We've got Angel questions.
Hey, Angel, this is AJ from Northwestern.
Madill, you know, getting the chance to play an extra
couple elite shot blockers and like Elizabeth and Camilla,
how does that sort of complement your game,
especially on the rebounding and like the defensive side of
the ball?
And how does that elevate your game on that,
on that end, Yeah, kind of.
Going into the game last night,
coach Sydney had told me I had guarded 6-7 Camilla
obviously for a while now and just being able to
stay strong and go up.
I mean I am only 6-3,
but I kind of have a heart of a Lion
and knowing how talented John Quole is and talented Stewie
is trying to just play the smart game because obviously
they know I'm a Rook.
So just being able to get around them as best
as I can.
Eye the ball, I'm. I'm an amazing rebounder and if
my offensive game isn't going out I'll get going rebounding
and defense.
So just trying to do that.
I think my first basket last night was offensive rebound
and trying to go up over John quote obviously not
to get my shot blocked.
So it was it was a good it was a
good test for me just to be able to see
the things that I can do but also things that
I still need to work on.
We'll go with Mike and
Kyle Angel, appreciate the time.
I know we talked about it the other day in
your introduction about,
you know, how excited you were to be here And,
you know, like, not not to gas you up,
but like, it's been perfect as far as what everybody's
been saying about you as a teammate and as a
player.
To hear all the outside noise though from the media
and how they treat the differences between male athletes and
female athletes and what they do in their spare time
or social media. How do you cancel out the noise
and just focus on yourself?
Do everything I continue to do prove everybody wrong.
I mean I I've, I've done that on the continuous,
continuous, continuous times. I mean improving.
Last night a lot of people told me I shouldn't
have went to the Met Gala.
I wasn't going to be focused playing against the runner
UPS and
I went to the Met Gala Slay,
the Met Gala in New York,
came back slay against New York.
Like it's what I do.
I mean, obviously I give a lot of confidence to
so many different people and knowing like I'm not one-dimensional.
Women don't have to be 1 dimensional.
They don't have to do one thing.
And I think just continue to emphasize and then I
think that's what's growing.
Again, people love me off the court too.
Like they love me because I am who I am
and I speak on things that a lot of people
may be scared to speak on or stand up on.
So just continue to do that.
Even on the bad days,
even on the days that people may hate me,
I'm just going to continue to keep keeping me
Angel, you know, this guy are entering this new era,
you know, with Teresa Witherspoon.
So what has it been like to be able to
be coached by her and
what makes her the right coach to lead this guy
into this new era?
Yeah, I mean, I love Coach Spoon.
She's kind of like Coach Mulkey,
being able to be a tough coach that
you have to have thick skin.
You also have to be willing to be coached by
her being able to know she pays attention to detail.
She's a legendary coach, a legendary player.
So just being able to come into a league where
I'm new,
so I'm learning from her.
We're kind of learning from each other too because she's
new.
She's new to Chicago as well.
So I'm just excited to just soak up everything that
I can from her and just continue to just be
a sponge
Angel. You mentioned that you're not one-dimensional and you have
outside interest outside of basketball.
Is there anyone that showed you that you can do
all these things and still succeed on the court?
And then also, what kind of platform do you feel
like you have to show others?
Like you don't just have to be a basketball player.
I don't think we had like the resources obviously before
the nil and stuff.
I've always watched Lisa Leslie,
she always had her lashes,
nails and hair and all that stuff done.
So just being able to look at that.
For me, I've always loved taking pictures.
I've always loved modeling and growing up.
My grandma always just had me,
my lashes and hair and stuff like done up.
So I was like always felt like I wanted to
be the cute pretty girl on the court.
But like I wanted to also be a dog and
have that dog mentality.
So I just want to continue that,
like let women understand and know like you can do
both.
You can be girly on the court and have lashes
and nails and hair done,
but on the court it's no competitors.
People know when they play against me like it's no
friends.
You seen me and Camilla compete for years and now
we're teammates and just being able to see like a
dynamic duo now.
So it's never personal, but like on a court,
I'm about my business, but off the court like we
can have some fun.
We can have fun. Angel,
you talked about canceling out the the outside noise and
all the criticism.
There was a time maybe coming up through your career
where the stuff sort of bothered you,
You let it get to you.
How did you get through that and how have you
sort of learned to cancel out all that noise?
Yeah, kind of just standing strong on who I am.
I have a lot of great people around me.
My mom, my team is is amazing.
And then my support system from back home.
So being able to have great things around me,
it's a it's it takes a lot to really break
me,
obviously. But I mean everybody,
you got to check on your strong friends.
I've been through a lot.
I've seen a lot
and gone through a lot and learn from so many
mistakes and and grown but just being able to just
continue to just get up every day and just stay
positive and know that when one door closes another one
opens and just just having a a positive mentality every
day.
Angel. The outside expectations may not be high but I
know you guys feel differently within your locker room.
But I'm curious for you and Camilla
specifically, the opportunity to come in at a time when
the franchise is growing.
How do you view that
opportunity that you two guys have to build something here?
Yeah, just knowing 2 great players coming in as rookies
and learning from
a great place. I mean,
they just won a championship in
2021. So we're just trying to continue that and and
and build off of that
and just bring bring the winning culture back here.
That's what we came here to do.
Obviously we already had some players on the team from
last year and they talked to us and said the
expectations.
I mean, Diamond was on the championship team,
so she knows what it takes and we're coming in
as rookies and yeah,
we are have a lot of expectations outside,
but we're still trying to learn this game.
We're still new to this league and just trying to
figure everything out too.
So we're just going by the flow and just still
figuring things out.
Hi, Angel.
So some of your fellow teammates that have talked to
us already have been saying that Teresa has been great
at kind of developing a culture of like family and
closeness and sticking together. I'm curious,
do you have any specific stories of of Teresa kind
of
helping you kind of become part of the Sky family
and kind of,
you know,
man, my, my first conversation with her on when I
was talking to teams during the drive process,
I knew I wanted to come to Chicago immediately.
Like just I felt understood.
I felt loved. And she didn't even we we we
she didn't know me,
she didn't know me, I didn't know her.
But like we had a conversation on the phone where
I felt like she was like a mom.
Like I knew like I will always be good with
her and she will always be there for me through
everything.
So just being able to have somebody that understands me
as a black woman that looks like me,
know kind of what I've been through,
understands me from that perspective and they on a court,
you know she's a she's a she's been a great
player.
So I'm getting both. I'm getting everything I ever wanted
here.
I mean I wouldn't rather be nowhere else than Chicago.
I I'm not going to lie to you.
I rather, I think this is a perfect place for
me,
a perfect fit for me
on and off the court.
OK. Robbie. Chris Adams,
Angel. There were, there were some scouts after you were
drafted talking about how you need to develop an outside
shot and that you would be undersized.
But in the first couple of preseason games,
you've been doing a lot of what you did in
college,
Offensive rebounding, scoring in the paint.
Is the outside shot something that you've discussed with with
Coach Wash Spoon?
Is that something that you're trying to add to your
game?
Are you pretty content with doing what you did in
college?
I mean, I continue to grow my game and show
my game.
I took a jump shot the first game,
so it's no limitations to what I can do.
And just being able to do what I've done in
college and still being able to work at the next
level obviously shows that I can continue to do that.
But just being able to,
of course, I'm not settling to be who I am
right now.
I want to always grow my game and I work
out with Coach TSP on every single day.
And having a coach that wants to work with me
every day.
Yeah.
Hey, Angel, how you doing?
Thank you. How are you?
Good.
So last night Caleb Williams Robin Dunsley with Kobe Wyer
at the game kind of taking in everything and
you're you and Camille are also part of this new
look Chicago I mean a lot of young stars coming
in with a chance to
kind of energize the city sports wise.
I mean what are your thoughts of just being a
part of this group of young athletes that could take
the city by storm.
Honestly, yeah it's so much fun.
Obviously I know Kayla from back home
and having those kind of conversations talking about we can
turn the city up and do so many great things
while we're here.
And it's just it's just great being able to bring
that winning culture back to Chicago in all sports,
not just not just the football,
but like everybody and baseball as well.
So just being able to have a city that's winning
and everything and knowing everybody loves you from all different
kinds of sides.
So being able to just come together as a community
for the right thing is something I've always emphasized on
as well.
Angel, just along those lines,
you've been, but you've played in a lot of big
time games a lot of celebrities.
What what can this scene turn into in your mind
this year And beyond the Sky,
the Sky games here at Wintrust.
Courtside. I mean everybody going to be courtside.
The celebrity's going to be courtside.
Just know like
the who's who's going to be courtside.
I was just talking. I was at the Met Gala
and Usher going to try to come up to a
game in Vegas and Cardi B.
And I know some people that y'all might not think.
I know, but I know.
Hey, Angel, how you doing?
I'm good about you. Good.
How are you? All right.
Last time we spoke, you talked about
how you played more on the wing in high school.
Obviously in college you played a lot more at the
five.
Now it seems like you're playing a little bit more
four in the West so far.
I'm curious that versatility is,
it's different, but what makes it,
what makes your particular versatility different?
Just being able to get the rebound and put the
ball on the floor.
I think I have a lot of quickness around the
basket and even just getting up and down the court,
I can go off our positions,
as you can see. I mean,
I can switch on point guards and get steals.
That's just something I love to do,
being able to play
6768IN any night. Obviously the strength might not be there,
but I have a really good mentality of just being
able to make smart moves,
make smart deflections and passes and stuff.
So just being able to have I'm,
I'm really like open to anything.
I'm obviously open to playing whatever position my coach puts
me at sometimes.
Like last night I had to play the five because
Camilla was down.
Camilla definitely would have taken on JJ
if she could have played for sure.
And I can play more than four.
So I've always been down to do whatever for the
team.
And like I said, I'm going to continue to work
on my game and continue to do things that can
help me and help this team.
Hi, Angel Shaquille Taylor, Chicago Tribune
I've noticed that ever since you got in Chicago,
you've immediately dived into the city's culture.
Who is your tour guide?
Where are you learning the slang?
How can we help you get involved in that culture
a little bit more?
I just be posting on Twitter what I'll be wanting
to do.
So like if I want some good food,
I'll post on Twitter, what's the good spots?
And everybody will just leave me to the spot.
Hair, nails, lashes. Everybody's been so sweet,
so nice to me. So I don't know,
I I'm just going with the floor.
I'll go with my teammates.
My teammates. I don't go with randoms.
No, no, no, I don't go with randoms.
I'm sorry I can't do that.
But yeah, my teammates go a lot of places with
me and I try to take them as many places
as as I can to because I'm.
We're all new to this.
A lot of us are new to the city,
so just do it as much as we can together.
I don't have any sisters,
so this is like a sisterhood for me.
Angel, what has it been like?
You know, last time Dana started playing her with her
having her as,
you know, the point guard of the team.
What has that been like just in training camp and
then in the game situation,
Dana, me and Dana are like,
we have like fun personalities.
We like to get into it,
getting with the crowd, getting to be super competitive too.
So I love Dana and she's been a great vet
to me.
All the vets have been really great to me.
But just being able to have somebody that has been
here again and understands the culture here and what she
wants to bring with back into Chicago.
So, So I love Dana
and I think she's LED this team in a great
direction so far.
Hi Angel. Hi, Jasmine. How were you able to build
the trust with Coach Witherspoon in such a short amount
of time to where she can trust you to go
to the Met Gala on
Monday and still show up for the game the following
day?
Just being able to have faith in me.
Obviously I would have known if I didn't perform last
night.
I knew she was. She probably wouldn't have said nothing
to me.
But I already knew back in the back of my
head where Coach Monkey would have thought.
So I she she gives me Coach Monkey,
but she don't say as much as Coach Monkey.
But I already knew the expectations going into it.
Like I need to be locked in,
obviously, and focus on my matchups.
I took my matchup seriously.
I watched film when I was on the plane and
I didn't take anything.
All I wanted to get back.
People were at the Met Gal like you partying after
this.
I said now I got a game tomorrow,
like I got to watch film and I prioritize everything.
I'm still in school school as well,
so I got a busy schedule of a lot going
on.
But like I said, you got to maximize your 24
hours.
Absolutely. And is there any special moments that you would
like to share at the Met that met that made
Monday's hustle worthwhile
doing. I did all my hair and makeup on the
plane so
I got a private plane and being able to
get on there both of my girls and and one
of my my friends got on the plane with me.
All four of us got on there and
doing hair makeup on the plane,
blow drying and flat ironing,
and doing everything on a plane,
which is, which is crazy.
But it turned out great,
as you can see.
Hey, Andrew, Michael, Linda, Northwestern Middle School.
That's the same question of your fellow rookies.
You're leaving the college game at a point where it's
never been more popular.
I'm curious how you think some of that popularity can
carry over to the NBA,
how you can ride that wave of this latest college
season.
Yeah, I mean, as you can see,
so many different people. So many
people love women's basketball. I
think it was only season ticket holders in the in
the place last night and there were so many people
people there.
So games are going to be packed.
I mean, I feel like standing standing room only sometimes.
We might get those or I think we're moving from
different arenas.
I think they just told us that
when I go back home to Washington,
we're playing where the Wizards play.
So you got to see the changes happening and I
think it's not going to stop here.
It's going to continue to continue to grow.
We're in a great direction.
The charter flights being able to have that,
that's a step in the right direction.
And you know the CBA and stuff is about to
happen within next year too.
So just understanding the gravitation that we have right now,
when everything is in our hands right now to control
and as long as we continue to keep going up
and doing the right things,
I think things are going to continue to grow.