The “Inside the Wubble” series gives you a player-first look at life in the single-site location, Brandenton, Florida, where we are playing our 2020 season.
Q: What have you been up to since arriving in Florida with the team during quarantine?
I woke up early every day to work out since we got down to Florida because it’s so hot outside. The second day here I tried to run around 5 p.m. and that was nearly impossible. I ended up going for just about 15 minutes in the heat.
Other than that, I’ve been waiting a lot. I try to do a workout later in the evening to stay in shape. I’m reviewing the playbook because it’s important for me to know before we step onto the court.
I’ve been watching people who are outside because I have a perfect view of the pool from my hotel room. When I see my Belgian teammate out by the pool, I get messages from her and I’m looking for her outside, but it’s crazy because she’s right there, and it’s just weird to be in quarantine.
It’s been 22 days for me in quarantine since I’ve left home in Belgium, but here it’s better because I can still see more people.
Q: Is it difficult to comprehend we’re finally getting back to playing basketball after all this time off?
I can’t believe we’ll finally be able to get on the court with my teammates and that’s important to me, so I learn what they are like on the court. We’ve had lots of zoom calls, but I’ve never been with this whole team on the court yet. I’m excited to get to know them because it’s just been so long.
I’ve been able to practice alone, but everything in the U.S. is new, even the passing machines and the dribbling machines. We don’t have those things in Belgium, and I keep thinking to myself, “woah, this is really neat,” but it’s been too long since I’ve played 5-on-5. It’s been three or four months since playing in an actual game.
Q: What do you hope your teammates say when we are done with our first couple of practices?
I just want to start playing so bad, and I hope my teammates will like me. I’m someone [who] plays to help the team out, and I hope they’ll like the way I play. I’m always looking to make the pass, but sometimes people say I’m too unselfish because I always think about passing and helping others. I hope they like me as a point guard.
Q: We heard you mention to Fever President Dr. Allison Barber this was only a dream growing up in Belgium to make it to the WNBA, but once it became a reality, it changed to a goal for you. How does it feel knowing you reached your goal starting with practices this week?
I started playing basketball when I was four years old and I’ve been watching the NBA and WNBA ever since. I never thought I would be able to get to this point When I was 16 or 17 years old, I thought I could do something with basketball and the goal became to make it to the WNBA. I’m someone who really likes to work a lot and if I stay in that same mindset, I can achieve this goal. Here we are now and I’m excited to finally get back to playing.