July 18, 2023
Locked on Women’s Basketball: Nneka Ogwumike, Jordin Canada and Los Angeles Sparks’ silver linings so far
By The Next
Howard, general manager Karen Bryant and head coach Curt Miller talk all things Sparks
It’s time for another Locked on Women’s Basketball podcast episode. It’s been a very difficult season so far in Los Angeles, and host Howard Megdal is here to document how difficult — injuries have been the order of the day. But here in Year 1 of Curt Miller’s latest rebuild, there are silver linings to highlight. Everything from Nneka Ogwumike‘s renaissance to Jordin Canada‘s emergence as a starting point guard and Karlie Samuelson‘s shooting can be part of what matters for the Sparks’ going forward. Hear from general manager Karen Bryant and head coach Curt Miller on the road ahead.
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Bryant talks about Canada and Samuelson’s opportunities with the Sparks this season:
“Yeah, I think when we talk about adversity and how it presents opportunities, I think, my goodness, those two, among others, have really stepped into an opportunity. And as Curt said, we were very clear with Jordin; she was going to have to come in and compete. And she earned her role as our starting point guard and I could not be more proud of her. And we met with her recently. And she’s proud of herself, which I think is great. And I think sometimes that’s hard for players to admit, but she put in the work in the offseason and just the way she’s shooting the ball. She came in early today, and it was putting up shots with Karlie. And I think at one point, she made like seven or eight in a row from deep three.
“So it’s great to see how much she’s reinvested. And I think she posted recently on social that she’s found the joy in the game again and that, at the end of the day, that’s a lot of what this is about the journey that we’re all on and doing everything we can to bring the joy back into this work and it’s a grind we all know that this season has been especially a grind but man when you can find the joy that’s what helps unleash I think everybody’s greatest potential. But really proud of all of our players, those two, in particular; there’s a lot to be excited about.”
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Miller talks about Canada’s differences in her shooting this season:
“Yeah, I think there’s a consistency. She’s put the work in there, repetition. Danielle Viglione, who was also at AU with her, it’s a mindset that she knows she has the green light and talking about giving some shots up to getting better shots, but she’s put in the work and there’s consistency, the repetition. Again, she has the mechanics to be a much better shooter than what her early career numbers say. So just excited that it’s come together for her and look forward to seeing what the second half holds.”
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