With the Sparks set to play their sole preseason game on Tuesday against the Valkyries, coach Lynne Roberts is focusing on the process.
Believe it or not, the WNBA season is already here.
Less than a month removed from drafting Sarah Ashlee Barker, the Los Angeles Sparks began their second week of training camp on Monday ahead of playing the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday, their lone exhibition game this preseason.
The contest will be historic. It will be the first-ever game for the Valkyires and the first time coach Lynne Roberts will be in charge of the Sparks for a WNBA matchup.
After Monday’s practice, Roberts talked about her team being process-oriented heading into the game.
“What I’ve been preaching to them is to buy into the process,” Roberts said. “Becoming great is a process and it takes time. It takes a lot of hard work. They’ve been phenomenal with that. They’re working their tails off. I know that sounds like a coaching cliché, but it is that way because it’s what matters.
“And so we’re just trying to be better today than we were yesterday, and tomorrow, I hope we are better than we were today.”
The Sparks finished at the bottom of the league last year, amassing the worst winning percentage in franchise history in the process. So, while Los Angeles is never okay with losing, everyone understands it will take time for this franchise to return to the top.
However, how good they’ll be in the immediate future is a mystery.
Roberts had plenty of success as a coach in Utah, but how will that translate to the WNBA? Kelsey Plum’s arrival in Los Angeles gives them a star in the backcourt, but how will she work alongside Dearica Hamby?
For the Sparks, Tuesday night against the Valkyries is a real game.
Sure, it’s preseason and won’t affect their overall record, but it’s the only action they’ll have before the games count.
Considering that they will play Golden State on the road as well for their season opener, this is very much a sample of what to expect later this month. Roberts has liked what she’s seen so far during training camp, but this game will be the true test.
“It’s coming together,” Roberts said. “We’ve got some really talented players and everybody’s hungry to not only improve themselves, but improve where we’re at as a franchise. They’re eager to do well, they’re eager to be coached. They’re working hard.
“Ask me on Wednesday how I think it’s going, but we’re certainly on pace with what I hoped we had in. Now we just got to start playing real games against real opponents and go from there.”
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