Alissa Pili

This week we welcome Alaska’s finest to the pod, Alissa Pili! Haley and Alissa break down just how talented the PAC-12 is this year, Alissa’s journey from standout USC freshman to showstopping Utah senior, and what the future holds for one of the most dominant players in college hoops right now.

1. PAC-12, Oregon State sleeper team, South Carolina game (1:33) 💤💪🏾
2. Raegan Beers, Lauren Betts, JuJu Watkins (6:15) 📋
3. Growing up in Alaska, family, recruiting (11:45)❄️🐻
4. Choosing USC, PAC-12 Freshman of the Year (19:15) ☀️📚
5. Transfer portal, Utah decision, regaining confidence (27:10) ⛰️😎
6. Losing in the Sweet 16, teammate flowers, WNBA future (42:35) 💐🧡
7. Homecoming in Alaska, tattoos, Vibe Check (52:45) ✅

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
You had your Alaska homecoming game, like see you on
Instagram and everything. How many people came to see you.
I was like, is this all of Alaska?

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Like it was crazy, it was super special, Like it
felt kind of weird playing in that arena just because
like the last time I played there was in high school.
I won my volleyball state championships in there, my basketball
was and then my wrestling state championship, So it was
just cool.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
A lot of state championships.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yeah, and it was just like one of those moments
where like you're back where everything started, Like it kind
of just seemed like a movie or like a fairy tale.
I knew I was making an impact, but I think
that really opened my eyes to see, like there's people
that certain young girls look up to to find that
pathway to doing what they want to do in life,

(00:53):
and you know, to be that for the girls of
like my same culture. It's I don't even got the
words to describe it, Like it's just so crazy to me, Like.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Man, welcome back to sometimes. I hope today We've got
a highly requested guest on the pod, Quick Humble Brag
about our superstar last year's pact told Player of the year,
the fastest Utah player to reach a thousand points. She's
second in scoring in the PAC twelve right now, averaging
twenty one points a game none other than Utah superstar

(01:24):
Elisa Peee. Thanks for hopping on the pod.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
Oh my gosh, I'm so excited to get into things.
We're headed into the final stretch of Pack twelve regular season.
Tell me about how tough the PAC twelve is. I mean,
you guys are six in the pack and eighteenth in
the nation. It's deep.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Oh yeah, yeah, I mean every game is literally like
it feels like a tournament game. Like you're playing some
really good teams and you know, you don't really ever
get a break to like a team that she thinks,
oh like like we don't even really gotta try hard
to beat them. You know, like every game is super
important to you know, just play your hardest and it's

(02:04):
just a battle. But I also think it's it's a
cool thing. It kind of makes you know, rankings and
stuff a little tricky sometimes, but especially this year, it's
just like, you know, it's anybody's game, and so you know,
you just really it really comes down to who wants
it more, and you know, it's it's been fun to
be a part of I think like ever since I've
been in the pack, it's been it's been like that,

(02:26):
And so I don't know, just to play at such
a high competitive level, it's it's super.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
Fun, no, for sure. I mean the pack has always
been tough, like you know, and I feel like people
on the East Coast, the games are broadcasted over there,
so they don't know. But I mean, even though Arizona
State's been down the last few years, it's still not
an easy game, Like they're still come out prepared and
ready to go. So top to bottom, there's a lot
of competition. But tell me who has been the toughest

(02:50):
Pac twelve matchup so far?

Speaker 2 (02:52):
Well, we lost to the same team twice I think
in the span of like three weeks. Of Oregon State.
Oh damn, they've they've been playing really well. And you know, there,
I feel like a tough matchup for us, and we've
been hoping hopefully we'll we'll get them in the tournament
if there are times a charm But I think Oregon State,

(03:13):
they've been playing really well.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
Yeah, I mean, laterally we're gonna talk about sleeper teams.
But I think Oregon State this year has come out
of nowhere because last year they were kind of rebuilding.
I feel like this year they're getting it together. Their
close game against UCLA, it's been really exciting to watch
them play. But before we get out of Pac twelve,
talk to me about you hooping against the number one
team in the nation thirty seven points. I was watching

(03:36):
it like, yeah, that's what she does. It's hard to stop.
What was your mindset like heading into that game because
it was a huge game.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yeah, it was a really big game for us, and
I think like personally, going against a team that's a
very good defensive team and kind of like, I don't know,
like I feel like I haven't played somebody like Camilla
and you know other posts that they had, and they're
very deep on the post end. So personally, I just
I was a little nervous. So I'm not gonna lie

(04:06):
I get kind of nervous, But you know, my mindset
going into that game was just, you know, like, what
do we got to lose? And my mindset every game
is really like I don't care who who's on the
other side of the court. You know, I'm gonna like,
I'm not gonna play with fear or nothing like that.
I'm just gonna go out there and be me. So
I think as the game went on a little bit,
like I got like I was feeling myself a little bit,

(04:27):
I got comfortable, and you know, I just started letting
the game come to me, and you know, I ended
up having a really good game. It was kind of
sad that we didn't get to win, but you know
it was it was a good thing for us and
a good challenge for us.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
Yeah, I mean watching it, it was working for you.
Everybody saw that, and I think South Carolina saw that
as well. They threw the whole roster at you. And
so tell me a little bit about there's a big
difference of play from the Pats well to the SEC,
especially with the team like South Carolina. So you mentioned
plays people like you have Camilla and then you have
Ashland and then they just all keep atch no matter

(05:00):
who it was. How were you able to still get
things going for yourself? What was really working for you
to have the performance that you did.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
Like with all those different type of defenders they had
on me, I think each of them were different, Like
Camilla obviously is super tall, and you know, I have
to find a way to get around her, get her
out to the perimeter, so I could kind of create
in space. But with like when I'm playing against somebody
who I know, it says I'm six to two on
the roster, but I'm a good like five.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
Ten, It's okay. You don't have to you don't have
to come clean.

Speaker 2 (05:34):
No, everybody knows this, so it's just no shame in
my game.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (05:39):
But when I have like shorter defenders maybe like six
two six one six two, like, I try to just
use my body well to create shots. And I was
kind of just using that to my advantage the whole
game with whoever was guarding me.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
Yeah, well, I mean I've played against you. You know
what to do. It's like, do you take away one thing?
The footwork is on lock, you can pull people out.
I think that the versatility of your game is what
makes so hard for people to not only scout you,
but you know, they can scout somebody, But once you
get there, it's a whole nother thing. It's a whole
other beast once you get there. But talking about Oregon
State being our sleeper team, is there any players within

(06:16):
the Pac twelve or outside of it that you've kind
of been impressed by the season that was maybe under
the radar in past years.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
Reagan Beers for sure. Quick yeah, yeah, Like I hate
playing against her. I can't even lie, Like that's somebody
who could match me in like strength and so you know,
and she knows how to use her body so well,
and she has great hands and finishes so well. Like
it's it's a hard matchup for anybody really. So but

(06:42):
she's been doing her thing. I saw she she got
hurt I think in their last game. But no, she's
I think been a player that I've been like super
impressed with so far in.

Speaker 1 (06:52):
The power I agree last year, coming in as a freshman,
she had a huge game against us because, like you know,
you scout somebody like, oh they're a freshmen. She came
in with hitting out buckets. I was like, Oh, you're
the real deal. Sorry for the disrespect, miss Beers, but
I think that there's a lot of young players in
the pack right now that are very talented with huge upsides.

(07:13):
Without giving away your scatting report, I want you to
kind of talk to me a little bit about breaking down,
how good they are, what makes them sexual, what sets
them apart. So first one being my girl, miss Lauren Betts,
what do you think has really improved in her game
or helped her get to what she's doing this year?

Speaker 2 (07:30):
I think just everything, like just her finishing and like
confidence is a huge thing, and like you could just
see it in her game when she plays down low,
you know she when she's going to score, like you
know when she's going to score. So I just think
that offensive rebounding obviously she's a great offensive rebounder, and
just like how physical she is. I think that's super important,

(07:53):
like when you play in that position.

Speaker 1 (07:55):
So yeah, I think she's come a long way from
last year. And number one thing being confidence to see
her growth. But another young player from la that has
been absolutely hooping this year, Juju. Talk to me about
what it's like going into a game. You're a prolific
scorer yourself, so what is it like going to get
somebody else like her that you guys have to really
focus on when playing against her.

Speaker 2 (08:16):
We always say it's not on one person to stop
somebody who's a great score, It's on our whole team
and being present and making your presence felt. I think
even when you're not guarding the ball, and so like
that's something that's super important when playing against a player
like that. And I mean, yeah, she's like there's just
some shots that she hits. I'm just like, there's literally

(08:37):
nothing you could do about that.

Speaker 1 (08:40):
Yeah, So it's.

Speaker 2 (08:41):
Like, you know, you gotta give credit where credit is due.
And you know, I thought we did a great job
on her last game. So you know, we're just going
to build on that and you know, do what we
do focusing on the game plan and sticks to that.

Speaker 1 (08:53):
Yeah. I mean it's the same thing with you when
I watch you play, like you think you're there and
you hit a shot and it's like, well, just got
to eat that one. It is what it is, like,
you can't have any hard feelings about it. But switching
gears for Minty here, before we get into your early basketball,
we're starting a new thing. Last week we started with
Georgia and Tahina. But it's gonna be my my question
of the day for the audience to get to know

(09:15):
the way that your mind thinks. So this wass going
to be at a left field. I want to let
you know in advance, So like don't freak out about it.
So would you rather choose to gain the ability to
read minds? However, every time you use the power, you
uncontrollably pee your pants? Yeah? Yeah, yeah yeah. So there's

(09:36):
ways to go about. I'll give you my answer once
you give me yours.

Speaker 2 (09:42):
I don't think so. I don't even know if I
would want to be reading people's linds.

Speaker 1 (09:49):
Okay, E see me, I'm nosy, like I want to know,
so I feel like my way about it would be
I would like know who I want to read minds
with when I want to do it. So I would
my bathroom breaks or wear a diaper if I know
I'm going to an event where I want to read
people's minds. But that's just me being nosy. And then
our next question for you is what's the biggest animal

(10:13):
you feel like you could beat in a fistfight like one,
I want no weapons in their terrain. You in an
animal going head to head? Who do you think you
can beat?

Speaker 2 (10:23):
Hmmm, dang, I don't want to.

Speaker 1 (10:29):
I don't want to influence your decision with mine, so
I gotta hear yours first.

Speaker 2 (10:32):
Okay, probably no, I was gonna say kangaroo but I'll
be seeing videos of them giving people hands.

Speaker 1 (10:39):
Giving people business. Can you jack? Oh my god, he
was giving out hands.

Speaker 2 (10:47):
Shoot, what's the soft animal? I don't know. I probably
have to go with like a maybe a black bear
or something. Wow, it's it's I don't know if I
could actually do it, but I heard because in Alaska,

(11:08):
like there's been some incidents where like black bears would
come to people's campsites and stuff, and they said that,
like since just like a smaller bear, like if you
punch it in the nose, it would just run away.
So I feel like I could do that.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
Hey, yo, that'd be crazy. Oh my god, Well, black
bear's tough. Mine mine is a giraffe. I feel like
i'd take out the knees and then go for it.
I feel like I could do it. I don't know, though,
black bear seems kind of cooler than a draft. Not
to lave you were up boxing with one, that'd be crazy.

Speaker 2 (11:36):
I feel like I would only want if it ran
away though, if it worked, if my tactic works.

Speaker 1 (11:40):
Like, if it runs away, I'm not you don't have
to chase after it, Like that's a dub in my book,
So you'll be fine, but you mentioned Alaska, So let's
talk about your early hoops. Grew up in Anchorage, and
before we get into it factor myth, is it true
the whole like sunlight and there's just straight up days
of darkness situation, because I feel like that doesn't work
for me.

Speaker 2 (11:59):
Well. In the summer, like in Anchorage where I grew up,
the sun sets, but it doesn't really set, like it
never gets pitch blackout in the summer, like it will
always stay like kind of light out. But in the town,
like a smaller town where I used to live, it's
called Barrow, and there's like a span of like I
want to say, like two to three months where the

(12:20):
sun doesn't set at all.

Speaker 1 (12:22):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (12:22):
And then there's like it's the opposite, like in the winter,
like the sun doesn't come up for a couple of
months too.

Speaker 1 (12:28):
So stop it what it's come down. I'm sorry. Props
to you for dealing with that, I know, But talk
to me about what it's like growing up in Alaska
and in your community. Had a big family, four brothers,
four sisters. You're the oldest girl. Tell me about that
family dynamic growing up with that many siblings. I just
had one and I thought that was a lot. So

(12:49):
how is all those siblings in one house?

Speaker 2 (12:52):
It was definitely a lot of trouble, but you know,
it was never boring. It was never boring. Like we're
always and zero privacy because we lived in a house
where you know, there was two rooms. My parents have
one of the rooms and then one bathroom, and so
we're always just like all open each other's business. So
it's like very transparent and honestly, like like when people

(13:17):
ask me about kids, like I always want to say,
like I have I want a big family because of
like how it was growing up, Like it was so
much fun and you know, like I wouldn't have had
it any other way. Like I love my siblings to death,
even though they get on my nerves. But yeah, you know,
it's it's it's a bond that just like you can't
get nowhere else, I think, and like my family is

(13:39):
super important to me, and it's like like something that
is a trait about me that I kind of try
to live with on my teams and stuff like that,
like a family dynamic. So that's why that's super important
to me.

Speaker 1 (13:52):
Yeah, I know, I agree. I think that the silly
dynamic they get on your nerves like nobody else will.
It could be the simplest of things, but I'm like
losing it. But that's amazing to hear that you guys
are all so close. And I mean growing up, you
played football with all your brothers and your dad coached
their team. So was it true that he made you
go one on one against every boy at practice? Because me, personally,

(14:14):
I'm not a football gal, So I could not handle that.
So talk me about if that's true, what that was like?

Speaker 2 (14:20):
Yeah, So, like he would he would run our position
because I was the offensive lineman and the defensive lineman.
So sometimes we would do.

Speaker 1 (14:28):
This you were in the heat.

Speaker 2 (14:30):
Sometimes we would do this drill where it was just
one on ones. You know, you got one person blocking
and I was one blocking, and then somebody trying to
get to the cornerback. And so like he would literally
just like have me go block and go through the
whole line of boys and just be standing there like
like we're gonna keep going till one of y'all beats her.
Like he's just like, yeah, there the boy's head and

(14:54):
you're like saying, you're getting beat by a girl. And
it was funny.

Speaker 1 (14:59):
Yeah, No, I mean him saying that definitely got them
fired up. I'm sure, like you're like, hey, you don't.
You don't need to hype up like that because I
know that really be getting in boys heads, especially when
they're young. But you played a million different other sports,
having thirteen state titles across your high school career, first
of all, Like, how did you have the time for
all of that? You have foreign volleyball, foreign shot put,

(15:22):
two in discus, and one in wrestling, and you sing.
So is there anything that you know you're not good
at or you just always been good at everything?

Speaker 2 (15:33):
Shoot, I don't know. Yeah, I've always been Wow, And
I was like, yeah, my dad he put us in
every any and everything like and we always like even
if we weren't like doing it competitively, like we did
it at home or something. So and it's just like
a composition thing with my siblings and everybody, like you
gotta be good.

Speaker 1 (15:51):
Yeah, there's no other way, I'm sure. But being from Alaska,
I'm sure it was hard getting recruited. It's harder for
college coaches to get there. There's not a lot of
a teams. I'm sure it's hard to travel to the mainland,
so What was your recruiting process, like your five star recruit,
three time Alaska Gatoray Play the Year. What was that
like getting recruited? Was it more setting in film or

(16:12):
do people I'm sure they made the trip out to
see you.

Speaker 2 (16:15):
Yeah, exposure has always been like a problem with sports
in Alaska, and like we just had people like my
high school coach was really good about like his connections
and stuff like that, so he had some connections to
coaches and people who know people. And but really I
think what helped me a lot was just traveling on

(16:36):
my AAU teams in the summers, going to you know,
some good tournaments and just getting in front of college coaches.
I think that's really what got me my offers and
things like that. And you know, it was kind of
tough because you know, you only play, you're only playing
so many games, and you know you have that much
time to show out, and you know, because once you
go back to Alaska, ain't nobody gonna watch you. So

(16:59):
it was you know, you had to show out and
be prepared when you went. And that's kind of how
my recruiting process went, and cause I never really knew
how it went either, Like I didn't understand it or
nothing like that, because you know, I never had anybody
in my family or nobody that went through it, so
I didn't have anybody that knew about it. But once
I got more serious about it, I started talking to

(17:21):
you know, my high school coaches and stuff like that
about it more, and you know, they kind of helped me,
you know, get myself out there and things like that.

Speaker 1 (17:28):
You had all these different state titles in all these
different sports. So when for you did it become basketball?
You were like, this is what I want to focus on.
I want to go to college for basketball. I want
to do all these different things, especially being the first
in a while to come from Alaska.

Speaker 2 (17:43):
Honestly, like throughout my whole, like high school, I was
a multi sport athlete and my main focus was basketball.
But I don't think there was ever a point like
before college like that I put everything else aside. I
don't think it hindered me really, like going into to college,
because I don't know, like my dad, he had a
reason behind everything he did, and you know, putting us

(18:05):
in a bunch of different sports just kind of gave
us like different skill sets and different strengths from each
one I think, And I think when you play so
many different sports like you, I don't know it just
movements and things like that come more naturally to you.
And I think that's what, honestly like helped me become
a better athlete. But yeah, like to answer your question,

(18:27):
I never really until I got to college, put everything
else on hold and just was strictly basketball.

Speaker 1 (18:33):
Yeah. I feel like I was the same way in
that I played every sport imaginal growing up. I did
not do shot put, I did not wrestle. I wish
I could, but I did, you know, soccers, the volleyball,
his waterfallow, all these different things, and I feel like
it sets you apart. Like you said, the different movements.
I think it's also you have all these different friends
and all these different places. You're working with different types
of people, so when you get to college you know

(18:55):
how to work with people from different backgrounds. And then
even further than that, like she's like, I may have
burned out if I only did basketball, Like I was
such a busy person. I needed to have all these
different things. Like if I only played basketball my whole life,
oh my god, Look, I would get tired of it.
I'm like I needed all these different things to do.
But what kind of made you choose USC. Was there

(19:19):
any other schools that almost got you or did you
always kind of have USC in your mind in terms
of that's where you wanted to go. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (19:26):
I think once I went on my visit to USC
that my mind was pretty set. I still had a
couple more visits after that. I went to Arizona State
and then Pepperdine and Alicia Milton was the coach at
Pepperdine and so, like, I really I loved my Yes,
she's she's the best, yeah, and so you know, I

(19:46):
really wanted to play for her. And Arizona State was
it was a pretty close one for me too. I
enjoy my visit there too. But I think, you know,
like like I said, like, once I went on my
USC visit, you know, I kind of have my mindset
that I was going to go there, And I think
it was just you know, my brother he was on
the football team there, so I had him there, and

(20:08):
then you know, I really like the coaches there, Coach
Erica Hughes and coach Mark Track I played for, and
you know, I just I just felt like that was
the right decision. For me at the time, you know,
but looking back at it, you know, I don't know
how how good I was at kind of decision making
and like really weighing everything out, but I wouldn't have

(20:32):
changed my decision. I'm glad I went there and experienced
what I did, and you know, everything happens for a reason,
So you know, in the moment, that's what felt right
for me, and that's why I chose you to see.

Speaker 1 (20:43):
I think you're completely right on that point of like
we're seventeen, sixteen seventeen making a decision where you're going
to be for the next four years of your life,
and you're making this decision not like you're trying to
get information for people, but recruiting is a business at
the same time, so you know, you go on the visits,
everything's perfect for that weekend. We've did you know, how
to put it, put on the show for a weekend.

(21:03):
So I think it's you touched on a really important
point where like, making a college decision is so hard.
It's not just basketball, it's the school that you're going to,
the community that you're joining. For you going from Anchorage
to la that's a big culture change up. So tell
me a little bit about what that was like you
having your brother there, how important that was to help
you with that transition.

Speaker 2 (21:25):
Yeah, I mean, like we talked about earlier, I'm a big,
like family person, and you know, I'm super close with them.
So I think having my brother in college where I'm
away from home for the first time and ever, I
think that really helped me not be so homesick and
you know, kind of just feel more I guess secure.

(21:45):
You know, having my big brother there was just it
was great and oh man, like Alaska in LA it's
like polar opposites.

Speaker 1 (21:55):
Yeah, I can imagine.

Speaker 2 (21:57):
Yeah, it was a big I was glad to be
out of the cold, and I was glad it was
it was warm all the time. But you know, the
people are just so much different and it's just like
such a big city to where you know, I'm used
to like such a close knit community coming from Alaska,
like everybody knows everybody, and so it was just kind
of new for me, and it just took me a while. Well, honestly,

(22:18):
while I was over there, I don't even know if
I broke out of my show, but you know, I
was just kind of very to myself. And conservative, just
because LA is very outgoing and the people are so outgoing,
and it's just it was a lot for me. So
I just really kept to myself, and I don't know,
I was just always with my teammates or with my brother.
But once I like got used to it, and you know,

(22:40):
LA was it was somewhere like I like living and
just because like I feel like going to college there
in USC like it wasn't I guess the full LA experience,
just because especially when you're a student athlete and like
you got no car or nothing like that, you're always
on campus. So yeah, it got better in the sense
of that where you know, we kind of like I'm

(23:00):
meeting people within our campus and other athletes and things
like that.

Speaker 1 (23:04):
So with that transition, do you feel like there was
anybody in particular that really helped with that transition outside
of your brother, maybe a teammate, maybe a coach. Did
you were you able to find a community maybe outside
of the team on the USC campus that helped you
kind of get the rhythm, get into things, help you
feel comfortable in La.

Speaker 2 (23:22):
One of the seniors that was there my freshman year,
Kayla Overbeck. She was somebody who really was like a
mentor to me, and she was my same position. So
you know, she had a car and she had been
in LA for a little while, so you know, she
would take me out and get outside of campus and
things like that. So she's someone who definitely helped me

(23:45):
get more comfortable and just in LA and getting a
feel for it. And then two of my teammates that
I became super close with, Kira White and Jordan Jenkins,
and then India Rogers for a little bit until she transferred.
You know, we would just always be out doing stuff.
I don't know, we just took advantage because I feel

(24:05):
like our freshman year we didn't really do anything like that,
and then COVID hit and then we're like, okay, the
next year, we gotta take advantage of being outside and
you know all these things. So I think my last
year there was probably where I felt like, I don't know,
just like like I fit in more and I understood

(24:27):
more and it was just more comfortable in that community.

Speaker 1 (24:30):
Yeah, well, I feel like it takes time, and I
feel like not a lot of college athletes talk about
your immersing yourself into a whole new community. It's like
your first time away from home, and it's also like,
I don't know, I get nervous about meeting new people,
forming connections, opening up to people. And I feel like
COVID hitting our freshman year changed the trajectory of everything,

(24:50):
like to taking things for granted prior now wanting to
get out more, making connections and doing all the different things.
But it takes a while for a lot of people,
myself included, to really feel like close knit. And I
think that it pays dividends then to know their performance
off the court, but just how you're doing in general,
like going to class, the campus, like meeting more people.
It makes all the difference. But jumping into that freshman

(25:13):
year that you had, it was lit. You came out hot,
averaging sixteen to eight Pattel Freshman of the Year. What
was clicking for you freshman year because it looked like
a lot.

Speaker 2 (25:23):
Yeah, I think just the team we had. We had
a very talented team. Like I just felt like I
think when conference started, like we started to click more
in pre conference games, wasn't I wasn't doing as well
as I knew I should have, And I had some
talks with the coaches and just kind of getting a
sense of what they needed from me and kind of
like vice versa what I needed from them. And so

(25:47):
I think going into conference the first game, I think
we played Arizona or something like that, and I just
went out there and seize the moment. Really, I stopped
stopped trying to be in my head so much. You know,
coming as a freshman, it's it's kind of tough to
do that because you know you're you're gonna make mistakes
and it's new, and so, you know, I felt like

(26:09):
I was kind of letting that get to me a
little bit. But once I've just let all that go
and you know, went out there and just was playing
more freely. And you know, my coaches put me in
great positions to do well as well, so that helped
a lot. And you know that turned around for me
was just what click the most of just you know,
not being afraid to go out there and make mistakes

(26:31):
and just learn from them.

Speaker 1 (26:32):
Yeah, it sounds like we're a very similar mindset, Like
we both play the best when we're free and not thinking,
and when things start to go wrong, I'm up in
my head, I'm nervous, I'm thinking, I'm misshot, I want
to perform a certain way. But like when you get
out there and play loose and just have confidence in
your game and what you bring, I mean, like there's
nothing they can do to stop you. And I think
that that freshman hump is hard because you come from

(26:55):
high school and everything's easy, Like you're chilling, Like I
could pull up out there do whatever and just like
get straight at buckets. But now it's the whole new system.
You're playing against other great players. There's expectations that you
have for yourself, and so it adds a lot more.
But I mean, sophomore and junior year you battle with
some injuries, and then heading into your senior year, you
decided to enter the transfer portal. And I feel like

(27:17):
there's a lot of misconceptions about the transfer portal and
why people decide to leave and all this outside noise
about it. So talk to me about what led to
your decision and what that process was like for you
deciding to go into the transfer portal.

Speaker 2 (27:30):
Yeah, so I I don't know, Like you said, I
was battling with some injuries and things like that, so
it was super tough for me to kind of bounce
back from that. It was just a bad spreading ankle
and it had me out for like shoot, from the
end of October to I think mid January. So I
missed a lot of the season. But it was just

(27:52):
that coming back part that was super hard. And I
think like the biggest thing that got me was probably
like getting back to playing and then not playing like
you know you could play. It's just like frustrating and like,
like I said, it's a mental thing, and so I
think that's what happened me for so long, and that's

(28:12):
what was my problem really. And my last year at USC,
we had that coaching change. Coach Lindsay was hired as
our head coach and then she brought in a whole
new staff. You know, I was just I was going
through a really tough time, not only with basketball, but
just with my family. I had three of my family

(28:34):
members passed away within half a year, and so it
was super tough on me. It was the first time
I really lost people who were so close to me,
and so I didn't really know how to deal with that,
and you know, I might not have dealed with it
the best way, but I don't know. I just felt
so like I just needed a fresh start, and so

(28:54):
I decided to answer the transfer portal, and you know
kind of get that because like, I'm not gonna lie,
Like when somebody's going through a tough time, like it's hard,
it's hard as a coach to know how to support
them sometimes, and especially with what I was going through,
and you know, my family is so like dear to
me that you know, it kind of it just tore

(29:16):
me apart. So I couldn't expect everybody to you know,
be there in the way that I needed them to
be there for me or even like because I didn't
know either, to be honest, like I didn't know what
I needed. So it was a mental battle for me
my last year there. And so like I said, I
just wanted a fresh start, and that also like kind
of pushed me to you know, It's like it's almost

(29:38):
like you're going back to freshman year. You got to
prove yourself all over again, and you know, you're playing
for new coaches and things like that. So I think
just having that discipline and just that commitment to you know,
get myself out of this hole was was what I
needed to do. And like starting somewhere new was I
think that little push for me entering the transfer portal,

(29:58):
it was It was a lot different from when I
was coming out of high school. Like you said, like,
we're super young, we don't really know what's best for us,
and you know what decision is best for us. So
I think going into the transfer portal, I really like
sat down and talked to my parents and just really

(30:21):
thought about what I needed in a program and what
was going to help me based on the experience that
I've already had my last three years, and so you know,
I think it was much more like intentional going into
the transfer portal.

Speaker 1 (30:35):
Well, I really appreciate you sharing all that with me.
That is a lot to handle, being a college student,
being anybody. I think, especially with how much you talked
about how important your family is to you, the community
that you had an anchorage, and so I appreciate you
sharing that. But I think it shows you know how
strong you are, Like you talked about having that discipline
to keep going, keep pushing, confiding in your family. It's

(30:58):
a lot to handle, and I mean it's hard, and
the transfer portal was hard already, and you're already dealing
with so much the ankle injury, you're in LA, you're
away from your family, there's all these different things going on,
and so choosing a place like Utah knowing what you
were going through, looking for that support system, looking for
that new community, but also getting back into basketball. What

(31:19):
about Utah and Coach Roberts and the girls on that
team really set apart why they were so special and
why you want to end up going there.

Speaker 2 (31:28):
Like you said, like when you go on visits and stuff,
it's like you get a good time. You know they're
gonna they're gonna cater to you and do all this.
But I was really like when I came on my
visit here, it was right after I went on my
visit to Gonzaga, and I was I was pretty close to,
you know, making my decision to go there because I
really enjoyed my visit and all that. But once I

(31:50):
came here and I just loved it. And the biggest
thing I think that stuck out to me was their
culture and their identity. Like they had a very like
set thing about them that you know, they knew were
a part of their program and you know, it was
evident to like anybody who watched them, and so that

(32:12):
was a big thing. And then especially after having you know,
not so good of years the past two before I
entered the transfer portal, just hearing coach Lynn and you
know the rest of the staff talk about my game
and like I could really tell like they believed in me,
and that was something that was super important to me,

(32:32):
just because, like you know, at the time, I don't
I didn't even know if I had any belief in myself.
So to have somebody like that's gonna, you know, believe
in you no matter what, you know, after having two
bad years, I think that's where I got my confidence
back and I got like more comfortable and confident in myself,
and you know, I just think it's it's it's super

(32:54):
important to have your coaches just believe in you and
push you to your potential.

Speaker 1 (33:00):
So, yeah, you're completely right. I couldn't have said any better.
I think finding a staff a program that believes in
you not only in your own court capabilities and seeing
things that you may not even see in yourself at
the time, but it sounds like they're also going to
support you as a person. First everything you're going through,
learning about you, learning about your community and how they
can best support you through that, and then in that

(33:23):
instill that confidence that you may not have right now,
but they believe in you and they believe in the
process that they want you to have. I think that
that means the world, and I think that we can
see it in so many different cases about how that
changes somebody's game. And you came in and you came
out hot, And what was that like for you after
having two tough years to be able to come out,

(33:44):
change your mindset, work through a lot of different things,
and still be able to come out and perform like
you did.

Speaker 2 (33:50):
It was just like it felt so good, Like I
just felt like I was me again, because I hadn't
felt like myself for shoot for years really and you know,
just to get that feeling back and to do it
with people who fully support you and you know, believe
in you, it was it was such a great feeling.
And you know, at first, like to be honest, when

(34:13):
I was doing well, it was kind of like nerve
wracking in a sense, just because like, like I feel
like I was in a slump for so long, where
like I had this fear of falling back into that slump.
So it was like sometimes I was putting that extra
pressure on myself and you know, when I realized, you know,
I worked for this, and you know, I worked through

(34:35):
everything to get where I'm at, Like I kind of
just took off from there.

Speaker 1 (34:40):
Yeah, I mean I saw it from an outside point
of view. You did take off and task me about
you know, you talking about the community at Utah. What
made it so special? What were some of those things
that helped you flip that switch to kind of pull
yourself out of that hole. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (34:56):
I think when I first got here, you know, we
did a lot of things in the summer, we're together
with the team outdoor stuff like hiking, going swimming and
things like that, and so that type of stuff like
really reminded me of back home in Alaska. So I
feel like just having that sense of community and like
that sense of like where you come from, like that reminder,

(35:17):
I think that really helped me. And then I also
have family out here too. My cousin that past her
brother lives here, so I got to spend a lot
of time with him and his kids. So you know,
anytime that I have with my family, it's it's super
like just healing, I think every time I do. And
so being around genuine good people it really helped me

(35:39):
to you know, bring myself out that home.

Speaker 1 (35:41):
Yeah, well, I mean having family around is so important.
I mean that's part of the reason why I chose
Stanford almost only an hour way from home. So being
in Utah and having that family around you, I know,
it's special for my serparate experience. You have grandparents at games,
lay season tickets, people that you haven't seen in years,
come out, family members, whatever may be. After a hard game,

(36:01):
you can go get a meal with them. So how
special was that to be able to have that home
away from home there in Utah. And I'm sure and
your family was able to come out more because they
have a family there to stay with. It's just all
these little things add up to then not only your
performance on the court, but more importantly just how you're
doing and the mental and just feeling whole.

Speaker 2 (36:20):
It's a huge difference just having family there, like because
like you said, like stuff as simple as just like
going out to eat all together, like after a game
and things like that. It just that kind of stugget
reading me so much joy and you know, just having
people to hug and see they're like physically supporting you.
It's just there's no greater feeling I feel like, and

(36:42):
my family from back home has come out to a
lot of games too, and so I just love seeing
them on my games. I get a little nervous still
with my dad be coming to my games, but it's
always good to have them there. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (36:56):
No, I can feel that my mom coached me growing up,
so there's always there's an extra bit of nerves there.
It's like, you know, there's always something extra there. And
then with my dad, I'm like, okay, play it cool,
you know, keep her in check. I don't need to
have a little film session out of the game with her.
But I think it's so special to be able to
have family there, and like you said, just like having

(37:16):
that embrace after a game, good game or bad game, whatever.
Maybe getting to go and see your people is a
special type of feeling. You're getting more comfortable at Utah.
The girls are great, the staff, the university, the whole thing.
Was there maybe a game or practice that really made
you feel like this is where I belong, Like you're

(37:37):
feeling back to yourself and you're hooping and all this
different stuff.

Speaker 2 (37:41):
I think when we first started, right before I don't
know if it was right before conference, it might have
been like beginning of season, like when we played Oklahoma
and I think the score was like one hundred and
twenty four to shoot. I forget what they had, but
it was just like I remember y'all whooped up, y'all whooped.

Speaker 1 (38:00):
I remember I see the score and being like, oh.

Speaker 2 (38:04):
So, But I think that game was that for me,
just because you know, it was just so much fun.
Everything was clicking. It was just like we couldn't miss.
And just playing with teammates who like get joy out
of like seeing their teammates doing good. That's just like
it's such a great feeling and just like playing as

(38:26):
a team. I know it sounds so cliche, but like that,
it literally it's so much fun. It makes it so
much more fun. And so, you know, I think that
was a game where I was like, I love it here.

Speaker 1 (38:38):
Well that's a good game. Y'all won by like eighty
and y'all couldn't miss. That's a great game to pick.
But I think you touched on it. It's completely right,
like when you have a team and it seems like
from playing at you guys and watch you guys, like
the camaraderie spins off the court as well, and that's
what makes the chemistry so special. And so was there
a time, I feel like the year that we won,

(39:00):
I was we were in the summertime, and I was like, oh, yeah,
like we gonna be good. You know. Was there a
time because you guys end up going to sweet sixteen
and all these different things, was there a moment in
time where you're like, oh, like this chemistry is gonna
push us, we can be a contender.

Speaker 2 (39:14):
Yeah. I think when we first started like official practices
and we started to play against you know, like our
practice boys and things like that, like there's just like
glimpses where you could just tell, like it's just a
scary sight out there, like the way we have so
many skilled players, but at the same time, like everybody
is so like unselfish and just willing to create great

(39:39):
shots and like create team basketball. I think that's kind
of what I noticed, or like I thought to myself, like, like,
we're gonna be really good when we started playing. Yeah,
we were. We were We were clicking like right away,
and I think there was only like one time in
the season really where we kind of hit like a

(39:59):
slump a few games and you know, it didn't it
didn't last too long. But you know, every team goes
through those. But I think we were pretty consistent with
just like clicking together throughout the whole season. And you know,
it was super fun.

Speaker 1 (40:14):
Yeah, I mean I witnessed the clicking first hand. It
was hard. It's hard to stuff y'all. Like I think,
it's one thing when a team has a lot of
talented players but they don't play together. Oh, it's easy
to guard them, right, Like everybody wants to do their
own thing. But playing somebody like y'all on the team
that you guys have been kind of building these past
few years, it's gonna be somebody's night every night, and

(40:36):
all of you guys at one point, it's like, you know,
sometimes you want to get in the other team's head
because you know they're gonna fall apart. Y'all aren't gonna
fall apart, which is very annoying from a competitor standpoint.
You know, things get tough. You guys are swinging the ball. Oh,
she hits a shot. She hits a shot, and they're
yarding you, and it's like, can y'all slow down please
with the threes? Like cool it. You know, it's a

(40:57):
lot to handle. Yeah, but you were top of the
Pac twelve and Utah's first time the Sweet sixteen since
two thousand and six twenty seven to five record, and
you were the first Utah Pack twelve player of the year.
Talk to me about just how because I remember when
we were there and we lost and then that means
we were co champs and I was like, ugh, you know,
but like it was, it was the atmosphere in there

(41:20):
was absolutely insane. So what was that like getting to
kind of bring that honor to Utah and for coach
Lynn who's been building that program for years now.

Speaker 2 (41:29):
Yeah, I mean I say it a lot, but it's
just so cool to see, like, especially because I've been
in the Pack since my freshman year, like just to
see where this program like kind of started and where
it's at now. It's just it's just so crazy to
think about, Like you would have never thought, you know,
it would be what it is today. You know. I
just think it's such a cool thing that no, Coach

(41:50):
Gavin and Coach Lynn have been coaching together for a
long time now, and you know, just having those two
like build this program from like the round up, it's
just such a cool thing to see, and I feel
like that's why this program is so doesn't get complacent
and stays hungry just because you know, they've been at

(42:10):
the bottom and you know, once you're at the top,
you want to stay there and keep pushing. So it's
a great thing to see and I'm super happy for
you know, the program, and that I could be a
part of this.

Speaker 1 (42:21):
Yeah, I mean, you're completely right. Seeing you saw our
freshman year, it was like, you know, they were one
of those games it's like, okay, but they see you
guys now, it's it's been a complete flip, which is
wild to have seen just in a short amount of time.
And so you guys make it to the Sweet sixteen.
It was a really tough loss. I remember watching and

(42:41):
I was like, come on, you like pull it out,
you know I was. But tell me about that Sweet
sixteen experience, because it's really something special getting to make
it deep in the tournament playing LSU who ended up winning.
Talk to me about that game, the tough loss I've
been there, and what you guys focused on in the
off season to you know, use that as motivation for

(43:02):
now this year.

Speaker 2 (43:02):
Yeah, that was that one hurt. Yeah, Oh my goodness,
but up trauma here, it's o great. You know, I
think that game was good for us. We played against
you know, a great team who was super physical, super
athletic and very skilled, and you know, I think that

(43:23):
was the first team we kind of faced that was
like that, and I thought we did a great job
throughout the whole game. You know, it kind of came
down to those couple of possessions where you know, we
missed a rebound or something like that. So I think
just harping on that coming into this season, like how
important it is to you know, just play hard and

(43:47):
just wanted more than the other team, and just how
important those like fifty fifty balls are. That's something that
we've like harped on a lot this year, I feel like,
and you know, whenever we key and on that and
we do a good job of it, like we went games.
So that's kind of been the carryover I think to
this year for.

Speaker 1 (44:04):
Sure, Like when you lose a game, especially at the
end of the season, and it comes down to those
little things, those things are going to be harped on
all off season. I already know coach Linn was on
and now this season I'm sure it was a focus.
But coming from last season into this season, what do
you feel like we're your biggest focuses, you know, pack
to the Player of the year. You're already at the top,
but now you get the target on your back, right,

(44:25):
and so how did you continue to elevate your game
as we see it now?

Speaker 2 (44:30):
I think just being confident and then taking great shots.
I feel like a lot of times, you know, I'm
being keened in on and you know, it opens things
up for my teammates. So just like really focusing on
just like decision making and how to make my teammates
around me better in those kind of situations. Yeah. I

(44:52):
mean my outside game too, was something that I try
to focus on more, just because you know, like I
did a lot you know, on the block and the
post last year, so you know people are going to
try to take that away. So just you know, creating
a better just getting more sharp on those outside something
focused on too.

Speaker 1 (45:12):
Yeah. Well, I mean you could see it paying off
in this season. And I think one thing that makes
you so special is that you're very selfless in the
way that you play, and so it's hard to stop
you because obviously we know you can score, we know
you can rebound, but like you said, like focusing on
those great shots and you understand the great players around you,
so when you catch a double, it's hard to do

(45:33):
w because you're like, oh, passive here, passively here. I
remember scouting and it was like, well, you have to
like blindsider like double one when you don't see because
if she sees you coming, she's thrown it out to
one of their open shooters. So it's really hard to
stop somebody like you where you impact the game in
all these different areas, which I think, just quick give
you some flowers. I think it's very great that. Oh gosh,

(45:57):
of course I'm a big fan thing girling over here.
But preseason, you guys are ranked number five, which is
high is preseason ranking ever, I believe, And you guys
have a really strong upperclassman core that came back and
so I know how deep you guys are. But I'm
a name some of your players one by one and
then you can give them like a quick little what

(46:18):
makes him so great? One for me, who is like
an unsung hero who I feel like doesn't get a
lot of flowers all the time is Kennedy McLean, who's
like an absolute bucket. So talk to me about her.

Speaker 2 (46:28):
Oh Man, Kennedy, it don't matter if her foot's hurting,
if she just sprained her ankle. Like, she's gonna give
one hundred and ten percent and she's gonna go hard
all the time. Yeah, you know, on both ends. And
I think that's what's so, that's what's so special about
her and just the way she you know, she knocks
down important shots a lot of the time for us,

(46:48):
And you know, I just in the last few games,
I've just been loving, like love to see her gain
confidence and like just gain you know that like attack
mode because you know, I think the way a lot
of teams are playing us, you know, she has to
play that way, and you know when she does, she's
she's hard to stop.

Speaker 1 (47:08):
So yeah, I know, girl, they've stepped back reversus. I'm
like slow, and she like doesn't get tired, which is
very frustrated ladies at her.

Speaker 2 (47:20):
She plays so hard, but she doesn't get tired. It
doesn't make no sense.

Speaker 1 (47:24):
Yes, for forty minutes, I'm like, give her a song,
come on, I'm guessed. But she's a bucket. And I
know Gianna's out with an injury this year, but like
I remember seeing her freshman year and we had to
throw Anna Wilson on her and Anna's ar man, go
to it. I'm like Anna on a freshman she over
be here. I have a vivid memory of watching your

(47:44):
hit like behind the back step back three in Maple's
her freshman year and I remember Anna turning to me
and being like, well, oh well, like what do we
do with that? She's so skilled and talk to me
about what makes her so special? And even being out
this year, you can tell that she's still so engaged.
Right she's on the bench. It's not phasing her. She's
still being such a great teammate.

Speaker 2 (48:05):
Yeah, exactly that she's a great teammate. And you know,
as skilled as she is, like she brings so much
more to our team, and it's shown a lot ever
since she she's gotten hurt. You know, she's on the
bench counting miss box outs and you know who's who's
doing this, who's doing that? So she's very much locked
into the games. But like she's just a pure bucket,

(48:29):
Like you need a bucket, She's gonna go get one.
So you know, it's super fun playing with her. I'm
sad that I didn't get to play with her that
much my last year. But you know something I've been
super impressed with her ever since she's been out with
her injury is just how much more vocal she's been
in that sense, because she's not the she's not the
loudest person. She's a pretty quiet person, so you know,

(48:53):
just seeing her grow into that role, it's been super
cool to see.

Speaker 1 (48:57):
Yeah, I mean, I'm a big fan of her, not
only on the court, but off the court. I know
Iszie Palmer and seeing their TikTok together literally never failed
to make me laugh because she gonna she's gonna give
it everything she got sh sorry Gianna, no rhythm, but
like she's given it no shame, which honestly, I respect

(49:19):
it because me I'll be like, don't for me in this,
she goes for it, which I love. Tell me a
little bit about the changes that you've seen in your
game since you've been at Utah. You know what things
has Coach Linz focused on with you and expanding because
you have a really wide skill set. You do it
all from handling to finishing around the ram, shooting threes,

(49:42):
all these different things. So how do you feel like
your game has elevated in your time at Utah.

Speaker 2 (49:47):
I think the biggest thing for me was getting in
better shape and like taking conditioning and like strength just
super serious and so I think once I did that,
it kind of put me in a better position for
me to perform well. But I think since I've been
at Utah, I've gained a lot of confidence. Like I've said,

(50:08):
you know, I feel like, I don't know, I feel
like when you're on a team full of shooters, like
you got no choice but to be a good shooter.
So I feel like that that part of my gam
has definitely gotten better. And then just like I feel
like with the experience, it's just so much different, Like
you understand and you see things like so much different.
You kind of make it make it easier for yourself

(50:30):
in like ways you probably wouldn't have your freshman year.
So I think those things and then being smarter about
my decisions and being disciplined things like that.

Speaker 1 (50:42):
Yeah, now I think senior year is definitely a different
mindset that you have with freshman year. You're just trying
to survive out there. Senior year, it's like, oh, you know,
I know this is coming. You understand teams better what
you're looking for as well. Shoot, senior year, Haley committed
to freshman year. Big difference even now, a lot of
growth and I'm sure for you as well. But getting

(51:03):
into the future WNBA has been the dream. You're all
over the mock drafts, which I love to see, but
I know for me last year I struggled with having
that in the future and wanting to focus on that
about the draft, but also keeping where your feet are
and you know, balancing your mind and all these different things.
So how have you worked on preparing for that next

(51:24):
chapter while still focusing on your senior season here at Utah.

Speaker 2 (51:29):
Yeah, Like, I feel like I'm in a pretty similar spot,
like you said, like just it's kind of hard to
focus on just one thing, and you know, the main
thing is where you're at now. And I think i've,
like when I first started to you know, kind of
have that just I focus on the WNBA and like

(51:49):
have that in the back of my mind and just
thinking about like my future and things like that. You know,
it got kind of just like overwhelming a little bit.
You know, it was kind of just I guess took
away from it's like my focus on the now, Like
you said, And so I just try to just trust
in my coaches that they will do like everything in
their power to put me in the best position like

(52:11):
for that, and then also just taking care of things
like signing with the agent and things like that to
get me prepared for that. So I don't really have
to worry about it. But yeah, I've just been trying
to trying to focus on, you know, the end of
season because you know it's getting down to it's getting
down to the wire, so you know, really got to

(52:32):
focus in now.

Speaker 1 (52:33):
So yeah, it's about to be crunch time. Oh yeah, yeah,
and the Pac twelve. The rankings are all over the
place right now, that's a tournament and then into March madness.
But before we get in to the end of the season,
I want to talk about at the beginning, you had
your Alaska homecoming game and it looked like see you
on Instagram and everything. How many people came to see you.

(52:54):
I was like, is this all of Alaska? Like it
was crazy? And so play against University of Anchorage, how
special was it? Because we've talked about how important community
is to you, how special was it to go and
play in your home state, have your community come out,
but also like you're a really big role model for
a lot of the young girls in Alaska, but also

(53:17):
for young Polynesian girls. So tell me about the impact
that it had on you getting to go back and
see everything that. You know, you kind of showed another
gateway that people can take out of Alaska to play
basketball and do all these different things.

Speaker 2 (53:28):
It was super special, Like that trip was everything for me,
and I was so so grateful and so glad that
we got to take that trip. It felt kind of
weird playing in that arena just because like the last
time I've played there was in high school, and you know,
even like I won my all my volleyball state championships
in there, my basketball was and then my wrestling state championship,

(53:51):
So it was just cool to like, oh.

Speaker 1 (53:53):
Wow, a lot of state championships.

Speaker 2 (53:56):
Yeah, but it was just cool to like go back
there and it was just like one of those moments
where like you're back where everything started, and like it
kind of just seemed like a movie or like a
fairy tale and just to have like everybody who I
grew up around and my family and just like old
coaches and everything like that. It was just unlike anything

(54:20):
I've ever experienced. And you know, seeing the impact that
I have on so many people and seeing all the
people that came out to support me, it was just
I knew I was making an impact, but I think
that really opened my eyes to see, like there's people
that certain young girls look up to when they're younger

(54:40):
to you know, kind of find that pathway to doing
what they want to do in life. And you know,
to be that for the girls of like my same culture,
it's I don't even got the words to describe it,
Like it's just so crazy to me, Like man, like, yeah,
it's just so crazy, and I'm just so I'm just
so blessed and grateful to be in this position and

(55:03):
to have so many people think so highly of me
and just support me the way they do.

Speaker 1 (55:07):
So you couldn't move suddenly better. I think I couldn't
agree more in that, Like you get so caught up
in the day to day of in the grind, you're
in school, you're doing basketball stuff that you're not thinking
about how young girls areut here looking up to you,
and I'm like I'm just trying to make it through
the day. And then it's like, oh wow, like I'm
over here looking up to other people, and there's people

(55:27):
behind me looking up to me as well. And I
think what's so special about what you said is like
being that representation for your community and how important that
is for you being who you are and showing that
the young Polynesian girls in a last Girl or whatever
they are all around the world, like you're somebody that
they can look up to be like, oh, she looks

(55:48):
like me. Like being that representation that you didn't have
is so special. And I think being in that position
is probably like I don't think of myself that way.
You know, your namely gives you crap. You do it
ver like you don't think of your stuff in that light,
But when you have experiences like that, it's surreal. And
just tell me more about Like the tattoos in the

(56:08):
Polynesian community is huge, and break down what that's like too,
not only for you to have them, but to see
people like seeing you have that on national TV on
the biggest stage. How important is that for you to
share your culture in that light?

Speaker 2 (56:23):
It's super important because you know, I wear like my
culture of being Polynesia, being native, like I wear that
on my sleeve and I mean to be able to,
you know, have a piece of artwork, you know, and
tattoos are like especially in like the Polynesian culture, it's
like to tell a story. Mine doesn't have like a

(56:43):
specific story. It's just the designs, but you know that's
kind of the history behind that. But just to have
that and to kind of have that as like a
piece of me to represent my culture and you know,
kind of showcase that out to the world, it's it's
super special for me.

Speaker 1 (57:02):
I think that's that's really cool, like the piece of
you and then you get to share with the world
and other people getting to look up to you and
see that, like it's really special. And I just want
to give you your flowers real quick about how amazing
I think you are as a player, but it's crazy
to think that as a person it's even better.

Speaker 2 (57:18):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (57:19):
You're bringing Utah back to prominence from the moment you
stepped on campus. This inspirational comeback, pulling yourself out of
a dark place from sophomore junior year and just being
able to redefine yourself as a person in the national spotlight.
Being this beacon that we've talked about for representation for
your community. I think it's really special and I give
you all the kudos, all the flowers, all the things,

(57:39):
as you know. So just just a quick just quick
love on you, real quick, big fan over here, as
you can tell. But before we wrap up, we're going
to get into our vibe check, which is rapid fire.
Some guests have been great, some guests have been okay,
So I think you're gonna do great. Great, So we'll
start it off with what's the drill you never want
to see on practice plan?

Speaker 2 (58:01):
Oh? Three minute drill?

Speaker 1 (58:03):
What is that?

Speaker 2 (58:04):
It's so it's three down in backs every minute, but
she doesn't give us the full minute. We got to
finish in forty five seconds. So yeah, we used to
do that if we would give up offense rebound on
a free throw. That was terrible.

Speaker 1 (58:20):
Oh no, no, no, no no, not going to do that. Okay,
game winning shot or game winning block.

Speaker 2 (58:26):
Oh, game winning block. I feel like that's.

Speaker 1 (58:31):
Oh, I think you're the first one to say that. Actually,
that's good. Okay. Where's the toughest place to play on
the road? And why.

Speaker 2 (58:40):
See? I want to say Colorado because like even though
we're at elevation, like their elevation is higher so that
one's a pretty tough it.

Speaker 1 (58:49):
Yeah, that I hate playing at Colorado. Oh my god,
I'm out of breath when the second I get off
the plane. It's horrible. Who's the biggest trash talker you've
played against? It could be on Utah or outside of it.

Speaker 2 (59:01):
Dangn. I don't know. I feel like people don't really
or I don't be hearing them really. But the only
time my dad was probably LSU and juries.

Speaker 1 (59:10):
Oh yeah, she'd be chatting. She be chatting. Okay, are
you do you feel I don't feel like you don't
really trash to talk very much. You just kind of
do your thing out there and then it speaks for you.
Biggest flopper.

Speaker 2 (59:22):
Oh oh oh, we have an answer. I'm gonna say
Bella off of Washington State because I remember this there's
sometimes vividly where I had the ball and I literally
like took a jab step and this girl's already on

(59:43):
the floor.

Speaker 1 (59:44):
I was like, bro, no, I you're completely right, because
she does. I haven't thought of her, but she do
be flopping. And I remember she took a charge on
Talana or something, and I was like, if you don't
get up, you are so you're a foot taller than
this girl, Charlie. That's a good one. That's a sleeper flopper.

(01:00:07):
You're right, Okay. Who's the hardest player to guard?

Speaker 2 (01:00:12):
Ringing beers?

Speaker 1 (01:00:14):
Oh yeah, we talked about that earlier. Okay, what's your
biggest basketball.

Speaker 2 (01:00:19):
I'm gonna say it when somebody got I'm probably guilty
of this too sometimes, but with somebody got a wild
and left hand lay up and they shoot it with
their right hand.

Speaker 1 (01:00:28):
They're right. You gotta be safe, better safe than sorry. Honestly,
sometimes too, I just know, like whenever a lamp is
too open, that's when I freak out. I'm like, oh,
like I feel my handshake. I'm like, oh god, not
used to this. Okay, what is your favorite end game celebration?

Speaker 2 (01:00:51):
I don't really be celebrating like that.

Speaker 1 (01:00:54):
That's a lie. I'll be seeing you throw up some
hands for threes.

Speaker 2 (01:00:57):
You'd be doing sometimes, yeah, the three because we got
some shooters, for real.

Speaker 1 (01:01:05):
I was gonna say, I've seen it. Don't come on here, Okay,
who is your celebrity looking like? If you if you
feel like you have one, or you're just one of
a kind. That's what some people have said.

Speaker 2 (01:01:16):
I don't feel like I have.

Speaker 1 (01:01:19):
A kind. I guess one of a kind. That's fine.
If you could pick someone to play a two on
two with and then you can't pick a teammate of yours,
who would you pick?

Speaker 2 (01:01:30):
I would pick.

Speaker 1 (01:01:32):
Charlie's a bucket, bucket one hundred. That's a good pick.
We haven't had that one yet. Okay. What's your favorite
pregame hype song?

Speaker 2 (01:01:42):
I like Up All Night by Drake Nicki Minaj.

Speaker 1 (01:01:46):
Oh that's a good one. That's a good one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Yeah,
that's a good pick. I like that one. Okay. Last
one is the best impression of coach Roberts.

Speaker 2 (01:01:57):
Oh, she does a lot of things. Hold on, damn,
I feel like I'm gonna get in trouble for this.

Speaker 1 (01:02:07):
It's okay. I'll apologize for you. I'll say I asked
you arm Oh my goodness, I've be seeing her yell
at the refs. I've been seeing her yell at the
rest a lot. She'd be up in there, yere to
be a good one about that.

Speaker 2 (01:02:20):
When she'd be saying a lot, she'll be like, let
me just use one of the refs as let me
use the.

Speaker 1 (01:02:26):
Lik not Melissa.

Speaker 2 (01:02:32):
She'd be like she she'd be like, Melissa, what game
are you watching? Like she'll be yelling. I said, I'm like,
I'm surprised she doesn't get thrown out. It's really crazy
that she doesn't.

Speaker 1 (01:02:45):
You know what, You're so right, because she'd be chirpling
at your Remember there's just one time I was taking
out the ball in front of your bench and I
was like right next to her. She was like, Haley,
just talk to me about something. She said, Hey, you
know you father, Haley, you know your father. I'm like, girl,
I'm trying to focus right now. Lynn. She charing. But yeah,
not Melissa. Melissa be trying her best. She really do.

(01:03:08):
But this is a rap. Melissa, You've been so great.
Thank you so much for coming on.

Speaker 2 (01:03:12):
Of course, thank you for having me.

Speaker 1 (01:03:14):
Of course, and thank you to everybody for listening. We'll
be back with another episode of Sometimes I Hope the

(01:03:35):
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