Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:00:00] I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to The Bay, local news to keep you rooted. Last year in their first season ever, the Golden State Valkyries exceeded all expectations. Not only were they good, but the vibes? Immaculate.
Marisa Ingemi [00:00:23] Yeah it’s gonna be loud, it’s going to be crowded. They sold out all of their games last year. You like legitimately get chills.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:00:32] This weekend, the Valkyries returned to the court for their first regular season game, and the expectations are high. Today, we talk with Valkyries beat reporter, Marissa Ingemi, about what to expect of the Valkyries in their second season and everything you need to know to get on the bandwagon if you haven’t already.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:01:06] The Valkyries have started their second season. This is, of course, after a massively successful first season. Can you remind us how successful that was.
Marisa Ingemi [00:01:18] So the Valkyries were the first WNBA team to ever make the playoffs in their expansion season, which was very unexpected. A lot of people projected the Valkyries to be the worst team in the league or like pretty close to it, so then midway through the season it became clear like oh, they might be a playoff team. That’s kind of crazy.
Playoffs tape [00:01:39] Tough three, no good, and that’s it. Put an X next to their name. The Golden State Valkyries are off to the playoffs. First expansion franchise In WNBA history.
Marisa Ingemi [00:01:51] They also sold out every game, like it was truly a phenomenon in a way that I don’t think any women’s sports franchise has ever really reached yet.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:02:03] I feel like another measurement of success and their success so far is just the vibes of Chase Center when you go to a Valkyries home game. I mean, how would you describe that feeling?
Marisa Ingemi [00:02:16] Yeah, ballhalla is like something I’ve never experienced before. Last season I went to every WNBA arena and there were some that were like pretty special. Like Indiana would sell out or Seattle was pretty cool. New York would come close to selling out but just the way the fan base in the community has embraced the Valkyries is pretty special.
Sports commentator [00:02:42] What do you say to Ballhalla and the fans, Janelle? Thank you, guys!
Marisa Ingemi [00:02:53] It’s so community-centered because the Valkyries have done such a great job of reaching women, reaching new sports fans, reaching the queer community. And it really does feel like a celebration of community at these games. The anonymous general manager’s poll on the WNBA that just came out, I think it was unanimous, almost, voted that the Valkyries had the best home field advantage in the WMBA. And I think that’s probably true, or home court advantage, I guess. It’s really special, it’s really unique.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:03:22] Fast forward to today, Marisa, how are you feeling about the Valkyries’ second season?
Marisa Ingemi [00:03:29] Intrigued. It’s interesting because they’ve really harped on like continuity and they brought back a lot of their team from last year. Last year everyone was just kind of happy to be here for it to an extent it’s like oh there’s a WNBA team here now how awesome is that. Now it’s kind of like okay you guys have bought in to who you are and how last year went. That wasn’t a fluke. So now it’s, like, are you able to elevate? Do you make the playoffs again? Can you win a playoff game? And I think if they were to be stagnant or to regress that would be. A big disappointment.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:04:03] Get me up to speed here Marisa, because I gotta be honest, I’m still sort of a newbie when it comes to the WNBA. I actually still have not been to a Valkyries game, but this season will be the season. As a newbee, what should I know about what kind of game the Valkyries plan to play this season?
Marisa Ingemi [00:04:24] Yeah. So their big goal is they want to be the best defensive team in the league. They want to, be really hard to play against. They want it to make it so other teams don’t really score on them. They were a pretty good defensive team last year. They were one of the best in the League. Last year, they were also a team that shot a ton of three-pointers and early in the season did not make a lot of them. I would expect a similar type of offensive approach of a team that really likes to shoot, but I think they might be a little bit more intentional about that shot selection. I think that will be really important for them. Their calling card is going to be defense and playing in these really tough gritty games.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:05:02] If you were to recommend for me, who would be the people that you think I should look out for this season? Like the big names and the big players to know.
Marisa Ingemi [00:05:12] Gabby Williams is their big free agent signing on the French national team. She comes from Seattle and there’s high expectations for her. She’s going to be like an integral part of the team.
Sports commentator [00:05:21] Gabby pokes it free. This is what Seattle does. They rip, and they run. And the score by Gabby Williams…
Marisa Ingemi [00:05:29] And then Kayla Thornton was the lone All-Star last year, and then she injured her knee, like, in a practice right after the All-star game. So she missed the entire second half of the year. But she’s healthy now and looking to have a full season and kind of like her comeback. And does she have the same kind of a year? Because in the first half of this season last year she was like a breakout player.
Sports commentator [00:05:48] Thought about the three, Thornton takes it and makes it. It’s great to see Kayla Thornton, knock one down
Marisa Ingemi [00:05:57] And then coming back, Veronica Burton, the league’s most improved player, starting point guard. She’s kind of like the de facto captain of the team. Natalie really trusts her on the court. She’s really the facilitator and she’s an excellent defensive player too.
Sports commentator [00:06:11] Here comes the pick. Burton on Buecker’s, flips it up, and one!
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:06:24] And you mentioned Natalie, that’s Natalie Nakase, the head coach of the team, right? Yes. How would you describe Natalie Nakase’s personality as a coach and I guess the kind of tone that she sets for the team?
Marisa Ingemi [00:06:37] Yeah, she’s extremely fiery.
Media [00:06:41] And coach for you, you got the hard part out of the way with all the first from last year to bounce off of Megan’s question a little bit, but now comes the even more difficult part, keeping that momentum alive. As a head coach, how can you do that without spoiling anything on the road ahead?
Natalie Nakase [00:06:57] We didn’t win last year.
Media [00:06:59] Oh, no, we should, well, maybe in the playoffs and whatnot.
Natalie Nakase [00:07:02] No, I’m… the momentum is to win it.
Marisa Ingemi [00:07:04] That’s something that the players always say about her is she’s like always yelling and screaming and cursing, but like lovingly, they’ve really bought in. Last year she like called herself a psycho and like she kept swearing during the press conferences at the end of the year. It was really funny, but she notices like all the nuance, all the details, like she is so locked in on this as her job and her life. And I think that’s why the players really believe in her because they know that like knows all the intricacies of everything they’re dealing with.
Natalie Nakase [00:07:34] You know, year two for us, we spent more time together in the off season. We like each other even more than last year. So now we’re going for it. That’s our expectations. It was our expectations last year, we just didn’t say too much about it, but our goal is always to win.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:07:59] Coming up, what the mood is like around the team and why the WNBA is growing even more. Stay with us.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:08:21] You’ve of course, been around the team a bunch. What is the mood like lately, especially heading into the second season.
Marisa Ingemi [00:08:27] It’s interesting because like I said, the expectations just feel different, like they’re not going to sneak up on anyone anymore. And it’s been a little chaotic this preseason. Thursday morning, they announced the roster and Kate Martin gets waved and that created a bunch of shockwaves. Starting center Iliana Rupert is pregnant and that kind of came out of nowhere for them. So like it’s interesting, because they do have that core of the team of Williams and Burton and Hayes and Thornton. But it might look a little different than we thought even a week ago. So it’s, I think there’s a lot of anticipation to just like get to the basketball games.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:09:07] Well, stepping back just a little bit, Marissa, it’s been a year since the Valkyries came onto the scene. What do you think has changed in women’s sports just in the last year as a result of this team’s success?
Marisa Ingemi [00:09:21] Well, the Valkyries are the first billion-dollar franchise in women’s sports history, so that’s pretty huge. There’s more expansion teams than the WNBA. Portland and Toronto are in the league now. Teams in Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Detroit are going to be coming in in the next few years. Connecticut’s moving to Houston next year, so like, the WNBA footprint is expanding and changing a little bit, so, that’s kind of worth keeping an eye on. But yeah, even in the Bay Area, like, there’s going to two women’s volleyball teams next year. In San Francisco in two different leagues. There’s a professional women’s baseball team. There’s women’s football team in the Golden State Storm that play in Oakland. The Bay Breakers, the rugby team that play Lodi. So like the footprint in the Bay Area and women’s sports is just expanding and growing and that audience is there for it.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:10:09] You mentioned the value of the team going up. Does that mean that the players are also getting paid a lot more?
Marisa Ingemi [00:10:15] Not specifically related to that, but they are because in the off season, the league had negotiations for its collective bargaining agreement. So the players union, um, and the league were negotiating for higher salaries and they got that. The super max deal, which is the highest contract a player could have went up from like 270,000 to over a million. The rookie deal went from being around 70,000, to 500,000. Um, so like. Yeah, the players have gotten paid, the salary cap is up, and it’s huge because it’ll just keep expanding from there.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:10:56] Well Marisa, my last question for you here, what should I be prepared for when I go to my first Valkyries game? Like any advice from you for a new fan like me.
Marisa Ingemi [00:11:09] Yeah, it’s going to be loud. It’s going be crowded. They sold out all of their games last year. You legitimately get chills. I have covered a Super Bowl. I have cover Stanley Cup Game 7. I’ve been to World Series and I’ve never quite felt anything like the end of a Valkyries close game, like in the regular season and just feeling the emotion and just like how much it means to the community there. So you’re going to see a lot of purple. You’re going see a a lot people are dressed up, a lot of people who are just like really excited to feel a part of something. From everyone I know who’s like been to games as a fan, like it’s addictive. I know people who have never watched sports in their life who got season tickets after going to one game.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:11:49] So I’m hearing earbuds and prepared to keep my wallet open. Yeah, I would say so. Those, the food and beer costs there are quite significant.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:12:00] Yeah, new hyperfixation incoming it sounds like. Marisa thank you so much for joining me.
