It's second and go time for Golden State as Valkyries try soaring into playoffs
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You can add Natalie Nakase to the group of Bay Area sports figures who have been reminded this month that - no matter what the Los Angeles Rams might say - jet lag is real.
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"What day is it right now?" the Golden State Valkyries coach asked at her first practice after getting back from the FIBA World Cup in Germany.
It was Wednesday. In the afternoon. For Nakase it felt like midnight.
For the Valkyries it feels like go time.
The team reconvened this week after the odd three-week break to accommodate the FIBA World Cup. Key members of their group, including Nakase who was an assistant coach on the gold medal-winning USA team, are coming off an intense, whirlwind three weeks of competition. The rest of the team just had a weirdly-timed but not fully unwelcome rest and reset.
"It was a weird break, but at the end of the day you can take advantage of it," said Veronica Burton, who used the time for a Mexican beach vacation. "We got rested. We got back in the gym. We've been training, competing and now we just get back at it. Every single team had it so there's no excuse.
"It's a mental, emotional, physical reset for those of us who weren't competing at the World Cup but also good for the (FIBA players) too. We got to watch them, celebrate them, support them and we're happy to have them back, healthy and safe."
Nakase will have to figure out how to manage Gabby Williams and Janelle Salaün, who played in the gold medal game for France, and Cecilia Zandalasini, who played for Italy, who all were still readjusting to California time. They expended a tremendous amount of energy in Germany - like a playoff push - and now they land smack into another playoff push.
"I want to see individually what it's like for them because everyone's different," Nakase said. "We played six games in ten days and with the travel… if I'm tired, I can only imagine how they feel."
Nakase said she will be attentive to how she uses those players, especially in this weekend's back-to-back games at Chase.
"It's going to be an intentional check-in with them," she said. "If they wake up, like I woke up at four in the morning, it's giving them space to sleep. Don't feel pressured. Rest. Recover. We want them to be healthy come playoff time."
Nakase has to combine the disparate energies of the FIBA and non-FIBA groups and hit the ground running, with four regular season games left before heading into the WNBA playoffs, which begin on Sept,. 27. The Valkyries, now two-for-two in their lifetime as a franchise in making the postseason, will host a playoff game at Chase Center for the first time ever. Their likely first-round opponent will be Washington, Dallas or New York.
It's an exciting time for the team that has made such a huge impact in just two seasons. One of the highlights of Nakase's time in Germany was seeing so much violet in the crowd.
"One of the coolest things was seeing a ton of Golden State Valkyries fans," she said. "They were wearing our shirts, saying ‘Go Valks.' All the way in Germany! That was really cool to see, that we're world known."
Currently in second place in the standings, the Valkyries have four games remaining, going up against Portland (twice), Seattle and Los Angeles. All four of those teams have already been eliminated from playoff contention, and the Valkyries don't want to let up and let Las Vegas overtake them for second place. After making history by making the playoffs in their first year, the Valkyries have higher expectations this season.
And they need to be ready.
"We just are making sure everyone is on the same page," Nakase said. "It's important to see where we feel at the moment rather than (say) ‘You should feel like this. You should do this.' No. Let's take a breather.
"Now come together. Now we're after a bigger goal."
It's not in Nakase's mindset to take much of a breather on her own, though she did rest the day after she got back. She was still relishing the experience of being on Kara Lawson's staff. After the Valkyries played their last game in Portland, she switched out of violet and black, donned Team USA gear and hopped on a plane to Germany.
"It was like, boom, lock into USA," she said. "Granted I'm on adrenaline right now. I feel a little bit hazy… but I was watching practices and scrimmages and texting all the time. So I have a good feeling. My staff was prepared and did an amazing job. The energy is ultra high."
Nakase might not be sure what day it is. But she knows what time it is:
Go time.
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