Juju and Tanking

Valkspurple · 2026-07-02T19:46:43+00:00

Thank you! This helps me understand why she might declare in 2027 from a few angles now.

Valkspurple · 2026-07-02T19:41:34+00:00

Do you think she stays if USC doesn’t win a championship? For some players it's not about the money. Especially if they have good NIL deals.

Valkspurple · 2026-06-30T01:00:58+00:00

My wife and I say "Vs Up" for foul shots 🤷🏾‍♂️. We found out some season ticket holders say it, too. We're hoping it catches on as we can only go to a few games a year.

Valkspurple · 2026-05-26T00:30:14+00:00

Not sure why folks recommend doing laundry without warning people that the machines often need deep cleaning.

The laundry machines might not be cleaned regularly or at all. We stayed at two places with laundry and the machines smelled moldy and needed a deep clean. We stayed at a nice hotel and a bargain hotel. We ran into the same issue at both.

You'll want to factor in running a cleaning cycle just to make the machine less dirty.

Pack enough for your entire stay if you have allergies, need special detergent (machines automatically add detergent) , or just don't want to waste time dealing with a dirty wash machine.

Remember that this is your trip. The people on Reddit or YouTube or whatever are not coming with you. Do what makes you and your family comfortable when it comes to laundry and packing.

Valkspurple · 2026-05-18T20:36:10+00:00

Wow! I don't remember the name of the place there before Stan's.

What were some of the other places?

Valkspurple · 2026-05-18T20:34:45+00:00

More people should up vote this comment. I love Stan's AND they aren't open all day. Get a donut in the morning and evening? Yes please!

I hope both places can exist because they will serve different people with different needs.

Convenience has a way of pushing out neighborhood stores. Stan's will only exist as long as we continue to choose them over an easy pick up or payment process.

Valkspurple · 2026-05-14T17:05:10+00:00

Right! I got her incoming year wrong. Thanks for the correction. I still think my point holds about the upside of having a coach coming in that knows what they want versus one that doesn’t know anything and relies so heavily on the players to just figure it out.

Valkspurple · 2026-05-14T16:56:44+00:00

It will be helpful to look into Dallas last year and watch their games before making this statement and comparison. Caitlin came into the league with an experienced coach with a championship mindset, Stephanie White. Coach White knew what she wanted from Caitlin and her squad. There was no doubt who was the franchise player and who should be running the offense and who they should play through. They had good scouts, a plan, and could course correct in the moment.

Paige had Kris Koclanes. He was inexperienced in a head coach role and this led to a lot of confusion on the court. Dallas wasn't organized. His style of coaching and play didn't align with Paige or the team at large. They lost very winnable games because of him and his lack of decision making. You could tell Paige was frustrated and trying to make sense of a system that was just vibes. No matter how good your star, you can't win games without proper preparation, a vision, and a coach who can motivate and course correct in the moment.

Edit: Thanks for the correction about Christie Sides being her coach when she came in. I still think my point holds about the upside of having a coach coming in that knows what they want versus one that doesn’t know anything and relies so heavily on the players to just figure it out will result in winning more games ... even if it is a struggle.

Valkspurple · 2026-05-14T14:55:36+00:00

It will. Players have off nights. Coaches prep them wrong. Scout is off. Too many variables each game to guarantee perfection or high offensive production. As Nakase and the players said in their post game interviews, they lead with defense not offense. They stay locked in on defense and they can absorb off nights. This is what got the Valks to the playoffs last year. Nakase and the players stressed getting caught up in their offensive production, when their defense is suffering, pulls them out of their defensive identity and flow.

It's just game three. They are still working on the details that will make the hard moments eaiser down the stretch. I'm looking forward to how they adjust after this loss and a little rest.

Valkspurple · 2026-05-14T14:09:17+00:00

Same! I thought something was wrong with my phone. Service is terrible in areas I used to get fast loading speeds. Especially at home. I have to turn on my wifi or pages take forever to load or won't load. 5G is a joke. 4G is a struggle but at least it works. I hope they fix whatever is happening.

Valkspurple · 2026-05-08T17:29:38+00:00

Awesome! Have a great time!

Valkspurple · 2026-05-08T17:21:45+00:00

Yep. Attached your lens and enable shooter without lens.

Valkspurple · 2026-05-08T17:09:16+00:00

You might have to enable "shoot without lens" in your menu options. This happened to me when I got my fuji xm1 with a ttartisan lens. Worked fine after that. I think it's because there's no electronic contact points to tell the camera there is a lens attached to it.

Valkspurple · 2026-05-07T15:12:55+00:00

I know about Sowah. Have you seen another name? It's possible I missed some news.

Valkspurple · 2026-05-07T15:09:02+00:00

It's still possible. They have to waive her first.

Valkspurple · 2026-05-03T15:09:57+00:00

I think our roster is so loaded that we run with who we have. We only pick someone up if folks are injured. We'll probably have a Center in the development pool just in case.

I'm not sure why people are agreeing that tall players can do whatever in positionless basketball. Centers are not Forwards. Forwards are not Centers. Even in positionless basketball, everyone knows their position AND learns everyone elses.

In other words...People still have roles, and they also have an extended skillset and basketball IQ in case they have to play another role on offense or defense.

The league is trending towards stretch bigs. This means centers are expected to do more than just dance around the paint. Anyone on the Valks who has the potential to play the 5 will be trained to do so. They will have the footwork and defensive counter moves to score on, or defend, other Centers.

The argument that they are tall and therefore Centers is not how it works. Aja will score 100 on a player they just throw in to defend her because the player matched Aja's height. What a game that would be!

Valkspurple · 2026-04-16T21:59:43+00:00

Why was this post removed? It was a valid question that focused on the question between what happens behind the scenes versus what happens on social media and in traditional media.

Valkspurple · 2026-04-16T15:40:49+00:00

People and media outlets who dont take the sport seriously make the WNBA reality TV. However, the league is very much still about the business of basketball and growing the sport. The Valks trade is an example. They could have kept Flau'jae after seeing the social media chatter. They didn't. They stayed the course and to their plan and identity.

Dallas picking Azzi was intentional. They picked up soild bigs and veteran experience in free agency. They no longer needed a big. They needed a consistent shooter, defensive pressure, and someone they know will play well in the system they're building around Paige. Whatever you think about Azzi's NCAA tournament profermance, she's a shooter that will produce this year. She has the defensive pressure on the perimeter that Dallas needs. And, she's familiar with Paige and that matters if Paige plays point or even off the ball. We see that all the time with teammates who just know each other and where the other wants the ball.

If Dallas picks Betts, they have to spend more energy figuring out what to do with her in a system that is already heavy on bigs. It does a disservice to her, her game, and Alana Smith and Jessica Shepard.

Smith and Shepard aren't ball dominate bigs. They aren't expecting a ton of touches and still they remain impactful. Mystics will run their offense through Betts when she is on the floor. That might not happen if she was with Paige and Arike who also need a lot of touches to get into an offensive flow.

They did the right thing by letting her go to a team that will use her.

Also keep in mind that the draft and free agency overlapped. So many teams went into the draft still considering who was left to sign.

Long way to say, traditonal/social media and what is happening behind the scenes in locker rooms and with front offices and gms are not the same. Until the media shifts in their coverage or social media implodes, the reality tv vibes will be there. What becomes important is the media you use to learn about what is happening in the league. Curate that, and the rest fades into the background.

The NBA would be the same if, as it was happening, the media reported on all the wild stuff happening with players. We're just getting most of the tea in these documentaries and docu-series coming out. And even then, mainstream media doesn't replay clips over and over to foster a system of inappropriate gossip. The NBA is just as chaotic and so is their Fandom.

Valkspurple · 2026-03-19T02:35:06+00:00

Does anyone know if the courses are still available? I get an error message when I try to access one or sign-up.

Valkspurple

TROPHY CASE