Will Marta Suarez Fit the Valkyries? 2026 Draft Breakdown with Hunter Cruse | Podhalla

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[SPEAKER_00]: It's the second episode of Pot Hall of the Week.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Brian, I was at a town and you did a really cool interview with Nathan, is it can allow?

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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.

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[SPEAKER_00]: who is who's on the a barrier well news group but what is there uh... i think it's called the barion news group but i was just saying it was the center he's just he writes for the mercury and i would i really liked about you guys discussion

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[SPEAKER_00]: And this is interesting when it comes from a journalism perspective.

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[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know how young or old he is, he sounds like, you know, someone who's kind of getting started in his career or early in his career rather than like a calicabi or a Marcus Thompson.

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[SPEAKER_00]: or a Susan Slusher and those folks who've been around forever.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And I really liked his energy in what he was talking about, very passionate.

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[SPEAKER_00]: But the thing that I was so interested in, because you talked about the conversation that Oh, him ahead with the reporters after the draft and how she kind of just no sold everything.

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[SPEAKER_00]: It was like, I'm just talking about it.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And he was like, yeah, you know, we have our own little chat group with the reporters and, you know, where we're discussing it and the thing is that journalism is such a relationship's business.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So think about how Marcus Thompson is like the guy who can get the Steph Curry quote if he needs it, right?

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[SPEAKER_00]: You know, there are other examples like that.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And so for for him to weather to criticize and how to criticize.

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[SPEAKER_00]: her comments is is very interesting because I'm sure as she is watching how she is being covered, she's watching how the Valkyries are being covered.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And I thought he had, you know, not not that he explained anything or now that he gave his own strategy about what journalism should expect or what reporters should expect.

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[SPEAKER_00]: But I thought he was pretty to the point of like,

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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, how does this affect, you know, the conversation about this draft, is it about oh him or is it about the move and I thought that was really interesting way to look at it and I was thinking.

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[SPEAKER_00]: you know, how would I, you know, you always put yourself in those shoes, right?

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[SPEAKER_00]: As those things are happening or like how would I do it or whatever?

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[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, I have a journalism degree, but I wouldn't call myself a working journalist in any way, except when I do some of the wrestling stuff, I kind of, I kind of mirror some of those principles and ethics when I do the wrestling stuff, which is almost impossible because the wrestling business is

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[SPEAKER_00]: built on the idea of just locking, right?

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[SPEAKER_00]: So I was with our buddy Ben Cruz in San Jose for an AW show.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And

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[SPEAKER_00]: there was going to be a press conference.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Like they were saying media, we want you to be here early because we're going to have a press conference.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And to me, a press conference is a skit.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Like I'm like, okay, this is going to be a skit.

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[SPEAKER_00]: I don't want anything to do with this.

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[SPEAKER_00]: But to Ben, who is a content creator in addition to being a podcast producer, having himself or having his voice or the wringer in this skit

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[SPEAKER_00]: So somebody who you know, but who our audience may not know is a guy by the name of MJF.

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[SPEAKER_00]: He may even be more known to this audience for being in Happy Gilmour 2 than for being the AEW World Champion.

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[SPEAKER_00]: But he's like, you know, if you follow WWE and you see guys like CM Punk and Roman Reigns, he's like that person to AEW.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And so I was helping Ben shoot an interview with him.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And I introduced myself to him.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And he's like, oh, hey, I know you.

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[SPEAKER_00]: I enjoy, you know, your thoughtfulness, or whatever, X, Y, and Z.

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[SPEAKER_00]: That's how he's just a really good at the media stuff.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And he said, are you going to stick around for the press conference?

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[SPEAKER_00]: And I was like, you know, to do what I do in the way that I do it, I can't be involved.

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[SPEAKER_00]: in a skit, right?

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[SPEAKER_00]: It kind of takes away the meaningfulness that I feel like I bring to this field of wrestling media.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So I was like, yeah, and he's like, I totally get it.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And I didn't do it, I was on the side when all this stuff was happening.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And so that's like my only real experience in like trying to bring those ethics into that world.

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[SPEAKER_00]: But to see something like Nathan having to deal with this in real time, how hard do I press them for an answer?

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[SPEAKER_00]: When we talk again, he even mentioned,

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[SPEAKER_00]: is she going to have a strategy or she's got all of these several days to have an answer is she going to go the same tact as she did or she going to actually have a thoughtful answer.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So this is something that is worth watching because you know we've been doing this

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[SPEAKER_00]: It's just going to grow as they become more relevant to the Bay Area as the WMBA grows.

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[SPEAKER_00]: The doctors are going to grow.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And then there's going to be more magnifying glasses on the people behind the scenes.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Like imagine, if Mike Dunlevy, when he traded for criss stops and coming as a part of the deal,

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[SPEAKER_00]: If he was like, you know, what guys I'm really tired of sitting a long day, I'm not gonna talk about the strategy behind what we did, like he would get roasted, right?

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[SPEAKER_00]: But there's this level right now with Ohemma and with just with the Valkyries organization where you're kind of like, okay, they're getting their feet wet here.

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[SPEAKER_00]: They're trying to figure this thing out.

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[SPEAKER_00]: They get the benefit of the doubt.

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[SPEAKER_00]: They had a great season in season one.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And you know, I think the key is to this entire thing

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[SPEAKER_00]: is used day because if she performs, then there's something for ohema to go.

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[SPEAKER_00]: That's what we were doing, like, you know, we asked you to be patient with this move and look look at what happened, the benefits of having this player come in as a rookie, having more professional experience under her belt.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And so thus, in a sense, saying, trust that we are being thoughtful about this process.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So I thought, I thought what you guys talked about was pretty cool.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So that you have any after doing the interview with Nathan Gibb and the other thoughts about, you know, kind of what

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[SPEAKER_02]: Not really.

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[SPEAKER_02]: I kind of feel like we just talked in depth about everything, all the angles and, you know, I feel like the way I felt going into it hasn't changed that much since, you know, after we did the show, but that's not to say anything.

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[SPEAKER_02]: It was just that, you know, I thought we had a really in depth and thoughtful conversation and, you know, not that we even had really conflicting ideas.

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[SPEAKER_02]: I think we're probably on the same page for a lot of it.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Um, so you, so that at the back half of this, this is just a short interview, but you brought on another WMBA, uh, reporter, draft person Hunter Cruz.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Is this last name really Cruz?

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[SPEAKER_00]: Or is it like a Tom's group?

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[SPEAKER_00]: It's not built like Tommy, but Steve, CRU, SC, no, it's cool less name.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And our friend Ben Cruz, also a very cool last name.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So you guys talked and about the draft as well, any takeaways or not not takeaways, but any things that you want to preview before we throw it to that interview.

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[SPEAKER_02]: I guess I would say if you're coming in here to be really excited about what the Valkyries did, I would temper the excitement a little bit.

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[SPEAKER_02]: As I told Hunter, I really respect what he does and his work and I believe that everything's very thoughtful and for the most part, he's probably right in a lot of this.

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[SPEAKER_02]: He was not that high on what the Valkyries did on draft 9.

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[SPEAKER_02]: Neither

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[SPEAKER_00]: we're a lot of people, but I haven't seen anybody who has been high on what they did.

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[SPEAKER_00]: I listened to the no-off season podcast, which went up right after the draft on Monday.

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[SPEAKER_00]: I think they did a live stream.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And I think they were

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[SPEAKER_00]: fair because they understood the strategic piece of it, but they did not dig into how oh him talk to the reporters very deeply and they were just covered a little bit and they were kind of just like, well, you know, maybe it's not the, maybe it's not the fit, but again, it's more along the lines of you kind of have to

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[SPEAKER_00]: see the inner workings of what they're doing to understand it.

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[SPEAKER_00]: But part of that is telling the people what the inner workings are so that the people understand it because ultimately

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[SPEAKER_00]: basketball in this sense is entertainment.

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[SPEAKER_00]: It is more entertainment than it is actually sports when you have a fan base that you are selling a product to.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And so I think she understands that.

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[SPEAKER_00]: I think she just, she just right now knows what she can get away with and knows that what she's going to be press on.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And if she gets press on like if,

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[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I bring this up because Tim Calcami is like capital J journalism right reporter like if he was starting to cover the Valkyries a little bit more because of what he does and he's going to these zoom calls or he's involved it like he's going to ask hard question this is what he does like he's they're going to be very thoughtful.

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[SPEAKER_00]: But they're going to be also, they're not going to be glossy questions.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And so that's just kind of what's coming.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that brass is very smart, Joe Lake of obviously understands the what happens when

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[SPEAKER_00]: your team becomes bigger than life and he's been there before and I hope that they learn from these moments because ultimately you are marketing a team to an area of fans that are so invested right now.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So you don't have to tell us your strategy but give us a little something.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And understand that these are the pieces that are going to be written the next day in everybody's newspaper or website or newsletter like Mercen, Jimmy's new newsletter, which is really cool.

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[SPEAKER_00]: By the way, I'm supporting it.

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[SPEAKER_00]: I'm subscribed.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, this is part of a marketing of a team.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So

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[SPEAKER_00]: Anyways, all right, let's get to the the hunter interview and that was good stuff.

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[SPEAKER_00]: You getting to really solid people to come on and talk about this stuff in a row on this podcast.

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[SPEAKER_00]: I hope the listeners appreciate it.

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[SPEAKER_00]: You've mentioned the people in the discord several times in the discussion with Nathan, which should tell them,

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[SPEAKER_00]: those who are listening how important they are to us because we're not just growing a podcast network.

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[SPEAKER_00]: We are growing community and that's what you know ultimately how you support this thing is you build a community around the the shows and around these things.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So hopefully people get a kick out of it.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And yeah, let's throw it to your interview with Hunter Cruz.

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[SPEAKER_02]: How's it going, everyone?

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[SPEAKER_02]: Welcome back to another episode of Pot Hallow.

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[SPEAKER_02]: We're still missing a half of this podcast in San Diego.

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[SPEAKER_02]: I believe he gets back tonight.

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[SPEAKER_02]: So maybe we record the intro or like the outro to this show.

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[SPEAKER_02]: And then this will lead into.

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[SPEAKER_02]: interview.

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[SPEAKER_02]: I'm doing right now with a very, very special guest, someone who's draft analysis.

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[SPEAKER_02]: I have been referencing on this podcast for years.

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[SPEAKER_02]: And that would be the Hunter Cruz Hunter provides top notch WMBA draft coverage for the Bluetooth report and the nine sports Hunter.

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[SPEAKER_02]: How are you today?

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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm doing well.

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[SPEAKER_01]: A lot of stuff talk about right now with the draft for agency Golden State.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So we'll hash that out today.

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[SPEAKER_02]: A lot to talk about, indeed, man, just having all this back to back to back.

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[SPEAKER_02]: I've kind of been saying this on the show, but just it's like fan Disney land of the idea of having, you know, your free agency, then the draft and free agency still going on.

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[SPEAKER_02]: And it leads right into training camp.

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[SPEAKER_02]: But we're in preseason in a couple weeks.

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[SPEAKER_02]: It's just like from a fan perspective.

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[SPEAKER_02]: This is like the greatest thing ever.

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[SPEAKER_02]: But I can understand from like a content perspective from you.

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[SPEAKER_02]: you're perspective maybe this is like this is a lot like I went from you know watching college which I know that the college and and WMBA draft turnaround is always you know pretty quick there but from going into free agency in the middle of the college you know March Madness tournament and now we're in the draft and and now we're about to get going here in a while so how's that been for you

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[SPEAKER_02]: It's been a lot.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I think the crazy part is you're going to the two days before the draft, and you're like, okay, all these big free agents have even signed yet, and it's like the drafts in 48 hours that they have before the draft, you're getting like, Gary Williams getting signed, and all that's like just getting these big signings, and you don't have as much time to sit with your thoughts, and that's why like pre-draft, like the mock drafts I was doing, I was just purely going off like what I would do.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Like I was just like, okay, number one, I would take all of our family number one, but it's the last amount of draft you see what Dallas does.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, okay, at this point, easy fudge going one.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, just lug going on, but that's fun.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, my little theory here.

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[SPEAKER_02]: I might be the only time we see something like this.

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[SPEAKER_02]: I guess, unless, you know, the next CBA, there's like a little old out of getting right, but just yeah, the fact that,

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[SPEAKER_02]: You know, you can make these signings that just completely change what you're going to do in the draft and I feel like most draft analysts and also like myself like the rationale is like kind of best player available and turn like until like a certain point until like a certain tier of maybe that it prospects that have been taken right.

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[SPEAKER_02]: But, you know, at least towards like the middle of the first round and then for the rest of the draft, it's like, you know, the players who you signed hours before, days before, could completely impact, to you take, which is just something you just never really see.

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[SPEAKER_02]: So it's been really exciting and just to follow, you know, the Philopoo notifications, the costable notifications, all the newsbreakers and

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[SPEAKER_02]: and just like who's going where, because I expected more, I feel like, but it was still pretty good from what we got in terms of player movement and in terms of the fun breaking news.

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[SPEAKER_02]: But I just wanted to let you know, I kind of let you know a little bit pre-pod, but your kind of draft or prospect evaluation that you do with Emily Adler and Lincoln Shaffer on the nine sports is I think the best one.

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[SPEAKER_02]: out there like I think it's my favorite one and just the cops and you know there's the MBA comp and the WMBA comp and there's the ceiling comp and the floor comp like it's just so all inclusive and you know of course I have a I really I really enjoy watching baseball too and keeping up with their prospect so like I I do like the 20 to 80 prospect grading tool and and I guess I wanted to ask you like how long have you guys been doing this one and two what's

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[SPEAKER_01]: I think we started doing it, me and Emily started potting in 2022, we brought Lincoln on like a year and a half in, like, just through Twitter and like, hey, this dude's like,

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[SPEAKER_01]: Just like us, you know, it's nerdy, I always prospects you, the cops, and we're just always thinking about this.

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[SPEAKER_01]: We'll just randomly be thinking about 11pm on Monday, night, and December, and like, hey, this is the, this is the comp, highest roster we've given out, so we, we actually had a series where we went back, and I guess I guess the historical comp, I would say Candace Parker was our highest historical comp, just off like college tape, trying not to contextualize

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[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, the next one, and honestly, might be like Sarah strong.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Like, that's probably like, if we're talking like future, like I think Sarah strong probably ranks higher than everybody.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Like, since we've started doing this in 2023, around that time period.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Um, but like Caitlin Clark's probably the highest we've graded set of her.

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[SPEAKER_02]: Have you guys done like a way to early like 2027 kind of,

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[SPEAKER_02]: prospect evaluation for with that grading system or no.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Not yet.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I think in a next in the next month or so we'll have a ranking coming out of like the post draft board.

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[SPEAKER_01]: We didn't do it last year because time purposes, but the year before that, where we rank like the top prospects we have remaining for college basketball that are in college basketball from like the sophomores, the rising sophomores to the seniors in this next draft class, which got to put that together.

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[SPEAKER_02]: Oh man, I was just listening to your live stream and we were talking like this player just got drafted in real time.

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[SPEAKER_02]: Who the ace is drafted?

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[SPEAKER_02]: Genie Barker.

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[SPEAKER_02]: You guys put me on a Genie Barker like a couple years ago with the with the comp being like Bizarro and Alyssa Smith.

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[SPEAKER_02]: I loved reading the most recent one and the comp was still Bizarro.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, I was just one of that with Lincoln and Emily and the funny part about the Genie comp is like,

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[SPEAKER_01]: Genial like we started off way high on her because like you saw what she was as a freshman and a sophomore So we're like the nilisa comp just like it went from this is this is like the floor to like this is the average like To now it's like this is like the seal That's just that's just right Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's still like kind of the idea of what she is, but they kind of changed from it's changed from yeah got it

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[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like I can nerd out about this stuff.

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[SPEAKER_02]: You guys are way more tapped in than I am, but I love looking at like prospect grading.

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[SPEAKER_02]: And like, so the last question I'll ask you before we get into the whole draft night is, I guess, how far of a gap do you anticipate?

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[SPEAKER_02]: the juju Sarah evaluation being when juju's year and who knows if she goes to the WMBA this year with she probably gets another year of eligibility because the injury that'd be a crazy 28 draft that feels juju and Sarah but but how since you say that you think Sarah might be the you know the highest one that you guys grade in real time of all time

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[SPEAKER_02]: That obviously, you know, skips over juju.

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[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm wondering, like, how close would you have juju to her?

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[SPEAKER_02]: Just like, I don't know, way too early.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I think we already went together and like put our combined boards for that.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Or we'll have coming out.

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[SPEAKER_01]: We had 80s on both of them.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So like, we believe like perennial MVP candidate for both, right?

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[SPEAKER_01]: I just think we'll we prefer Sarah right now.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Just for us all around profile.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, but like if they're if they're on the draft together, that's like,

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[SPEAKER_01]: because he all times laughed.

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[SPEAKER_02]: Like, it's like, yeah, they're great.

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[SPEAKER_02]: Agreed.

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[SPEAKER_02]: No, I love that stuff.

19:09.038 --> 19:12.529
[SPEAKER_02]: And like, I think I was just like, in my own head, I think.

19:13.522 --> 19:19.149
[SPEAKER_02]: just like the idea of, and I don't think they should do this, but if like they were just like, you know what?

19:19.169 --> 19:20.791
[SPEAKER_02]: Freshmans can come out one and done.

19:20.851 --> 19:27.639
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, what would the super draft look like if everyone was eligible and like, would Sarah Strong go number one as a sophomore as a freshman?

19:27.799 --> 19:30.943
[SPEAKER_01]: I think she would, she would, and I think she would.

19:31.303 --> 19:34.527
[SPEAKER_01]: I've always wondered, like, all it would take is like one person to like sue.

19:34.928 --> 19:37.411
[SPEAKER_01]: And like the Rose would change, but nobody's ever contested it.

19:37.891 --> 19:38.432
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.

19:39.560 --> 19:54.656
[SPEAKER_02]: Man, that would be so crazy, but, okay, okay, so again, yeah, this is a Valkyries podcast and there is crazy that happened on draft night that, you know, I was listening to your live stream and and I was listening to your live stream today.

19:54.676 --> 20:05.086
[SPEAKER_02]: I didn't actually listen to it during the draft and I thought it was funny to like, no, what's going to happen, but like wait for you, you know, what's going to happen and it didn't disappoint.

20:05.166 --> 20:08.790
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, I think I think an in Valkyries

20:08.770 --> 20:14.081
[SPEAKER_02]: there was more like spiraling, I guess, then you had more of a grounded reaction.

20:14.101 --> 20:18.831
[SPEAKER_02]: It was still like, I mean, as great as their first ever trade.

20:18.851 --> 20:22.138
[SPEAKER_02]: So let me just get into it real quick, is that

20:22.270 --> 20:30.585
[SPEAKER_02]: So I spent the entirety of our last podcast discussing the Flage trade that shocked the WMA world, but I obviously can't just not get your opinion on it.

20:30.966 --> 20:33.991
[SPEAKER_02]: And I listen to your live broadcast of the draft and I've seen your draft grades.

20:34.773 --> 20:36.255
[SPEAKER_02]: So I think I know what you're going to say.

20:36.937 --> 20:38.880
[SPEAKER_02]: But what did you think about the move?

20:40.002 --> 20:40.303
[SPEAKER_01]: awful.

20:40.763 --> 20:46.033
[SPEAKER_01]: There's like there's no explaining how bad it was.

20:47.313 --> 21:12.291
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess like in it was the even where to part was just the comments after like there was no justification for why I don't know if you brought it up on the last part, I think it'll listen to it yet, but I guess the idea was that they already had an agreement in in place, I guess it's kind of like the the idea of They didn't think somebody of that quality or they write Gabriella Hawkins or bus was a kind of like some icon of sol 2 Or like they want to Gabriella Hawkins, so when she was off the board, they didn't care for anybody else.

21:12.608 --> 21:15.030
[SPEAKER_01]: So like to them, they were fine, like trading back.

21:15.290 --> 21:23.658
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, like to me from a value standpoint, that's kind of what I go back to is I just from a process, like perspective, trading eight for 16 in a future second round pick.

21:23.978 --> 21:26.761
[SPEAKER_01]: Like if you have a draft scale, like this is not the NFL.

21:26.961 --> 21:30.644
[SPEAKER_01]: Like this is not like you're trading six bucks back in your second round pick.

21:30.664 --> 21:33.307
[SPEAKER_01]: The talent gap is so gigantic between those picks.

21:33.807 --> 21:36.830
[SPEAKER_01]: In a 20, 28 second round pick, who knows what that is?

21:36.870 --> 21:38.291
[SPEAKER_01]: Like it's probably not anybody good.

21:38.972 --> 21:41.434
[SPEAKER_01]: And if you can always get a second round pick, if you want it like.

21:41.752 --> 21:42.553
[SPEAKER_01]: pretty easy to get that.

21:43.134 --> 21:55.373
[SPEAKER_01]: Just felt like they were just trading back for no reason, and if you had all this time to scout, it seems crazy to me if it was Gabriella Hawker's or bus that you're just settling on one prospect, you know, like anybody else.

21:56.295 --> 22:02.865
[SPEAKER_01]: And then it's like for the players and what made it even worse to me is I've never been a huge Martha Swarez fan.

22:02.845 --> 22:27.688
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, like, from March to the idea always was six foot three, a shooter, and you saw that this year at TCU, like, she's a good shooter, but she's always been pretty streaky and that's kind of we get with her where she's 24 years old around there, six year senior, the turnovers are crazy, like, pretty wild for someone that's like a four, last year at Cal was like four turnovers

22:28.023 --> 22:52.984
[SPEAKER_01]: what you would see for like not even many point cards this year was a little bit lower but decision making can be all over the place um so to me I really never thought she was like really after like early in the year I thought there was a chance but once the once the shot cooled off I just never saw her as like a major prospect like worth drafting this high I get like there's a chance she could shoot and make a stretch big but the athleticism's not all there and to me it's just like

22:53.757 --> 22:54.979
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, you're just hoping she shoots.

22:55.379 --> 22:59.306
[SPEAKER_01]: And I was like, I'd rather just take Flage Johnson who the upside's way higher.

22:59.326 --> 23:01.329
[SPEAKER_01]: I know she's like a pretty good shooter.

23:02.190 --> 23:02.831
[SPEAKER_01]: She defends.

23:04.053 --> 23:10.242
[SPEAKER_01]: And I was so excited about the idea of like Perry, like I understand they already have a lot of wings, but you can never have enough like wing size.

23:11.184 --> 23:17.233
[SPEAKER_01]: You just never can have enough of it when even if you already have Gabby and all these other wings that do similar things,

23:18.108 --> 23:20.771
[SPEAKER_01]: And then I really wasn't a fan of like their second row pick either.

23:20.991 --> 23:21.732
[SPEAKER_01]: We can talk about that after.

23:22.013 --> 23:22.133
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.

23:22.153 --> 23:22.253
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.

23:22.273 --> 23:30.663
[SPEAKER_02]: We're going to get into of Marda and and the goat Cokerotanaka, but she's the most fun.

23:30.683 --> 23:34.247
[SPEAKER_01]: Like honestly, if I have to like, she's crazy.

23:34.487 --> 23:35.828
[SPEAKER_02]: I watched, I will get into it.

23:35.848 --> 23:39.553
[SPEAKER_02]: But I did watch, I watched the feebo qualifying tournament.

23:39.613 --> 23:44.098
[SPEAKER_02]: Japan versus what country does Dorker represent again?

23:44.433 --> 23:44.994
[SPEAKER_02]: hungry.

23:45.455 --> 23:48.740
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I watched that game and oh my god, Japan's like a kind of fun to watch.

23:48.900 --> 23:50.122
[SPEAKER_02]: Like really fun to watch.

23:50.223 --> 23:52.406
[SPEAKER_02]: They're fast and they just shoot trees.

23:53.789 --> 23:57.615
[SPEAKER_02]: But back to the flagey thing and I don't want to spend too much time on it again.

23:57.675 --> 24:10.997
[SPEAKER_02]: We talked about it last show and so most folks have probably heard my opinion, but I'll just quickly kind of sum it up and that I'm with you and I think just from a value perspective is where, you know,

24:11.298 --> 24:16.327
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, I'm a Neon in the Valkyrie's GM might say in the introductory presser.

24:16.347 --> 24:32.736
[SPEAKER_02]: I am assuming she clear some of those comments up in the introductory presser for Mark the Soras and you can convince me that, you know, the rationale and the fit is better for Marta, but you can't convince me that they didn't mess up, you know, from a value perspective of the trade.

24:33.277 --> 24:36.242
[SPEAKER_02]: Like I was saying on

24:36.222 --> 24:42.730
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, they had the eighth pick, but Flage Johnson, someone who you had number six on your board, I had number five on mine.

24:42.770 --> 24:44.413
[SPEAKER_02]: That's no longer the eighth pick.

24:44.493 --> 24:56.408
[SPEAKER_02]: That's still like, you know, it's a tier of players that was still available at eight who, you know, and I think after Flage's gone, if Flage wasn't there, I think that trade,

24:56.388 --> 25:25.382
[SPEAKER_02]: Although I still, you know, question the value a little bit, it makes a lot more sense because now you're looking at, you know, that next tier of prospects that I think is just, you know, a completely different tier than than what Flahj was in, but because it was Flahj, I think that that pic still has, you know, more value and I wonder what, you know, if the fair trade would have been didn't see I don't have another first run pic that they went.

25:26.240 --> 25:27.922
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't understand like some of these trades.

25:28.003 --> 25:34.452
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't understand how it's eight for 16 instead of yeah, eight for 14, even though I wouldn't have liked it.

25:34.492 --> 25:44.327
[SPEAKER_01]: Still, but it's, I think eight for 16 is that too much that's for, no, I mean, no, both, I mean, that's probably like the closer you'll get even fair value.

25:44.347 --> 25:56.044
[SPEAKER_01]: Like what I've still done that, like I still think, like the tier break out of just taking the best player available, and I can see like how it works with Marta and like fit wise, but isn't she kind of just

25:58.100 --> 26:18.606
[SPEAKER_01]: haven't completely thought of her in the genel salon because they're like they're both like okay your idea is like six foot of three spacers and like to me I'm like I know genel is like I think the decision making like really improve like throughout the year and like the shot selection really improved like they kind of optimized her shop profile a lot more as the year went on and to me I'm like I think they're like the same age too so I'm like

26:19.126 --> 26:20.868
[SPEAKER_02]: I think you'll make it like a year or two honor.

26:21.209 --> 26:23.432
[SPEAKER_02]: I think I don't, I thought Janelle was like, maybe 25.

26:23.552 --> 26:24.414
[SPEAKER_02]: I could be wrong.

26:24.994 --> 26:27.238
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, but it's hard to do.

26:27.258 --> 26:30.602
[SPEAKER_01]: Hopefully someone like this where your position locked it is a four, right?

26:30.642 --> 26:32.225
[SPEAKER_01]: There's not a five, she's not a three.

26:32.725 --> 26:38.033
[SPEAKER_02]: No, there's no, I watched, you know, I actually decided to choose to watch her, her best game today.

26:38.053 --> 26:48.508
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it was her best game, the sweet 16 game against Virginia, where she had like, a lot of points and and like I could see and I guess let me just jump into my next question

26:48.488 --> 26:55.039
[SPEAKER_02]: So you had Mark the Sora as ranked in the low 20s on your board, whereas the Valkyries clearly had her ranked much higher.

26:56.641 --> 27:01.269
[SPEAKER_02]: What do you think the Valkyries might have been valuing that you might not be, you know, valuing as high?

27:02.631 --> 27:03.853
[SPEAKER_01]: They described her.

27:03.913 --> 27:08.100
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they believe there's more of the passing than I do.

27:09.025 --> 27:14.052
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just hard for me to bet on a player that's 1.7 assist, a 2.3.1 turn over.

27:14.573 --> 27:17.036
[SPEAKER_01]: They described her as like a high Q player, I guess like to me.

27:17.076 --> 27:20.721
[SPEAKER_01]: I just like don't entirely see that all that much, like the over dribbling.

27:20.741 --> 27:24.606
[SPEAKER_01]: And you saw it in the last game of her college career against South Carolina.

27:25.427 --> 27:27.330
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not going to say they lost the game because of her.

27:27.390 --> 27:30.755
[SPEAKER_01]: But at times in that game, she was like, it was bad.

27:30.795 --> 27:36.282
[SPEAKER_01]: Like four of 17 from the field, three of nine from two, one of eight from three.

27:37.105 --> 27:41.350
[SPEAKER_01]: And he had four feet, four thousand, all three of the last, they're in the major tournament games.

27:42.171 --> 27:44.294
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's really like if she had shot, it's like she's cool.

27:44.715 --> 27:48.019
[SPEAKER_01]: But if she's not hitting her three, he's like she doesn't add enough value in the insular areas.

27:48.039 --> 27:52.404
[SPEAKER_01]: Because the turnovers are so likely, yeah, she had 10 combined turnovers versus Washington and Virginia.

27:52.464 --> 27:56.129
[SPEAKER_01]: So like, to me, it's all like, will she make shots?

27:56.169 --> 27:58.472
[SPEAKER_01]: And if she doesn't, then,

27:58.958 --> 28:01.722
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not having to be a play like her for her career before this year.

28:01.802 --> 28:06.048
[SPEAKER_01]: A clash here was 31% from three year before that was 29 and it was 18 and it was 30.

28:06.569 --> 28:14.481
[SPEAKER_01]: Like there's not as substantial enough like sample size along with like the game to game variant for me to like believe there's even though high level shooter here.

28:14.501 --> 28:17.245
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's why I'm like Janelle Salon is like a six shooter.

28:17.265 --> 28:20.730
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I know Janelle is going to like shoot a super duper high level.

28:20.930 --> 28:34.095
[SPEAKER_01]: Now I don't really know if I want to have both of those players and if I'm going to have a lot of I'll just have a lot of wings that have like a bunch of fours the only have a repair who's got her like defensive issues too as like the kind of the also like perimeter based big too.

28:34.596 --> 28:34.857
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.

28:34.877 --> 28:41.189
[SPEAKER_02]: That's that's where it's kind of I've thought about that too and like you know is is the Martha Swara is an alien repair a little like you can't play him together.

28:41.329 --> 28:41.950
[SPEAKER_01]: You're getting it.

28:41.990 --> 28:42.511
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.

28:42.872 --> 28:42.972
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.

28:42.952 --> 28:49.801
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, Ellie can sometimes like masquerade is like a small ball five a little bit because she's like six four, but you know, the defense is kind of missing their boys.

28:49.881 --> 28:52.725
[SPEAKER_02]: Martha, I don't see a small ball five in her in her career.

28:52.745 --> 29:00.155
[SPEAKER_02]: I think she is position locked at the four, like you said, but I feel like, you know, from what I watched today, and of course, this is so biased because I just watched her best game.

29:00.195 --> 29:04.802
[SPEAKER_02]: And when I was watching TCU, I was probably mainly watching from an Olivia Miles perspective.

29:05.102 --> 29:08.807
[SPEAKER_02]: And I wasn't as much of watching Martha, but when I kind of had a Martha focus,

29:08.787 --> 29:22.341
[SPEAKER_02]: I felt like she was moving a lot on offense and and coming off of screens and you know some of the turnover stuff, you know, I wonder if they can simplify her game because from what I watch and I've already said what came I watch the turnovers were.

29:22.709 --> 29:25.276
[SPEAKER_02]: heard dribbling the ball into the paint.

29:26.158 --> 29:39.233
[SPEAKER_02]: And it wasn't as much of like, it's not like a bad pass or like throwing out of bounds as much as like, right, you know, one of the turnovers, and I'm sure there's many to go and look at, but at least one of the turnovers in this game was,

29:39.213 --> 29:44.041
[SPEAKER_02]: She was driving and I'm forgetting the six, seven center her name.

29:44.722 --> 29:45.563
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, there was Silva.

29:46.044 --> 29:47.527
[SPEAKER_02]: Clara Silva, she was in the paint.

29:48.248 --> 29:53.096
[SPEAKER_02]: And so Martha drew two and she just kind of did a little dump off past to Clara Silva.

29:53.116 --> 29:55.339
[SPEAKER_02]: And that could probably be a little bit of like know your personnel.

29:55.400 --> 29:58.064
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe she doesn't have the hands to get that one turnover.

29:58.505 --> 30:03.333
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think another one was just another just like in the lane, like got caught up in the lane.

30:04.074 --> 30:04.815
[SPEAKER_02]: And

30:04.795 --> 30:08.663
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like there is maybe some simplification they could do with their game.

30:08.683 --> 30:14.215
[SPEAKER_02]: I kind of believe I know I know in previous years that in Cal, like three point shooting wasn't as good.

30:14.255 --> 30:20.388
[SPEAKER_02]: But I feel like that free percentage has kind of come along a little bit in what in the high and 80s maybe mid to high.

30:20.408 --> 30:21.370
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, 1% this year.

30:21.350 --> 30:23.893
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, that often really either.

30:24.033 --> 30:24.614
[SPEAKER_02]: Right, right.

30:24.754 --> 30:43.539
[SPEAKER_02]: And I wondered too, if having Olivia Miles on your team and just, that's like a full-spaced offense and, you know, it's just pick and roll with Olivia and Clara's track to kick out to Marta or maybe there's just more wide open opportunities for her to feel more confident in that shot and therefore, you know, she finds that shot and is more confident in that shot.

30:43.739 --> 30:44.640
[SPEAKER_02]: And,

30:44.620 --> 30:55.411
[SPEAKER_02]: I hope that that that shot's going to translate into for the Valkyries because I actually don't have the I meant to look at the numbers before this podcast, but I want to say the Valkyries took a lot of threes and didn't make a lot of threes last year.

30:55.452 --> 30:55.952
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, they didn't.

30:56.573 --> 31:05.122
[SPEAKER_02]: So, you know, having you stay come in, who's a, you know, on paper, a great three point shooter, adding Mark the Sora's, great three point shooter, second round pig, Ashlyn Jackson.

31:05.142 --> 31:09.126
[SPEAKER_02]: I know she did not shoot well this year and I know you have thoughts about her three point shooting as well.

31:09.106 --> 31:22.967
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, previous years, maybe in the mid-30s, and then Coco Rotanaco, who is the shoots from deep, even a pick-up in Bailey Mopin, I think she's the mid-30s 3.2, but that shot looks good.

31:23.307 --> 31:30.017
[SPEAKER_02]: There's a clear, like, we want to add shooting to this roster, I think, from these pick-ups.

31:29.997 --> 31:34.343
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I think that Marta, there was that Valkyrie's got a lot of open looks last year too.

31:34.383 --> 31:35.965
[SPEAKER_02]: Like they were just missing open looks.

31:35.985 --> 31:45.276
[SPEAKER_02]: They just didn't have like, you know, these, these, these shooters on the roster like there's just a lot of people taking shots that probably didn't take that many three point shots in their career.

31:45.637 --> 31:59.194
[SPEAKER_02]: And I do think that, you know, adding some of these players and we're going to talk about if you think Marta has a shot and at the main roster at the 12 woman roster, but you know, I do think that that can come along.

31:59.528 --> 32:07.338
[SPEAKER_02]: And I just hope that yeah, maybe they can simplify her game a little bit and she can get into the lane and make easier passes or I do feel like there is a playmaking feel there.

32:08.179 --> 32:11.424
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, she she'll make she'll make some cool passes sometimes.

32:12.545 --> 32:19.374
[SPEAKER_01]: But I guess to me, like the idea with like this player would be like someone that six foot three can draw close out to that close out occasionally like drive to the rim.

32:19.975 --> 32:27.645
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's like if I don't trust going to make the right decisions and like over dribble and like just do some crazy stuff with the ball, like doesn't read help quick enough.

32:28.334 --> 32:31.037
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd rather just sort of a simple role.

32:31.177 --> 32:33.079
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd rather just someone that I know they can play that role.

32:33.480 --> 32:37.565
[SPEAKER_01]: Versalike, projecting, because you're kind of looking at the profile.

32:37.585 --> 32:38.626
[SPEAKER_01]: Like this is what she's always been.

32:38.646 --> 32:40.728
[SPEAKER_01]: She's 24 years old, it's a fifth year senior.

32:40.868 --> 32:48.978
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not like you're looking at a 21-year-old like, I think that's the thing with Adina Acau, like you see her feel issues, but she's, she didn't start playing basketball until she was 17 years old.

32:49.759 --> 32:55.405
[SPEAKER_01]: Like there's some like late development, late bloomer there, first like Bartza, who's just been in college.

32:55.385 --> 33:07.318
[SPEAKER_01]: some of that stuff hasn't improved if she shoots threes like there's real like shooting like if if you like I said if you watch her best games like the off movement shooting like there's not many players I can do that at six foot three

33:08.328 --> 33:09.189
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's like game to game.

33:09.850 --> 33:17.320
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think like personally for me, like role-player wise, I would rather just like more stability in the skill set, versus like if she's not hitting shot, I just think she's kind of employable.

33:17.821 --> 33:23.989
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's a little bit of like a unique like play style to where it's either really got to work or really might not work.

33:26.052 --> 33:28.435
[SPEAKER_02]: So I mean, you know, we'll see.

33:28.635 --> 33:31.479
[SPEAKER_02]: And so the boundaries, they currently, sorry, did you have some more?

33:31.499 --> 33:35.905
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you're saying about like rostering her, I feel like they kind of have to roster her.

33:35.885 --> 33:37.006
[SPEAKER_02]: So that is my next question.

33:37.046 --> 33:46.174
[SPEAKER_02]: Without these, they have 10 players who are not on training cam contracts or either guaranteed deals or, I guess, rookie skill contracts.

33:46.895 --> 33:50.919
[SPEAKER_02]: And there's a chance that they only have two spots left to fill the main roster.

33:50.979 --> 33:53.621
[SPEAKER_02]: And then they'll have the additional two developmental spots.

33:54.422 --> 34:05.892
[SPEAKER_02]: And with Chen and Ami here, two players that were on the roster last year on training cam deals, do you think Svores has a good chance to make the main 12

34:05.872 --> 34:12.313
[SPEAKER_01]: Probably developmental spot, but I think you have to carry her in some way, respect.

34:12.895 --> 34:18.312
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, what you gave up, nothing should change in training camp.

34:19.000 --> 34:25.390
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, roster-wise, I don't, yeah, it's gonna be tough to roster because they, yeah, they have Janelle Stokes is on the roster.

34:25.430 --> 34:27.072
[SPEAKER_01]: I think a me here is, is better.

34:27.173 --> 34:28.174
[SPEAKER_01]: Probably should be on the roster.

34:28.214 --> 34:39.672
[SPEAKER_01]: And they need, that's another thing is like, just, I don't know what the five spot looks right now with, right, Emmy gone, repair on the run, moon, Monique gone, and I said, you like, uh, uh, a fashula.

34:39.972 --> 34:40.894
[SPEAKER_01]: I actually liked her a lot.

34:41.034 --> 34:41.615
[SPEAKER_01]: I watched her a lot.

34:41.635 --> 34:47.083
[SPEAKER_01]: I watched some good amount of her tape over overseas a couple of months back, because I thought there was a

34:48.380 --> 34:58.012
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, feel like my way to early hot take is that Fassula and maybe as far as are the two developmental spots.

34:58.092 --> 35:01.737
[SPEAKER_02]: Is that, I mean, Fassula be that because there's no service time yet.

35:02.237 --> 35:07.464
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess you could, but I don't know if you, I, I feel like you'd probably rather use it on somebody younger.

35:07.484 --> 35:10.728
[SPEAKER_01]: I can even see them like keeping like Kate around on that kind of contract.

35:11.269 --> 35:12.550
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.

35:12.570 --> 35:12.831
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.

35:12.891 --> 35:15.234
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like I feel like they're going to go and we don't know.

35:15.334 --> 35:17.897
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just the

35:17.995 --> 35:38.510
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like they're missing stuff that worked so well for them last year that, you know, you lose Carla and seemingly we don't know what's going to happen with tip haze and those were two players that were getting to the rim for you and, you know, you bring in Gabby Williams, who's, I'm very excited to watch on the Valkyries, but I feel like you didn't completely fill that, like, get to the line, get to the rim.

35:38.530 --> 35:39.171
[SPEAKER_01]: That's the line.

35:39.431 --> 35:40.232
[SPEAKER_01]: That's the way her game.

35:40.293 --> 35:41.775
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.

35:42.312 --> 35:45.877
[SPEAKER_02]: And so, you know, I, that feel like they're kind of missing that.

35:45.897 --> 35:49.202
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like they had, you know, a lot of options at the four or five position.

35:49.222 --> 35:51.164
[SPEAKER_02]: And a lot of their fours could play five last year.

35:51.244 --> 35:54.789
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe except for, and they did, they did do it with repair a little bit.

35:54.829 --> 35:57.613
[SPEAKER_02]: But they did it with Monique, and then Tammy would play five.

35:57.633 --> 35:58.635
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, here we play five.

35:58.695 --> 36:00.698
[SPEAKER_02]: And now you bring in Stokes, but you're still kind of missing.

36:00.718 --> 36:06.205
[SPEAKER_02]: Like you have Mark though, who seems to be a four only, you know, you're not going to play Janella at the small ball.

36:06.225 --> 36:08.168
[SPEAKER_02]: No, and, uh,

36:08.148 --> 36:14.708
[SPEAKER_02]: So it's just like stokes and and repair and we'll see with the me here, but I feel like they're missing some of that like position of flexibility that they had last year.

36:15.671 --> 36:21.128
[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm interested to see their roster decisions because it's kind of interesting how they have these 10 spots.

36:22.711 --> 36:27.656
[SPEAKER_02]: And yeah, no Chen or a me here, they're both on training camp deals, seemingly fighting for the last two spots.

36:27.676 --> 36:28.837
[SPEAKER_02]: And I kind of feel like they're gonna get it.

36:28.917 --> 36:49.377
[SPEAKER_02]: And then I feel like Sora as in, just based on what, I guess, I think they still have some room to sign to look at some other players, but if it's training camps tomorrow, I think that Chen and a me here get it, and then Sora as in Fassula, or, because Fassula, she's the six, seven, six, three, six, three, six, three,

36:49.357 --> 36:50.560
[SPEAKER_02]: Wait, who am I thinking about then?

36:50.600 --> 36:52.746
[SPEAKER_02]: Is she Greek from Greece?

36:52.766 --> 36:53.989
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, she's from Greece.

36:54.009 --> 36:55.293
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, thanks a little bit.

36:55.794 --> 37:00.948
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, she's very skilled, but it's another thing where I'm like, I'm not crazy about her defensively either.

37:00.968 --> 37:04.176
[SPEAKER_01]: But she's not going to be very explosive, athletically.

37:06.552 --> 37:09.375
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I mean, I'm like, you know, I'm with you.

37:09.395 --> 37:21.289
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, I feel like they almost, because of what happened because of the trade, because of the comments that were made or were not made, it feels like almost Marta's got to get a spot.

37:22.410 --> 37:24.633
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's my thing with like all of the things in optics.

37:25.373 --> 37:35.665
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's my thing with Janelle, the thing is like, it's hard to like, use from one of those 12 roster spots on her because they're such redundancy, and you look at the other roster spots and you're like,

37:36.438 --> 38:04.656
[SPEAKER_01]: Keep a me here who only here can like play the four place and five for us is a little more flexible You don't only have that with Unless you just like comes out and is crazy and you're training camp and then like But like I don't know there Yeah, okay, this is starting off like a somber episode What are some of the things that you're looking for mark that to improve in order to kind of win you over in a rookie season

38:05.277 --> 38:10.826
[SPEAKER_01]: hit threes, hit threes and like control the ball, lower the turn of ray, like simplify things like you said.

38:10.846 --> 38:15.173
[SPEAKER_01]: If they simplify things for her, she had shot from three, like it's a W and B player.

38:15.233 --> 38:16.034
[SPEAKER_01]: That's a back up four.

38:16.816 --> 38:17.076
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.

38:17.897 --> 38:20.281
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a pretty simple evaluation with me with with with her.

38:20.502 --> 38:22.044
[SPEAKER_01]: She doesn't hit threes like not a player.

38:22.745 --> 38:23.286
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.

38:23.958 --> 38:25.040
[SPEAKER_02]: I think I agree with you there too.

38:25.100 --> 38:26.843
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that's got to be one of her strengths.

38:27.544 --> 38:29.146
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think that's why they drafted her.

38:29.266 --> 38:34.435
[SPEAKER_02]: So it would I've got to hope that that translates because of big reason why they drafted her.

38:35.276 --> 38:41.005
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, moving on to their second round selection Ashley Jackson from Duke.

38:40.985 --> 38:59.685
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, Ashlyn had career lows in shooting totals and efficiency this season, but career highs and basically every other major statistical category, uh, do you think this was from an increase in on-ball responsibility with her being like a senior, seemingly some players graduating, and then maybe she gets more of a responsibility in a role?

38:59.868 --> 39:03.692
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, I've never like been in on the Ashland Jackson thing.

39:03.712 --> 39:07.056
[SPEAKER_01]: There was like points where like ESPN on different sites had her in the first round.

39:07.697 --> 39:09.018
[SPEAKER_01]: It all seemed like very weird to me.

39:09.499 --> 39:13.022
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, they kind of just seemed like, okay, it's a duke player and like duke's a big program.

39:13.082 --> 39:15.825
[SPEAKER_01]: And she's like, she's she's a clutch, like she has some clutch moments.

39:15.865 --> 39:24.034
[SPEAKER_01]: But my thing is you've never seen a WMBA player like come off of a 34% shooting season and like be a real player.

39:24.835 --> 39:29.200
[SPEAKER_01]: And she gets like talked guys like a three and D player and it's like to me.

39:29.180 --> 39:31.917
[SPEAKER_01]: I've never been completely sold on the shot.

39:32.521 --> 40:02.207
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, and the same way it's like Marta, it's like, it's just very inconsistent game to game I saw her a couple of games in person watching her play at the AC tournament next to me She wasn't a standout like if I would I was with my dad watching these games and he didn't know any of these players But like he's he's like keep up with the pino's like some of the draft props and I was like you know that girl's like some people think she's a first round pick And he's like huh Like Because like like watching her stick if in the big moments like I get the shot against LSU and like she'll have some moments where she looks

40:02.187 --> 40:28.093
[SPEAKER_01]: Pretty incredible in those games, but like you saw against UCLA had zero points, elevate from the field, 05 from 3, just saw a passer, plays good team defense, but I've just never saw her as a good WMBA player, and I figured she'd probably go in round two, but yeah, I would have rather taken a fly around somebody else.

40:28.597 --> 40:31.440
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, like, I would have taken an international stash.

40:31.520 --> 40:32.181
[SPEAKER_01]: They're true.

40:32.781 --> 40:32.981
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.

40:33.722 --> 40:36.205
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I watched some some Duke games.

40:36.265 --> 40:41.390
[SPEAKER_02]: So I think I I rewatched that the ending to the last like seven minutes of the LSU game.

40:41.930 --> 40:44.913
[SPEAKER_02]: And I was like watching from like specifically for her.

40:45.594 --> 40:47.436
[SPEAKER_02]: And yeah, I mean, yeah, they threw her on Malaysia.

40:48.998 --> 40:49.979
[SPEAKER_02]: She played solid defense.

40:50.019 --> 40:54.143
[SPEAKER_02]: I think Malaysia is still kind of ended up getting to where she wanted to go, depending on whether she made the shot or not.

40:54.203 --> 40:56.325
[SPEAKER_02]: That's a different question.

40:57.217 --> 41:08.771
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I didn't look like she's, you know, like it looked like she had in some moments when Mayor was like, you know, maybe just like two tired from bringing up the ball so many times.

41:08.832 --> 41:11.415
[SPEAKER_02]: And like, you know, maybe just wanted to take an offensive break.

41:11.435 --> 41:15.400
[SPEAKER_02]: Like you had Ashlyn Jackson, you know, having some primary ball handling responsibilities.

41:15.420 --> 41:21.487
[SPEAKER_02]: And you could see that, you know, she was able to, you know, keep the ball from getting stolen from like Flagey who was pressing her.

41:21.567 --> 41:25.232
[SPEAKER_02]: But like you could see it wasn't like, you could tell it wasn't like a true point guard.

41:25.212 --> 41:44.301
[SPEAKER_02]: Or like someone who's as comfortable with her handle to the point of like instead of just, you know, holding off a defender, then going to do something with the ball on a defender that's up, it's up tight on you.

41:45.395 --> 41:56.991
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm not entirely sure, you know, do they see it as like a like a brief haul from last year, like kind of from that perspective where you're like a good defender and yeah, kind of shoot.

41:57.292 --> 42:00.115
[SPEAKER_01]: But it was like, I think she was just like a better.

42:00.135 --> 42:03.699
[SPEAKER_01]: I knew what the role was and I knew like, I thought I was a brick-hawk and shoot.

42:04.240 --> 42:07.283
[SPEAKER_01]: And you look at what the Ashlin, like the finishing numbers have always been bad.

42:07.483 --> 42:10.527
[SPEAKER_01]: Like she just, I don't really think the handle was like really translates like athletic widths.

42:10.867 --> 42:12.189
[SPEAKER_01]: Like she controls the ball like you say.

42:12.209 --> 42:12.869
[SPEAKER_01]: Like she's smart.

42:12.930 --> 42:22.320
[SPEAKER_01]: Like she's a good team defender and she plays her role and she's been like a key piece for Duke and they've been like successful teams.

42:22.300 --> 42:37.170
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's it's hard for me to like really be in on someone that's a WMBA player when they're as inefficient as they are like as a senior in college Yeah, and that was like kind of like that's why she was like always under 40% is like the 2.0 scoring that was Just never there

42:37.927 --> 42:41.997
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I wonder if, you know, it kind of just seems like from what I watch.

42:42.017 --> 42:53.725
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, okay, you can, you can kind of do like a lot of things, but like in terms of like excelling In specific things, you know, whether then be the handle, whether that'd be the finishing, whether that'd be the mid range scoring, the three points scoring.

42:53.705 --> 42:59.034
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like from what I saw, like I probably, I think I liked her best trait was probably on just the defense.

42:59.355 --> 43:01.238
[SPEAKER_02]: And it was pretty, it was pretty good.

43:01.258 --> 43:02.520
[SPEAKER_02]: It was pretty good.

43:03.682 --> 43:17.626
[SPEAKER_02]: But even like the passing, like there was some nice passes where I was like, okay, I think you know, you have a little bit of playmaking feel, but just in terms of like, you know, in baseball, the 20 to 80 grading tool, and then you have these players who are like a five tool prospect or a four tool prospect.

43:17.646 --> 43:18.447
[SPEAKER_02]: Like,

43:18.427 --> 43:22.952
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know if she had many tools that you were like, I mean, I don't think she hasn't got to lead to it.

43:22.972 --> 43:23.492
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.

43:23.512 --> 43:32.661
[SPEAKER_01]: She's a kind of like okay at most stuff, but then it's like the finishing's bad and it's like, some of the stuff where it's like hard to overcome, if you're not like a point guard.

43:33.002 --> 43:33.302
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.

43:33.322 --> 43:33.742
[SPEAKER_01]: In that way.

43:33.963 --> 43:35.925
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm probably.

43:35.945 --> 43:40.509
[SPEAKER_02]: So the still somber, two rounds in, this is the field.

43:41.570 --> 43:41.851
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.

43:42.511 --> 43:46.155
[SPEAKER_01]: It was, it was like two, two of the main prospects that I would like,

43:46.490 --> 43:51.133
[SPEAKER_01]: You always look at it like, okay, if I was in a front office like who are players I, I pride just like wouldn't bet on those players.

43:51.595 --> 43:53.243
[SPEAKER_01]: And then I would probably just go a different direction.

43:53.625 --> 43:54.188
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.

43:54.742 --> 44:19.011
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, hopefully we can bring up the energy with our third round selection, you might need the greatest player of all time wrote Denaka from Japan, a 5-8 guard who pulls a deep my favorite thing about her shooting is you can never tell like what hands she's shooting with I feel that and it literally took me until the broadcast or whoever was on the broadcast was like

44:18.991 --> 44:22.817
[SPEAKER_02]: Wow, she shot that floter with her left hand for me to be like, oh, she's a lefty.

44:23.137 --> 44:25.080
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, she's shooting the ball with her left hand.

44:25.400 --> 44:27.443
[SPEAKER_02]: He's only going left.

44:27.463 --> 44:31.529
[SPEAKER_02]: And I don't know if they have this doubt on her for that, because she's just only going left.

44:32.090 --> 44:34.293
[SPEAKER_02]: But that's what it took for me to be like, okay, yeah, she's a lefty.

44:34.313 --> 44:34.954
[SPEAKER_02]: It's for the broadcast.

44:34.974 --> 44:36.897
[SPEAKER_02]: She'd be like, oh, she just took that floter with her left hand.

44:36.937 --> 44:38.419
[SPEAKER_02]: Because then that peeked my interest.

44:38.439 --> 44:40.582
[SPEAKER_02]: I was like, oh, she's taking a floter with an offhand.

44:41.023 --> 44:42.505
[SPEAKER_02]: And then I was like, watch the shot.

44:42.545 --> 44:47.192
[SPEAKER_02]: And I was like, no, she's just a lefty.

44:48.218 --> 45:01.738
[SPEAKER_01]: It's tough because she's like a super small garden and it's like the shootings like sick like there's some deep shots but you get the numbers, it's kind of more like highlight based and like the actual like profile of her.

45:02.242 --> 45:19.423
[SPEAKER_01]: Like the Japanese league this year, like I don't think it was a good year and for her, but she's I don't mind like this pick because I would much rather take a flyer and You wait a couple years if there's something here like cool if there's not who cares it's better than bringing somebody in the third running cutting him right away right.

45:20.078 --> 45:21.560
[SPEAKER_02]: No, I'm with I'm with that rationale too.

45:22.501 --> 45:32.655
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, no, she was a fun little watch for the minutes than the Japan versus Hungary game, but that Japan dead Japanese team was just like moving so quickly.

45:32.695 --> 45:44.932
[SPEAKER_02]: The ball was flinging around the hoisting deep threes and I was just like, this is peak television that their ball movement, like, yeah, they're all small, but they're fast, like, yeah, they're smart.

45:45.352 --> 45:45.833
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.

45:46.943 --> 45:47.724
[SPEAKER_01]: She's just cool.

45:48.306 --> 45:51.391
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, uh, there was always a chance to get drafted someone out.

45:51.472 --> 45:56.341
[SPEAKER_01]: I would like, do you always like picture interest when you see like the highlights of what she's done?

45:58.164 --> 46:03.474
[SPEAKER_01]: But like the, it's, it's, it's a huge like change from like last year, like last year.

46:03.535 --> 46:06.420
[SPEAKER_01]: I was like extremely high on like the Valkyries draft and like, you

46:06.839 --> 46:20.346
[SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, in hindsight, like the shine sellers thing was like everybody like everybody was like too high on shine seller because it was the it was the injury, but like myself includes like you stay like top five like I love that pick.

46:21.569 --> 46:27.801
[SPEAKER_01]: And then like you get K1 channel in the third round, which I wasn't like really a big fan of K1 channel to prospect like she was pretty pretty serviceable this year.

46:28.895 --> 46:39.088
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, how much of that was like someone leaving the group from the portland, like how much of that was like her, how much, how much, you know, I don't know what they're like.

46:39.108 --> 46:48.560
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I kind of feel like maybe it's overall, like if I were to maybe think about what the Valkyries, well, what was your grade?

46:48.741 --> 46:50.683
[SPEAKER_02]: And it was like a CRD, right?

46:51.440 --> 47:09.162
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not going to say I'm going to give it an F, but I think when I broke it down like individual picks, being able to give like the marks up like a D in like tenon, like a C plus or a B minus, and then like actual Jackson, like a C minus or like a D, right?

47:09.732 --> 47:13.878
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's something something I've been saying in previous podcasts is like, well, you know, you stays your rookie.

47:13.998 --> 47:18.944
[SPEAKER_02]: Like for me, like I want all of the the developmental chips for you stay.

47:18.984 --> 47:23.090
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like, you know, being a warrior's fan, seeing how the two-time lengthing work down.

47:23.450 --> 47:28.537
[SPEAKER_02]: And, you know, I think I just want, I wanted like full, like kind of developmental focus in the you stay.

47:28.557 --> 47:33.023
[SPEAKER_02]: So when Flage was there, I was like, I was like,

47:33.087 --> 47:35.471
[SPEAKER_02]: I was just like willing to like disregard everything else like Flagez here.

47:35.511 --> 47:37.113
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's draft Flagez and figure it out later.

47:37.514 --> 47:39.096
[SPEAKER_02]: Best player available, it figured out later.

47:40.058 --> 47:50.254
[SPEAKER_02]: But even when Flagez got picked drafted, I was like, oh, I wonder if you can flip Flagez for EZ because Seattle said there were maybe looking at what happened in the draft in order to think, yeah, next with EZ Maggogor.

47:51.616 --> 47:52.277
[SPEAKER_02]: But.

47:52.882 --> 48:01.093
[SPEAKER_02]: So like I even though I was excited for the Medraflage, I was already looking at like okay, how can you, you know, I still want the eggs and the use day basket for, you know, in terms of development.

48:01.914 --> 48:04.958
[SPEAKER_02]: But I almost wonder if like that's kind of maybe how they're operating as well.

48:04.998 --> 48:12.328
[SPEAKER_02]: In terms of, you know, having these kind of younger rookies where it's like maybe we don't want, you know, Flage and you stay holding up two roster spots.

48:12.348 --> 48:17.014
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's bring in someone who's older, like I marked the swore as who, you know, should be able to contribute day one.

48:17.134 --> 48:18.676
[SPEAKER_02]: And we'll see, we'll see if that's the case.

48:18.776 --> 48:20.138
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's also,

48:20.118 --> 48:24.985
[SPEAKER_01]: It's also probably a lot easier to put Marta on a dev spot than we'll be to put Flage, like that just like would not.

48:25.485 --> 48:36.500
[SPEAKER_02]: That was also my thinking as well as like they wanted to use that dev the developmental spot, but you can't sense like a first rounder to like do that, like Flage is going to be get a lot of minutes on Seattle.

48:36.520 --> 48:40.286
[SPEAKER_02]: She's going to, she would have gotten a lot of minutes on, you know, whatever the four worst teams are going to be.

48:41.407 --> 48:49.298
[SPEAKER_02]: But in some, in some solid teams too, I'm sure would have, would have, she would have gotten some playing time, but yeah,

48:49.278 --> 48:55.069
[SPEAKER_02]: In terms of just the roster's about I already told you like who the 10 were and who it feels like it's going to be like a tight

48:56.534 --> 49:02.561
[SPEAKER_02]: training camp, in order like what spots are available, it almost just feels like it's the training camp or the developmental spots that are available.

49:02.581 --> 49:15.856
[SPEAKER_02]: And if that's the case, then, yeah, Flage, and then, I'm sure we both agree that there are players on the Valkyrie's roster in that 10 that you would rather have, or that you'd rather have Flage over then, right?

49:16.317 --> 49:26.068
[SPEAKER_02]: And I'm probably thinking of the same couple of players, but yeah, I'm just trying to get into, like, think from their rationale,

49:26.048 --> 49:43.332
[SPEAKER_02]: My gut is with you, like I pretty much agree with everything you're saying, but I think in terms of just like, you know, I, Oh, how much proved me wrong so many times, you know, I thought this team should have been terrible last year and I thought that, you know,

49:43.312 --> 50:07.925
[SPEAKER_02]: They were in line for, and I will fam or an easy foot pick this year, and they made the playoffs, and they developed the culture that I feel like is, you know, much better than having gotten our easy, like I think developing that culture and just, you know, being this gritty team that, you know, can set the standard for whoever comes into the, into the brand, like I think that's overall, like a really good thing.

50:08.906 --> 50:12.070
[SPEAKER_02]: So I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, and I'm trying to see like,

50:12.050 --> 50:15.394
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, what maybe the thinking was, so that's kind of where I'm coming from.

50:16.976 --> 50:38.260
[SPEAKER_01]: And I understand, maybe they're just out on Flage and like they see some of the processing and like the trajectory she's on and maybe they look at that and they see scheme-wise, like this is not where we want to go, like someone that doesn't fish with her left hand, like disappear at times and the effort can like come and go and

50:39.674 --> 50:52.114
[SPEAKER_01]: That's all there, but I don't think they were in a spot where it's like, they can be like picky about like, oh, like what's we can't we can't roster her like we already ready pretty tight like they're not near contention.

50:52.938 --> 51:07.880
[SPEAKER_01]: Right, and I don't know if like yeah, I don't even know if like bringing in Flasher would really impact like you stay because even at LSU this year she was mostly an off-the-ball player because because she's like very bad at processing things and picking roll they just like don't run picking roll and LSU with her.

51:08.461 --> 51:15.091
[SPEAKER_01]: So like she's more of like an off-ball like wing like she'll have time close out and like take a bunch of mid-range jumpers and doesn't get in the rim all that often.

51:16.333 --> 51:16.633
[SPEAKER_01]: But

51:18.098 --> 51:18.800
[SPEAKER_01]: It was, we'll see.

51:19.261 --> 51:21.206
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, there's a chance like it does, it's fine.

51:21.246 --> 51:25.457
[SPEAKER_01]: And Flage is not like the high upside player, but it's always worth the swing.

51:25.478 --> 51:33.238
[SPEAKER_01]: And I thought in that scheme, like if there was a team that could like figure it out best, that's how there was a chance that they could simplify things for her.

51:33.657 --> 51:58.467
[SPEAKER_01]: their upsides there like they even though they do have like kill a thorn like kill a thorn is older off of twenty c.l.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s

51:58.447 --> 52:09.232
[SPEAKER_01]: To me with her, like legit lottery prospect, like this draft, like she may face to me like that she's better loan term than AZ, like I think that's like more of like around like similar tier.

52:09.272 --> 52:13.823
[SPEAKER_01]: There's obviously like defensive questions with her, but

52:13.803 --> 52:39.011
[SPEAKER_01]: Like big time recruit like when she was like super young like 16, 17 years old like you thought she was like done next like great super star player had the injury But the feeling ball screens like some of the shot making the pool of shooting the diesel like the floater games there Just like a really all around like talented offensive talent has the size that we combed her to Like it was dinosaur Austin ankle weights was like those are I think yeah.

52:39.031 --> 52:39.191
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.

52:39.211 --> 52:39.311
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.

52:39.752 --> 52:39.852
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.

52:39.872 --> 52:41.734
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that is what you guys said

52:41.714 --> 52:43.977
[SPEAKER_02]: It was just a logic in there, too, or no.

52:44.057 --> 52:45.699
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think we had logic in there.

52:45.739 --> 52:47.481
[SPEAKER_01]: We had Austin Reeves in there, I think, too.

52:48.142 --> 52:49.023
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's kind of the idea.

52:49.344 --> 52:55.972
[SPEAKER_01]: And to me, like lottery talent, like the passing, playmaking, got some size, come together.

52:56.272 --> 53:00.478
[SPEAKER_01]: And we saw Carla, I think Carla, like improved defensively they should, you know, improve defensively.

53:00.518 --> 53:03.802
[SPEAKER_01]: Within the scheme, I think she'll be serviceable.

53:03.822 --> 53:07.907
[SPEAKER_01]: And she's got some size, so she doesn't have to defend ones, like you don't really want it on the point of attack.

53:08.360 --> 53:13.286
[SPEAKER_01]: That's like a rookie like right, but she's probably not going to work you the year, but she could be all rookie.

53:14.047 --> 53:14.888
[SPEAKER_01]: That's the chance this year.

53:15.068 --> 53:17.491
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I'm thinking that's that's a possibility as well.

53:18.753 --> 53:27.743
[SPEAKER_02]: So once the draft ended, the Valkyries signed Carolyn Dusharm, Jackalengamun, one in Tonda and Bailey Mopin to training camp deals.

53:27.803 --> 53:29.946
[SPEAKER_02]: Is there anyone from that group that interests you?

53:30.297 --> 53:40.394
[SPEAKER_01]: I actually liked Jekyll and I went in time to a little bit or in the year I thought like the shot was like finally here at Texas, like Vickshaford doesn't let like really people like expand their games.

53:40.414 --> 53:43.980
[SPEAKER_01]: It's kind of like do what you're best at and rebound and like effort plays.

53:45.262 --> 53:51.512
[SPEAKER_01]: Earlier in the years I was hitting some shots from three the shot looked super smooth that fell off but probably doesn't make the roster like

53:51.492 --> 53:52.835
[SPEAKER_01]: they could give her a death spot.

53:53.577 --> 53:54.680
[SPEAKER_01]: It's probably pretty competitive.

53:54.700 --> 54:03.362
[SPEAKER_01]: If you get that spot, I was actually very surprised, like Carolyn De Charm, got a roster spot in the UConn text.

54:03.482 --> 54:05.487
[SPEAKER_01]: That's just what it is.

54:05.568 --> 54:08.134
[SPEAKER_01]: You're one point for game college score.

54:08.114 --> 54:17.743
[SPEAKER_02]: Like I would watch some of the I what I knew when I saw that name I was like, okay, I've gone into like, you know, the what's not called hoop girls anymore.

54:17.763 --> 54:21.226
[SPEAKER_02]: It's called something else at ESPN's top, you know, 100 high school prospects.

54:21.246 --> 54:26.010
[SPEAKER_02]: And I was like, I've seen that name pretty high before and it was in the AZ class, right?

54:26.030 --> 54:28.913
[SPEAKER_02]: The AZ Raven Johnson class to charm was number five.

54:29.313 --> 54:35.539
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I watched some I know it's completely different player from from, you know, when she was in high school and her first year at Yukon, but

54:35.519 --> 54:46.860
[SPEAKER_02]: Man, she looked really good at the player who was playing high school and freshman here at Yukon who had crazy games that player Doesn't drop past five in my opinion in this draft.

54:47.341 --> 54:47.942
[SPEAKER_02]: She looked.

54:47.962 --> 54:53.713
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know I I it's because I just watched it so it's fresh off my mind, but you know the shooting was there

54:53.693 --> 55:06.475
[SPEAKER_02]: And just like the movement was there and and you know, maybe not a super strong defender, but just a really smart player who, you know, I did do trust the Yukon system and I would have, you know, taken that swing.

55:06.655 --> 55:19.077
[SPEAKER_01]: If, of course, the head and the neck injuries don't happen, which is seemingly what derails the career.

55:19.546 --> 55:32.618
[SPEAKER_01]: Like average 1.4 game shot 17% from three, it's kind of tough to me to like because like if that player was at any other school, like with all due respect, like they're probably not getting a chance in camp anywhere, just what is what it is.

55:32.778 --> 55:49.553
[SPEAKER_01]: But cool for her current kid and Shen back, we'll see if she gets any like run in preseason, like she didn't play it all on the turn and that's her name for them.

55:49.921 --> 55:56.938
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, mopping, like cool, like just, she's, she's cool, but I never really saw like big time W and B. I player.

55:56.958 --> 56:00.947
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, those were all the players they did sign, I think.

56:01.709 --> 56:07.002
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, from directly after the draft, those were like the undrafted players that they signed a training camp deals.

56:08.264 --> 56:11.727
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, like for Sula, like she's she's pretty cool like Kate Reese.

56:11.747 --> 56:13.429
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't really think that's a WMBA player.

56:15.851 --> 56:21.156
[SPEAKER_02]: But they have a former Duke player whose name changed.

56:21.396 --> 56:22.137
[SPEAKER_02]: I think she got married.

56:22.317 --> 56:25.880
[SPEAKER_02]: Good child, which is now Mila soa or something.

56:27.622 --> 56:28.923
[SPEAKER_02]: That was another training camp deal.

56:28.963 --> 56:31.465
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that kind of is all of them.

56:31.485 --> 56:37.731
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and they didn't have to take any major flyers on like camp deals like you saw like Phoenix do or

56:37.829 --> 56:49.706
[SPEAKER_02]: Minnesota do because I was hoping they'd pull off another Janelle from last year like the French player Pauline Astier who ends up in New York who I thought was going to Connecticut, but I guess then it was re-reported that she goes in New York.

56:49.986 --> 56:57.837
[SPEAKER_02]: I was wondering if there's going to be like any like type of Janelle signings because it feels like a national game seems to be you know higher than most of the other teams.

56:58.858 --> 57:04.967
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think there was any like any players last year I think Janelle and like Monaco McComble County were the two for me where they were just like

57:05.977 --> 57:08.880
[SPEAKER_01]: Just clear WMBA like starting caliber players.

57:09.001 --> 57:19.934
[SPEAKER_01]: Nobody like that kind of scream that this year besides the players that are already like we're under team control Or even like Maria Cone Day, which is like sucks as she got picked in the expansion draft because I'm like very high on her.

57:20.594 --> 57:35.292
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, she would think good on this team this year Man, okay, so what was so my last question was you were the first person to introduce me to our fam last year is there another top overseas prospect that you're looking at for the

57:35.693 --> 57:38.659
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, it's it's not as clear.

57:39.020 --> 57:40.603
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, the next couple of years.

57:40.984 --> 57:49.501
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, I guess the one everybody's excited about next year is a zane, zane the big, the big from China itself.

57:49.521 --> 57:50.042
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, yeah.

57:50.062 --> 57:50.162
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.

57:50.262 --> 57:50.443
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.

57:50.463 --> 57:50.563
[UNKNOWN]: Yeah.

57:50.813 --> 57:59.813
[SPEAKER_01]: We're just not going to be in her because she can't move, I get all right, but I've called her like, hey, like, what if she's like the WMB is like special team's player?

57:59.893 --> 58:09.514
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, what if she's like, you're like, your mismatch nightmare, like you put her in, like, just inbound plays, like, as in the W had someone like that, he was like, insanely too tall, like, way, I mean, there was like, but.

58:09.494 --> 58:17.205
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean there's been like Margo Dietic who played and she was like very good like she if she did play but Margo was with Mood Way better and she was seven foot two.

58:17.966 --> 58:20.971
[SPEAKER_01]: She's like Margo got blocked.

58:21.291 --> 58:25.077
[SPEAKER_01]: She's seven foot three and can't block a shot, like which is wild but she just can't move.

58:26.419 --> 58:27.921
[SPEAKER_01]: She's like a foot taller than everybody else.

58:29.123 --> 58:31.627
[SPEAKER_01]: Someone who drafted because she's like crazy productive.

58:33.850 --> 58:34.651
[SPEAKER_01]: There's one player.

58:34.751 --> 58:35.272
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't okay.

58:35.492 --> 58:37.375
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll see if she ends up like

58:37.861 --> 58:40.604
[SPEAKER_01]: being good, names Kathy Emma Otto.

58:41.325 --> 58:45.290
[SPEAKER_01]: I forgot what her wingspan was exactly, but I think she's like six foot one.

58:45.310 --> 58:49.115
[SPEAKER_01]: She might have like a six foot nine wingspan, I think it is.

58:49.135 --> 58:51.958
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's like a plus eight, or it might be six foot 10 wingspan.

58:51.978 --> 59:04.594
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like while, like she's a defensive monster, average like five or six stocks a game, like for France at Fiba, and like she's been dominated in the second division, she just can't like play offense right now.

59:04.574 --> 59:08.218
[SPEAKER_01]: There's not like a bunch of like early standouts like right now though, right?

59:08.238 --> 59:16.207
[SPEAKER_02]: Like it was more obvious with Dominique Melonga and out with fam, whereas the collegiate prospects are going to headline the next couple of drafts.

59:16.227 --> 59:22.835
[SPEAKER_01]: And then we're also going to see that we've also seen like the big time international players like go college like 20 B's what to college at South Carolina.

59:23.535 --> 59:26.539
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, we also saw like Sarah okay K who's going to be really good.

59:27.099 --> 59:29.502
[SPEAKER_01]: She would have been in I think 20 28 draft.

59:29.482 --> 59:31.550
[SPEAKER_01]: But she's, she's known to USC too.

59:31.851 --> 59:33.498
[SPEAKER_01]: So that kind of kind of plays into it.

59:33.518 --> 59:37.674
[SPEAKER_01]: Probably won't have any like lottery level international prospects for a minute.

59:38.497 --> 59:39.019
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.

59:39.337 --> 59:44.244
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I mean, it's easier to watch from the collegiate perspective, like everyone's there in college.

59:44.264 --> 59:58.303
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, but no, I think I think that's kind of where the values have had the upper hand if you're the, you know, a year and two months that they've been, you know, a franchise making deals is that it feels like they kind of were willing to take a chance on those international prospects.

59:58.703 --> 01:00:04.391
[SPEAKER_02]: It's always, you know, have looked for your stuff to keep an eye out for who's, you know, the next course.

01:00:04.591 --> 01:00:05.833
[SPEAKER_02]: Next one coming up.

01:00:05.813 --> 01:00:15.250
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, I guess, okay, that was my last question, but now I want to ask you is, um, is your top four, do you feel like for next year?

01:00:16.073 --> 01:00:26.145
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like my top three was juju, Madison Booker, Michaela Williams, but I want to say that you had Hannah as your number three and Michaela is your number four in a bleacher report, mock draft.

01:00:26.165 --> 01:00:28.108
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I think Hannah's number four too.

01:00:28.128 --> 01:00:30.351
[SPEAKER_02]: So we have the same four just in like, yeah, I don't know other.

01:00:30.731 --> 01:00:34.055
[SPEAKER_02]: But do you think that, you know, that's going to be the forcome draft night?

01:00:34.075 --> 01:00:35.737
[SPEAKER_02]: Cause I kind of feel like it's going to be.

01:00:35.757 --> 01:00:37.219
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I must, juju doesn't, you know.

01:00:37.379 --> 01:00:40.523
[SPEAKER_01]: If juju doesn't declare, I would unless like my laser takes the leap.

01:00:40.944 --> 01:00:43.667
[SPEAKER_01]: If that actually happens, and she, like,

01:00:43.647 --> 01:00:53.696
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's not quite the genio thing, but it's like, was she actually just learned to slow down and like, use her off hand and play with pace, like just, just simplify.

01:00:53.736 --> 01:00:55.398
[SPEAKER_01]: I just stopped doing like crazy stuff.

01:00:55.438 --> 01:01:00.102
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, if she, if she figures that out, like, yeah, there's a chance she could go, like, two, like in this class.

01:01:00.182 --> 01:01:01.243
[SPEAKER_01]: There's always like that chance.

01:01:01.943 --> 01:01:05.186
[SPEAKER_01]: Probably those four, unless like, I guess it's not impossible.

01:01:05.266 --> 01:01:08.169
[SPEAKER_01]: Hannah goes lower than four, just like the small guard thing.

01:01:08.449 --> 01:01:13.654
[SPEAKER_01]: If she, if she, if the shooting doesn't go up,

01:01:13.634 --> 01:01:24.131
[SPEAKER_01]: like in the five to seven range, like I think we saw this year, I think teams are going to be lower on the small guards and if they don't shoot there might be some more worries, but I just think that's different.

01:01:24.171 --> 01:01:26.655
[SPEAKER_02]: Like I'm I think the five five five six guards.

01:01:26.675 --> 01:01:29.440
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, she might be right here, but it's just Hannah's different.

01:01:29.820 --> 01:01:34.788
[SPEAKER_01]: She might just like be different because she's like the greatest like guard defender ever.

01:01:34.849 --> 01:01:36.992
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and it might be enough.

01:01:38.558 --> 01:01:49.885
[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, it might just be enough and some team in the top four is just saying screw this like she's like in the same talent, but there's always a chance like some iron nickels on a paper you've you've watched her at all yet it can's this

01:01:50.118 --> 01:01:58.495
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like a 78% free throw rate or something crazy like that I take the 10 shot to game and takes eight free throw And it's not even like it's not even like grifting.

01:01:58.515 --> 01:02:11.282
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like just like the pacing she plays with like the body control and like it's After some people like Comfort is Shay like it's kind of like Shay's movement, but it's like Shay if he didn't have any like mid-range game or like Shay if like there wasn't as much shot creation to like what he does

01:02:11.262 --> 01:02:26.807
[SPEAKER_01]: But if she's cool, if I need to see her more against, she hasn't played like any big time, like big, big 10 schools or any big time SEC schools yet like the first three years at Kansas, she's cool, but yeah, it's a more clear top group than we had this year.

01:02:27.158 --> 01:02:40.481
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's like, to me, like, Madison Booker, averse all-wall fan, like, I would probably just rather have all-wall fan on a season prospect because of Madison's, like, literally in the shooting spot, you know, you, you see, you saw what happened against UCLA.

01:02:40.501 --> 01:02:46.011
[SPEAKER_02]: You see, like, you know, just like, yeah, it's not making a shot, then it's just like, you'd rather just have the big.

01:02:46.649 --> 01:02:58.363
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's why it's to me, it's like, I think people like are very like, I think this drop class that just came out was like very underrated from that way, is because if there isn't a clear superstar, the class is automatically bad, which I just like,

01:02:59.153 --> 01:03:00.915
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a chance like one of those players is still a star.

01:03:01.516 --> 01:03:02.277
[SPEAKER_01]: They're just not like clear.

01:03:02.537 --> 01:03:09.085
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's not gonna be like your page level and your Caitlin and your Aliboss and level like impact from day one.

01:03:09.265 --> 01:03:12.689
[SPEAKER_02]: Which, yeah, like the ceilings this draft was lower, but the floors were pretty high.

01:03:12.749 --> 01:03:18.656
[SPEAKER_02]: Like I'm very confident that like Azifud's going to be a very low VA career, W MBA career.

01:03:18.757 --> 01:03:22.861
[SPEAKER_02]: Like I'm like, would bet life savings that she is going to have a very long career.

01:03:23.202 --> 01:03:24.984
[SPEAKER_02]: It's been a lot of she's healthy injuries, right?

01:03:25.004 --> 01:03:26.646
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's been a lot of help.

01:03:26.626 --> 01:03:27.920
[SPEAKER_02]: She says, like, yeah, for sure.

01:03:28.243 --> 01:03:30.527
[SPEAKER_02]: You could see where Madison Booker doesn't work.

01:03:31.672 --> 01:03:34.335
[SPEAKER_02]: I would still take the bet on, like, Madison and McKay.

01:03:34.355 --> 01:03:59.468
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, if they can't hit the shot, like, you know, when it matters, or even just like, you know, have a UCLA type game, then it's, like, McKay looks like hers is more like athleticism and some of the defense stuff, but the shot making is there and think if you're want, if you want your star bets, like there's the big time creators next year's draft, like with a smile and like a full whiley and Hannah, you have the big time bucket getters, and then it also helps when you have a 7 foot 3 player that's super always going to

01:04:00.275 --> 01:04:01.358
[SPEAKER_01]: This is a top five pig.

01:04:02.482 --> 01:04:04.268
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that's going to the headline next year.

01:04:05.210 --> 01:04:06.234
[SPEAKER_01]: You're going to go top five.

01:04:06.274 --> 01:04:10.086
[SPEAKER_01]: And once a hit, who knows at this point?

01:04:10.106 --> 01:04:11.711
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, after this last draft, like you never know.

01:04:12.453 --> 01:04:13.035
[SPEAKER_02]: Yep.

01:04:13.522 --> 01:04:19.848
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I was hoping for, you know, I had messaged you over Twitter.

01:04:20.189 --> 01:04:23.312
[SPEAKER_02]: I was like, I don't know if I want to do this podcast anymore as a joke, of course.

01:04:24.613 --> 01:04:34.223
[SPEAKER_02]: It was after the trade, but I'm still I'm very grateful that you were gracious with your time and, you know, thank you so much for being on the pod and thank you for your analysis.

01:04:35.384 --> 01:04:38.888
[SPEAKER_02]: So what would you, would you like to, do you have anything to plug?

01:04:38.868 --> 01:04:50.486
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, if you made this point, if you find me on YouTube, Hunter Cruise, on Twitter, Hunter Cruise 14, a stuff on Bleach Report as well, the draft, WMBA season coming up off from stuff for there as well.

01:04:51.248 --> 01:04:55.915
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, just talking things all WMBA is the Bleach Report gig kind of new.

01:04:56.485 --> 01:04:59.416
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, last couple months took over a third draft cover.

01:04:59.436 --> 01:05:01.002
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I don't remember seeing it.

01:05:01.042 --> 01:05:02.969
[SPEAKER_02]: And then the Anna's popping up was like, Oh, no way.

01:05:03.712 --> 01:05:04.274
[SPEAKER_02]: Congratulations.

01:05:04.796 --> 01:05:05.278
[SPEAKER_02]: Appreciate it.

01:05:06.121 --> 01:05:06.382
[SPEAKER_02]: All right.

01:05:06.402 --> 01:05:06.623
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.

01:05:06.643 --> 01:05:09.855
[SPEAKER_02]: So with that being said, thank you Hunter for being on the podcast.

01:05:10.557 --> 01:05:13.448
[SPEAKER_02]: My name is Brian, and we'll see you when we see you piece out.