Aces host media day with heightened bonds, welcome new faces
Kate Martin stood in front of a mirror and snapped some iPhone photos in her brand new uniform before she entered the Aces’ media day.
“I won’t ever forget this,” she said Friday, pointing out the WNBA logo on her shorts. “I’ve dreamed of this my entire life.”
While the rookie guard from Iowa is one of a few new faces for the Aces, the team’s core is stronger than ever. The back-to-back champions showcased their battle-tested bonds as they conducted interviews and posed for photos at Vu Studios.
During her solo portraits, point guard Chelsea Gray called on guard Sydney Colson to join her in front of the lens. They jokingly argued about posing before they stood still.
The energy was the same when star forward and 2023 Finals MVP A’ja Wilson interrupted one of guard Kelsey Plum’s interviews by yelling, “Period!” The outburst led Plum to shout back at her for being too loud.
“We’re kind of like this all the time,” she explained with a laugh.
Colson said: “Our level of comfort with one another is just heightened.”
The veterans have been through a lot since last year’s media day. From general manager Natalie Williams’ perspective, the biggest difference between now and then is that the returning players “know what they can accomplish.”
The road to achieving a second consecutive title was so difficult that the team cried “exhaustion tears” together once the job was done, assistant coach Natalie Nakase said.
Amid the pomp of media day, all Nakase wanted was to get back to business. Two preseason games were on the docket Friday: the Indiana Fever vs. the Dallas Wings and the Chicago Sky vs. the Minnesota Lynx.
“I’m ready to watch,” she said.
She said she’ll have eyes on every upcoming game beyond Friday.
“Other teams, like a Phoenix (Mercury) and a Seattle (Storm), they’ve created different rosters,” she said. “New York (Liberty) is probably continuing to build.”
For the Aces, preseason competition is still a week away. They’re set to play the Puerto Rico national team at the University of South Carolina on May 11.
It’s their only preseason matchup, which is an anomaly, as most WNBA teams are playing at least two exhibition games against leaguemates before the season starts.
“We couldn’t get anyone to play us,” coach Becky Hammon said.
And the Aces stand to become even more formidable. They have to release at least two more players before the roster deadline of May 13, and Hammon said players will be evaluated for “a couple more days” before decisions are made.
“I think it’s a good thing because our coaches really can’t decide,” center Kiah Stokes said. “It’s exciting because criticism in the past has been, ‘There’s no bench, they have no depth.’ Now, we actually have options. I think it’s just gonna take our team to another level.”
Rookie guard Kamaria McDaniel from Michigan State said she isn’t stressing about the looming cuts.
“It’s just playing basketball at the end of the day,” she said. “I understand that I have to come and be at my best every day. But I’m just having fun, focusing on only what I can control.”
Contact reporter Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.