On Tuesday, March 27, Coach T sat down for a “Virtual Town Hall” streamed on Facebook Live. He covered a number of topics, ranging from the new facility to the draft and our current roster to the poster of Michael Jordan hanging in his office.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The New Facility – Coach says it is more made for a team like ours. We will have a home court advantage and feel like we have an edge every time we play which is hard to have in a 20,000-seat arena that is Capital One Arena. It will also be in the same location that we practice so it will really begin to feel like home for the players and coaches. Don’t worry, the first time you see it won’t be the 2019 home opener. The hope is sometime late in our season to begin taking fans on tours.
2. The 2018 Draft – Doesn’t like to say names too early just in case other teams catch wind. There’s always a chance of moving up or down and Coach doesn’t want to tip anyone else off on their plans. Find out what kind of player he is looking for our draft breakdown, coming soon.
3. The Players – Some are leaving, some are staying, some are coming back. Ivory. “This is just a tough position,” Coach said. After being injured at the end of the last 3 seasons, we couldn’t rely on that anymore going forward. Emma. She was put in a dilemma because of her National Team and has made the decision to take the summer off to focus on training for the World Championships and getting recharged for next summer when she’ll return. Mo. EVERYONE is excited to have her back. We were in an “interesting financial situation” when she first left and would have had to make her the highest paid player in the league, but with trying to make changes, “we didn’t feel like we could core her,” Coach stated. Now that she is back, she’s going to be a perfect fit in our offense. Tayler. She is doing great. She won’t start the season in uniform, but is estimated to return to play sometime in mid- to late-June in hopes to have her for more than half the season.
4. Words of Advice – Whether you have an interest in coaching or want to play in college, Coach offered up some advice on furthering your basketball career. On becoming a coach, he first pointed out that “you have to be willing to do all the little things … not just think about coaching games.” To play in college, he gave three pieces of assistance – pay attention to the fundamentals/put in the hours, play multiple sports to develop as an all-around athlete, and know at what level you fit.
5. Michael Jordan – “He was such a great competitor, was probably the best competitor on a day to day basis that [coach] has ever been around.” Guess he can feel good about that draft pick!