all right we'll get started with opening statements from Kurt followed by questions for players first is there anyone on there yes okay super proud of these guys tonight uh thought that we defensively executed a lot of things that we wanted to do um throughout the night I thought that um their go-to players uh stepped up I thought Aaliyah Boston um had a terrific game tonight gave us some problem with her physicality around the rim but I thought we did a really nice job of disrupting Caitlyn um turning her over um getting the ball out of her hands at times um and so you know she has stat night of a triple double which is uh really impressive but I thought those seven turnovers and some other um um passes that we made very difficult throughout the night um I thought we did a lot of really good things we just uh were're a little short we missed six layups I think in the fourth quarter um had a big three under a minute and a half to go in the game to tie it to have some momentum um you know had a tough possession after we got a first shot Miss after that to maybe have another opportunity to go down and tie it uh but then we fouled and they were in the bonus um and so it would became a two- possession game there late and uh just couldn't get over the hump but super proud of these guys Odyssey really has continues to lead us from the point guard position her 20 points and her um consistent effort to attack tonight get her in get herself into the paint was big for us um and then our bench was big um we had uh over 30 points Off the Bench tonight uh with Kia and Rey really stepping up Ray had an efficient game tonight and gave us the spark we needed Off the Bench uh while they really tried to take away rakia tonight start with questions for players first vanity uh Hey guys uh Mike K Matthew here with uh LA Sparks weekly just you know most people are going to talk about Caitlyn Clark and what she's able to do but the play of Kelsey uh uh Mitchell protecting her or being around her just how tough was it to slow her down tonight as she was able to score 18 points to help uh Caitlyn there who want I mean yeah just um you know slippage and within our execution uh you know going under when we should be going over you know switching when we're not but you know she's a tough player and she's going to make some hard shots as well so we just try to stay as solid as possible and uh DJ from infinity TV this question is for Odyssey that first uh quarter Indiana had a bunch of turnovers that we couldn't convert um into points can you talk about like how we took care of the ball and how it affected you know our offense to get started off um in that first quarter um I'll say starting out the game I think we did pretty well our spacing was a little um congested we were a little bit on top of each other but I think we were solid defensively um like coach said it's just a little things um this group we just got to buy in and um will to be better everybody um together as a group but the biggest thing is standing together we got another one quick turn around on Friday thank you ran hey Ray what have you seen lately just in terms of how you've been able to take advantage of the minutes you've gotten oh yeah no I just try to come in and be aggressive um you know I consider myself a slasher and a shooter so I just try to come in and you know get get to the free throw line or maybe get some kicks going out but uh really just seeing what the team needs me to do when I come in and um yeah my teammate just my teammates also just put me in great positions to finish uh threes and at the rim and stuff so honestly just coming in and trying to get whatever the team needs and for Odyssey at this point kind hav't been with the team for a little bit now um what are some of the things that have come rather seamlessly for you and what are some things that maybe you're still working on and just in terms of like incorporating yourself or or learning um I mean what any team when you go to a new team it takes time to get to know your teammates jail with them especially players you never play with so um I feel like I got the hang of as far as the play um knowing my teammates knowing where to find them um just get in the pain as much as I can that opens everything else up for Ray um Kia all of the shooters so they can just knock down still three so um just trying to stay aggressive on the on the offensive end and play my heart out on defense whoever my defensive assignment is just trying my best to um give as much energy as I can because they feed off of me um so just trying to lead this team and um will will win and we'll get it we just got to keep working thank you Asia uh hi ladies this is Asia from uh daily swish um my question to you guys was um do you feel like uh tonight's performance defensive performance do you think that that was your uh best defensive performance yet so far and um do you think you guys will be able to keep this momentum uh going into the next game um I mean we were solid defensively I say for the most part throughout the game game I mean we had we were down three like coach said I mean um Kia knocked down that three at the momentum we had a momentum and we're we're in the game I felt like we were in the game the entire time um when they went on the Run thought they stole the momentum and kind of kept it but um we were solid we had a little slippage defensively um not grabbing the rebounds just out battled down there but um for the most part we stayed together um we were right there um it sucks of course when a team that feel like we we definitely could have beat um but we played solid we lost by seven but um we're gonna stay with it we're gonna stay together like I said we got we got to keep our head up on to the next we play again Friday so we're g to work on everything that we need to and practice tomorrow try to be better against Chicago you ladies thank you thank yeah I was like I right we'll get started with questions for Kurt first in person coach when you are trying to kind of get back to contention and get back to the playoffs do you look at all what the fever have done and they were in a similar vote as you were last year and just how quickly you kind of get things yeah I with myself being in the league 10 years now you know I have um a good perspective and a good lens on how teams have built um you know through the years years in including my tenure when I first got to Connecticut uh we were a non-playoff team for the three years before I got there we had one rebuilding year and then we started where we had that successful run um and you know I've watched teams that have built through the draft and you watch um you know the Aces and what they were like in San Antonio they mooved to Vegas they continue to have some draft picks continue to add pieces around those draft picks you know you now you see it here with multiple draft picks in a row um and you still had Kelsey Mitchell um when that all started and now where um the fever are and uh you know they they were a team that was built through the draft when I went um to La two years ago the the the the focus was kind of putting pieces around NECA um one of the true superstars of the league in a longtime spark when NECA was leaving in free agency there was a clear dire to build with youth and uh you know unfortunately Cameron Brink's been hurt we've had a lot of people in and out of our lineup uh but Ria Jackson is a you know a rising star in this league we still have a lot of players in the prime of their career and taking on larger roles than they've ever had so um you know we understand the process and the build it's almost like our second first year because of the direction change and now the youth movement um but super proud of bu you know we we you know we're trying to not let losses that are accumulated bother us in terms of the philosophy of continuing to build continuing to get better continuing to do things that put us are in position to win tonight is frustrating because I thought we did enough to win this game in a lot of areas but it was little things offensive rebounds uh their second chance points it it was uh maybe you know some spacing issues on plays that we've been running since training camp and you know just little things and with that said under 90 seconds to go you have a shot to tie it um on the road and put yourself in position to win and one more and you were one of the few teams that saw this beginning yeah I watch both games for May and both teams are so drastically different and have improved so much um you know it's watching back the both may games um when you know we were preparing for this game it's it just jumps off the film you know that how much both teams have been improved their Tempo their execution their confidence um it it's as I always say someone that's been in this league now 10 years May basketball is not always pretty in the WNBA and by the time you get the sep setember and October basketball it's really really a good product and right now um teams are playing like that including us we are getting better and certainly the fever have improved richan hey coach just kind of riding the roller coaster with the young team right like you have the the New York win and and then come back against Atlanta and then you come back you play you know really well tonight um despite not being able to pick up the win what areas of growth did you see tonight yeah I you know I thought we we tried a different defensive game plan tonight that we hadn't rolled out in recent weeks um and we had one day to prep for that and I thought our execution our discipline for the most part was on Q uh we didn't always finish to um a defensive rebound their rebounding hurt us um aiyah BOS hurt us inside uh with her physical presence but I we did so many things that in a short prep um I was really pleased with um and then you know offensively you know that to have the confidence to step back up and make 10 threes tonight after we just didn't shoot the ball well the other night against Atlanta um you know they were almost daring us to make threes and we had a really off night so for us to step back up and get um shoot nearly 40% we we weren't afraid to take threes tonight we were hunting them um and made 10 you know you know that that's growth with a young team you know that they didn't hang their heads and let another one poor shooting knight from the ark really snowball into multiple um they stepped back up and made big threes tonight maybe one too little but we made threes tonight A as a group do you go back and watch this or do you immediately flip to Chicago no we always do some self scouting we'll always you know be in their ear on on growth areas with a young team you have to um they have to you know they have to dig in with film as part of their growth through this hard Cadence of games but we will prepare like crazy and you know go directly to practice tomorrow when we leave um you know and and drive up to Chicago um and try to prepare for that quick turnaround game but you have to um at least invest some time with the young team on on growth areas but also give them confidence in a lot of the things that we did do well tonight thank you safe Traves thank you infity hey coach DJ from infinity TV um so just piggybacking off everything that you've said here and looking at the stat sheet very solid game we're trending upward with this young team do you think that in a perfect world with those uncontested you know easy makes around the basket if we had have made those that this game outcome would have been different yeah you know and again we don't we I don't want him to dwell on it because then you get even more anxious around the rim but we missed makeable baskets around the rim against a team that doesn't have elite shot blocking um and then you know we you know we missed a couple big open threes down the stretch that you know like again we'd love to have um in this kind of game and and you know could the tide been different so you know proud of them but you know the little things that we keep pre about from screening angles to our physicality on box outs to um understanding um you know that there's no slippage that we know their sideline out of bounds plays we know their Baseline out of bounds plays so you know when when Kelsey Mitchell scores on a sideline out of bounds play that we have scouted really well you know that's disappointing but you know all you can hope with Kelsey right she had 18 points on 18 shots you know that's you know we're getting back to that you know okay you know like as long as we try to make her inefficient wasn't quite as inefficient as we wanted but you know it's creeping creeping that direction um in order to have success it was it was Aaliyah that her efficiency tonight was a Difference Maker hey coach and uh just two quick questions first question uh when it comes to rakia tonight you know they made it really tough for her what do you think they did to kind of take her away and what things can she uh learn from a game like tonight and then the second question will be you've been coaching you know women's basketball for quite some time now when it comes to Caitlyn Clark just what do you think makes her so special and have you seen ever seen a player that was kind of similar to what she does um I will first say that you know the the great thing and I grabbed Ria briefly after the game tonight she's earned this attention she's earned um you know the aster in The Scouting Report that she's the go-to player that she can really score the basketball so there's super attention to her and you know it's a huge credit you know like Caitlyn gets that as a rookie Ria now gets that as a rookie there's very few that get the aster that they're the go-to player um and you know they're the center piece and center of attention for scatter reports so these are all learning lessons for Ria and I told her like it is it's frustrating it is is is in the moment that she feels like there's no spacing in that there everybody's you know coming at her and and showing her lots of congestion and lots of bodies she's earned that right so first take it as a compliment and then learn from it like how how can she make it easier on herself and you know I thought they were giving her a lot of attention and maybe she could share it and maybe her shot attempts would creep down tonight I mean she got 11 shots in 23 minutes if she creeps back up to the uh 28 the 30 30 2 35 minutes that we've been playing her lately you know like is that a night where she gets 16 shot attempts but her attention on her could she have found a couple easier baskets for us while she still hunts and we still try to get her the ball and get her the touches that we need to get her but she'll learn so much from tonight and what she's going to see the last seven games she is going to see this kind of attention she's earned it she is a rising star in this league and uh these These are the kind of games she has to go through and and learn how to play through because of the attention she's earned that's the great news she's earned all this thank you Kurt and I forget what the second question was oh the second question is when it comes to Caitlyn Clark just to see the type of player that she is um with you coaching you know women's basketball for so long have you seen any player that you can kind of compare her game to and what what special things does she do that kind of stands out that maybe for us with the ordinary eye can't see that you coaches who've been in the game a while can see yeah I don't think I'm going to say anything that you you haven't heard I mean she is Elite and she is one special player uh things that stand out to me that been around the game for 35 years she plays with great Pace uh she plays with a great Tempo first uh she is an elite passer she is in an elite passer she see sees things before they develop um and uh she can really read uh things that's why for us to turn her over seven times and maybe have some other passes that um might have been turnovers attributed to a bad catcher so you know was impressive for us tonight because she is an elite passer of the basketball so uh that's what makes her special everyone talks about the logo 3es um you know to me what that does is she got incredible range but it just opens up the floor for everybody else that logo range opens up the floor and so you're always always have to be guarding her and you always have to be giving her attention uh she's really special uh I don't have a lot of comps I I have different breakdowns of people within her game but she has it all uh you know when Sue bird was in her prime Sue bird played with Incredible Pace like one of the things that probably didn't get talked about him enough is how fast Sue bird was when she was in her prime um you know I got the coach Becky Hammond uh when you know she was in college and Becky Hammond had such a unique ability to put the ball in the basket it just like when she got open and got any kind of space you just counted it you know like she just was not going to miss um a lot of open shots now uh Becky didn't play necessarily with the Pace that Caitlyn but she you know had the unique ability to create space and get shots off and make shots uh played with change of pace um so I see you know elements of Caitlyn that I got to witness firsthand with the opportunity to coach Becky Hamond in her career other things you know just continue to you know other people like Caitlyn's got great size um you know like she's going to just grow at the defensive end as her career goes on because she's got length in size and and she'll just become better and better at that end so uh she's a special player and we are really really fortunate to have her in our lead thank you coach thank you thanks