July 2, 2024
Locked On Women’s Basketball: Connecticut Sun are still shining
By The Next
Noa Dalzell: 'This team wants a championship'
The Connecticut Sun are 15-4 and The Next’s Sun beat writer Noa Dalzell joins host Natalie Heavren to talk all about the Sun’s season so far. The pair discuss the team’s July 1 win over Phoenix, Alyssa Thomas being named to Team USA’s 5×5 Olympic team and who has stepped up for the Sun this season. Dalzell also talks about what’s ahead for the Sun, what she’s excited to see in the next couple of weeks and more.
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Stathead Stat of the Week
Breanna Stewart had 54 rebounds in the five games of the WNBA Finals. Only two players have had more in a WNBA Finals.
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Noa and Natalie discuss Alyssa Thomas’ trajectory towards Team USA and how she’ll impact the star-studded Olympic team this summer in Paris:
“Historically in her career, [Thomas] didn’t know if her style of basketball would fit in overseas basketball and fit with Team USA. She’s obviously a very defensive-minded player and that’s not always the blueprint of USA basketball,” Noa said. “And so she kind of bought in in 2022 and is very excited for the opportunity to be back in ’24 … And I think she’ll be one of the most important players on the roster, but she’s also kind of a do-everything player.”
Later, Noa discusses what it will take for the Connecticut Sun to make it over the hump and finally clinch a WNBA title — namely, that the title will run through Las Vegas or New York.
“So the reality is I think this team wants a championship, right? They’ve come close many times. They’re a veteran group. So this is the time to do it, right? … And for the last couple of years, it seems like the [New York] Liberty and the [Las Vegas] Aces are the two teams that they’re just kind of unable to get over the hump with,” Noa said. “And so anytime they face the Liberty or the Aces, to me, that is like a circle your calendar matchup because you want to figure out how they can match up against those teams … to win a championship, you’re probably going to have to beat one or both of those teams.”
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