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How Sami Whitcomb's career is the ‘blueprint' for Mercury rookies
The post How Sami Whitcomb's career is the 'blueprint' for Mercury rookies appeared first on ClutchPoints.
PHOENIX– On a team full of All-WNBA players and MVP contenders, longtime veteran Sami Whitcomb is one of the main cogs of the Phoenix Mercury's leadership engine amid an 11-4 start.
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Her leadership extends beyond the court. The current Australian Women's National Team captain has had quite the unconventional journey to basketball, much like the Mercury's rookies.
'It's very similar in that they went away and played overseas,' Whitcomb told ClutchPoints on Thursday. 'They've done the hard work overseas. They've improved, they've grown their game, stayed ready, and waited for the right opportunity, and sometimes that's all it takes. Sometimes it does take longer than you expect or longer than it does for other people.'
'There's not a blueprint. It's just work hard, stay ready, and when that opportunity comes, you seize it, and I feel like they did such a great job of that in camp. They came in, they were so ready, so prepared, and did a great job. I just wanted to make sure that they felt confident in what they were doing, that they could ask questions, make mistakes.'
After she played for the University of Washington, Whitcomb struggled to find an opportunity. Eventually, she returned to her alma mater as a video coordinator.
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Slowly but surely, opportunity after opportunity surfaced, and she soon headed overseas. Once she left the country, her 3-point became the focal point of her game.
Years went by, and then once 2017 hit, Whitcomb sought after her rookie season in the WNBA. She also happened to join the Seattle Storm, one of the most storied franchises in league history.
In her second season, she secured the WNBA championship. That sparked the beginning of an already impactful career. Coming off the bench and being the team's sniper from deep proved to be pivotal.
Sami Whitcomb's leadership has Mercury rookies gushing
© John Jones-Imagn Images
As mentioned earlier, the Mercury's rookie unit of Monique Akoa Makani, Lexi Held, Kathryn Westbeld, and Kitija Laksa have been Whitcomb's pupils.
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They've seen the Australian guard put up shot after shot in the practice facility. She currently leads the team in most shots attempted by a wide margin.
It's something that Akoa Makani doesn't take lightly, as she explained on Wednesday.
'Sami is really that leader… she is always going to give 100% that she has,' Akoa Makani said.
Throughout the season, the other three rookies have detailed Whitcomb's relentless work ethic and how inspiring it is. For someone like themselves, having some to relate to is an automatic win.
Not to mention, she's succeeded in the WNBA, playing a pivotal role. Even if it's not how she performed in the WNBL in Australia, her skill set serves a valuable purpose and is one that every team aspires to have.
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An elite career in two leagues isn't common to come by. As Whitcomb has always said, trusting the hard work and being committed is a lasting recipe for success.
Who else values Sami Whitcomb's leadership on the Mercury?
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While head coach Nate Tibbetts receives the majority of the coaching headlines, his crew of assistants, such as Michael Joiner, help piece the Mercury's puzzle together.
When he analyzed her film in the WNBL before the Mercury signed Whitcomb in free agency, Joiner was immediately in awe of her defense. Although she's a veteran, the defensive tenacity has been yet another blueprint the team has leaned on.
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During training camp, Alyssa Thomas echoed that sentiment of Phoenix being a defensive-minded team. Safe to say it's worked well for them.
Still, setting the tone as one of the most seasoned players on the team is something to be noted. From getting over on pick-and-rolls and being intelligently aggressive on that side, Joiner saw all he needed to see.
However, he saw one thing more when the Mercury's rookies all joined forces with Whitcomb as the leader.
'Oh, she's been a leader since day one. I mean since day one,' Joiner said. 'She's been a great leader since day one. Taking Megan McConnell under her arms. Like you say, Kit, Kat… I think she's taking the most 3-point shot attempts for anybody just in practice.
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'She's a veteran who leads by example, leads with a voice, and I'm glad to coach her.'
Sami Whitcomb's WNBA path inspires the Mercury and others
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All of the praise she's received from teammates, coaches, and executives stems back to trusting the process. It may not always be pretty, but consistency matters.
After all, Laksa made her WNBA debut at 29 years old, after spending quality time overseas. Now, she leads the Mercury in 3-pointers made so far this season. The stories of Akoa Makani, Westbeld, and Held this season have echoed more of the same.
At the end of the day, everyone's story is different, and that's something Whitcomb is all too familiar with.
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When asked her advice to players who might be on a similar trajectory, she broke down how it all circles back to how much you love basketball.
'I think people get so hyper-focused on the WNBA being the ultimate goal. They see it as a failure if you aren't making it there,' Whitcomb said. 'I think I took that sort of completely out of the equation. Not making the WNBA wasn't the end-all be-all for my career. If you love playing basketball, getting to play professionally anywhere is a dream.
'For me, it was that I just wanted to keep getting better. I wanted to keep improving. Overseas, it was like, can I play in a better league next year? Can I average more points? Can I get better defense… It wasn't about comparing myself to other people in the WNBA or whatever. Can I just become the best version of myself? Ultimately, that led to being in the WNBA.
Focus on you. Keep enjoying the process of just getting better at basketball, getting to hoop. We all want to make it to the league, but at this point, it's 156 (players). There are just not that many spots. Sometimes it might take longer, but don't be discouraged by that. If you love it, just keep playing, and trust that it's going to work out for you.'
Related: Mercury waives TJ McConnell's sister Megan after injury
