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Coach Curt Miller Pre-Game Press Conference Sparks v Mystics #wnba
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Listen to Coach Curt Miller before the LA Sparks vs. Washington Mystics May 21st, 2024 The Pyramid - Long Beach
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Transcript
Mystics' Defense and Poise
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey coach, DJ from Infinity TV. Hi DJ. In the last game the Mystics had nine steals. How are we planning to protect the ball tonight? It's a good segue into talking about Washington. Washington's been really impressive out of the gates with their physicality and their on-ball defense. You can't watch them and
00:00:27
Speaker
think anyone's playing harder than them in the entire league. And there's a significant concentration of that ball pressure. So we've talked for the last two days about how important it is to have poise and be able to handle that pressure. Obviously that's what they're trying to create is their identity. So low, live ball turnovers and handing physicality is a number one on priorities tonight for any kind of success. We have to handle their physicality.
Cameron's Rim Protection
00:00:56
Speaker
Thank you. Yeah. Like her mark would be a sports game. Good to see you. Good to see you. I know it's early, but what do you think Cameron's been giving you defensively so far? Yeah, Cameron's analytics are off the charts at rim protection. And I think that's obviously her calling card from college and what you thought. But until you work with her and realize how real it is, it's really impressive. Now, people are going to scheme because she roams, and she comes. She's a great help side defender, and she can
00:01:26
Speaker
really protect the rim. So they started scheming us, right? It was the chess match between Becky and I down the stretch. They put in an undersized team to try to spread them out. They tried intentionally to win that game to get Cameron Brink away from the rim. That's a great credit. There's the back-to-back champions.
00:01:45
Speaker
made a chess move late in the game to try to get Cam away from the rim. That's what you need to hear. That's how much respect out of the gates. But it's real. She's long. She's got good timing on being able to protect the rim.
00:02:03
Speaker
Again, offensive end, I think she's ahead, honestly, of what we thought we were going to have at this time of the year, with so much growth potential there. But defensively, even when she's not scoring here early in her career, she can impact the game so much at the defensive end. Hey, Coach. Lexi got quite push-ups.
Lexi at Point Guard
00:02:28
Speaker
Lexi got some extended time at the one on Saturday. What did you see from her as a facilitator and primary volume? Well, first, I will tell you that Lexi came to us in the middle of the game, said, let me play the point. And she hadn't played a second of point in all the training camps. So that was what you see in the WNBA in the beginning of the season. It's kind of a work in progress, but showed maturity.
00:02:56
Speaker
Again, the maturation for her is she's earned the right to be coveted by defenses as the go-to player. And so she's going to get covered like that. And they top blocked her. They made every catch hard off the ball. So, you know, she was the first one that came to me, said, I'm having trouble getting a ball when I'm off the ball.
00:03:17
Speaker
give me the ball and let me be the point guard. And so they can't guard me 94 feet and then take me away the way they were off the ball. So it was an adjustment that was suggested by her. We did it and we loved that line up. That line up was very effective for us. We moved Kia nurse with the two, got extended minutes with Rakia, got her in her maybe more natural position at the three.
00:03:41
Speaker
and she's a three and four and we were able to keep DeErika and Cam with our size in the post so we had effective minutes was excited about that excited that Alexi embraced that wanted that and it got her going and she's the one that recognized
00:03:57
Speaker
how well they were defending her when she was off the ball. So we've got to take a look at that. It's a good counter when people are again tonight, I expect Atkins and their best defender to be on Lexi making life difficult and like they have with each one of their opponents so far. So we're going to have to be creative and find ways for Lexi to get the ball.
Team Chemistry and Rakia's Role
00:04:20
Speaker
Hey Coach, Jackie Wade, Jackie Wade TV. The smarts looked really good last game. Can you talk a little bit about how they're building that chemistry and learning from each other and Rakia and her supportive role? How is she developing in that?
00:04:32
Speaker
He had no moral victories in pro basketball. This is a build, but there's still no moral victories. We wanted to find a way to that finish line and just came up a little bit short. But to fall down double digits in the fourth quarter and battle your way back to four points and had multiple possessions.
00:04:52
Speaker
down four had a wide open three to cut it to one with less than a minute to go. There's great learning opportunity through that and we didn't back down to them and in the Erica Hamby led the way.
00:05:06
Speaker
with her motor and her physicality and her determination. And that's what they love to see. As for Rakia, you know, obviously it's first off the bench for us has embraced that six player position right now. I have a mantra that the young players in the team are repeating, be it, you know, fight for the role you want, be a champion in the role you've earned.
00:05:30
Speaker
And they're embracing that. They're regurgitating that to the media themselves. And I love to see it. I think there's a stat out there that there's six or seven players on each team off the bench, depending on if they're keeping 11 or 12. So somewhere in that 70-some range of people are considered bench players in this league. There's only two bench players in the entire league playing more minutes in the Rekia right now.
00:06:00
Speaker
I know everyone wants Rekia on the floor, on the floor, on the floor. She is getting minutes. We're excited about what she's produced and it's only gonna get better. And you see how talented she is. She has a knack to put the ball in the hole.
00:06:22
Speaker
Yeah, she's definitely 4-3 and that's how they used her at Tennessee. That's what we drafted. You see it when I was with the USA team and we played Tennessee in the exhibition. You know, she did some good things at both positions and so we drafted her with a.
00:06:37
Speaker
the ability to play a little bit smaller, a little bit more modernized basketball at the four, but also know that she can bring great length at the three, which we didn't have last year with both Katie Lou Samuelson and Steph Talbot out for the entire year. We didn't have any length at the wing position last year, so it's nice to have that versatility. Again, with Azaré, with her extended injury, we're a little bit thin in the post, so Rakia started more in the post early in her career.
00:07:07
Speaker
but she certainly has the potential and we will use her at the three and we have to be out of foul trouble. We have to be fresh in order to have enough post players that allow her to play the three. If not, you know, obviously we're playing her as an undersized four at times too.
Collaborative Leadership
00:07:22
Speaker
Coach, you mentioned early on before the season even started that it was going to be a committee kind of leading this team. There wasn't one direct leader, but Derek Ahambi has quickly, you know, picked up the opposite production and kind of carried that load. Can you talk about, besides just the fact that it's been a year where she's been under, you know, the two led the team and been a spark, what's really helped propel her offensively this season so far?
00:07:45
Speaker
Her mentality, her mindset coming in, she has a lot of goals for herself personally and she was remarkable. The story of her playing 40 games with everything last year coming back from the birth of legend and everything else going on with the trade.
00:08:05
Speaker
She has an incredible mentality coming in this season. She has personal goals. She's not been afraid to share those that she wants to be an all-star, that she wants an MVP vote. She wants to be counted on as the go-to person. Her motor has always made her special in this league.
00:08:22
Speaker
But she's playing with the determination and confidence right now, along with that motor that really makes the Erika special. She's leading. And I just love these guys that are stepping up into more prominent roles. Lexi Brown is leading. Leija Clarity is a natural leader.
00:08:37
Speaker
you know, Kia Nurse has more freedom to lead on this team than maybe the last few years between Seattle and Phoenix. You know, she really is a veteran presence on this roster. And so Kia, again, is really comfortable with her voice. So I love it. It's not dominated by one voice. We're a very much a collaborative leadership group and by committee. But the Erika is a huge part of that.
00:09:05
Speaker
We have 10 virtual questions. Is this camera going to be from the next? I was
Leisha's Guiding Experience
00:09:11
Speaker
just curious. I know you mentioned Leija as sort of a natural leader. I was wondering if you could talk a little bit more about that and kind of what's it what it's meant to this young team.
00:09:19
Speaker
Yeah, she's just such a veteran presence, her knowledge, her experience. She's played in a lot of different franchises for a lot of different systems and coach. She is a true professional and she knows how to be a professional. Leisha was outstanding for us last year.
00:09:35
Speaker
in a utility guard role because some of our injuries, obviously, Julie olimon season ending injury has put her primarily at the point guard position has not been able to use her as much in the utility guard position right now, but she's leading both on and off the court and the players really look to her for that leadership. Thank you so much.
Cam's Positivity and Potential
00:09:59
Speaker
Okay. Last question, Brenda.
00:10:02
Speaker
Yeah, hi coach. This is Brendan Potts from World Exposure Report. I wanted to ask about Cam. What has she shown you through the time that you coached her that stands out from the other greats that you coached at her position?
00:10:18
Speaker
Yeah, first, this stands out is her positivity. She is a really fun player to be around, not only coaches, but the players. She brings a lightness to the locker room. She just really has a great personality that can really bond teammates. So what she's been asked to do off the court
00:10:41
Speaker
and represent our franchise and all that comes with a lottery pick and a person of her stature. A lot of people couldn't do what she's doing and she shows up, you know, wanting to be a sponge, wanting to keep learning. That's what's really remarkable is that she's humble. She's a humble star already and is hard on herself, which is not unusual in this league with people that are perfectionist and want to be great at their craft.
00:11:10
Speaker
But, you know, she wants to learn. She wants to get better. And she wants to be a great teammate. And that's such a special quality that you don't always see. And again, the sky is the limit for her. And she's going to have some off nights. She's going to have a rookie wall at some point. All those guys played all that long college season.
00:11:36
Speaker
and we're getting ready to go into an unbelievable cadence of games. We've had a little bit of a easier cadence than some teams out of the gate, but right around the corner we have four and seven in three different cities. And so it's going to get real for all these guys, but I can't tell you how excited I am to be a part of Cam's growth and part of her journey because she has a chance to be really, really special.
00:12:02
Speaker
Thank you.