Speaker 1: In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
Speaker 1: iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
Speaker 1: and Entertainment.
Speaker 2: What's up, y'all, It's Zego Christina and welcome to a
Speaker 2: special edition of In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams.
Speaker 2: So over the past weekend, I was in Tampa, Florida
Speaker 2: for the Women's Final Four and I was able to
Speaker 2: join Lexi Brown and Mariah Rose for a special crossover
Speaker 2: episode where we previewed.
Speaker 1: The Final four. And we already know what the results
Speaker 1: of the championship game was, but I want you guys
Speaker 1: to take a listen to this special conversation. We had
Speaker 1: a lot of fun. Shout out to our producers Grace
Speaker 1: and Tari for being on site and Jesse Katz for
Speaker 1: making it all possible. All right, y'all, take a listen
Speaker 1: to this special episode.
Speaker 3: Welcome to our second This is Me and Mariah second
Speaker 3: live show, Christine.
Speaker 4: Have you done live shows before?
Speaker 1: Done tons of them?
Speaker 4: Yeah? So you're a vet.
Speaker 3: So I'm gonna let you. I'm gonna let you take
Speaker 3: the leave with us for now. For now, our show
Speaker 3: is very go with the flow, vibing out. If y'all
Speaker 3: have any questions, we're gonna we're gonna interact with y'all
Speaker 3: a little bit too. If y'all want to ask us anything,
Speaker 3: We're gonna ask y'all some questions about the tournament, about
Speaker 3: what who y'all think is.
Speaker 4: Gonna win today?
Speaker 3: Okay, period, All right, I'll save my prediction for the
Speaker 3: end of the show, so y'all don't leave. But what
Speaker 3: do y'all think of the tournament so far? I mean,
Speaker 3: we're on the last weekend championships Sunday, Yes, and what
Speaker 3: are your What are y'all's thoughts overall thoughts.
Speaker 4: Of the tournament?
Speaker 1: Very exciting basketball, very high level basketball. I've just been
Speaker 1: enjoying Tampa. Really just vibing, but not disappointed in the
Speaker 1: level of competition that we've been seeing throughout the weekend.
Speaker 5: I think the tournament has been amazing, Like we've had
Speaker 5: seen some really huge performances, Page dropping fifty without any
Speaker 5: points in the second, you know, like huge moments. I
Speaker 5: think everybody showed up and showed out for the moment.
Speaker 5: I feel like the very untrue narrative was that after
Speaker 5: last year, the Mimentum was going to die down, and
Speaker 5: I think that they understood the assignment of carrying on
Speaker 5: that momentum, and so the tournament was incredible.
Speaker 4: Yeah, we were at the games on Friday.
Speaker 3: Let's talk about those games real quick, because I know
Speaker 3: we were just talking about the high level competition. But
Speaker 3: I don't want to say that you have the tournament,
Speaker 3: not about the final four. I mean, yeah, but we're
Speaker 3: at the final four now. Those two games, for me,
Speaker 3: I was I was a little disappointed in those games.
Speaker 4: Not gonna die what about y'all?
Speaker 6: I was disappointed as a fan.
Speaker 5: But if I were a fan of one of the
Speaker 5: winning teams and or a player or coach on one
Speaker 5: of the winning teams, of course I would be ecstatic.
Speaker 5: Like they went in their handle business.
Speaker 1: I think that you could definitely tell which teams had
Speaker 1: the experience and prepared for the moment in which team's
Speaker 1: kind of cracked in the moment. Did not expect the
Speaker 1: UCLA to get blown out by Yukon.
Speaker 4: Did not.
Speaker 1: It would be interested to see what that scout of
Speaker 1: report look like, but I don't. I wouldn't say I
Speaker 1: was disappointed, but I wasn't disappointed.
Speaker 3: Oh was that game annoyed me? Because you're the number one,
Speaker 3: so you're the number one over ros, so you can't
Speaker 3: come in this final four and get beat down like that.
Speaker 3: But I'm really excited for UCLA next season.
Speaker 5: Well, can I give UCLA some some slack for a second.
Speaker 5: We are far from California, We're in a whole different
Speaker 5: time zone, and they.
Speaker 6: Forty forty the jet lag wait me on the jetlage. No,
Speaker 6: I'm not, I'm not.
Speaker 3: I'm not.
Speaker 4: I'm not rolling.
Speaker 3: But I'm excited for them for next season because I
Speaker 3: know they probably gonna have that score in the locker
Speaker 3: room all year. Can't wait for next season, can't wait
Speaker 3: for them to see Yukon again because they will, absolutely will.
Speaker 4: But yeah, I'm excited la.
Speaker 1: Jim Marya's point, Like Kim Moulki and g M brought
Speaker 1: up that point of the super regionals and how that
Speaker 1: would impact the performance on the court and maybe that
Speaker 1: became a factor.
Speaker 4: When did they change that?
Speaker 3: I think how long ago, because when I was in
Speaker 3: college it was four, which I liked.
Speaker 4: I like the four regions.
Speaker 3: I think that they try to make it more or
Speaker 3: less so we could have more fans. But now with
Speaker 3: the explosion of women's basketball, I don't feel like that's
Speaker 3: necessary anymore, and I think I absolutely agree with you
Speaker 3: know that the two regional sites is not a good
Speaker 3: look anymore.
Speaker 4: I love the home court advantage.
Speaker 3: Some people don't really like that that much, but I
Speaker 3: think that's like one of the most fun parts about
Speaker 3: the women's tournament is having your tournament games at home
Speaker 3: and then you get to earn that. But I hope
Speaker 3: that in the future they're able to go back to
Speaker 3: the four regional sites because now the way the conferences
Speaker 3: are set up now, it's like everything is just a mess.
Speaker 6: Everything is everything in college is a mess.
Speaker 5: As somebody who played in the Final four in Tampa.
Speaker 5: By the way, y'all, what's your opinion on the fact
Speaker 5: that I believe the men get a week break before
Speaker 5: their championship.
Speaker 4: It's next week now, Yeah.
Speaker 5: Alright, So do you feel like there should be any
Speaker 5: more time in between? Are you cool with the one
Speaker 5: day No?
Speaker 4: I think that's the fun part about the final four.
Speaker 3: I was talking to somebody a few weeks ago about
Speaker 3: how they should maybe try and put the final fours
Speaker 3: in the same city.
Speaker 4: No, I think that would be fire.
Speaker 6: The men and the woman. Yeah, Oh my gosh.
Speaker 4: Wait, why not tell me?
Speaker 5: Well, because last night me and my little sister were
Speaker 5: trying to go see Gorilla.
Speaker 6: I don't know if any of y'all will try to
Speaker 6: go to that or when to that. Listen.
Speaker 5: We got there really late and they shut the line
Speaker 5: down on us because there were so many people.
Speaker 1: Convention centers and arena's shit.
Speaker 3: They to the right, they have to pick the right Vegas, Atlanta, Atlanta,
Speaker 3: what else? Not Los Angeles not La. I think that
Speaker 3: would be cool and then have like double header. I
Speaker 3: don't know.
Speaker 4: I'm trying to like think of.
Speaker 3: Things to like spice things up, but that was something
Speaker 3: You're the first person that told me no, So I
Speaker 3: appreciate that.
Speaker 4: I appreciate the pushback. I do want to give a
Speaker 4: special shout out.
Speaker 3: I don't know if they're going to listen to this episode,
Speaker 3: but we told them to start listening to our podcast.
Speaker 3: Me and Mariah were at the game on Friday, and
Speaker 3: because it was a blowout, we were yapping just like
Speaker 3: this in the stands and there were these two women
Speaker 3: in front of us and one of them turns around
Speaker 3: and they're like, what do you guys do?
Speaker 4: Like y'all know so much about basketball?
Speaker 3: And we've just been listening to y'all's conversation for twenty minutes,
Speaker 3: and I was like, oh, you like you like our conversations.
Speaker 3: We actually have a podcast that you can listen to.
Speaker 3: So I want to give a shout out to Stephanie
Speaker 3: and Lucy.
Speaker 4: If they're going to listen.
Speaker 3: We really appreciated hanging out with you at the game,
Speaker 3: So I just wanted to give that.
Speaker 6: Little shout out.
Speaker 4: If you remember them what all in our.
Speaker 6: Conversation, shout out to them. Yeah, they now they are
Speaker 6: approved to listen to our Yeah. No, I'm joking.
Speaker 5: But also heading into the Natti, I'm curious what you
Speaker 5: guys think about all of this transfer movement.
Speaker 6: Lexie is a transfer kid herself. I'm a trust a
Speaker 6: bit about that.
Speaker 5: But now with everybody bouncing around and moving teams before
Speaker 5: the season really is over.
Speaker 3: Yeah, So even when I transferred, I waited till my
Speaker 3: semester was over, Like, I finished my classes, I did
Speaker 3: postseason workouts, I did everything, and then I decided to leave.
Speaker 3: The way these kids move now is is crazy to me.
Speaker 1: It's almost like free agency. When I'm watching all of
Speaker 1: the different movement and coaches going on social media saying
Speaker 1: we don't have the money for you, and it's like
Speaker 1: what college has become a big business. I was scrolling
Speaker 1: through X a couple of days ago, and I saw
Speaker 1: a coach saying that coaches were reaching out to players
Speaker 1: without even being in the transperportal. So lots of tampering
Speaker 1: and things like that. So it's very interesting to see
Speaker 1: just the movement, but also players prioritizing themselves.
Speaker 3: Yeah in that way, I mean, and there's no rules
Speaker 3: in place, so yeah, like you say tampering, but like
Speaker 3: that's not a thing really in college, because there's no
Speaker 3: rules about.
Speaker 4: The science office, right, what is this compliance that existing?
Speaker 3: Because I remember I was in the compliance office every
Speaker 3: day when I was in college for every little thing.
Speaker 4: Like it's seeing how much everything has.
Speaker 3: Changed is so crazy, because like I couldn't even bring
Speaker 3: my own basketball trainers on campus with me because it
Speaker 3: was against the rules.
Speaker 4: It was a violation. If somebody wanted to send us
Speaker 4: some clothes to.
Speaker 6: Wear, violation.
Speaker 3: I don't even know how they knew that we were
Speaker 3: getting stuff. They knew everything, like they I feel like
Speaker 3: they had cameras on campus because we couldn't get away
Speaker 3: with nothing.
Speaker 5: Well, another big change is the fact that you have
Speaker 5: to set you You had to set out for a
Speaker 5: year when you decided to transfer. Now they can. They
Speaker 5: can move schools every year if they want, and there's
Speaker 5: no players.
Speaker 1: We recushing for seven seasons eight years? Right, too long?
Speaker 3: I hope you have as long as you leave with
Speaker 3: multiple degrees, you know, do your thing.
Speaker 4: But yeah, seven years in college is absolutely the same.
Speaker 4: I can't.
Speaker 3: I was in college for five and I was ready
Speaker 3: to go, but again, I wasn't making half a million dollars, so.
Speaker 5: I would be in college for ten years, ten years
Speaker 5: if I could. If I were a current college athlete,
Speaker 5: you have to drag me.
Speaker 6: How do I to your point?
Speaker 1: Nil place a huge part in players stay longer. We
Speaker 1: saw that Olivia Miles and a lot of other players
Speaker 1: laj Johnson decided not to enter the w Engage Raft
Speaker 1: to go back to school to make more money.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean the fact that people are announcing that
Speaker 3: they're not going to the draft when they are not
Speaker 3: technically even eligible yet.
Speaker 4: I think that's funny.
Speaker 3: But I was never I don't think anybody was expecting Flage.
Speaker 6: To leave early.
Speaker 4: Why would she do that?
Speaker 3: Olivia Miles Honestly, I was not surprised that she decided
Speaker 3: to stay.
Speaker 4: I was more surprised by the transfer.
Speaker 3: So even the way Notre Dame kind of finished their season,
Speaker 3: everybody kind of was like, what it they got going
Speaker 3: on over there? But you know, I know what that's like.
Speaker 3: Like when you're you're not happy somewhere, you're ready to
Speaker 3: move on.
Speaker 6: It impacts the.
Speaker 4: Team top to bottom, and did like you said, they
Speaker 4: had other girls leave too.
Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, something's going on.
Speaker 1: I'm not sure making four players. I think one player
Speaker 1: was a red shirt player. Another player was on the
Speaker 1: bench averaging four points the game. I think he's a center.
Speaker 4: So yeah, a couple, okay, which I've got going over
Speaker 4: there Notre Dame.
Speaker 6: But I don't think they.
Speaker 4: Don't have they don't got them well do they have
Speaker 4: money for?
Speaker 3: I don't know what Notre Dame got going on because
Speaker 3: they have the really good football team.
Speaker 6: I have no idea. But I also feel like the
Speaker 6: staying to the same college point.
Speaker 5: The CBA also plays a part because I feel like
Speaker 5: if I were in their shoes, they kind of want
Speaker 5: to see what happens because the only people who are
Speaker 5: going to be locked into their contracts all the rookies.
Speaker 6: So I feel like you might as well try your luck.
Speaker 5: And see what happens with the CBA and then coming
Speaker 5: to college next year.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and if y'all offer those who don't know, if
Speaker 3: the rookie contracts right now are four years, which is
Speaker 3: a very long time, and that's one of the things
Speaker 3: that we're probably going to try and change in our
Speaker 3: negotiations is trying to get those contracts to be a
Speaker 3: year shorter because by the time you get to the
Speaker 3: end of your rookie contract, you're like twenty six twenty
Speaker 3: seven years old, and we think that's too old to
Speaker 3: you know, start playing for your extension in your next
Speaker 3: contract to potentially.
Speaker 4: Enter free agency. So hopefully we can get that done because.
Speaker 1: I heard that there was that you guys are willing
Speaker 1: to sit out if the negotiations don't go.
Speaker 3: No, I mean it's a it's a possibility, because that's
Speaker 3: like worst case scenario.
Speaker 4: You got to prepare for anything. We don't. We would
Speaker 4: not like to sit out.
Speaker 3: I feel like it would be counterintuitive on our part
Speaker 3: to sit out with all this momentum and stuff that
Speaker 3: women's basketball has. But again, worst case scenario is we
Speaker 3: don't get anything that we want from the ownership in
Speaker 3: the league. Best case scenario is we get every single
Speaker 3: thing that we ask for. So we're going to meet
Speaker 3: somewhere in the middle, hopefully. You know, we have a
Speaker 3: new team this season, Like, I would hate for us
Speaker 3: to lock out when you know we have.
Speaker 4: An expansion team.
Speaker 3: I can't remember when it was the last time that
Speaker 3: w had an expansion team.
Speaker 4: I can't even two thousand. Yeah, Like, it's such.
Speaker 3: An exciting time for women's basketball on the WNBA and
Speaker 3: women's college season was so amazing, So for us to
Speaker 3: like have to stop it at any point next season,
Speaker 3: I would really actually hate that.
Speaker 5: Like your point about making the rookie car tracks last
Speaker 5: for last time, because I never really thought about the
Speaker 5: fact that, well, a lot of people complain about having
Speaker 5: to stay in college for all that time, but I
Speaker 5: think that that might be more beneficial changing the rookie contracts,
Speaker 5: because it's like, Okay, so you're making me stay in
Speaker 5: college for three years or until I'm twenty two or whatever,
Speaker 5: and then I also have to stay locked into this
Speaker 5: rookie contract until I'm twenty seven. Yeah, and then I'm
Speaker 5: twenty seven and I'm having to play for my extension.
Speaker 6: That kind of puts me in a bad situation.
Speaker 4: Yeah, there's a.
Speaker 3: Lot of things in our last CVA that were amazing,
Speaker 3: but there was like a lot of things that we
Speaker 3: still missed out on. But like, that's the thing about
Speaker 3: negotiations and opting out is you get things that you
Speaker 3: want and then you realize that there's more things that
Speaker 3: we need. And I think right now we have a
Speaker 3: lot of leverage to demand more from the league and
Speaker 3: from the ownership, and we're seeing it. You know, teams
Speaker 3: are getting practice facilities, now, we get to fly charter flights.
Speaker 3: You know, things are just getting better and better and better,
Speaker 3: and it's just all been a really nice process.
Speaker 1: I did have Terry Jackson on my show from the
Speaker 1: w MVPA and she said that the charter flights are
Speaker 1: not necessarily written in contract.
Speaker 4: No they're not.
Speaker 1: It's like, oh, just pay for it for twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1: But they're trying to into the new CB so hopefully ownership.
Speaker 4: I hope. And that was that whole situation was very funny.
Speaker 1: Don't introduce me to something you can't maintain it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but that was like a power play on Kathy's part,
Speaker 3: because I remember I was in meetings with Nekka, who
Speaker 3: was on the Sparks at the time, and our person
Speaker 3: who organizes all of our flights and hotels, and we
Speaker 3: were going through the whole schedule, or like, what flight
Speaker 3: do we want to get on? Do we want to
Speaker 3: take this flight at this time? Do you want to
Speaker 3: practice and then fly, or do we want to fly
Speaker 3: and then practice. We were on the phone for like
Speaker 3: two hours going through it, and then like three weeks later,
Speaker 3: we get an announcement, Oh, we get charter flights, but
Speaker 3: we like it literally came out of left field. So
Speaker 3: as grateful as we were for that and how amazing
Speaker 3: it was to fly charter, it kind of was like
Speaker 3: a slap in the face because, like you just said,
Speaker 3: you're introducing us to something that you might may or
Speaker 3: may not be able to maintain, and it's now something
Speaker 3: that we're going to have to negotiate in our collective
Speaker 3: bargaining agreement. So I knew what Kathy was doing was
Speaker 3: she did that. I mean, still appreciate it, but.
Speaker 1: I can't believe there was a time where you guys
Speaker 1: had to share hotel rooms.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, the rookies my first two seasons, I shared
Speaker 3: rooms grown women, grown women, like.
Speaker 1: It was top athletes in the world.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I want to FaceTime my friends, and my mom
Speaker 3: had to go downstairs with the lobby or get out
Speaker 3: or they It was bad, but we made it work.
Speaker 3: But it was good for like Team Bonnie. I was
Speaker 3: on Erica Wheeler's podcast the other day and she was
Speaker 3: telling me how part of her missus traveling commercial because
Speaker 3: you get to spend like so much time with your teammates.
Speaker 3: So like things like that we do miss because it's
Speaker 3: good for Team Bonnie.
Speaker 4: You get to spend time with your teammates.
Speaker 6: And hang out.
Speaker 3: But like at the end of the day, like we
Speaker 3: want to get in and out, Like we don't want
Speaker 3: to be sitting in the airport all day and we
Speaker 3: want to get rest.
Speaker 4: But there were, I mean there were It wasn't all.
Speaker 1: Horrible Born at Chicago Sky team that got stuck in
Speaker 1: the airport for I've.
Speaker 3: Been on like a few I've been on like I've
Speaker 3: got like three experiences since I've been in the league
Speaker 3: of getting.
Speaker 4: Stuck in an airport overnight.
Speaker 3: So yeah, so okay, one we were nice, Yes, so
Speaker 3: four hours we were twenty four hours. The most recent
Speaker 3: time actually with the Sparks, we were in DC, I
Speaker 3: want to say, and we were flying home and they
Speaker 3: just kept delaying our flight, delaying our flight.
Speaker 4: It's like midnight. Then they finally cancel it.
Speaker 3: So we're all just sitting in the airport and we're like, Okay,
Speaker 3: what do we do? So half the team went and
Speaker 3: got hotels and then the other half just slept in
Speaker 3: the airport.
Speaker 1: So w BA free agency happened, and you were traded
Speaker 1: to the Seattle Storm from the Los Angeles Sparks.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Seattlestorm. They have practice facilities, they have.
Speaker 6: All of it, all of the things.
Speaker 1: How excited are you to be a part of that organization.
Speaker 3: I'm super excited, you know. I think the trade it
Speaker 3: definitely caught me off guard. I think it caught a
Speaker 3: lot of people off guard. But for me, I'm just
Speaker 3: excited to be in a situation to win. Now be
Speaker 3: surrounded by some veterans. I was one of the oldest
Speaker 3: players on the Sparks. Now I'm probably one of the
Speaker 3: youngest players on the Storm. And they just have really
Speaker 3: good culture there and coach Quinn is amazing.
Speaker 4: I've heard from all the coaches.
Speaker 3: They watched me playing AU they were like very complimenting
Speaker 3: of my improvement. You know, they've been checking on my health, mental,
Speaker 3: physical health. So it's just been good vibes. And I
Speaker 3: haven't even been up there yet, and I'm just really excited.
Speaker 4: To get up there.
Speaker 1: Where were you when you found out that you were
Speaker 1: being treated in the parking garage?
Speaker 4: Really?
Speaker 6: Yes, she had a game.
Speaker 4: I had a game.
Speaker 3: I was on my way to an athlete It's a
Speaker 3: limited game. I was pulling out of the parking garage
Speaker 3: and my GM called me, and I just I immediately
Speaker 3: knew because she never calls me.
Speaker 4: So I was like, this is not good, but I
Speaker 4: mean it was good.
Speaker 3: Like in hindsight, it ended up this is a really
Speaker 3: good situation for me. But yeah, I was just in
Speaker 3: the parking garage, all my way to the game, my business,
Speaker 3: and she just calls me and just says, oh, yeah,
Speaker 3: we're trading you bye.
Speaker 4: Like it was minute long. I'm not even exaggerating.
Speaker 3: Had I went and checked one minute, one.
Speaker 1: Minute and the NBA players get traded mid season? Is
Speaker 1: it is it light and a load that you have
Speaker 1: time to actually move from Los Angeles to Seattle in
Speaker 1: the off.
Speaker 4: Season Oh yeah, for sure. I mean I think moving.
Speaker 3: I just got a place in LA which is crazy
Speaker 3: because like for this exact reason, I never got a
Speaker 3: place anywhere that I played.
Speaker 4: But I was like, Okay, I feel like I'm being
Speaker 4: in LA for a minute.
Speaker 3: Just got the apartment in October and now I'm traded,
Speaker 3: so I'm still gonna have.
Speaker 4: Home base in LA.
Speaker 3: But I was really excited to like have my place
Speaker 3: of my own for the season because you're basically just
Speaker 3: staying in a rental apartment during the season, so it
Speaker 3: doesn't really feel like home.
Speaker 4: You can't always get super comfortable.
Speaker 3: But yeah, definitely lightens load, like what we saw with
Speaker 3: like Luca and Anthony David, like people just my dad
Speaker 3: went through it too. They said that they slipped a
Speaker 3: note under his hotel door.
Speaker 4: What that's why I found out he got traded when
Speaker 4: he was playing.
Speaker 1: Her dad played for the Celtics.
Speaker 4: Wait he got traded from yes.
Speaker 1: Boston Slam Dump champion.
Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, he got traded from where to where? In fact, I.
Speaker 4: Think Boston to Toronto.
Speaker 6: Told me to move to Canada with a no understaid
Speaker 6: get out. But that's farm.
Speaker 4: Not too much on Canada, not too much.
Speaker 6: Hey, big Drake fans over here.
Speaker 4: Your work Yeah okay, but yeah, like it's cutthroat.
Speaker 3: Business is business, but I think there's a way to
Speaker 3: go about things and we got to be professional no
Speaker 3: matter what.
Speaker 4: So I'm just excited for the next opportunity.
Speaker 5: I've never asked you about this, Lexi, but in your experience,
Speaker 5: do you feel like getting traded, how do you deal
Speaker 5: with that sense of almost rejection or like, how does
Speaker 5: that feel?
Speaker 3: Well, I'm kind of numb to it at this point.
Speaker 3: I've been traded three times now. I've been traded and
Speaker 3: you kind.
Speaker 4: Of just have to bounce around.
Speaker 3: The WBA is such an interesting league, and we'll get
Speaker 3: into this later because of the transition from college to
Speaker 3: WBA is literally a week and a half, so you
Speaker 3: don't always end up on the team that you should
Speaker 3: end up on in the draft once you get drafted,
Speaker 3: and for a lot of players, it takes a few
Speaker 3: years for you to.
Speaker 4: Settle in and find a place that's home.
Speaker 3: So for me, you know, La, I felt like that
Speaker 3: was home for me, but then we just internally the
Speaker 3: Sparks were just going through so many other changes and
Speaker 3: I never was able to get comfortable. So I say,
Speaker 3: Seattle's my last though I can't. I can't, and if
Speaker 3: I do get traded again, I might as well just
Speaker 3: go try and play for all twelve teams and let
Speaker 3: me let me play for all twelve.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 5: I feel like a lot of people don't realize the
Speaker 5: fact that the season for college and today. So it's
Speaker 5: Sunday to day the sixth, yes, and then the draft
Speaker 5: is on the fourteenth.
Speaker 6: Yeah, so eight days.
Speaker 1: And the players who are playing in the game today
Speaker 1: have what forty eight hours to decide if they wanted
Speaker 1: to clear for the draft or not if they're eligible.
Speaker 1: So it's life happens past.
Speaker 6: It happens fast.
Speaker 3: I remember my senior year, we lost in the sweet sixteen,
Speaker 3: so I had a little bit more time. I didn't
Speaker 3: officially get invited to the draft until like after the
Speaker 3: Final four ended, so I don't have an out.
Speaker 4: I have nothing.
Speaker 3: I had no clothes I have, I don't know I
Speaker 3: was gonna wear. So everything happens like really fast. I
Speaker 3: had to take my finals early, I couldn't go to graduation.
Speaker 3: So you get thrown into the fire immediately.
Speaker 5: Like I say, could you speak to the fact that
Speaker 5: when you get dropped that isn't your guarantee that you're
Speaker 5: in the WNBA.
Speaker 1: No.
Speaker 3: I just read an article that said less than half
Speaker 3: of the draft picks from last year made the teams.
Speaker 3: So it's very hard to make a WNBA roster. And
Speaker 3: even though your contracts are long.
Speaker 4: They're not guaranteed. So you could be the number.
Speaker 3: One pick, number two pick, and if you're not. Charlie
Speaker 3: ar Yeah, she's a perfect example of that. If you're
Speaker 3: not up to par, you can get cut in training camp. Baby,
Speaker 3: we do not care.
Speaker 4: So it's like very cutthroat.
Speaker 3: But that's why I think everyone has so much respect
Speaker 3: for last year's class because they.
Speaker 4: Came in and they did their big one.
Speaker 3: They really did, and they had a lot of opportunities,
Speaker 3: and they had a lot of pressure, and they had
Speaker 3: a lot of eyeballs and they really rose to the occasion.
Speaker 4: So I like really enjoyed watching them do that.
Speaker 1: What was the hardest thing about transitioning from college to
Speaker 1: the WNBA.
Speaker 3: The hardest thing for me, I have like a lot
Speaker 3: more free time than I was used to, so it
Speaker 3: was like still trying to stay productive and not get
Speaker 3: too bored. And then once the season started, once I
Speaker 3: found out like I wasn't really gonna play a lot.
Speaker 3: It was like finding ways to stay motivated with all
Speaker 3: that free time, Like you can only work out so
Speaker 3: many times in a day, you can only watch so
Speaker 3: much film, you can only do so much stuff. So
Speaker 3: for me, from going from playing forty minutes a game
Speaker 3: in college, being in the championship games, winning all these awards,
Speaker 3: and you get to the league and you're like bottom
Speaker 3: of the totem ball, you're kind of just like okay,
Speaker 3: like what now.
Speaker 4: So that was like one of the hardest things for me.
Speaker 5: That's probably like humbling might be the wrong word, but
Speaker 5: going from being one of the if you're in the
Speaker 5: top ten, you were definitely playing in college, you were
Speaker 5: one of the best players in college, you were one
Speaker 5: of the best players in high school, and then you
Speaker 5: get thrown into the professional league and everybody's like, listen, rookie.
Speaker 3: Yeah, And I was the only rookie on my team,
Speaker 3: so I didn't even have like a rookie buddy. So
Speaker 3: I had all the rookie duties. I had to take
Speaker 3: everybody's laundry loops. I had to drop off laundry loops
Speaker 3: on the road trips.
Speaker 4: I had to do all that kind of stuff, and
Speaker 4: it was.
Speaker 1: Just me, was there a VET in your rookie season
Speaker 1: that kind of took you under their wing? No?
Speaker 4: Wow, No, there wasn't. Unfortunate. Oh yeah, man, eight years ago.
Speaker 3: I'm over it now, And if anybody was on my
Speaker 3: team that year, they probably are like, yeah, we probably
Speaker 3: should have treated her a little bit nicer.
Speaker 4: But again, business is business.
Speaker 3: We were teammates, but you're competing for minutes and stuff
Speaker 3: like that.
Speaker 4: End of the day. The first VET that actually took.
Speaker 3: Me under her wing was Samonaugustus when I got traded
Speaker 3: to the Minnesota Links. So she was like my first
Speaker 3: like real vet that really taught me how to.
Speaker 4: Conduct myself be a professional.
Speaker 3: I was kind of a little baby, so she kind
Speaker 3: of got me out of that and I'm like really
Speaker 3: grateful over her.
Speaker 5: Well, now that you are part of the Seattle Storm
Speaker 5: and y'all have one of the top picks in the draft,
Speaker 5: your second pick, second pick, what.
Speaker 6: Are you looking forward to having it with that second pick?
Speaker 3: According to the mock drafts, we're picking a French player.
Speaker 4: Her name is Dominique.
Speaker 3: She's six' six and she can, dunk SO i would
Speaker 3: not be mad at that. Pick we definitely have very
Speaker 3: good guards, already SO i WOULDN'T i wouldn't think that
Speaker 3: we would pick a guard in the. Draft SO i,
Speaker 3: MEAN i think it's gonna Between dominique and Probably.
Speaker 4: KIKI i think.
Speaker 3: They're both excellent. Players we got to Watch kiki this this,
Speaker 3: year you, know breakout a little bit from after. Transferring
Speaker 3: SO i don't, know BUT i would love to have
Speaker 3: a teammate that can. Dunk i've never had one.
Speaker 6: Before, yeah after watching we were watching some of her.
Speaker 5: Highlights after watching, Those i'm, like somebody needs to put
Speaker 5: those on a reel and put them ON espn so
Speaker 5: that everybody.
Speaker 6: Shuts up about women's basketball players not?
Speaker 4: Dunking is that fucking? Dunk it was very light, too like,
Speaker 4: entrances just one hand.
Speaker 5: DUNK i don't know what they're feeding These french basketball
Speaker 5: prospects because six to, six.
Speaker 4: Can, dribble can.
Speaker 6: Shoot she came out of The wimby.
Speaker 4: Factory she came out of The wemby.
Speaker 1: FACTORY i love that gms and scouts are starting to
Speaker 1: look more overseas to build the. Rosters we saw That
Speaker 1: Golden state at it like seven international. Players but when
Speaker 1: you look at The New York, Liberty laoni Pbch. Niarasapoli
Speaker 1: those international players helped them win a. Championship, Right SO
Speaker 1: i love that THE w is extending.
Speaker 4: Globally, YEAH i JUST i.
Speaker 3: WANT i do want More european players to come over,
Speaker 3: here but with the prioritization, rule it's just so hard
Speaker 3: for them because they all are playing professionally.
Speaker 4: Already SO i think that's another thing TO.
Speaker 3: CB i think we're going to try and get that
Speaker 3: out because The european players are extremely. TALENTED i played
Speaker 3: overseas for three, years so Like i've been over, There
Speaker 3: i've seen the talent that's over. There they're super, intelligent
Speaker 3: they really love. Basketball so a lot of the draft
Speaker 3: picks that do happen from over, sees a lot of
Speaker 3: them are drafts in, stash and a lot of them
Speaker 3: don't even ever come.
Speaker 1: Over because she said The sparks didn't even call her
Speaker 1: the three years that she wasn't in the, league and
Speaker 1: The New York liberty was the first team to actually
Speaker 1: go overseas meet with. Her everyone just kept trading her
Speaker 1: right to right to him FROM la To, chicago And
Speaker 1: Jonathan cole got lucky and was like we need this
Speaker 1: player and then break out the star in the. Finals
Speaker 1: she helped them win a.
Speaker 3: Championship so, yeah there's some gems. Overseas So i'm excited
Speaker 3: and if we can a.
Speaker 6: NIGHT i, MEAN i think.
Speaker 4: The last like teenager young player Was Liz and when
Speaker 4: did she get? Drafted, yeah she was young when she got.
Speaker 3: DRAFTED i THINK i, think, oh, yeah she Was, chicago
Speaker 3: but she came and played for like three seconds and
Speaker 3: then she came back To yeah it's too crazy over,
Speaker 3: here BUT i Think liz is probably like the last
Speaker 3: like foreign player that was drafted at a super young
Speaker 3: age and actually came over and.
Speaker 4: Played SO i think it would be cool for her
Speaker 4: to like start that back. Up you see it in THE.
Speaker 4: NBA i would love for that to happen over here
Speaker 4: a little bit.
Speaker 5: MORE i was Watching fee the other day on First,
Speaker 5: take AND i kind of hated this, question And i'm
Speaker 5: about to ask it to, you BUT i just really
Speaker 5: want to.
Speaker 6: Know what you.
Speaker 4: Think who asked It Steven Stephen.
Speaker 5: Smith oh, gosh so he asked her how she felt
Speaker 5: about the NATIONAL tv. Schedule, OBVIOUSLY i think every SINGLE
Speaker 5: fav games.
Speaker 1: Is hit forty one out of forty four games.
Speaker 5: And NATIONAL tv or The Indiana fever and then there's
Speaker 5: three you know that they dolved out to the.
Speaker 6: Others so what do you think about? That the national? Team,
Speaker 6: dude so all OF i.
Speaker 1: Saw that one out of forty four games.
Speaker 3: On forty one out of their forty four or forty
Speaker 3: one out of the forty four that are being the
Speaker 3: TOTAL wnba national team games are The indiana faver?
Speaker 6: Games?
Speaker 1: Yes? Yeah oh, well.
Speaker 6: DID i just DID i break some?
Speaker 4: News i'm, Sorry, NO i saw, that BUT i came.
Speaker 4: OUT i didn't really read into it BECAUSE i didn't.
Speaker 4: Care BUT i mean it makes.
Speaker 3: SENSE i didn't, Care Like i'm, like let's not be,
Speaker 3: dumb like who does everyone want to? Watch and they
Speaker 3: have a really good team, NOW i mean they had
Speaker 3: a good team last, year but they've made it very
Speaker 3: clear what they're trying to do in free, agency so
Speaker 3: it makes. SENSE i mean it's, good more, eyes more,
Speaker 3: money more. Everything So i'm not mad at, it BUT
Speaker 3: i think.
Speaker 6: We could have spread the love of the champs just
Speaker 6: a little.
Speaker 4: Bit, yeah but there are.
Speaker 6: Some of those games That i'm, LIKE i want to,
Speaker 6: see like which?
Speaker 4: Ones what do you mean which? Ones like that WHEN i.
Speaker 6: See the championship, map like the championship match Of.
Speaker 4: New york and In.
Speaker 1: Minnesota.
Speaker 4: Minnesota, YEAH i think any from.
Speaker 1: A coverage, STANDPOINT i think it's disappointing because if you
Speaker 1: want to grow the, game you have to tell a
Speaker 1: variety of. Stories, right it's.
Speaker 4: Lazy it's very. Late, yeah it's very. Lazy that's why we're.
Speaker 4: Here that's.
Speaker 3: Why, literally that's WHY i started my show BECAUSE i
Speaker 3: feel like the coverage of women's sports is very. Lazy and,
Speaker 3: yes it makes sense to put forty One fever games
Speaker 3: on national, television but, again that's not how you grow the.
Speaker 3: Game it makes sense number, wise like we know, that
Speaker 3: but sometimes you got to do a little extra work
Speaker 3: to grow things and make things. Work so shout out
Speaker 3: to The. FEVER i hope everyone's coming for y'all's.
Speaker 4: NEXT i know, that, Right, yeah AND.
Speaker 5: I guess every that's a good point because every team
Speaker 5: that plays, Them, yeah y'all, know like it's two way, thing.
Speaker 6: Right we'll get that exposure as. Well SO i, mean.
Speaker 4: What was, It? Chicago don't they play them like five
Speaker 4: or six? Times Crazy? Clark, yeah, Rivalry, YEAH.
Speaker 3: I THINK i, mean if it makes, sense but, again
Speaker 3: LIKE i would rather see A Minnesota New york rematch
Speaker 3: twice rather Than Kaitalen clark and The fever every.
Speaker 5: Day but, well it's also the ticket sales and the
Speaker 5: money that they make off of.
Speaker 4: THAT i think all of the almost every fever seeing that.
Speaker 1: Money, Right, no not, yet not, yet.
Speaker 4: Not, yet but hopefully.
Speaker 6: If I'm Kaitlyn, Clark i'll be pissed at.
Speaker 1: That what not seeing that?
Speaker 6: Money what?
Speaker 4: Else why she didn't playing Rival, Yeah i'll be pissed at.
Speaker 3: That that's Why asian playing unrivaled like those are.
Speaker 4: Those are our are cash cows one and.
Speaker 3: Two so, yeah they're protecting their brand and doing what they,
Speaker 3: do and they've earned that right to say no to
Speaker 3: certain opportunities LIKE i.
Speaker 4: Don't i'm not mad at them for being, like, no
Speaker 4: this is my. NAME i earned. This, YEAH i don't
Speaker 4: want to share what everybody.
Speaker 1: Said i'm not doing a three point contest OF Nba
Speaker 1: All stars just come To. Indianapolis this's really about.
Speaker 4: It if y'all about, it if y'all really, cared y'all.
Speaker 5: Ridiculous so how about you have AN nba player come
Speaker 5: shoot Against kaitlyn.
Speaker 6: At W why would she do?
Speaker 1: That?
Speaker 6: Agree to do that.
Speaker 3: Because people think that she cares about like all these
Speaker 3: opinions and views and da da.
Speaker 4: Da she that girl really just wants to play.
Speaker 3: Basketball AND i respect the hell out of her for
Speaker 3: that because a lot of people really think that she
Speaker 3: cares about all this outside. Noise and even WHEN i
Speaker 3: was With erica the other, day she was telling, me
Speaker 3: she was, like she does not care about none of,
Speaker 3: That like she doesn't like, it she hates, It like
Speaker 3: you can only stop so much everybody out here as
Speaker 3: a grown as.
Speaker 5: Person but, well and you don't start playing basketball as
Speaker 5: a little girl because you're you want to do that.
Speaker 5: STUFF i, mean that stuff is, fun having a, shoe
Speaker 5: working With, nike being in, Commercials but at the end
Speaker 5: of the, day the goal is the.
Speaker 6: Goal she probably dreamed of holding up a championship.
Speaker 1: Trophy NOT i haven't been interested In caitlyn park story
Speaker 1: from last year when she was getting. Drafted you, know
Speaker 1: the day starts at like five am and you're doing
Speaker 1: all the, things and we went to The Empire State
Speaker 1: building and she was trying to hide in the back
Speaker 1: because she was, like give the other players and drafts
Speaker 1: a chance to be out in the. Front, yeah and
Speaker 1: she's literally said up her. Mouse she was, Like i'm
Speaker 1: going to stand back. Here can you get someone else
Speaker 1: to light The Empire State? Building and Then kathy came
Speaker 1: up and she was like. Okay camilla And caitlyn come
Speaker 1: to the front and they were, like, Oh she's.
Speaker 5: Like, YEAH i want to do.
Speaker 1: It so she's literally, LIKE i just want to hoop.
Speaker 3: It, Yeah and THAT'S i, mean and that's respectable. WOMEN
Speaker 3: i feel like there's a lot of players that feel that. Way,
Speaker 3: yeah and it's. Okay AND i feel like once we
Speaker 3: get you, know these increased salaries and more, endorsements, whatever
Speaker 3: people can choose to just play. Basketball they don't have
Speaker 3: to put it on all the type of the camera
Speaker 3: and be appealing to this. Group in this, group they
Speaker 3: can really just show up as their authentic cells and
Speaker 3: who and that's it because the guys can do.
Speaker 4: It there's, like what we see what eight.
Speaker 3: Eight of THE nba players and everyone else is just,
Speaker 3: pooping making money and chilling Cho that's, true but.
Speaker 6: You also can fly under the radar in THE nba.
Speaker 5: And make a lot more, money you know What i'm,
Speaker 5: Saying like that part of doing all that endorsement extra
Speaker 5: stuff and putting yourself out there is part of your
Speaker 5: brand and your.
Speaker 6: Check so you kind of have to do all that extra.
Speaker 3: Stuff, yeah and it's hard and it's not for. Everybody
Speaker 3: So i've always felt not, pressure but like as, women
Speaker 3: you just have to do, more like for all the extra,
Speaker 3: Stuff like you can't just be a good basketball, player
Speaker 3: like we don't.
Speaker 4: Make, obviously we don't make enough money for.
Speaker 3: That we do make good, Money LIKE i don't want
Speaker 3: anybody to get me, wrong like we make great.
Speaker 4: Money i'm very.
Speaker 3: GRATEFUL i love waking up every day playing professional, basketball
Speaker 3: but SOMETIMES i WISH i could just go to the
Speaker 3: gym and work out and go to my game and
Speaker 3: go home and. Repeat yeah, sometimes BUT i mean this
Speaker 3: is also a passion of mind doing stuff off the.
Speaker 3: Court BUT i hope that one day and the future
Speaker 3: players won't have to extend themselves so much to like
Speaker 3: make a lot of money being a professional.
Speaker 1: ATHLETE i do have to, say you were like one
Speaker 1: of the FIRST wnba players to start a YouTube, channel
Speaker 1: to have your own, show to start your branding outside of,
Speaker 1: Basketball AND i know the league wasn't really supportive of
Speaker 1: players doing. That that's it's not at ALL i remember
Speaker 1: when her Name montgomery was playing in twenty eighteen and
Speaker 1: she was, LIKE i want to do. ACTING i want
Speaker 1: to be on broadcasts and she was, like BUT i
Speaker 1: have to stick to basketball BECAUSE i get in trouble
Speaker 1: by THE. Wnba and now how that has evolved and
Speaker 1: they encourage players to build their. Brands about, that how
Speaker 1: are you to?
Speaker 4: Build it's so crazy And i'm so happy that at.
Speaker 1: Twenty eighth was not that long.
Speaker 4: Ago, no it.
Speaker 3: Wasn't AND i remember WHEN i got. DRAFTED i was,
Speaker 3: LIKE i had my YouTube channel set. UP i would
Speaker 3: say do probably was one of the first colleges that
Speaker 3: really invested.
Speaker 4: In their social. Media we got like a social media.
Speaker 3: Person we had a content, lady her name Is. Selena
Speaker 3: she's still there, now and we were like one of
Speaker 3: the first women basketball programs that was like pushing out
Speaker 3: content all the. Time so they helped me set up
Speaker 3: my YouTube channel because me and my Teammate Rebecca greenwow
Speaker 3: went to the three point. Contest so we've blogged, That
Speaker 3: i've blogged the drafts and Then i've blogged like my
Speaker 3: last few days on campus and then they.
Speaker 4: Were, like, okay be. Free we helped.
Speaker 3: You so then they let me keep the YouTube, channel
Speaker 3: and THEN i just was blogging my rookie, season and
Speaker 3: every TIME i brought the camera, out everyone was like
Speaker 3: what are you, Doing like like why do you have,
Speaker 3: this why do you have YouTube? Channel like why do
Speaker 3: you want to be on camera all the, time blah
Speaker 3: blah blah blah.
Speaker 4: Blah AND i was, like it was just it was
Speaker 4: just a hobby of.
Speaker 3: Mine AND i saw the bigger picture as far As,
Speaker 3: brandy BECAUSE i was on the team With cheney at
Speaker 3: the time and she was, hurt and that's when she
Speaker 3: first started doing HER espn stuff AND i was always
Speaker 3: asking her about, it if she liked, it if she
Speaker 3: could see a future doing it instead of just something
Speaker 3: to pass the. Time so she was the first PERSON
Speaker 3: i saw doing all that outside. Stuff but she was,
Speaker 3: injured SO i was kind of, Like, okay maybe you
Speaker 3: can't do it while you're, Playing BUT i continue to
Speaker 3: do my YouTube. STUFF i Love.
Speaker 4: Instagram TikTok wasn't around. YET i just can't imagine.
Speaker 3: How i've been on TikTok and college and our, team
Speaker 3: like our team was. Fun and then WHEN i got
Speaker 3: To chicago and was on the team with Candas. Parker
Speaker 3: that's WHEN i finally saw that you could do, both
Speaker 3: and people even when she was doing, that people were
Speaker 3: just kind of like down like they WERE i don't,
Speaker 3: KNOW i DON'T i don't like How candis was treated
Speaker 3: the tail end of her. Career but she was, Like
Speaker 3: she's the one that like really inspired me to be
Speaker 3: able to chase both dreams at the same time BECAUSE
Speaker 3: i watched her do, it AND i watched her do
Speaker 3: it and win a championship while doing. It, yeah that's
Speaker 3: a flex for. Her, yeah that was just as long
Speaker 3: for the ride along for the. Ride NOW i want
Speaker 3: to win my. OWN i want to actually.
Speaker 4: Contribute do you sound Like Charles.
Speaker 6: Barker's bus driver. THING i need to be the bus.
Speaker 3: DRIVER i do have a ring and it's a, blessing
Speaker 3: BUT i, like they can't take that away from. It they,
Speaker 3: cannot BUT i want, To LIKE i THINK i did
Speaker 3: score a basket in the, finals so that was, FUN i.
Speaker 4: Think. Yeah with the.
Speaker 3: Team, yeah that whole summer was like just for, vibes
Speaker 3: but it was a learning. Experience But i'm not gonna
Speaker 3: like pretend LIKE i was like a major contributor to the.
Speaker 3: Team but it was like a really good, experience AND
Speaker 3: i learned a ton And i'm mad that we didn't
Speaker 3: try and run it back like the whole.
Speaker 1: Time ye like everyone just we traded all the.
Speaker 3: Piss yeah before it was like my Ultimate mike, drop
Speaker 3: like all, right Here's, chicago here's the.
Speaker 4: Championship we're all gonna leave. NOW i feel, like if.
Speaker 5: You go to the, finals unless something really bad happens
Speaker 5: in every, sport like if you get to the, championship, win,
Speaker 5: lose or, draw you gotta try to run it back
Speaker 5: because you could go back to back or you could
Speaker 5: if you, lost you could.
Speaker 6: Win the next. Time SO i don't, KNOW i never
Speaker 6: understood that blowing the team up? Right who wanted to just?
Speaker 6: Disperse mix of?
Speaker 3: Both, OKAY i think it was a mix of both
Speaker 3: BECAUSE I candae, Stayed slute, stayed but every cost, stayed
Speaker 3: so it was like a mix of. Both that, Season
Speaker 3: LIKE i, said that season was very.
Speaker 4: INTERESTING i got. CUT i came in.
Speaker 3: LATER i didn't come until like the middle of the,
Speaker 3: season so they had stuff going on THAT i knew nothing,
Speaker 3: about so you, KNOW i was there to you, know
Speaker 3: kind of set the tone vibe, wise energy, WISE i
Speaker 3: was like the tone setter as far as like everyone if,
Speaker 3: someone if we haven't a bad price of it's like
Speaker 3: see make do some make someone?
Speaker 6: Laugh do?
Speaker 4: This do? That that was like my job on the,
Speaker 4: team but just an important.
Speaker 5: Job, well by the time we put this episode, out
Speaker 5: the championship will have already. Happened BUT i do want
Speaker 5: to hear you guys, predictions and then we'll check in
Speaker 5: later in the week and you guys can hear our.
Speaker 3: Reactions but do you first Happen yukon The yukon's Winning and,
Speaker 3: OKAY i.
Speaker 1: Had them winning in my, brackets so all, right SO
Speaker 1: i had Self carolina at, first but after looking at
Speaker 1: the Game, FRIDAY i think That yukon might run the.
Speaker 1: Table And i'm not wearing blue BECAUSE i Think yukon
Speaker 1: is going to win or, anything BUT i Have yukon winning.
Speaker 4: Today they just looked like a well oiled.
Speaker 6: Machine, yeah AND i think.
Speaker 3: Because of the poise that they play, with people don't
Speaker 3: understand how fast that they.
Speaker 4: Play they played extremely.
Speaker 3: Fast they were they KILLED ucla and, transition they were
Speaker 3: shooting the. Ball i'm just really excited for this matchup
Speaker 3: because it's really gonna be offense versus defense really the
Speaker 3: taiale of two.
Speaker 4: Teams, Yeah i'm.
Speaker 1: Excited yukon was a team that limped their way to
Speaker 1: The final four last year half a team was, injured
Speaker 1: and NOW i feel like the chemistrys there were starting
Speaker 1: to turn the. Page Sarah strong is playing really so,
Speaker 1: Good Asy fud as. Well paige is gonna Be. Paige, yeah,
Speaker 1: SO i mean a well oiled.
Speaker 3: Machine and they're young, though which is it's like you
Speaker 3: don't see Young yukon team play like, This like they're
Speaker 3: all playing like they've been in the At yukon, three
Speaker 3: four or five. Years And, page you, know she's been
Speaker 3: in college for so. Long it's like she's like everyone's little.
Speaker 3: Sister we're like watching her like grow, up and everyone
Speaker 3: is like so sad that this is her last. Season
Speaker 3: i've really never seen fans so like emotionally connected to
Speaker 3: a player, before and it's been like really cool to.
Speaker 3: SEE i think it's a mix of you, know her
Speaker 3: fandom from high. School you, know she was popping in
Speaker 3: high school and she went through the. INJURIES i feel
Speaker 3: like whether you're cheering For yukon or, NOT i feel
Speaker 3: like everybody is like rooting For page AND i think
Speaker 3: like it's such a beautiful.
Speaker 5: Thing, WELL i think that it's interesting how you said
Speaker 5: we haven't really gotten to see them In March madness
Speaker 5: all as a, unit healthy. Together i've read That asy
Speaker 5: And page hadn't played together In March madness since the last.
Speaker 6: Time yep Against South.
Speaker 1: Carolina.
Speaker 5: Wow so it's like it'll be interesting to see them
Speaker 5: get their get back and together after all they've been
Speaker 5: through throughout their college.
Speaker 6: Careers, yeah BUT.
Speaker 1: I do want to shout Out South carolina because this
Speaker 1: is a team that's been here for the past four.
Speaker 6: Years they've been five years in a, row, Right, yeah that's.
Speaker 1: Crazy one of one. Championships the players have been to
Speaker 1: the tournament what three of the four, years and they've
Speaker 1: been in, school so this is an experienced. Team Don
Speaker 1: staley is a GREAT exs and o's, Coach So i'm
Speaker 1: excited to see how they battle it out as well
Speaker 1: every game and the defending champs they deserve as.
Speaker 4: Well every game in the.
Speaker 3: Tournament like a Different South carolina players stepped up, Today
Speaker 3: who is going to be that?
Speaker 1: PLAYER i Think rayven is definitely the leader of the.
Speaker 1: TEAM i like WHAT i see From Tessa johnson when
Speaker 1: she's lights out from.
Speaker 4: Three she was hooping last. Game she was very.
Speaker 6: Light it was very light.
Speaker 4: Work i'm gonna go with my, Girl. CHLOE i like.
Speaker 6: THAT i feel like what makes.
Speaker 5: Them so dangerous, though is that they've found different ways
Speaker 5: to win in each, step like whatever is needed at that.
Speaker 5: Time they kind of play, around like they play with their,
Speaker 5: food and then once they decide to, sign they, eat
Speaker 5: they're like yeah.
Speaker 1: Bye liked an interview with Coach yo and. Two it's
Speaker 1: just like when you're scouting For South, carolina you can't
Speaker 1: plan for one or two. Players you got a plan for, everybody,
Speaker 1: right you just don't know who's not gonna.
Speaker 3: BE i was talking to one of my friends and
Speaker 3: they were saying that when when teams have like their,
Speaker 3: superstars they're not easy to, scout but like you know
Speaker 3: what to, expect you know where the ball's, going you
Speaker 3: know what players are gonna be. Run when those star
Speaker 3: players are, out they're much harder to guard because you
Speaker 3: don't know where the ball's Go you don't know what they're,
Speaker 3: doing but they're doing and not saying That South carolina
Speaker 3: doesn't have any, stars but, LIKE i completely agree with,
Speaker 3: You like it's very hard to scout for a team
Speaker 3: where everybody contributes a little bit in different, ways and
Speaker 3: someone can go for. Thirty this person can go for.
Speaker 3: Thirty you got your two leading scorers coming off the.
Speaker 4: Bench, okay it's the.
Speaker 5: Opposite they have a bunch of. Stars so it's like
Speaker 5: you're looking around, like Oh, god what DO i?
Speaker 4: Do don is an evil with mad scientist over?
Speaker 5: There can we just talk About don VERS i was
Speaker 5: talking to, YOU i think earlier about. THIS i have
Speaker 5: never seen anything any fanfare like this for a. Coach
Speaker 5: when you're, like, oh who are you rooting? For people are, like,
Speaker 5: Oh i'm rooting For South. CAROLINA i Love.
Speaker 4: DON i Love don every. TIME i have not heard
Speaker 4: a single player's name this entire.
Speaker 6: Like she's the star player of the.
Speaker 3: Team, YEAH i mean that's, Amazing like THAT'S i love
Speaker 3: that For. Donna just watching how she's Built South carolina
Speaker 3: from the ground, Up like it's been amazing to. Watch
Speaker 3: BUT i want some fans to talk about some of
Speaker 3: the players.
Speaker 6: SOMETIME i, mean what do you think that's?
Speaker 5: Like as a player in the locker, room we're, like,
Speaker 5: well y'all walking in ready to, play and everyone's like.
Speaker 1: Talking Like.
Speaker 4: Don, please she's a little, superstar but she's earned. It
Speaker 4: BUT i. DON'T i thought that was hilarious all weekend.
Speaker 6: Long wait yesterday when my.
Speaker 5: Sister were at the pool and you, know we're chilling,
Speaker 5: whatever and we see The South carolina team up in
Speaker 5: the window going to get their, lunch and everybody at
Speaker 5: the pool's like, done and she's up there.
Speaker 6: Waiting like she's like. Princess, guys.
Speaker 4: She's a.
Speaker 3: President she's like the. President I'm Matti resident of women's,
Speaker 3: basketball And i'm so grateful for.
Speaker 4: Her she's.
Speaker 1: Amazing i'm excited for some really great basketball. Today hope
Speaker 1: you guys are going to, watch maybe go to the
Speaker 1: arena to watch the game as.
Speaker 6: Well tampa's been.
Speaker 3: Lit tampa has been. Lit we've had a great time.
Speaker 3: Here we've had a great time before we.
Speaker 1: Go what it's been your favorite thing about being here
Speaker 1: In tampa this?
Speaker 4: Weekend my favorite.
Speaker 3: Thing my favorite thing is seeing how much women's college
Speaker 3: basketball has. Grown Like mariah, said my Second Final four
Speaker 3: was In tampa and it was an amazing. Experience but
Speaker 3: like the level of, everything how it's been elevated FROM i.
Speaker 4: Think that was twenty.
Speaker 3: FIFTEEN i want to say, yeah twenty, fifteen how so
Speaker 3: much has. Changed it's been like such a humbling and
Speaker 3: amazing experience just to be in it from a different,
Speaker 3: perspective but just be able to Have my mom sent
Speaker 3: me a picture of me on the side of.
Speaker 4: The arena WHEN i was playing, here and she was
Speaker 4: like losing her mind this.
Speaker 3: Weekend she's, LIKE i can't believe you're going there to
Speaker 3: work now played there and it just you're still involved
Speaker 3: And i'm so proud of. You so things like, That
Speaker 3: moments like that like that was probably my favorite part
Speaker 3: of the.
Speaker 6: WEEKEND i came To.
Speaker 5: Tampa the last TIME i was here was for The
Speaker 5: Volleyball National championship In final, four AND i think that
Speaker 5: it's amazing seeing, here like there's such a good market
Speaker 5: for women's sports, here but also just watching the arenas
Speaker 5: fill up for women's sports is so. Incredible everybody's, sharing
Speaker 5: everybody's paying, attention everybody's going, crazy even like the fanfare
Speaker 5: For Page it's LIKE i only have seen that kind
Speaker 5: of fanfare for Like Steph, curry you know What i'm.
Speaker 5: Saying so it's really exciting seeing that in, person because
Speaker 5: ON tv it's.
Speaker 6: Hard to really feel.
Speaker 5: That, yeah but when you're in the arena and everybody
Speaker 5: has their posters and it's going, crazy it's so. Fun
Speaker 5: BUT i mentioned the volleyball thing and The Final four
Speaker 5: this year because there's such a great market for women's sports.
Speaker 5: HERE i don't think it would hurt to have an
Speaker 5: expansion team.
Speaker 4: Here, Yeah i'm just Said i'm here For.
Speaker 1: FLORIDA i would have to say for, me my first
Speaker 1: time In tampa was in twenty nineteen for the women's
Speaker 1: Basketball Final, four and just to, see as you guys,
Speaker 1: said like how everything evolved over the, years even the
Speaker 1: media coverage doing things like, This it's come full, circle
Speaker 1: come full. Circle definitely enjoy being here and just seeing
Speaker 1: how much the sport is. Wrong but all the, stakeholders
Speaker 1: all the people who have covered the, game just them
Speaker 1: elevating as.
Speaker 4: Well, yeah women are.
Speaker 5: LIT i mean the shooting, contest we had little boys being,
Speaker 5: like WH, wba they're so, cute let's please sign my.
Speaker 6: Basketball it's so.
Speaker 4: CUTE i love.
Speaker 3: It it's been a great. Time we've had a great weekend.
Speaker 3: HERE i appreciate you guys coming. Out thank you appreciate.
Speaker 1: It in case you missed, it With Christina williams is
Speaker 1: An iHeart women's sports production in partnership With Deep Blue
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