I’ll say this for YouTube; there is a wealth of Tibetan healing flute music to choose from for background noise. Perfect for diary writing. It is driving home from Thursday’s media availability time after several things marked the Minnesota Lynx practice.
First, my car works. Second, the upbeat atmosphere in the practice area was genuine and palpable. No one was trying to be positive; they genuinely were. Honesty is always a clue to the level of positivity. You always know when someone is trying to put on a game face and when the game face is effortless.
Body language, facial expressions, and ease with which people talk are all tells, and there was nothing in the post-practice interviews that made me think it was an act. Watch the eyes. If it appears as though someone is looking for the exit, that is a good indication of something being less than what it is meant to be.
However, when people linger a bit and answer questions without hesitation, that is a sign that things are as they should be. Maybe it is something I picked up after forty-three years of being an actor. After a while, you learn to discern between truth and playing for the camera.
News about the Minnesota Lynx Shootaround
We were notified that the shoot around Friday morning would not be open to the media. I’m not even going to try to read into that. It doesn’t matter. In fact, as it will be a nice day here, and the bad weather has put a serious dent in my motorcycle riding time, I intend to take full advantage of a decent day and take a nice ride. It will even take the edge off the fact that since there is a Twins game tonight, and the Lynx share parking facilities with them, it won’t be as frustrating as it could be.
Minnesota Lynx HC Cheryl Reeve on the Roster’s Progression
Coach Cheryl Reeve has said several times that they are farther along now than they were at this time last season. Again, progress day to day and progress within each practice. Do I think she has a good idea of who will and who won’t be here come Saturday? I do. Once more, here’s an analogy with my old job. As a director, you know within the first 30 seconds of an audition if the actor is someone you’re interested in. If they’re doing a two-minute monologue and they save the pay-off for the last 20 seconds, they’ve lost.
final tune ups before tomorrow’s action.
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) May 2, 2024
+ mac is back 😁 pic.twitter.com/k4yOKMWs2R
Please give it to them immediately, get their attention, and stick with it. Whether or not the choice was correct is not as important as commitment and the ability to take direction. As Alanna Smith alluded to the other day, it is coachability, the willingness to learn, to accept a critique, and to run with it. It may not guarantee you a job, but they will remember you.
I noticed as well that during the media interviews, there were still players on the court, shooting, talking, and working. Making a beeline for the exit after practice is also a good indication of where someone is in their thought process. Do you reach for the phone or reach for the ball?
Final Thoughts
I am glad that we will not be at shoot around. and I want to be surprised. I want to come to the game with no preconceived notions of anything. Pre-season does not mean lack of effort and just let the newbs prove themselves. There is a game to be played and a game to be won. I am equally eager to see what Chicago will bring to the court, with their highly touted rookies, Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. It all counts, and it all matters.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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