:38,520
Speaker 3: to the next and is playing a different position and

993
00:50:38,560 --> 00:50:41,080
Speaker 3: can impact the floor in more ways than she could

994
00:50:41,120 --> 00:50:43,279
Speaker 3: in just her first year. Like I remember talking to

995
00:50:43,320 --> 00:50:45,560
Speaker 3: Tyler marsh about him wanting to use Angrel rees Moore

996
00:50:45,560 --> 00:50:47,120
Speaker 3: as a point forward, and we saw her have a

997
00:50:47,120 --> 00:50:50,799
Speaker 3: triple bubble. So to me, like there's more to work with.

998
00:50:50,920 --> 00:50:53,520
Speaker 3: I know, the drama is the drama that was there, Like,

999
00:50:53,640 --> 00:50:55,440
Speaker 3: but to me, if they could just figure it out

1000
00:50:55,480 --> 00:50:58,800
Speaker 3: and figure out how to keep players and have fans

1001
00:50:58,800 --> 00:51:02,040
Speaker 3: get engaged and be there going crazy for Angel Reeves

1002
00:51:02,120 --> 00:51:04,280
Speaker 3: because she's such a big name and such a big draw,

1003
00:51:04,680 --> 00:51:06,279
Speaker 3: they have a little bit more to work with in

1004
00:51:06,320 --> 00:51:08,799
Speaker 3: my opinion than some other teams who in my eye

1005
00:51:08,840 --> 00:51:12,000
Speaker 3: is on like, how are you going to generate excitement

1006
00:51:12,080 --> 00:51:15,640
Speaker 3: for your organization? That's really my question for all of

1007
00:51:15,680 --> 00:51:19,040
Speaker 3: these teams. I'm not worried about Chicago generating excitement. Angel

1008
00:51:19,040 --> 00:51:20,040
Speaker 3: Reese walked in the.

1009
00:51:20,040 --> 00:51:23,520
Speaker 2: Victoria's Secret fashion, so like she is everywhere, people are

1010
00:51:23,560 --> 00:51:26,719
Speaker 2: excited to watch her and her teammates period, no matter

1011
00:51:26,760 --> 00:51:28,360
Speaker 2: what the score is, people are going to want to

1012
00:51:28,360 --> 00:51:29,560
Speaker 2: watch that on the floor.

1013
00:51:29,920 --> 00:51:33,560
Speaker 3: What are other organizations going to do to get that

1014
00:51:33,760 --> 00:51:37,359
Speaker 3: level of engagement where people are bought in even if

1015
00:51:37,360 --> 00:51:38,400
Speaker 3: the team is struggling.

1016
00:51:39,040 --> 00:51:43,120
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's another next step in the women's basketball room.

1017
00:51:43,160 --> 00:51:45,239
Speaker 2: And I feel like this explosion over the last two

1018
00:51:45,320 --> 00:51:48,520
Speaker 2: years was just so unexpected and out of left field.

1019
00:51:48,560 --> 00:51:51,160
Speaker 2: But again, I feel like, just like in the season,

1020
00:51:51,440 --> 00:51:55,120
Speaker 2: what tournament was that twenty twenty three tournament when everything

1021
00:51:55,160 --> 00:51:59,000
Speaker 2: went crazy? I feel like this CBA, that's how the

1022
00:51:59,040 --> 00:52:01,920
Speaker 2: season ended. Ace is winning. Everybody a free agent, Like

1023
00:52:01,960 --> 00:52:05,880
Speaker 2: this is another perfect storm opportunity. A lot of teams,

1024
00:52:05,920 --> 00:52:08,880
Speaker 2: you know, cleaning house, bringing new coaches in, bringing fresh

1025
00:52:08,880 --> 00:52:11,719
Speaker 2: faces in, a lot of European players coming over.

1026
00:52:11,880 --> 00:52:15,640
Speaker 3: Like it's this is just like a storm going on

1027
00:52:15,760 --> 00:52:17,240
Speaker 3: right now, and it's.

1028
00:52:17,160 --> 00:52:20,200
Speaker 2: Up to us, the players, front office, media, to make

1029
00:52:20,239 --> 00:52:24,439
Speaker 2: sure that we handle it correctly because it could go bad.

1030
00:52:24,560 --> 00:52:26,520
Speaker 2: It could go really bad if it's if it's not

1031
00:52:26,600 --> 00:52:29,440
Speaker 2: handled how it's supposed to be handled so well. But

1032
00:52:29,480 --> 00:52:30,560
Speaker 2: for me, I'm excited.

1033
00:52:31,320 --> 00:52:35,640
Speaker 3: There's so many good things, Like there's so many superstars

1034
00:52:35,640 --> 00:52:39,400
Speaker 3: and players and moments like there's there's so much that

1035
00:52:39,480 --> 00:52:42,000
Speaker 3: it can't like for me, I'm just like, please don't

1036
00:52:42,000 --> 00:52:45,399
Speaker 3: mess this up. Like literally, I'm the same.

1037
00:52:45,760 --> 00:52:48,200
Speaker 2: I'm so you got athletes unlimited, you have unrivaled, you

1038
00:52:48,200 --> 00:52:49,239
Speaker 2: have all the things like.

1039
00:52:50,680 --> 00:52:51,799
Speaker 3: Well for both of you.

1040
00:52:52,000 --> 00:52:56,520
Speaker 1: My last question rapid fire, Okay, you're building the ideal

1041
00:52:56,840 --> 00:52:59,680
Speaker 1: WNBA player to start a franchise with. Okay, you can

1042
00:52:59,680 --> 00:53:02,520
Speaker 1: have anybody you want your starting a franchise, and you

1043
00:53:02,600 --> 00:53:06,719
Speaker 1: can take three pieces of players that are available in

1044
00:53:06,760 --> 00:53:11,000
Speaker 1: the league right now, whether that's this person's this person's speed,

1045
00:53:11,040 --> 00:53:14,080
Speaker 1: this person shooting, maybe this person's off the court for

1046
00:53:14,480 --> 00:53:18,839
Speaker 1: prowess or whatever, three things from current WNBA players. Who

1047
00:53:18,840 --> 00:53:20,799
Speaker 1: are you building as your ideal player to start a

1048
00:53:20,840 --> 00:53:21,480
Speaker 1: franchise with?

1049
00:53:22,880 --> 00:53:29,160
Speaker 4: Oh damn, oh my gosh, okay, I got okay, because

1050
00:53:29,160 --> 00:53:31,279
Speaker 4: it has to make sense because you can't have like

1051
00:53:31,320 --> 00:53:33,600
Speaker 4: attributes of a point guard and a center.

1052
00:53:33,440 --> 00:53:34,520
Speaker 3: Like exact.

1053
00:53:36,760 --> 00:53:38,839
Speaker 2: Or could you like, am I trying to make like

1054
00:53:39,680 --> 00:53:41,719
Speaker 2: the greatest shooting guard of all time or like the

1055
00:53:41,719 --> 00:53:42,880
Speaker 2: greatest power forward.

1056
00:53:42,680 --> 00:53:43,080
Speaker 3: Of all time?

1057
00:53:43,120 --> 00:53:45,919
Speaker 1: It depends who you want to start your your franchise with.

1058
00:53:47,560 --> 00:53:50,360
Speaker 2: Okay, I'm making the greatest shooting guard. I'm making a

1059
00:53:50,400 --> 00:53:55,759
Speaker 2: great shooting guard right now. Okay, I'm going to give them.

1060
00:53:55,960 --> 00:54:01,960
Speaker 2: I'm going to give them Jackie Young's physicality kmax shooting.

1061
00:54:05,040 --> 00:54:10,600
Speaker 3: Mmmm, now do I want her to I want her

1062
00:54:10,640 --> 00:54:14,160
Speaker 3: to rebound and no passing.

1063
00:54:14,920 --> 00:54:21,640
Speaker 2: This isoud, This is a bucket getter. She's like Jackie

1064
00:54:22,040 --> 00:54:33,719
Speaker 2: Jackie's physicality K max shooting and Gabby's defense and athleticism.

1065
00:54:33,760 --> 00:54:35,640
Speaker 2: That player might exist in the league. I just don't

1066
00:54:35,680 --> 00:54:38,799
Speaker 2: know which one it is. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah who

1067
00:54:39,680 --> 00:54:43,960
Speaker 2: That player might actually be Jackie. I mut jack like

1068
00:54:44,000 --> 00:54:45,200
Speaker 2: an elevated Jackie.

1069
00:54:47,680 --> 00:54:51,160
Speaker 3: I'm trying to think, like I'm I'm I'm like, oh,

1070
00:54:51,320 --> 00:54:54,760
Speaker 3: like if I'm thinking about like the most dominant player

1071
00:54:54,840 --> 00:54:57,719
Speaker 3: in the game, who could just like go crazy.

1072
00:54:58,320 --> 00:55:01,440
Speaker 2: Like I'm like I would do Chelsea gra and Angel rebounding.

1073
00:55:01,520 --> 00:55:03,960
Speaker 2: That don't make sense, like because if you pass them

1074
00:55:03,960 --> 00:55:07,280
Speaker 2: like Chelsea you're not getting autumndamn rebounds, so that doesn't

1075
00:55:07,280 --> 00:55:07,800
Speaker 2: make sense.

1076
00:55:07,960 --> 00:55:10,239
Speaker 3: You're thinking too hard about it. This is a dream,

1077
00:55:12,480 --> 00:55:15,400
Speaker 3: but you know you see me and B and j R.

1078
00:55:15,440 --> 00:55:17,879
Speaker 2: So type a like this is not a good question

1079
00:55:17,920 --> 00:55:19,760
Speaker 2: because some people will be like, I want my player

1080
00:55:19,800 --> 00:55:21,120
Speaker 2: to be eight feet tall.

1081
00:55:21,160 --> 00:55:25,160
Speaker 3: But can dribble? I mean Wemby existby that Wimby's who

1082
00:55:25,200 --> 00:55:27,000
Speaker 3: went to my mind and I was like, what skills

1083
00:55:27,040 --> 00:55:31,359
Speaker 3: would I take from the women's game to basically make

1084
00:55:31,719 --> 00:55:35,879
Speaker 3: what we are seeing in Wimby? Like the size, with

1085
00:55:35,960 --> 00:55:40,799
Speaker 3: the skill with the mindset is just like what like

1086
00:55:40,880 --> 00:55:44,920
Speaker 3: what he's an alien? That one is an alien? Like

1087
00:55:45,000 --> 00:55:51,360
Speaker 3: we would have to go with Like I just described

1088
00:55:51,360 --> 00:55:58,160
Speaker 3: a Jackie Young in like a year, whatever that takes,

1089
00:55:56,480 --> 00:56:02,400
Speaker 3: it'll be. I was just to say that I was

1090
00:56:02,440 --> 00:56:05,960
Speaker 3: going to say, like maybe dominate Malunga in however many years,

1091
00:56:06,080 --> 00:56:10,960
Speaker 3: or like if you took her body with Asia Wilson's

1092
00:56:11,000 --> 00:56:15,839
Speaker 3: mindset and skill set and like Asia Wilson's mindset, because

1093
00:56:15,880 --> 00:56:19,680
Speaker 3: I think her mentality is just like incredible, I'm not

1094
00:56:19,840 --> 00:56:25,840
Speaker 3: losing ever, you know, like her leaping ability, so Dom's

1095
00:56:25,880 --> 00:56:32,919
Speaker 3: like overall athleticism and physique with Asia Wilson's mindset and

1096
00:56:35,800 --> 00:56:41,600
Speaker 3: I mean stang alrighty Dom with the mindset of Asia

1097
00:56:41,640 --> 00:56:50,640
Speaker 3: Wilson and the skill set and fluidity offensively.

1098
00:56:50,520 --> 00:56:57,400
Speaker 2: Of Shitaylen Kelsey Plumb, o Kayln Clark or Plumb.

1099
00:56:57,400 --> 00:56:59,800
Speaker 3: I was gonna say Kelsey Plumb because she really shifty,

1100
00:57:00,640 --> 00:57:04,520
Speaker 3: Like just now, the offensive fluidity and vision in Dom's

1101
00:57:04,520 --> 00:57:07,759
Speaker 3: body with them also the mindset and skill set of

1102
00:57:07,760 --> 00:57:09,960
Speaker 3: Age Wilson. You're okay, Dom write this.

1103
00:57:11,160 --> 00:57:13,640
Speaker 2: I don't know if she's listening, but we're gonna clip this.

1104
00:57:13,719 --> 00:57:16,240
Speaker 2: I'm gonna send it to her and be like these

1105
00:57:16,280 --> 00:57:19,080
Speaker 2: these are your expectations straight from ESPN.

1106
00:57:19,200 --> 00:57:25,960
Speaker 3: Girl. That was the game that was played that I

1107
00:57:26,040 --> 00:57:31,760
Speaker 3: participated in. But narrative start. That's how narrative start. Yes

1108
00:57:31,800 --> 00:57:33,680
Speaker 3: it is, and people clip like thirty seconds so they

1109
00:57:33,680 --> 00:57:36,680
Speaker 3: don't hear our entire debate on what we were just

1110
00:57:36,720 --> 00:57:38,080
Speaker 3: trying to decide, like.

1111
00:57:38,040 --> 00:57:40,480
Speaker 2: This is not real life. You can say whatever you write.

1112
00:57:40,560 --> 00:57:42,600
Speaker 2: We're going to act like that didn't happen. We're just

1113
00:57:42,600 --> 00:57:44,760
Speaker 2: gonna act like Drea came on here and was like

1114
00:57:44,840 --> 00:57:46,200
Speaker 2: this is the type of player I want.

1115
00:57:46,640 --> 00:57:49,640
Speaker 3: Yeah the end, YEP, I hate you both.

1116
00:57:49,720 --> 00:57:54,280
Speaker 1: Actually, well you guys before Twitter clips us and puts

1117
00:57:54,360 --> 00:57:56,560
Speaker 1: why the w NBA needs wouldn't be up at the top.

1118
00:57:57,080 --> 00:58:01,040
Speaker 5: Let's say this all right, So, thank you guys for

1119
00:58:01,200 --> 00:58:04,680
Speaker 5: listening to another episode of the Full Circle Podcast with Me,

1120
00:58:04,960 --> 00:58:07,160
Speaker 5: Alexi and our special guest Andrea.

1121
00:58:07,200 --> 00:58:10,040
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time, and y'all.

1122
00:58:10,000 --> 00:58:14,080
Speaker 3: Thank sure to keep it blocked. Thank y'all, thanks for.

1123
00:58:14,040 --> 00:58:16,320
Speaker 1: Listening to Full Circle. We'll be back next week with

1124
00:58:16,400 --> 00:58:18,880
Speaker 1: more basketball for the Girls, by the girls.

1125
00:58:19,240 --> 00:58:20,240
Speaker 3: We want to hear from you.

1126
00:58:20,560 --> 00:58:22,800
Speaker 1: Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and tell us

1127
00:58:22,800 --> 00:58:25,160
Speaker 1: what you want us to talk about. Full Circle is

1128
00:58:25,200 --> 00:58:28,560
Speaker 1: hosted by Lexi Brown and Mariah Rose. Our executive producer

1129
00:58:28,640 --> 00:58:32,200
Speaker 1: is Jesse Katz. Our supervising producer is Grace Fused. Our

1130
00:58:32,240 --> 00:58:36,280
Speaker 1: producer is Zoe Danglab. Listen to Full Circle on America's

1131
00:58:36,320 --> 00:58:39,880
Speaker 1: number one podcast network, iHeart, open your free iHeart app

1132
00:58:39,920 --> 00:58:42,320
Speaker 1: and search Full Circle with Lexi Brown and Mariah Rose

1133
00:58:42,360 --> 00:58:43,160
Speaker 1: and start listening.