Ep. 28: Jordan’s Experience in the WNBA! Rookie Review & NAZ O’Clock!

[From Crisler Center to courts around the world, they wore the maize and blue. And now they’re bringing you the game inside and out. Hail Media presents Nolan and Hobbs, the Women’s Hoop Home Court podcast, hosted by Maddie Nolan and Jordan Hobbs. Hello everybody and welcome back to the Nolan and Hobbs podcast. Maddie is currently traveling Europe as she mentioned in the last podcast. Right now she’s in Rome, Italy. She just got there from Barcelona, Spain, where she spent with Danielle Rauch. she’s still traveling in Rome, so I’m sure she’s going to have some good stories of that time.

I am back in Colorado with my family. got waived from the Chicago Sky about a week and a half ago and then spent some time in Ann Arbor. we’ll get into some of that a little bit later in the podcast. just an overview of what we’re going to talk about today. Just some stories of my time in Chicago, how that all went down. and how, you know, the the training camp project came about, my time in Ann Arbor for for about a week with the girls, and then just kind of some updates within the W, just some movement that has happened over about the last week.

We’re going to also cover a rookie review, some of the rookies in the WNBA that have been having some really good performances. We’re only about two games in for each team. So, there have been some stars going out in their first year. And then a new series I kind of want to bring into into our podcast, which you guys got to let me know if you like this name. Naz O’Clock. I don’t know. I feel like there could be a better name. Maybe this just like came to me quickly. So, I do want to give you guys updates on how Naz is doing throughout the year. I think it’s so so accessible for us to find. but it’s going to be a good a good series for us.

So, without further ado, let’s get into just talking about my time in Chicago. So, on I think it was April 16th or 17th, it was like a Thursday, I’m texting my agent and I’m seeing all these girls get signed to training camp contracts and like I’m looking at their stats from Europe and I’m like, “Hey, I feel like I am a little bit better than some of these girls. Like, why are they getting contracts up now? Like, have you heard anything from any WNBA teams?” And my agent responds and she’s like, “The Chicago insisted.” And I’m like, “Okay, cool.” And we get on the phone later that night.

And he tells me that Chicago is trying to figure out how to get me into their camp because for training camps, you can have 18 people, but if somebody on their team or on their training camp roster is playing overseas still, you can add another person to make it 19. But this is how Phoenix Mercury had, I think, 22 in their training camp roster is because four of at least four of their girls were playing overseas, so they were able to have more. Therefore, I was number 19. They figured out that Elizabeth Williams was going to come about a week late. So, my agent text me, she’s like, “Hey, you’re in for Chicago.

You have at least a week to prove yourself.” I’m like, “Perfect.” That with that, honestly, like there’s no pressure. you just got to go in like you’re kind of already your your time’s already written. So, it’s like, you know what? I’ll just do as much as I can and maybe something will happen out of it. So, I signed my contract on Thursday night and I get texts immediately from like their VP and their operations people and they’re like, “Hey, we need to get you on on the flight. Training camp starts Sunday. Like, we need you here tomorrow because we have physicals on Saturday.” I’m like, “All right.” Literally 17 hours later, I’m on a flight.

They flew me first class, which was sick. I was like, “Thank you.” to Chicago, got picked up from the airport and was in my apartment. And then the next morning, we had physicals. On Saturday night, we had a dinner with the team. I know Maddie brought this up in the last podcast. but I was like really nervous to see Skylar Diggins again because she’s like a pretty intimidating person.

She is very fiery. in Seattle like we didn’t talk that much but I was like I wonder if if she’ll remember me yada yada but at that dinner she was like Jordan how are you like where have you been like what’s up so it was cool that like she remembered who I was and I was just like this is sick that a hall of famer and Skyler freaking Diggins is remembering who I am. so yeah that dinner was really fun. And I got to meet, you know, the GM head coach and a lot of the girls. I actually knew Jacy Sheldon and Maddy Westbeld because we played in Ohio. So, it was really nice to have some familiar faces there.

And then we got right into training camp on Sunday. I mean, it was really high tempo, really fast-paced. I felt like I was doing pretty good. We had practices for about a week before our first game which was against Phoenix, but we played in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I think that’s right. And I actually got to see Jillian Dunston who was on staff for Phoenix. So, it was so good to see her. She was my position coach my senior year. And it was just so sweet to like reflect and just just talk about all the good times we had and and even talk about what’s going on in the W and things like that.

And then fast forward about 3 days, we were going to play Atlanta the following day on a Wednesday and the GM came up to me. He’s like, “Hey, like Elizabeth Williams is returning and we’re going to keep you for the game, but we’re probably going to waive you after the game if unless something significant happens.” And I was like, “That’s fine.” like, you know, thank you for the opportunity, whatever. And it was kind of like a weight off my back just because you’re going in. I had mentioned this, I think, when we had Leigha Brown on.

It’s just really hard to go in every day and you kind of like know you’re going to get cut and you’re just holding your breath. So, the fact that he told me even ahead of time was just kind of nice. And I knew I could go out in the game and what’s going to what’s the worst that’s going to happen? like I know I’m probably getting cut after this game, so you got to go out there and just do what you can and ball out as much as you can. And I had told coach Rico and coach Mel and all these people from Ann Arbor, you know, we’re playing Atlanta at the time.

I thought Naz was going to be there. but we played also Laila Phelia who was in training camp with Atlanta. And I was like, you guys should come to the Chicago game, yada yada. And I told them that I was probably going to get cut. And they were like, I don’t even care. like we’re coming to see you. we we really want to support you, blah blah blah. And they came to the game and it was so sweet. I was in warm-ups for this game and they start screaming my name and I already am like amped up, excited for the game, nervous, all these things. And they start screaming my name.

I airball the next shot in warm-ups and I’m like, “Oh my gosh, this is so bad. I can’t believe I just airballed.” and they saw it and Danielle was like cracking up. She was laughing so hard. But you got to humble yourself sometimes and that’s exactly what happened. Then in the game I played about 13 minutes which was a pretty significant amount of time and was very grateful for that opportunity. I scored my first points in the W which was very exciting. The previous two games I played one in Seattle, a preseason game, and then I played against Phoenix in with Chicago, and I didn’t score.

And I was like, dang, I really just kind of want to make a shot in the W just to say, you know, that’s a pretty cool thing. And I came off a ball screen on the left wing and my defender went under and I hit a three and it was such a sick feeling. and then after the game, I got to see all of the Michigan staff and catch up with them and hug them and all these things. So, it was so special to have them there at the game. And it just goes to show you like how deep that Michigan connection goes and the relationship that you build with those coaches.

Like, they drove 4 hours each way and they knew I was getting cut and they knew Naz wasn’t going to be there just to see me play in the W. And it was it was a really special moment. I mean like the entire staff came Sarah Van Meter Amy Mulligan who’s the do and all these people. So it was an incredible moment and just kind of a full circle moment for me. so yeah that was my time in Chicago. I kind of knew I was getting cut.

So I had booked the train for 6:45 the next morning to go to Ann Arbor. got on the train the next morning and it was graduation weekend and I got to see Macy, Alyssa, Ally, Brooke, Sila, I think that’s everybody from the team and I went and talked to the coaches some. A lot of girls were already home because school ends about like a week before graduation week. so a lot of them went home early, but it was so fun to to see everybody and catch up with them. Even my friends that aren’t on the basketball team were there and it was really special. Then after graduation, we went camping up in Mackinac with Ally and Alyssa.

It was freezing, like 40 degrees, and we were in a popup camper. We went biking along Mackinac Island, got some fudge, went to Petoskey, did all the Northern Michigan things. I had never been to Mackinac. I’d been to Charlevoix, but that was the only place in Northern Michigan I got. And I was like, I need to see Northern Michigan. not before I leave because I had already left. I’d already been a year removed from college, but they were also thinking that before, you know, they graduate and leave and move on that they need to go to Northern Michigan. So, I kind of just tagged along and that was really fun.

Moving on to the W and some updates within the WNBA. I feel like we have covered the transfer portal. Nothing much has really happened there. I do want to answer one of the questions that we got about is Michigan going to carry 14 like they normally do. They have 13 on the roster right now. I don’t think that they’re going to get anybody else. I’m sure they’re still trying to find a guard. I know they want to find a guard to fill Macy’s spot for just next year. it’s just really tough.

Like if you think about Michigan, you have to find a transfer who is willing to get the fourth or fifth amount of shots, not the most money in NIL. and it’s also really hard to get people in like we’ve mentioned before. So, it is really hard to get transfers for them. And our our juniors, incoming juniors are so good and rightfully take the most amount of shots. So, a lot of guards are like, you know, I don’t want to come into Michigan when I could go to an SEC school or another Big Ten school and get second most shot attempts and and things like that. So, with that being said, I don’t think Michigan will get a 14th player.

I also think they have probably spent a lot of their budget on who they have right now. So, it might be hard to to pay for another player. If you think about like 13 players that are getting paid, that’s a lot that need to get money. And especially with the high-profile names that they have returning, I’m sure, I don’t know this for a fact, but I’m sure that they had to increase their salary to get them to come back. if not, we could have seen more more people in the portal from Michigan. So, I think Michigan did a great job returning everybody. I think in our last podcast they hadn’t announced that everyone was back. I’m not sure.

But everyone except Mackenzie Mattherin is coming back which is so so exciting for Michigan and I’m really excited to see how they build on this. I’ll probably be in Ann Arbor a little bit this summer practicing with them. So I’m curious to see how how these practices go and just excited to see how how they look and the chemistry that they continue to build. Now moving on to news within the W. There has been some movement over the past few days. The rosters were finalized within the last week. So, there has been some movement. One of the biggest things that I saw that I was shocked about is Kate Martin getting waived.

She was going into her third year in the league. Two years already, one with the Aces and then one with the Valkyries. Pretty successful seasons if you ask me. And they waived her the day before final cuts. That is kind of brutal. I don’t know what’s going on with the Valkyries, but that is a rough a rough look for them because I mean Kate Martin’s a very popular player as well. But she signed a developmental contract with the Los Angeles Sparks. For developmental contracts, for those that don’t know, you can sign a developmental contract if you have less than 3 years of like experience. I have two now because I’ve been to training camp.

So, if you go to a training camp, that counts as one of your years. but she has signed a developmental contract with the Sparks. Also, within those contracts, you can play up to 12 games and you get paid $6,000 per game and then they get a stipend per week on top of that. So, honestly, if they get to play those 12 games, they’re making more than their rookie salary was last year, which is kind of crazy to think about in just 12 games. So, it’s not a bad gig in my opinion. especially for like first year, second year.

I think obviously Kate would have liked to make a team again after being successful her first two years. and then another person who has signed a developmental contract I believe today is Bree Hall. I played with Bree Hall growing up in Ohio. She just signed with the Fever. And then a Big Ten name Shay Ciezki signed a developmental contract with the Phoenix Mercury which is really exciting for her. She went undrafted. she was kind of 50/50 whether she would get drafted or not. had an incredible season being 5040 90 and signed signed with Phoenix. So, wishing her the best of luck.

And then another big a big news in the W this last week was Hailey Van Lith getting waived by the Chicago Sky. I think it was 2 or 3 days before the final cuts were made, but Connecticut Sun picked her up almost the day after and she is on the final roster there. So, I think that’s a good spot for her. They’re a very young team. Chicago has had a really big off season and gotten a lot of more veteran players. They instead of Haley Vanlith, they signed Natasha Cloud who has a lot of experience.

So, I think Connecticut is a really good fit for her and she’ll be able to really grow there. so, yeah, moving on to our rookie review series, I kind of just want to talk about some rookies in the league that have really stood out. some of these rookies are not 22, 23 years old. some of them have had a lot of experience in Europe, so it’s kind of weird to think of them as rookies. But let’s kick it off with Olivia Miles with Minnesota. In her first game in the W, she had 21 points and eight assists. That is insane.

Like obviously being a top five draft pick, people are going to think that you’re going to perform, but 21 points and eight assists is very impressive and just goes to show that a lot of the college girls are are really legit and can perform well in the W. The next rookie that’s had a good first two games is Janelle Salaün. I don’t know if I’m saying that correctly. She’s French. she’s on the Valkyries. She posted 21 and 20 points in her first two games. she’s just been a prolific scorer for the Valkyries. someone that can come in and just be an automatic on offense.

Next, a more true rookie who got drafted this year, Flau’jae Johnson, averaging 14 within the first two games. One of her preseason games, she dropped 20. So, she is really flourishing in Seattle and I think they love her down there. all the media is really fun to watch on her. And then lastly, another one who I think she’s 26, maybe 28 is Jovana Nogić. Again, don’t know if I’m pronouncing that correctly. but she had 19 points in 21 minutes on the Phoenix Mercury.

People on Twitter were going crazy about how Phoenix does such a good job scouting in Europe because every year it seems like they bring someone in that’s a rookie that doesn’t have any W experience, but they make an immediate impact. So, I’m really excited to see how Phoenix continues to to go this year, especially they don’t have their whole roster right now. Some of them are injured. and I think they’re just going to continue to get better. For our last segment, we’re going to do Naz O’Clock. Like I mentioned, I really want to keep up with Naz this W season.

She was the sixth player of the year last year and I think she is poised for another incredible season with the Atlanta Dream. In their first game, she played pretty dang well. 15 points, seven rebounds, two for five from three, 60% from the field. I don’t know if it can get much better than that. They play again a couple times this week. So, we will keep you updated with Naz. But that is all I have for this episode.

If you guys have any other questions about my time in Chicago or at a training camp in general, let me know. but yeah, in the comments, let us know if what you guys want to see, whether it’s more W stuff, whether it’s you know, breakdowns of the players that are coming back for Michigan. We will do any of it. we’re really excited to to bring you guys more content this summer. but that is all for this episode of the Nolan and Hobbs podcast. We will catch you next time. As always, go blue. If you like this kind of content, please like, share, follow, and subscribe.]