DUBAI: Brittney Griner texted her good friend Diana Taurasi on Tuesday asking how the USA Basketball training camp was going.
Griner was back in Arizona, choosing to skip the camp in Minnesota so she can be with her partner and recover from her time in a Russian jail.
She returned to the US in December after a dramatic prisoner swap.
“She wants to be a part of this like no one else,” Taurasi said. “So, she’ll get there eventually. She’ll find her footing.”
Taurasi said the two talk regularly now that Griner is home in Phoenix. They work out together as well as chat and text each other often.
“We’ve been on the court together working out. We’ve sat down and talked for hours,” Taurasi said. “It’s been really nice to reconnect. It’s good to see her smile. Good to give her a hug. Know she was alive and still had the ability to be thankful and happy.”
There was a time during Griner’s 10-month ordeal in Russia that the 40-year-old Taurasi wasn’t sure she’d ever see her friend again.
“Every single day we suffered and hoped she’d be back and not until I saw her did I really believe it. And just to see her smile, just to see her free, was really emotional for everyone,” Taurasi said. “And we knew, at the same time, the minute she got into that plane and we got to Phoenix, there was going to be a whole new set of challenges, a whole new reality, a whole new way of living life for BG.”
Griner has said she’ll play for Phoenix again this season, although she’s still an unsigned free agent. She hasn’t talked about her international future and potentially playing for the US at the Olympics next year in Paris. She has helped the US win two gold medals at the Olympics already.
USA Basketball coach Cheryl Reeve said Monday that she hasn’t talked to Griner yet, but the organization made it clear that she could take all the time she needed to decide if she wanted to play for the US again.
“We’ve missed her and when she’s ready we’ll welcome her back,” Reeve said.
Brittney Griner absent from USA camp, but keeping in touch
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Brittney Griner absent from USA camp, but keeping in touch
- “She (Griner) wants to be a part of this like no one else,” Taurasi said
- Griner has said she'll play for Phoenix again this season, although she's still an unsigned free agent
Desert Vipers chief urges side to focus on playoff, not ILT20 trophy
- The Vipers, the most successful team this season with eight wins from 10 matches, take on the Emirates knowing the winner will secure a direct place in the final
DUBAI: The Desert Vipers’ director of cricket, Tom Moody, has urged his side to focus on the immediate challenge of Qualifier 1 against MI Emirates on Tuesday rather than lifting the DP World ILT20 trophy.
Speaking on the Vipers Voices podcast on Monday, Moody said: “You do not look at the prize, as simple as that. Yes, we all want to be successful. Yes, we all want to win trophies, but if you get too obsessed with that mission, you end up falling short.”
The Vipers, the most successful team this season with eight wins from 10 matches, take on the Emirates knowing the winner will secure a direct place in the final.
Moody, a former World Cup winner with Australia, stressed the importance of approaching the game positively and executing a perfect performance with bat, ball and in the field.
“If we just take that positive outlook and draw on the experience we have had, concentrate on just trying to put together our perfect game, we should be in good hands,” he said.
Moody acknowledged the strength of MI Emirates, led by Kieron Pollard, and highlighted the challenge of playing at Abu Dhabi, where the opposition is familiar with the conditions.
“They play most of their games there, so that is an advantage for them. But at the end of the day, you are not really playing the opposition; you are playing the ball,” he added.
Reflecting on the Vipers’ season, Moody said five of their eight league wins came in the final over, giving the team experience under pressure.
“It gives important lessons for the team and builds trust within the playing group,” he said.
He also addressed the impact of the cooler conditions in the UAE and dew on the finals series, saying the team must adapt regardless of the toss.
“From my perspective, the mindset we need to share is that it does not matter. We just need to adapt,” he said.
