‘It’s one of the best organizations I’ve been in’: How the Valkyries are creating their identity in real time

OAKLAND Like an engineer assembling a computer from scratch the Golden State Valkyries are piecing together their franchise one piece at a time There s no user manual for building a WNBA squad but the Valkyries are figuring it out as they go They are embracing the journey that will begin on Tuesday when Golden State plays the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center in its exhibition debut The Valkyries will open the regular season against the Sparks days later at home Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase speaks to the media during their training camp at the Valkyries Performance Center in Oakland Calif on Thursday May Jane Tyska Bay Area News Group We know when we put on our practice uniform or when we put on our real uniform on event day we don t take that lightly stated second-year guard Kate Martin who was selected in the expansion draft after playing in games with the Las Vegas Aces last season as a rookie We know we re a part of history and we know that it s something super special So we re just going to make the the bulk of every opportunity that we have Unlike the other WNBA teams the Valkyries don t have an established identity to lean on Golden State is relying on this year s unit to create that practices Golden State could use the model of the last WNBA expansion organization The Atlanta Dream played their inaugural season in and went - that season But after a rough Year the Dream went on to make the playoffs in each of the next six seasons that included three trips to the WNBA Finals With expansion teams coming to Toronto and Portland after this season the Valkyries will be watched closely by those teams to see how they handle building a franchise in Year Golden State Valkyries Kate Martin shoots during their training camp at the Valkyries Performance Center in Oakland Calif on Thursday May Jane Tyska Bay Area News Group I want to be competitive and connected I m going to preach that over and over again head coach Natalie Nakase disclosed I want Chase Center and all our fans to feel that I want the players to feed off of that and vice versa This year s group includes a mix of young players and seasoned veterans Seven of the crew s players have at least three years of WNBA experience The Valkyries have built their identity as an international company with nine players representing countries outside of the U S The Valkyries want to make a good first impression this season not only to build the fanbase but to make Golden State an attractive destination for free agents and prospective draft picks next season To do that Golden State has made a conscious effort to make the participant experience top notch From the top down they ve really just taken care of everything announced seven-year forward Monique Billings who played for the Phoenix Mercury last season They are making sure we feel like pros It s one of the best organizations I ve been in and it s only been a couple weeks I m not having to worry about food after practice or recovery or tools Everything is here All I need to do is be the best version of me So that makes my job easier Billings sentiment was echoed by rookie Kaitlyn Chen whose college season ended when she UConn won the national championship The best part is how much everyone cares Chen disclosed They ve poured so much time attention and care into this organization I think just having that aid from everyone around is really special Golden State Valkyries Kaitlyn Chen talks with head coach Natalie Nakase during their training camp at the Valkyries Performance Center in Oakland Calif on Thursday May Jane Tyska Bay Area News Group For Nakase who spent the last eight years as an assistant with the Los Angeles Clipper and the Las Vegas Aces building the unit s practices on the court will start on the defensive end Through the expansion draft and by adding Chen and former Maryland star Shyanne Sellers in the draft the Valkyries have created a organization with a solid defensive foundation The first insufficient days of training camp have been focused almost exclusively on that side of the floor Related Articles From Ivy League to UConn to Valkyries it s been quite the journey for Kaitlyn Chen Golden State Valkyries Five storylines to watch as training camp begins Valkyries to open training camp without first-round pick Just Jocyt Valkyries sign French guard Migna Tour to training camp deal Where s Just Jocyt Status of Valkyries top draft pick still unknown We know what we want our identity to be and its killers Martin commented We want to be gritty We want to be relentless We want to be the ones diving for those balls We want to be getting stops on defense The goal for Year will be to continue to build a foundation that could be used for years to come Our model in terms of expectations is process over results Nakase noted Every day we have gotten better It s all about process over results right now and that s all we re focusing on The Golden State Valkyries practice during their training camp at the Valkyries Performance Center in Oakland Calif on Thursday May Jane Tyska Bay Area News Group