Alana Beard Mitchell Layton/NBAE/Getty Images

We’re two weeks into the season and you can see that in this league, every day is a new day. We had a tough loss at home to start the season, but bounced right back with a win the next day. The tough part was the two-game losing streak we went through. Everybody hates to lose, and it was hard on all of us. But the best thing about this team is that we never gave up. We may have had a brief struggle, but we learned a lot from it. We brought it back to practice, had three or four great sessions and it showed on the floor against the Shock. The only thing I hope for is that we don’t regress.

The win in Detroit was huge for us. That’s a great team they have there and we didn’t back down. It showed us a lot because it wasn’t just a two point win. We had them down by 14 points. To have a team like the Detroit Shock down by 14 points speaks a lot about how well we played as a team both offensively and defensively. They fought back because that is what Champions do, but we held them off. It really shows what we’re capable of. It was a great confidence boost.

Things change fast in the WNBA. If you have the heart and the dedication, you can enjoy enormous success. In this league everyone is good. Everyone is capable. It’s just a matter of putting it together and developing that chemistry. That’s what Detroit did last year. We’re trying to do the same. But we don’t want to follow in the footsteps of the Shock; we want to build our own Mystics tradition.

Personally, the game in Detroit felt good. It was my first strong shooting performance, finally. It’s been tough. I started out slow, and then I had two bad games in a row. It was really tough for me but I kept coming back. That’s what you have to do. Now we’ll take it from there.

The best part about it was that it wasn’t about me. It was my teammates. I have great teammates. They’re very loving and caring and I know they would do anything for me. They continue to remind me ‘you’re a rookie AB. Keep learning and keep your head up.’ They kept encouraging me to do what I know I can do. I had the support of all of my teammates. Every single one came up to me and gave me a hug or a kiss on the head and told me to keep it up. They know what I can do.

I’ve had the chance to play some point guard lately, and I think that is going well. I like playing the point because I have the ball in my hands a lot more and it gives me a sense of control. I get a better sense of the floor and a good feel for my teammates. At the point I can get my teammates involved. I like passing. Playing the point enables me to do that. It requires me to do that.

Off the court, I’ve been a little lazy. I watched an entire series of ‘Soul Food’ on TV. I’m a bit of a couch potato. I go home from practice and relax. As hard as I go in practice, I think I deserve it.

As far as the rest of life in the league is concerned, I’m getting used to it. Our schedule called for us to play three of the last four games on the road, and I think there’s another road trip coming up. But it’s not hard yet. I’m having fun with it because it’s given us a chance to bond as a team. When we go on trips we’re always together, always laughing. I love the road because it gives me a chance to get to know my teammates. Ask me about down the road and it could be a different story. The travel may get tough, but the team bond will stay the same.