Transcript
Speaker: What's up, Internet? You already know me. It's DJ Trecey Trece, and I am back here, posted up, running my mouth about sports as always. A lot has happened since you last heard from me. Y'all, the Lakers are completely out of the playoffs, okay?
Speaker: Now, I thought the Lakers was going to the finals, but my relationship with men is now damaged, okay? Trust issues galore because the Lakers did all of that, leading us up to a a loss,
Speaker: To the Timberwolves. And then I'm hearing LeBron has an injured knee. It might be time for the final dance for the King. not that Not because his efficiency is off or anything like that. He had a really great season.
Speaker: But... It's not getting done. And Luka's defense, there's a lot going on. I will do a separate video where I take apart all of the things that I think went wrong with the Lakers. But there is so much going right in the world of women's basketball. The Sparks preseason is kicking off, y'all. You know I got the hookup.
Speaker: I and already had some practice footage. If you visit me on Instagram or on YouTube Shorts, you can see that I've been at the practices. um I'm going to... um some press conferences, some different things that I probably shouldn't announce just yet, but I will make sure that I cover it for you so that you can get all the behind the scenes stuff on the l LA Sparks. In addition to LA Sparks Weekly, my show with Mikel Matthew and Infinity TV is back in full effect, y'all. That's every home game we will be on the court, okay? Feet on the hardwood.
Speaker: on all of the away games, we will be in the studio live streaming. So it's going to be a good time. I'm so excited about this WNBA season. So... What's the best way to open the season? My preseason predictions based on what I saw at camp, but I'm also going to let you know what I think the leading qualities of each player on the training camp roster, um what they actually have to bring to the game and what I think we could expect from them.
Speaker: Before I start this episode, I want to set the intentions, y'all. The Sparks are going to the finals. I know I say that every year. Okay, I understand that I look delusional, but listen, just based off this premise alone, D'Erika Hamby and Kelsey Plum have won a championship together, period.
Speaker: Okay, there's experience there and teammate camaraderie that they've already built. So we have more of a shot than it looks like. Let's jump into player by player breakdowns.
Speaker: Let's start with the guards. First up, Odyssey Sims. I had a chance to speak to her at the Sparks practice that I went to. We were in video, but she talked a whole lot on audio just about what she was excited about.
Speaker: learning new things of what Coach Lynn Roberts wanted her to do, continuing to build on her game, and just returning back to l LA because she's played for the team before.
Speaker: She is coming back as a really vocal leader, and I don't know if y'all remember from last season, but O hit us up with a lot of good clutch moments in those games that pushed us over the edge to actually get some wins.
Speaker: She got the well-deserved callback, and I'm excited to see her play this season as a spark. Odyssey is definitely a great veteran guard to have around some of your younger guards because she's been around the league. She's played on different teams, so she knows a whole lot of different systems as well as she's pretty nice on defense.
Speaker: My guess is Odyssey is going to help to set our defensive pace really early in the game. Let's keep an eye out for Next up, let's talk about Eric McDonald. I also had a chance to speak to her at Sparks Practice, and she talked a lot about getting better playing overseas in the offseason and how she was excited to get her confidence back. She wants to return to be that swaggy person that we knew her to be, and I'm excited to see how Eric can contribute to our offense.
Speaker: We already know that she is a threat. She is an extremely quick guard who usually breaks up all kind of defense and can pass the ball really well to get some of her teammates open.
Speaker: um One thing she always talks about when you talk to Aerie is being a good teammate. So I think she's going to share the ball a lot more this year and help us to really make offensive pushes. I'm most excited to see how Aerie plays with Kelsey Plum and Odyssey Sims, to be quite honest. I want to see how these guards can play together and help to win the marathon of the entire game um and tie together some great offensive strings.
Speaker: Speaking of Kelsey Plum, let's go right into the woman of the hour. I'm excited to talk to her at the upcoming media day as well as in the dedicated press conference with D'Erika Hamby and coach Lynn Roberts.
Speaker: Kelsey Plum adds a whole different level to the Sparks game. Now, when we were talking to Reagan Peebly, the Sparks GM, she was talking about how this season the Sparks are interested in winning right now.
Speaker: And them signing Kelsey Plum is a huge sign that they are doing just that. We are not hanging our hat on some tomorrow or building from a draft, even though we drafted some awesome players who really can learn from the vets as well as maybe get some time and some rotation in the game and get us some and points or um at least some defensive stops.
Speaker: But adding Kelsey Plum to the roster makes us championship caliber. Not just her alone, but her with D'Erikahambi, who's won a championship. Azaree Stevens, who's won a championship.
Speaker: So ah Mercedes Russell, who's also won a championship. So when you have all of these players who have been in these big moments, the cards are stacked in our favor. And I love this for us. I'm excited to see KP at Crypto.com Arena on opening night. That's another plus for for the Lakers losing in the playoffs.
Speaker: Now let's go to a couple guards who I honestly was unfamiliar with their game. Let's start with Julie Alamond. um Her name came up when Coach Kurt Miller was here last year. um They waited a year and then she's coming, she's joining the team this year.
Speaker: So... I did a little bit of research on her game, watched some clips. And in the international leagues, she is a heavy hitter, y'all. She's super smart, super poised, just got ah great fundamental basketball principles. I'm excited to see how her game translates in the WNBA.
Speaker: um She could be like a floor general for the second unit. I'm thinking, um, just because she has that experience. She's used to competing at a high level and she could surprise a lot of people. Maybe she hasn't been as heavily scouted throughout the WNBA.
Speaker: So I'm just excited. In my opinion, she's a wild card. We'll see how she plays. Um, But a good pairing would be with ah Julie Alamon and Ray Burrell. Like their athleticism and how fast they are. Just excited to see those two play together.
Speaker: Shanice Swain is another one that I wasn't super familiar with and I had to watch some film on. To be honest, I don't really know how she fits into the puzzle, but the girl got game. Okay, that's all that matters.
Speaker: And again, this is my first time, all of all of our first times, watching Coach Lynn Roberts coaching the WNBA. And she is notoriously known to pull things out of people. So I'm excited to see, working with the raw material she has, what games and what pieces of Shanice's game is she going to pull and call up to help the Sparks win some games?
Speaker: Sarah Ashley Barker, our first round rookie pick. Now, most of the time, rookies don't get a whole bunch of play, um of course, because they're just learning WNBA. Honestly, they just got out of college. Their bodies are really super fatigued, too. And you're asking them to play at a a higher pace of a game. So rookies are given some grace to learn um and and to adjust to the pace of the game. But I expect Sarah to be just like Rekia was last year. Sit for about 10 games, not even sit the whole 10 games. Honestly, get some minutes here, there, start to learn some things, adapt her game and be thrown right into the rotation.
Speaker: um She's super competitive. She talked about how she only has brothers and they never let her win anything. So they always will lower the rim and dunk on her, all kinds of stuff. So Anybody who grows up in that kind of environment, I'm excited to see how they compete, especially when they're newer to the game or newer being introduced to the game and how they adapt because she's going to play like she's got something to prove and I'm here for it. Let's move into our wings starting with our rookie of the year, Rekia Jackson, y'all.
Speaker: Last year, she ended the season with... Way better than she started. And honestly, as a rookie, she got most playing time, I feel like, across the league. She was really showing up in big moments and entered that starting lineup and never left.
Speaker: I know that this year she's going to have to compete for a spot in that starting lineup, but I would not be shocked if she got it. Watching her ball in Unrivaled was amazing, y'all.
Speaker: Just watching how her and BG made up, one. But two, how she played with those bigger players and and really got her dribble game different. She doing that step back J that we like. So I'm excited to see what Rekia has to offer.
Speaker: I know she's going to come and compete at a high level because she want to make the playoffs this year. I know she does. Ray Burrell, or as Lisa Leslie calls her sweet baby Ray. Her game is so smooth, the way that she come off the dribble, just so athletic. She can jump. she can She can shoot from anywhere on the floor. She can post up. She's got great footwork.
Speaker: I'm excited to see Ray. Now, this is probably who will have to compete against Rekia for that spot. And to me, both Tennessee girls can ball. I don't know who's going to get it, but I think Coach Lynn is going to a really good job of keeping the rotations fresh because she's talking about this offense that's quicker paced.
Speaker: So Ray can shoot. Ray can play defense. Ray can score. Ray can play for a long time. She got an engine. So looking forward to seeing so much more of Ray Burrell this season.
Speaker: Analee is an Australian player who brings all the energy off the bench and is always rebounding. Now, I think this is a good mix, adds a good a player to the mix, I should say, because a lot of these players are focused on their offensive skills.
Speaker: ah qualities but Annalie gives a lot of defensive and kind of that glue that sticks the team together that Kurt Miller used to talk about right the players that do all the other things that kind of make things happen for the players on the big offensive plays so I'm excited to see more of Annalie in that role the Australian league is known to be extremely physical and very competitive so I'm excited to see her bring some of that Alyssa Usby was the rookie from UNC that got signed after the draft. Unfortunately, she was waived during training camp, so she will not be on the starting roster. D'Erica Mama D'Hamby is going to have another great season, y'all.
Speaker: always say... on social media and on all my shows, never bet against D'Erica. And that rule stands this season as well. D'Erica is an amazing basketball player. One of my all-time favorite Sparks.
Speaker: I love how hard she works. I love the the game and consistency that she brings to the game every single time. I love the fact that she played three-on-three basketball, so she's got that defense-offense kind of thing. Her footwork has improved so much over the past two years, so I'm excited to see how she plays when she's reunited with her old teammate, Kelsey Plum.
Speaker: Also excited to watch her play more with Rekia Jackson, Azaree Stevens, Mercedes Russell, the new addition. Just because when these bigs get together, y'all, most of the sparks are over six feet tall.
Speaker: So when these bigs get get together, I'm excited to watch them run the whole floor and see what happens. This might be an MVP season for D'Erkahambi. As a raisey Stevens. I love as a raise. She is so Zen.
Speaker: She has a multitude of talents. I'm excited this year most to see her three point shooting improve now that she doesn't have to be the only player in the paint or just like one of the tallest players in the paint.
Speaker: to do more of the rebounding. She can break up a lot of the defense and go out beyond the arc and shoot some threes, which we know that she is so good at. She hit so many time ah timely threes last season, and I'm excited to see more of her game that she's bringing to the team.
Speaker: Also, she's a phenomenal teammate, so I'm excited to see how her leadership continues to gel with the team. ah Her Rekia had an interesting, loving relationship last year. I think that'll only grow from there as well as the other rookies.
Speaker: Cameron Brink. Now, Cameron is probably going to miss the beginning parts of the season because she is still recovering from that ACL tear. I've been to practice. She's been running up and down the court and doing drills and practicing with the team, but I'm just not sure that the Sparks will test it so soon at the beginning of the season because we should be all right. We've got a decent roster. We should be able to start to figure things out and let Cameron slowly return from that injury. But I'm excited to see what she does.
Speaker: I think she's going to be playing with a chip on her shoulder, coming to get everything that was hers from her missed rookie season. Excited to see big things in so many blocks from Cameron Brink.
Speaker: Leah 2 King, one of our rookies who was just drafted, coming from um the ACC, she's a rebounding leader. It's a part of her game. I asked her about it in the press conference. She said that she was going to bring that same grit and intensity, that same hunger to the WNBA and translate that any way that she can. She said she was going to do anything and everything that she needed for her team to be successful.
Speaker: I'm excited to see her play. um um I haven't got a chance to actually interview her yet, but um I think I got one lined up. So stay tuned right here on my channel for more about Leah too.
Speaker: Tania Fagan, one of the South Carolina Gamecocks is on the spark, y'all. I think she's going to do a great job this year, just observing and adjusting her game to the W. Now, Dawn Staley is known for making WNBA powerhouses like Asia Wilson.
Speaker: uh saniya is probably not going to be any different from that or an aliyah boston i think she's going to come in adjust her game she's a hard worker she's going to be ah led by some vets who've got championships under their belt so i think she's in good hands with the sparks and i'm excited for coach lynn to give her a chance and see what kinds of playmaking she can get out of her Masha.
Speaker: Now, I don't know how to say your last name, girl, so I'm not going mess it up. But I wasn't familiar with your game and I looked online to see some of your international clips. I think that if there is it comes down to a final roster spot, it might be Masha's because she is that ah that player that's not flashy but has a lot of great fundamental basketball moves in her bag.
Speaker: So we'll see what happens here um when the final roster actually happens and after the preseason game. Two tomorrow today okay um this is the night before the preseason game breaking the third wall here y'all mercedes russell is a two-time wmba champion and known for being a solid rebounder screener and playmaker in the paint y'all so this is a great addition to the team because we have cameron brink but she is pretty fresh um we're not sure when she's coming back mercedes russell is great is a great fit to just fill in that gap but also add some veteran championship experience to the game
Speaker: Mercedes gives the team some depth and has come to us from the Seattle storm. So thank you, Seattle. Excited to see my Mercedes' game. And last but finally, not least, Emma Cannon, WNBA vet, been on a bunch of different teams, has also played a lot overseas.
Speaker: Great attitude, overall great teammate. She brings physicality, hustle, all that grit, just a player that's a do-anything kind of player that can get you a bucket when you need one.
Speaker: She always competes, and I think that leadership is one of her qualities. So if the Sparks do keep her on the roster, it will be because she ah provides some leadership inside of the locker room.
Speaker: As you can hear from that breakdown, this Sparks roster is deep. Each player has something different that they can add to the mix. But altogether, I think we will be an unstoppable force.
Speaker: with good coaching, which I know Coach Lynn is going to, she's investing all of her time in it. I know that she is. And one of the things that she said in her initial press conference that really stuck out to me is she's used to not having the best of, of, of anything really, because she was at Utah and a lot of the top recruits would go to other schools.
Speaker: Not to shade any of the Sparks players because obviously if you make any WNBA roster, you are the best in the world, undeniably. But what im what what I mean by that is like when you have this attitude of I don't care who's playing on the team, we're going to find success, great things happen. And I i get that vibe from Coach Lynn and I'm excited to see, and I've said excited a hundred times. We should have had a counter. Excited, excited, excited.
Speaker: But I can't hide it y'all the sparks are about to at very minimum make the playoffs at the minimum so we are off the struggle bus don't y'all worry don't get in here and start typing about all of the ah hardships and we got a fresh coach The front office has turned some things around.
Speaker: We got new players. We didn't build through the draft. We got some solid players and free agency. We doing good. The Sparks are up. So let me know your thoughts in the comments. Do you think the Sparks are going to make it to the postseason?
Speaker: Who do you think is our our our biggest challenge this year? What team do we have to look out for? So much, so much more. Make sure y'all keep it locked right here on my YouTube channel. If you are listening in audio to the post-up, make sure you follow for episodes. because The WNBA season is starting and the cadence is going to turn up. There might be two episodes a week, three episodes a week. It might be a special interview.
Speaker: I've got so much planned for you, y'all. I will be at the Watch Me Bar in Long Beach tomorrow watching the preseason game, recording the episode of l LA Sparks Weekly. I will be at the Sparks practice later this week talking courtside with the players.
Speaker: um I'll be at the official press conference. I'll be at a ah special game that that they're having that only media has access to. So you want to talk to me. You want to make sure that you come back to my channel and you keep it locked with DJ Treacy Tree. So thank you all for checking out this episode of The Post Up.
Speaker: The sparks are up. I'll be here always running my mouth about sports. And ah next episode, I'm going to ahead and bless y'all with some NBA playoffs. Now that the Lakers are out, I can give my unfiltered opinion about the rest of the losers in there.
Speaker: Thank y'all so much for tapping in with DJ Treecey Treats. And make sure you follow me on social at DJTricey. I'll tap in with y'all on the next one.
