LOS ANGELES -- On Thursday, the Sparks rookies were in an introductory press conference. Sarah Ashlee Barker (Alabama), Sania Feagin (South Carolina), Liatu King (Notre Dame), and undrafted rookie Alyssa Ustby (North Carolina) all showed up to meet the media on a virtual call.
“What we wanted out of this class, we absolutely were able to get in all of our three draftees and being able to add Alyssa,” Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley said. “Immediately, they affirmed our choices by how they’ve already handled themselves."
Sarah Ashlee Barker
Parts of development she’s most proud of heading into her rookie year.
“It’s just being consistent at every level, so offensively and defensively. So just being able to play off two feet, being able to find open people, but then also being able to get downhill and attack the rim as well. So just being able to score at all three levels.
”And you gotta be able to do two sides of the ball. So continuing to get better on defense and being really able to own my one-on-one match-up. That’s definitely going to help me at the next level, for sure.”
Biggest challenge and what she’s looking forward to off the court in L.A.
“There’s so many players that are so experienced in the league so we’re obviously gonna be coming into the league and we’re not experienced. So just being able to get that experience and try to learn from the ones who are experienced like all the vets and that kind of stuff. Just picking anything up from them and just being a listening ear.
“Then off the floor, just being excited to see a new city, see a new state. You know, I’m from Birmingham and so I’ve only gone to the West Coast one time so I’m just excited to kind of see what’s all out there.”
Barker about Sania Feagin:
“She is just someone who is going to play on both sides of the floor. She’s going to give it her all. Like Raegan was saying, she has waited her turn but she has done it in the most humble and respectful way. She has truly put in the work. She has truly tried to be her best self every single day. And that’s just me watching from afar.”
On who she grew up watching:
“Kobe Bryant is my favorite player of all-time so being in L.A. means a lot to me just because I love the Mamba Mentality. So it wasn’t really that I tried to model my game after him; it was more of just that mentality that he had that I always wanted to carry with me throughout my basketball career.”
Sania Feagin
On what it meant to play for South Carolina and lessons she learned in college that will carry over to the pros:
“It means a lot just to know that I played for South Carolina. I played with the best of the best. Just being able to play for South Carolina and have teammates that loved and support each other and also win just feels really good.
“Lessons that I learned that’s going to help me as a pro is just basically like stay in myself, staying confident, trusting my teammates but also having the trust me.”
One thing she wants fans to know that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet:
“I want the fans to know about me being vocal on defense.”
On who she sought advice from:
“I talked to Nneka (Ogwumike). She just told me just stay confident, be yourself, don’t go in there and try to be something that you’re not, and they picked you up for a reason so be that person that they picked you up for.”
Feagin about Sarah Ashlee Barker:
”For Sarah, I can say she’s very versatile. She can play down in the post but she can shoot the ball, she can defend the ball very well. But to watch her play and go out there and do what she does, just being a dawg and just having the mentality of being who she is, it’s really great to be her teammate."
Liatu King
Favorite message she got from the draft:
”Hearing from former coaches, friends, family… everyone’s just coming out the woodworks, you know, congratulating you. But it’s a good feeling and you know getting to talk to Raegan and Coach (Lynee) Roberts after the fact and just hearing how excited they were to have me on board.”
On what she does that doesn’t show up on the box score:
”I’m the type of teammate that’ll hold my teammates accountable and so just making sure that I build those relationships outside of practice and things like that so that I’m able to talk to my teammates and hold them accountable.”
On how important it is to bring the same energy from college to the pros:
”It’s very significant. It’s part of my identity. That’s what I feel like set me apart from my teammates. I know coming into Notre Dame that was something that they needed and looking for and I was able to bring that. And nothing changes going into the professional world.”
Alyssa Ustby
On how to stay as a “do-it-all” player at the pro level:
”Yeah, I’ve always tried to develop my game as a Swiss Army knife so being very adaptable to not only the teams that I’m on but the players I’m with. Figuring out how to maximize my opportunity as well as my teammates just to make sure that I can help us put in the most successful position as possible because I’ve always been a team-oriented player. I can adjust in certain ways of what the team needs while making sure I still bring top tier competitiveness.”
Goals for her rookie season:
”My goals for my rookie season are just to be really present in the moment. I know it’s going to be really overwhelming with so many new things getting thrown at you. Again, a new environment, a new part of the country, and so just really being where my feet are and just trying to take in everything as it comes. Know that there’s going to be challenges and making sure that I can lean on the people around me to keep me through those times as well.”