NY Liberty Training Camp - Day 1: Vet, Rook, Return
Recapping Day 1 of the Liberty’s training camp through the lenses of Jonquel Jones, Marquesha Davis, and Kennedy Burke
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This past Sunday, the New York Liberty and other teams in the WNBA began training camp. Not only is it the first true practice before the season, it’s a good way to build early chemistry.
“Day one of camp is like back to school, it’s good vibes and great energy around here,” Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb said about the first day of New York’s training camp.
This year’s training camp features players from different walks of life. There’s Jonquel Jones, the decorated veteran who is seeing things come full circle. There’s Marquesha Davis, the rookie looking to make an impact at the next level. And there’s also Kennedy Burke, who returns to the W after a stint in Europe.
The Vet
On Feb. 16, Liberty brass and fans breathed a sigh of relief when former MVP, Jonquel Jones, agreed to stay in New York. Jones came to New York last year in a three-team deal involving the Connecticut Sun and Dallas Wings. In the last year of her core-designated deal originally signed with Connecticut, her future beyond 2023 was a topic of speculation. Ultimately, Jones signed a two-year deal with New York worth $385,000.
Last year, Jones came into training camp recovering from a stress fracture. She mentioned at times how she was “getting her legs under her.” However, as Jones continued to work her way back into MVP form, the results began to show. In the Commissioner’s Cup championship game, Jones led New York to victory with 16 points and 15 boards on her way to game MVP honors. In the playoffs, Jones cemented herself as one of the Liberty’s main options. Her scoring average improved from 11.3 in the regular season to 17 in the postseason. Jones dominated on the interior, as her paint points average improved from 6.8 to 9.6. On the defensive end, Jones led the league in blocks per game during the playoffs.
After a season that captivated the city, New York ultimately fell to Las Vegas in the Finals 3-1. But for Jones, the message for this season is clear.
“The message for us is that it's just unfinished business,” Jones said. “We had an opportunity to really do something special, and in a lot of ways we did do something special. But in order to take that final step and be the last team standing with the trophy, there are some small things that we have to get more comfortable with doing to be able to get over the hump.”
It’s through training camp that the Liberty will begin to get comfortable with what is needed to get over the hump.
Something noticeable about the Liberty’s training camp roster is that it features three prominent players of Caribbean descent: Jones from the Bahamas, Esmery Martinez from the Dominican Republic and Burke, whose father is Panamanian.
One of New York’s cultural strengths is its Caribbean population. An area where the Caribbean is slowly making gains is women’s basketball.
Jones is happy to see the gains in women’s basketball made by the Caribbean at a time when the global profile of the sport is exponentially increasing.
“I think it's amazing,” Jones remarked about the Caribbean presence in training camp. “I would love to see more Caribbean people in the league. I think it's going to happen with the growth of our league. I think a lot of times I'm kind of hard on myself in terms of being able to get back to the Bahamas. But because I played overseas and in the WNBA, I never really had time to go home. But I know we have so much untapped raw talent, not just in the Bahamas, but in the islands in general. If we could just get a little bit more infrastructure and a little bit more investment, the sky really is the limit.”
Having guidance along the way helped Jones make the above possible. Growing up in the Bahamas, Jones had the opportunity to be coached by the father of Ole Miss’ current head coach, Yolett McPhee-McCuin. McPhee-McCuin recognized Jones’ talent and eventually played a part in getting Jones to the United States. Their bond is still strong to this day.
This year’s training camp is what Jones describes as a “full-circle moment.” Two of the players competing in camp, Marquesha Davis and Rita Igbokwe, were recently coached by McPhee-McCuin at Ole Miss.
“To grow up in the Bahamas being coached by her dad, and then her being a big mentor to me when I was coming up, then to go and play for her at Clemson for a short time, and see her go and do amazing things,” Jones said. “To have players that she's coached here [in camp] feels full circle.”
If you think about it, this training camp is indeed a full-circle moment for Jones: going from the Bahamas to continuing to make Brooklyn home, from a rookie years ago to a veteran leader of the team, from being mentored by McPhee-McCuin to mentoring younger players coached by her.
The Rook
New York selected Ole Miss’ Marquesha Davis with the 11th overall pick in last month’s draft. The lightning-quick guard has the tools to be a key cog for the Liberty now and in the future.
“Marquesha is a talented player whose athleticism, length, creation off-the-dribble, and ability to get downhill all grade at the WNBA level, and she has all of the physical tools to develop into an elite perimeter defender,” Kolb said in a release sent shortly after the draft.
On the first day of training camp, Davis displayed just a sample of what the Liberty faithful can expect this season.
When relocating to a new city, having a friendly face can make life easier. Davis has links to two players in training camp: Rita Igbokwe and Jonquel Jones. On having the presence of Igbokwe and Jones, Davis said: “It’s great to be around people that you know, you're familiar with, and I think that it also helps to be more comfortable.”
In the eyes of head coach Sandy Brondello, Davis looked relatively comfortable in the new environment.
“I've been impressed already by day one,” Brondello said of Davis. “She's quiet. I say you are who you are, but when you're on the court, she's a baller. I think you've already seen what she can add to the team, her athleticism, her ability to get into the paint and finish, her ability to navigate through screens. So that's something that will add to us.”
Even though Davis has shown immediate promise, Brondello knows that it is a process.
“She has an individual coach and we’ll spend time with showing her film like we do for all the players,” Brondello said. “I mean, that's part of our responsibilities to help them individually and collectively. We don't want to make them overthink, I just say ‘you're gonna make mistakes.’ I mean, we all make mistakes. I'm not perfect either, but it's about the learning process of it because without the learnings you don't have improvements or successes. So for Marquesha, I look forward to seeing it [the learning process]. It's a lot to learn from college, but I think she has a pro body, which will translate quite easy, but with the more information we have, the better.”
When it comes to Davis and the learning process, playing alongside two MVPs could be beneficial. It’s not every day that a rookie lands on a team with Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones. Davis is cognizant of this.
“I think it's going to be very important knowing that I have two great leaders to follow,” Davis said. “So I think that will help me be better in my role.”
Appreciating and understanding the role that you will play on a team is something that assistant coach Roneeka Hodges knows quite well. Before training camp, we interviewed Hodges on her career and outlook in coaching. She emphasized how a player understanding her role can lead to a successful career in the W.
“That was something that played a part in my longevity, because you have to be able to fit into a role in certain situations, because everybody won't be a star,” Hodges said. “Every team needs some players that are role players, that are going to fill the role, that's going to do the job, and that are going to be a good teammate,” Hodges said.
Davis is joining a team rife with star power in the starting lineup – Courtney Vandersloot, Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Stewart, and Jones. While she may not be in a position to make an immediate contribution, Davis has the tools to be an impact player for New York.
The Return
Kennedy Burke’s career trajectory to date is interesting. The 22nd overall pick in 2019, Burke had stints in Indiana, Seattle, and Washington. From 2022 until now, she has been a key player for ESB Villeneuve-d'Ascq (ESBVA), which plays in France’s Ligue Féminine de Basketball. Villeneuve-d'Ascq has also competed in both of Europe’s top leagues, EuroLeague Women and EuroCup Women. In the 2022-23 EuroCup season, Burke led ESBVA in scoring with 16.9 points per contest. Upon promotion to EuroLeague for the 2023-24 campaign, Burke continued her impressive stretch, averaging 15 points per game and grabbing down 5.6 boards.
Burke signed a one-year protected deal at the veteran minimum ($76,535). Rare, but allowable, veteran minimums are protected to entice a particular player to join, especially from overseas. For example, the Las Vegas Aces protected Cayla George’s deal last season to bring her over from the WNBL.
On the first day of camp, Burke emphasized how important her tenure overseas was to her growth as a player. “It's helped me a lot,” Burke said of her time at Villeneuve-d'Ascq.
ESBVA had a bit of a Cinderella run in EuroLeague this season, advancing as far as the Final. On their road to the Final, Burke and her team competed against USK Praha, which featured another member of the Liberty, Nyara Sabally. In previous EuroCup action, Burke competed against Zaragoza’s Leonie Fiebich, who will be a late arrival to camp. The 6-foot-4 German sharpshooter could help bolster New York’s inside-outside presence. The Liberty acquired her draft rights in the infamous four-team deal that saw Marina Mabrey move to Chicago.
The European flair is present on the Liberty’s training camp roster. It is also something that Kolb notices as well.
“I think we play a style that is somewhat European in the way we emphasize second and third sides,” Kolb said. “I feel like the Europeans that come in really fit in well, especially like KB [Burke] coming over from an extended stay in France. I think she fits right in. I think just going back to last year whenever we were to insert Marine [Johannès] and she picked up right where we left off. So I think the style of play that we have is conducive to success for them.”
Burke’s immersion into the European game has made her a better player and someone whose game is right at home in New York. She also displayed some of her craftiness in practice.
Another aspect that can help Kennedy adapt to Brooklyn is her Panamanian roots. Burke has roots to the Central American nation through her father, and New York City has a moderate concentration of Panamanians, as is the case for most Caribbean nations.
“I think my dad would really like that because he's Panamanian,” Burke said on the prospects of playing in front of Panamanians in New York City. “So, I feel like he would be so happy to hear that and then when he comes here, he's gonna be so excited.”
So for Burke, playing in New York is a chance to show her Euro-refined skill set in a large market and possibly in front of people she shares a common bond with.
The Close
Training camp is still ongoing, and the Liberty continue looking to get better with each session. The first major test for New York will be its first preseason game against Chicago at Wintrust Arena. There has been much buzz around the Sky, and with their two first-round picks, Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. The Sky’s frontcourt – Elizabeth Williams, Brianna Turner, and Isabelle Harrison – has size, depth, and shot-blocking.
One player the Liberty may also see in action against Chicago is former Rookie of the Year Michaela Onyenwere, who spent two seasons with New York in 2021 and 2022. There is also the other big Liberty face-to-face: Teresa Weatherspoon. The Liberty legend, responsible for the “The Shot,” is the new Sky head coach.
The Sky, which once seemed to be falling, have found the right wind and are looking to be the team of the future. Chicago was also responsible for one of New York’s eight regular season losses last year.
Until then, let the hard work and chemistry building continue, as the road to the season has officially begun!
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
I am to an extent too but let's see what the final roster looks like.
I'm kind of nervous about the roster because I don't know if the Liberty can match the intensity of the aces in order for the Liberty to have a shot to dethrone the aces