September 30, 2025 • 11 mins
A new season, in great shape and ready to adjust to new roles on and off the court for #35
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The practice go today?
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Uh, today was actually pretty good. I thought I was
happy with how the first practice went.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Well, No, I'm not.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Our work ats have been pretty good, so I feel
like consistently good and so it wasn't really surprised. But
I mean when practice starts, coach and everyone ramps it up,
so you never know how people are really gonna respond,
And I thought we did a good job responding.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
What do I feel like being out there is a
defending champion? Is there any buzz about that?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I mean, if you felt is it palpable the feeling
of being a.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Defending champ this year?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
I mean you can feel just like the excitement, the energy,
the intensity in the gym. I mean this is a
new team, Like we've got a lot of new face,
a lot of returners, but five new faces. So I
don't think we really consider ourselves defending champs more so
like same goal as last year, same mindset, but just
some of us have the taste, so now we want
(00:53):
it even more.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
What's made workouts of practice going go well?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
So far? We've had really good energy. Like I said,
the intensity is great. We've got so many bodies something
none of us are really used to so being able
to compete against each other go all out because we
know we'll have some rests actually some sub in the lines.
So that's been fun. It's been a new change, but
I think just intensity and the competitive spirit, it's been great.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
What do you like about that you have different not
just bodies, but different type of players coming in. You
can get a lot more done in practice where the guys.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Out in practice.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah, no, that is definitely a bonus. But it's just
fun to play with different lineups. Like you never know
who you're going to be out on the court with,
so that makes it fun. Everyone brings different things to
the table, so getting to learn, you know, different people's
tendency is what they like. Build that chemistry has been
It's been fun.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Tak upperclassmen Upperville's like along two first years where have
they kind of stuffed up?
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Leadership wise?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
I feel like you can definitely see Ash I'm starting
to hear her voice a little bit more KK I
mean being a point guard, she's naturally in that leadership,
but you can like really feel her what sort of
looking for like her assertiveness this year, Like you can
tell like she really means it and like there's some
authority behind her voice. So I've been really happy to
see that. What was your healthy summer? Like, what kind
(02:13):
of were you able to work on that you haven't
been able to Yeah, I mean my healthy summer was incredible.
It was like a whirlwind, but it was great. What
did I get to work on. I got to work on,
you know, my body and not being in a rehab
but you know, making sure like I'm just feeling the
best I can. I got to work on some finishing.
(02:36):
My gosh, summer feels so long ago now I'm like,
what did I even do this summer? Uh? I was
in the gym. Moral of the story. I was in
the gym. I was working on things. I got better. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Did you feel this year that you know, as your
last ride, that you need to be more assertive as
a leader since there it's a whole team this year.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Yeah, that's definitely something I'm working and that doesn't really
come naturally to me. So I'm working on using my
voice and making sure that other people hear me when
I use my voice, and I know that I'll be
like a baby steps get a little bit better at
that each day. But I try to think of it
as like it's it would be selfish of me not
too being here the longest with Caroline, Like, if we're
(03:21):
not using our voices and speaking up, we know exactly
what coach and all other coaches want, what they expect
with the expectation is so if we're not sharing that
knowledge and making sure everyone's on the same page and
getting better, then that's selfish of us. Bad teammates.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
What's it been like? You need to know Blanca.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
It's been fun. Blanca is She's really funny, and so
hanging out with her is fine. She's got a great personality,
and I have like a super big soft spot performers.
I feel like every foreigner we've had has been one
of my favorite teammates. I mean, I love all my teammates.
That's not even fair to say everyone's incredible, but I
just I feel like I have extra respect for them,
knowing that they're one so far from home speaking they're second, third,
(04:01):
sometimes fourth language, like they'd doing school work. I I
don't struggle to my school, but like I don't enjoy
doing schoolwork in my main language. Like I can't imagine
what it's like for them. So I've like just adding
all that together and still seeing her show up every
day and be a great player, a great teammate, have
great energy. See that smile on her face. It's incredible.
(04:21):
But she's, like I said, she's got a great personality
and she's super fun to play with, and she's super talented.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
What makes her funny?
Speaker 2 (04:28):
She just has some like comments and stuff like you
don't I think it's funnier because you don't expect her
to say some of the things because you're like, oh,
like her English has gotten a lot better, but it's
like how do you know that? Like how do you
know that slang? Like how do you know how to
use that? And it just it corrects you up.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
What about on the court with her, what she looks like.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
She looks really good. Like you can tell she's been
playing with some pros. She is super skilled, super talented.
You can tell she knows basketball. And having someone like
her on the floor, let's be able to stretch the
floor because she's I forget what they call themselves. They
have a name Caroline, Sarah and Blanca for themselves because
they're like, what is the word? You have to ask them,
(05:07):
I forget the word, but they do both. So having
someone another person like her to stretch the floor, play inside,
play outside, make our for people to guard. I mean,
it's hard to guard her when we're playing pick up,
So I'm excited when it's someone else's issue.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
When did you guys close a book on winning a
title and start focusing in on this year because obviously
some key pieces aren't here anymore.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
It's a totally different team.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Yeah. I think as soon as we came back for
summer workouts in June, it was new people were on campus,
We're back in the gym, getting better, competing, and we
had all of May at home wherever people were to
really enjoy and so all that in and then when
we step foot back on campus, it was time to
walk back in.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
The first time you walk in there and you see
the championship bander up there, did you look at it?
Did you react to it at all?
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Or it's still I mean still in here and see
seeing all the faces, it's it doesn't feel real. I mean,
and then seeing like our pictures in the hallway as well,
and the banner, it's I still get chills thinking about that.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Being the basketball fan that you are, I'm sure you're
watching a lot of the playoffs. It's just a controversy
with Coak Reed in Minnesota after Nadisa got heard. Like
the physicality of the game, what's it like as a
basketball player watching that kind of game? And have you
(06:35):
talked to any of your former teammates that are in
the w now about how physical the league is? Because
in a year you hope to be there.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
That's crazy to think, but I have not talked to
any of my former teammates. But watching that, it's like,
I mean, watching all season, there's the physicality, Like you
can see that in every game, some definitely way more
than others. But it like that it's grown woman's strength
out there, and I feel like some of this stuff
(07:05):
it's too much. I mean when you see players get hurt.
As someone who has had their fair share of injuries
ranging from small to larger ones, like you never want
to see that, regardless of the team the player who
it is. So watching that, I feel like I always
get like a pit in my stomach when I see that.
You never never want to see that, so that I
(07:26):
would like get that hurt to see. I felt for her,
but yeah, I know that, like I said, it's grown
women's strength and I've been in the weight room, so
hopefully I'll be okay.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
As a leader on this team. Is there anything that
you can do to help with the chemistry as you
move along just towards your first game?
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Yeah, I mean I think that since I've been here,
I don't think anyone takes it for granted because not
every program has close teams like we do. But we
have been lucky to everyone gets along and and it's
not faked, it's not forced, like we genuinely love each
other like we're sisters, and it's incredible and that shows
(08:06):
on the court, and I think other people can see
that as well. But I think just making sure we're
constantly talking lifting each other up. I mean, as the
season gets on and we're gonna get more tired and drained,
and so making sure we're there for each other picking
each other up and we need it. I think those
are probably the biggest things.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
This is the first time in two years that you're
starting the season healthy. Just basketball goals or what do
you want to add to your game this year?
Speaker 2 (08:30):
One? Staying healthy? And then I think one of my
biggest things is being a lockdown defender. I think I've
taken a lot more pride, and I was trying to
take pride on defense. Last year had my moments when
I didn't, But this year, I want to be a
lockdown defender, only, someone that my team can count on
(08:51):
on defense, whether it's you know, keeping my man in
front of me, probably not rebounds, but I want to
be that person for the team. I want our identity
to be defensive base. So I'm excited for that.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
How do you view the growth of the game off
the court? You know, often on the court? Really, I
mean you see a WNEA team sell out every single
home game this year, an expansion team at that that
league is expanding, got a weekly podcast as well, and
Yukon is the basketball capital of the world. So how
do you think that when you're preparing for a season
obviously trying to win games, but also acknowledging just the
(09:28):
impact that you all and and what you do has
on the rest of the sport and the eyes.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
That are on the sport. I mean, the growth is
an incredible I couldn't have predicted this coming into college
just from like my perspective, like what I've been able
to experience, this imp in here and the growth that
I've seen firsthand has been unimatchable. So I think just
being able to live in this time is so special.
And I know that I don't take that for granted,
(09:56):
and I try to take full advantage of that and
try to like I don't know, just the fact that
some many younger kids look up to me, I still like,
I don't know, I don't know why, but I think
that's so special. Like I try to do anything I can,
whether that's like with my camps, just to show them
like I'm a real person, Like being on this stage
is attainable, Like we're not we're not celebrities, we're not
(10:19):
anything like that, Like we're someone that they should look
up to because it could be them in a few years.
But I think just the growth is it's crazy to see.
And like I said, where I think everyone playing right now,
we're it's the best time to be a women in sport.
And so I think all we can do is thanks
people that came before us for kind of paving this
(10:40):
path for us, making this possible, and leave the game,
no matter your sport, leave the game better than you
found it, so these things continue to be possible for
the girls with girls after us.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
Are you surprised by the enthusiasm people have for you
when you score a basket and just seeing people wearing
your jerseys?
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Are you ever amased at you know where.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
You're at right now?
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Oh one percent. I'm always certainly, Just like when I
see my jersey or my shirt just randomly out in public,
I'm like, Hey, that's me, and I try to always
say hi to them or like hey, nice shirt, because
you know, like these people don't have to one spend
their hard earned money on my shirt, my jersey, and
then they also don't have to wear it. They don't
(11:23):
have to support me, so that means the world's me,
and I hope they know that. And yeah, it never
gets old hearing the crowd whenever you score. But I
just I constantly feel the love and I'm so blessed
to be in this position.
The practice go today?
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Uh, today was actually pretty good. I thought I was
happy with how the first practice went.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Well, No, I'm not.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Our work ats have been pretty good, so I feel
like consistently good and so it wasn't really surprised. But
I mean when practice starts, coach and everyone ramps it up,
so you never know how people are really gonna respond,
And I thought we did a good job responding.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
What do I feel like being out there is a
defending champion? Is there any buzz about that?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I mean, if you felt is it palpable the feeling
of being a.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Defending champ this year?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
I mean you can feel just like the excitement, the energy,
the intensity in the gym. I mean this is a
new team, Like we've got a lot of new face,
a lot of returners, but five new faces. So I
don't think we really consider ourselves defending champs more so
like same goal as last year, same mindset, but just
some of us have the taste, so now we want
(00:53):
it even more.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
What's made workouts of practice going go well?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
So far? We've had really good energy. Like I said,
the intensity is great. We've got so many bodies something
none of us are really used to so being able
to compete against each other go all out because we
know we'll have some rests actually some sub in the lines.
So that's been fun. It's been a new change, but
I think just intensity and the competitive spirit, it's been great.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
What do you like about that you have different not
just bodies, but different type of players coming in. You
can get a lot more done in practice where the guys.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Out in practice.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah, no, that is definitely a bonus. But it's just
fun to play with different lineups. Like you never know
who you're going to be out on the court with,
so that makes it fun. Everyone brings different things to
the table, so getting to learn, you know, different people's
tendency is what they like. Build that chemistry has been
It's been fun.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Tak upperclassmen Upperville's like along two first years where have
they kind of stuffed up?
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Leadership wise?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
I feel like you can definitely see Ash I'm starting
to hear her voice a little bit more KK I
mean being a point guard, she's naturally in that leadership,
but you can like really feel her what sort of
looking for like her assertiveness this year, Like you can
tell like she really means it and like there's some
authority behind her voice. So I've been really happy to
see that. What was your healthy summer? Like, what kind
(02:13):
of were you able to work on that you haven't
been able to Yeah, I mean my healthy summer was incredible.
It was like a whirlwind, but it was great. What
did I get to work on. I got to work on,
you know, my body and not being in a rehab
but you know, making sure like I'm just feeling the
best I can. I got to work on some finishing.
(02:36):
My gosh, summer feels so long ago now I'm like,
what did I even do this summer? Uh? I was
in the gym. Moral of the story. I was in
the gym. I was working on things. I got better. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Did you feel this year that you know, as your
last ride, that you need to be more assertive as
a leader since there it's a whole team this year.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Yeah, that's definitely something I'm working and that doesn't really
come naturally to me. So I'm working on using my
voice and making sure that other people hear me when
I use my voice, and I know that I'll be
like a baby steps get a little bit better at
that each day. But I try to think of it
as like it's it would be selfish of me not
too being here the longest with Caroline, Like, if we're
(03:21):
not using our voices and speaking up, we know exactly
what coach and all other coaches want, what they expect
with the expectation is so if we're not sharing that
knowledge and making sure everyone's on the same page and
getting better, then that's selfish of us. Bad teammates.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
What's it been like? You need to know Blanca.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
It's been fun. Blanca is She's really funny, and so
hanging out with her is fine. She's got a great personality,
and I have like a super big soft spot performers.
I feel like every foreigner we've had has been one
of my favorite teammates. I mean, I love all my teammates.
That's not even fair to say everyone's incredible, but I
just I feel like I have extra respect for them,
knowing that they're one so far from home speaking they're second, third,
(04:01):
sometimes fourth language, like they'd doing school work. I I
don't struggle to my school, but like I don't enjoy
doing schoolwork in my main language. Like I can't imagine
what it's like for them. So I've like just adding
all that together and still seeing her show up every
day and be a great player, a great teammate, have
great energy. See that smile on her face. It's incredible.
(04:21):
But she's, like I said, she's got a great personality
and she's super fun to play with, and she's super talented.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
What makes her funny?
Speaker 2 (04:28):
She just has some like comments and stuff like you
don't I think it's funnier because you don't expect her
to say some of the things because you're like, oh,
like her English has gotten a lot better, but it's
like how do you know that? Like how do you
know that slang? Like how do you know how to
use that? And it just it corrects you up.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
What about on the court with her, what she looks like.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
She looks really good. Like you can tell she's been
playing with some pros. She is super skilled, super talented.
You can tell she knows basketball. And having someone like
her on the floor, let's be able to stretch the
floor because she's I forget what they call themselves. They
have a name Caroline, Sarah and Blanca for themselves because
they're like, what is the word? You have to ask them,
(05:07):
I forget the word, but they do both. So having
someone another person like her to stretch the floor, play inside,
play outside, make our for people to guard. I mean,
it's hard to guard her when we're playing pick up,
So I'm excited when it's someone else's issue.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
When did you guys close a book on winning a
title and start focusing in on this year because obviously
some key pieces aren't here anymore.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
It's a totally different team.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Yeah. I think as soon as we came back for
summer workouts in June, it was new people were on campus,
We're back in the gym, getting better, competing, and we
had all of May at home wherever people were to
really enjoy and so all that in and then when
we step foot back on campus, it was time to
walk back in.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
The first time you walk in there and you see
the championship bander up there, did you look at it?
Did you react to it at all?
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Or it's still I mean still in here and see
seeing all the faces, it's it doesn't feel real. I mean,
and then seeing like our pictures in the hallway as well,
and the banner, it's I still get chills thinking about that.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Being the basketball fan that you are, I'm sure you're
watching a lot of the playoffs. It's just a controversy
with Coak Reed in Minnesota after Nadisa got heard. Like
the physicality of the game, what's it like as a
basketball player watching that kind of game? And have you
(06:35):
talked to any of your former teammates that are in
the w now about how physical the league is? Because
in a year you hope to be there.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
That's crazy to think, but I have not talked to
any of my former teammates. But watching that, it's like,
I mean, watching all season, there's the physicality, Like you
can see that in every game, some definitely way more
than others. But it like that it's grown woman's strength
out there, and I feel like some of this stuff
(07:05):
it's too much. I mean when you see players get hurt.
As someone who has had their fair share of injuries
ranging from small to larger ones, like you never want
to see that, regardless of the team the player who
it is. So watching that, I feel like I always
get like a pit in my stomach when I see that.
You never never want to see that, so that I
(07:26):
would like get that hurt to see. I felt for her,
but yeah, I know that, like I said, it's grown
women's strength and I've been in the weight room, so
hopefully I'll be okay.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
As a leader on this team. Is there anything that
you can do to help with the chemistry as you
move along just towards your first game?
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Yeah, I mean I think that since I've been here,
I don't think anyone takes it for granted because not
every program has close teams like we do. But we
have been lucky to everyone gets along and and it's
not faked, it's not forced, like we genuinely love each
other like we're sisters, and it's incredible and that shows
(08:06):
on the court, and I think other people can see
that as well. But I think just making sure we're
constantly talking lifting each other up. I mean, as the
season gets on and we're gonna get more tired and drained,
and so making sure we're there for each other picking
each other up and we need it. I think those
are probably the biggest things.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
This is the first time in two years that you're
starting the season healthy. Just basketball goals or what do
you want to add to your game this year?
Speaker 2 (08:30):
One? Staying healthy? And then I think one of my
biggest things is being a lockdown defender. I think I've
taken a lot more pride, and I was trying to
take pride on defense. Last year had my moments when
I didn't, But this year, I want to be a
lockdown defender, only, someone that my team can count on
(08:51):
on defense, whether it's you know, keeping my man in
front of me, probably not rebounds, but I want to
be that person for the team. I want our identity
to be defensive base. So I'm excited for that.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
How do you view the growth of the game off
the court? You know, often on the court? Really, I
mean you see a WNEA team sell out every single
home game this year, an expansion team at that that
league is expanding, got a weekly podcast as well, and
Yukon is the basketball capital of the world. So how
do you think that when you're preparing for a season
obviously trying to win games, but also acknowledging just the
(09:28):
impact that you all and and what you do has
on the rest of the sport and the eyes.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
That are on the sport. I mean, the growth is
an incredible I couldn't have predicted this coming into college
just from like my perspective, like what I've been able
to experience, this imp in here and the growth that
I've seen firsthand has been unimatchable. So I think just
being able to live in this time is so special.
And I know that I don't take that for granted,
(09:56):
and I try to take full advantage of that and
try to like I don't know, just the fact that
some many younger kids look up to me, I still like,
I don't know, I don't know why, but I think
that's so special. Like I try to do anything I can,
whether that's like with my camps, just to show them
like I'm a real person, Like being on this stage
is attainable, Like we're not we're not celebrities, we're not
(10:19):
anything like that, Like we're someone that they should look
up to because it could be them in a few years.
But I think just the growth is it's crazy to see.
And like I said, where I think everyone playing right now,
we're it's the best time to be a women in sport.
And so I think all we can do is thanks
people that came before us for kind of paving this
(10:40):
path for us, making this possible, and leave the game,
no matter your sport, leave the game better than you
found it, so these things continue to be possible for
the girls with girls after us.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
Are you surprised by the enthusiasm people have for you
when you score a basket and just seeing people wearing
your jerseys?
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Are you ever amased at you know where.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
You're at right now?
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Oh one percent. I'm always certainly, Just like when I
see my jersey or my shirt just randomly out in public,
I'm like, Hey, that's me, and I try to always
say hi to them or like hey, nice shirt, because
you know, like these people don't have to one spend
their hard earned money on my shirt, my jersey, and
then they also don't have to wear it. They don't
(11:23):
have to support me, so that means the world's me,
and I hope they know that. And yeah, it never
gets old hearing the crowd whenever you score. But I
just I constantly feel the love and I'm so blessed
to be in this position.
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