On the Beat With the Las Vegas Aces 06/16/2021

The Las Vegas Aces held a practice day media session featuring Head Coach Bill Laimbeer and players A'ja Wilson and Destiny Slocum. Wilson started the session with a fun question she asked Coach Laimbeer.

Things got a little more serious as Coach Laimbeer fielded questions from the real press. First, he discussed the state of the team. Despite being 9-3 in second place in the WNBA Western Conference, the team is not yet where he wants it to be. Not being negative, Coach Laimbeer cited areas needing improvement, as well as strengths of the team.

Coach Laimbeer then talked about center Liz Cambage, who returned to the team after missing last season. He noted the differences in her play this season versus her last season.  

On the topic of women coaching in the NBA, Coach Laimbeer gave straightforward and insightful thoughts. There are opportunities in the NBA now for women and the money is much better than in the WNBA. While these women are losses to the WNBA, other women will get opportunities in their absences.

Lastly, Coach Laimbeer talked about the schedule of the WNBA. With three games against New York in a short span, he sees it as both an advantage and disadvantage, depending on timing. The Aces haven't played the Chicago Sky at all, but will now face the team when it is back at full strength.

Wilson started her session talking about the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Wilson attended a game and enjoyed participating in the pre-game entertainment. She also talked about the importance of women, including Dawn Staley, getting more opportunities in the NBA. She finished by discussing the WNBA All-Star game being in Las Vegas this season. I'm sure she will be playing in that game in front for her home team crowd.

Rookie Slocum closed out the session, starting with talking about her role on the team and her preparation. Sitting on the bench doesn't mean not being in the game. She takes her role seriously and uses her time on the bench to learn and to help her teammates. She talked about the adjustments she has had to make and the biggest challenges and differences in transitioning to the WNBA.

When asked about being complimented by Coach Laimbeer, Slocum talked about the impact of it. Coach Laimbeer has a reputation as being gruff and hard, but he is admittedly brutally honest. A compliment from Coach Laimbeer carries a lot of weight.

Las Vegas is riding a four game winning streak, including a 100-78 victory over New York on Tuesday. The Aces host the Liberty tonight, which will be their third matchup in the last 14 days.

The Aces trail the Seattle Storm by two games, but have a three game lead on the Los Angeles Sparks, who sit in third place. While Coach Laimbeer wants to win every game, his focus is always on being ready come playoffs.

The interview can be found at On the Beat With the Las Vegas Aces 06/21/2021. Also, check back here for my recurring coverage of the WNBA.

On the Beat With the Las Vegas Aces 05/03/2021

The Las Vegas Aces held several press sessions from their training camp on Monday. Head Coach Bill Laimbeer, A'ja Wilson, Liz Cambage and Kelsey Plum took turns fielding questions.

The main theme throughout all the sessions was the seemingly new level of competition in the WNBA. With several free agents changing teams, a few significant trades and a new class of draftees, more teams than ever are poised to make a run at the WNBA title.

Coach Laimbeer mentioned he felt at least six teams were true title contenders. (I presume it would be six among Seattle, Las Vegas, Chicago, Connecticut, Los Angeles, Minnesota and Phoenix.) He continued the league has ebbs and flows. It's the nature of the league and the nature of sports.

The players agreed with Laimbeer that there is a high level of competition, but it really is just business as usual. They can only do their best with the schedule as is. Everything else will take care of itself.

I asked Wilson about her statue, which was erected earlier this year at South Carolina, where she starred on the courts. Wilson discussed the significance to her personally, as well as to women and women athletes. It's something that gives her great pride, but she is humble when discussing it, stating she isn't the first nor will she be the last woman to get a statue, but it still means alot.

Cambage and Plum talked about returning to the team. Plum suffered an injured Achilles tendon and missed the 2020 season.  Cambage sat out the 2020 season due to health concerns. Both players are excited to return and are in playing shape already.

An added highlight for me was Cambage's interactions with Las Vegas Director of Media Relations John "Giggy" Maxwell as they tried adjusting the backdrop and the lighting. Cambage also had fun interactions with the press about her musical choices. Aside from being a star on the court, she is a very popular disc jockey and certainly knows her music.

The athletes also rated the Las Vegas black jerseys as their favorites among the new jerseys. They liked the better fit and styles. They also stated their opinions tend to change as they change uniforms, but overall black takes a slight advantage.

The interview session is at On the Beat With the LasVegas Aces 05/03.2021

. Also check WNBA.com for more info on the league and the Aces. Look for my recurring coverage here, Patch.com, GlobalTravelerUSA.com and GlobalWomensSportRadio.com.

On the Beat With the Las Vegas Aces 10/06/20

Yesterday, I featured the 2020 WNBA champion Seattle Storm. Despite being defeated by the Storm in the Finals, the Las Vegas Aces should be proud of the successful season they had.

The Aces finished 18-4 to take 1st place in the Western Conference and a #1 seed in the playoffs. The Finals featured the top two teams and the Storm came out on top. After the final loss, Aces' coach Bill Laimbeer and players A'ja Wilson, Angel McCouughtry and Kayla McBride appeared in the press session. Like the Storm, all talked about the game, the series, the season and the importance of what was accomplished. All echoed the sentiments of the Storm in stating they would continue to use their platform to raise awareness and affect social change.

For me, this was an incredible season. With no outside media on site, media sessions were open to the press via Zoom. I had the opportunity to talk to star players like Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Courtney Vandersloot and Candace Parker. Although ordinarily I would have been part of the press at Chicago Sky home games, I never would have been able to talk at length to so many players and coaches around the league.

One special experience was developing a bit of a friendship with Las Vegas Aces coach Bill Laimbeer. The former NBA star had a noted rivalry with my Chicago Bulls during his playing days. While in high school, Laimbeer also had a part as a "Sleestak" on television's Land of the Lost. In our first session, when I asked about that role, he really opened up and we had a lot of fun all season.

Congratulations to the Storm for winning their second WNBA title in three years and to the Aces for a fantastic season. More importantly, congratulations to the entire league on successfully managing to have a season, crown a champ and promote social change. Go to WNBA.com for more info on the league. Also, check here for my recurring coverage of the league.