Beard ranks 3rd in the WNBA in steals per game. Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images

It’s been over a week since we last played, and I’ve heard the question of whether the break came at a good time or bad time for us. We won our last two games before the break, and of course we want to keep that going, but I don’t think the break will have any affect on that. As a team we are hitting our stride, and I’m confident that we can come back no matter how long we’re off and still be at the same point. We’ve been doing well as a team, and I don’t think we’ll lose that. We want it so bad.

One thing about the long lay-off is that we’re going to be itching to play games again. It’s going to be hard to go against my teammates every day, so hopefully they’ll bring in some guys and we’ll beat up on the guys a little bit. We practiced against guys in college, and I loved it. They’re so much stronger and so much quicker. When you get in the real game it makes it that much easier.

But going against each other is only going to make us better. It’ll make us use our counter plays, and react to what the defense is doing. That will help us more than anything because we’ll be trying to beat a defense that knows what’s coming. It’s going to be hard to go through three weeks without a game, but when it’s game time, we’ll be ready.

When we come back, we have to be at our best right from the beginning. I think we got that sense of urgency before the break. We’re right there. We can win a couple of games and be in first place just like that. It’s going to be imperative for us to come back with that focus and be ready to go.

I’m ready to play right now. I’m not getting tired by any means. It’s all a mental thing. A lot of people say that rookies are going to hit a wall, but I look at it like if you think you are going to hit the wall, then you are going to hit the wall. You just have to prepare yourself. Even if we didn’t have this break, I wouldn’t have hit a wall. I just don’t think that way.

I’m using the break to work out a lot. I’m in the gym, in the weight room, doing a lot of skill work. I hope my opponents are taking the time off, because I’m in here working out.

I’m feeling good about everything right now. I started working with Idan Ravine. He’s a shooting coach and skills coach that works with a lot of the NBA players. He has showed me a lot of different things to get my rhythm going and to make my shot smoother, and my moves smoother. I’m feeling confident with it because it’s something I’m working on every single day. At the beginning, I was trying to feel my way through. I was at a different level and I had new teammates to learn, a new system to learn and new opponents to learn. It took some time to figure it all out.

Honestly, I think I’m shooting well now because I don’t care if I miss. I care if it goes in, but I don’t care if I miss. And I feel like every shot I take is going to go in. If I miss, I stopped worrying was that a good shot or a bad shot. Now, I just play my game. I stopped over-thinking. I stopped trying to make the game perfect, and I just started playing. I’m care free now.

Until we start playing again, I’ll find something to keep me busy. I did a little bit of traveling during the break. I went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which I liked a lot, and then I went back to Durham. I took a road trip with two of my old teammates to go to see another one of my old teammates get married. It was sweet.

I’m definitely going to watch a lot of the Olympics. I love watching Track and Field, and obviously I’ll watch basketball. It’s the USA over there. It’s our country. Especially since I’ve been a part of it, whether it’s a junior team or senior team or whatever, I’ve been a part of playing for the USA, so I’m definitely going to watch.

It’s a dream of mine to play in the Olympics. This year didn’t work out; I guess it wasn’t meant to be, but I’ll definitely be there in four years. There are valid reasons not to go, but I don’t think I could ever turn down the chance.

What else is going on? I just saw my bobblehead that is coming out. It’s cute. It looks just like me. I’m going to make sure I get a whole bunch.

The second overall pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft, Beard is averaging 11.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block per game.