In the Scrum: For the Culture
Discussing the beginning of the New York Liberty’s stretch at home
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The Liberty began their first homestretch of the season this past Saturday, taking on Indiana in front of a national TV audience.
Facing off against rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, many fans (especially some donning Iowa Hawkeyes gear) made their way to Brooklyn to see this affair. The total attendance for the game was 17,735. According to Across the Timeline, it was the highest-attended Liberty home opener since June 29, 1997, when the Liberty played the Phoenix Mercury at Madison Square Garden. Liberty fans watched as the team moved to 3-0 with a 91-80 win.
The energy inside the Barclays Center was nothing short of sensational, and it’s something that’s carried the team since arriving in Brooklyn.
“We want them to come out and pack this building every single night,” Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb said at training camp. “Something that's true is that they are our advantage. So, when you talk to players around the league about where they don't want to play, in terms of an opponent, they don't want to play at Barclays because of our crowds. So that's what we need this year.”
Adding to the raucous atmosphere were some celebrity appearances. Hoda Kotb, co-host of the Today Show, conversed with Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones pre-game. Tennis groundbreaker Billie Jean King, no stranger to Liberty home games, was back in town. NBA legend and 2023 Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award winner, Pau Gasol, was in the building. Also in attendance was the WNBA’s all-time assists leader and new Seattle Storm part-owner, Sue Bird, along with her fiancée Megan Rapinoe.
For some of the returning players, this excitement is nothing new. They were privy to the whirlwind of fans that flocked to Brooklyn to see Seafoam SZN. As mentioned in the preseason recap, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello is looking for these returners to set the tone for the team. She went as far as discussing how they will set the Liberty culture.
“I think that's where we can go to that next level,” Brondello said. “We worked a lot on culture last year, and some of our team-building activities. Now this year, I've given ownership to the players because now it really always is their culture, the values that they set [are] from them. Now, they know each other and now it's how to grow it. And that's part of it, making sure the younger players have the support from the leaders that we have on this team and we have some pretty good ones in.”
Multiple players spoke to the importance of the fans’ role to the team and how they play a part in Liberty culture.
“Just that gritty mentality,” Ionescu said. “I would say being able to understand the culture here in New York and understanding how diverse and just how go-getter it is, and that's exactly what we're trying to bring out on the court. It doesn't matter where you come from. It’s kind of like your journey when you're a part of the New York Liberty. You just have to have that tough, gritty mindset and that's instilled in all of our fans who are from here and who understand the culture of New York City.”
The Liberty’s first overall pick in 2020, Ionescu has seen the drastic changes and investments made to the franchise under the Tsai-ownership era, including moving the team to the Barclays Center, ingratiating themselves with the city. Ionescu has participated in youth events, through her SI20 Foundation. Out of the Nets, Knicks, and Liberty, Ionescu is the only player to don a New York basketball jersey on an NBA 2K cover. It’s fair to say Ionescu has embraced the city, and the city has embraced her.
Another player embraced by the city is 2021 MVP, Jonquel Jones. If you want proof, listen to the reaction she received when Holly Rowe mentioned her name in the post-game interview with the team. Jones and New York mesh culturally. In a prior edition of In the Scrum, I discussed how Jones’ Bahamian roots were embraced by a city with a large Caribbean population. From a basketball perspective, Jones represents the grit New Yorkers exude, with her tenacity and toughness on the interior. Before the game, she echoed Kolb’s sentiments on how the fans provide an advantage.
“It’s homecourt advantage for a reason,” Jones said about the Liberty faithful. “When you can come to an arena this size, sell it out and have our fans really bring that electric energy, it means a lot. So I'm excited to see how it is tonight. I know it's gonna be a great atmosphere.” In front of the frenzied Liberty crowd, Jones would log her 100th career double-double.
Veteran forward Kayla Thornton, who is entering her second year with the team, is also no stranger to the electricity of Barclays Center. Last year, Thornton’s hustle and defense resonated with New Yorkers who understand the meaning of hustle and bustle.
“I think our fans set the tempo of who we are,” Thornton said before the game. “They're just so powerful. When this arena starts to fill up, you'll feel the impact and you'll know what we're about, and that just comes from the fans.”
Thornton’s comments proved clairvoyant as the Liberty played high-tempo basketball with the fans back in tow — 28 of New York’s 91 points came from fastbreak points.
Defensively, two other players that stood out were Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Nyara Sabally. Laney-Hamilton had the tough assignment of guarding Caitlin Clark full-court. Although Clark finished with 22 points, she also had eight turnovers. Laney-Hamilton ensured that Clark had to work hard for scoring and passing opportunities. To keep up with a player of Clark’s game takes a particular type of grit.
But Laney-Hamilton is one of the top perimeter defenders in the game. Twice selected for the WNBA’s annual All-Defensive Team honors, she has had tough assignments, whether it be Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, or another dynamic player. She also understands how important the fans are for providing the energy the team needs.
“They play a huge part,” Laney-Hamilton said. “Just the energy that they give, the support that they give, it makes us want to go out and just give it our all, so we are really appreciative of that.”
Last night against the Seattle, New York would continue the high-energy play at home, defeating the Storm 74-63. The win marked New York’s first 4-0 season start since 2007. Sabrina Ionescu finished with 20 points and eight assists, tying the legendary Sheryl Swoopes for the 14th-most regular season games of 20-plus points and five-plus assists in league history.
Jones and Laney-Hamilton also had noteworthy performances. Jones not only secured her 2,000th rebound, she became the fastest player to reach at least 2,000 rebounds and 250 3-pointers. According to the NYL Stats account on X (formerly Twitter), Laney-Hamilton set a new WNBA record for most games with a plus-minus above +15 to start a season with four.
The Liberty will look to continue their winning ways at home against the Chicago Sky. Chicago turned a few heads after their 101-53 preseason rout of New York. But the Liberty are firing on all cylinders and will be looking to possibly exact revenge for that blowout loss. Stay tuned for another edition of “In the Scrum.”
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