"Game Day Focus: Natasha Howard Preps for Chicago Sky | May 13, 2024"

I'm good how are you up until now uh when I first got in the leag I was nervous but it's my 11th season so no I'm not nervous everything seemed the same to me I was talking to colani and she said all the BS that I guess in you set goals for every game do you have goals for this game absolutely uh all of us should get a double double tonight and if not at least some of us should get 10.5 rebounds and a couple box something like that but uh yeah we like I set go for myself I don't know about Steph but I'm G set go for Steph she G she got to get at least 10 points and five plus rebounds responded that oh I think it's a great goal um and I just need to make sure I'm keeping up with them and the goals that they set for themselves and I'm able to kind of Mir that learn from that and be able to also do the same you know step yesterday I obviously wished somebody we both know Bill friendly happy birthday and he responded to me by take care of Step which I thought was really cool what's it like to have that kind of support up in am Iowa even though you weren't there that long no it's awesome for sure yeah I was only there for a year and a halfish almost two years but they um kind of became my family because my family is so far away um kind of helped me through my recovery um taught me a lot in the coaching side too um so yeah for sure they always be a part of my family will your parents be able to watch or is it going to be like three in the morning there yeah it'll be a little late for them but I think they'll they'll try to stay up and watch the game how about you nerves at all oh for sure I think it's more excitement than anything um first game there's always a little bit of nerves but um I think the veterans have kind of helped us a lot with just being confident in the team um because you know it's team workor so everyone kind has to have each other's background in the game what have they taught you what has P Natasha Kanani and and even arque what they taught what is the big lesson you think that it just it stands out to you what they've brought to you to help you in your in your first year um yeah I think one thing is for show the confidence doing what you do best your strengths um just kind of being smart in any play defensively and offensively just small things that you don't really think about that they for sure have to me and help me in those areas Natasha how important is it to take care of home court advantage especially tonight I mean something that this is my ninth year U this is only the it'll be the four sellout over the weekend but for you how important is it make sure you take care of home court it's very important because at the end of the day like you want to always protect your home court and for the long run too for also playoff so you can have home court advantage toward the end of the season so these games that's coming up that we have at home we got to make sure we take care of business but right now tonight it starts so we just got to focus on game by game day by day and this is the first game right here we got to make sure we take care take care of this game before we started thinking about the other games and our home court starting tonight what challenge for you nas the Chicago bring because we haven't seen them I mean there's only three players back from last year and and Izzy obviously would be four play last year not playing tonight but what challenges have you seen through their two exhibition games and the coaches have said Natasha you've got to do XY and Z what what challenges uh we just gotta make sure we play defense box out they really good uh rebounding team one through five and we also got to get back on defense they really good with transition uh that's one thing we've been focusing on is getting back on defense and just also communicating and making sure that we know who to guard and not and not keep and not have him have wide open shots like mayy and uh so that's one thing we've been working on a lot our deep in this focusing on our deep focusing on the things that Chicago like to do I don't want to start anyu here but when you look at angel ree's first two games what I know you and I talked about this med day but um not trying to start anything what you see in her game that you learned in the two exhibition games that you say okay I know she's gonna do XY and z uh Angel is a physical player she's the energized player my thing is me guarding her just making sure that I keep her off the boards and uh make her do thing that she didn't do in the preseason games uh you know that's pretty much it just you know also take advantage of you know my quickness and and my versatile that I that I bring to our team that sounds good for me I can't wait to see you guys Steph I'm so excited for you especially uh I know the journey you've been on and uh and I know where you stand in your life and so this has to be something that you're probably just going to be so thankful for correct correct all right thank you Natasha always pleasure you're one of my thank anybody in person I was going to ask ESPN ranked you is one of the top 25 players in the W what do you what are your thoughts on the ranking do you feel like you should be higher personally you just mentioned your defense uh I don't really play not that stuff uh I just let my game speak for itself my game will raise the ranking for me uh so I just do what I got to do to help my team win and also do what I need to do for my career and time like years ago yeah you already T already answer my question with Ron regarding Angel so I'll focus it on Stephanie Stephanie I saw this this nice piece that was done by Iowa uh State regarding like just your rehabbing and everything it's online it's on YouTube have you seen it yet yeah what were your thoughts about that like just what was it like just taking that year off and being up there and having them available as resource for you to really tap into what they can provide for you to recover and be here and you land a roster spot no I was awesome um because they knew I mean my family were all way in Brazil so it's hard to kind of figure out where I'd go to recover um so they yeah they said be a ga I wasn't I mean they had me do a few things and I learned like the coaching side but they really wanted me to focus on rehabing and you know the strength coach the trainer they were all available to help me they you know they took a lot of their time to build up program um and yeah then I was able to be around the girls too the team practice with them help them kind of grow a little bit outside of basketball um yeah and they were great people too so I think I was very thankful to be around them for that year um and touching on your injuries that was your second time yes with your tearing your AC up like yes any doubt or fear ever creep in your mind like maybe giving up the sport or like how did you stay motivated to continue and look where you are you about to it's opening day and you're here yeah um I think they for sure played a big part in it because like right after I got hurt they're like okay what's good surgery and let's see if we can get another year like they're already thinking of head so I think that kind of helped me mentally just like okay you know this is going to be tough to go through but it's a process that a lot of athletes have gone through and they a lot of athet been reaching out to me and helping that process aome glad on the team I'm Shaban by the way your sine reporter I look forward to hopefully interviewing you one day you got to get a couple points though got to drop some buckets got to drop some buckets anybody else all right thank you guys we'll see you tonight