Checking In With Tan White
During the victory over the New York Liberty last week, first-year Sun guard Tan White scored her 1,500th career point. White, who joined the Sun after she was cut by the Indiana Fever at the start of this season, has also set a new single-season career high with 47 made three-pointers.
Recently, the fifth-year WNBA guard took a few minutes to talk about her first season with Connecticut.
What are your thoughts about passing 1,500 career points?
“To have that kind of milestone at this point in my career, fifth year, it feels good. It’s a good thing. Everything I just went through (at the beginning of the season), getting cut by Indiana and coming here…I guess that is something to be proud of.”
Indiana and Connecticut have had a good rivalry over the years. What was it like to find yourself suddenly playing for the Sun?
“That was an exciting thing. It was a good transition. I was excited to come and play for Mike Thibault. As I look back, even when Katie Douglas was playing for this team, we’d come into Connecticut or they’d come to us, and each team was mean-mugging the other (White smiles), never thinking that someday down the road, you would be playing with the same group of people you were playing against. It was a different feel when I first got here, but I think I adjusted well. And like I said, the team welcomed me when I first got here, and I fit right in.”
You’ve made 20 three-pointers in the last nine games, and really seem to have found your range from all over the floor.
“It was just a matter of getting into my rhythm. On the West Coast trip, I just shot particularly well. I don’t know. I guess it was really focusing on picking up the slack. We were down. With Asjha (Jones) out, some points needed to come from somewhere so I was glad that I was able to knock down some of those shots.”
Mike is fond of yelling, ‘shoot the ball,’ at players who pass up open jumpers. It must be nice to know you never have to worry about taking too many shots.
“I think with that, if the coach believes you can make the shot, it’s always a confidence booster. If you believe in your shot, and you believe you can make it, and you’re open, why not shoot it? Have confidence you’re going to make it. Don’t just throw it up there. With him yelling that, I think it gives a lot of players confidence.”
With two games left in the regular season, you already had 47 made threes, which is a new single-season career high. It seems like you’ve really settled into a nice zone.
“That’s one of the things I’ve been focusing on, getting my three-point percentage up. I really worked on my shooting. I’m still not quite where I want to be. I wanted my percentage to be above 40. But I’m making progress. I think in the last two games, I’ve shot particularly well behind the three-point line.”
Does it surprise you that we are already in September?
“The season went by so fast. At the same time, that last West Coast trip threw me for a loop. But I think it always goes by really fast, especially when it’s getting close to playoff. The last couple of weeks, I feel like we’ve had a game every other day, so that’s kind of been keeping us busy. I’m losing track of the dates, but it’s really gone by fast.”
You mentioned our West Coast trip. Have you ever experienced anything like that, four games in six days with a trip from Seattle to Phoenix, and a back-to-back with Phoenix and Los Angeles?
“It was the worst by far, because we didn’t win a game. As a player, you want to win. The traveling was crazy, but that’s the way it goes. I’m sure we’re not the only team that’s doing it. It wasn’t fun, but we just have to hopefully take care of business to (overcome) that. It wasn’t fun at all.”
You played a lot of games at Mohegan Sun Arena as a visitor. Now you are on the home team. What’s your impression of the fans?
“I think this is a good atmosphere. These are true fans here. Every night, they come out and cheer for us. I can honestly say the fans and their support, cheering for us, that’s what we feed off of. Our adrenaline gets going when we’re down and we make a couple of baskets and our fans are cheering for us. That makes us stronger. I enjoy this fan-base here. The atmosphere here is crazy. I noticed that when I used to come here and play, how loud the fans were in the arena. But since I’ve been here, I’ve noticed they’re really true fans. Whether we’re down or whether we’re up, they’re still here rooting us on. It’s an exciting atmosphere. I look forward to seeing them come out Sunday afternoon.”
Recently, the fifth-year WNBA guard took a few minutes to talk about her first season with Connecticut.
What are your thoughts about passing 1,500 career points?
“To have that kind of milestone at this point in my career, fifth year, it feels good. It’s a good thing. Everything I just went through (at the beginning of the season), getting cut by Indiana and coming here…I guess that is something to be proud of.”
Indiana and Connecticut have had a good rivalry over the years. What was it like to find yourself suddenly playing for the Sun?
“That was an exciting thing. It was a good transition. I was excited to come and play for Mike Thibault. As I look back, even when Katie Douglas was playing for this team, we’d come into Connecticut or they’d come to us, and each team was mean-mugging the other (White smiles), never thinking that someday down the road, you would be playing with the same group of people you were playing against. It was a different feel when I first got here, but I think I adjusted well. And like I said, the team welcomed me when I first got here, and I fit right in.”
You’ve made 20 three-pointers in the last nine games, and really seem to have found your range from all over the floor.
“It was just a matter of getting into my rhythm. On the West Coast trip, I just shot particularly well. I don’t know. I guess it was really focusing on picking up the slack. We were down. With Asjha (Jones) out, some points needed to come from somewhere so I was glad that I was able to knock down some of those shots.”
Mike is fond of yelling, ‘shoot the ball,’ at players who pass up open jumpers. It must be nice to know you never have to worry about taking too many shots.
“I think with that, if the coach believes you can make the shot, it’s always a confidence booster. If you believe in your shot, and you believe you can make it, and you’re open, why not shoot it? Have confidence you’re going to make it. Don’t just throw it up there. With him yelling that, I think it gives a lot of players confidence.”
With two games left in the regular season, you already had 47 made threes, which is a new single-season career high. It seems like you’ve really settled into a nice zone.
“That’s one of the things I’ve been focusing on, getting my three-point percentage up. I really worked on my shooting. I’m still not quite where I want to be. I wanted my percentage to be above 40. But I’m making progress. I think in the last two games, I’ve shot particularly well behind the three-point line.”
Does it surprise you that we are already in September?
“The season went by so fast. At the same time, that last West Coast trip threw me for a loop. But I think it always goes by really fast, especially when it’s getting close to playoff. The last couple of weeks, I feel like we’ve had a game every other day, so that’s kind of been keeping us busy. I’m losing track of the dates, but it’s really gone by fast.”
You mentioned our West Coast trip. Have you ever experienced anything like that, four games in six days with a trip from Seattle to Phoenix, and a back-to-back with Phoenix and Los Angeles?
“It was the worst by far, because we didn’t win a game. As a player, you want to win. The traveling was crazy, but that’s the way it goes. I’m sure we’re not the only team that’s doing it. It wasn’t fun, but we just have to hopefully take care of business to (overcome) that. It wasn’t fun at all.”
You played a lot of games at Mohegan Sun Arena as a visitor. Now you are on the home team. What’s your impression of the fans?
“I think this is a good atmosphere. These are true fans here. Every night, they come out and cheer for us. I can honestly say the fans and their support, cheering for us, that’s what we feed off of. Our adrenaline gets going when we’re down and we make a couple of baskets and our fans are cheering for us. That makes us stronger. I enjoy this fan-base here. The atmosphere here is crazy. I noticed that when I used to come here and play, how loud the fans were in the arena. But since I’ve been here, I’ve noticed they’re really true fans. Whether we’re down or whether we’re up, they’re still here rooting us on. It’s an exciting atmosphere. I look forward to seeing them come out Sunday afternoon.”
