Q. Things just wrapped up, but as you look back on year one, the ups and downs and the growth and all that kind of stuff, what stands out to you, and when you look back at this year, how are you going to think about your original rookie year, both from your personal growth and kind of fitting in with the squad as a whole?
LUCY OLSEN: Yeah, I think the thing I'll remember most is just how close of a team we were, how we all were really good friends on and off the court. I think that's really special, and even though we didn't win as many games as we would like, it's a great foundation, and it was still fun. That's hard to come by on any level of basketball.
The fact that at the highest level, we're all really good friends will just help us succeed more and more.
Q. For yourself, what did you learn about your own game? What worked? What didn't work in the league? Kind of your focus moving forward of, okay, hey, I've made it through a whole one, now I can maybe start specifying some other areas that you want to grow in?
LUCY OLSEN: Yeah, I think one difference of the league compared to college or high school is how fast people make adjustments. I think in game, like you're good at one thing and then they take that away so you've got to adjust to another thing, or just as a group, the pick-and-roll schemes, teams adjust quicker than in college for sure, so just being able to adjust on top of what the other team is doing, I think that's something I've learned and I can grow on more and more throughout this experience.
Q. Any specific facets of your game? Defensive-minded or anything very technical that you're like, hey, I want to work on X?
LUCY OLSEN: That's a good question. I think this season was a lot of getting comfortable playing against new players and new schemes, like I said. Yeah, definitely working on the physicality of it. Yeah, just getting used to playing against different people. It's a little faster. People are a little stronger. But it's still basketball.
I think a lot of it was just slowing my mind down, and the rest of it will come. But yeah, just getting smarter, like the IQ of the basketball.
Q. As we look at this off-season, how do you envision spending it? It's also a weird off-season with the CBA and how many people are free agents and things like that. But we know that this rookie class is part of the core moving forward. Do you feel like you kind of go out and sell the Mystics? Do you feel like a recruiter? Do you just want to get away from the game and relax because you've been playing a lot of ball? How do you envision your off-season in that way?
LUCY OLSEN: Well, I'm actually going to play in Australia, so I'll have two weeks to chill a little bit and then to the next season I'll go.
But I think it'll be nice because I didn't get as much playing time this season, but being able to go and play, learn from new coaches, a new team, find a new role, just getting adjusted to things quicker and being in that experience that makes you uncomfortable will always help you grow. I'm just excited for that.
Q. Are you playing with Jade? Are you going to be against Jade?
LUCY OLSEN: I'm not playing with Jade unfortunately, but I will play her four times. We only play one team four times, and it's her, so I'll see her a lot.
Q. Has this season changed your perspective at all of what Lucy Olsen, the basketball player, can be and how the rest of your career can take shape?
LUCY OLSEN: I think throughout my career, I've always thought of what I can do today to just be better for the next few days. You can't control everything, so you always want to have the confidence and belief that you can make it and be the best because that'll help you get there.
But when I had the dream of being a WNBA player, I had the dream, but who knew if it was possible. I feel like once I got here, I was like, wow, I actually did anything; anything is possible. I think just taking it one day at a time and knowing that I've made it this far, so the sky's the limit. Just keep working, and if you try your best every day, then yeah, you'll make it as far as you can.
Q. This season Sydney wanted to focus on development. How much did you feel that investment from this coaching staff and making sure that they were helping you check off your goals as you move forward?
LUCY OLSEN: Yeah, I think back to just getting comfortable with this new speed and the physicality. I think the breakdown drills that we did or the IQ, I think I've definitely improved a lot there.
Q. When you think about this season as you're about to head on a really long flight down to Australia, is there a particular moment, game or play that you're going to take away from this season as something that you want to continue to have as a part of your game moving forward?
LUCY OLSEN: The season feels so long and so short at the same time. All the games blend together.
I would say every game there's a little bit that I'll take away from. I wouldn't say there's a specific moment exactly, but I think when I got the opportunity to play against the Aces when we had a few people hurt, that was a big moment in my career, just being like, okay, you're here, you have an opportunity, you made the most of it, you're playing against really great players and you still helped to make an impact. I think keeping in mind those little moments like that. Obviously learn from the negatives but take the positives and go from there.
Q. When you talk about playing time and the opportunities given, obviously with the most competitive league on the planet, there's not a lot of minutes to go around, especially for rookies, but with the time that you were given on the court, how invaluable was it as far as the growth and development of your game?
LUCY OLSEN: Yeah, no, experience is important and minutes are the only thing that can really get you that experience on the court. That's out of my control, but when I do get in the game, just trying to make the most of it, doing whatever my team needs me to do to help us win. I wish I could hit every single shot, but even if I'm not hitting every single shot, play defense, get us extra possessions, rebound.
Yeah, minutes help. It makes you feel more comfortable as you go and then the game slows down, and the rest of the basketball comes a lot easier.
Q. I'm curious, going and playing in the WNBO, what are you looking forward to on the court and some of the nerves off the court of living in a different country? What do you think that's going to look like for you?
LUCY OLSEN: Yeah, I'm excited to play in Australia with this team because I'm going to be a point guard again, which I've been a point guard my whole life, so playing the shooting guard this year was a little different and a lot of adjusting. So I'm excited to get back to that.
Yeah, I think knowing Jade and Georgia are both from Australia, they're great people, so I'm not as nervous knowing them. They play everything awesome about Australia. I'm sure it's not all true. There's got to be some things that aren't great, but they're hyping it up.
Yeah, I'm just super excited for a new experience, new team. Luckily they speak English as well, so that won't be as hard to communicate with them, and hopefully I'll get a little bit of an accent while I'm down there. That would be fun. Yeah, I'm excited.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports