Post Game Press Conference — Sky vs Wings — May 20, 2026

[9:46] You mentioned Elizabeth, how much have you guys gotten to work on that double-dig look and kind of what is your impression just of how that works together? [10:00] Yeah, I think since my work here, like first year, you and me played really well together, we like try to feed off each other, you know, when the dub was coming, she's a really smart player, she's a really smart vet. [10:11] So she knows the perfect moment to cut and like when she's going to be opening. I'm always trying to find her because that's just how the hockey industry works. [10:19] We'll go to Chris in the third row. [10:23] Ms. Cardoso, you had a lot of success early in the first half, especially in the second quarter, able to get good shots, good looks, and then when the double teams kind of came to the third quarter, you were able to find shooters. [10:33] How have you developed your distribution part of your game when you know those double teams are going to come on you in the post and teams are doubling and tripling and really looking to deny you the ball? [10:44] Shout out to Pops, David, and my entire coaching staff. You know, I think that's something I struggled in the first two games and we're working on this the time after practice and I'm a great wrestler. [10:53] So I just got to stay calm and like watch the floor and see where the double coming from and find the other players. So we've been working on that. [10:59] Go to Maggie. [11:01] Hi, Camilla. Obviously, we saw some of your teammates wearing Rakia's jersey tonight and everything. So was there a little bit of a sense of like, okay, we are pushing now for her? [11:14] Yeah, for sure. You know, like Kia's a big part of like Tim, man. I know she's in there right now, but we got her back. We're here for her and we're going to have her back through this whole process. [11:24] We just want her to feel like she's loved being here. [11:27] Brian, for her. [11:29] Coach just talked about getting you on the move more in the office. What did you just get your assessment of just how you feel compromised within the system? [11:36] Yeah, I think I feel comfortable with whatever he wants, you know, I'm just trying to do my best to help my team win. So I can, I want to do whatever he thinks, whatever they need from me. [11:47] Karim from the move. [11:50] Yeah, we got four games now with Tash, just kind of impressions of how that's going as far as working her in and just kind of the chemistry that you guys are starting to build. [12:01] Yeah, I think Tash is amazing, but you know, she fit right in. And she's been important for me, you know, like, I think sometimes I have like a lack of confidence in myself and she's here since day one. [12:14] I think I never spoke to her before our first practice together and she always pouring to me. She always telling me how great I am and can nobody mess with me. And she helps me a lot. It just makes me happy and like play with confidence. [12:27] Exactly. [12:29] Hey Camila, this is another year with a new roster, new makeup and so forth. Do you all feel like there's more of a sense of urgency to fortify a chemistry early on and to get to gel together early on? [12:44] I think we're doing a pretty good job. Since our first game, I think my chemistry has been there and I'm excited. And yeah, we're going to have more time to work with each other and get more chemistry, but I think we're doing a pretty good job so far. [12:57] We're going to Chris. [12:58] Oh my God. When you tied it with, or today you had a game high of 24 points. What was working for you in the post offensively, especially with someone who was here to score in that way? [13:09] Honestly, I'll say just the actual work that I'm putting in. It's paying off and I got to say consistent, but I think the same, my teammates did a great job finding me when I see when I'm screwing them. So shout out to them. [13:22] Let's have a couple more. We'll go to Alyssa seconder on the right. [13:24] Hey, can you talk about Gav's cutting ability? [13:27] Amazing. You know, like I said, I think I'm a really good person. It's so easy to play with her because she's always cutting me. She's always open. So yes, she plays like everything but a rookie, you know, so it's amazing to have her all day on the floor. She has a really high IQ and it's just great because she makes my life easy. [13:45] Any more for Mel? [13:47] Mike, third row on the left. He flows out. [13:49] Camilla, in the final couple of minutes, you're down a couple of points and then you see Skyler put her hands up and kind of get the crowd into it. Starting off on the road, 3-1, coming home, was there a different feel, different atmosphere here with the crowd? [14:02] Yeah, yeah. It's just great to play home. After three games, it felt good to have a crowd cheer us on, you know? And yeah, I feel like as basketball players, we feed off the crowd energy, so I think that's... [14:16] Thanks, everyone. Skyler will be nice. [14:18] Thank you. [14:19] Thank you. [14:20] Do you have one? Oh, not earlier. [23:03] Sorry. [23:06] Skyler, I asked Camilla the same question, but obviously this is your guys' first step. [23:13] Nice haircut. [23:14] Obviously, this is kind of the first step in figuring out what this team looks like without Rakhia for this season. What was kind of your impression of what you learned about that? How you guys can make a better adjust to that? [23:28] Yeah, I thought it was a magic thing, too. It was that, obviously, I thought the adjustment was the root for IC. That was a magical league. We ended up going to the... Traditionally, we haven't done that. We've been going four yards. [23:42] And so when we made that adjustment, I thought it was helpful. But, I mean, shit, the shots that they were making at the end was incredible. I mean, you've got two great shot makers on that team. [23:53] Obviously, AZ Hood coming off the bench, you're going four for six. And then in that third quarter, we didn't get a consecutive stop. So I thought that was very uncharacteristic of what our defense is looking like the first four games. And you've got to credit them with some of that stuff. And then I think that, you know, we're just a little bit more undisputed than we usually are defensive. So I thought it was uncharacteristic. [24:14] The game tonight. But I also credit Dallas for some of that, too. The shot making, you know, at the point of the third quarter, we didn't get consecutive stop. [24:24] So that's so unlike our team. And so, like I said, it was things that they did, match-up-wise, that we hadn't seen them do. Went away from line for the league. We hadn't played the last few games. [24:36] Obviously, came off the line of 82-20 minutes. Played 30 minutes. No 90 secrets. So the rotation was a little bit different than what we had seen from Dallas. And so I thought we needed to make more adjustments. We kind of just cut corners defensively. And that's what I saw. [24:51] Giving up 30 points almost twice. And so, yeah, that's what I saw. I know that was pretty much TBD. I mean, I don't know what to say about that. [25:05] Yes. We saw what that half it looked like. We played a half an hour a kid. Come back into the fold. Obviously, I did not like my game tonight. I could have been better for us. Didn't have rhythm. Missed the last three halves of basketball. [25:17] Got a floater in my eye that I'm still dealing with. Rolled the shit out of my ankle. So I wasn't. I was surprised to see you guys up here tonight. But yeah, obviously, that's not how we wanted to start. First of all, that environment was amazing tonight. So thank you to everybody that came out and supported us here and the fans. And so we look forward to having another half batted on Saturday against a good Minnesota team for a bounce back game. But that's not how we wanted to come out and play tonight. And so I take accountability. [25:46] We're going to Brian. Sky, you know, Camilla, 24 to 11 today. Just wanted your thoughts just a little bit. Just comforting the offense and the system. [25:56] Yeah, you know, just continue to find ways that you have the basketball in positions where it's hard to double. Got it to earn a high low. Got it to earn some NB side action. So I'm going back and looking at what was successful. And obviously, I wanted to continue to play through. [26:14] Hey, Sky. We saw Tosh bring up the ball a lot tonight. [26:19] Have you found a level of comfort where we have these different both guards on the floor playing similar games? I don't know if I'm asking this right. But like, have you found a comfortable spot with Natasha? [26:35] We haven't had a good sample size to say. I'm always comfortable. You know, obviously, we need a bigger sample size. [26:45] You mentioned that third quarter. Just kind of find ways to keep up. But when you see Tosh kind of going to the basket, kind of putting her body on the line a little bit in those ways, what does that do for you as a team? [27:04] Yeah, that's what she does. She's great at getting downhill. You know, she can get into the lane and create. Everybody else, just her aggression opens it up. And so she does that. Sorry, I don't know what to say about that. You said it for me. [27:23] I'm not sure if you saw this, but there was a post going around AZ posted a picture with you when you were a rookie and she was a kid. [27:36] Talked about how great of a role model you are. Someone to look up to. I'm just curious just kind of what it means to see, you know, players coming into the league now who watched you and respected you and are now on the court with you. [27:49] Yeah, it means I'm cold. No, I hadn't seen that post. But, you know, it's not the first time, you know, people around the league now, they want to show me 10 years ago, I came to your camp or, you know, it's just amazing to, it's a blessing to be around that long to see them into their WNBA seasons in this WNBA, which is amazing. [28:14] You know, the strides that this league has made and how it presents itself to them, you know, is a bright future ahead for the league long after, you know, I'm gone and they'll be here. [28:27] And so it's amazing to still be kicking in this league and being able to compete against them. I hope, I hope that they think that I'm still a good role model. [28:36] Yeah, but it's awesome. It's a full cycle moment for me anytime something like that happens. I appreciate the love and support and, you know, it's great to see what they've become, you know, to see what she's became and what she's done for the game. So, a full cycle moment. [28:52] Go to Chris, then we'll close back out with Julia. [28:59] I mean, you talked about not getting consecutive stops in the third quarter, but when you opened up on the defense, you were getting those deflections that I know that both Coach Marsh and Coach Trammell talked about in practice. [29:11] Was there anything that Dallas changed personnel-wise that you saw just with your scheme where you weren't able to get them? [29:19] Up top, I can't recall particularly what it is. I have to go back and look at it. I wasn't mad at our first quarter at all. I think that's ideally how we wanted it to look, but that's the only quarter that we won. [29:31] And so you can't win a game when you don't only win one quarter unless you win it by a significant amount. And so I wasn't mad at our first quarter defense. I think we went on a run there, but we had kind of, we got up 10 or we got up 11, you know, we couldn't string together stops. [29:48] And so, like I said, that was uncharacteristic for us as far as how we have been performing defensively. But I also think that they made some tough shots. [29:57] I mean, we got 48 points in the paint, you know, where they're great at is second chance points. They got 13. That's great points. That's how they want to play. And we kind of kept them out of that, which had been their bread and butter. [30:12] They were scoring more in the half court and that was kind of untraditional for them for their first four games too. So go back and look at the film there. [30:22] But it was, it was definitely a swing in that third quarter and we have to be better defensively. I think anytime you give up 34 and 20, 80 points, the third and fourth quarter, you're not going to win the game. [30:36] Last question from Julia. [30:39] What's your impression of the three point shots, kind of the make, also the percentage that you guys have been able to get. It's been kind of lagging maybe a little bit behind our facility for the start of the season. Do you like kind of your shot by it from? [30:55] Me personally or us as a team? I would have to look at the type of shots that we're getting. I think it all depends on the type of shots that we're getting, not necessarily focusing on too much makes and misses. Is it a swing swing? Is it a good to great? Is it a paint touch? Is it a quality? [31:12] Is it a quality shot? And I think that's more so, you know, what we have to look at. And so I know, I guess I would look more so at the quality of shots that we're getting, not necessarily focusing on making the misses. [31:28] Is it off the dribble or are we taking tough late shot clock shots? I thought I took one too bad was today, speaking of, speaking of. [31:36] But yeah, as we continue to figure out our identity, our team, the only constant on our team has been changed so far. [31:43] And so we need a steady sample size. We understand that. But that was unacceptable to the effort tonight. So credit balance for things that they did well [31:51] offensively. And we will have a better showing up Saturday. And we better or we're going to get blown out by a good Minnesota team. [31:58] And so once again, thank you to the fans for coming out in that atmosphere. That's not the effort that'll be shown throughout the rest of the season. [32:05] We appreciate the support. It was great for playing there tonight. Look forward to having us. Thanks. So we got to get our sample size together. We lost one of the best players in the league. [32:13] There's a lot of residuals that come off of that. So been battling some dumb shit personally, injuries and stupid shit. [32:21] So just got to get into the swing of it. But I ain't tricking. You know, I still love our squad. We stay together. It's a great unit and we love playing with each other. [32:30] And so got to bring back that defensive intensity on Saturday. Thanks everyone. Thank you. [32:37] Thank you. [32:38] Tyler just had fairly strong words about the defensive effort tonight. What was kind of your assessment of where that was after? [36:26] It wasn't good enough. It wasn't the standard that we've set. And it made us pay. It made us pay for every mistake that we made defensively. So we got to do better. [36:40] Jessica Shepard, 12 assists. Her playmaking, I think, was pretty pivotal for them. Just wanted to get your thoughts on your rotations just with her and her playmaking tonight. [36:51] Yeah, I mean, we knew that was part of her game. I think an underrated part of her game. She's, you know, now coming out of today, she'll be leading their team in assists. [37:01] So coming into it, I think she was tied right with Paige. So, I mean, that's what she's capable of doing. I think that they had a, they caught a good rhythm in that second half. [37:13] Some tough shots they've made. Some were more open than we would have liked them to be. But she was great on both ends today. [37:21] Mike, third run left. [37:23] Coach, we've seen a lot of change over the offseason and change into this year. And Skyler talked a little bit about that's the only constant within these first five games. [37:34] But you also mentioned a small sample size. So defense included, but also offensively. What can this group do differently, especially now coming home to try to win games and be a lot more competitive than we saw last year? [37:46] I think defensively, we got to, we got to stay aggressive as aggressive as we've been during the road trip. I think offensively, we can afford to be a little bit more aggressive. Unlike our, how we've been able to manage our turnovers and keep those down. But I think that we're still passing up some open shots. I think that at times we get, we get stagnant offensively and we can keep the ball moving a little bit more. But you know, 89 points is enough to win. [38:14] It was our defense tonight. And that's what we, again, that's what we hung our hat on the first four games. And so we got to get back to that. [38:21] Zachary. [38:23] Hey, Coach. Gabrielle had a real standout performance tonight and as a starter in her first regular season home game. And she hit some good big shots. On the both ends she was very effective. She attacked the rim a bunch of times. What did you think of her performance? [38:41] I thought she was aggressive when she needed to be. I would imagine that she, it's probably feeling like she could have played better. I think we probably kept that collective feeling as a team. But she was, she was aggressive on both ends. [38:57] I think there's room for improvement across the board. But she, we know she's fearless. We know she's going to go out and compete. So you're always proud of that and the effort that she gives. She never shortchanges you there. [39:08] There's just a few things that we can clean up as a defensive team coming out of tonight. [39:15] Melissa? [39:17] Coach, it feels like Camilla has had like a different mindset in the last, like, I don't know, six quarters. Have you seen that from her? Like, what do you think that's reflective of? And she also told us that she feels like she's just been, like, putting it to this point. So you could also just kind of, like, the behind the scenes stuff that we don't see. [39:36] She has. She's putting a ton of work in. She's watching a ton of film. She's staying after practice and coming in on off days and putting in the work. So we're extremely proud of that. And she's seeing the fruits of that hard work and that labor show up in real time. I think that, again, that just her ability to move and play with force has a direct impact on us offensively and defensively. [40:05] Tonight has shown itself offensively and both with her aggression in the paint but just her ability to command attention. And that helps the overall flow of our offense and that's the kind of dominance that she can show. [40:20] Go back to Julia. [40:22] Tyler, you guys are playing essentially about four for the foreseeable future until you're able to get Azri back. What did you think about using Gabs in that position? What did you think about the double big and just kind of, like, how are you playing? [40:35] How are you planning to navigate that? [40:37] Yeah, I thought we held our own size-wise for the first two and a half quarters. And then I think they really started to impose their size midway through that third and into the fourth. [40:48] So we wanted to kind of match them from a size standpoint. We obviously like playing small a little bit because, or so from an offensive standpoint, just because we're able to space the floor a little bit differently. [40:58] But also our activity and our mobility is a little bit more fluid when we're playing small defensively, too. It allows us to be a little bit more aggressive. [41:06] I thought Iwo came in and gave good minutes tonight and it was the first look that we've really had at that double big lineup since last year, really. [41:15] And so I thought it was decent. I thought Ayesha came in and gave some good minutes as well. And then four-spot Gabs is open and willing to do whatever is necessary. [41:28] And really, from an offensive standpoint, when we're playing small, the two, three, and fours don't really change that much. They're kind of the same. [41:36] So, you know, we try to mix things up just to kind of match their size on the interior. But we'll continue to adjust. [41:47] Just following up on that real quick. Do you feel like Gabs or JC, those types of players, do you feel like they have the ability to guard up in terms of being able to guard up to like a four or when they're kind of going with that double big look of Jessica in there? [42:03] Or do you feel like that's something where they're always just kind of going to have to be fighting through that? [42:08] Yeah, I think it depends on the matchup. Gabs probably has a little bit more versatility there just because of her length. [42:15] Tasha has some because of her strength and, you know, her IQ and whatnot from a defensive standpoint. [42:23] I think where JC excels at is her ability to push the ball on the perimeter. [42:28] And so, you know, we've got to be creative in the ways that we're able to mix it up and what guards we're able to put on bigger offensive players until we get healthy. [42:39] We're going to christen that third row. We've learned that follow-ups. [42:43] Coach Marsh, you mentioned Ayesha Kulimbali's minutes tonight. How do you as a coaching staff support her as a rookie when she's getting the time on the floor with the lack of personnel that you had in the moment? [42:57] And then in the moments where Dallas was kind of trying to attack her defensively, where do you go with her in just teaching her the pro game at this level? [43:08] Yeah, she's playing somewhat out of position right now. She can spot minutes at the forward right now. She's kind of an all-time forward when she's in there just because of the nature of the roster. [43:21] But she fights. She's strong. She has a good base. I think that tonight it was just more of a matter of lack of height. [43:31] But she's going to get in there and battle. For us and the support, some of the support is the fact that she's playing 15 minutes. [43:41] Like, that's a little valuable minutes since she's played a lot of big-time minutes already in this short season. [43:48] And that's not something to go undermine. Like, there's not a lot of second-round picks that make it. [43:55] And she's a second-round pick that made it off of being injured. [43:59] And so that speaks to the confidence that we have in her as a staff and as a team to be able to throw her in there in big-time games against big-time opponents. [44:08] So she's adjusting well. There's obviously going to be a learning curve. We've got to give grace to her for that. [44:16] Just like with Gabs and all of our younger players. It would be unfair for us to expect a vet type of response night in and night out. [44:28] There's learning curves that come with it. She's continuing to work and to be coached. And that's all we can ask for. [44:37] Good to all this stuff. [44:39] How have you changed your approach to how you coach defense? [44:43] The thing I asked was, like, all the players, it's just very clear that this is a defensive-minded group. [44:48] And I think part of it is obviously that's just the personnel you have. [44:51] But I'm also just wondering, like, from year one to year two, how have you changed your approach? [44:55] Yeah. This year we're leaning more on the side of being aggressive and being disruptive. [45:01] Last year was more of a conservative approach and containing the ball and being somewhat constrained to certain matchups. [45:11] And we just have a different type of roster and a different type of versatility that we can explore this year. [45:19] And so it allows for more aggression, really, with our ability to impact the ball on the perimeter first and foremost. [45:28] And I think that takes some of the pressure off of Evil and Camilla and Azuray when she's back to protecting the paint and protecting the rim. [45:37] Yeah. So that's what it looks like. [45:41] We're to Chris and then we'll close out with Brian. [45:43] Before the game, we talked a little bit about Tasha. [45:45] You want to see this team sustain up front tonight and see Tasha better for the exact rest of the body and drives tonight. [45:53] What do you hope that this team learns from? [45:57] Well, Tasha, she certainly sets an example because that's who she's been as a player her entire career. [46:04] But I think it's also part of why she's been such a seamless fit here because we have a team full of players that are willing to put their bodies on the line for it. [46:14] I think we saw a lot of hustle plays today. We saw a couple from Eve. We saw a couple from Maisha. [46:21] We've seen JC do it throughout the season thus far. [46:26] And so we're not afraid to get our hands buried. We're not afraid to win the hustle. [46:33] You know, the hustle plays, whatever that calls for. And Tasha is the epitome of that. [46:39] And so I think it's just the level of passion that she plays with on a nightly basis. [46:44] There's no nights off. There's no days off. There's no practices off from that type of mindset. [46:50] And so, you know, I haven't seen what Skyler spoke to earlier. [46:54] But I can imagine somewhere along those lines that each game requires who deserves it. [46:59] It's the same level of attention and focus from the defensive side if it indeed is going to be part of our identity, which I think it is. [47:07] That's a question from Brian. [47:10] Coach, Camilla had five assists. She was tied with the team Howard on cloud. [47:14] What does that involve your system in the secondary to that current gaps? [47:18] You know, have to really get involved in connection with gaps as a cutter. [47:21] Just one of your thoughts here as well. [47:23] Yeah, that's the best part of her game is her cutting and her ability to move and relocate. [47:31] And I think we probably saw the two of us passing bigs in the league this game. [47:37] And so, you know, Camilla, she has great vision. She has great touch. She has great hands. [47:44] And she's going to find you when you're open. [47:47] And so when she is aggressive scoring the ball, it makes her ability to facilitate that much more effective [47:54] because you have to respect her for both areas. [47:56] And so it opens up a new world for our offense. [48:01] We utilized her in that way a lot last year. [48:03] But she's continued to come into her own and then find that balance and that really when to be aggressive as a scorer [48:11] and when to help facilitate. [48:14] Thanks, everyone. [48:15] Thank you. [48:16] Thank you.