INDIANAPOLIS — The opening ten minutes of Indiana Fever practices during the WNBA summer break have little to do with basketball — not immediately, at least.
One day, the crew organized a scavenger hunt. On another, a home run derby. (“Of course, I won,” Caitlin Clark replied.) In one that included hoops, participants guided a blinded colleague through an obstacle course with the goal of concluding with a layup.
Coach Christie Sides stated that she and her colleagues devised those team-building exercises. She wanted to ensure that one ingredient remained in this summer intermission: “Joy.”
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“It you don’t have that,” replied Sides, “it can get really long when you don’t have a game to prepare for.” However, games like Knockout and 21 are more than just an entertaining distraction. The Fever believe that improved team cohesion will translate to better performance when league action begins.
“You see their true personality,” Clark explained. “You see what they are passionate about. You joke around with them. Small gestures can go a long way toward forming a cohesive team.
However, games like Knockout and 21 are more than just an entertaining distraction. The Fever believe that improved team cohesion will translate to better performance when league action begins.
“You see their true personality,” Clark explained. “You see what they are passionate about. You joke around with them. Small gestures can go a long way toward forming a cohesive team.
“To me, it’s not necessarily about the talent you possess. Obviously, this helps, but you also need to have really solid relationships if you want to be a championship-winning team. And I believe Christie has done a great job of instilling it in all of us.”
One might understand how better chemistry could help in the two areas that most need improvement.
As soon as the players returned from their time off, defense became a priority. Only one team allows more points per game than the Fever, with 87.3. When they limit opponents to 84 or fewer points, they are 11-0.
To help their cause, the Fever must also take better care of the ball. The Fever’s 15.4 turnovers per game rank fourth in the league. Its 17.9 points allowed off turnovers is third-worst. Nothing is more demoralizing than making a stop at one end only to give up points at the other.
Improved communication and synchrony can benefit both sectors.
“Especially in tough moments, not separating, but continuing to get closer,” second-year center Aliyah Boston said. “I think that’s just going to work with us, especially coming in the second half of the season.”
However, business has not become entirely serious.
Following Tuesday’s practice, the players pranked Sides with the viral TikTok trend “Just give me my money”. Several Fever players repeated the sentence to their teammates’ shouts and claps, only to remain silent when the unknowing Sides did the same.
Then everyone cracks up.
“It’s always great to just be able to build that energy — especially off the court,” Boston told ESPN. “Once you’re fully connected off the court, on the court’s just easier.”
If it adds a bit more delight to the mix, Sides can’t complain.
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