You Ask, She Answers: Leilani Mitchell
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After watching you play your senior season at Utah (I'm a huge Wyoming fan), what is the biggest difference between the coaching style of Elaine Elliott and that of Pat Coyle? I'm a Liberty fan all the way from Wyoming :) -- Kelsey
Oh, a mountain west fan,
huh? Always good to hear :) Elaine and Patty actually teach similar concepts,
but I would have to say that the biggest difference would be their coaching
styles. I think both of their passions for the game are the same. Each of their passions, rubs off
onto their players. It motivates us to play hard. I think both styles have their
own benefits! It’s something I really admire in both women and I hope I can do that if
I decide to coach one day.
Hey, Leilani! It's your
shirt designer! It was great meeting you in the last regular season game (I
wanted to get a picture with you, though). But I what I want to know is what
inspired you to start playing basketball, and when did you decide that going pro
was what you wanted to do? And do you consider yourself a Knicks
fan?
--
Dalem
Hey Dalem! Great job on the shirts,
everybody loved them! I brought mine over to France with me, and the Frenchies
have taken a liking to it also! I would have to say that it was definitely my
family that inspired me to play basketball. Having parents that play sports, as
well as five brothers, I really had no choice but to play (LOL). As far as
deciding to play professionally, I always knew that I loved basketball and I
wanted to play for as long as I could. So when the opportunity came, I jumped on
it! Who wouldn’t want to get paid for doing something you love? And yes, I am
the newest Knicks fan!
Madison Square Garden is LOUD! How do you handle all of that noise? -- Brittany
Yes we have some GREAT fans, don’t we? :) And at times it's hard to hear
the plays being called, so we just try to speak as much as possible during dead
balls and free throws. Hand signals go a long way, too!
Hey
Leilani! Hey is France as bad as my French teacher makes it seem, and do you
wish you could have played more than one year for the University of Utah and
why. Oh I think its cool the players on your team speak English. Happy Holidays
have fun in France. -- Paige
France is great!
I love it here. My teammates are all very nice and I'm in a good location, just
a 50 minute train ride to Paris! The country is very beautiful and I haven’t had
any problems with people being mean or rude, but like you, I also heard bad
things about France before I came over. So glad that hasn’t been the case. As
far as Utah goes, of course I wish I was there longer. I loved the city, my
teammates, coaches and the school. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to
finish out my career. I miss it so much!
Lei, obviously Janel McCarville is the best post player in the wnba, but if you could have any post player from any team who would you most like to play with and why? Oh, and what's your pre game routine? -- Nicole Lorenzetti
Janel is a good one, isn’t she?! But if I HAD to pick a post player from
another team, I think I’d have to go with the vet Taj
[McWilliams-Franklin]. She may not be the youngest or quickest out there, but
she’s still got moves and gets the job done. She’s got such a presence on
the court. Pre-game ritual? A nap, for sure!!!
Welcome to the NY Liberty! It was a pleasure watching you play this
season. And I had a blast getting to talk to you at the Randall's Island event.
Watching you in the batting cage was impressive. What other sports do you play
besides basketball? Would you like to play them professionally if you could? Be
careful, and have a great time in France. See you next season! Happy
Holidays! -- Patricia
Thanks! I really
enjoyed myself at that event as well! I love all sports. In the past, I’ve
played softball, volleyball, soccer, and a lot of football for fun. I would have
to say that football is one of my favorites. I love Saturdays in the fall,
laying on the couch and watching college football all day. So if I could, I’d
like to play for those Utah Utes that just went undefeated ;)
Ditto on the great first season and instant fan favorite. What is the
name of your team and in what city in France is it. -- Eileen
Thanks for the support! I really enjoyed
myself last summer and we hope to make you all proud again next season. The
official name of my team in France is Arras Pays D’artois basket feminin, or
Arras for short. And that’s also the name of the city I’m in. See you next
summer!
Hi Leilani. I play high school basketball but im only
5'3, do you have any tips for me to better my game to make it to college. Oh
yeah how do you like it in France, just wanted to know because im visiting paris
in april. Hope you have a good holidays. -- Megan
Ahh, 5’3' … only gotchya by an inch and a half ;) (LOL). Um, I would have to
say that working hard goes a long way. Stay committed to getting better. Which
means your gonna have to put in a lot of extra time, outside of team practices.
This is when you can really improve your personal skills. Get a lot of extra
shots up, and because of your size, I'm guessing you’re a point guard? So a lot
of ball handling drills will also be beneficial. I’m living in Arras, which is
very close to Paris. Just went there for the first time this past weekend
and LOVED it! Hope you like it as much as I did. It’s a great view from the
Eiffel Tower! You gotta see it at night, beautiful!
Hello
Leilani, How are you doing? What is it like to play basketball in another
country? What is the travel like for basketball overseas? What type of salary
players receive? Does your team have a website? -- P
Well this is my first year playing overseas, so I don’t have as much
experience as others do. But as far as France goes, I am enjoying it. My team is
not in Euro-league or Euro-cup, so we only have one game per week … which means
a lot of practicing, lucky me ;) France is a small country so we usually take
the train to our away games. We've had quite a few five-hour train
rides. As far as the basketball goes, France is a pretty competitive
league so each game is a challenge, whereas that may not be the case in a lot of
other countries. So that’s a positive. As far as a website goes, I know there is
a French league website but not sure about an Aras website. But the French
website is www.basketfrance.com.
Hi
Lisa, hope all is well. Watching you play at the Garden at every home game is so
exciting. You are a like a little spark plug; full of energy. Take care, be well
and see you soon. :) -- Ree
Hahaha
thanks for the nickname, LOL, it's cute :) Playing in the WNBA is
a dream come true and playing at The Garden in front of all the great fans makes
it so much more memorable. Thanks for the support and we hope to see you again
this summer!
I think it is great the Liberty players take the time to stay in touch
with the fans back in New York. Do you think you will keep in touch with the
fans from France when you are back in NY? How much time off do you get between
the two leagues? -- Lisa
Well we
couldn’t do it without the support from our fans so it’s the least we can do to
show our appreciation! As far as keeping in touch with the French fans, I sure
would like to! I’ve met some wonderful people and my teammates are great. I will
be sure to keep in touch with them but the fans and I have got a bit of a
language barrier (LOL), our communication is pretty limited to smiles and head
nodding (LOL). My French needs some work!
Leilani: What a pleasure to watch you in your first season in the WNBA-I don't think I've ever seen anyone become a fan favorite as quickly as you did. Just one question: Do you mind that we (the fans) call you "Mini-me"? Enjoy your season in France. Stay healthy and bonne chance! -- Kate
Et coucou!!! Tu parle français? C’est bien! Je parle un peu français, but I'm
taking French lessons. So I’m getting a little better! And since you speak
French, I guess I'll be ok with mini-me ;)
Lei, first, let me say that you really were outstanding during what I
believe is the second quarter of one of the games with Detroit. You had a
mission and you just ran through defense like a small Danny Ainge. You were
unstoppable. You had a very good year. Where are you in France? Are you in an
international league -- -- shame on me for not knowing this. I felt that we
should have at least had some little party for the Liberty players, maybe in a
restaurant or something. --
Ellen
We were so
close that game! But we’ve learned from it and we’re using it as motivation for
next season. A party or get together definitely would have been fun at the
end of the season; we’ll just have to make it twice as big/fun next year when we
win that championship ;) Until then, I’m in Arras France. My team isn’t in an
international league, the only downside to it. Thanks again for your support and
we’ll see you this summer!!!
Thank you to everyone who submitted questions, I had a blast reading and catching up with everyone back in the U.S. I'll see you all this summer at The Garden!
