Like a cohesive basketball team, strong friendship takes patience, development and maximum effort.

Monarchs rookie forward Crystal Kelly not only invests time on the basketball court, but also on friendships back home in Louisville, Kentucky. Normally being 2,228 miles from your closest friends would strain a relationship. But not for Kelly, who always takes time to visit her closest friends.

“I was able to go home over the (Olympic) break,” Kelly said. “And every time I’m home, I make sure to see them.”

The 21-year-old’s pals vary from childhood friends to more recent confidants from college. Kelly describes her buddies in Kentucky as “people you make sure you see when you go home.”

With individual lives to handle, Kelly’s friends don’t see each other as frequently as they’d like. But every time the Monarchs rookie goes home, she manages to get the gang together.

“I call them when I’m home because a lot of them really do their own thing now,” Kelly said. “That’s the time when we all get together and we all catch up.”

Being a professional basketball player hasn't changed what Kelly and her friends enjoy doing. Eating, shopping or just hanging out at each others’ houses details much of what Kelly and her Kentucky crew do. Quality time with her hometown friends is also a timeout from anything hoops related.

“When I’m home, I don’t talk about basketball at all,” Kelly said with a sigh of relief. “When I’m with my friends, it’s strictly just catching up on their lives.”

Having a great set of friends in Kentucky keeps Kelly grounded and humble. They remind her that she’s still one of the girls despite her early WNBA success. But being in a new state, a new town and on a new team has presented Kelly with new friendships, too.

Fellow first-year forward, Laura Harper, is just one of those new friends Kelly has grown close to in Sacramento. The two share more than just the rookie label in common.

“There’s always a smile on both of our faces,” Harper said grinning. “We’re not shy. We can laugh about anything and everything all the time.”

Their friendship began when Kelly signed with the Monarchs in mid-May. And since then, the young duo has shared plenty of laughs and entertaining experiences.

“Our personalities, from the jump, clicked,” Harper said. “We both love to have a blast.”

When Kelly’s not cracking jokes with Harper, the two rookies do other things to build their friendship. Whether it’s chatting on the drive to practice or texting each other on off days, Kelly has established a pretty strong bond with Harper.

“We both love to shop, even though her taste is more expensive than mine," Kelly said with a laugh. “We can just sit around, do nothing and just talk about what’s going on outside of basketball.”

Evident in their chemistry and outstanding play together, the bond Kelly shares with Harper has also led to excellent results on the ARCO Arena hardwood.

“I think our personalities, our friendship -- all of it kind of comes together on the court and works out for the best,” Harper said.

Playing similar positions and competing for minutes hasn’t negatively affected their friendship. If anything, it's made their connection stronger. Having a friend who not only relates to your struggles but also lends a helping hand is a luxury most rookies don’t enjoy.

Crystal Kelly and Laura Harper

“She’s really able to bounce back quickly from little things,” Harper said. “And that resilience, I’ve tried to take a little bit of that from her.”

Harper’s admiration of Kelly has grown so much that as the season draws to a close, she playfully wonders how she will manage overseas without her running mate.

“Who’s going to tell me how to get around Turkey?” Harper said jokingly. “I know overseas I’ll definitely be staying in contact, and I’m going to miss her a lot.”

Like a good basketball team, lasting friendships are the product of people working together. That is why Crystal Kelly understands the importance making the extra effort to stay in contact with those she cares about, whether near or far.

“It’s easy to meet new people and to lose contact,” Kelly said reflectively. “So make the extra effort because it is really hard to keep in touch when you’re far away.”