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00:02Welcome back to another edition of Liberty Lately, your boy Dexter Henry, joined by the great women's sports reporter for
00:08the New York Post, Madeline Kenney, also does a fantastic job covering the Liberty. Maddie just got back from the
00:13West Coast to Portland. Before that, she was in D.C. when the Liberty Battled the Mystic. Maddie, how are
00:19you doing now that you're back on the East Coast?
00:22I'm doing well. All things considered, I'm doing well. It's exciting that the season has started, got the first long
00:28road trip out of the way. Liberty, our home for quite a while. And so I think that, yeah, there's
00:34a lot to build off of. But the start, you have to be happy with how it started.
00:37Well, you know what I think people are going to want to know from you? It's not, you have been
00:40to Portland before. You've covered the Warriors, so you've been to Portland and, you know, you've seen the Warriors play
00:45the Blazers. But what was the atmosphere like around the fire at the Motor Center? That's what they're still calling
00:51it, right? It's still the Motor Center, right?
00:52It's the Motor Center, yeah, yeah.
00:53Sometimes I want to get my naming rights wrong.
00:56No, you're good.
00:56What were the vibes like out there for your first game seeing the W in Portland?
00:59All in all, it was a very, like, fun atmosphere. You know, there's a lot of fans. There was a
01:05proposal pregame one of the days, like an on-camera proposal. And normally I don't like sporting event proposals, but
01:14that one I had to let it pass because it was really cute.
01:16So, and I just think that, yeah, the fans are really invested. They had, like, good turnout. And then, obviously,
01:23that Tuesday, well, it was Portland's win, their first franchise win at the expense of the Liberty.
01:30That atmosphere, you know, the way that the fire came back and the way that that game went on for
01:35the second half. And then, of course, that ending with Sarah Ashley Barker just, like, making that, like, put-back
01:40bucket at the buzzer.
01:42I mean, that was, it was just electric. And I think, like, the Liberty, you've got to, like, you know,
01:46tip your cap to them because that was a, that was a really awesome way to, for a team to
01:51have their franchise first win.
01:53Obviously, you don't want it to happen at your expense, but it is what it is.
01:56Right. But they would get it sometime. It was, that was a fantastic game for the fire. Tough loss for
02:00the Liberty, but, you know, fantastic way for them to get their first win at home in front of their
02:04home fans.
02:04But we're here to talk about the Liberty. And the Liberty, they are 3-1, right? Despite the fact they're
02:10still waiting on Sabrina Nescu, still waiting on Satsu Sabley.
02:13We still have not seen her yet in the Liberty uniform, both to make their season debuts.
02:18What do you think is the biggest statement that this team has made through their first four games without two
02:24of their stars?
02:26Yeah, I think that we got to see contributions from players that maybe didn't have, well,
02:31one player that wasn't here before and another player that had a different, very different role last year, right?
02:36I'm obviously talking about Pauline Estier and Maureen Johannes and both that French court backcourt duo.
02:44That is, that is a fun group and they're very electric and they were very fun and they were really
02:48good to start.
02:48I mean, they really hope set that tone and Brianna Stewart. I mean, what more can we say about her?
02:53But she, again, was that, that fearless leader. And so all in all, like the offense looked, looked really good,
02:59really exciting, very promising, obviously scoring a bunch of points.
03:04Defensively, I have a little bit of concern, but again, it's early. And I think some of the live ball
03:08turnovers were, you know, part of why their defense maybe wasn't as tight as it should be.
03:14But I think that there, this was a good foundational start. And now it's about building off and, and starting
03:21to get into those like little details of the game, right?
03:24Like, you know, offensive rebounds, limiting second chance points, all of that stuff. So I think that's what like the
03:29team is really focusing on moving forward.
03:31Yeah, they've been, they've been really good. Still some things that you said, still some things that they need to
03:35absolutely clean up, but we are only four games into the season.
03:39Now, someone you just mentioned, and you and I talked about her before, and I think she's been arguably the
03:44most interesting storyline, part of the storyline or player for this Liberty team, thus early season.
03:49That's probably nastier. I just did a video essay on her about how great she's been for this team offensively,
03:55how efficient, how much has her, because these are maybe the things that have impressed me the most, Maddie, the
04:01poise, the decision-making, the finishing ability that she's had, particularly around the basket.
04:07How much do you think all of that has stabilized this Liberty team with Sab out right now, just the
04:13performance that we've got from Pauline Astier?
04:15Oh, without, without question. I mean, she's really been, she's really been asked to step into a huge role and
04:21she has not looked like she, this moment is too big for her.
04:24I mean, again, she's been a pro overseas, so it's no surprise necessarily that she is able to handle this
04:29moment, but you know, the WNBA does play at a different level of physicality and, and speed.
04:34And of course the officiating is trying to crack down on that physicality, but there is that level of aggressiveness,
04:39you know, aggressive play that is maybe not as pressing or prevalent in other leagues.
04:46Um, and so I think that Pauline has really stepped up. I saw some fans are calling her like Pauline
04:51Nastier or something like that, because she's just been so crazy to start.
04:55I haven't heard that one. I like that.
04:57Yeah. Yeah. But, but, you know, she's been so fun to watch and, you know, she's making, I know that
05:02she made that the three second violation that led to a turnover late in that Tuesday loss.
05:07But, but overall, like I talked to her in the hallway after that loss and she had a really good
05:13mindset, you know, like I'm thinking about like where I would be and, you know, obviously these are professional athletes.
05:18They, they are working on different wavelengths than we are necessarily. Um, or you know what I mean? And so,
05:25uh, but she was, she was very like, you know, I made that mistake.
05:28I'm not going to make that mistake again. I'm, this is a learning process. And I think that's what you
05:32want to see out of a rookie. You want to see a player that can take accountability and, but also
05:37not let it weigh down on you that it impacts you in the next game.
05:40Because obviously on Thursday, Pauline bounced back really well, helped them to get that win that was able to ride
05:46the ship. You know, you're starting, you wanted to start the season four. No, it was very possibly could start
05:50the season four. No, if Portland didn't steal that win on Tuesday, but all in all, I think you have
05:55to be happy with, you know,
05:57the team's overall success and Pauline, especially she's been, she's been fun to watch.
06:01Yeah. I think you're a hundred percent. Right. And the fact that she stepped into a huge role, I've been
06:05very impressed. We thought the passing would be fantastic, but for her to step into this role has been great.
06:09Now, before the season, when we did our bold predictions, I think this was one of your bold predictions. You
06:13said Stewie for MVP and Brianna Stewart has looked like she's already in mid-season form. She's been cooking. She's
06:20been highly efficient.
06:21What have you noticed about the way she's setting the tone, both as a scorer, which we know she can
06:26do, despite all the help she should have around her when this team is healthy. And also like as a
06:30leader early this year, she's now seems to be even more assertive as a leader here for the Liberty. What
06:35have you noticed about her with that?
06:36I mean, they've needed her to be a leader, right? I think that when you're down Sabrina, you're down several
06:42other players. I mean, somebody has to step up as a leader. It's no surprise that it's Brianna Stewart. And
06:46I mean, JJ was dealing with some foul trouble early this season.
06:50I'm trying to figure out how she can play her style of game, which obviously as a post player is
06:54the most physical position on the court, how she can play her game while also not being like baited into
07:03like all the whistles and stuff.
07:04And so I think like Stewie has been looked at to step up into that leadership role. And there was
07:08actually something that that really stood out to me after Tuesday's loss.
07:13I asked Brianna about the third quarter issues because that was something we talked a lot about last year. Right.
07:18The team just always seemed to open up second halves flat and they would dig themselves in these holes or
07:24they would lose their lead.
07:25And then they're trying to play catch up, you know, or trying to like regain it, whatever.
07:30And so I asked Brianna about that and she said, that's on me. Like I got to do like that's
07:35on me that we're not starting third quarter as well or whatever.
07:37And you could see there was a point of emphasis. And Jonquo Jones even told me after Thursday's win that
07:44Brianna said something before they went to the court about, you know, let's not make this a thing.
07:49Let's not make third quarters our Achilles heel again. And, you know, Stewie scored a lot of her points in
07:55that third quarter and really helped them, you know,
07:58get ahead and get a comfortable lead and put the game away. And I think that that is that is
08:03what a leader does.
08:04It doesn't it's not somebody that just says the right things. It's also somebody that has like backs it up
08:09with their actions.
08:10And you can always expect that out of a Brianna Stewart. Yeah, she definitely did that in that Thursday win
08:15there in Portland.
08:16Now, look, Maureen Johannes, you talked about her French connection to backcourt.
08:19Looks like she's been playing with a new vibe this season. What looks different about her game?
08:24We know that crazy three that she took that I still can't believe that she hit. Maddie, I was watching
08:29physics. I have no idea.
08:32Yeah, we've seen her take some shots. And you and I have talked about this before, but that was that
08:37was that was different.
08:38Have you seen a change in her confidence compared to previous years of her playing for this Liberty Swap?
08:44Definitely. I mean, I think she's also, you know, being put in a different position and maybe even this like
08:50style maybe compliments her.
08:51But but Chris and his staff made very clear early on to Maureen that you have the green light.
08:56Shoot whatever you think you should shoot. You know, we're not worried about you taking bad shots.
09:01And I think that that was very strategic in just to show their confidence in her as a shooter and
09:07to allow her to get that, you know, rep and like get that get that going for her.
09:12Because obviously her confidence, she's one of those players who never gets too high, but can sometimes get too low
09:20or too hard on herself when things aren't clicking, when things aren't going the right way.
09:24Like she can be her own worst critic sometimes. And so they don't want that to happen. Obviously, they want
09:29her to be even keeled.
09:30And she's even talked about that's her goal this season is to be even keeled. And I talked to her.
09:34It was after the D or was before the D.C. win. And we talked about last season what happened
09:40in the playoffs where she was cut out of the rotation and and how that impacted her offseason.
09:46And she said it wasn't until January that she really felt like she could she felt like herself again.
09:52Her confidence was shot after the season. And, you know, there were a few reasons why.
09:57And a few people that like helped her. Kristen Mann was somebody that she talked about a workout that they
10:02had together in Turkey in January that really kind of helped Maureen flip that switch.
10:08But, you know, yeah, she's playing with this like newfound confidence and the liberty of reaping the rewards for it.
10:13Yeah, I thought that you just want to let people know you had a really good article on that when
10:17you talked to her.
10:18And I thought it was really good for people to get the insight on what athletes can go through sometimes
10:22that even the confidence can be lost and how it can be gained back, how you need that support system.
10:26And that's what I took away from that. And that's definitely so important.
10:29What do you think about this early stretch? I know it's four games, Matty, but without the key stars we
10:35talked about, no Satu, no Sab.
10:38Do you think this early stretch could benefit the liberty long term because it's forcing ladies who will definitely be
10:46role players and more in that role when they when those guys come back?
10:49When Sab and Satu come back, do you think this stretch can help those players develop earlier?
10:55Like we're seeing what Pauline asked here, like we're seeing what Maureen Johannis, do you think this is good for
10:59this liberty team the stretch are going through right now?
11:02Yeah, I think it allowed like Maureen to get her groove and find her flow and stuff like that and
11:07just get reps in this offense in like live action.
11:09And Pauline, you know, again, like this was an opportunity for her to step up to the plate and that's
11:15exactly what she did.
11:16And so I think that as difficult as it is to be without a Sabrina Unescu and a Satu Saboli
11:21and a Leonie Feevich and, you know, Raquel Carrera.
11:24Yeah, I think that this allowed other players to get reps.
11:30It allowed other players to build their confidence, allowed them to start the season off on a high note.
11:35And I think that that will bode well, like moving forward.
11:38And then also, I think that this just shows Rebecca Allen, I think, was talking about this earlier this week,
11:43that the way that they're playing allows for pieces to come out and other pieces to step like to fill
11:50in these like gaps and stuff.
11:51And so because of that, I think that this was a good test to see if that actually is accurate
11:55and if that it can can happen.
11:58And I think that, again, like that just reiterated that this offense is is exciting.
12:03It's it's lethal.
12:06But there are some things that still need to be tweaked.
12:11Yeah, some tweaks that need to be made.
12:13Definitely for sure.
12:13Now, look, the fans, they are going to be excited to see Sab return and Satu Saboli return to two
12:20things.
12:20I guess what are you hearing about their return?
12:22Is that potentially coming soon?
12:24And how do you think Chris DiMarco is going to balance reintegrating his stars into lineup without disrupting the flow
12:30that this team has sort of built through this first four games?
12:33We're recording this Wednesday before practice.
12:35And so heading into practice, my understanding is that Sabrina and Satu are game day decisions.
12:42As it comes to Raquel and Leonie, I've been told that they'll be here by the end of the week,
12:48or that's at least the hope, the plan.
12:50Again, there's going to be an integration process.
12:52I don't expect everyone to just all of a sudden like be cleared to go right away.
12:57Chris even said earlier this week that he anticipated Raquel and Leo to have some days just to like I
13:05mean, they just went on a championship run, you know, just to let them get fresh again.
13:08And so, you know, I again, like Sabrina and Satu are, to my understanding, game day decisions for Thursday against
13:16the Golden State Valkyries.
13:17And then we'll we'll see where things are go from there.
13:20I will make note that the Liberty did wave I'll be Griffin.
13:23So that does give us some indication that somebody is coming back on Thursday.
13:29Yeah.
13:29So we know somebody will come back on Thursday to see.
13:32So now here's the thing.
13:33Last thing before we get out of here.
13:35Thursday, play the Valkyries.
13:36This starts a seven game homestand for the Liberty.
13:40So Maddie's going to be with us for a little bit.
13:42She does not have to go back on the road.
13:44How important is this stretch, the seven game homestand for rhythm building before the schedule gets tougher later in the
13:49summer, as we know will happen?
13:50And what are you going to be keeping an eye on with this Liberty team during the seven game homestand?
13:56Yeah, they have some long road trips like in late June and July, maybe even August.
14:03I feel like the day is all blurred together.
14:06You know what I mean?
14:06But I think that this homestand is an opportunity to build some momentum, to allow players to get healthy and
14:15get some rest, to really be able to set the tone and have a strong June.
14:22I mean, the standings of this, like when you look at the WNBA standings this year, this was the first
14:28time since 2022 that every single team suffered at least one loss 10 days into the season.
14:34That speaks highly about some of the parody.
14:36And then obviously there are instances where teams pulling over another one.
14:41And so there were a few, like, I don't know if quirky is the right word, but a few wins
14:45that, you know, could have been a coin flip.
14:48But I do think that, you know, this league is pretty, it still has its tiers, but it's definitely a
14:55little bit more balanced than I think people thought.
14:56And again, as the season progresses, we're going to start seeing, we're going to start seeing separation, most likely.
15:03And so I think the liberty, like, you've got to use this homestand to your advantage.
15:07You've got to use this homestand as an opportunity to start to create that separation to feel, to set yourself
15:14up for success, you know, later in the season.
15:16Because adversity is bound to happen.
15:19When you have those long road trips, it's hard to win out long road trips.
15:24And so you want to make sure that you're taking advantage of whenever you're at home and whenever you're at
15:28home for a long period of time, you want to make sure you're taking advantage of that opportunity and taking
15:32care of business in front of your home fans when you have them behind you.
15:36Yep. Don't play with your food.
15:37That's what you want to see the liberty do.
15:38They got seven games in a row at home.
15:41And yeah, Maddie's right.
15:42There's some long road trips that Maddie's going to be on later in this season.
15:46But the Liberty off to a good start.
15:48Three and one on the season, Maddie.
15:50They open up the seven game homestand against the Valkyries on Thursday.
15:53Hopefully somebody will be back.
15:54We'll have more for you on that.
15:56That's going to do it for this edition of Liberty Lately.
15:58That is the great Madeline Kenny.
15:59I'm Dexter Henry.
16:00We'll catch you next time.
16:01Another edition of Liberty Lately.
16:03Peace.
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