 Clare you and Joe were very active in recruiting at least I still am sure Courtney as well Can you just talk about I mean last year? I think you guys had dinner in LA and then you were part of the group that went to Recruit her in Turkey. Just what it was like to be an active participant in this whole Getting this team together Well, I feel that It's really not you know, it's it's essential to my role as governor To really promote why New York is an incredible destination for free agents I think that it's the job of Jonathan his team, but it's not only the job of JK It's really a job of mine and also top-to-bottom everyone in our organization So it was really important for me to do everything I could To let them know that I was committed to not only to them, but really the growth of the league Hi, Clare Alexa Philip with the SPN We heard stewie and sleut talk about the importance of moving the needle forward with off the court things in the Leaks such as chartering. So where do you see your role in helping propel that moving forward? I just need to be a constant voice And be as influential as I can As we know I I'll get fined if I talk too much about anything related to the collective bargaining agreement Everyone knows where we stand on this issue and I alluded to it earlier anyway in my remarks But I do believe that it's now enough of the topic within the league and several other governors that It is going to be addressed by the commissioner Ross Steinberg from boardroom a kind of piggybacking off of that question. Clare are you Knowing that you have certain limitations with what you can and can't Promise as far as you know that the CBA and what the league imposes on you what sort of What sort of message were you able to send both stewie and sleut when this topic came up? And how did you? Kind of pitch that you would move forward on issues like chartering flights or whatever their concerns may be I Think that the fine we took in the actions that we made pretty much spoke for themselves And I'm a person that is about actions and not words But yes, I think It was you know, actually I you know, we spent three days together In Turkey, so we had a lot of time really to talk about a lot of things Hopefully, you know, they they they understood that it really isn't just this one issue But it's a number of things that we're moving forward and that's what I was hoping to convey to them during this Recruiting period. Hi, Sandy. Oh and Pence with a wind sider and that's Republic. Did you ever dream you'd be able to coach a roster this good? Yeah, Christmas came in February Look, I think any coach you you won't always want to coach the best and we're all about winning So first stewie and and Courtney and JJ to want to come to New York I mean that says a lot of not about obviously the coaching staff, which I think is is is really good And but also our front office and our owners who want to be the best organization the WBA, but You know, the girls have spoken about it. Yeah, we've got these players who are amazing players But now the real work starts, you know, you can't start we want to win a championship and bring that first championship to You know to the Liberty and but if there's a process as well too, and that's what really excites me It's just how all the pieces work together and we talked about making sacrifices But it's you know at their games You're still going to see the best of them and it's up to the coaches to put them in the best position So we can have success and you know We'll have to have a growth period for sure because a lot of players you can't just put them on the court and say go play But that that's that's what I love and can't wait to get to work Hi, good morning everybody Brian Florence and from that's daily this one's for Sandy But the season expanding out to 40 games Yes How important is it just to have that extra time so players can develop that chemistry and you don't have a situation where You put too much stress and onus on one particular player to sort of manage everything out Yeah, look, I think I think it's good. I think playing more games is great for the league But I look forward for a training camp I look back for my first year in New York last year and we had so many injuries that some days I had five players So I had to use the first month of of the season to have training camp and develop that chemistry and learn a new system It's it wasn't just that new players. It was a new coach and how we want to play and You know my husband Olaf. He's on staff He's coached Courtney before and obviously I've coached against a lot of these players for so long and But you know, it will take time, but I think it won't take as much time as What everyone probably thinks because of the kind of people they are I mean number one kind of players But how they go about doing their things, you know, they're very unselfish But we want to make sure we're playing in an entertaining way at both ends of the floor And I think we're just going to continue to grow the more we get used to each other and I think that's as a coach That's that's what you want and as the players You know, they alluded to it. I we've all won championships in the WNBA. We know they're extremely hard to win My first year in Phoenix. I had a you could say was a super team But they had failed the year before and it wasn't just about me. It was just putting Coming in with a good game plan and making sure everybody understands and accepts their roles And but without the buy-in from the players, we wouldn't have won So you hear what they say they're about winning they understand it takes everyone buying in to be the best team we can be That will be the journey and that's what really excites me having a very positive culture is important for me So yeah, I said that word again culture and we'll continue to grow that but and make it I want them to look back and you know, hopefully the ultimate goal is to win but to say this is one of the best experiences I've ever had So let's hopefully we can achieve that not one year, but for multiple years We're gonna go to zoom next Holly row How did we how did we get her? That's a question for stewie Look We you know, we want to be championship contenders We have some unfinished business to take care of This franchise and we knew that in order to be championship contenders We really had to go out and be aggressive and be attractive to the top talent in the league So that's why we put a lot of time and effort into trying to communicate what we're what we're about and You know, I hopefully you know, it's the investment we've made in the facilities in the locker rooms playing at Barclays Hopefully all of those things stood out and spoke to the players, but you know It's always our intention to you know, absolutely. We want to have a super team I'm we you know, we want to create an incredible rivalry with the West. We're ready for it I think I think we're kind of we're excited by I mean, that's which that's what makes us I think that's when it was gonna make us work really hard and get up in the morning Is to be able to beat that team in the West. So Yeah What did it take? I don't know. I think it just it was really this alignment of the vision and trying to communicate my vision and I'm glad that they felt the same way It's been incredible I think already our season ticket sales this time last year were were up by over fifty four fifty five percent and This is only just the beginning of us being able to market them. So I think this is the best reason to To buy season tickets because it's going to be an incredible every game is going to be a Show and so I think that's exactly what we need and so far the results are tracking with what You know, we're expecting to see continuing Hi All the way to your right This is for any one of you three, but Claire at the beginning of the statement of this press conference You mentioned player health and making sure that you guys are doing that well and Brianna and Courtney both mentioned kind of I think moving the needle off the court I know you don't want to talk to CBA and charter and flint and all that stuff But what tangible things can you guys do to improve player health to make it a more? You know spittable work environment and what do you have planned in that vein and talked about during the recruiting? To make it happen over the course next next year JK can speak more specifically to the investments we've made in the performance team, but we started that last year was adding significant resources to Performance and that's not only for mental health and wellness, but also for recovery Do you want to speak more? Yeah, absolutely That I think one of the most neglected areas in this league for a long time is player health Especially when you have players going overseas they're coming back We have a camp and they're all in various states of condition And I don't think it's talked about enough and so for us we have to and we say it when we're going out and hiring these Really elite people on the performance side We don't want to just have the best performance team in the WNBA We want to have the best performance team period and that's what we're committed to doing because that's what these players deserve Yeah, I mean look we're Via the investment from ownership where we're going actively out to hire people that probably costs a lot But they're the best of what they do and we're bringing them here And I think Stuie said this earlier like all of us just want to get better every single day That's what we want to do and I mean it and so that's making sure we're going out and bringing the most elite people The most skilled people are what they do especially when it comes to player health to here to New York And I think this is a pretty attractive place to come work at this point Hi Jonathan and Sandy. This is a question for both of you People are beginning to define this new era of not only Liberty basketball But the WNBA is sort of this super team era, but I think what I want to know from both of you is What is I guess a way to describe this new era besides using that super team moniker? If you think back a few years, I think Minnesota Lynx had a bit of a super team didn't they? I think there's been super teams all throughout the WNBA But look, I think it's great. Look, it really does we're trying to elevate the level we're trying to to promote our game and Create those rivalries. I think that's great for the WNBA You know hopefully more fans can come and watch us and we're like selling it We're going global. We're not just thinking about just America I think about going global and getting the best players and in you know one team We think we got some pretty special players, but you know Vegas got some special players and but for us Yeah, we're just focused on being the best team that we can be and hopefully that ends in the goal that we've set out for ourselves But you know, I like I said, I don't think it the super team everyone's putting emphasis on that Yeah, it's a super team, but there's been super teams before I had one of Phoenix. I won a championship You know It's good because we all want to win And that's the goal and and but it's you know, obviously not about the players a sacrifice Things to come here, but it's about the organization why they wanted to come here and that excites us and you know Hopefully will continue continue to grow the league Yeah, I think also we like you said we just want to push this league Like we want this to be the absolute best and I think look look at the coverage that's been going on the past week or so It's incredible. I haven't seen anything like it to be honest And we want to have the best players in the biggest market and then from there We're gonna push the needle and and I think I really believe like they alluded to the show on the court I think we're just gonna have really high quality basketball night in the night out And that's something that people are gonna want to pay attention to