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LS: Wherever we go everyone knows Rebecca Lobo. Does it feel weird when we went back to Houston?
RL: It feels a little weird to be back. I spent all summer in Houston a year ago. I had a good time here. But to be honest, what is the strangest for me is to go back to New York because I spent so many years there. When you walk into the arena in Houston it was a walk that I had taken so many times it was just a different locker room that I was going into.
LS: How do you feel towards Houston Coach Van Chancellor as far as him lending to the opportunity to come home?
RL: I am very grateful to Van. He helped make this trade happen. He knew I was getting married and how special it would be for me to come back to Connecticut and to be around my family. He is a very family oriented man and coach. Last year at practice in Houston, we would have all these little kids running around the sidelines whether it was Van’s grandchildren or Sheryl Swoope’s son. It was a family atmosphere so I am very grateful that he helped make that happen so I could come home. I definitely thanked him the day he told me. I loved my time in Houston but I thanked him immediately for sending me back home.
LS: You know how it is with this group, if you walk into the wrong locker room they are going to let you have it.
RL: Oh yeah. I’ll make sure I am in the right locker room
LS: I was trying to think back to all the coaches that you have had. There was Coach Vincent (Southwick H.S.). I am sure that there were others before him. Then of course, there was Geno Auriemma. How many coaches do you think you have played for over your career?
RL: At the younger level, you have a lot when you go to camps and that kind of thing, but to be honest at the pro level I have only had four. When you think about it, it isn’t all that many considering I have been in the league for seven years. I have been fortunate because I have had what I consider the best coach in the college game in Coach Auriemma. I have had some really good coaches along the way and we have a really good coach in Coach Thibault. This team is fortunate to have someone who is leading this ship in the right direction.
LS: You have a new strength and conditioning coach with the Connecticut Sun team in Lisa Ciaravella. She has worked for Cris Carter at his F.A.S.T. program in Florida training players like Randy Moss and Quadry Ismial. How has she helped you with your conditioning?
RL: Lisa has been terrific. It actually started last year when I was in Houston. We had a terrific strength coach in Wendy Dutch. She helped me out a lot. Then this year when I came (to Connecticut) Lisa has been tremendous with me because the thing that I have had to work on is my running form and being a little bit faster and being better with my lateral movement. She has helped me with that. She designs programs specifically for each individual’s needs. So, we are very fortunate to have Lisa associated with us.
LS: Since there are only eleven players on the roster, do you think about how you personally have to rest your body on off days to prepare for the seasonal grind?
RL: Since I had my knee surgery from the first ACL, I have focused on everything off the court. Not to just be ready for practice or the next game, but to be ready for life and how to be healthy. I understand the importance of being in the weight room because I sure don’t want to experience the injury like the one I had. We are fortunate to have a support staff with our trainer Tamara (Poole) and with Lisa who help to keep us on the court. Like you said, with eleven players you can not afford to have anyone go down because it will hurt the team tremendously.
LS: We are heard this year on the radio network WMAS in your neck of the wood of Massachusetts. Those people certainly know a lot about Rebecca Lobo, but if there was one thing that maybe some of our new Connecticut Sun fans don’t know about Rebecca Lobo, what might that be? Just so that you can get an idea of what I am talking of, I will share with you that folks may not know that I played the accordion for seven years.
RL: When you mentioned the accordion, good gracious I am sorry for that. But, I played the saxophone in High School. I lived from the time I was born until I was 18 in Massachusetts. Now I call Connecticut home but Western Mass especially holds a very special place in my heart. I think if I could say anything to the people back home it is thank you because they have shown the most unbelievable support for me and my career from high school to college and in the past few years with the Springfield Spirit. It would just be a big thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support that they have continued to show me.
