What are your thoughts on having so many new faces in camp this season, most of whom do not have WNBA experience?“I think, like I said in the letter that I sent to all of our players for their handbook, that change is good, provided that it comes along with commitment to what we want to do and passion for playing. We have spent our offseason looking for players who not only have athletic skills, basketball skills, but love the game, and I think that we kind of lost that kind of feeling last year. The players that are there (in camp), in our opinion, are passionate about playing basketball.
With the changes that we made, most of them know that there is opportunity here, particularly on the perimeter. As for post players, it’s kind of obvious who our four main post players are going to be, but for the other positions, other than Lindsay Whalen’s spot, there are five or six jobs on our team to be won during training camp. There are going to be a dozen people or so trying to win five or six jobs. Competition is going to be fierce for it, and I’m going to pick the five or six who earn it. I’ve told all of them – you have to earn a job during training camp. So, it’s going to make for some interesting decisions for us, but interesting practices as far as the competitive level, and that’s exciting in some ways. I feel like we’re back in 2004, when we reshaped our team. Here we are with a team, for the first time, that has no original players from this franchise on it. It’s different. I don’t think it’s bad, just different.”
How do you think all of the perimeter players in camp will fit in playing with and against each other?
“I don’t know. I don’t have a clue (laughs). I think that’s probably good, because I’m trying not to go with preconceived ideas. I purposely tried not to over analyze it, so that I don’t give somebody something they haven’t earned, or assumed something that I shouldn’t assume. I think it’s probably healthier for them and me not to have a lot of preconceived ideas.”
What do you think that Tamika Raymond and Jamie Carey, the two lone veterans in camp at the start, will bring with their presence?
“Well, I’m assuming that they are going to bring leadership and an understanding of how to play. I think in Tamika’s case, she looks at this as a new lease on her career, a chance to re-prove herself, come back in an area where there is a comfort zone. She’s seen a lot, and I think she will be a calming presence in our locker room. With Jamie, she has competition for her spot, but at the same time, she’s been through it enough that she knows what to expect. Every year that she’s come to training camp, she’s come to try to win a job, so she knows that mindset. Hopefully they’ll bring the right example to all the other players as to how it’s supposed to be done.”
Is there anyone in particular that you are looking forward to seeing play that you may not be as familiar with?
“Obviously, Tracy Gahan has never played here (in the WNBA), and it’s been five or six years since she came out of college. She’s changed her game, she’s improved her game. I think that’s one. I think that Kerri Gardin has made the transformation, or has tried to make the transformation, from a four to a three, same with Barbara Turner. I think that matchup, with Amber Holt, Barbara Turner, Tracy, Kerri and all that, is going to be very, very interesting. They each bring some unique skills, but they are all people who have played a few different positions. Barbara is excited to be in Connecticut playing and getting a new lease on her career. I just think those are going to be interesting matchups. Kamesha (Hairston) and Cori (Chambers) know what to expect, but neither one of them played significant time for us last year. Kamesha obviously got more playing time last year, where Cori did not, but our faith in Cori is that she is going to come back a better basketball player.”
How do you feel about having four former UConn players on your training camp roster?
“It’s not by design! It’s nice if they all are part of the rotation and playing. They aren’t given anything because they are Connecticut players. I’m sure the fans have expectations. I try not to let that have any impact on the decisions that I make. If they are successful, it’s great for our fans.”
Are you ready for camp to start?
“Yes. It’s a long offseason. A lot of coaches are worried about not having all their veterans there, but I’m not too concerned about it during the first week of camp. Our players are going to come back in shape. I think some of these other people have an opportunity to show some things without the other ones here. We could probably use a few more post players in camp, which we are working on. It’s going to be interesting. I don’t know what all to expect. There will probably be some experimentation going on as we go about what we are going to do offensively. I think you should, as a coach, design your offense to fit your players. It might be that these players are actually playing when we start the season.”
