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- [00:00]
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- [04:57]
Zena Kaita
For the Athletic I'm Zena Kaita and this is the Athletic Women's Basketball show presented by AT&T. Welcome to a special edition of the Athletic Women's Basketball Show Olympic Style. We are going to be covering the Olympics with Chantelle Jennings are one of our writers on the ground in France following around the USA Olympic team as they look for their eighth straight medal. And of course I'm talking about the women, not the men, the women's national team for Team usa. I've got Sabrina Merchant here in the building and we are going to be talking to Chantelle who by the time you're hearing this is Actually already in France, but at the time that we're recording it, she's at home preparing for her trip. So, Chantelle, welcome back to the show. Let's talk a little bit about that preparation. How are you getting ready to go cover this team in France?
- [05:55]
Chantelle Jennings
Well, I'm currently trying to get myself to pack, which has been very challenging because I just don't want to. And this is definitely not going to end up with me forgetting something like bringing everything I need. We had a call last week where I was like, so if I show up with my credential, my computer and my passport, I'm good to go. They're like, yep, so I'll definitely show up with those things. Everything else will be a crapshoot. No, I've. I've obviously been, you know, trying to watch as much basketball as I can, chatting with a bunch of the former Olympic team coaches to get a sense of what to expect. Chatting with former Olympians to get a sense of what to expect. I think as a reporter, this is sort of a unique experience. Most of us, sort of. Although you did it with All Star Weekend recently, like, you don't know what you don't know, and so you go into something and you're not exactly sure what to expect. And so everyone keeps saying, like, are you ready? And I'm like, I don't know. I don't know if I'm ready. Like, I think I am, but, you know, I've never. I've never covered an Olympics. I've never covered a basketball game in France. So we'll see. And. And we'll go from there.
- [07:03]
Zena Kaita
Now, for what you've heard from when you're talking to these previous coaches and previous Olympians, the actual system, the way that this is set up, the Games being in a different city before, the actual championship game, being in Paris, tell us a little bit more about the breakdown of these games that you're expected to go to. And has that happened before? Has there been these exhibition games in other cities?
- [07:27]
Chantelle Jennings
So it's actually the pool play that will happen. So the 12 teams will all be playing their first three games in Lille, which is about an hour train ride from Paris. It's close to the Belgian border, and so I. I'm actually expecting a ton. You know, it's obviously a home country representation for all the French fans, but I'm sure a ton of Belgian fans are going to show up as well. Team USA played in the Olympic qualifiers in Belgium to record crowds there, and. And it's like a 20 minute train ride to get to Belgium. So I'm sure that we're going to see a ton of Belgian fans. That Belgian Team USA game early on in group play. But actually Team USA will be splitting their time between Paris and Lille through those first two weeks or so. During pool play, they'll be spending a lot of time in Paris and then taking the train up, I believe, to play their games. And so I will also be going back and forth. But for those who want to know, there are 49 trains a day from Lille to Paris and I will be getting well acquainted with the train schedule, it seems.
- [08:25]
Zena Kaita
There you go. I mean, other countries are so acclimated. Acclimated to trains like this is very normal for them to be able to have this sort of transportation. What I'm fascinated by is like those USA USA gear is not subtle. So if they're on those trains rocking that gear, I'm just, I'm a little fearful if they're going to be, you know, there's going to be fans around definitely wanting to be able to say hello and such.
- [08:48]
Chantelle Jennings
Well, they might. Maybe they're on a private train. I have to say, I don't know exactly how they'll be traveling. I'm sure those security measures are kept private for very specific, obvious reasons. But no, I don't know. They might be on a private train, they might be on a private jet, who knows? I'm not exactly sure how they'll be traveling back and forth, but I do know that they won't be staying in Lille. I will be staying in Lille. But a lot of reporters also are staying in Paris and taking the train up to cover the games.
- [09:15]
Zena Kaita
Sure. Well, thinking, talking about private planes, we do know that the team flew out immediately after the All Star Game, which I did not realize that I, I remember seeing de Hamby walk out and she was like, by Z. And I felt terrible when someone was like, oh yeah, they're going on the plane right now. She's on the 3x3 team to France. And it was like I didn't even say good luck. I feel so bad. Sabrina, I want to ask you, we spoke earlier this week about that All Star Game transitioning into this competition in, in France. How much more time does this team have to get acclimated to each other between that game and that weekend of like one practice and a game against team WNBA to then playing exhibition games? Do we know?
- [10:06]
Sabrina Merchant
So there are about eight days between the team WNBA All Star Game and then the start of the pool play in Olympic Play I'm going to, I think it's eight, I'm accounting, trying to account for time differences based on Phoenix and Paris. So I think, I think that's about the gap. And you know, if you're worried about the fact that Team USA lost in this exhibition game to the WNBA All Stars and now is going to play for a gold medal, I don't think that's the appropriate emotion. If you think back to 2021, not only did they suffer a similar 8 point loss to the WNBA All Stars, they went on to lose another exhibition game to Team Australia just a couple days later before going on to the Olympics where they convincingly beat Australia in one of the knockout stage games. So there's a big difference between the quality of Team USA play that we will have seen in Phoenix versus you know, what they're going to look like in this upcoming. Depending on when this records they will have already played an exhibition against Germany. I believe that is to be held in London before they go on to France and then begin the start of pool play. So it's a lot, a lot going on for Team usa. I don't envy the athletes who had all of their all star obligations to deal with over the past weekend in Phoenix and now going on to again compete for a gold medal, which is quite literally like the biggest job you can have as an American basketball player. But it is a short, short turnaround and I think like all of these players just had a 25 game WNBA season over the last two months. Like there is a lot of basketball that has been played, a lot of basketball that is yet to be played for sure.
- [11:35]
Zena Kaita
Chantelle, go back to some of the things that you were talking about when you said that you've been talking to a lot of former players, a lot of former coaches, former Olympians going into Paris. What are some of the biggest, I don't, I don't know if concerns is the right word, but things that this team should be focusing on in order to prepare themselves the best for the world stage.
- [12:01]
Chantelle Jennings
Well, I think sort of the bounce back that we're going to see, like Sabrina said, you know, I don't think. And like Stewie and Asia said afterwards, like it's not time to panic. There is time. Eight days is not, you know, a century. But these are professional basketball players. This is their job. They know how to turn the page on something. I am certain Cheryl had film for them before they touched down in London where they could, you know, a lot of teach tape if, if you can say Something from that All Star Game. It's certainly that there was a good amount of teach tape there, especially on the defensive end of the floor, for them to get to. I think what'll be really interesting to watch is that, you know, one of the things that I talked about with Dawn Staley was she was saying, you know, a lot of this comes down to comfort level with a coach. Like, everyone who's on this team is incredible, but you have to find your comfort as a coach. And she said before Tokyo, she went to Tina Charles. Tina had been a player who was a central figure on the previous Olympic team. And she said, listen, you know, you're going to. Your role is going to be different with this team. I'm going with Asia. She was very open and honest and transparent. She said, that's a huge part of being the Olympic team coach, because everyone is so good. You need to have that open communication. But she had a level of comfort with Asia. But I think that same thing, and I thought it a lot while I was watching the All Star Game. In terms of Nafisa, like, if there is a sort of Cheryl Reeve, translator coach on the floor for this team, like, it's Fee, and she only played three minutes. And so I have to think that sort of the disjointedness or some of the miscommunications or the slow rotations that happened, maybe with Fee on the floor, that happens less if she's sort of there helping to direct things on the defensive end and on the offensive end. I think the other part of that, though, that sort of gets really interesting is how these post rotations go. That was one thing Cheryl Reeves said when we had a conversation heading into All Star Game, she said, you know, I haven't had this full group of post players yet, like in. In a camp or in a game situation. And then coming into All Star, obviously didn't have Fee at full go. So here's another time she said, moving forward, and we're recording this before the Germany game, so we don't know how many minutes Fee will play against Germany, but, you know, we saw a lot of Asian Stewie together. Asia Stewie at. We saw some ATBG together. How does all of that change when V comes into the mix? Yeah, I think there's. There's just sort of those questions of rotations that I don't think the All Star Game answered a ton of questions for me on that front. But again, these are professionals. This is their job. I am sure that from the time they took off in Phoenix to the time they landed in London, there were like 40 to do list check marks in their tape to watch and, and they were all, you know, taking good notes and figuring out how to be better their next time on the floor for sure.
- [14:47]
Zena Kaita
And for clarity, for those that may not know at being Alyssa Thomas, bg, being Brittner Griner, when you look at Sabrina, I want to ask you from a play X's and O's perspective, in the Olympics, there's not enough time to really set up set plays right and indoctrinate a team into a playbook, an offensive playbook. How do you go about playing with all of these certain different styles, different approaches, people coming in from different schemes? How does one prepare for that? How does Team USA usually do that with such, such success over the last eight Olympics or seven Olympics?
- [15:30]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, I think the key for Team USA is that they have more talent than anybody else in the world. And even with, you know, 12 All Stars going in for Team USA, there is a pecking order that is established. Like you saw this even in the All Star Game where, yeah, you know, Brittney Griner has been to multiple Olympics, Diana Tarazi has been to multiple Olympics. You know, Jewel Lloyd, multi time champion. The show runs through Brianna Stewart and Asia Wilson like they are the two best players in the wnba. They are the two best players on Team usa. And it's not so much about like, you know, crafting this beautiful offense to incorporate all of the talent that USA has. It's, hey, we have the two players who nobody can guard. So that's going to be our bread and butter going forward. And I think that's, you know, what we saw the USA try to establish in the All Star Game. And it's going to be what we see them establish in Paris. It's similar to what happened in 2021 when they won that gold medal in Tokyo. Is those two players leading the way? Obviously, it's important to have a point guard like super back in Tokyo, like Chelsea Gray now who can deliver the ball to those spots. But I think that's the most important thing is we're going to just simplify this, highlight our best advantages, and then, you know, when the second unit comes in, we'll just still have more talent. We'll run the floor a little bit, push the pace, but it's going to be a lot of Stewie, it's going to be a lot of Asia and rest of the world. Do your best to try to stop this.
- [16:44]
Zena Kaita
Yeah, that makes sense. You I've seen the. I don't know if you guys, if anyone listens and follows Supreme Dreams. He has a wonderful, hilarious social media account, but he made a video about what other teams feel when they go up against Team usa, the men's side, and they realize who's on their bench after you tire out the starters. And I feel like that video is completely, completely, even if not more applicable when it comes to Team USA on the women's side. Just being able to say sheer talent will beat connectedness, maybe and, and familiarity a lot of the times with when it comes to the talent that's on this team. Chantelle, bring us back to the schedule. I know you mentioned there was exhibition games, there's the pool play. Can you actually break down exactly what that's going to look like leading up to the final championship games?
- [17:38]
Chantelle Jennings
Yeah. So they will get to Paris, I believe, on Wednesday, and they'll have a few days to sort of get their feet under them. Practices. There are going to be some practices and availabilities over the weekend. And then their first game will be Monday, July 29, against Japan. And that'll happen up in Lille. Then they play again Thursday, August 1, against Belgium in Lille again. And then their final pool play game is against Germany Sunday, August 4th. And from there, the medal games or the quarterfinals onward are in Paris. And those start the quarterfinals are the seventh, the ninth, and then the 11th in terms of the quarterfinals, semifinals, and then the gold and bronze medal games are the 11th. And that is, I believe, the last day of the Olympics, which is pretty crazy. So that final week, I believe gymnastics is happening in the arena where women's basketball, the quarterfinals onward, will happen, which is why all of the women's basketball games aren't being played and all of the men's basketball games aren't being played in Paris. So gymnastics will close up, I think, on the 4th, and then basketball will move in.
- [18:44]
Zena Kaita
Sure. And you've been watching film on this team you just mentioned Japan being the first one up July 29th for Team USA and in during All Star Weekend, during the pressers, Diana Tausi was asked about playing against Japan. And she said, you know, they're an incredibly fast team, the way they move the ball, their offense, etc. It's clear she's the team USA has been watching film on these teams. They've been watching and also they've played against them. So they know their system, they know the things that they're really good at. But I would, I wonder, I imagine, is it an Advantage that Team USA isn't typically as together as some of these other countries are when it comes to film because there's not a ton of film on them. But I'm just curious, is that, is that an advantage or not? Or is that just like a, an assumption?
- [19:32]
Chantelle Jennings
I guess it's an advantage disadvantage. Right? Like, I guess the advantage is that, you know, you're not going to be able to call out like sets that they're running or know exactly what's going on. Maybe, you know, if they play Australia at some point, the connections between Sabrina and Stewie, Sandy Brandello might have some insights into that. Maybe that's an advantage. But I think probably the disadvantage to that is what we saw in Phoenix, where it's just that, you know, when you have a roster, and I thought this was really interesting that, you know, Cheryl Reeve had said this roster was put together for its versatility. You have players that play three different positions. And so, you know, there aren't a ton of times when maybe Fee is the like three or like, you know, where she's playing with someone on the floor. I'm trying to think of exactly what the rotations were where she's out there, like with Asia, Stewie and feet. Like that's a different feeling for all of those players probably. And so I think that level, it just takes time. Right. But that's like, it's both sides of the coin where it's like that's the benefit of versatility, but that's sort of the drawback of versatility, that it's not like you necessarily have a five where it's sort of that prototypical five. Like you're going to stand in the paint, we're going to throw you the ball and you're going to have a two foot shot every time. Like that's not how Team USA operates. And the fact that, you know, you don't have as many pure point guards on this roster. You have Chelsea and then after that it's a lot of really good ball handlers who can step into that role. But I think that versatility is both the benefit and sort of the reason why maybe you don't see a team that steps on the floor and can mesh together immediately and why it might take a little bit longer.
- [21:10]
Sabrina Merchant
I know, but just speaking to that versatility, I'm thinking about the gold medal game that the USA had against Tokyo. I'm sorry, against Japan in Tokyo. And it was a lot of let's dump the ball, the bg and she's just so much taller than anybody else on the Japanese team because for all of their gifts, this is a very small team. And it's going to be interesting to see how the USA approaches their front court versatility against a team that like, maybe their tallest player is, I don't.
- [21:34]
Chantelle Jennings
Know, like they're leading.
- [21:36]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah.
- [21:36]
Chantelle Jennings
Yes.
- [21:37]
Sabrina Merchant
Would be the seventh tallest player on Team usa.
- [21:38]
Chantelle Jennings
Yeah.
- [21:39]
Sabrina Merchant
So this is, it's nice that the USA has all of these options they can go to. Like, I'm, I'm interested to see. I don't know if Chantelle, if you've gotten a good sense of this from talking to Cheryl Reeve ahead of time, like if they use these pool games to just try to establish an identity or if they sort of shape shift based on the opponent in front of them. Because Japan is like a entirely different challenge than what they're going to see from Germany, which is like all six, four wings and forwards and literally no guards. So there's, there's a lot of variety in the world stage. And the fact that the USA can match up to any of that is obviously its strength. But also, do they want to dictate the style of play every time?
- [22:15]
Chantelle Jennings
I think it'll be both, probably. Like, I think they will use these three games to both. Obviously they need to win. Right. The top two teams from each group move on as well as the next two best teams, meaning in terms of scoring differential. So they need to win. So they need to do whatever it takes to win. And I think that will be the bottom line if it means, you know, dumping it down low and maybe not having the exact same identity against Japan that they'd have against Belgium, that they'd have against Germany, that they'd maybe have against Australia potentially if they saw them in the quarterfinals or later. You know, I don't think like the main objective here is to win every game. Beyond that, though, I think Cheryl will sort of use these earlier games to establish those groupings. Especially in terms of the post play and the post rotation. I think we'll start to see more of the rotation. I, you know, not everyone is going to get double digit minutes in these games moving forward. The All Star game is not predictive of what we're going to see in terms of when they're on the floor against Belgium. And so I think we're going to suddenly see, you know, who is the 11th and 12th best player on this team in terms of what they need in that moment. And that might not be true every single game, but I think it'll be really interesting to see where they do land in terms of an identity. Cheryl wants this to be a team that can play really good defense. Like, that was something that came through very clearly. And given who she is as a coach, that was obviously something she wanted out of this team. Right. But that wasn't what she got. And so at least in that All Star game. So it'll be curious to see, you know, what these three games look like. Exactly. And, you know, putting points on the board will be the number one goal for sure.
- [23:53]
Zena Kaita
Now, before we keep diving into some of the storylines that are in and around the game of the five by five team, I also want to mention, you know, 3x3 is going to France as well, and we saw that on display during All Star weekend. That was one of the events during the Gills competition night on Friday night. And for me, that was a really cool event to see because I didn't know a lot. And I just happened to be sitting with Jordan Robinson, who has done some play by play, a lot of play by play for 3x3. She was giving me some of the insight of what it's like to play in that. In that arena. In terms of there's four players. You're only allowed four players, and you rotate into the game in the same way that you would rotate, like in a volleyball game. Your coach is not allowed to coach you during the designated time. It's the first team to 21 points or the first team or the team that has the most amount of points after a designated period of time. I mean, there were so many different elements and aspects of it. But I just love the insight about why the players that were chosen for this team, and Ryan Howard from the Atlanta Dream, Derick Hamby, who ended up taking her teammate Cameron Brink's spot after Cameron Brink, Torhe acl, Haley Van Lith, who is still in college at tcu, and Sierra Burdick, who's created a career in professional men's basketball by being a phenomenal 3x3 player. But you've got to be able to guard one through five, right? You've got to be able to cook offensively offensive output in a really short amount of time. And the level of communication, it's got to be on point, because if you get beat, your next level of defense has to be right behind you. Ready to go? So I wanted to talk a little bit about the 3x3 team and what we know about their experience in comparison to the five by five. Chantelle, can you give us a little bit of light on that. All I know is that they're supposed to be staying at Place de la Concorde.
- [25:54]
Chantelle Jennings
So that's where their games will be. It's several of sort of the newer Olympic sports are happening there. I believe skateboarding is also there. And so it's sort of this. I think it's what they're calling like the urban sports in terms of like the skateboarding and the breakdancing I believe is there too.
- [26:07]
Zena Kaita
Right, that makes sense. De la Concorde is very urban as well of like a space within Paris and often is like the site where people are going to go protest or young people are getting together. Like that's where things like that happen at Place de la Concorde. So that makes sense.
- [26:23]
Chantelle Jennings
Yes. So it's called the La Concorde Urban Park. So it's like right in the heart of Paris. It's like a public venue. I'm sure. Xena, you clearly, you can like say it correctly. I can't. But it's like the three on three. They've like erected this like large tent with like sort of the stands go around it. Probably about 80% all of the games are later at night. There's usually like a DJ playing music. So it's like a very fun, fast paced environment. It's like I'm really excited to go. I wear, you know, growing up playing basketball, we played in three on three tournaments. And as like, you know, I was like smaller. So like pick and roll games. Like yes, let's do this. Like anytime you can have like half a court basically and you don't have a six foot person there to block every shot you take. Like I'm in. And so I'm really excited to get down to some of the 3x3 games. I'm curious to see. And Sabrina, curious for your thoughts as well. Sort of. You know, for Team usa this is a newer sport for, for the Olympics. And for the last round of the Olympics, you know, it was four WNBA players. This year it's different. There's different qualifying rules. You have to have played in a FIBA 3 on 3 tournament. And then there's two people that automatically get births onto the team because of how many appearances they have with 3 on 3. So it's not like the team USA 5 on 5 where the 12 member team is selected based off of, you know, who on the committee thinks makes the best or makes the most sense for them. So it's a little bit different in terms of the selection process. But I think just Tokyo versus this round where you have like Collegians, people who used to be in the wnba, people who are currently in the wnba. Like there isn't a ton of, I would say, like there's not an obvious direction for what this team is going to be moving forward. Like, are we going to continue to see collegians playing with WNBA players, playing with people who are out of the wnba? Is this going to be a WNBA team? Should they move it into something that's maybe like for college players? Like what is sort of the goal for this group moving forward? And Sabrina, I don't know if you have thoughts on that.
- [28:25]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I think with 2021, because the sport was so new, WNBA kind of treated it as hero players who were like just on the fringe of our 5 on 5 pool and they want to be a part of USA Basketball. So we're going to, you know, throw them this lifeline and give them this opportunity. And then, you know, we've seen Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young were both on the 3x3 team that won gold in Tokyo and now they're on the five on five team here in Paris. So that was kind of my interpretation was the USA is going to take all of these basketball events very seriously and they're going to put their very best talent into 3x3 and 5 on 5. And yet, as you mentioned, because of the extended qualifying period for the Paris Olympics, that wasn't necessarily possible because you know, Sierra Burdick and Haley Van Liff have played in all of these events over the past few years leading up to this. And that's how they got the points and qualifications and you know, maybe edged out some more high profile WNBA names like you think about Ali Chigray, for example, who obviously got a lot of talk on this podcast earlier in the week because of her exploits at All Star Weekend. She was a 3x3 gold medalist in 2021 and did not make the team this time around even though she was at the camp prior to the WNBA season. You know, you can sort of look at the team and think, well, why is Haley Manleth there ahead of Alicia Gray? Well, that's exactly why, because she collected all of the points and qualifications and is more senior in 3x3 at least compared to even a two time WNBA all star in Alicia Gray. So I think just the format of 3x3 makes it a little complicated for the USA to exert its individual dominance in this sport similar to the way it does in five on five. And I think that's part of the point. You look at the rosters for 3x3 all around the world. And other than the USA team, I think there's only one WNBA player who's participating in this tournament and that's Tiffany Hayes, who's been naturalized for Azerbaijan. So it's supposed to be a different category of players I think then five on five. At least that's the way the rest of the world has approached it. And because of, you know, the formatting, I do wonder if the USA is going to be able to finagle its way around that.
- [30:19]
Chantelle Jennings
I'm curious for both of you, with Nafisa and Stewie launching Unrivaled, which is going to be a 3x3 league in the US do you think that sort of happening in the States in the off season, maybe giving more WNBA players experience to playing three on three? Do you think that'll change the way Team USA sort of puts together this team based off the interest level of players who are maybe playing an unrivaled and then maybe are on the outskirts of that 5 on 5 cut that will maybe say like, hey, I want to, I want to be a part of this 3x3 team.
- [30:54]
Zena Kaita
I don't know if it will change how they're choosing them, but I absolutely do believe that it will be part of the consideration. I think that there's a lot of players, There was actually two players that mentioned this weekend that they want the 3x3 unrivaled league to kind of be treated like a G league, to be treated as a pool in which they can be evaluated for their ability to play defense on multiple types of players, to be able to create offense very quickly. So I'm sure, I mean the coaches would be remiss in my opinion to not consider the play and the talent in the unrivaled league as a way to evaluate talent for team the five by five team for the team esa.
- [31:37]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, I think we still run into the whole problem of are these players going to be participating in 3x3 qualification events around the world? Right. Like if anything now you've created another eight weeks where they're not going to be available for off season participation because they're going to be in Miami playing unrivaled. And you look at the caliber of player that has been unveiled for the unrivaled roster thus far. They're all all stars. They're all people who either have experience with the Olympic team or have just been right on the cusp like a rigumbawale. And I do believe that just the overall success level, you Know, the halo around team USA 5 on 5, like, this is the team people want to get on. And so if they're going to put themselves in one pool or another, like even Ryan Howard, like she was in the 5 on 5 camp back in February, she wanted to be on the 5 on 5 team. She went to the Olympic qualifying tournament in Belgium. Like, if the head of USA Basketball called her up and said, hey, there's a spot on 5 on 5, you will in a ditch 3x3, like she would do that in a heartbeat. So I think just the, the level, you know, the level up between 3x3 and 5 and 5, it's just going to be hard for me to imagine players specifically seeking out three on three unless they're, I mean, to put it bluntly, just a lower level caliber of player.
- [32:45]
Chantelle Jennings
Yeah, I guess I was thinking, like, I Wonder if, because 5 on 5 players maybe aren't sort of playing in that environment all the time, that maybe it would be something where it's like, oh, I actually will spend a week to go to, you know, another country to play in a FIBA 3 on 3 tournament so I can get the points that would maybe put me in consideration for that if it' you know, an opportunity to play in the Olympics. I think it'll be interesting specifically if USA does not win gold in 3x3 to see how maybe opinions change around, like the amount of effort or the amount of like, what is the word I'm looking for, like the amount of time and consideration that players are putting into that to make sure that like USA Basketball on all facets stays sort of at the top of the Olympic Games. If they, you know, come home with a silver or a bronze. Suddenly maybe there are more players saying like, you know, if they're in that pool, but they're going to be on the outside looking in like, you know, but I have the three on three reps and I've, I've been in these tournaments. It'll. I don't know, it'll just be interesting to see four years from now if there's maybe a different approach.
- [33:43]
Zena Kaita
It's, it's clear that the more opportunities that these players have to showcase that they can play in these higher stake environments other than the wnba. That's more of an opportunity for a coach to be like, all right, here's some film on a player in this environment that I can check out, etc. So I don't know actually if is unrivaled Fever qualified.
- [34:06]
Sabrina Merchant
No, no, it's an entirely different Setup. It's not half court, it's full court. It's five players for team, not four. Like there is significant differences, I would say, between the two formats. But sure, as Chantal said, just like I think getting the experience of playing some measure of 3x3 might make people more inclined to seek that out later.
- [34:23]
Zena Kaita
Right, right, right, right. No, that's a great question and we'll see what happens. I do think that, I think the world is interested in this format of basketball. It's more exciting, it's faster paced and you are getting to see some players that wouldn't be on the, you know, the typical 5x5 team get some shine and be able to showcase their abilities and so enjoy Place de la Concorde. Because I'm obsessed with it. It's also be prepared. It's like right by the Champs Elysees. So you might want to go shopping afterwards and also go to the Garden, which is, I'll say it in French, it's the Jardin de Tuileries, but it's the Tuileries Garden. Beautiful flowers. Take all the photos as you prepare for a fun night out on the town in Passage. Okay, I want to wrap up this conversation with just talking about some of the storylines around Team usa because there's a lot there in terms of this team going again for their eighth straight gold medal, trying to be as dominant of a national team as possible. You see the Team Argentina just winning a back to back Copa America, just like absolutely killing it. These type of things aren't easy to do. And Team USA has a reputation of being excellent and great, but the rest of the world is like slowly trying to catch up with them. And so of course there's this storyline of can they do it? There's the storyline of Diana Taurasi trying to go for her sixth gold medal where a lot of people had thoughts about should she be on this roster? Is she as good as some of the other people that were being considered, especially in her older age? There's new members to the team trying to make an impact and trying to make a name for themselves within the system. So, Sabrina, I'll start with you in terms of some of the storylines that you're interested in and looking and seeing how they play out. What are some that stick out for you?
- [36:27]
Sabrina Merchant
I think point guard is a big one. Chantel alluded to this earlier, there's only real one natural point guard on this roster and that's Chelsea Gray. And even though she has been back for the last 12 games, for the Las Vegas Aces. She still doesn't look to me like the same Chelsea Gray that we saw prior to the foot injury she suffered during the 2023 WNBA Finals. So I'm curious how much they're going to be able to stretch her in these games. And if she is, you know, not able to play more than 20 minutes, who is the one who's handling ball handling duties after that? Like sabrinasco, I think, has been the best guard in the WNBA this year. I wouldn't call her a natural point guard, but she, you know, definitely can create plays. And she has the familiarity with Brianna Stewart, which should make things easier because I expect Stewie to play about 30 minutes in these games. And, you know, do we see maybe Jackie Young or Kelsey Plum handling these lead guard duties because they have the familiarity with Asia Wilson. They obviously had to do that for the first part of the Las Vegas season. But their success in that arena, you know, eye of the beholder considering how the Aces did without Chelsea grand, the lineup. And as we mentioned, I think on last time show, Jackie Young was the last player, you know, inserted into Team USA's lineup during the All Star Game. So perhaps Charlie has her a little bit lower on the pecking order. But yeah, that's me is stylistically what I'm interested to see the USA do. Especially because, you know, Suburg manned this position for five Olympics before this one.
- [37:45]
Zena Kaita
Yeah, it's a great storyline not only to be able to see how does this team fare without Supergirl, but if you're a Caitlin Clark fan, it's a great storyline to see if this team doesn't do well. And the conversation around why they didn't do well is centered around the way the floor was spread out, constructed, managed throughout the course of the Olympics. The argument for Caitlin Clark in LA28 will be absolutely made and concretized. So that's something to be looking out for as well. Needing potentially another point guard to join in that mix. Chantelle, for you, what are some of the storylines that you're looking to see play out?
- [38:24]
Chantelle Jennings
I think for me, one of my conversation with Cheryl Reeve, one of the things that I came away with, maybe most surprised was how she was talking about the need to sort of separate this team from the legacy. She said, you know, this is our journey, this is our Olympics. You know, the seven before happened, but we need to sort of separate those things. And she specifically said, like, it's your job, you know, as, as the media, as a reporter to write those narratives and to. And to say those things, but that's not how we're looking at it. And she compared it to the Lynx run from 2011-17 when they won four titles. And she said, you know, the pressure from the outside was that we win every time. And she said it was, you know, every year the expectation was to win a WNBA championship. And every year she would say to the links, you know, this is the 2013 links or this is the 2014 links, like, we're different than the team before we. And I buy what she's saying and I think it's important. I think the amount of pressure going into the Olympics for any player, even the most elite athletes is so high. And especially when you're Team usa, we're literally like the worst possible failure here is being second best in the world. Like, where else is that possible?
- [39:38]
Zena Kaita
What a standard.
- [39:39]
Chantelle Jennings
It's an immense amount of pressure. But I also don't think you can separate the legacy here. Like Team USA is its legacy in so many ways and it's so interwoven. And so much of what they do now is because of what they started doing in 1996. And you have the players like Diana Trossi have sort of passed down the culture and the tradition and you know, BG and Asia and Stewie are all a part of that now, sort of passing it down to these first time Olympians. And so I'm really curious to just sort of watch how that plays out. And I'm sure by the time we get to Paris and we have three pool play games under our belt and questions have been asked about the legacy and the eight gold medals, like there will sort of be those answers that players have prepared and they will continue to be asked it. I'm very curious about that. And I think also just, you know, from like a personal reporter level, like just how different it is covering an Olympic. Cheryl was saying as well that, you know, she'd been in Olympic qualifiers before going to Rio, which was her first Olympics as an assistant. And she said it was just so different the first time she, she walked into a gym and it was the Olympics and it was the first pool play game. And she said, you can't really prepare yourself for that. Like it was just a different. It wasn't the qualifiers, it wasn't the WNBA finals, it was different. And this team has a few first time five on five Olympians. And so I think it'll be interesting to see that Japan game sort of have everything shake out. On a side note, actually, I had a story on the site earlier this week about Diana Taurasi's rookie Olympics. And Sue Bird told a great story about how for the first game in Athens, Diana actually showed up with two left shoes. She didn't bring a left shoe and a right shoe to her first Olympic game. Was like, what a rookie moment. Like bright lights, most pressure, most stakes ever. And here's Diana and she looks at sue and she goes, fuck, I have two left shoes. Like, Sue Bird recounting the story was hilarious. And then in real time, she's like, I'm going to text Diana because I think she had to warm up in her trainers. And she's texting like d in real time. And she's like, did you have to warm up in your trainers? And Diana said, yeah, I had to. My trainers. So just sort of that, you know, the, the pressures of all of that. And I said, that's pretty surprising. And she goes, it's not that surprising. She forgot her jersey once in Russia. I was like, wow, Diana, we've come a long way to now be the second oldest player at the Olympics because Lauren Jackson is slightly older at 43 in terms of YouTube. So I think those to me are sort of the, just the Olympic vibe, how different it feels than sort of these other high stakes environments that, you know, these players have played in and that I've covered them in and then just sort of how they navigate separating the legacy from this team and, and you know, how they intentionally weave it together at times too. So I'll be curious to see how all that plays out for sure.
- [42:30]
Zena Kaita
And separating the legacy is. I just, as you were talking, I was like, I don't see how you can. I mentioned, you know, Argentina, they won Corpo America, they won Copa America in 2021, then they win the World cup, then they win Copa America again. And the entire time that that game was being played out, Lionel Messi, who hurts his ankle, cannot even play, but continues. The conversation was still about the legacy of this man on this team and being able to win this game for them. And that's where I'm like, you're not going to be able to separate Team USA's legacy from this streak that they're on. But I also think that one of the storylines that I'm looking at playing out is separating Diana Taurasi from this storyline as well. And her impact on this team. Even though she's not going to be the player right, she's, she's going to most likely be coming off the bench and she'll be rotated in There, you know, we saw a little glimpse of what that could look like at the All Star Game. But just thinking about the legacy of this team, and for me, the transition to the next generation as Cheryl Reeve is talking about is like, this is our journey. There's a new journey starting for several players and them becoming the Sue Birds and the Diana Taurasi of this team that we've known. So it'll be very interesting to see. All right, last thing before we go. I know you guys just talked about some of the things that you all are looking at. Of course you're the experts. You're looking at things that are like legitimate, right? Looking at point guards, you're looking at journeys, etc. What are some of the things that fans that you would encourage fans to be looking for if this is maybe their first Olympic journey for Team USA that they're looking at?
- [44:08]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, personally I love just watching great teams play. So, you know, I think just to experience what this collection of talent could look like for Team usa. I mean, we just mentioned Jackie Young, a multi time all star, being the 12th player on this roster who, you know, may or may not get minutes when all is said and done.
- [44:26]
Zena Kaita
Perspective folks, it's just fun to be.
- [44:28]
Sabrina Merchant
Able to appreciate greatness, you know, so if that's something that you're interested in, if you like Goliaths, I think a Team USA is a really fun watch. And then, you know, I kind of alluded to this earlier, but the international world stage is really interesting because there's kind of a style of play for everyone. You know, if you're into this very big wing, like everybody is multi positional type of style. May I interest you in Team Germany where like Every player is 63 or 64 and has to play guard and center because that is the way their team is constructed. Like the Sabalis and Leo Fevich, who, you know we've seen in New York this season, a couple former UCLA players and Emily Beswarile, Lena Santag, like literally every one of them. 6364 does a little bit of everything. Some ball handling, some shooting, some posting up inside. And I think that's really fun to watch. But you know, if you're more interested in like traditional pick and roll, I got a good five, good point guard type of play. Belgium's right there. You know, Julie Van Loo, Julie Almond. Mm Eastman. Like, I just think it's really fun that we get this stylistic diversity and if you're just a super basketball nut and like to See, you know, the way basketball is informed by the culture, like, it's a really good time.
- [45:36]
Zena Kaita
There you go. What about you, Chantel?
- [45:39]
Chantelle Jennings
I think, I mean, obviously, you know, the basketball is the main show here, but I think just how much people care. I'm really excited to be in arenas where it's like, I think especially in Lille, it's going to sort of feel like we have two home fan bases between Belgium and France. And like, I'm really excited to just walk into an arena where it's like everyone is holding up their flags. Like, that's going to be so cool.
- [46:02]
Zena Kaita
Yeah.
- [46:02]
Chantelle Jennings
And I think just like hearing all the different national anthems for teams. I'm not 100% sure what the Olympic mascot is yet this year. This is maybe something I should know and might have been on a PowerPoint that I may or may not have watched that our travel coordinator sent us. But I'm excited to find the mascot. There's always fun mascots. Just find the Olympic rings. Yeah. I think also just for fans who are going to be watching and following, like in the Twitter X World, I think one of the best things about the Olympics is sort of those, like, cross sport interactions. Like, randomly you'll just see photos. Like, you know, there was a photo that someone had sent for the Diana story from 2004 where it was like the entire US gymnastics team standing with the entire basketball team, but it was like shot on a point and shoot camera. Like these sort of candid moments where you're in the Olympic village or, you know, like Diana Taurasi has told the story about, like, running into Mana Ginobili in the village and being like, oh my gosh.
- [47:04]
Sabrina Merchant
Hi.
- [47:04]
Chantelle Jennings
Like, sort of these experiences of, you know, where it's sort of like, this is like what normal people would think when you, like, were a little kid and you saw your teacher at the grocery store and you were like, oh, my God, you exist outside of my school. It'll be really cool to see, like, Simone Biles running into, you know, Jackie Young, like in the village or something, or we see like, you know, Simone Manuel running into someone else on the basketball, like, just sort of these. I'm excited for those sort of things. And I think the opening ceremonies, you know, that's always fun to see. And it'll be on the Seine, so, like, they'll be coming down the Seine on boats. We'll have a bunch of reporters there covering the opening ceremonies as well. So I think there's, you know, there's no shortage of things to be interested in. And then basketball is, again, just one of the many sports that people can enjoy during this. Obviously, it's what we're focusing on, but, you know, five on five, three on three, and then take a short walk over and check out some judo or skateboarding or track. You know, it's like. It's going to be wild.
- [48:11]
Zena Kaita
Yeah, it is going to be wild. And as you're talking, I was just thinking about, like, Steph Curry and Sabrina Unescu both being over there, or asia Wilson and LeBron James both being over there. Like, there's a. There's a lot of connections even between the basketball programs. And, you know, they'll be supporting each other. This is going to be so much fun. And by the time I'm recording it again, Chantelle is already in France. However, we're just getting excited, getting ready, and she's on her way there, so we want to wish her safe travel to Paris. Thank you, Chantelle, for joining us, and thank you for all the coverage that you're about to give. Again, this is a special edition of the Athletic Women's Basketball show that will be continuing throughout the Olympics to ensure that you guys are up to date getting the eyes and ears of what's going on in Barry. All right, folks, again, thank you all for listening. As always, if there's anything that you want to know about the Olympics. For example, the Olympic mascot we found out is the virgin hat. Google that, okay? And when you do that, also google the French slogan Liberte Egalite Fraternity. That will make a lot more sense as to why the French Olympics mascot is this weird flipped over hat. I promise you it will make a lot more sense. And also look up why the Paris 2024 logo looks like a caricature drawing of Mary J. Blige. It's actually someone named Mary, but it's Marianne. Okay, look that up. You'll be interested to learn the story behind that. It's all very thoughtful, folks. The people behind this have some marketing experience. They understand what they're trying to represent here. But. But again, tune in all the next few shows for the Olympics coverage. Let us know what you want to hear. And on behalf of Chantelle, on behalf of Sabrina, I'm Xena, thanking you for your ear and encouraging you to keep listening, keep watching, keep learning, and keep loving the game, because that's the only way we're going to keep growing it. And make sure to set your alarms. Remember, there's a little bit of a time gap between our time and their time all right, guys, until next time.
- [50:23]
LinkedIn Sales Navigator Representative
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Chantelle Jennings
Safe to assume there will be a.
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Chantelle Jennings
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LinkedIn Sales Navigator Representative
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Chantelle Jennings
Here's a show that that we recommend.
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Zena Kaita
Hey guys.
- [51:50]
Sabrina Merchant
Welcome to Giggly Squad, a place where we make fun of everything, but most importantly ourselves.
- [51:54]
LinkedIn Sales Navigator Representative
I'm Paige Desorbo.
- [51:56]
Sabrina Merchant
I'm Hannah Burner.
- [51:57]
Zena Kaita
Welcome to the Squad.
- [51:58]
Sabrina Merchant
Giggly Squad started on Summer House when we were giggling during an inappropriate time.
- [52:02]
LinkedIn Sales Navigator Representative
But of course we can't be managed.
- [52:04]
Sabrina Merchant
So we decided to start this podcast to continue giggling.
- [52:07]
Chantelle Jennings
We will make fun of pop culture news.
- [52:09]
Sabrina Merchant
We're watching fashion trends pep talks where.
- [52:12]
LinkedIn Sales Navigator Representative
We give advice, mental health moments and games and guests.
- [52:16]
Sabrina Merchant
Listen to Giggly Squad on Acast or wherever you get your podcasts. Acast helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.
- [52:27]
Chantelle Jennings
Com.