I Am Very Pumped
01:00:21 Share

An Everything Shower is a shower where you pull out all the stops to pamper yourself from head to toe. And an Everything Shower isn't complete without Osea's new Andaria Algae Body Wash. Osea will turn your shower routine into a tropical paradise with its iconic, all-natural, and uplifting citrusy scent. Andaria Algae Body Wash infuses your shower with the healing power of the sea.

formulated with nourishing nutrient-rich and Darya seaweed, glycerin and an oil blend. It's pH balanced hydrating formula doesn't strip skin,

leaving it feeling soft and renewed. Osea has been a major upgrade to my everything shower, from its gel-like texture to its luxuriously rich lather. And of course, its super fresh scent. The Andaria Algae Body Wash has totally upped my skincare game. Its natural, plant-based ingredients creates a gentler cleansing experience than traditional body washes. It's the same...

iconic and uplifting citrusy scent as the best-selling Undaria Algae Body Oil with uplifting notes of grapefruit, lime, and cypress blended with sweet notes of mango mandarin. If you want to experience the scent of summer all year around, you'll want to make it a staple in your everything shower too. With Osea, you never have to choose between your values and your best skin.

Their skincare is clean, vegan, cruelty-free, and climate-neutral certified. Osea is mother-daughter and women-founded and has been making clean, clinically tested, seaweed-infused skincare for over 28 years.

This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Whether you're selling a little or a lot...

Shopify helps you do your thing, however you cha-ching. From the launch your online shop stage, all the way to the we just hit a million orders stage. No matter what stage you're in, Shopify's there to help you grow. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash special offer, all lowercase. That's shopify.com slash special offer.

But Washington's just kind of lurking in the distance and defense wins game. Cheryl swoops, as you know. No, defense wins championships. Thank you. Gavel drive.

all right what's going on everybody welcome to another episode of queens of the court an odyssey original podcast produced in partnership with the wmba i'm your girl cheryl swoops and i'm jordan robinson and is in is in session oh we got the timing down there that was good

so excited because I'm excited every time but we got a lot to get through because I feel like you're you think a week whoa what can happen in a week so much happens in the week especially because we are recording this on Sunday May 7th and we are 12 days if my math is right 12 days away from the season opener and

And a lot is happening. This is what all the news is coming out. And first topic that we're going to hit today is the rule changes. Because there was some news.

There was some news. I want to hear your thoughts, Cheryl. The first one is the coaches challenge rule, which was, you know, recently adapted by the NBA. Now the WNBA, this will allow a team one challenge per game, including overtime, regardless of whether the challenge is successful. Do you like coaches challenges? How do you feel? I love coaches challenges. Me too. Yeah.

I think there are some things that need to be adjusted with it. First of all, one coach's challenge per game, including overtime. Am I correct? Yes. That I don't like. Me neither. I think they should have one per half and an additional one in overtime. And if you are successful with that challenge, you get to keep your challenge. Yes! Yes!

Makes sense. If you are successful, you should be rewarded with the, be able to use it. Cause if you use your challenge in the first half, cause you could get strategic with it. If you use your challenge in the first half and then you were successful, then you get to have it in those final, you know, five minutes of a close game and you are rewarded because of that. I am a hundred percent with you. I, I,

That drives me crazy. Like even, even in the NBA, I'm just like, okay, the coach is using his challenge. And even with the coaches, because so far all we have to go by is the NBA, right? But I do feel like they're even trying to be strategic in when they use it. But to your point, if they knew a hundred percent, like I am going to win this challenge, right?

I think they would challenge sooner or maybe more often. So maybe that's why they don't do it. I don't know. But knowing if I, I'm a hundred percent sure I'm going to win this. So I'm going to challenge because I'm not going to lose my challenge. I don't know. I feel I am passionate about that one. Like I am with you and the only negative to having a coach's challenge because you know, I love it, but we're going to get a lot of finger waves. Yes.

We're going to get a lot of finger waves. This I don't like. Review! You got the finger waves. That's a negative for me. Here's the funny thing. So this finger wave, right? I'm interpreting this. This finger wave or twirl means I'm not really sure about this one. The slow twirl. This

Oh yeah. It's like time at challenge. Cause I'm right.

like this versus this. The faster the finger twirls, the more sure the player is that you should. And it's always the coach looking at the assistant coach like, oh, the twirl is, it's really fast. Should we use our talent? So that's not the part of the game that I'm excited for with this coach's challenge. But nonetheless, I

I think there are, there have been some questionable calls at some very prime time. No doubt. Because as we're realizing refs make mistakes, they are humans too. So having the coaches challenge is a great little backup. So I'm all for this. I love it. I'm for it. Here's the part that I don't like. Okay. Like the refs, they need to have a time limit. Like go check it out. Look at it. Let's not be over there for 10 minutes.

Because the thing it does, especially if you're the team that has momentum on your side and that challenge comes, slows the game down, like it could shift the momentum. Definitely. I don't know. It definitely does. I agree with that. And another rule that is implemented is

the bench conduct policy, which was not received well on the Twitter world. This rule was implemented to quote, reduce disruptions and distractions during live play to break that down.

basically all the antics happening on the bench if you are out of the game maybe there's somebody shooting a three right in front of your bench on in the corner and you yell at them or you you know do the three point sign and disrupt them they're saying no no to all of that and uh Natasha Cloud already tweeted please someone start my GoFundMe because I already know I'm gonna have

going to have some fines because that's what she does. That's like a part of it. And for Didi Richards, she said the same thing in the sense of I want to be able to make an impact on the game, whether I'm on the court or not. And that's kind of what those antics on the bench do, because when you're in the game and you see your team hyping you up on the sidelines, that can help you keep that momentum or keep you fired up. So your thoughts, Cheryl.

T-Cloud, I got you with the GoFundMe. We'll donate. Can we like move on to the next one? Oh, that's how I feel about this. Oh yeah. Like that's part of sports. That's part of competition. That's part of players saying we're trying to win the game. Like, here's my thing. If me standing up

Or, okay, maybe you can't stand up, but if me just sitting on the bench, yelling at a player, going to the free throw line, right? Miss him or whatever, whatever. If that's going to cause her to miss a free throw, she probably had a very good free throw shooter anyway. But to think that you're trying to control the emotions that players have, and especially in the heat of the moment, like to me, I,

Besides what's going on on the floor, I love checking the bench to see what's going on on the bench. Are you into the game? Are you being a good teammate? Are you cheering? Are there...

Girl, so much. There's so many other things that need rules. And the bench is not one of them. But I'm also curious, how strict are they going to be? Because this was another rule implemented into the NBA season.

And I don't feel like they've been super, super strict, but just like putting it out there saying they're going to monitor it more. I think just puts a little fear in people's eyes when they're celebrating on the bench. Here's what happens. Here's what happens. The season will start. And in the beginning, they're really going to be on top of it. Yeah. Right. Oh, let's, let's, let's tone it down. Let's make sure the benches are doing too much. And here's the bad thing. My opinion.

Cause it's Queens of the court. So this is my opinion, right? Certain players will be able to get away with more than other players. And to me, if you're going to put that rule in, that rule has to apply to everybody. So if this is the new rule and if you're going to monitor it and make sure everybody's following, you got to be consistent. I don't care if it's a 10 year vet or a rookie, right?

Do you know what I mean? You got to be consistent with it and you have to be fair about it. You got to be fair. I would be very curious to see how long this one lasts. Yeah. Okay. We'll keep our eye on it because it's not a favorite by you or anyone or any of the players because I agree. It's a part of the competition. Stupid.

Favorite rule change? Stupid. Coming up next. I had to say that. Stupid. Okay. Not that one. But the next one I'm about to say. The transition take foul. They are getting rid.

of that one the offensive team if this happens the offensive team will be awarded one free throw which may be attempted by any player on the floor at the time the foul is committed the offensive team will retain possession of the ball and the defensive player who commits the foul will be assessed a common personal foul I

I don't hate a lot of things, Cheryl, but I hate a take foul. It makes no sense to me, especially when starters or superstars take them and then they're like, oh, wait, I'm in foul trouble. Why did you just get back on defense? Out of laziness? Why are you taking a take foul? So this is my favorite thing ever, that you will get penalized if you take a transition take foul. But...

Cheryl, what me and you were talking about before, what is the difference between a take foul and a clear path foul? Nobody knows. We're putting that out there, right? Here's my thing. And just watching the NBA last night and before, I'm sitting here trying to figure out the difference. Like, what's the difference? Help me understand the difference between a take foul and a clear path.

Yeah, I guess that like by the book, you know, clear path means no one is back.

So you're taking it because no one is back. Or like in front of you, right? In front, yes, in front of the basket. But for a take foul, sometimes there's two players back, but you just don't want to get back, and you just foul. Like that's what I see it as. It's like, oh, that's my player. Let me just grab him. Like it's pickup. That's what you do in pickup when you're tired. But you know the bad thing about that is like how do you –

How do you decide if it's a take foul or not? Because sometimes, and just as a player, like sometimes if you, you know, you're going to the hole to shoot a layup, you go up, you lay it up and you're like, oh damn, I missed it. And you're trying to get back, but because you're upset or frustrated, you missed the layup.

The defensive team gets the ball and you just like, you know, yeah, don't foul, but you just kind of slap at the ball. Yeah. Yeah. Like sometimes they're like, oh, that's a take foul. Well, to me, I'm like, no, that's just, it's just a foul. I don't know. I don't know. It's too much. It's very new. I think this is the first, they're trying to, you know, not stop the flow of the game by analyzing. Well, this is going to stop the flow.

Yeah, the finger wave. The finger wave and the coach's challenge, but...

I'm over here sweating because I get so worked up over this take foul, but I'm so happy with this new rule change. And our producer is saying we got to wrap it up. She's giving us the coral. She's giving us the fast coral. But those are the new rule changes. I think it's going to be really interesting how, you know, the players get used to it. Coaches get used to it. I think there's going to be a transition. Wink, wink.

for the players and the coaches in the new season, but I'm for all happy with them besides the bench conduct, but we got to move on. We got to move on next. Elena Deladon and the mystics had their media day and she had some words that made mystics fans and really WNBA fans really happy about her status. Let's take a listen.

It was my first off season in a really long time where I wasn't rehabbing and I was actually able to train. I'm by far the strongest I've ever been, even weight wise, what I'm lifting in the weight room. I didn't even think that would happen. So it's been a great off season. She went on to say that she doesn't plan to miss any games and that

I'm for one excited to see Edie at a hundred percent as a basketball fan. I know mystics fans are even more over the moon, but just to see her healthy, I know it's just media day. I know it's just preseason, but it makes me happy. Yeah. I I'm a big Edie fan. I've been a big Edie fan, honestly, since she transferred and went to Delaware and,

And then once she entered the league, like I really watched her game and love her game as a player, as an athlete, there is no better feeling than to know you are healthy. Right. Just obviously there's stuff happens. Right. And it's stuff that you, you can't control injuries happen, things like that. But in her case,

Elena has been in and out, in and out, in and out pretty much her entire WNBA career. Mm-hmm.

So to hear her do that interview and you can see just how, like how happy she is. And she even looks healthy in, in the video. I'm excited for her. I'm happy for her. And like the mystics are a good squad with, without her. It's kind of scary to think about how good they can be with a healthy EDD. No. Yes. Oh,

Oh, yeah. That's all I keep thinking about as a team at a large. But let's break it down. So...

for, for maybe a new WNBA fan or someone who's kind of been in and out for these past couple of years, like this is a really big deal because we have to go back to 2019 where they were in the finals. They won the championship, the first one in their franchise history, but she still wasn't a hundred percent thin. She was playing through a herniated disc in her back.

but still won finals MVP or no Emma Mieseman won finals MVP, but that was her MVP season and they won the championship. But then 2020 comes, she sits out the whole season. She gets surgery. She sits out. Then in 2021, she still felt some nerve pain. She didn't start the season. She only played three games that season.

2022, she took a lot of steps. You know, the whole team took a lot of steps for her to make it through the season, but it was a lot of rest and she only paid 25 total games. So for her to come in this season and say, I feel healthy. I'm going to start the season, you know, with my team. That's huge. Yeah.

really, really big deal. And I think they've built pieces around her that when you plug in a healthy EDD, like you said, Cheryl, this team makes sense. Yeah. Listen, not just healthy. She's rested.

Right. Yeah. She didn't play overseas. She didn't like, she hasn't been playing basketball. So yeah, she focused on first of all, just getting her body right, getting healthy. And, and you heard her say just lifting more weights and more than even she thought she could like,

Like, that's such a great feeling to go into the season knowing that. And like you said, as a fan, I'm excited to watch her play this season. But when you talk about the Mystics, we're talking about Edie D.,

They got some pieces on that team. I am so excited about this season because I know there's just a couple of teams we've talked about, but don't sleep on the Washington Mystics. Don't sleep. And we've already talked about Natasha cloud, but this is what she had to say at media day about her team. We are the best defensive team in this league. And that's coming from last year, but we actually just got better on defense by adding and implementing players that we did this year. So we,

We are the best defensive team. We were the worst offensive, like, our offense wasn't great last year, y'all. That's just being honest. So now you implement all those pieces. You add Christie back in, you add Slim back in, you add Ariel Atkins, who can all run the one, right? When we get stops on defense, now that makes us a better transition offensive team, which is who we want to be. In 2019, we won a championship by being a transition offense team.

We barely ran any place, barely, because we were good enough to get stops, to push the ball in pace. And when we have space and pace, we're a really scary team. So all these pieces that we're adding in, the mindset that we want to run in pace, those are all right. How do we get better as a team? How do we take that next step to be a championship team? So we're going to play one end of the floor and then we're going to push the ball and we're going to score on the other end of the floor. That's going to win this game.

She said it. Take notice. We are the best defensive team in the league. And we've talked a lot. You know, everyone has talked about the Aces being a super team, talked about the Liberty. We're going to talk about them a little later in the show. But Washington's just kind of lurking in the distance and defense wins game. Cheryl swoops, as you know.

No, defense wins championships. Thank you. Gavel drive. Listen, she said a lot and I see, I hear no lies in what she said. Same. When I look, okay, so we've talked about

the aces and and we've talked about just in general the liberty like everybody's like oh my goodness oh my goodness these two teams are going to go for another championship right or they'll be playing for championship but when I see those teams I'm like dang they can score right like they have players that can score yep when I when I look at the mystics they have players that can score and especially if EDD is healthy they got players that will lock you up

I love, listen, I'm just going to name these four. Yeah. Ariel Atkins, love her game, love her mindset, love everything about the kid and is a defender.

Natasha Clow, who we just heard. That's what Tosh loves, getting in your grill, loves talking trash. Go fund me. I got you. That's who she is. And then they added, I think they call her Slim, Brittany Sykes, who's long, lean, athletic. She can score, but defensively, she gets out in the passing lanes, will pressure you. Love her. Shakira Austin.

Yes. I'm so happy you said her name. Who I thought had a great season last year, right? Learning the system, like where do I fit? What do I do? Had an incredible year playing overseas. You throw Shakira Austin in there on the defensive end. I mean, at every position, one, two, three, four, and five. Position. They're going to guard you.

And it's not just us saying this because, you know, we like defense and it's fun, but the receipts and the facts are Natasha cloud and Ariel Atkins made all defensive first team last season. And then you have Brittany Sykes who made second team. Now they are all on one team and they

have Shakira Austin who like you said trying to figure it out she was a rookie I think she was really close in the race of rookie of the year because of the impact she had on the Mystics she's gonna come in her sophomore year way more comfortable and especially as a big on the defensive end

She puts fear into other players' eyes when they're driving the ball. She is a shot blocker. And just having that, when you're a guard pressuring the ball, having that person behind you, you know that you're going to be able, you can pressure up a little bit more. You know, worse come to worse.

Shakira Austin got my back back there. And that's the best feeling when you're a guard on the perimeter. It's like, okay, I'm going to get up. I'm going to pressure you. I'm going to get in your grill. Not going to give you any space because I know if I get beat, Shakira Austin, somebody is in that paint. Myisha Hines-Allen. Somebody is in that paint that's going to have my back. Yeah. I'm excited. Can't wait. Me too. They're trying to figure out their roster still. You know, they waived Avena Westbrook. There was no...

deadline to waive her this weekend, but now potentially she can get picked up by another team. I think that last year she was on Minnesota. She kind of finished the year out on the Mystics.

I still think she has a fit in this league but this team especially we just talked about it in the guard position yeah point guard position at that is so stacked so just her you know she's still young I think she's gonna be able to find her way but this roster is stacked to the brim yeah um you

You know, you hate to see any player get cut, right? But Avina Westbrook's one of those players. I got a chance to watch her play NAU this season, and I thought she played really well. Some games were better than others. I think where she was lacking is just in the confidence, like questioning...

Am I good enough? Right. Do I belong? And I had several conversations with her where I said to her, like, go play because you do belong and you're good enough. But to your point, the Mystics clearly weren't that team for her. So let me let me just preach for one second, maybe two. Here's the part that frustrates me when I think about training camp. Coaches will invite you to training camp.

And for a lot of players, they're just like, yep, I'll go. Even though you know that your chances of making that roster are slim to none. But you go just to say, well, I got invited, so I'll win. But now if you're there three, four, five days, it doesn't matter. Now you've wasted three days at somebody else's training camp

That you knew you probably weren't going to make that team versus going somewhere that you may have had a better shot at making that team. And so the other side of that is even with a coach, if you know there's a player that does not stand a chance of making your roster, don't invite, don't bring them to your training camp. Yeah. Like,

care about that person enough to say, I do think you're good enough to play in the league and make a team. It's just not my team because of my roster.

So to your point, I think Avena Westbrook is one of those players that absolutely belongs in the league. I can't tell you off the top of my head what team that is, but I do think there are some teams in the league that could use an Avena Westbrook. And so I hope she's able to land a spot in the W this season.

It's always tough. And we're, we're at that time as training camp is dwindling down where we're going to get some bad tweets in the next couple of days as players who definitely should be on a roster are unfortunately not, but you know, moving on to some of the preseason games that we've had been able to see, um,

Those are great opportunities to see what these players have. And you're able to kind of say, okay, the lights are on. What can you do for me? What can you add to this? Because it's not for the superstars. It's not for the players that are, you know, already signed and, or they were brought in free agency, maybe to get gel and get everybody connected, but it really is for those rookies and those new players to kind of land a spot. So yeah,

There's been two preseason games so far, and right now there's one underway. Chicago and Indiana. Or, no, it just finished. Chicago beat the Fever 81-56. Ouch. So that happened. Oh, gosh.

81-56. A little preseason stinger. But you know what? Chicago probably also was like, okay, we just got beat by Dallas. So we need to bounce back. They bounced back. They bounced back because like you mentioned, Dallas beat Chicago 75-70.

And, um, some standout players for Dallas was Tierra McCallum, 17 points, eight rebounds. I think she's picking up right where she left off last season. Um,

Crystal Dangerfield, she didn't start, but she had 20 minutes and nine points at a really pivotal time. And then Natasha Howard, she was really trying to figure out how she fits in with this new team. 11 points, eight rebounds in 20 minutes. But what you want to talk about was Veronica Burton. She got the start for Dallas and you were all smiles knowing that.

I watched Veronica play last year with Dallas and what I loved about her was it didn't matter when she went in the game, how many minutes she played. You always knew what you were going to get from her. And so I'm hoping that's what coach Trammell sees that like, and she's good. Veronica Burton belongs in the WNBA. And so I got a chance again to watch her play with AU and I,

I just love how hard the kid plays on offense, defense though. Like she accepts any and every challenge that you put in front of her. So when I saw that she got the start and who knows who the starting PG will be, I don't really think it matters, but I will say, I think she absolutely deserves a look. And I think she's a player that could, could really make a difference for this Dallas team. I think so too. I think this,

think this was a good win as they have have pieces kind of all over the place that they're trying to fit in and slot in and see who's going to get minutes.

I did want to mention though, because I didn't know this Lou Lopez, who was their first round draft pick. She had a DMP, but she is still sidelined with an injury. She actually came into training camp, still recovering from a knee injury. There aren't many public, you know, notes or news around it, but she didn't play because she's still injured. So she,

Really tough spot to be in, as we were just talking about being a rookie, you, you are not having this opportunity to kind of show what you can do. So hopefully everything and the shooter that she is the great player, why they drafted her is enough to keep her on this team.

But Chicago, oh, go ahead. Sorry, well, I just want to add this because that's what's hard. Like as a coach and a GM, you know there's a reason why you drafted her, right? You know her game, you know what she's capable of doing and the fact that she's injured if, knock on wood, hope it doesn't happen. But you know, if it comes down to it when it's time to make the final cut in your final roster, if she's still injured,

What do you do? What do you do? You just hope that she gets better. I know. It's tough. Especially when they're, when they're spots. Ah,

Hey, that is above my pay grade. And I am happy. That's why we're doing this and we're not doing that. And we do not have to make those decisions. But Chicago, what I was going to go on to say, I just kind of wanted to look at their starting five. And it was the same starting five against the fever. You have Izzy Harrison, Elizabeth Williams, Courtney Williams, Kalia Copper, and Dana Evans.

When you see that or hear that starting five, what are you thinking? Because, I mean, well, it didn't work against Dallas, but it definitely worked against the Fever. So two thoughts. My first thought is, damn, it's a very different team than they've had before. No Quigley, no Sute, no Candice. I don't know. I know. Very different. But my second thought, maybe it's three. My second thought is...

Dana Evans has been waiting for her opportunity. This is your opportunity. I think Dana Evans is another one of those players that she's played here and there, hasn't gotten a lot of minutes, but is a really talented point guard. I loved watching her at Louisville. And I think she will surprise a lot of people in the league if she's given the opportunity. And sometimes you have to just sit back and wait.

And, and you don't have to do anything but wait and be patient and stuff plays out the way it's supposed to. So this is her opportunity. I'm excited for Izzy. I think Chicago's a great fit for her. I think when you mentioned the starting five, and I'm like,

don't sleep on Chicago. I know they're different. They don't have, you know, Sloot and Quigley and Candace, but Izzy and Ka, Courtney, Courtney's a competitor. Elizabeth Williams, like, listen, athleticism. I know. I'm excited. I'm excited.

every team is so good. And I, I'm looking at the fever starting five. They caught in it. She didn't play. She must've rested, but they moved Rebecca Gardner into that starting spot. Who is forgot about her. Incredible. She dropped 13 points on the, on the fever, had a great, wonderful season last year. Great time. Um,

you know, overseas. She is a player who has a very incredible story of just kind of waiting her turn. And now...

it is her time to shine. And I think as they're trying to figure out all of these pieces with Chicago, she is an anchor that they need. And even if it's a starter or coming off the bench, she brings it on the defensive end. She brings it with the energy. She scores timely buckets. She's a slasher. She's just not never stopping moving. She's everywhere. Yeah. Rebecca Gardner is so she is a good fit for them too. I want,

to mention one thing before we move on. And we were talking about preseason games and players getting cut. And I know on social media, it's everywhere because people are like, oh, my goodness, all these good players are getting cut. We need more teams. No doubt. I'll be the first to say, hence, that's why I'm wearing my comments cap. Bring them back. Bring them back. Yeah, I will be the first to say we absolutely need more teams.

And so when you talked about preseason and you were saying it's not, you know, for your superstars, because typically it's not. It's for your rookies. It's for players you brought into training camp because you're trying to see them play. I will say the game that will be played in Toronto between Minnesota and Chicago.

That needs to be a game game. They have sold 22,000 tickets. 22,000. Crazy, right? Yes. It can't just be about the rookies. Like you need to put the product on display. You have to show the Canadians, the people in Toronto, here is why y'all need a WNBA team. Mm-hmm.

And it seems like they're wanting it. If you have 22,000 tickets sold. Hey, it's on May 13th. If you don't, if you live in Toronto and you're listening, go. Because this is, this just shows. They can't get any tickets. It's sold out. I don't know that. I'm just saying that. 22,000 is a lot. I mean, it is a lot. And it's the first year.

ever preseason game in Canada. Only the third WNBA preseason game played outside the United States. And I think it's a point of like, yeah, we're global, baby. Like we're around the world and we know that Toronto is a huge basketball city. So this was perfectly strategically planned that I love. And I couldn't agree more. Put the stars on the floor, give them what they want. And

both of these teams have a lot of stars. Can we talk about the Lynx really quick? Who had that comeback win over the Mystics? And hello, Diamond Miller. Welcome to the big league.

19 points and a little fadeaway jumper. If you have not seen that on Twitter, what are you doing? It was nice too. It was nice too. I don't care who it is. Cheryl Reeve is going to make sure her team is ready. I don't care who she has in her roster. And by the way, the game is not sold out. So if you are in Toronto, heck, if you're anywhere in Canada, just get to Toronto. You will not be disappointed.

Any, any way that you got to get there. I don't know if it's snowing in Canada, but get on a, just get there. I just say ski. Drive, ski, fly, whatever. Just get there. Just get there. Yeah. The, the links will be ready. Diamond Miller is much watched. Must watch TV. Yes.

Um, Dorca you host. Hello. Double, double 11 points, 10 rebounds in that first game. Nafisa Collier is like, yes, thank you. Some help. I love it here. I didn't see it. How, how did Brie Beal do?

So she played the second half and this is also just from what Twitter is saying. Okay. She brought the defense, she brought the defense and they had to come back and win. And once they put her in, there was a tide shifted on the defensive end and she ended up finishing out the game. Um,

She didn't score, but her presence on the defensive end. She's a defender. She's a defender. And it's like, what a beautiful thing to be known for. I always think about that clip of when LeBron was in the finals and Kawhi Leonard was in San Antonio and LeBron saw that Kawhi was getting checked back in and he shook his head. He was like, dang it. Somebody hard to guard me. You know what I mean? Like, that's what Bree.

what brie has yes no if you are the mystics and you're like okay we're coming back oh dang you checked in brie bill oh man i'm not gonna be able to shoot you know what i mean like that is where's she wears that with pride with pride i know that they were who do you need me to shut down i got you i know they were saying that about you they're like dang you put swoops on me

I wanted him to say it about me. I was like, oh, you just scored eight in a row. Okay, you're about to go over. I love it. I love it. Okay, well, make sure you get to that Canada game. That was the first half of the show. I feel like that was a marathon, but we got through that. We'll be right back. We still have so much to talk about. We will finally go deep dive into the New York Liberty. We'll be right back.

And now a word from our sponsors at Betterment. Do you want your money to be motivated? Do you want your money to rise and grind? Do you think your money should get up and work? Don't worry. Betterment is here to help. Betterment is the automated investing and savings app that makes your money hustle. Their automated technology is built to help maximize returns, meaning when you invest with Betterment, your money can automatically

auto-adjust as you get closer to your goal, rebalance if your portfolio gets too far out of line, and your dividends are automatically reinvested. That can increase the potential for compound returns. In other words, your money is working like a dog, while you can be sleeping like one and snoring like one too. You'll never picture your money the same way again. Betterment, the automated investing and savings app that makes your money hustle.

Visit Betterment.com to get started. Investing involves risk. Performance is not guaranteed. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Whether you're selling a little or a lot...

Shopify helps you do your thing, however you cha-ching. From the launch your online shop stage, all the way to the we just hit a million orders stage. No matter what stage you're in, Shopify's there to help you grow. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash special offer, all lowercase. That's shopify.com slash special offer.

All right. So this is episode four of Queens of the Court. And we've realized that we haven't talked about the New York Liberty yet. Four episodes in and we haven't talked about this quote unquote super team that had me sweating in the free agency arena.

It was rumors. It was drama. It was coded tweets. It kind of had everything for this like soap opera finish of all of these superstars on one team. Just gut reaction when, you know, Stewie said she was going. Jonquil Jones said she was going. And Courtney Vandersloot was really that thing that sent it over the edge for me.

What was your gut reaction when all of those players were like, yeah, we are the Avengers. We're teaming up. I think when, honestly, when Jonquell first said she was going, I was like, okay, that's different for her. Right. And I was like, immediately she makes them better just by herself.

And then, you know, Stewie had her whole crazy emojis and all of that. And I was like, okay, I give up. I'll wait until she actually says this is where I'm going. I'm not trying to figure it out anymore. Probably like everybody else out there. Yes. But then Stewie, I almost said committed like they're in college. Stewie made her announcement and I then said, okay, Sloot's next.

Really? Because Sloot hadn't announced where she was going, right? Oh, wow. When Stewie announced, I said, okay, Sloot's next. And then when it became official, I was like, oh, this is about to be real good. Real good. Well, in the incredible story Howard Magdal had in Sports Illustrated, it was titled, A Super Team Perfect on Paper, But Will It Work?

He talked about how this was a group text. Like this was a group text between Stewie, JJ, and Courtney Vandersloot and how they have been building this secretly in the works for quite some time because they wanted to play together. Now, we know that some super teams do work. Some super teams...

specifically that play at Barclays have not worked. Wow. Have not worked. Ouch. You know, and this, but if it does work, the upside is, you know, they win a championship and,

This would be the first pro basketball title in New York since the Knicks in 1973. Like New York, I think would just shut down. They would be so happy to win something. Yeah. That's all it says. Yeah, they will be. Yeah, they would be happy. Listen, we just talked about the three of the newbies, right? John Quayle, Stewie, and Sloop.

Haven't even talked about returning players because they have some talent. It's got to be, people have to buy in. That's all I'll say, right? Because people looked at the Comets and we didn't have the term super teams back then. But also it was very different the way the Comets came to be. We know that because we talked about that in episode two. But everybody, I don't care who it is from the

the first player off the bench to the last, everybody's got to buy in for this to work. Not saying they won't, but if it's going to work, everybody has to buy in. And some players may have to accept a lesser role than they're used to. Right. So it's going to be real interesting to me to see how it all comes together. Because I'll say Benajalaini over the years has

has gotten really, really, really good. I love watching her play. I love how hard she plays. I love how hard she competes. So what does that mean? Is she going to be the same Benaja Laney that she's been the last three years? Or does adding these three players...

More so too, because Sloot is just going to do what Sloot does and get the ball. She's going to make everybody else better with her passes. I think that's what made it so scary of an addition for her because everybody's great creating themselves, but you bring in a point guard like Sloot, she elevates everybody else's game just by the looks that she's going to be able to give everyone. And I'll tell you, the player that I think

If it's, you know, if it all comes together well, that I think this will benefit the most will be Sabrina. And the reason why I say that is because, I mean, she's just going to have to be at the right place at the right time because Sloot's going to find her, you know? I got Sloot at the one, Sabrina at the two, Benaja at the three, John Quayle and Stewie at the four or five. That is a scary lineup.

off a laugh like that it's ridiculous but you know who else though that I really watched her play last year and I was like damn that kid's good and I think she's coming back and I don't want to uh Johanna is she coming back yes I believe yeah I mean she could start

I just sat and I watched a couple of games she played in. I was like, oh my goodness. She's amazing. Amazing. And such a like

momentum shifter or like she did that one pass behind the back over the shoulder, however you want to describe it. And that deflated the rest of the game. What was that against Chicago? I believe like she has that ability to be like, Oh, I'm so good that I'm going to deflate your inner, the other team's energy for the entire season. And I look, I,

When you just said that starting five, I've seen it on artwork. I've seen it photoshopped. But just hearing it again, I'm like, this is terrifying. It's crazy. But the thing that we have to talk about is that they're not 100% healthy right now. Jonquil Jones is dealing with a stress reaction in her foot. VanderSloot is in concussion protocol. Because yes, on paper, if that starting five plays every single game...

But if they're not healthy, if things are, you know, not flowing correctly, I think, and this is what I wanted to ask you, the whole concept around, you know, it's not enough basketballs.

Like if you are John Cole Jones, you were the MVP a couple of seasons ago, getting whatever you wanted in Connecticut, whatever shot you wanted. You are Brianna Stewart. You were a champion and an MVP, you know, three years ago. Like this is going to take some adjustment period of time.

When do I need to know it's time to get a bucket myself? And when do I pass it on to my other MVP caliber teammate to get a bucket? And as a player and somebody who has played on a team with a lot of talent, does that come easily? Does that, is that what this preseason and training camp is for? Like, how do you figure that out? You know, it's crazy. Yeah.

And I've heard what Coach Chancellor used to say this a lot. And I've heard a few coaches say it. And it's really true. He would always say the ball is going to find who it's supposed to find. Right. And I remember back then I was like, no, because I ain't touched it the last five trips. So when is the ball going to find me? Right.

Right. Like, no, it's not fine to me. But you know, it's crazy. It's so true though, because I remember like playing me, Coop, Tina, Janeth, like, like we had some ballers on our team, but you know what the most important thing was at the end of the day, like it was about winning, which meant if Coop was feeling it and there was nobody that could stop her,

Well, then you should attack every time you get the basketball. And the good thing about that was she attacked. She could score. She could get to the hole. But Coop also was a great distributor of the rock. So it just it just worked. You know, Tina got hers. I got mine. Coaches.

running a good set for those players, putting them in positions where they can be successful. And for us, we had one main play, play seat. Everybody all over the world knew what we were going to run, but nobody could stop it. So to me, it's not about the play you call. It's about the personnel that you have to run it.

Right. Because other other teams could try to run C. But if you don't have a Coop, a Swoops, a Thompson, a Jeanette Arcane and then a point guard that understands where she's supposed to be, it's not going to work. So I do think with this squad, because it's new to your point, it's new. It will take some time for them just to get to know each other. Like where does John Quayle like the ball? Where does Stewie like the ball? And especially for Sloot as a point guard.

Because we know what she can do. She's shown us for I don't know however many years she's been in the league. But it's a different team now. It's a different system. So it's going to be real interesting to see what happens. But if they can get it to work, scary. It's going to be masterful. Two things, a reaction of what you said. One, head coach Sandy Brandello said,

She has had experience with Phoenix and superstars and make, you know, getting it to work. The Brittany Griner, Diana Taurasi, Skylar Diggins, like all of that, trying to mesh it and get it work. She has practiced with that. I think if it was a brand new coach, this was their first head coach position. I would be a little more nervous, but I think Brondello brings a little more experience to that.

And then my other thought was how Sabrina Inescu benefits the most is because they will be winning if this works out. 2020, they were 2-20. That was their record, 2-20. Then 2021, they were 12-20.

Then got a little better, 20-22, 16-20. So if you're telling me they just have a winning record, Sabrina's like, yes. Yes, thank you. And she doesn't have to work so hard. Or Benajalaini doesn't have to work so hard because you have all this help around you. But I think once those wins, if all of this works on paper, everybody's healthy, they figure that out. Once those wins start racking up,

especially the returners are like, all right, this is good. This is working for me. About time. About time. Yeah. About time. It's going to be, I'm just ready for the season to start. I know.

Right? Like, preseason's great. Okay. I'm like, preseason's great. Okay. But I'm ready for the real thing. Let's go. We do this every time. I just get so excited. But yeah, circle those Liberty games on your calendar because I think it's going to be fun to just see how the season starts and then how they end. You know, if they are in the playoffs, if they are in the finals, I think it's going to be a very different team from start of the season to the end of the season as they get more comfortable. But...

Woo! We're smiling. We're excited. The countdown is on. We're going to take a quick break, collect ourselves and our excitement, and then we'll be back with Tweet of the Week.

Well,

we wrap this up it's time for the tweet of the week and it is the cutie that is Leah Boston on her graduation day it is so adorable and we have some sound to go with it too it was great uh it was good to be back in South Carolina see my coaches and walk across that stage when my name was called and how excited are you for your first preseason game I am very pumped

I am very pumped. Listen, sometimes you don't have to say a lot. I'm very pumped. But she had a big smile on her face like, I'm ready. Adorable. Can we just have an appreciation moment for a second? I know we've talked a lot about Aaliyah Boston and, you know, the basketball player and everything she meant to South Carolina, what she did on the court, and rightfully so, because she is a hell of a player. But I loved how...

Dawn tweeted all having all of her coaches there and Dawn tweeted like just thank you like thank you for everything you've meant to this program not just on the basketball court and for her in the middle or the beginning or middle of training camp to say that.

I gotta, I gotta go. I need to go graduate. Let me go walk across the stage. I'm not gonna miss the game, but let me go walk across the stage. Just, just appreciate who she is as a person. And she represents what every little black girl out there dreams of someday being. And that's a college graduate, but a phenomenal person and an amazing basketball player.

I love that was perfectly said, perfectly said because walking across the stage was an emphasis for her. She wanted to do it after practice on Friday. She took a flight to South Carolina on Friday night and then she

graduated, walked across the stage, then took a flight to Chicago on Saturday night to be there, you know, being able to play her preseason game still trying to balance like, yes, this college graduation is very important, but also being a number one draft pick and debuting in my first preseason game is also important. She did both. She did both. And, and I, I think that,

The WNBA being in the summer is always tough for those seniors graduating and trying to do both. But Aaliyah Boston is a class act. I'm so glad you gave her every sense of the word. I'm so glad you gave her her flowers. But that was a tweet of the week.

little feel good moment. Her, her Royal blue braids with her cap and gown. We love, I always got a comment on the hair. Well, and so I'm curious to see, are we going yellow? What's the favorite yellow and red? Yeah. Like a maroon, like a mix. Let's take our bets. Now take our bets. Now what color braids will Leah Boston have for opening week? Ooh, yeah.

I, I think she'll do yellow. I think she'll do straight yellow. I do too. I don't even think she'll mix it. It's all yellow, big yellow standout, beautiful long braids. Yep. Yes. Okay. I can't wait to come back and see if we were right. Um, nobody take bets on this, but I'm feeling pretty confident. All right. Put no money on it. No, but no money on it, but I'm feeling pretty confident. Um,

Thank you guys so much for listening. This is always so much fun, Cheryl. This is my favorite part of the week. It's really the best. You know what? It's just a great, fun space to be in to talk about what we both love, basketball. And doing it with somebody that I love. I love you, Jordan. Cheryl, don't start. We talked last time how I'm a crybaby.

Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. Okay. Don't cry. I love you too. I do. I love working with you. I love working with you too. And if you listener are loving Queens of the court, you see that transition I did there? I did. I did. If you're loving Queens of the court, please follow rate and review the show available on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcast.

And if there's something you want to hear us discuss, let us know on social media. You can find me at airswoops22 and Jordan is at underscore Jordan Liggins. Queens of the Court is an Odyssey original created in partnership with the WNBA. The show is produced by Alex Ozzie. The executive producer is Lena Moss Glazer. Social media assistance from Isabella Appel.

Imaging from T-Storm Battle. Court is adjourned. Boom! So good every time. That was good. Boom. Boom, boom, boom.