Queen Egbo, Washington Mystics center, aims to top Athletes Unlimited | Women's Basketball Podcast

Intro Queen Eggo is in the house once again talking about WNBA Au College Queen has thoughts about all of it and we always want to hear what she has to say locktown women's basketball Starts Now wall for the [Applause] win you are locked on women's basketball your daily podcast on women's basketball [Music] Welcome hi everyone and happy Tuesday welcome to lockdown women's basketball I'm your host Howard megdal and I want to thank you for making us your first listen every day over 170,000 of you showed up in December alone the way we show up for you six days a week talking all things past present and future of women's basketball and it is not just me it is the entire team over at the next at the nts.com we cover over a hundred reported pieces about women's basketball every single month College WNBA we have a dedicated reporter for athletes unlimited as well go ahead and subscribe $9 a month $72 a year it all shows up in your inbox it's an incredible opportunity the next tes.com and that is a place where we have covered today's guest Queen egbo on any number of occasions during her time at Balor during her time in the WNBA she is of course lending her star power to athletes unlimited I am always happier after you and I talk and so twen just to begin when you think about what this off season has meant you talked to me a little bit off air about that you're working on uh PT to strengthen your knee tell me what you are hoping that will mean for your game as you head into not only au but year three of the WNBA season for you uh it's definitely gonna allow me to compete for a longer period of time and just compete at the level I know that I can play at um you know battling knee injuries is never easy um it definitely limits you in a in a way so just being able to play to the ceiling I know that I'm capable of playing at and being confident Within Myself and knowing that my body is under control and it's doing what it needs to do so just going into Au with a sense of confidence and being able to compete in every game at a high level and transferring that to the league will definitely help me you think about what Au means and and Being a professional it means something bigger first of all because you have multiple opportunities during the WNBA offseason as a professional and I remember us talking you know ahead of you going over to Turkey and you know playing there making the decision to be home you know I know you're in Houston right now I had the opportunity to meet both deuce and lady I don't know if they're still available uh for the podcast but obviously they're walk current and future guests but you you know the opportunity to choose feels like a very big deal as you think about being a professional how different is that already than even just the way you thought of what being a professional is going to be you know as you were playing as an undergraded Balor you never really know what it takes to be a professional until you're in that profession I feel like when I was a little younger a few years ago when I was thinking about what it takes to be a professional that looks completely different than what it actually takes to be a professional um the details the time the effort the concentration and the focus that I feel like professional athletes have is just something that you don't understand until you get to that point and you have to make that switch I feel like in college you have so many people that are there to help you and so many people there to hold your hand and guide you and in the league it's a little different you're an adult um you're treated like an adult more so um and people expect you to carry yourself like a professional should and um it just it just it takes a lot of discipline and it takes a lot of control that I don't think necessarily you won't understand until you get to that point tell me what Making her bed like give me an example of a thing that you've incorporated into your day-to-day life that is professional rather than College because that's such an interesting statement to make you know like so what changes like boots on the ground you know um I would definitely say for me it's very little things I would say something that I do now that I never used to do when I was in college is just make my bed every morning and I feel like um it's so small but it just helps me get started on the right side of on the right side of things um making my bed every morning eating breakfast and just um honestly journaling what do I want to do what do I want to complete I feel like they help me focus and they help me um just start my days off um in a better way yeah making my bed though was the game changer for me I feel like once I started making my bed every single morning it just it paved the way for a better more successful day when I come home and my bed isn't made I just it takes 10 seconds to do if you can't make your bed in the morning I don't know that's what I heard so I I try to live by that no that's so interesting and you talked Journaling about the journaling side are you writing it long hand do you have journals you know is it a day-to-day thing yeah how do you kind of find time in your day to do it because that seems like such a such a great idea to be able to kind of focus this bigger picture even in the midst of you know what a day is which is so often day-to-day tests I try to journal every day but I don't really have a lot on my mind every day that I need to jot down I typically journal every other day or every few days or just when I watch something and I hear or I hear something that I really want to remember I will Journal it or if I have a lot of emotions or if I just if I'm in a space where I'm uncertain I definitely would journal and just try to get my ideas on a clean sheet of paper so I can go back to them if I need to or just to keep myself accountable but journaling has definitely helped me in the the short amount of time I've been doing it so it's it's a huge huge thing Efficiency and a huge opportunity so I'm glad you're doing it and yeah at the at the risk of as I said getting a little bit nerdy I I do want to talk about the things that we saw from year one to year two because there was a really big jump in your numbers number one and specifically in your numbers after the move comes midseason from Indiana to Washington which is I'm sure is a challenging thing for any player to be going through you know to have that kind of change but just to kind of give the listeners a sense of this off the top you have obviously always been an efficient scorer around the rim you were at 62.5% at0 to three as a rookie which is a really solid number well that number was at 62.3 in 2023 but it was at 78.8% after the move to DC so take me through what it was about that change that allowed you to become frankly automatic right around the rim once you started playing for arbo and the Washington Mystics well no I'm kidding I'm just kidding um well it was definitely just uh consistency I feel like their coaches um the assistant coaches that were at the mystics they're very very detailed when it comes to shooting and percentages so I didn't really have much of an option if I didn't want to play and or touch the ball I had to be able to be efficient and they would read me the numbers they would tell me my stats my field goal percentage uh my efficiency and they would work on me with that they would help me with the little things in my game that could be better should be better at this um at this level but I would definitely just say working um they're very very very hard-nosed workers and they um know what they want out of their players and they're very very specific with the rules or the roles that they give you and so knowing that I'm coming into a new team I had to find that very very quickly and just be able to work and capitalize off of it I knew that okay I'm a great defender but I could be better around the rim and they helped me realize that and they helped me get my game to that point but it was definitely a lot of shots going up definitely a lot of shots in practice a lot of frustrating days or frustrating nights of not being where you want to be and the mystics saw that and they they just continue to work and you know grow with you and be there alongside with you so it was definitely a unique experience for me I know change is is always ideal but in that situation I felt like it was needed for me you see those numbers too Shooting changing across the board it wasn't just at The Rim I mean we I I remember having this conversation with you back in college right where you're a three-level scorer this is something that's not necessarily recognized as much as it ought to be you got the opportunity in DC to be doing that you got the chance to be shooting your mid-range shot is north of 40% people have to respect the shot all the way out to the three-point line when you talk about those effort shooting is that where the bulk of the work went you know like what what did that routine even look like well it started off with them kind of changing my mechanics a little bit um the way I position the ball the way I hold the ball the way I come up when explode up when I'm shooting um it was a lot of things that went into you know kind of getting myself to where I want to be and spending a lot of time working with coaches who know what they're doing and who know what a good shooting form looks like a good shot looks like um my biggest thing was being on balance when I took shots or rushing my shots but typically I would fall off balance or I would sway one way or the other I wouldn't be squared up to the rim and so squaring up was a big thing for me making sure my feet were where I want and need my feet to be was another big thing and just touch around the rim they mainly focus on that um and then when you work on the little things inside the room you can start doing more things outside and expanding your game and so towards the end of the year you got to see that a little more with you know my little short Corner shots and my little mid-range uh shots but it's definitely a work in progress you know it didn't happen overnight it's fascinating to see it is growth that I am let us say pleased but not surprised to see and I'm excited to talk about where that's heading in 2024 as well of course athletes unlimited and your experience that's coming up there is going to be a critical and fascinating part about it so we're going to talk more about that in segment two but first really excited to talk to you guys Sponsor about better help and this show and this episode is brought to you by better help as a matter of fact we head into 2024 and it's a time to reset it's a time to think about what are some things you want to keep the same about yourself what are things you want to change what are things that you have an opportunity to grow at well therapy is a really opportune way to do that to be able to take a reset and give yourself the opportunity to think about the ways to make yourself happier and more comfortable if you're thinking of starting therapy why don't you give better help a try it's entirely online designed to be convenient flexible and suited to your schedule just fill out a brief questioner you can match with the license therapist and you can switch therapist anytime for no additional charge celebrate the progress you've already made and find more of it visit betterhelp.com locked on NBA today for 10% off your first month that's betterhelp hp.com lockon [Music] NBA back here with cleen Eggo in segment Athletes Unlimited two and again I was so delighted Ed when I saw that you were part of athletes unlimited just because well I'll tell you there's this one stat that I think informs it for me you at and this is per cgy you were at 0.956 points per possession last year when you went over to DC which is just Elite it's especially Elite for a young player a big coming off the bench it's a very big deal but in transition you were at 1.25 points per possession which is just crazy good and so when you think about the way Au operates the fact that so many of those games are played at such a fast pace that was most exciting to me but ultimately who cares what was most exciting for me what was most EX for you about the athletes unlimited opportunity when they first approached you and you started thinking about it I would say uh the ability to just play basketball but not play without all the rules and the politics and the just the worry I feel like Au is kind of a place where you go to grow you go to have fun but you go to get better at basketball and I feel like that was the the kind of the perfect happy medium for me um during the offseason obviously I still want to grow and get better as a player but you know being in Dallas and having the opportunity to have fun where where I play and how I play it just it's very very it's a unique experience especially because they play so fast um I definitely do love getting up and down um I don't like playing slow so I feel like it fits the fits the way I want to play and it's just going to be a a very unique experience very fun um it's my first time so I don't really know what to expect but I've saw the games last year I had teammates and friends in it last year so heard nothing but good things who's been in your ear among the Au alums you know what what have those conversations who you been talking to to kind of get you um Li Li is one of my closest friends and she knows I'mma Be in AU so she's told me a lot of things um I've spoken to Lexi in the past um about it but yeah it's I mean it really is an Goals interesting experiment and it also kind of has to change the way you think about it right I mean how are you going to kind of measure navigate your role there how are you looking at goals is it you know look it's number one and I'm going to put my game out there and see where the stats fall or do you have like particular areas of emphasis that you think help you get to the top of the Au leaderboard and for those who are not aware of it Au had scored individually so it's a very different way of thinking about it externally what's that like for you as a player um well I'm very goal oriented so I did have some goals one of my goals was to average a double double um obviously it's easier said than done but I know that if if I set my goal high then I know that the sky is the limit for me rebounds um I'm I'm a good rebounder so hopefully that could help me you know more than the guards um but yeah just rebounding playing really good defense scoring um I feel like that should help me get to where I need to be um and then just doing the other little things um like blocking maybe getting a few steals here and there don't H don't hurt but yeah definitely I think uh rebounding and scoring when when I have the opportunity will definitely help me and just not taking being efficient and not taking bad shots just because I have the ball in my hands and being smart when I play and getting other people open but I I mean I would assume you grabbed 30% of your available defensive rebounds last year and you are a shot blocker extraordinaire I would assume you're going to be drafted very high I do Wonder though that you know you end a week number one number two you get to be the captain for the following week you've seen the list you've seen the people who on there who's the player you're most excited about playing with the day who you haven't had a chance to play with yet um that's a really good question because there's a lot I haven't played with Lexi Brown um I think she's a great shooter um I think she brings a lot to the game especially Au I haven't played with kirston bell um I think she's another really really good shooter um she and they're both fun players to play alongside of so guards like that I definitely can see us getting along pretty well um Odyssey she's a she's a really good point guard um but yeah I don't I don't know if I'm not excited to play with anybody I'm more so excited to play with everybody and just learning new people cuz I don't think I've really played with anybody before um except a few Tiff I'm excited to play with Tiff she's definitely Tiff and Kelsey those are how could I forget Tiff and Kelsey they're definitely on the top of my list but those were old teammates so not they count they count I think well we'll allow it for sure it it is it is obviously a WNBA offseason fascinating opportunity for me basketball perspective I just wonder from like just a human body perspective instead of flying overseas instead of playing overseas you've got this four-week season begins February 29th I believe right and and you have an opportunity to play to play at a high level to also be home in order to recuperate in order to get your mind where you want it to be and your body where you want it to be how much different does an offseason like this feel for you and for just players in general uh ahead of the grind of you know what going to be a 40 game WNBA season with the expect playoffs Beyond yeah it definitely gives your body a chance to relax I would say if I had gone overseas I would have had to go over seas um either January or right when the season ended so it doesn't really give you too too much of a Break um especially if you don't make playoffs and they expect you to be overseas even faster um Au gives you the opport to rest recover get your mind right before even having to pick up a ball again and I think that's just a it's just really nice for women um just because we play basketball year round almost um coming from college going straight to the pros and then going overseas you're playing basketball all year so Au gives you you the ability to just kind of feel refreshed they give you a couple months off before the season starts and then it's a it's a short turn it's a short season four weeks compared to four months or six months in the league or overseas so I think it's just it's a way to still play at a hard level play at a fast level at a high level but not killing yourself and still to where you're playing enough games that is still fun and entertaining and they mix enough teams around and they do enough to to to keep fans entertained and to keep the players engaged in the games yeah I mean and it's just a boon for the State of Texas which has yeah so much women's basketball now year round you know between Au you get the wins obviously during the WNBA season and it is the college season down in your state of Texas very very interesting so we'll be back moment with segment 3 I want to talk to you about it get your Texas based view on everything that's happening so far in the college game but first I want to talk to you guys about FanDuel FanDuel and while you're in Texas queen I am up in New Jersey in South Jersey right near Philadelphia and so given what's happened to the Philadelphia Eagles there is been I I would say almost a period of mourning over the Panic among the Philadelphia Eagles fan base FanDuel is here for you Eagles fans there is a new customer offer that you can get $150 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place a $5 bet again 150 bucks in bonus bets wi or lose so if the Eagles are coming up against Tampa Bay do what they did against the New York Giants and four of the last five weeks Eagles fans still get that as cold comfort moving forward into the rest of the NFL playoffs they can use it for live same game parlays find all the bets you need right in that new explore tab go to fanduel.com locked on you can make your first bet a layup again that's fanduel.com l c k d o o n FanDuel official partner of the NFL yeah people in Philly are definitely having trouble processing the NFL season so that's it's it's been something else but but so down in Texas where we see and and obviously look we're we're all incredibly sad about Rory Harmon getting injured and you know oh yeah seeing that happen was you know Rory's been on the show and is just such an incredible performer and we hope she comes back soon but it it we can't let that overshadow just how incredible the college basketball season has been there where Texas has been off to a great start uh under Vic Schaefer TCU is doing some incredible things we want Sedona Prince back healthy soon TCU got to a strong start but tcu's undefeated run came to an end the same way that Texas's undefeated run came to an end at the hand of the Balor bear Bears so bears as a Bor Alum what are you seeing out of your former team so far this year and just how good are they going to be they definitely look really really good um under Nikki um I think last year Nikki's first year was a lot of getting used to a lot of getting familiar with um she had inherited a lot of players and I feel like now she's able to recruit the type of girl she wants in her program and it's definitely it's definitely coming along nice for her uh the kids are great um the way they're playing is amazing it's definitely different than you know kind of how we used to play but it's it's more Pro oriented the way she coaches and the way the style of basketball is more geared towards the WNBA um but I think it's good for them and I feel like a lot of teams are having trouble um keeping up with them because of that because Nikki is so promm minded um a lot of college coaches haven't coached at that level and so I think it gives a little bit of a Advantage for her and her players that are underneath her and you can tell in the way they play they may not look you know the best they may not be making all the shots in the world but when it comes down to fundamentals and X's and O's they typically make the right decision and it definitely helps them at the end of the game you see what you have become in the pros you see what Nelissa Smith has become in the pros as well it it almost and this is from the the outside it almost looked like you guys were free to be the players you wanted to be when Nikki Colin came and took over a Bor do you feel that way was that what the experience was internally yeah Nikki definitely um pushed us out of our comfort zone I would say especially me Melissa was you know already the player she was um but Nikki definitely made that even better I would say in my situation Nicki made me more comfortable with taking those shots and being comfortable working on my three-point shot even though I I wasn't at that level yet she she knew that I had to get there eventually if I wanted to be if I wanted to sustain in the league and so she definitely helped um help me grow as a player and help me realize that what I was doing before was okay but it's not going to be good enough when I get to the next level and I think that's where the growth has shown um a lot of players don't have coaches that push them to be better professional players and Nikki has always been there um watching our games or just supporting us telling us what we could do better and I think that definitely helps um when you're just a young kid who who doesn't really know anything and you're coming into a doggy dog world but yeah the the sick and bears those Bor bears are on a roll I'm so excited and they have a new um a new facility so go them but have you have you been to it yet thew on she was raving about it she said it was awesome I plan on going when I'm in Dallas so understood hopefully I can get I can get down there but it it it should be a good time and yeah I mean to your point Nikki Colin made sure there are coaches who prepare the players to play as well as they can today for the current system they're in and those who look for their players as well so seeing the way she prepares her players significant to young players you go play for someday you can end up where Queen Edo is today which is staring across the world Au WNBA Queen it's always great to chat with you and I appreciate your time thank you thank you so much Howard and to our listeners want to thank you for making us your first listen every day we will of course be back with you tomorrow until then I say bye lady or de this is Lady Lady Lady thank you for being on the program as well bye lady we'll see you tomorrow have a good day you wallet for the [Applause] [Music] win you are locked on women's basketball your daily podcast on women's [Music] basketball