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. Welcome to another episode of In Case You
Speaker 1: Missed It with Christina Williams. Here on Iheartwomen's Sports and
Speaker 1: WNBA fans, I know that you are rejoicing because preseason
Speaker 1: basketball is here, and it's on national TV and we
Speaker 1: get to watch some damn good basketball. Also, we're entering
Speaker 1: into the second week of WNBA training camp and this
Speaker 1: part of the season, honestly, could be very heartbreaking because
Speaker 1: for some fans, some of your favorite players might not
Speaker 1: make the roster, they might get waived, and for some
Speaker 1: players on the other end, it might not be the
Speaker 1: end of their journey. And so I want you guys
Speaker 1: to in hell penexl because this is going to be
Speaker 1: one heck of a week and the WNBA as teams
Speaker 1: begin to finalize their rosters. So joining me this week
Speaker 1: to break down the latest headlines in and around women's
Speaker 1: basketball and also to give us some of the inside
Speaker 1: group from the Las Vegas Aces training camp is my girl,
Speaker 1: Callie Finn. She is a reporter for the Las Vegas
Speaker 1: Review Journal and I'm excited to get to talk to her.
Speaker 1: And then later on in the show, we have a
Speaker 1: special treat because we're gonna be talking all things WNBA
Speaker 1: expansion and what we can expect in twenty twenty six
Speaker 1: from the Toronto Tempo team president Teresa Rice. She's going
Speaker 1: to join the show to break it all down. So
Speaker 1: don't go anywhere So about brother Ado. Let us welcome
Speaker 1: in Callie Finn to break down the latest and the headlines. Callie,
Speaker 1: welcome to the show.
Speaker 2: Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1: Don have you then, like, how's how's everything?
Speaker 2: You know, I've been great. I'm I've been like patiently
Speaker 2: waiting for WBA season. Being a reporter for a newspaper
Speaker 2: so wild because like covering the WNBA, Like there are
Speaker 2: so few reporters that have that as like their sole responsibilities.
Speaker 2: And so I mean I covered the whole college football
Speaker 2: season for you and all the then men's and women's basketball,
Speaker 2: and I've just been like, what are the ases going
Speaker 2: to start? And finally we're here. So I'm so excited
Speaker 2: because this is like the most fun part of the job.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree. I'm always like whenever we have the
Speaker 1: off season, I'm like, I can't wait until the first
Speaker 1: day of the w All right, so making headlines this week,
Speaker 1: I guess we'll start with Asia Wilson. How can we
Speaker 1: not start with her? Nike unveiled the official commercial ads
Speaker 1: for Asia Wilson's signature basketball shoot, the A Ones. First
Speaker 1: of all, did you see the ads on social media?
Speaker 2: Yes? Oh my goodness. I actually got to see it
Speaker 2: for the first time on TV during a playoff NBA
Speaker 2: playoff game because I wasn't on social media at all,
Speaker 2: like over the weekend, so we were just watching TV
Speaker 2: and I saw it and I was like, holy crap.
Speaker 2: And to see it on TV, I think is the
Speaker 2: best experience because you can really like take in the scope,
Speaker 2: like this is a magnificent storytelling effort. It's really it's
Speaker 2: a great representation of like who Asia Wilson is. I
Speaker 2: feel like you can watch that commercial and not know
Speaker 2: anything about her and like become a fan. That's what
Speaker 2: Nike commercials are supposed to do. So I'm like, I
Speaker 2: love it.
Speaker 1: I love it absolutely well. My first time seeing he
Speaker 1: was scrolling up on social media. It went viral on
Speaker 1: social media and I was like, this is what the
Speaker 1: game has been missing. That authentic storytelling. As you said,
Speaker 1: Nike did a great job. But I did a little
Speaker 1: digging and I found out that the commercial was directed
Speaker 1: by Jin Kuu, who worked with Beyonce on Brown Skinned Girls,
Speaker 1: and then Malia Obama also direct it one of the
Speaker 1: ad spots as well. So I love the black girl magic.
Speaker 1: I love to see women in those positions. But as
Speaker 1: you mentioned, the Nike commercial was kind of a homage
Speaker 1: to her lineage. I saw that there was little nuggets
Speaker 1: and in the commercials you had her parents there. She
Speaker 1: paid homage to her grandmother. Don Staley was in the
Speaker 1: commercial as well. But for me, it felt nostalgic. It
Speaker 1: felt like an ode to black girlhood, and so I
Speaker 1: really enjoyed that. I feel like we haven't seen a
Speaker 1: Nike commercial like this since the early nineties, going back
Speaker 1: to like Cheryl swoops. But she got next. So I
Speaker 1: thoroughly enjoyed seeing great storytelling all around. And I'm excited
Speaker 1: for her shoe. Everyone got too to a pink auras,
Speaker 1: but kudos to Asia Wilson and that's a huge feat
Speaker 1: to be able to get your own Nike signature shoe.
Speaker 1: She's definitely changing the game.
Speaker 2: Yeah, It's so funny too, because I went to South
Speaker 2: Carolina for her South Carolina, Georgia retirement, and like that
Speaker 2: weekend was so much about family and her heritage and
Speaker 2: so many beautiful things were like celebrated during that weekend.
Speaker 2: But she was also kind of celebrating the upcoming launch
Speaker 2: of her A one show. So Nike threw some events.
Speaker 2: They threw like a family event, and I got to
Speaker 2: go to that, and then I remember overhearing like somebody
Speaker 2: also like a media member before I got to the event,
Speaker 2: saying like I think I think that they're shooting something,
Speaker 2: like there's like A's just here, her family's here. I
Speaker 2: think they're shooting something. And I saw Malia Obama in
Speaker 2: the lobby of my hotel and I'm like what And
Speaker 2: I know that she's in film, and so I'm like
Speaker 2: putting two and two together, I'm like, this has to
Speaker 2: be like promotional for the A one. So I asked
Speaker 2: someone at Nike when I was at the family event.
Speaker 2: I'm like, hey, like, you guys are suit in commercial
Speaker 2: and I'm like talking all about it and all this stuff,
Speaker 2: and the Nike person was like what, no, no, no,
Speaker 2: that's that sounds crazy and I'm like, oh okay, Like
Speaker 2: I'm like, yeah, okay, that's completely crazy, but I knew it.
Speaker 2: I knew it, So I'm so glad that it came out,
Speaker 2: and like we all get to relish in it because
Speaker 2: it's so good and I'm good they kept it under
Speaker 2: wraps as much as they could.
Speaker 1: Yeah, shoutout to Asis team and Nike for being able
Speaker 1: over the last few years, not only keeping the fact
Speaker 1: that she had a signature shoot a secret, but there
Speaker 1: almost have been no leaks of her shoe for the
Speaker 1: for the most part, for the most part, there's been
Speaker 1: no leaks, So shout I'm just so proud of her
Speaker 1: because she deserves and we talk about the superstars of
Speaker 1: the w Asha Wilson obviously, three time MVP is right
Speaker 1: up there, and so her business portfolio and her endorsements
Speaker 1: should match her accolades. So I'm so proud of her.
Speaker 1: All Right, Kelly, let's move on to the next thing.
Speaker 1: Let's go inside of the Las Vegas Aces training camp.
Speaker 1: I know you've been with the team a lot. In
Speaker 1: week one. What are some things that stand out to
Speaker 1: you about this Las Vegas Aces team.
Speaker 2: I mean, I think, oh, raw, big ticket, it's just
Speaker 2: how monks they keep talking about the energy of this
Speaker 2: training camping different from last year. I mean last year
Speaker 2: was my first year covering the team on a day
Speaker 2: to day basis, and I cannot stress to you how
Speaker 2: often it was mentioned that, like things were off from
Speaker 2: day one of training camp last season, and I think
Speaker 2: you could see that on the court, like there were
Speaker 2: times when you're like, they have the personnel to like
Speaker 2: win this and be dominating that they're not. They don't
Speaker 2: look like the aces that we've seen a lot of
Speaker 2: that was like energy and effort, and those are like
Speaker 2: those intangible things that are not always like fun to
Speaker 2: talk about when we're talking about sports, but you could
Speaker 2: see it with the aces last year. This year, literally
Speaker 2: from day one to training camp, everybody was like, wow,
Speaker 2: this is so different from last year. Like the competitive
Speaker 2: energy is there. Everybody seems grateful to be here. That's
Speaker 2: something that Becky Hamon and Ajel Wilson both said, which
Speaker 2: I thought was interesting, But like you can see that.
Speaker 2: I think a lot of that has to do with
Speaker 2: like the newcomers that they brought in the draft SE's
Speaker 2: and then even like the training camp contract signees. These
Speaker 2: people are hungry like they want to make the team,
Speaker 2: and I think that that changes the environment. It's like,
Speaker 2: I think it's gonna help. I mean, you saw the
Speaker 2: preseason game that they just played against the Wings that
Speaker 2: Notre Dame. That looked like a regular season game, you know,
Speaker 2: and obviously, like you can't pull too much of that
Speaker 2: because it's not a real regular season competition, But like,
Speaker 2: I like what I saw, and that's kind of like
Speaker 2: what I've been seeing at training camp.
Speaker 1: That's absolutely interesting that you say that. And we'll get
Speaker 1: into the preseason games a little bit later. But in
Speaker 1: the off season, the Aces made some additions and subtractions,
Speaker 1: most noticeably obviously that blockbuster trade at sant Jewel Lloyd
Speaker 1: from Seattle to Las Vegas eighth and Kelsey Qualm to
Speaker 1: La They also lost Lark Tiffany Hayes Saint Coulson, who
Speaker 1: was really a lot of energy for that Aces team.
Speaker 1: When you think about the additions and the pieces that
Speaker 1: they lost, how do you see these new pieces kind
Speaker 1: of fitting into Beckinghamon's system.
Speaker 2: Well, I was just telling somebody else, I mean Aliah
Speaker 2: and I really stands out to me. She was their
Speaker 2: number thirteen pick and she is like the pinnacle of
Speaker 2: like the three and D player that you would want
Speaker 2: and that the Aces kind of need, and I feel
Speaker 2: like they at their best, they've had some people fill
Speaker 2: that role really seamlessly, Like Alicia Clark did that really well.
Speaker 2: It was like she's gonna make an open shot, but
Speaker 2: she's also really smart defender, and that really spreads the
Speaker 2: floor for the team. So I think watching leeh and
Speaker 2: I in practice and then also see you in that
Speaker 2: preseason game, like she as soon as she got in
Speaker 2: she uh had a steal, leaked out for to get
Speaker 2: the ball, and then it was like as soon as
Speaker 2: she was passed the ball, immediate make and she was
Speaker 2: just like scoring machine. Seventeen points in your debut as
Speaker 2: a rookie is like significant. I feel like we're like
Speaker 2: talking about it, but we should be talking about it more.
Speaker 2: Like she looked like a pro out there. Obviously, this
Speaker 2: is no surprise, like she was a shooter at Alabama.
Speaker 2: She holds there like three point like season scoring record
Speaker 2: and all that, so this is not a surprise. But
Speaker 2: it's like the Aces should be taking her seriously, and
Speaker 2: I mean don't. I don't know how you don't give
Speaker 2: her a roster spot, so she's somebody. Also Crystal Bradford,
Speaker 2: like she is someone who just came off of like
Speaker 2: a really impressive Athletes Unlimited season, but she has like
Speaker 2: an energy that I think could be so interesting for
Speaker 2: the Aces because.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Crystal, Crystal Radford is my gog okay, so you
Speaker 1: are exactly.
Speaker 2: I really like her energy and like what she brings
Speaker 2: on the boards even like that's big. Those are like
Speaker 2: you can't want to gain not rebound me. So I
Speaker 2: think that those are the two that really stand out
Speaker 2: to me. But I mean this is not to say that,
Speaker 2: Like I mean, there's so many, like you mentioned, like
Speaker 2: draft ees, and there's a lot to unpack when you
Speaker 2: look at the roster, Like even with Jewel Lloyd, you know,
Speaker 2: we're not seeing like what we're going to see from her,
Speaker 2: Like yes, that was her debut with the Aces, but
Speaker 2: everyone I've spoken to in that building is like, we're
Speaker 2: going to unleash a new Jewel Lloyd that nobody's seen
Speaker 2: and I'm excited to see that. I mean I can imagine,
Speaker 2: like we know what Jewel Lloyd is capable of. She
Speaker 2: was a twenty twenty three scoring champ, Like he is
Speaker 2: not someone to be we played out. She's definitely gonna
Speaker 2: make this team better. That's something that like, I think
Speaker 2: a lot of people kind of gloss over when they
Speaker 2: look at the change things that made the like yeah,
Speaker 2: they are Jowel Lloyd, but you know, and it's like,
Speaker 2: I don't think there's be aning butts like that's gonna
Speaker 2: make a huge difference. So I mean, overall, those are
Speaker 2: kind of like the big ticket additions to me.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and I'm super excited about the Aces this season obviously,
Speaker 1: because you have Chelsea Gray who's going to be at
Speaker 1: full strength, who was dealing with a little bit of
Speaker 1: an injury last season. Kia Stokes as well was dealing
Speaker 1: with some rehab as well last season. Jackie Young in
Speaker 1: the off season at unleveled was also dealing with some
Speaker 1: injuries and trying to get back, so it looked like
Speaker 1: they were in mid season form honestly playing in the
Speaker 1: preseason game. I'm also excited to see Liz Kittley and
Speaker 1: how she fits into the system. She missed the entire
Speaker 1: season last year, So there's a lot of pieces that
Speaker 1: I'm excited to see personally. But I think that the Aces,
Speaker 1: when they're healthy, they can be dangerous because they have
Speaker 1: Asia Wilson. It starts and ends with Asia Wilson, I
Speaker 1: think obviously on both sides of the floor and her
Speaker 1: impact and what she can do. And we had a
Speaker 1: dinner with Asia Wilson courtesy of Boardroom at the Final four,
Speaker 1: and Asia did a panel or a fireside chat with
Speaker 1: Sydney Coleson and she was just like, look, I'm coming
Speaker 1: for everything this season. And so if you thought last
Speaker 1: year she she turns it up a notch, I think
Speaker 1: that this year we'll see a different side of Asia
Speaker 1: as well. But she definitely looks so confident, she's locked
Speaker 1: in and I'm excited to see what this Las Vegas
Speaker 1: Aces can do. So the ACE has also made some
Speaker 1: coaching changes and made some new additions to the coach
Speaker 1: and staff on the bench. I think it's interesting that
Speaker 1: Beckinghamon added a lot of coaches with NBA experience. What
Speaker 1: have you been seeing in terms of the development so
Speaker 1: far of some of the players and how they're working
Speaker 1: and adjusting with these new coaches.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I think what's stands out to me
Speaker 2: is the way, like her relationship with the coaches that
Speaker 2: she added, Like, didn't you like it's impacting the team
Speaker 2: before they eat them, like step foot on the corporate practices,
Speaker 2: like when they are looking for players to send in
Speaker 2: training camp invites to like Lucas the third he's one
Speaker 2: of the new player development coaches, and he like trained
Speaker 2: Daijah Kelly, like has experienced working with Dejah Kelly. So
Speaker 2: then when the ACIST sent out a training camp invite
Speaker 2: to Dejah Kelly, it's like, oh, that makes sense. They
Speaker 2: have a pre existing relationship he can continue to work
Speaker 2: with and like develop. That's like a real key for Becky.
Speaker 2: She and I spoke before this season about like in
Speaker 2: the WNBA it being so difficult to develop talent that
Speaker 2: you see potential in whereas like coming from where she's
Speaker 2: coming from in the NBA is not a problem at
Speaker 2: all because they have the G League, they have you know,
Speaker 2: injury resort, like you can do with all of these
Speaker 2: things that you can't necessarily do in the WNBA. So
Speaker 2: I think that like the addition to the staff like
Speaker 2: is key because they're going to try to like replicate
Speaker 2: some of those aspects that you see in the NBA.
Speaker 2: And that's also been a really successful model for her.
Speaker 2: And you know, previous seasons like you looking now in
Speaker 2: the Kase Tyler Marsh they also came from the NBA,
Speaker 2: just like Becky did. So I think that like the
Speaker 2: main thing, and this is something I remember even for
Speaker 2: my first sason covering the Aces, is that everybody who
Speaker 2: comes in Who's new talks about how it's like learning
Speaker 2: a new language. Like they talk about defense, and they
Speaker 2: talk about you know, offensive schemes a lot differently than
Speaker 2: other WBA teams do because they're using NBA terminology and
Speaker 2: they're approaching it the way that an NBA team would.
Speaker 2: And like I remember even watching an interview where Cannis
Speaker 2: Parker was like I needed like some time to adapt
Speaker 2: to that, and like for Canni's Parker to say that
Speaker 2: who was like the goat of goats in my book,
Speaker 2: like that says something about what that adjustment period is like.
Speaker 2: But you can see how her new additions are like
Speaker 2: shepherding you know, everybody through it. And so I think
Speaker 2: that that's going to be really interesting to watch, you know,
Speaker 2: it's interesting.
Speaker 1: I mean I talked about Betty with DASA a while
Speaker 1: back when I did one of the cover stories with
Speaker 1: w SLAM, and she was one of my interview subjects
Speaker 1: and she and she did say how much you learned
Speaker 1: from coach Pop and how she was going to bring
Speaker 1: that into the w NBA. And as you said that
Speaker 1: it is a recipe for success when you look at
Speaker 1: her previous coaching staff and the model that she's implementing
Speaker 1: in Las Vegas. Other teams like the New York Liberty
Speaker 1: are starting to do that as well. They added Tony
Speaker 1: Rahman to their coaching staff, who's a defensive specialist. And
Speaker 1: I had this conversation with Cheryl Reeve a while back
Speaker 1: about the w NBA, as Becky said, not being a
Speaker 1: place necessarily where players can get developed. So it's very
Speaker 1: interesting to see how the game has evolved over the
Speaker 1: last two years or so where teams are starting to
Speaker 1: prioritize that where And I think it gives a little
Speaker 1: bit of relief to the players right where you're coming in.
Speaker 1: Obviously your professional athlete, you're going to do your best,
Speaker 1: but just to have that room to develop and grow,
Speaker 1: I think helps the team and helps the team's success
Speaker 1: as well. So I'm excited to see how that works
Speaker 1: out with all of the different coaching changes in Las Vegas.
Speaker 1: 're ever going to take a quick pause and when
Speaker 1: we get back, We're going to break down more headlines
Speaker 1: and around the wa with CALLI fans. Stay with us.
Speaker 1: The next topic is about the Golden State Valkyries waving
Speaker 1: the number seventeen overall pick in Chyenne Sellers. Fans were
Speaker 1: completely outraged by this pick. So, if you're listening, guys,
Speaker 1: trading camp is really tough. Some of your favorite players
Speaker 1: might be waved, but that's not the end all be
Speaker 1: all to that person's journey. Wave players can get picked
Speaker 1: up by other teams. We've seen a lot of injuries
Speaker 1: happen are around the league, and so there is still
Speaker 1: room in time for a player like Chayenne Sellers to
Speaker 1: get picked up. Yeah, so do you think that it
Speaker 1: was too soon a move for the Valkyries to let
Speaker 1: go of Chyenne Sellers. Now, the fans were saying that
Speaker 1: why didn't they let her play in a preseason game
Speaker 1: on Tuesday? She deserved it. She deserved it. Coach Natalie
Speaker 1: Nicasa said she wanted to bring some clarity to the issue.
Speaker 1: She issued a statement to Kendrick Andrews at ESPN and
Speaker 1: said that Chayanne picked up everything that they asked her,
Speaker 1: and she did all the things, but they have to
Speaker 1: choose the best twelve that's going to fit. And it
Speaker 1: doesn't mean that it's the most talented player. It means
Speaker 1: it's the best twelve.
Speaker 2: Yeah. No, I actually did see all that, and you know,
Speaker 2: I get caught up quickly. So when I did lock
Speaker 2: back on, I saw that I was genuinely confused. And
Speaker 2: I try not to like judge or critique. That's something
Speaker 2: I think being a beat writer teaches you because it's
Speaker 2: like you're seeing people make tough decisions on a day
Speaker 2: to day basis and like they know things that I
Speaker 2: don't know and stuff like that. But from the outside
Speaker 2: looking in, like I'm confused by that move you draft
Speaker 2: Chiane Cellars, what was she like the number seven.
Speaker 1: Seventeen seventeen take? Like that's not nothing, you know, like
Speaker 1: it's in to.
Speaker 2: Me, It's like why not, like see what you have?
Speaker 2: And also like the explanation doesn't quite make sense to me,
Speaker 2: Like you you just cited it. She says, like she
Speaker 2: picked up everything that we asked her to, and it's
Speaker 2: not about like she's not she's saying that, Like, you know,
Speaker 2: Chianne Seller is not necessarily not one of the most
Speaker 2: talented but she's not one of like the best, but
Speaker 2: it's just it's confusing, and so I think that to me,
Speaker 2: it makes me wonder, like what is really like the
Speaker 2: driving factor behind the move. I feel like we don't
Speaker 2: necessarily have that information, but I do think, like you said,
Speaker 2: this is like it tis the season, like we're gonna
Speaker 2: see a lot more like we just saw Bree haul
Speaker 2: waved by the Indiana Fever. If she's not picked up
Speaker 2: by another team, I'll be mad, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2: And same thing if we as Chyanne Sellers. It's like,
Speaker 2: those are players that you want to see in the league.
Speaker 2: That's like the whole point of this. It's like players
Speaker 2: that you're so excited to have watched in college and
Speaker 2: you want to see a transition. This is why I
Speaker 2: think a lot of times we talk about, you know,
Speaker 2: league expansion, we need more teams and new cities, and
Speaker 2: I'm like, we need roster expansion, Like just give give
Speaker 2: us like two more raw spots. It would change everything,
Speaker 2: especially now because the WBA is expanding the amount of
Speaker 2: games they played in a season, So you're gonna ask
Speaker 2: them to do more and put more shit on our
Speaker 2: body with the same twelve maximum players, Like, that's kind
Speaker 2: of kind of crazy. Again, not trying to judge, but
Speaker 2: I just think it's like a little whild So yeah,
Speaker 2: I thought that move was like just a little head scratching,
Speaker 2: head scratching.
Speaker 1: Yeah. And Cheyenne Sellers her dad, Brad Sellers, also issued
Speaker 1: a statement on X. He said, quote, bring in some
Speaker 1: clarity to your questions. And he's referring to the fans
Speaker 1: where we're like, what is the reason is she injured?
Speaker 1: He says at Cyenne Teller's is one hundred percent healthy,
Speaker 1: cleared by two different medical teams Terpswomen's Basketball and Valkyries
Speaker 1: before training camp begins. Job is moving fine, playing well,
Speaker 1: and make good relationships in the locker room, just like Maryland.
Speaker 1: Back to work end quote. So her dad is clearing
Speaker 1: the air real quick. He's like, look, I know that
Speaker 1: she was dealing with a little bit of a knee
Speaker 1: issue in college, but that's just simply not the case.
Speaker 1: She cleared two medical teams and she's ready to play.
Speaker 1: And So to your point on you talk about roster expansion,
Speaker 1: I think that it's impossible to do right now because
Speaker 1: of the current CDA. So as we know the current
Speaker 1: CBA gives little to no wiggle room four teams to
Speaker 1: go beyond that hard salary cap, and so that's probably
Speaker 1: one of the things that's going to be negotiated in
Speaker 1: the new CBA coming in twenty twenty six is to
Speaker 1: ease off of that hard salary cap so that teams
Speaker 1: are able to do that. And I think that once
Speaker 1: there's more our teams are able to do more with
Speaker 1: their salary, then you can talk about roster expansion. Also,
Speaker 1: the CBA says the maximum game TA can play onder
Speaker 1: the CBA is forty four games, and so the league
Speaker 1: is going to take advantage of that, right, Like, why
Speaker 1: not take advantage of the momentum bring it to forty
Speaker 1: four games? But I think that if you bring the
Speaker 1: rosters to fourteen or even fifteen players, maybe like the NBA,
Speaker 1: then you have to increase the minutes. You can't play
Speaker 1: a forty forty minute game. You have to increase a
Speaker 1: little bit.
Speaker 3: Of the minute.
Speaker 1: I don't know if I agree with forty eight forty eight,
Speaker 1: forty eight minutes and fifteen.
Speaker 2: I don't think that's necessary. I mean, I really I
Speaker 2: think you look at a normal WBA season and you
Speaker 2: can see, like the there's space for more players. Like, yes,
Speaker 2: I it's tight, you know, forty minutes a time, But
Speaker 2: like you have injuries, you have all these different things
Speaker 2: that happen, like I don't think we need to make
Speaker 2: the game longer. I don't. We don't think we need
Speaker 2: to add any more like it.
Speaker 1: I agree with you that okay, So leave it at
Speaker 1: leave it at forty, and use the extra three players
Speaker 1: for injury reserve. They can practice with the team, learn
Speaker 1: the schemes, just keep them in the pocket.
Speaker 2: They travel, they do all the.
Speaker 1: Things, and you just keep them DMP DMP until sometimes
Speaker 1: where I'm not with it to a player. Maybe that's
Speaker 1: that's where I'm at.
Speaker 2: Like people get sick, like I look at even like
Speaker 2: like Jackie Young covering the Aces last season, like she
Speaker 2: had I want to say, like at least three games
Speaker 2: throughout the season where she was just like sick and
Speaker 2: still playing. And I think maybe if you have like
Speaker 2: a deeper roster, Jackie might have the confidence to be like, actually,
Speaker 2: I will just be sick and set this one out.
Speaker 2: Like you know, that's not even an injury. It's not
Speaker 2: like a long term thing. It's just like one game
Speaker 2: or something. But that's an opportunity for one of those
Speaker 2: extra players to maybe come in and like make a difference.
Speaker 1: Yeah. And I had someone also ask me the other day.
Speaker 1: They were like, well, why does a WNBA do three
Speaker 1: rounds of the draft if you're not even sure if
Speaker 1: the top players are going to make it onto a roster.
Speaker 1: And I'm just like, look, that's beyond my pay grade
Speaker 1: to answer, because it really doesn't make sense right to
Speaker 1: do that. And every year players are fighting for a spot,
Speaker 1: whether you have a protected contract, whether it's unguaranteed, whether
Speaker 1: it's a training camp contract, you're fighting for a spot
Speaker 1: every single year. Unless you're like at the top one
Speaker 1: percent of players like the Asian Sives, the Brionna Stewart,
Speaker 1: you know your contract is guaranteed, you ain't going nowhere.
Speaker 1: It's like, what is the point? So hopefully they can
Speaker 1: find some balance in twenty twenty six with the new
Speaker 1: CBA to one be able to have a little bit
Speaker 1: of security and also wiggle room to be able to
Speaker 1: pay players what they deserve but also sign more talent.
Speaker 1: All right, going into the next topic in and around
Speaker 1: the league injury report, who's out and what's next? So
Speaker 1: the latest player to suffer an injury, a season ending
Speaker 1: injury is Katie Lou Samuelson or the Seattle Storm. She
Speaker 1: suffered a torn acl in practice and so she joins
Speaker 1: Georgia Horston who suffered the same injury and the off
Speaker 1: season at applete unlimited and Nikomo Will also suffered a
Speaker 1: similar injury. She's out for the season for the Storm,
Speaker 1: so they're down three players right now. And what's unique
Speaker 1: about this situation is Katie Luke got hurt while with
Speaker 1: her WNBAT and so that means that they can either
Speaker 1: waive her or they can kind of keep her with
Speaker 1: the team. Either way, her contract is going to count
Speaker 1: towards their overall salary cap. Or as a player like
Speaker 1: Georgian Horsten who got injured in the off season not
Speaker 1: with her WNBA team, they can suspend her and it
Speaker 1: won't count towards the salary cap. So if I'm the
Speaker 1: Seattle Storm and I'm down for the players, I think
Speaker 1: that you know, you look at what you have in
Speaker 1: terms of the training camp contract that you have signed,
Speaker 1: but also who's going to be in that pool of
Speaker 1: Wave players that can make an immediate impact and help.
Speaker 1: So maybe the Storm they waited out until the end
Speaker 1: of this week or mid week and they pick up
Speaker 1: some players, we're going to be in the way talent pool.
Speaker 1: What do you think about about the latest with the
Speaker 1: Seattle Storm.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I think it's interesting because the Storms,
Speaker 2: the team are like they have so much going for them,
Speaker 2: even if you just look in the front court, you
Speaker 2: know what I mean, Like they number two picked on
Speaker 2: Nick Bolonga, Like they have the potential to have like
Speaker 2: the US maybe post depth in the w BA to year,
Speaker 2: you know what I mean. But you mentioned the injuries.
Speaker 2: That's it's like it's a kind of a question mark
Speaker 2: on like just how they'll proceed. And I think what
Speaker 2: you're suggesting would be the best course of action. It's like,
Speaker 2: wait to the end of this week because I bet
Speaker 2: you there's gonna be a whole bunch of creds. I
Speaker 2: even look at like the Aces guard situation, Like there's
Speaker 2: a lot of guards on the Aces that could maybe
Speaker 2: be appealing to the Storm depending on just how things
Speaker 2: pan out with the Aces roster building. And like it's
Speaker 2: not just the Aces, Like there are a few teams
Speaker 2: if you look around the league where they have talent
Speaker 2: that needs spots, and so I think, I don't know,
Speaker 2: the Stormer to me, maybe are like kind of a
Speaker 2: sleeper team. I know that, like in the trade losing
Speaker 2: Jewel Lloyd, But like if you look at kind of
Speaker 2: stuff they added, like oh Ushah Clark, who we were
Speaker 2: just talking about earlier, and you know, they made some
Speaker 2: really interesting moves, and so I think like they these
Speaker 2: moves that they make to kind of replace their injured
Speaker 2: players are going to determine kind of like where they
Speaker 2: stand in like championship contention. Dare I say, I know
Speaker 2: it sounds kind of crazy. I don't think anybody's talking
Speaker 2: about the storm and in terms of like championship contention.
Speaker 2: But I feel like if they make the right moves,
Speaker 2: it's not out of the question. I don't know if
Speaker 2: that's why it's crazy. That might be like a hot take.
Speaker 1: I mean it it's not far fetched, right. You have
Speaker 1: Gak whose single handley was on a lot of people's
Speaker 1: MVP lists in the votings last year, Skyler Diggins, who
Speaker 1: is now back in her normal form. She's comfortable. We
Speaker 1: saw a little bit of what they could do yesterday
Speaker 1: against Connecticut and the preseason, and so you add Dominique
Speaker 1: lalonga as Ezie as well. Those are some really solid
Speaker 1: pieces to make a run. This is a defensive heavy team,
Speaker 1: but they also have a lot to say on an
Speaker 1: offensive end, so it's not far fits to think that
Speaker 1: they can definitely contend. This is a team full of veterans.
Speaker 1: Alicia Clark knows what it takes to win. Neko Gumaka
Speaker 1: has been there before. She knows what it takes to win.
Speaker 1: So president I think that they could possibly be a
Speaker 1: sleeper team heading into this twenty twenty five season. Also
Speaker 1: on the injury report. Over the weekend, the New York
Speaker 1: Liberty hosted a media appreciation day, and to everyone listening,
Speaker 1: I was supposed to be there. I was offered a
Speaker 1: training camp contract, like when you turned it down in
Speaker 1: you didn't show up to camp, and unfortunately I couldn't
Speaker 1: show up to camp on the rest of the media members.
Speaker 1: So I was having major fomo. But Jonathan Coleb in
Speaker 1: a press conference addressed the media and talked about hinting
Speaker 1: at suspending Benigja Laney Hamilton for the twenty twenty five season. Again,
Speaker 1: I mentioned earlier that she suffered her knee injury at
Speaker 1: Unrivaled and so if she is suspended. Going back to
Speaker 1: that salary cap and looking at how the New York
Speaker 1: Liberty would want to proceed, her salary would not count
Speaker 1: against the New York Liberty's cap at all. And that's
Speaker 1: one hundred and eighty five thousand dollars that you can
Speaker 1: then spend on either a big named players or a
Speaker 1: couple of players to get them onto that New York
Speaker 1: Liberty roster. And from what I understand is if a
Speaker 1: player is injured during their time in a mill and
Speaker 1: Mill will cover their salary. I think that that's what. Yeah,
Speaker 1: so this will win win. She still gets paid for
Speaker 1: her season, and the New York Liberty can add some
Speaker 1: major pieces to their roster to defend their title. And
Speaker 1: so I think that with Benigelanne Hamilton being out, obviously
Speaker 1: she was, She's a huge part of the DNA and
Speaker 1: heart of the New York Liberty team defensively what she
Speaker 1: can do on the offensive end as well, and so
Speaker 1: obviously a huge loss. But when I look at the
Speaker 1: roster and what and what they have in particular, you
Speaker 1: have players like Marine Johannes who's returning, Rebecca Gartner as well,
Speaker 1: I feel like Waoni Piebach will take a huge leap
Speaker 1: this year. She was a huge part of that finals
Speaker 1: game against Minnesota, and so it sucks that Benijelano Hamilton
Speaker 1: will possibly out for the whole twenty twenty five season
Speaker 1: with her injury, but I would rather her rehab get
Speaker 1: better than rushing deck.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm with you. It's kind of like a it's
Speaker 2: like a weird way to say it in the scope
Speaker 2: of like an injury situation, but it's almost like a
Speaker 2: gluttony of riches for the Liberty because, like you said,
Speaker 2: they have like this money that they could potentially make
Speaker 2: it a bit different, like you're the raigning champions and then
Speaker 2: you can like make a huge edition. Obviously it's it's
Speaker 2: a loss, but Benija was great and for them and
Speaker 2: like contributed to that title. So I don't know, but
Speaker 2: to me, it's like it's almost like the rich get richer,
Speaker 2: you know what I mean, Like they they're already the
Speaker 2: champions now they could potentially add somebody else. So I
Speaker 2: don't know how that's gonna pan out, But I think
Speaker 2: I mean, Jonathan coleb is like a really good GM obviously,
Speaker 2: like he's been you know, WB executive the year or
Speaker 2: stuff like that. He's gonna do something interesting.
Speaker 1: I know that Julie always has something up his sleeve.
Speaker 1: But I think the overall thing and theme that I'm
Speaker 1: getting to with this injury report is ACL injuries and
Speaker 1: knee injuries are becoming very very common common these days
Speaker 1: with NBA athletes, and I know that there's a lot
Speaker 1: of science that goes behind it in terms of what
Speaker 1: are you doing in off season and the injury history sneakers,
Speaker 1: even in how athletes are fitted for the speakers in
Speaker 1: different things. So I'm interested to seeing the science behind
Speaker 1: all these ACL injuries. Georgia Amore also missing the twenty
Speaker 1: twenty five season due to ACL injury as well, so
Speaker 1: the Mystics might pick up another guard to fill that position,
Speaker 1: maybe Shyanne Sellers. I don't know, but it's very interesting
Speaker 1: to see that happening in and around the league. All Right,
Speaker 1: So I want to move on to the w NBA
Speaker 1: preseason reactions. There was a lot of really great games
Speaker 1: over the weekend, started on Friday throughout Sunday. Some more
Speaker 1: coming this week as well. The Mystics, they did well
Speaker 1: against Indiana. They definitely held their own. That game went
Speaker 1: to overtime. Now granted Indiana did not have Kitlyn Clark.
Speaker 1: They do not have Kitlyn Clark. And I think that
Speaker 1: what was funny about the debates that I was seeing
Speaker 1: online was like Ceey Johnson wasn't trying to win the game,
Speaker 1: but Stephanie White was trying to win the game.
Speaker 2: It's like that.
Speaker 1: It's it's a game, Like why wouldn't you want to
Speaker 1: win and do everything you can to win. Some people
Speaker 1: kind of criticize Stephanie White's usage of her starters in
Speaker 1: preseason and wanted to see the rookies get a little
Speaker 1: bit more burned. But that was a very exciting game.
Speaker 1: I think that we saw great flashes from Song to
Speaker 1: Centron as well. The mystics rookies were definitely holding it down.
Speaker 2: I think, yeah, I mean it's so funny. I said,
Speaker 2: like Kiki are fin became like a huge subject after
Speaker 2: that game. But stuff like that is like, I guess
Speaker 2: why the league is fun, And I think it's funny
Speaker 2: to see a rookie be kind of like on the
Speaker 2: opposite end of the discussion of like aggression to the WBA,
Speaker 2: like the physicality of the game and things like that.
Speaker 2: But like part of that is like this is why
Speaker 2: we watch Like these women are so physical and like
Speaker 2: it's serious. You mentioned like you know this is preseason,
Speaker 2: like the approaches were different.
Speaker 1: Lahl lah lah, Like.
Speaker 2: Everybody wants to win. I don't really care what the
Speaker 2: coaches say, like they want to win. And even like
Speaker 2: when you're seeing the Fever utilize their starters super heavily,
Speaker 2: like Becky Hammond talked about that with the Aces against
Speaker 2: the Dallas Wing. She played her starters really heavily and
Speaker 2: afterward I asked her about it and she was like,
Speaker 2: we're trying to get better, Like this is like one
Speaker 2: of few opportunities to improve. If the starters are not
Speaker 2: like firing at all cylinders, what are we gonna do?
Speaker 2: Like the rookies are not gonna we can't even talk
Speaker 2: about evaluating our reserves if our starters are not where
Speaker 2: they need to be. So I think that, like this
Speaker 2: is what we watch for. And that's a physic cool
Speaker 2: thing about being a WBA fan or somebody that covers
Speaker 2: a WNBA. You're watching preseason games and you're seeing stuff
Speaker 2: that you might normally see in the regular season. It's
Speaker 2: not like this in the NBA, in the m NBA,
Speaker 2: as the people will say these preseason games are not
Speaker 2: taken the same way. Preseason games in the NBA are
Speaker 2: like an opportunity to maybe get a glimpse of like
Speaker 2: the type of player that a team is getting. Like, no,
Speaker 2: that's not what it's like in the w Like this
Speaker 2: is like we're getting started, We're ramping up. And I
Speaker 2: think that Mystic Speaver game was a great example.
Speaker 1: What of Kiki And I totally forgot about that, but
Speaker 1: it's like a meme everywhere, Like yes, she was like
Speaker 1: I'm not having a welcome to the w moment. She
Speaker 1: just asserted herself and like I'm here now, what kind
Speaker 1: of thing? So I love the aggression. I love this spiciness.
Speaker 1: Indiana ended up winning that game over the Mystics in overtime.
Speaker 1: Former ACES assistant.
Speaker 4: Ti marsh his Chicago's guy beat the Brazilian national team,
Speaker 4: And I think what I loved about this game one
Speaker 4: is the WNBA hinting at globalizing the game.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 1: We know that some WBA players like Camilla Cardoza, she
Speaker 1: plays on the national team, So being able to just
Speaker 1: see a national team come in and kind of minute
Speaker 1: what the NBA does. The NBA also does some of
Speaker 1: these games as well in their preseason where they invite
Speaker 1: a team from overseas to come and play in the
Speaker 1: NBA in the preseason to get the teams ready. But
Speaker 1: how great was it to see that big duo in
Speaker 1: Angel Rees and Camilla back Elizabeth Williams who had a
Speaker 1: really really solid season and Athletes Unlimited coming back off
Speaker 1: of an injury, and then Haley vandlydth she made her
Speaker 1: rookie preseason pro debut as well. So lots of great
Speaker 1: flashes from the Chicago sky.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Keler Marsh was like a man with a plan,
Speaker 2: you know, he took that job in Chicago, s guy
Speaker 2: because he knew that there was like big potential in
Speaker 2: that front court alone, you know what I mean. But
Speaker 2: then they have like some really really exciting guards, like
Speaker 2: you have Courtney Vanderslout and then you have Haley Bandlid
Speaker 2: like potentially learning under her and all this, Like there's
Speaker 2: such an interesting team and like you mentioned, it's just
Speaker 2: like cool to see them. And then it's like the globalization,
Speaker 2: but it's also like the it's like the continuation of
Speaker 2: the college fandom, like going back to LSU aces, going
Speaker 2: back to Notre Dame and you have, like the Fever
Speaker 2: going to Iowa. Like those are things that I think
Speaker 2: really bridge a gap for the w And that's how
Speaker 2: like growth continues because college fans are the diehards, you know,
Speaker 2: They're the ones that you know, they're wanting to see
Speaker 2: their players succeed and continue as pros. And I think
Speaker 2: it's a really smart move for so many teams in
Speaker 2: the league to be embracing that and also embracing like
Speaker 2: you mentioned, like these global teams and like global audiences.
Speaker 1: And I love if the Chicago's Guy this season and
Speaker 1: often it acquire some really good vets. You mentioned Courtney Vandersloot.
Speaker 1: She's obviously about to pass super this season if she
Speaker 1: reaches that and all time and assists, and I feel
Speaker 1: like the Chicago's Guy needed a plank guard who can
Speaker 1: make post entry passes. You have to hear your bigs
Speaker 1: in a way where it's effective and they can make
Speaker 1: an impact. And who better else to get than Courtney
Speaker 1: Vanders who won a championship in twenty twenty one with
Speaker 1: the Sky. And then you bring in keya Nurse, Rebecca Allen,
Speaker 1: all of these great vets who can teach the young players.
Speaker 1: You know, the ropes in the ins and outs, and
Speaker 1: also they have a lot in them and it can
Speaker 1: still make an impact. Obviously, the New York Liberty is
Speaker 1: gonna miss Courty Vandersloop, but they got a dog and
Speaker 1: Natasha Cloud this past offseason as well. We talked about
Speaker 1: Page a little bit earlier. What were your first impressions
Speaker 1: of her pro debut?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think people will look at like
Speaker 2: the ten points and be like, oh, that was a
Speaker 2: quiet debut, but it wasn't. She looked really confident out there,
Speaker 2: and like that's saying a lot like she she looked strong.
Speaker 2: I think a lot of like the plays that she created.
Speaker 2: I was like, yes, okay, this is a glimpse of
Speaker 2: what we're gonna see. I just am like curious to
Speaker 2: see how I want to see her and Arik A
Speaker 2: Gombule more like, I don't feel like I got to
Speaker 2: see a lot of Rik in that preseason game. So
Speaker 2: that's kind of like where my curiosity remains with Page.
Speaker 2: I think that's a huge key, Like that's a really
Speaker 2: that's a lot of talent in your back court, so
Speaker 2: it's like you want to see it at its best,
Speaker 2: and obviously that wasn't going to be in the first
Speaker 2: game that they played together. But I thought she looks great.
Speaker 2: It was really cool to see her. There was like
Speaker 2: one moment where she and Asia were lined up with
Speaker 2: the free throw line and they were like joking, and
Speaker 2: it was just like, dang, like this is crazy, Like
Speaker 2: she's really in the league and like she's holding her own.
Speaker 2: So I can't imagine looking at that debut and having
Speaker 2: concerns about what Page will be able to accomplish in
Speaker 2: the league.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and it looks like the Wings are still trying
Speaker 1: to figure out how the offensive system is going to work.
Speaker 1: They have eight new players on their team, there's only
Speaker 1: three returning players, and so they have to figure it out.
Speaker 1: They have a new coach as well, so there's a
Speaker 1: lot of things that Chris Cloklane has to figure out
Speaker 1: in terms of how he wants to create his system.
Speaker 1: And so I think that obviously in preseason will see
Speaker 1: them work out the clink the kinks. But a player
Speaker 1: that surprised me with JJ Quinnoley oh yeah, boom that deepens. Yeah,
Speaker 1: is just so confident and how she's moving on the
Speaker 1: court very pro ready have missed the steps since college
Speaker 1: and she doesn't make the team. I'm gonna be like,
Speaker 1: what still of the draft, for sure, But I'm excited
Speaker 1: to see how the Dallas Wings, just how they progress
Speaker 1: over the season. Do I expect them to win a championship? No?
Speaker 1: Do they have the pieces to contend? Yes, they acquired
Speaker 1: DJ Nate Carrington, who.
Speaker 2: Made that face.
Speaker 1: They have the pieces. DJ Nate Carrington most improved player,
Speaker 1: can play defense really well. Erique finally has a point
Speaker 1: guard who can facilitate pass first, who's efficient. I feel
Speaker 1: like Page doesn't necessarily have to have to score to
Speaker 1: be effective. She can also play really really good defense
Speaker 1: Maisha heinz Allen. They got to figure out where that's
Speaker 1: gonna work. Obviously, I want to see Tierre McCowan be
Speaker 1: a little bit more aggressive and just be more more
Speaker 1: confident and and what she can do on the She
Speaker 1: was a top pick in her draft class, and I
Speaker 1: just want to see her have a breakout year as well.
Speaker 1: But you know, it's to be determined what the Dallas Wings. Yeah,
Speaker 1: all right. My final question for you, Kelly is I
Speaker 1: like to end this segment with asking our guests to
Speaker 1: tell me one thing that has brought them joy this week.
Speaker 5: So what's one thing that's brought you joy this week.
Speaker 5: One thing that's brought me joy this week. I think
Speaker 5: I'm gonna say it's that photo of Dejah Kelly that
Speaker 5: resurfaced where she's posing with Becky Hammond as like a
Speaker 5: really young girl, and then Becky Hammon showed it to
Speaker 5: her at Hayes's practice and Deja looked so like embarrassed
Speaker 5: by it, But that's so adorable to me.
Speaker 2: That's like what this is all about. I was like
Speaker 2: that little girl being from Sacra Mino. We had the
Speaker 2: monarchs when I was growing up, and that's how I
Speaker 2: felt like around the women that made that team what
Speaker 2: it was, and like that's that brings me joy. That's
Speaker 2: like the whole point. You know, already chambers are the
Speaker 2: time abut dubbing bass so important, but like it is like,
Speaker 2: as a young black girl who loves sports to be
Speaker 2: able to look up and see people from you know,
Speaker 2: not just being like a black girl, but like they're
Speaker 2: Becky Hammond, for example, is not black, but you get
Speaker 2: what I'm saying. It's like these are women who aren't
Speaker 2: cheating incredible things and you get to you know, it's aspirational,
Speaker 2: and I think that that's just super fun. So for me,
Speaker 2: Desha Kelly has like a little babyface. Just cheesing with
Speaker 2: Becky Hammond brought me joy this week.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Dasha was on the show, I think in her
Speaker 1: final week of being at Oregon, and she told that
Speaker 1: story of seeing the San Antonio Stars when she was
Speaker 1: younger and she went undrafted and everyone's like, oh, it's over,
Speaker 1: it's over, and I'm like, wait, you don't know might
Speaker 1: pick her up. So what a full circle moment that
Speaker 1: was for Daisia to then get picked up and signed
Speaker 1: to the Las Vegas Aces and kind of get to
Speaker 1: learn from one of her heroes growing up. It kind
Speaker 1: of brings it into more a tangible thing that if
Speaker 1: you see it, you can definitely be in this league.
Speaker 1: So what is that moment? I love that that brought
Speaker 1: you joy this week? CALLI Thank you for joining us
Speaker 1: this week on In Case you missed It with Christina Williams,
Speaker 1: and thank you for helping me break down this week's headlines.
Speaker 2: Thanks Christina, this was so fun. We should do it again.
Speaker 1: You're always invited girl for sure. Make sure you follow
Speaker 1: Kelly on all of her social media and check out
Speaker 1: all of her latest work. With the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Speaker 1: She's gonna be covering the Aces all season. So if
Speaker 1: you're an Aces fan or if you're just a sports enthusiast,
Speaker 1: make sure you tap in with Calli. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1: Thanks all right, I just want to thank Calli again
Speaker 1: for joining us this week to break down the headlines.
Speaker 1: When we return to the show, we're gonna be joined
Speaker 1: by Toronto Tempo president Teresa Rich, so stay with us.
Speaker 1: As we know, the WNBA has never been more popular
Speaker 1: and expansion plans are always so exciting. We know that
Speaker 1: there are three new teams come into the WNBA within
Speaker 1: the next two years. The Golden State Valkyries are debuting
Speaker 1: this season and a few weeks actually, and in twenty
Speaker 1: twenty six, the Toronto Tempo joins the league, as well
Speaker 1: as the Portland expansion team. So to fill us in
Speaker 1: on how things are coming together, is Toronto Tempo President
Speaker 1: Teresa Rich. Welcome to the show, Excited to be here,
Speaker 1: excited to have you. So we always start the show
Speaker 1: with asking our guests their earliest basketball memory. So I
Speaker 1: want to know what's your earliest basketball memory. What was
Speaker 1: that thing that made you fall in love with the sports.
Speaker 6: So I grew up in rural Minnesota, like a country,
Speaker 6: like twelve hundred people are my hometown. I have three siblings,
Speaker 6: older brother, older sister, younger brother. And what I remember
Speaker 6: is my dad had put a hoop on the top
Speaker 6: of our garage and there was a driveway and then
Speaker 6: there was the sidewalk, and then like the second driveway
Speaker 6: before we go to the street. I remember being out
Speaker 6: there playing lightning like knock out with my siblings, and
Speaker 6: if you made the basket, it would swish and then
Speaker 6: it hit the bottom of a garage and bounce.
Speaker 2: Back to you.
Speaker 3: So it's always really important that if you could make
Speaker 3: make it.
Speaker 6: So those are my earliest memories played with my siblings,
Speaker 6: and it was always that we drew a free throw
Speaker 6: line and then if you could make it to the
Speaker 6: three point of that mean you're on the other side
Speaker 6: of the sidewalk. And I can still remember those those
Speaker 6: different marks that we played together. And it was always
Speaker 6: girls versus boys, because you know, the boys were the
Speaker 6: oldest and the youngest and the girls were the middle,
Speaker 6: so it was it was great. It was a lot
Speaker 6: of fun growing up with them and playing. So those
Speaker 6: are my earliest memories.
Speaker 1: So how does one go from growing up on a
Speaker 1: farm in Minnesota to being a president of an expansion
Speaker 1: w NBA team.
Speaker 6: Oh, man, I think it's been It's been a lot
Speaker 6: of luck. But you know, luck is when preparation meets opportunity.
Speaker 6: I firmly believe that. So I definitely I did no
Speaker 6: I wanted to work in sports. Honestly, I thought i'd
Speaker 6: work in agriculturalis what my entire family had done. I'm
Speaker 6: six foot tall, so in a small town, I got
Speaker 6: to play all the sports. Nobody got cut. And I
Speaker 6: had a really great volleyball coach growing up, and she
Speaker 6: did a great job of teaching me and a lot
Speaker 6: of my classmates about the game. And I ended up
Speaker 6: playing in university, and there was really the first time
Speaker 6: I realized, like, you can have a career in sports
Speaker 6: that's not being a coach or a player. So at
Speaker 6: that point I was at Division two school, I was like, Okay,
Speaker 6: I knew that I wasn't going to be an athlete
Speaker 6: or a professional athlete of any kind. But I used
Speaker 6: that experience to like just gain more of a worldview
Speaker 6: of how the sports world works, and did a graduate
Speaker 6: degree in Florida, and then did an internship as part
Speaker 6: of that degree at Disease Wide World of Sports, and
Speaker 6: that's where I first got exposed to basketball at a
Speaker 6: professional level. So we hosted the draft combine. I ended
Speaker 6: up getting a job there through that connection at the
Speaker 6: league office, so I had my first job ever, full
Speaker 6: time career job at the age.
Speaker 3: Of twenty six.
Speaker 6: So I got a little late start, but moved to
Speaker 6: New York City and that's been my career in sport
Speaker 6: and specifically basketball started, and it's been an incredible journey.
Speaker 6: I think more than anything, I have an incredible curiosity
Speaker 6: and it served me well.
Speaker 3: I didn't realize that was kind of like one.
Speaker 6: Of my superpowers until more recently when I've realized, like
Speaker 6: all those questions I've asked, all the curiosity I have
Speaker 6: have really prepared me to sit in this chair because
Speaker 6: man to be president of an expansion team, I've never
Speaker 6: Many things that I do on a daily basis I've
Speaker 6: never done before, but just like curiosity and the accumulation
Speaker 6: of a lot of different experiences have really helped me
Speaker 6: kind of manage what we're undertaking here at the tempo.
Speaker 1: It's so amazing how playing sports can prepare you for
Speaker 1: like the c suite or to be an executive in sport,
Speaker 1: and just your journey is just so interesting. I know
Speaker 1: that a lot of WNBA fans are so excited for
Speaker 1: this new expansion team coming to Canada in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1: I think it was proven in the WNBA preseason games
Speaker 1: in Canada where they sold out in twenty minutes and
Speaker 1: the big crowds that came out. What has these last
Speaker 1: two years been like for you, just bringing together everything
Speaker 1: to prepare the league for this new team.
Speaker 6: Yeah, it's been in an incredible experience. So, as I mentioned,
Speaker 6: I'm from the States, but I moved here to work
Speaker 6: for the Trial Raptors in twenty thirteen, so I've been
Speaker 6: here for twelve years, got in my dual citizenship, and
Speaker 6: it's an interesting culture up here, and it's very very
Speaker 6: similar to any great North American city. But there's this
Speaker 6: incredible pride, nationalism I guess about being Canadian and embracing
Speaker 6: those things. And we've seen it play out up here
Speaker 6: for years in just the way that they support their Olympians,
Speaker 6: specifically female Olympians, in a way that you know isn't
Speaker 6: necessarily the normal across the world, and they've never had
Speaker 6: professional sports appear at all. There's been golf and tennis,
Speaker 6: individual there was a hockey league that you know, fledgling
Speaker 6: here and there, but in the last three years, the
Speaker 6: entire landscape has changed. So the PWHL kicked off in
Speaker 6: twenty January one of last year. The NSL Northern Super League,
Speaker 6: which is a Canadian professional women's soccer league, kicked off
Speaker 6: just last week and we're going to tip off in
Speaker 6: twenty twenty six. So it's an incredible time to be
Speaker 6: in women's sports in Canada and it's really your reflection
Speaker 6: of the movement that's happening around the world. I knew
Speaker 6: that through the research, we knew that this was going
Speaker 6: to be successful. Like you mentioned, a couple sold out
Speaker 6: preseason games. But what's been really exciting is how well
Speaker 6: received everything we've done has been. We knew it would
Speaker 6: be good, but this has exceeded all expectations. So now
Speaker 6: we just can't wait to get some players and get
Speaker 6: on the court.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, I love the eye idea of the Toronto temp
Speaker 1: though being Canada's team, I know that you all will
Speaker 1: play at the Coca colaam Coliseum, but the idea that
Speaker 1: this is going to be Canada's team. Can you talk
Speaker 1: about that?
Speaker 6: Yeah, we're really privileged to be able to do that.
Speaker 6: So we talk about the Raptors and the Blue Jays.
Speaker 6: They're definitely Canada's team because they're the only ones in
Speaker 6: those professional sports. But they were always there right There
Speaker 6: was the Expos, there was the Grizzlies, and we have
Speaker 6: the opportunity to truly be Canada's team from the very beginning.
Speaker 6: It was great to work with the league on that
Speaker 6: as well. They saw the opportunity and provided us some
Speaker 6: different rights to territories and commercial rights that they hadn't
Speaker 6: granted to other teams through an agreement.
Speaker 3: So we're really looking forward to leaning into that.
Speaker 6: We look forward to playing regular season games outside of Toronto,
Speaker 6: something that in other sports hadn't happened.
Speaker 3: But really excited this year August.
Speaker 6: Fifteenth, a regular season game between Seattle and Atlanta will
Speaker 6: happen in Vancouver. So very excited that they're testing the waters.
Speaker 6: A lot of excitement on the West Coast around WNBA.
Speaker 6: So I'll be out there and hopefully a lot of
Speaker 6: a lot of your listeners and fans will be out
Speaker 6: there too. Chickets haven't gone on sales, so hopefully we
Speaker 6: keep that run of selling out these these not preseason
Speaker 6: games anymore, just games in Canada quickly.
Speaker 3: But yeah, be in Canada's team is.
Speaker 6: Really important because we believe we can be two things, right,
Speaker 6: We can be aspirational.
Speaker 3: So many women have come to me that.
Speaker 6: Are really peers of mind, right, like late thirties, early forties,
Speaker 6: that have said I never thought this would happened in
Speaker 6: my lifetime, and I kind of look at them like, man,
Speaker 6: we're young, Like you don't have more confidence in this.
Speaker 6: But it's been really eye opening because even though they
Speaker 6: are connected and played basketball, there's great infrastructure here. The
Speaker 6: national team has been really competitive for years. There just
Speaker 6: wasn't anybody that they could point to and see. So
Speaker 6: very aspirational. And then the other thing is just young
Speaker 6: next jed.
Speaker 4: Right.
Speaker 6: So you look at the Raptors organization I worked for,
Speaker 6: and they talk about that effect that's had so thirty
Speaker 6: years ago at launch, and you look at how many
Speaker 6: Canadians are now in the NBA and how they were
Speaker 6: impacted directly by the existence of the Raptors. So we
Speaker 6: feel like the Temple is going to have that impact
Speaker 6: as well on girls and women in this country.
Speaker 1: What's been the most fun part about the launch for you?
Speaker 6: Oh my gosh, too many to name. It's been incredible.
Speaker 6: Like I said, so many, it's the feedback has been
Speaker 6: so positive. I mean there's so many, but I'd say
Speaker 6: like the little ones, like when you see tempo gear
Speaker 6: like out in the wild, when you know it's not
Speaker 6: someone that works for the tea and you see it
Speaker 6: now I'm seeing it over and over again, Like that's
Speaker 6: really cool. Like to see it and know that those
Speaker 6: people have embraced your brand before there's any players or
Speaker 6: any coaches or anything.
Speaker 3: That's been kind of a pinch me moment, might.
Speaker 1: Have to say from personal experience, I really love how
Speaker 1: connected you all are to the community beyond just candid.
Speaker 1: I know last year you all dat a campaign where
Speaker 1: you had a couple of people, including myself, were some
Speaker 1: of those Toronto Orange twitties and we were just talking
Speaker 1: about this. I remember Donovan Mitchell stopping me at a
Speaker 1: WNBA gameing like, hey, how did you get that sweatshirt?
Speaker 2: Can I get one?
Speaker 1: And just how tuned in everyone is from the NBA side,
Speaker 1: f WNBA side, and from WNBA fans being already engaged.
Speaker 1: So we all were there in December when the name
Speaker 1: of the team leaked on the WNBA website. How did
Speaker 1: you all pivot your strategy in terms of the name
Speaker 1: launched when that happened.
Speaker 6: Yeah, you know, you this is sports, so you can
Speaker 6: never predict what's going to happen. So it was great
Speaker 6: as like we were ready for that, you know, like
Speaker 6: to say we're totally ready as a false but like
Speaker 6: we knew there was always a chance that it was
Speaker 6: going to get out before we had planned it. And
Speaker 6: the biggest thing is you can't push production. So there
Speaker 6: was a point when we knew we'd have gear ready
Speaker 6: and we didn't, But we still went because we thought
Speaker 6: we had an incredible story to tell. We had a
Speaker 6: really great video that could serve as really the launching spot.
Speaker 6: We had a lot to talk about. We were excited
Speaker 6: about the name, honestly, Like it ended up being about
Speaker 6: six weeks prior to when we had originally planned. We
Speaker 6: wanted to do the name and logo in line with
Speaker 6: the merchandise when I was ready. So in a way,
Speaker 6: I look back now and like, I don't know how
Speaker 6: we would have kept it a secret over six more weeks.
Speaker 3: So things always play out the way they should have been.
Speaker 6: I think we had a great, great launch in December.
Speaker 6: We were able to come after the new year and
Speaker 6: talk about our very first partner, Sephora, and then a Humble,
Speaker 6: and then the next week after that talk about our
Speaker 6: great merch so we were able to get more hits.
Speaker 6: So yeah, nothing goes as planned in sports. I think
Speaker 6: we have to be ready to always pivot. But overall,
Speaker 6: it was really well received. I mean, not everybody loved it.
Speaker 6: I mean, if you have a name and everybody loves it,
Speaker 6: you probably also did something wrong. But I think that
Speaker 6: we had started that whole process focused on transparency. So
Speaker 6: we had launched and Name your Team dot caa campaign
Speaker 6: asked for people's inspiration. We have a podcast ourselves called
Speaker 6: Bringing Home the w that follows the process every step.
Speaker 3: Of the way.
Speaker 6: We shared all the names and why we didn't choose
Speaker 6: Home and really wanted to be transparent, and we just
Speaker 6: kept that going throughout the process. And I think that
Speaker 6: fans really appreciate that and they lean into it, and
Speaker 6: they also get a little bit of an inside scoop of.
Speaker 2: How things work, you know.
Speaker 6: I think like they have a whole television series and
Speaker 6: podcasts about how things work. People want to know, they
Speaker 6: want to peek behind the curtains. So that's what we
Speaker 6: were trying to do on the podcast, and I think
Speaker 6: even though it wasn't on our timeline, it was the
Speaker 6: right thing to do and it was well received and
Speaker 6: we've been riding high ever since.
Speaker 3: I guess with a fast tempo.
Speaker 1: Of how you all are able to involve the fans
Speaker 1: and the process and give them behind the scenes with
Speaker 1: the podcast and all the different launches. What have you
Speaker 1: guys learned from the Valkyries, Because this is a team
Speaker 1: that has already been through the expansions, wrap been through
Speaker 1: their first WNBAH REP and set to launch in a
Speaker 1: couple of weeks. What have you guys learned from them
Speaker 1: and watching their process?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 6: First, first, or foremost is they are incredible partners. There's
Speaker 6: one thing that has has been really reassuring since since
Speaker 6: we joined the league in May of last year, and
Speaker 6: that is that we are all in it together. Leadership
Speaker 6: on all the team, you know, I think it might
Speaker 6: be a little different on the basketball side, to be honest,
Speaker 6: but all the presidents I have dialogue with them they respond.
Speaker 6: They are sharing of a lot of information and obviously,
Speaker 6: like you said, the Valkyies are going through it a
Speaker 6: year before us, so there's a lot of insights that
Speaker 6: they've shared with us that have helped us along the way,
Speaker 6: and we're going to do the same with Portland and
Speaker 6: anybody else that joins the team, because we all know
Speaker 6: know that we're better together.
Speaker 3: So it's it's great.
Speaker 1: One of the things that I recently saw that you
Speaker 1: both have in common is the support partnership. The Valkyries
Speaker 1: have their own separate support partnership and then you guys
Speaker 1: have your Support Canada partnership. What does it mean to
Speaker 1: you to have like a front facing pre d brand
Speaker 1: sponsor a sports team.
Speaker 6: Yeah, we're really excited that we could announce them as
Speaker 6: the very first partner of our team. It's a category
Speaker 6: that a lot of times does not take front and
Speaker 6: center of sports, but our alignment is so perfect and
Speaker 6: they are very excited about it. They're very competitive, Like
Speaker 6: you said, our partnerships with Sephora Canada. The Valkyries is
Speaker 6: with Sephora US or North America. I'm not exactly sure
Speaker 6: how they designate it. So they're competitive, competitive with each
Speaker 6: other too, which I think just makes us all better.
Speaker 3: So we're a really excited to partner with them.
Speaker 6: We have lots of ways in that we can play
Speaker 6: and it's been really well received by just the public too.
Speaker 6: Like I think a lot of our our fan base
Speaker 6: and belonging that's so important to them. Uh really, the
Speaker 6: beauty of sport that's important to them is also important
Speaker 6: to us. So what's great is that because we're expansion,
Speaker 6: we can build together so a lot of different ideas
Speaker 6: and ways to show up for both the team directly
Speaker 6: as well as our fans. So it's you know, lots
Speaker 6: to come there and stay tuned. But it was exciting
Speaker 6: to highlight a category that is usually overlooked in sports sponsorships.
Speaker 1: In what ways can can our fans get a little
Speaker 1: a little sneak peek of what to.
Speaker 6: No, I can't give away all the goods right now,
Speaker 6: but you'll you'll see you'll see them show up in
Speaker 6: ways across sport that you would you would expect, you know.
Speaker 6: Like I said, belonging is an important part of what
Speaker 6: they're about, and uh, we we love to lead into that.
Speaker 1: All right, chall I'm having so much fun with this
Speaker 1: conversation with Teresa, But we gotta pay some bills, so
Speaker 1: we're gonna take another quick break and when we get that,
Speaker 1: the fun returns. Looking ahead to twenty twenty six, you
Speaker 1: all hired Monica Wright Rogers as the general manager. She
Speaker 1: comes from the Phoenix Mercury. Talk about that move and
Speaker 1: what's the strategy going into twenty twenty six. One knowing
Speaker 1: that there is a new CBA that's currently being negotiated,
Speaker 1: and two also knowing that there gonna be a lot
Speaker 1: of free agents next year, how do you approach that
Speaker 1: as a new expansion team.
Speaker 6: Yeah, what a time to be in the w Right
Speaker 6: like super exciting about the opportunity.
Speaker 3: We have to grow the game in Canada and build
Speaker 3: a team.
Speaker 6: You know, I'll let Maka come on your show and
Speaker 6: give you all the all the goods. But I think
Speaker 6: generally the reason what we hired her and fell in
Speaker 6: love with Monica is that she has a ton of
Speaker 6: experience as a player, as a coach, as an administrator
Speaker 6: of a talent evaluator, and she really believes in starting
Speaker 6: a team with incredible people, both in the people that
Speaker 6: she's hiring in the staff as well as the people
Speaker 6: on the court. She stated many times that she's gonna
Speaker 6: work very closely with the coach to figure out style
Speaker 6: of play. You know, does that lead by what we want?
Speaker 6: Is it led by players? Like you said, the economics
Speaker 6: and the rules within what we play is there's a
Speaker 6: potential for it to be changed. So you're not going
Speaker 6: to make any assumptions until we know. But I don't
Speaker 6: think there's a better time to be entering the league
Speaker 6: than right now. So we're really excited about it. There's
Speaker 6: some un certainty, which is always tricky, but it's overall
Speaker 6: really exciting and excited to be abillity with Monica for sure.
Speaker 1: One of the things that I'm kind of interested in
Speaker 1: hearing your perspective on is obviously in the US currently
Speaker 1: there is a heightened social political cli i'mant right now,
Speaker 1: and the relations between US and Canada you often see
Speaker 1: so much in the news and the news and the news.
Speaker 1: I'm not talking about tariffs, but like from a business perspective,
Speaker 1: how do you see that kind of impacting the launch
Speaker 1: of this Toronto Tempo team or the expand chain or
Speaker 1: the relations.
Speaker 6: Yeah, it's interesting, Like the dynamic we were always going
Speaker 6: to be different, right It was the first team ever
Speaker 6: outside of the us SO team in Canada and specifically
Speaker 6: Toronto is always going to be different. And I use
Speaker 6: different on very very specifically, because it's not better or worse.
Speaker 6: There's just certain things that are going to be different.
Speaker 6: And I think you can probably say that about any
Speaker 6: team in the league. New York is not Minneapolis, which
Speaker 6: is not San Francisco, which is not Dallas, and so
Speaker 6: the things that are different here just have to do
Speaker 6: a lot with that. We're a different country and I
Speaker 6: look forward to people exploring it. You know. Like I said,
Speaker 6: I worked for the Raptor for eleven years and for
Speaker 6: that all the teams had been there annually, right they
Speaker 6: come to play a games wherever in the w as
Speaker 6: I got to go to Final Four. Incredible experience and
Speaker 6: just talking with people in the industry I was. I
Speaker 6: was in Phoenix last year for the for the All
Speaker 6: Star and in people that it was basketball. You know,
Speaker 6: a lot of them haven't been up here. So I'm
Speaker 6: really excited to play house to a lot of new
Speaker 6: visitors to Canada and really tell them what it's all about,
Speaker 6: show them what it's all about up here. Excited about
Speaker 6: the opportunity to grow the game like we are a
Speaker 6: global nation, so many new Canadians from all over the world,
Speaker 6: and what's great is those people latch onto new and
Speaker 6: exciting things in Canada. So we know that a quarter
Speaker 6: of our fans are New Canadians, which means that they're
Speaker 6: telling the wmba story or story across the globe. So
Speaker 6: we truly want to be Canada's team, but more than anything,
Speaker 6: we think that we're a gateway to the world for
Speaker 6: this league.
Speaker 1: And lastly, before we let you get out of here,
Speaker 1: what advice would you give someone who wants to one
Speaker 1: day run a team or be in a position like yourself.
Speaker 6: Well, I would say that the great thing about sports
Speaker 6: is there's never one path that leads you where you
Speaker 6: want to go or where you're destined to go. So
Speaker 6: I would just say, no matter what path you're on,
Speaker 6: you're on the right path. Continue to work hard, work
Speaker 6: ethic is so important, Be curious, ask the questions, You're
Speaker 6: going to learn things around the along the way that
Speaker 6: you never knew or valuable and tell you and tell
Speaker 6: you can reach back and use them. And I guess
Speaker 6: the third thing is it's like just be someone people
Speaker 6: want to work with right, especially as a leader.
Speaker 3: Have empathy, have patience. I've learned those along the way.
Speaker 6: I didn't always have them, and think, you know, default
Speaker 6: to the positive. You know, so many times we question
Speaker 6: if people are really on your side, question their intentions,
Speaker 6: but default of the positive, think the best of people,
Speaker 6: and then ultimately act in that same way. So there's
Speaker 6: no one way to get there, honestly, and what's great
Speaker 6: about it is that there is no one way to
Speaker 6: get there. So whatever path you're on, it's probably the
Speaker 6: right path.
Speaker 1: I love that, Teresa. I want to thank you for
Speaker 1: joining us for our fan focused episode. I know all
Speaker 1: the fans listening are definitely excited about the Toronto Tempo
Speaker 1: coming to the WNBA in twenty twenty six. We appreciate
Speaker 1: your time.
Speaker 3: Thanks so much for all of you do to tell
Speaker 3: the story of the WNBA.
Speaker 6: Like That's another thing I've said is, you know, we
Speaker 6: have low hanging fruit here that we're going to be successful,
Speaker 6: but to truly optimize opportunity, we need more than just
Speaker 6: the tempo telling our story. So thank you for giving
Speaker 6: me the platform to talk about the tempo today.
Speaker 1: You're welcome and you're always welcome here, all right, that's
Speaker 1: going to do it. For this week's episode, I want
Speaker 1: to thank my girl Kelly Finn coming through to break
Speaker 1: down the headlines, and Teresa Rice again for giving us
Speaker 1: a little bit of a sneak peek of what to
Speaker 1: expect from the Toronto Tempo in twenty twenty six. If
Speaker 1: you like this podcast, make sure you rate, review, and
Speaker 1: subscribe to the show. Next week, we're gonna be breaking
Speaker 1: down and previewing the twenty twenty five WNBA season, so
Speaker 1: you want to make sure that you don't miss anything,
Speaker 1: So walk in with us and I'll see you back
Speaker 1: here next week. In case you missed it, with Christina
Speaker 1: Williams is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with
Speaker 1: Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on
Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.