A Desperate Look In Their Eyes (Presented By AT&T)
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They didn't want to be the team to not bring home gold. No doubt. So they had a desperate look in their eyes. This is Queens of the Court. What's up, y'all? It is your favorite duo of all time. Welcome to another episode of Queens of the Court, an Odyssey original podcast produced in partnership with the WNBA. I'm your girl, Cheryl Swoops. And I'm Jordan Robinson. And Court. And Court. And Court.

is in session session let's go we got a lot to get to today we are gonna have an interview with Brianna Jones later in the episode we got to talk about this gold medal game we have a lot to say also WNBA is back later this week finally I'm excited about WNBA me too I am excited about the W um

But first, me and Cheryl hung out in person. How about that? It was so good. It was so good. Some stuff we're going to keep to ourselves that we talked about because y'all don't need to know. Don't be nosy. Don't be nosy. But it was good to see you in person. And like we hung out and it wasn't hanging out because we were working. It was just for funsies. Like lunch and shopping. Yeah.

Did you get all your shoes home? No, haven't gotten the ones I ordered. No. But let me just tell y'all. I don't know if I want to say Jordan's a good shopping buddy or a bad shopping buddy. I take pride in that. I was trying to be disciplined. And I was like, you know what? I don't need these. And she's like, oh my God, but you do. Those look so good on your feet. Oh, but the bag too. So I went in to get one pair of shoes and I walked out with how many? Oh, probably.

four to five four to five I walked out with three and I and they're shipping one pair okay they're shipping one pair so you didn't get the other ones but at one point there were about five shoes on the counter so that was but eggs didn't go in for a bag but walked out with two bags

I am the person that I don't know. Maybe you, if you want to have some fun shopping, I am not going to tell you not to buy it. So if you want discipline, don't bring me along. I'm going to say yes. And look where it could go with. And do you have this color? Do you have something like this? You need it. You want it. You deserve it. Every color possible. Yeah.

Yeah, thank you. But it was so good. The food was good. The conversation, seriously, I'm going to say this without crying, but the conversation was the best.

I know. It was the best. Everything. So it was so fun. And LA was great. So we're going to do that again in the future. But yes, we are our friends besides talking to you guys on here on the podcast. But we love doing this because it was fun to work with you, but also to hang out with you outside of work. So that's my favorite part. Agreed. Agreed. How was the rest of your weekend?

I think it was good. It was good. I didn't do anything. Well, I did a little. I tried to help my husband in the garden and the yard. But it's too hot to be outside. It's really hot. I can't. I went out, seriously, for about 10 minutes. I did a little bit. And then, girl, I don't know who came in the house faster, me or my dogs. Because they were like, listen. Yeah.

Listen, it's way too hot. But it was nice. It was just a nice, relaxing weekend. And you? Fun. Yeah, you know, I went on a girls trip this weekend. Me and my friends from college, we just have this date booked every year. And it is so fun to be able to say like, you know, this weekend in August is our weekend. We graduated almost...

10 years ago now and we have kept it up and it is intentional time where we're not planning a bunch of stuff but we just meet in a mutual location and just gab and over wine and play games so it was so much fun so much is good you gotta have that sometimes yes I didn't go to college with you but I'd like to be included in that girl's trip

Yeah, come on down. Come on down. I saw I think I saw one of the photos you posted and it just it looked like you guys are having a really good time. Having a great time. So that was fun. I feel refreshed from that. And then we're just like, OK, where are we going next year? And it's already on the calendar. So it's a lot of fun.

It's great. Yeah. Intentional friendships. I feel like that was my theme this whole weekend is just great conversation, great friendships, starting, kicking it off with you and LA. I love that. It was fun. I love that. All right. Well, into it because the USA women's basketball team won their eighth straight gold medal and their sixth. Let's go first.

61st consecutive Olympic win, which is insane. Crazy. But they won by one point. 67-66 over France. Was sweating bullets. I was stressed out. I don't know about you, but it was a little too close for comfort for most of that game. About 99% of it, including the final shot at the end by Gabby Williams. But I want to ask you,

One word to describe this win in the theme of the one point victory. One word? Yeah, we don't talk about the other words, but one word for your theme. Um, shit. Great word. That's all I'm saying.

Okay, now I'll give you the PG version. I feel like I could say that since Asia did. But anyway. Gosh, I think my one word I would use would be for this particular game or the whole. I would say this game. This game specifically. Oh, no doubt. My one word for this game is going to be nervous. Nervous. Yeah. I felt that. My word is desperate.

Like we were, we had to be, we were desperate. They didn't want to be the team to ruin the streak. They didn't want to be the team to not bring home gold. No doubt. They had a desperate look in their eyes when shots weren't falling turnovers and all that. It was like, Oh my God, Jordan, we, we, we have to cut this segment off because we could be on this show.

the entire episode. I know, I know. Because your word is desperate, which I love. And the reason why I say nervous is because every single player on this team looked nervous. I've never seen Asia Wilson miss so many layups. I've never seen Stewie miss layups. They were missing free throws. They were turning the ball over left and right. I was sitting on my couch, literally talking to the television.

And I was just like, listen, what we not going to do is not bring the gold home. So whatever it is y'all got to do, like figure it out because come on now. And then let me say this. I saw Lisa did an interview with Maria Taylor. I think it was at halftime. Yeah, it was at halftime. And I was sitting here before she said it, I was thinking the same thing. Like,

I don't care what you think about Diana. Think she should be there, shouldn't be there, like her, love her, hate her, whatever. Put her in the game. If for no other reason, let's just calm everything down. And Diana brings that. She has that presence about her. She has that calmness about her. She has that like, listen, I've been here before. Let me just calm everything down. And not only that, maybe she could have hit a couple of big buckets for us when we were needing them.

Because it was not looking good. This was the first time, the first time ever, even when I was playing, that I actually was like, we could lose this game. The first time ever. Especially when friends went up by 10 in the third quarter. It's just like, oh no, we're not doing this. We are not.

doing this. So a couple of things to what you just said. So that one point differential was the lowest ever for USA women's basketball. The next in line was a semifinal win over Russia in 2004, according to ESPN. You were on that team that was in Athens and you ended up winning, you know, 66, 62, another low scoring team.

uh battle but I just like what you said you still didn't think you guys were gonna lose oh no that game I didn't wow and here's well and here's the difference right that game like I was playing so I could help control that situation so I can't go put myself in the game I'm not there I was just like

Y'all, I'm hitting my forehead if you can't see. But I was like, what are we doing? What are we doing? Don't say the best. We have Asia and they don't. But I also got to say we had Kalia Copper and they did not. Because Kyle saved the day yesterday.

What were they saying? It turned copper into gold. She is one of the heroes. She made some winning free throws. She had a great drive at the end of the game, but she also brought the defense. She had 12 points, five rebounds. It was just a...

a different mode. And then you kind of are like, you know, she wasn't, we were talking about it. She wasn't getting a lot of tick in the early games, but when you have a finals MVP on your roster in North Philly with an F,

Ka really, really showed up. But to your point about Diana, you know, this was her sixth career gold medal. She is the first woman to win six gold medals for a team sport. But she had a hilarious comment after the game because to your point, I don't think Diana wanted to be a cheerleader on the bench. I think she wanted to contribute. For sure. In some way. And a reporter asked her, you know,

You just had to one up your friend Sue Bird by getting six. And Diana said, well, the funny thing is me and Sue both have the same stat line today. So I guess I got a gold medal. Shots fired. Shots fired. Well, you know, Jordan, which and Diana, Diana is a funny person. She has a great sense of humor and humor.

You know, my question to that or my point to that is, you know, everybody's role is different when you're on the Olympic team. It just is. Unless you're Asia Wilson and Breonna Stewart, right? Rightfully so. But if you're not going to star Diana, I see that. I get that. Don't have an issue with it. If you're not going to play her a lot of minutes, great. But yesterday's game for me was,

was the one game where I was like, this is why Diana Taurasi is on this team. Yeah. Yeah. So let's, let's, let's put her in the game. So, but at the end of the day, we won. It wasn't pretty. We didn't win by 20. We won by one and I'm okay.

I'm going to take it. I'm going to take it. When you get the gold medal, they didn't say you're only getting this and you only won by one point. They're saying y'all were the best women in the world. Yeah. Here you go. Thank you very much. And when we were talking about playing time and things like that, I think, you know, a lot of people were saying Jewel or what was Chelsea Gray's minutes all over the place. Everyone's medal is just as gold.

The gold isn't heavier or darker. If you get more points or more minutes, they were a part of this team. Absolutely. So their medal is also gold. But someone who could have been a little brighter is Asia Wilson because she finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks, huge blocks that were momentum shifters and

and was the center of the offense. You know, you mentioned those missed layups, just things we weren't used to seeing. She was two for nine shooting in that first half. And then she went four for five and seven free throws in that second half. So she had that desperation. I think a part of her legacy, she didn't want to be a part of the team that didn't finish the job. So she took home MVP with the apostrophe. You always got to add it.

Of the Olympics, averaging 18 points, 10 assists, or 10.2 assists over the last six games. So she's been so dominant. Stewie kind of struggled. She went two for eight from the field, but her defense in those final seconds was

getting the block on that three-point attempt. That's what kind of sealed the deal. And then we talked about Cobb. But I also want to shout out from France. I think a lot of people were like, why isn't Gabby Williams in the WNBA? Why isn't Maureen Johannes in the WNBA? These are WNBA players. I think France...

They foregoed to the start of the WNBA season to fully commit. Like they all didn't do anything else. They were like, we are a part of this Olympic team. We are training. We are playing because we want to beat USA. And you saw that. You saw that determination. You saw that togetherness. Their defense was overwhelming. It was, oh my gosh, smothering.

when you have Gabby Williams on your squad that's kind of the tone that you said don't you think for sure for sure um yeah I knew we'd get to Gabby later because um uh yeah I saw De'arraca Hamby Angel Reese reaching out like Gab you want to come back to Chicago Derek was like nope I asked first oh without question Gabby Williams needs to be in the league she needs to go play somewhere um

It's just beautiful to watch. But let me say this, because a lot of people, you know, who watch the game and I'm reading comments and they're like, that's a foul, that's a foul. For any player out there who's ever played overseas, who's ever played international basketball, fouls really don't exist. Like...

It is going to be physical. They're going to let you play. They're going to let you take people's heads off and you probably not going to get a call.

So I feel like the game yesterday was, that was one of the biggest issues we had, meaning the U S the physicality that France was allowed to play and get in your space and be physical and bump you and not let you go to where you want to go and holding and scratching, like all of that was happening. And I felt like that's what really took team USA out of the game, because if you're a

an opposing team internationally in the Olympics playing USA, you're probably saying from talent wise, right? From top to bottom, we cannot match up with them, not the entire team. So what's our advantage? We're going to be physical with you, right? Like they were so physical with Asia. So a lot of those labs she missed,

I think it was because one, they were being physical and after she missed like three in a row, it was just like, I think she mentally got in her head. Right. But not to take anything away from France, because I thought that squad, they had a great game plan. They came, they came to play their fans, played a huge part in getting them where they were. But listen, I won't just say it again.

We just had a little bit more talent. Just a little bit. We just, they found a way to get it done. Yep. We look desperate. We look nervous, but we are the champs. We are the champions. We are the champions. My friends. Boom, boom, boom, boom. Yes. Yeah. They did it.

Congrats, ladies. Congrats. Can I say one thing before we move to the next topic? Of course. Yeah. I know we're talking about the women. You do. But look, can I say this? Wardell. Not Steph. I just need to say Wardell. Wardell. Hurry. Man. My goodness. That's all I need to say. Congrats to our men's Olympic team as well.

Both teams got it done. Last thing I want to say is for the people questioning, you know, Gabby Williams, Maureen Johannes, Ayanna Rupert, they are eligible to return to the WNBA for the remainder of the season.

That was a hot topic. I think from watching that performance, some GMs are looking at their rosters a little different. They're like, who can we move around to make some space for these players? So we will see how that all unfolds. But we got it. Job is finished. Job is finished.

Congrats, USA. Congrats. You made us nervous, but congrats. Just a little bit. Just a little bit. And for all of those players, you would think they get to ride off into the sunset and celebrate and relax. Just kidding. The rest of the season starts in three days. So here we go. The WNBA is back. I have missed it. I'm so excited to...

see what everyone else was working on their game and who's going to come back for the second half push to try to make the playoffs. So it's like there's a lot at stake here. We're getting back into it. And I wanted to kind of go through the standings a little bit just so we know where we're at.

Yeah, we need to we need to remind everybody. Remind everyone. This is the Women's Basketball National Association. I'm just kidding. This is this season has been a little up and down, but really exciting. So sitting in first place coming after the break is the New York Liberty. They're at 21 and four. They had a great start to the season. They're on a four game winning streak.

So they're sitting at first place. Number two is the Connecticut Sun. At number three is the Minnesota Lynx. Four, Seattle Storm. Five is the Las Vegas Aces, which we know Asia Wilson has been playing MVP level all season, MVP of the Olympics. You think that's going to stop? No, she's going to keep going the rest of the season. At sixth is the Phoenix Mercury.

At seven is the Indiana Fever. Eight is the Chicago Sky. So right now, those are all of the teams in the playoff picture. Right outside of that is the Atlanta Dream, who are sitting at an eight-game losing streak right now. Hopefully that can turn around in the second half of the season. We'll see.

The LA Sparks are at 10. The Washington Mystics at 11. And the Dallas Wings is at 12. Last. Well, yeah, they are. But when you look at just, I'll say 7th through 12th. Like those last two playoff spots are kind of up for grabs.

With the Fever sitting at 11 and 15 and Dallas at 6 and 19, there's just so much room for movement. And looking at, just say Dallas, if Satu Sabali can come back and play the way she did in the Olympics alongside Arike, Odyssey, Tiara, Kalani, I'm

ready to count Dallas out. Me neither. Me neither. And I think Dallas fans, I hope when you were watching Satu, you were saying, can't wait to see that back in a Dallas Wings uniform. Like, we have missed you and have needed you. She looked really good. Yeah, she looked really good.

So much. So just thinking of, you know, the games that are lined up for the rest of this week. So it kicks off on Thursday, August 15th. We got the Mercury and the Sky. We have the Mystics versus the Lynx. Will we see Shakira Austin? Go back and listen to our previous episode where we interviewed her. She's hopeful to come back. I think that

That mixes in the Mystics. If they can get Slim and Shakira Austin back healthy, we'll see if she suits up. Then we have the Liberty and the Sparks. So that's all on Thursday. Friday, we got the Storm and the Dream. Seattle's on a three-game winning streak. And I think I'll be curious to see if Jewel Lloyd is like, yes, she got the gold medal. She's a two-time gold medalist. But you know what I mean? We got to show you what you have.

Oh, no. Who are they playing? Atlanta? Sorry, Atlanta. Because Jewel Lloyd is going to be on a mission without question. Without question. So, yeah. Sorry. What does that mean? Sorry to that man. Yeah. That's going to be Jewel. So, then we got Mercury and the Fever. This is all on Friday. And then Connecticut Sun versus Dallas the Sun versus

We'll have Alyssa Thomas, who I was just so happy for. Me too. I feel like her role was so great. She gets a gold medal. Yeah. Any other things you're excited about as the WNBA restarts?

I mean, I'm just excited. Listen, it's the second half of the season. So, like, people got to bring it. They got to show up. We watched the Olympics. So we know those players, you know, they're going to come back. They'll be ready to play. How tired will they be? Probably will be because they had the All-Star game straight to the Olympics. And these other players, they had breaks. So when I look at teams like...

just any of them who didn't have Olympians, right? They had time to have a little break, but also time to get back in the gym and personally work on their game, but also as a team figure stuff out. It's going to be interesting. It's going to be real interesting to see what, how this, this second half turns around for teams. What do you think is going to be interesting?

But what's the challenge with having a break in the middle of the season? I know we talked about some teams were just hitting a groove at the right time. And so you're going to have to kind of restart that. But even just from an individual standpoint, if you were at the Olympics,

What is that challenge to get back into the rhythm of playing games every other day? All of that. Yeah, I mean, that is the challenge in itself, right? Especially when you have teams who were playing really well before the break.

Chicago, Indiana, those two really come to mind for me that were playing pretty well before the break. So you take the break and now it's like because it's totally different practicing, right? Practicing with your team or going against your practice squad. That's very different than actually playing against other teams.

So just, you know, having to turn that switch, like, okay, we're back in,

play mode and we got to try and get some wins together because there is a playoff picture. Right. So I think it's going to be really important for some of these teams who are fight, not only fighting to make the playoffs, but the ones who are at seven and eight, right. For them to hopefully get off to a really good start in the second half of the season.

But, you know, Jordan, the other side of that, the part that like the Las Vegas Aces, they have four players in the Olympics. And I know like Asia's been playing out of her mind.

But they're tired. You had four players in the Olympics and there are four players who are a huge part of why you are so good, right? Why your team is so good. So as a coach, where do you find time and a place to give those players some rest?

That's a great point. And you know, when I was, I'm looking at this list again and the aces don't have a game this week. So that worked out in their favor, because four out of your five starters, yes, we're just not only playing in the Olympics, but enjoying Paris and all of the Olympics festivities and the time change and the jet lag and all of that, that goes into it. So yeah,

Yeah, that is going to be something to keep your eye on. But overall, looking forward to the WNBA kicking off again this week. And we talked about the Connecticut Sun who are sitting in second place right now. And a part of that is Bree Jones.

I got a chance to sit down with Breonna Jones just ahead of her third All-Star game in Phoenix. And we talked about the current season with Connecticut, her journey back from her Achilles injury to an All-Star position. Crazy. And how she said consistency will be key for the Sun to finally get over the hump, be in the finals and win the finals. But here's our conversation. Take a listen.

Okay, we are here with Breonna Jones, three-time all-star. Welcome to the show, queen. Thank you for having me. So glad to be here. So happy to have you. So I just want to get right into it. Connecticut...

You guys came out hot this season. 13-1, best start in franchise history. What do you attribute that hot start to? I think just our versatility all around. I think any given night, it can be any of our nights, we don't have to just rely

on one singular person every night. So I think that makes us hard to guard. You know, you have to pick and choose who you want to, you know, take away and things like that. But I think that's what made us so successful. And then defensively, you know, we get after it. That's something that we pride ourselves on. And, you know, when those shots not falling, we know we can rely on our defense. I was going to say, what is your team's identity, right?

right now is it in defense um i think it's defense i think um you know all of us take a lot um of ownership on defense i think that's something that we like i said pride ourselves on that's something that we know um if we get stops we can get out in transition and play fast like we want to so i think um that's definitely our identity and then you know everybody on that team is tough like we're gonna fight to the to the very end the physicality i think um we try to you know um be the most physical team out there so i think that's that's our identity right now

Well, you say that physicality, you say that toughness, and a couple days ago on this recording, you get Marina Mabry that comes to your team in a trade. How does she add to the squad to make it even deeper and scarier than you guys already are? Oh, no. I think she definitely adds another layer of offensively, what she brings. She can shoot, she can pass, she can create off the dribble, and I think that's something that we definitely need, and

I'm excited to play alongside her. You know, I've been playing against her for all these years. It's going to be good to have her on my team. But I think she's definitely going to, you know, help us get to that, get to the next level of where we want to be. And just that mentality that she has, she already has that, you know, that toughness and that tenacity that she plays with. So I think she's going to fit right in that way. I think so, too. I think it's just going to be seamless. It's going to fit right in. But yeah,

I want to get inside the locker room a little bit. And what are those conversations that you guys are having when you think about bringing the first championship home to this franchise? Like, what are those conversations? What's that motivation behind that? I think, I mean, that motivation is, you know, we've been so close so many times. And I think, you know,

I think this year it's like what else do we need to do to get over that hump? I think everybody needs to bring a little bit more. We've had these conversations of it's on us to have that ownership of our team and being like if we want this, we've got to go take it. And we have to come together at the right time and gel together. Adding this new piece, I think it's going to go a long way. But I think it's just, like I said, taking that ownership to do all the little things and everybody's taking that next step up to get over the hump.

Do you feel the pressure since you guys have been so close so many times? Is it pressure? I don't think it's pressure. Okay. Like it's not, it's not so much pressure. It's just, uh, you know, we just, I think it's just hunger. I think that's what it is. Okay. I like that hunger. No pressure makes diamonds, but hungry. Oh, I like that lions. That's what that comes out. I mean, you guys say that you have that tough team, but that identity piece, that defensive piece, uh,

What do you personally think it is to get over that hump, to get and bring a banner to Connecticut? I think it's consistency. I think, you know, there's some games like everything's clicking, everything feels good. And then, you know, some games we, you know, hit some lulls and we, you know, find ourselves struggling to get out of it. I think it's just, you know, finding that consistency, you know, for 40 minutes across multiple games and putting those back to back.

um you know 40 minute efforts together i think that's um the part that's a little bit lacking right now well i remember your coach coach stephanie white she said even when you guys were 13 and one you guys weren't playing your best yet and i think we all felt that too really really okay so you feel like even in this midway point the best is yet to come for your team no we definitely haven't reached our ceiling yet and i think that's a that's a great point to be at you know especially you know we have time to you know work on some things and um

I don't know, some kinks and practice and get out there together. So I think it's a perfect time to, you know, head into the peak. You know, I think going into playoffs, that's when you want to be peaking. And I think, you know, we still have more to give. That's pretty nice to be like second in standings and be like, we're not even there yet. I think that's what's scary. That's terrifying for the rest of the league listening to this. They're

They're terrified for that because you guys aren't even there yet. Wow. So I want to transition to your personal journey because these last 12 months or so. Wow. I just want to get into that and kind of open the veil a little bit. You know, this time last year you were rehabbing your Achilles and now you're here at All-Star and you got your third. What? It's an insane. Have you padded?

on the back for that yet? A little bit. I mean, because, yeah, like this time last year, I don't think I've even been walking yet, like fully walking. So like when I put it in perspective like that, it's like it's crazy. And I'm here at the All-Star and that's something I'm definitely proud of. Just, you know, showing up every day in rehab and, you know, doing all the things I need to do to get back on the court mentally, physically. But, you

You know, I was just working to, you know, get back on the court and be out there for my teammates and doing whatever I could. But to get back in playing at all-star level, it's definitely something that I was hoping for and that was the goal. But to see it happen so quickly is...

uh kind of mind-boggling but also because at the beginning of season in training camp I was like I don't know I'm gonna get for the first game I don't know if I'm gonna be ready just like mentally I was just like I don't know yeah like that feeling of that first practice but I'm like um I was talking to Alyssa she helped a lot um but I was like uh you've only been playing for two days at this point like you haven't been playing five on five or just like basketball with more people than just like um in a workout setting um for two days or like a week or two weeks or whatever it was and um

I just, once I put that in perspective and like talk to Alyssa and she's like, it's going to come, there's going to be a moment where it just clicks and you, it's just, can't tell you when it's going to happen, but you'll feel it. And I definitely, like, I definitely felt that and it definitely helped talking to her a lot. So, but yeah, and then started the season came and I was ready. I mean, the recovery after the game, I was feeling it that first game, I was feeling it. I bet you're like, whoa. Whole body was sore. I was like, are you sure you,

But after that, I have to get back in the swing of things. Basketball is a physical sport. But once I got back in the swing of things, it was just like clockwork, just getting back on schedule and my routine that I was used to. It was just great to be back. When was that moment that it clicked for you? When did that happen? It might have been a few games in 2017.

Can I say, I want to say it was when we played Minnesota for the first time at home. I think that's when everything was really trying to start to click. I felt like I was moving more like myself. Like I felt like I was, um, so not a hundred percent, but like I definitely felt sparks of, of myself more than, um, I had in the other games. Well, you talk about the rehab and, you know, I've seen the videos of you learning to walk again all over. That's the physical side, but you hinted at it, the

mental side of it, of getting that confidence back, getting back to an all-star level player. Kind of walk me through that. And you mentioned Alyssa Thomas, but how did you work through that?

I think it was just giving myself a lot of patience. I definitely have started journaling a lot, just writing down all my thoughts and having something to go back to to be like, oh, this is where I was before and this is where I am now. And just seeing that growth on paper for me was very helpful. But just I think mentally finding that confidence again, it was tough because I was in training camp, like I said, or I was in the workouts before training camp started. And I was just like, man, I don't know if I'm going to get back there. And I think those thoughts of like, oh, I'm –

I don't know, or, like, I can't. Like, those thoughts kind of started to take over, and I think I had to, like, flip the mindset of, like, but you can. Like, you've gone this far. Like, you learned how to walk again. You learned how to run again. You learned how to, like, move on the court again. So I was like, if you've done all these things up to this point, like, you can keep going. Like, you're going to keep, you know, gaining things back, you know, as time goes. But I think I was just kind of expecting things to happen a little faster, and I think just putting those expectations on myself kind of, like, slowed down my –

I come back a little bit, just like mentally. Yeah. Of that confidence. So, but once I got past that and, you know, talking to Alyssa, like I said, helped a lot. She's like, yeah, I was there. I understand. Yes. Literally, she was there. She was, she had her Achilles injury, came back. Yes. She's like, I know exactly what you're feeling. It's like, I know it feels weird right now, but it's going to, it's going to be better. And she was like, I was in practice, like, oh my God, I can't make it live. I can't catch the ball. She's like, you're fine. Like, I was like, and coming from her, I was like, okay, then I'm,

I should be, I'll be okay. But I was just like, one of the things I didn't expect was like not being able to like catch the ball. Right. Like how fast that goes away. I mean, I couldn't catch it. It was just like the timing of, I don't know. Just getting used to playing basketball again. Wow. Oh my. And I still, I just want to keep bringing the point back that you are an all-star this year. Like,

So when you heard that you made the all-star team, kind of walk me through that moment. Because did it just feel like, all right, all of those nights when I was doubting myself or having those thoughts, look where we are now. And it paid off. Oh, for sure. No, I think definitely when I heard the news that I had made the all-star team officially, it was just like...

so many, like, thoughts of just, like, like you said, like, just those days where I was struggling or, you know, I wasn't meeting the milestones that, you know, the medical team had, you know, laid out of where I needed to be at certain points and things like that. But it was just, like, all that hard work, all those days that I was, you know, doing rehab for hours. It all paid off and it all, like, it all paid off. And I, you know, made it to this point of being an all-star and, you know, just

Being a part of this moment in women's basketball is also pretty amazing, and I'm just glad to be here. Yeah. What are you looking forward to playing in the All-Star Game, your third? You know, I'm excited to just get out there and play against the people that I'm playing with, the people that I'm usually playing against. Yes. That's always fun. It's always fun. Like, now you're on my team. I don't have to scout for you. Yeah.

But I think I'm just looking forward to competing against the USA team. They have a great team. And just preparing them to go, hopefully win a gold medal. So I think that's what I'm looking forward to. The atmosphere that I've already felt, the energy and the buzz that's surrounding this game, it's just going to be exciting. And playing on that stage is going to be an amazing feeling. Well, I'm sure all of your teammates are like, okay, we don't have to scout for Bree Jones. She's going to get the rebounds for us this time. That's really nice. Yeah.

I think about your role, too, on this Connecticut Sun team and how it's kind of evolved over since you first got here. How would you kind of describe your role on this team this season? I think my role of this year is a leadership role first. I think just being that presence of I've been here, you know, have that experience and being able to, you know,

Speak up when the time comes and, like, help the younger players. Like, I know I talk to Olivia all the time, just, you know, trying to give her pointers and, you know, my perspective and things that I see to be able to help her. So just, you know, doing those little things and then just being that consistent piece on the court. Just, you know, every night I'm going to go out there and I'm going to give everything I have.

you know, for the team where that's, you know, guarding the, you know, the big centers in the league and, you know, trying to, you know, keep them at bay and then, you know, scoring and doing whatever I need to do or, you know, some nights of my night be my night, but like I'm still going to, you know, be able to help out in other ways. So I think it's just, you know, whatever the team needs from me that day, that's what I'm trying to do.

I always think about, you know, you talked about keeping the bigs at bay, but that is not easy. I think let's just look across the league right now. It is very post dominant. And I don't know how you do that every single night.

Preparation. Yeah. Kind of in the scallop. Because being in the right spot is half the battle. So if I know where I need to be, I can beat them to the spot, hopefully. And then, you know, just doing my work early. Yeah. You know, I'm undersized, you know, 405, you know, guarding most of these centers. So doing my work early and just, you know, being in the right position, I think that's the key for me. This is not a easy job. And you're going to make them have to guard me. Tyra Mallow. Yes, Tyra Mallow.

That's a great, great plan. I love that plan. Well, it is not easy and it does not go unnoticed because just from a fan, I'm tired just watching you work. After the games, I'm tired. And they're like, oh no, we have to play tomorrow. Oh,

Yes. Quick turnaround. Welcome to the W. I love it. I love it. Okay. So I want to get into coaching because you were coach Bree Jones at your alma mater, University of Maryland this off season. Why coaching? Like how did that opportunity come about?

So after my injury, Coach B reached out. She was asking me, talking to me about my rehab, and she just kind of threw out, she was like, oh, but if you ever want to come help out in Maryland, the opportunity is open. And I thought it over a little bit. I was like, yeah.

I feel like this would be a great opportunity to like dip my toe into the coaching role and just see what it's all about. I can do, I can do rehab there. She's like, um, you can use our facilities and things like that. And I think that was, you know, also, um, help sway me, but also I was, I get to coach. I mean, I get to work with coach B who I played under. So I already know like her system and just see what it takes to run a D one program the way she does. And, you know, she does an amazing job. Um, but to be able to learn from her, um, at any,

aspect was, uh, it was an amazing experience and her coaching staff is amazing. The players were great. Um, so just getting to work with them. Um, I enjoyed it so much. Yeah. Yeah. Do you see coaching in your future? Is that a, an aspiration of yours? Um, you know, coaching hasn't always been an aspiration of mine. Um, but I mean, I definitely enjoyed it and it's something that I would, um, do again, but I don't know if it's going to be for me overall. I bet that just, uh,

The student athlete experience is probably so different from even just when you were just there. Just there. Oh, so tell me about that. What was it like working with the athletes? I think, you know, one of my favorite questions to ask people who were in coaching is like, you had the role to teach them and you have that WNBA experience, but what did they teach you? Because I'm sure they taught you a lot. Besides the TikTok dances and like the trends and stuff like that. Just...

I think it's taught me a lot of patience. I think just being able to explain things and, you know, everybody picks up things differently and just, I think that's one of the things I learned. But also working with them, I think they're very receptive. You know, they want to learn. They want to know. They want to get better. And I think that's the great part is just being able to, you know,

be able to reach them and like be able to, you know, teach and help and, you know, do whatever I can to, to make them better, um, you know, from just, um, being around them and sharing my experience. So that was, that was great for me and, um, definitely learned a lot from them. Yeah. And I think it's also a big part of this,

moment that we're having in women's basketball right now and being able to just see the funnel of more women being interested and wanting to play in the W. So I feel like you get to see that now from playing in the W, but you also saw it from a college perspective. So what's your take on this growth right now?

Oh, um, I'm loving it. I think this is something, you know, especially, I mean, the W and, you know, women's sports in general, just been, you know, trying to grow the game over, you know, these last few years, um, coming into the league and how it is now. It just, um, there's so much growth and so much change and it's great to see. Um, but, um,

I think, you know, that we still have room to grow. And I think that's the great part is the beauty of it. You know, we're just on the surface. And I think moving forward, it's just going to get even better for, you know, those players that are coming up in that next generation. And that's, I think that's something that, you know, we're all working towards. We want to leave the W better than how we came into it. And I think that's,

something that everybody across the league is, you know, getting behind. I'm so excited. Like, it's such an exciting time to not only be in media, but just to be a fan of this and also to be like, we told you so. Like, I love saying that. You put it on TV now, you see.

We told you so. So I love that so much. And okay, so maybe Coach Bree, maybe in the future, we'll see. We'll see. We'll see. We'll leave it at that. The last thing I wanted to touch on is baking with Breezy. We got to talk about it. Okay.

What is your... What is that passion for baking, cooking? Is it just baking or is it cooking too? I also like cooking. You just throw down in the kitchen. Yeah, well, I'm better at baking. Okay. I mean, I'm good at cooking, but I just prefer baking. I think it's just like the preciseness. So...

So I was very big into math and science. I mean, that's probably why I like baking more. Okay. Just like, you know, mixing solutions and everything. I had to be very precise. Oh, fun. I had to be very precise. I was a pre-med major, so I had to be very precise and all that. So I think that's why I like baking better. Cooking, you can just kind of throw things together and it'll still work out. Yeah. But baking, if you don't do it like...

Correct, correct, correct. Then you might turn into a, you might have a flat cake or a dense cake and you might have all the same ingredients, but you just did it in the wrong order or something. Okay, that's fun. Okay, so one question. If there was like a WNBA bake-off and you had to pick a teammate to win this competition, what teammate are you picking to be your bake-off partner? To be my partner. Okay.

Who else can throw down like you? Or is there no one? You're like, I'd rather fly solo. Believe it or not, I'm going to pick Alyssa. You know, she throws down in the kitchen. Okay, Alyssa Thomas. Fun fact, she throws down. Okay. So I would pick her. I think she would definitely be the most helpful in the kitchen with me. What's your go-to? What would you present for your bake-off? I think...

Probably anything Biscoff. Biscoff's like one of my favorite flavors. So a Biscoff cupcake, a Biscoff cake. I've made little Biscoff cheesecakes. I've made, yeah, so. A Biscoff cheesecake? Yeah. Oh my gosh. Okay, I live in LA. If those, I don't know if you can mail that from Connecticut. I don't know about a cheesecake. Okay. Totally.

I'll just fly to Connecticut. Maybe I'll just get special order, special order. This has been so fun. I just, you know, we're going into the playoff push for Connecticut. What's kind of the one thing that you want people to know about your team heading into this finals of the season? Um,

I just think I want the people to know that we're hungry. You know, we're ready for this moment. And, you know, we've been building for this for the past few years. And I think, you know, we have all the pieces we need to get over that hump this year. And I think, you know, we're hungry and we're ready. I'm so excited to watch you play. I'm happy you are back on the court and healthy and an all-star at that. Congratulations. Thanks for chatting with me. Thanks for having me. It was great talking to you.

♪♪

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Prime helps you get more out of whatever passions you're into. From streaming to shopping, it's on Prime. No matter what you're going through, you are never alone. Join me on my podcast, From the Heart with Rachel Brathen, every Friday. Each episode is like sitting down with your best friend for a cup of coffee. From self-care tips to inspiration for healing, this podcast offers the chance to return to nature, return to community, and return to who you are at your core.

straight from my heart to yours. Listen to and follow From the Heart with Rachel Braithwaite on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to Queens of the Court. And you just heard Breonna Jones, the center for the Connecticut Sun. What'd you think, Cheryl? She was so fun to talk to. Yeah, such a great interview, though. You're so good at doing that. My first thing was, speak up, Bre, I can't hear you.

She's so soft-spoken. She is very soft-spoken, yes. But I just, I loved everything about the interview. You know, we talked about this last year with Connecticut, right? Making the playoffs and just questioning how far could they have gone? Could they have won a championship? Had Bree not gotten hurt? And then just to hear her, you know, talk about where...

where they are today and how confident they are and what that the best is yet to come still from this team. I agree with her. I think Connecticut is one of those teams that again, this year, they are going to make a lot of noise. Will they finally get over that hump and win a championship? I don't know. I don't know. I think so. The squad thinks so.

And that consistency part, because it's true. It takes kind of the, I hated that feeling over these past couple of years in the playoffs of not knowing what team for Connecticut was going to show up. And it,

is, um, I don't know if it's nice to know that that's also something that they realize and that they want to fix that because they know that is a key to success. And when you look at the teams who have won, it was, we knew what team was going to show up and it was the same thing over and over. So, um, hopefully they can, they can get that. And hopefully I can get my, um,

Cheesecake? That's your promise? We'll see. You were very selfish because you didn't order two. I didn't even say you. I'm so sorry. I'll go pick us up two. I'll go pick us up two cheesecakes.

I'll forgive you. On the way back from Connecticut, I'll just drop it from the plane. You can just catch it. Okay. In Houston. I got you. I got you. No, I mean, just a really, yeah, really, really good interview. And so happy to see her back playing. She's healthy. And, you know, I went through when I tore my ACL, I went through the doubts and the questions of, will I be able to come back? And so the physical part of it, I think,

And in listening to Bree, the physical part, you're like, I know I will get there. Right. I just got to get stronger. I got to do rehab. All of the things that you got to do to come back. But the toughest part, and Bree said it too, is the mental aspect of it. Right. The mental part of it.

How how good will I be when I come back? And in her case, having learning to walk again and just being patient. It just because lots of times, especially when you're going through rehab, you want to speed the process up. You're like, OK, OK, I'm ready. I'm ready. But I couldn't imagine having that.

to learn how to walk all over again, right? Because you're coming back from some type of an injury and shout out to AT for just being there, being a teammate, being an ear, being a friend. And we all need those types of friends and people in our lives when we're trying to come back from some type of an injury and I'm just really happy to have Brie back this season.

Absolutely. It's nice to have her back on the court. And it's always nice to want to play harder for your teammates when they are helping you through that time as well. So I can see that connection between her and Alyssa Thomas on the court after hearing that side of the story as well. So, all right.

We got our eye on you, Bree Jones and the Connecticut Sun, especially in this back half of the season. So we'll see how all that shakes out. But now it's time for our listener mailbag segment. This week's mailbag segment is delivered by Amazon Prime. Whatever you're into, it's on Prime. And if you have a question for us, send us an email at queensofthecourtatodyssey.com.

But this one came in for this week and we're going to answer it. This is from Miles Ehrlich. He's a fellow WNBA writer. And he posted this on Twitter. He said, with the first half of the season wrapped with some time to finally take a breath and reflect, what are some of y'all's favorite personal accomplishments covering the W so far this year? Personal. Yeah.

Do you want to go first? Yeah, I'll go first. I'll kick us off. I think of, well, accomplishments or just like some of my favorite things of covering it so far. I feel like this is the second season of the podcast and I feel more comfortable and I feel like both of us are like

Knowing what we want our audience to get from this, but also not from the basketball sense, but also the personal sense. I hope that you guys know us better as people outside of basketball from listening. That was definitely a goal of mine. And I feel like we have done a great job of that. And then also the interviews that we've gotten so far of experts to players, coaches,

It's just more voices added. And I wanted Queens of the Court to be this platform that new fans, OGs, everyone that wants to learn more about basketball directly from the players' mouths or from reporting from the team beat reporters. So I've been really proud of how we've been just structuring the podcast this year.

It's been great. I like that. I would totally agree with all of that. And I would probably just add one other thing to that part as far as the podcast. And that's just being more comfortable in who I am as not a former basketball player, but a podcast co-host with you. Because if you remember when we first started, I was kind of like, eh.

I don't know if this is for me, right? Not working with you, but I don't know if this is for me, but I have to tell you,

This year, I feel like I've been a lot more comfortable and just really enjoying all of the interaction. When we're at All Star and on social media, how much people are really loving what we're bringing to them. And so I really enjoy that part. And the other thing I want to say is, and it's not even an accomplishment, but it's about the W, right?

there's a lot of negative stuff out there and people are going to be people, but overall, for the most part, I've just been very happy to see the growth this season, right? Like all the eyes and, and people talking about it when, when first take is leading off with the WNBA you feel like we've made it because that has never happened, you know, for whatever reason, good or bad, but yeah,

Um, I've just been really happy and excited to see that. And two players in particular for me that I've, I've enjoyed watching play, but I'm, I'm,

just really happy to see them back in the league. And that is Kennedy Carter because she just her talent level is, is off the chart and she deserves to be playing. And the other is Skylar Diggins Smith. Let me put Smith on that. You know, just knowing Skylar story and everything she's been through and to see her back in the league and playing with a team where she's enjoying playing again and enjoying life. That for me has really felt like a,

filled my heart and just enjoying the season. I really like that. And when you talk about the growth to just kind of piggybacking off my initial point is like it feels like

It feels like an honor that our podcast and our voices are a part of that a little bit. Like the growth of people coming into the league, they are hungry for more and having a podcast about the WNBA is rare and we are a part of that growth. So that does feel like an accomplishment because we're continuing to

The conversation around WNBA games specifically and the basketball part of it can sometimes in years past just end when the game ends. So now that there is a place where we can continue to have those conversations and recap the games and what that means for teams and the league and standings, people are hungry for that when you are a hoop head. So we're a part of that and it feels really great. Yeah, it does. Yeah.

Thanks, Miles. That's a good question. I don't feel like we always reflect inward to what we are accomplishing. So thank you for that. Thanks, Miles. Thanks, Miles. That was our listener mailbag delivered by Prime from streaming to shopping. It's on Prime. Visit amazon.com slash prime to get more out of whatever you're into.

Coming up next, we're going to give out some flowers.

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This episode is brought to you by Honda. When you test drive the all-new Prologue EV, there's a lot that can impress you about it. There's the class-leading passenger space, the clean, thoughtful design, and the intuitive technology. But out of everything, what you'll really love most is that it's a Honda. Visit Honda.com slash EV to see offers.

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That's BlueNile.com. Back to Queens of the Court. I know you missed us, but we're back. And now it's time to hand out a few bouquets. Our favorite. That means it's time for Giving Flowers presented by AT&T. I'll kick it off this week.

First of all, my mom loved her. Oh, I know she did. I know she did. Last week, she was so honored and that I mentioned the scholarship. She was so happy. So this flower segment means something. Okay.

But this one just goes, it's pretty broad. It's going out to all the women in Team USA. I know we were listing off names previously, but the Olympics was about women's sports. The women did their thing. And there's a stat that women won 65% of the gold medals for Team USA. Of course we did. Hello.

Of course we did. Of course we did. Because that's what we do. So to all the queens representing Team USA,

I have enjoyed just getting into beach volleyball and gymnastics and all of the sports. Shout out to our soccer team. Hello, gold medal back on top, back where we need to be. So yes, we already mentioned the women's basketball being the last gold medal in the...

James, our producer James says, on behalf of the men in America, thank y'all. Yeah. What would you do with that? You're very welcome. Yes, you're very welcome, James. And to all the men, y'all are very welcome. You are welcome. So women. That's why, that's what we're doing. No, it's good. It's good. Like we could sit here and talk about the Olympics forever. So I don't want to

go say more about that because you hit it all but I will say this our women's four by four my goodness it wasn't even a competition wasn't even a competition so they were phenomenal but in addition to all the women I have one that I want to single out and that is the OG Diana Taurasi listen

Her sixth gold medal is bananas. It's crazy. It's never happened. And regardless of what you think, right, that she should retire, that she should still, that she shouldn't be playing, she shouldn't have been on the team, regardless of how you think or how you feel,

For me, the fact that she is still playing and she is still getting things done and accomplished on the floor. The fact that she was still in a position to be on the Olympic team says a lot about who she is as a competitor. And I just want to take this moment to give you all of your flowers, your bouquet. I love you, D. Dirty DT. Thank you. Just thank you for being you. Thank you for...

raising the bar, setting the bar and leading the way. We appreciate you. Oh, that is a perfect bouquet. Yes. That is a big giant bouquet to Diana Taurasi. And I, I did have a moment, you know, in those early games when she, when she was starting and she would hit a three and,

And I just was reflective of how many times I've had, I have seen her make a three pointer, but it still gets me excited. It is still fun to watch because you see that competitiveness shine through. So what an, what a joy, what an honor to cheer on Diana Taurasi and the red, white, and blue. It has been,

been for my whole life i've only seen diana tarassi pretty much in a olympic uniform so i love that yeah so deserving so deserving so deserving okay now she's gonna go still tear some things up for the mercury and oh yeah get him to the playoffs whoa all right what happened this

This has been Giving Flowers presented by AT&T. We love giving out those. Make sure to keep following, rating us, reviewing the show. It's available on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Again, if you have any questions, comments, stories, we love it all. Send it to our listener email address at queensofthecourtatodyssey.com.

And y'all know where to find us on social media. You can find me at airsuits22. And she, her, Jordan, can't give you a long one today, is at heyjordanr.

That was a little Hey Jordan R. Also, have you been seeing those breakdancing videos? I feel like with the Hey Jordan R, I could get in the mix. After watching Breaking in the Olympics, you probably could have been right. Olympics.

girl but I okay sorry I know we're wrapping it up but I gotta say this Jamel Hill had one of the funniest tweets and I don't know if you saw it it was either Twitter or Instagram I think it was Twitter if you go back and you watch you'll know what I'm talking about it was the one that was laying on the ground and was doing yeah the Australian spring dancer who had a PhD Jamel Hill said this is me trying to fold fitted sheets

Like I so felt her in that moment. Cause like, how do you, anyway? Yeah. Yeah. Perfect. Break dancing in the Olympics was a question mark. A lot of, a lot of memes, a lot of memes were from that. But you can find those if we retweet them on our social media. So it's all connected. Okay. Yes, you can.

of the Court is an Odyssey original created in partnership with the WNBA. This show is produced by James Jackson. The executive producers are Asha Saluja, Maddie Sprung-Kaiser, and Leah Reese-Dennis. Social media assistance from Isabella Apple. Music from T-Storm Battle. And a very special thank you to Lena Moss Glazer and the one and only Alex Ozzie. And court is adjourned.

you