 Welcome back to the New York Liberty Draft Special, and I'm joined with our newest addition to the Liberty one of, and that's Megan Walker and Megan, thank you so much for coming on. We really appreciate it. First and foremost, congratulations on a sensational college career and welcome to New York. How does it feel to officially be a pro Hooper in the WNBA? Thanks for having me. It feels great. Well, it's not official yet, but, you know, I'm looking forward to sort of, I'm looking forward to playing in Brooklyn in the Barclay Center and all the, you know, fun things that come with being in New York. Megan, take us through draft night. I mean, you had to have so many emotions going through your college stream. I'd love to hear what what that whole experience was like for you. Well, I was kind of nervous the day, it started the day before the whole week I was cool. I was fine. The day, I mean, the day before I started to get a little nervous because I could go anywhere from three to 10. I had no idea where I was going, but I kind of had a feeling that when the New York Liberty got the trade and got more picks in the first round, you know, it was a possibility that I could slide lower and be picked by Liberty and that happened. So, Well, what do you think now that you do know it's in New York Liberty? What are you most looking forward to come the season, whenever that may start? Just playing with Kia again and playing with Sabrina. I feel like that'll be good for us, you know, both being on the floor together at the same time. We got the opportunity to work out together, but now since we'll be on the same team, I'm really looking forward to that. Speaking of Kia, how much have you guys kept in touch over the years and is that a comfort zone thing now that you're going to get to her by your side? That's got to be cool for you as another Yukon Husky. Yeah, most definitely. We've kept in touch over the years, you know, whether that's Snapchat or coming up to school, you know, just keeping in touch, like you said, over the years and just having her there will definitely be a huge help to me. Yeah. Megan, what went into your decision to forego your senior year and enter the WNBA draft? That could not have been an easy decision for you. It wasn't easy, but I just didn't want to have any regrets. You know, I talked to my family, my close friends and mentors that I go to for advice and, you know, I just thought it was the right time. I wanted to fulfill my dream. Did the new CBA and all that kind of play a role into that decision? Oh, not really. You know, it was just a plus to my decision. All right, Megan, we have a funny question for you, but I want to know how you got the nickname Megatron. Let's hear it. Where did you hear that from? We just know everything, you know, all our research and whatnot. Yeah, that one was definitely a high school nickname just growing up. They call me Megatron because I could like transform, as they say, on the court and do other things better than everyone else. But, you know, in college, they call me Money Mag, MW3, MKW. So I guess we have to bring that back in the city. Oh, that's great. Where did those nicknames come from? They just debuted. I know how that is. Yeah, some of my teammates, Lou made a Money Mag, I think, like our, you know, media person at UConn just came up with MW3, but MKW, that's my initial. So I just kind of always kept that. That's great. All right, well, after being coached by the greatest women's coach of all time in it, in Gino Ariama, how do you feel your game has really changed over the past few years, especially playing under him and maybe you learned from him? Playing under him, I think my game has grown in a way mentally at UConn. You know, you're able to fight through adversity. You're able to, you know, compete harder than any other team. Like you're able to outwork your opponent and your talent to come along with that. So I feel like that's that's in the way that my game has grown in the past three years. How do you think that's maybe prepared you to be a pro? I mean, I know that the organization in Connecticut has been known for doing that. We've got a few Huskies that have gone through the Liberty. So we know, do you think it's kind of really prepared you to be a pro? Yeah, for sure. You know, knowing that you kind of have a led up on the pro life and just what it's like playing, you know, in the WNBA. But it also helps that, you know, all the Huskies have done well in the league. So I feel like I'll have a not an easy adjustment, but I'll be able to manage things. And, you know, just having, like I said, Kia before, and then the other Kia, Kia Stokes in New York, you know, it'll just be helpful all around. All right. Well, how excited are you to play alongside a player like Sabrina Yonescu as a piece? You're both going to be two key pieces to the Liberty's future. And, you know, what's that feeling like to be a part of something new? Mm-hmm. Yeah. In the pre-draft process being coached, Hopkins talked about, you know, the direction he wanted to go in with the team and how he wanted similar time frames, well, not time frames, but kind of something like Golden State did. They got everyone in when they were, you know, kind of young and just elevated in the right direction. So I'm definitely looking forward to playing with Sabrina and us starting our careers together in New York. But according to Hopkins and his system, it sounds like he's a real guard-oriented system. Is that something that you're looking forward to? Because, man, you are the definition of versatile. I could say that experience calling your games this year. Yeah. That was definitely a connection we had, you know, how he runs his system, what he focuses on, and then the player development part. You know, Coach Ellie P, she's worked with a bunch of greats, Maya Moore, Simone Gussis, Tina Thompson, Tamika Ketching. So just what they have there, the pieces they have, you know, to help us be successful is definitely an attraction. What's the biggest piece of advice that you've gotten from either former players or coaches around the country in regards to entering the pro ranks at this point? I would say some coaches mentioned that, you know, your role is going to be different. And, you know, you just have to be ready to accept that and be ready to contribute anyway you can early on and just never lose sight of that, like never lose sight of your talent. Is there anything that brings you the most nerves in terms of being a rookie this season? Is there anything off the spotlight of entering another league, of it being different than the college level that maybe brings some nerves to you? Well, you just don't know what to expect. But like I said, since I have people I'm familiar with, I feel like the adjustment will be kind of smooth. And if I ever need anything, I have people to lean on. What do you want everybody to know about you that maybe they don't know entering as a first year player? Is there something the fans can look forward to about you or have do you have a definition of yourself or identity that you want to kind of portray? I love to compete. You know, I want to bring, you know, a winning culture to New York. And I want to be a fan favorite. So I'm excited to start in New York. That's great. All right. Well, you know, we really appreciate your time and look forward to seeing you on the hardwood. I'm sure that this time period has been hard in terms of of trying to train while you've been home. But we're really excited to get to know you better and to see you on the hardwood in Brooklyn. Thank you. Thanks for having me.