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It's been almost a year since the Liberty pounded The Garden hardwood, but they're locked and loaded and ready for Sunday's season opener.
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As part of WNBA Cares, Liberty's own Lisa Willis and Erin Thorn took time out to read to children and sign autographs during Children's Book Week at the NBA Store on Thursday.
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 Hey Liberty fans!
Throughout the season I'll be answering your questions, right here at Game On!
So, submit your question in the comments section below and check back here to see my response.
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We are just two days from Training Camp ending and four days from our season opener. Where has the time gone?
 This week, we welcomed back Loree Moore, who reported to Camp on Monday. Her offseason team was competing in Russia.
On the heels of winning the Slovakian league title, Janel McCarville's first day in Camp will be tomorrow. As I type, she's most likely finishing up her packing or is already back at the airport. She told us on Friday last week that she had a five-flight trip to get back to Wisconsin from Slovakia -– so you know she feels right at home in the airport by now. What's another flight?
For those of you in the city on Thursday, be on the lookout for some familiar faces.
Erin Thorn and Lisa Willis will be in Manhattan tomorrow for a book reading at the NBA Store in honor of Children's Book Week. Although the event will be private, there is an autograph session open to the public at 5:45 pm. Click here for complete details.
Stay tuned to NYLiberty.com this week for some new and exciting updates as we head into the Opening Day stretch. We'll see you on Sunday at The Garden!
New York Liberty
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Hey y'all! This is my last entry before I end the season here in Slovakia and head home.
 We have one more game, on Saturday, against the second place team in Kosice. It'll be at our arena, which will help. We don't lose when we are at home -- and come to think of it, I haven't lost a Slovakian league game in two years. (That's a nice record if ya ask me.)
We won the first two games of the series by 25 and then by nine at their spot. I put in 28 and 23 in the next.
I will be heading out early Monday morning with five flights home -- from Kosice to Prague to New York City to Chicago to home. I have one day there and then head to New York for the start of the Liberty season.
I would like to thank the city of KE for a lot, they have supported me rather well and I will miss all my fans and teammates!!! Next year, I will play for CSKA Moscow and start the rebuilding of new friendships and challenges.
See you soon, New York City!
J-Mac
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Liberty Head Coach Pat Coyle likes what she sees from rookies Essence Carson and Erlana Larkins in Training Camp.
Though some feel the team is in a rebuilding mode, Carson and Larkins have the ability to turn the Liberty into championship contenders.
Carson and Larkins shine in preseason opener vs. Washington.
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Hello fans! Camp is going well, especially now that we’re starting to get our teammates back from overseas. It’s been fun to catch up and share stories from all of our adventures overseas.
As far as basketball goes, I think we’re getting better everyday and trying to make sure we’re ready for our pre-season game on Thursday – and of course, the beginning of the season (May 18th at 4:00pm!).
 I’ve gone through the motions of coming into Camp many times before, so at this point, as a veteran, I make it my goal to come in everyday and try to help everyone along. I want to make sure people know the plays and what’s expected of them so as a team we can succeed. I’m all about the team, baby
I’m looking forward to seeing The Garden crowd go crazy this summer. On the road, I’m eager to see Atlanta when we play the Dream. It’ll be a fun place to see since we obviously haven’t played there before. It should be cool to see all the excitement brewing in the south with the new ‘W’ fans. And of course, I always look forward to our west coast trip, because my family makes it out to those games.
So be prepared for a great summer everyone, because I’ll tell you that the team is looking to pick up where we left off. We want to take that momentum we took into the Playoffs last season and carry that into this year.
Erin
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Happy Cinco de Mayo, Hoopla! We're writing from Week Three of Training Camp; the time sure is flying by here.
Today in Camp, we're happy to see some familiar faces. Forward Shameka Christon, last season's leading scorer, and guard Shay Doron have reported to New York and are enjoying their first days back in the gym.
 Shameka's team in Spain just wrapped up its season and Shay's team won the Israeli league championships. Soon enough, they were both on planes back to the U.S. and then on another flight bound for NYC.
There's no downtime for these ladies. They're already hard at work, chatting with the coaches, studying their playbooks, catching up with their teammates from last season, and getting to know the new ones.
Just before the weekend started, we opened up the MSG Training Center doors to the Phoenix Mercury for a pre-season scrimmage. The team was very excited to get some new competition into the gym, after playing intra-squad scrimmages for the previous two weeks.
It was great to see everyone gelling out there; it's only a matter of time until you get to see it happen, too. In fact, you could get your first look on Thursday, when we host the Washington Mystics at 11:00 a.m.
It will be our third annual School Day game, click here to score your tickets now!
We'll see ya out there.
New York Liberty
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Hey Liberty fans. I made it through my first week of Training Camp, so I thought; why not get my first blog entry out of the way, too?
Training Camp was not what I expected at all. It actually seems a lot slower than how we used to practice in college (at UNC), where we were up-and-down the court constantly. Here, we do what we have to do and then move on.
 My new teammates have been great and very helpful. Lisa Willis has already taken some of us out. Being around such a comforting group of people almost makes everything a little more familiar. Which is really good for all of us.
Playing now with Wanisha Smith is nice; we’ve been going against each other in the ACC for the past four years. Since she and I did play on opposite sides in college, it feels weird now actually to be in the same uniform. We haven’t had a chance to reminisce yet about our school days, and how we used to beat each other up on the court.
Even on the court, I’m feeling the love from the veterans. Tiffani Johnson has given me some tips, and so has Cat Kraayeveld. It’s nice to have someone who plays the same position as you give you pointers and whatnot.
The closest I’ve ever come to this area was in college when we played in Pittsburgh. So I’ve never been to New York before. I’m looking forward to getting into the city, and of course, playing at The Garden.
And I’m looking forward to seeing all the fans this summer!
E
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New York City is being blessed with summer-like conditions and, while others might be making their plans for beach houses and barbecues, it only gets us thinking about the season approaching.
After four days of Training Camp, we're happy to report that everyone who has reported thus far is happy. Isn't that nice how it works out like that? There are currently 16 players in Camp. There's a constant stream of noises coming from the gym at the Madison Square Garden Training Center -- sneakers squeaking, buzzers going off, whistles being blown, clapping, yelling, laughing... it's by no means quiet.
 For you basketball players out there, you might be surprised to know that what happens in a WNBA Training Camp is really no different than what you're used to seeing when you play. It's really like a standard practice session. But of course the competition and intensity is a whole lot higher!
The players go through the fundamentals like lay-ups, feeding the post, trapping, defensive stops, rebounding, free throws and so on. There's lots of running, naturally. As we learned yesterday from Cat, you've got to be in shape to make it through it all.
The coaching staff has the players lift about two to three times a week. So after a session, you'll find some players in the weight room, icing in the trainer's office or getting in some extra shots in the gym. Nothing too fancy.
Today, some of the players stuck around after practice in the lounge to fill out some paperwork and ate lunch together. You can already sense the bonding taking place after such little time. How sweet.
We've got more player entries coming your way as Camp rolls on, so stay put.
New York Liberty
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So I've just finished up the third day of Training Camp with a lifting session, and wanted to drop a note to say hello before I head home for the day.
 I spent the off-season in Belgium; it was my second year over there. I stayed in the same area, in the same apartment, and played with the same players. No transition whatsoever, which was good to come into an environment you know.
While in Belgium, I did keep in touch with my Liberty teammates, like Loree, AB and Lindsay. After four months in Belgium, I headed home to Washington.
When I got home, I spent some time with my friends and even hit up Vegas with my parents for a couple of days. Even though my overseas season was in the books, I continued my workout. It was nothing too high-intensity; it was mostly like shooting, lifting and cardio. And, I also kept up the same diet.
Camp has been great so far. I actually didn't think I would feel as good as I felt after the first day. I wasn't sure how tired I was going to be. It's nice that everyone comes into Camp in shape -- it definitely makes practice easier when everyone can keep up.
The rookies are catching on pretty fast. And it also is a huge help that the coaches are doing a great job explaining everything.
All right, time to get some rest. I'll catch up with you all again soon.
Cat
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Wow, it's been a minute since I have written one of these. I hope I don't leave anything out!
Well, we are undefeated in league play, still. One more match and we are in the finals, yet again. The finals are played in a best-of-five series. So, sadly I won't get out of Slovakia until May 12, and have a day at home, then head to NYC for the start of our championship run.
Yeah, you heard me. I will get in on the 15th or so, get a couple days of running in with my girls, PC and Nick in the post, and it's back to the grind.
 The weather has been great, around 15–20 degrees Celsius here, haha, that's about 60-plus for you non-European Celsius folks. Also, my brother is here, along with his buddy Carston, who we nicknamed 'Auto' because none of the girls could remember his name, just the first part of car ... haha.
We actually had a small gathering of people at my flat the other day for some fun games. Needless to say, everyone in my building hates me now because they got zero sleep that night.
To be honest, I haven't written much because not much has happened. I'm starting to realize I lead a boring life with the occasional good time mixed in here and there. Hahaha!!
Aight, maybe hit you again, but only if something lively happens in my world.
J-Mac
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Hey Liberty fans!
I'm checking in just before I am New York-bound in a couple of days. I fly in on Friday and am looking forward to seeing everyone on the team, including the rookies. I do know Essence Carson, we recruited her at Texas and I think I may have even been her host. I also know Wanisha Smith through USA Basketball. Adding them to the team will be great, because they're both athletic and they'll definitely add depth at the guard position for us.
 Since I got home from France, I've been keeping up my workout routine. I've been on the bike and working on form shooting. And I just switched over to the elliptical machine. As for my eating habits, they've actually been really good. I'm eating a lot of chicken and fish. And some turkey, too. That's all I eat. I love it, I'm not just eating to stay fit!
Last year at this time, as a rookie, I didn't know what to expect heading into Training Camp. But now that I know what happens, I'll be prepared. I've set a goal for myself to come in, make an impact and work hard. I've been talking to the coaches and actually just talked to Nick DiPillo yesterday. He was asking if I'm ready to go and of course, talked about his new baby daughter.
I'm excited to get back to New York. I didn't do the tourist stuff last year, and will want to try that this year. So I will see y'all soon!
Tiffany
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So here it is, the last week prior to the start of Training Camp. Wow. How quickly the off-season has gone. It feels like it was just February and we had a couple of months before we started. Now it's one week until the start of the WNBA season and we've already experienced an exciting Final Four and a great WNBA Draft.
So with everything happening at once, what else is left to do? Lots!
 This week is preparation week and the coaching staff has been working hard as we plan for the upcoming season. Now that we know who we will have in Camp, it is easier for us to put some of our thoughts and plans for the season down on paper. We anticipate it to be highly competitive and hope to achieve a lot of teaching in such a short period of time.
Some things that we will be focusing on are shooting, defense, rebounding and offensive execution. We have been putting many drills together in order to get better in these categories. There is a lot that we hope to accomplish. And with our players coming back from overseas, we will have to be as organized as we can and get in all of our work early so those players will have an easy transition as they return back to New York.
It is very exciting to be starting the season again. There are a lot of things to look forward to in our 12th WNBA season. We can't wait to get back into The Garden and share it with you all. And don't forget, we will also be in Queens this summer at Arthur Ashe Stadium to play Indiana on July 19th. It is a once-in-a -life-time event where a basketball team will play in a tennis stadium. You don't want to miss it. I know I won't!
So now that we are on our way, I can't wait for this to be the best Liberty season ever. See you at The Garden!!!
Catherine
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Hello, hello from Liberty land ...
Well, now that the Draft has come and gone, the front office staff is full steam ahead with plans for the season, including that historic event, the Liberty Outdoor Classic. Have you reserved your tickets yet?
 The coaching staff is eagerly anticipating the team's arrival at Training Camp this weekend. Many of the players will fly in on Friday evening and start unpacking. Then what follows is an afternoon of physicals at the Training Center on Saturday. On Sunday, everyone will hit the court for the official opening of Camp. It will continue the next day, and the next and so on!
Monday will be the first opportunity for the New York media to meet and greet the players in Camp for the annual event cleverly titled Media Day. NYLiberty.com will be there to capture everything –- from the players chatting with the press, to getting their photo taken, and even recording some of those fun Gardenvision videos.
Stay tuned folks, it only gets more exciting from here.
New York Liberty
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Ever since Essence Carson, the pride of Eastside H.S. in Paterson, NJ, decided she would stay home and play for Rutgers University, you could see how she helped make the Scarlet Knights a power house in women's college basketball.
The 6-foot guard/forward was heavily recruited coming out of High school but was interested in helping head coach C. Vivian Stringer win championships. During her recruitment, there were dozens of college basketball coaches who tried to pursue Carson to leave the state, but one call she received left an impression. Rutgers' head football coach Greg Schiano called to let her know that he was a fan of her team-first attitude and she should help make the athletic programs at RU the very best.
 In four years with the Scarlet Knights, Carson played a school-record 133 games, won multiple Big East Championships and made four NCAA tournament appearances -- including last year's final vs. Tennessee.
Winning is what Carson has been about since she started shutting down offensive players during her freshman year. The three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year sacrificed her offense for the team and understood early that playing for Coach Stringer would always be about defense first.
As a freshman she helped knock off a highly-ranked Ohio State team -- led by center Jessica Davenport, her new teammate -- in the NCAA Regional. You could see how she did all the important things well: shoot, pass, rebound and play tenuous defense.
When Essence was selected 7th overall in yesterday's WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty, you could see how happy she was, but it will be Liberty Head Coach Patty Coyle who will smile once Essence brings her brand of basketball to MSG.
Carson, a fan of the Liberty since she watched a game in person back in 1997, averaged 9.5 PPG with over 5.0 RPG in her RU career, but make no mistake in thinking her game is one-sided. The Jersey girl has the ability to knock down 3's, run the floor and slash to the basket. And in the NCAA tourney vs. George Washington this year, she tied a career high with 25 points. However, it's winning close to home that she is most proud of, and now she gets to bring all those qualities to the New York Liberty.
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Assistant coaches Bruce Hamburger and Nick DiPillo just emerged from their offices and are checking out the spreads of salad and ziti. I guess all that stomach-churning tension makes you hungry.
In another room, Amy Scheer, VP of Marketing and Communication for the Libs, is on the phone with Essence Carson. Looks like she will be on the conference call as well. It should be a good story, having a Jersey girl playing in the Big Apple.
After the Liberty drafted National Champion Alberta Auguste out of Tennessee in the third round, I figured all would quiet down, we'd finally be able to get some lunch, and then prepare for the 4:00 pm conference call. Boy, was I wrong.
As soon as the draft ended, Blaze and Coyle went right to the phones, trying to secure free agents to come in and challenge for a roster spot.
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Another shocker in Liberty Land.
Wanisha Smith, a player out of Duke whom New York might have taken 14th overall had Larkins not fallen, drops into the Liberty's lap in the second round.
 Blaze is clearly pleased, congratulating her staff: "Great job guys, great job!"
A phone call comes from a rival GM, who clearly wants to swoop in and steal Smith from under New York's nose, but there's no way Blaze is giving up this gem.
While I am sure most teams are pleased with the players they selected, the mood in the Liberty room is downright jovial. There were some tense moments early on, but the front office staff is lucky enough to have three of its top-ranked players joining the team.
Coyle in particular seems in awe of this draft class, and is clearly looking ahead to tinkering with her new lineup.
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There was more excitement in the room as Erlana Larkins, a player no one expected to last this long, fell into the Liberty's lap with the 14th pick.
 Assistant Coach Nick DiPillo's mouth literally fell open in shock that she was still available.
Blaze immediately ran to the phone and told the league office the Liberty would be happy to take Larkins off the board.
It was quite the scene, with everyone biting their nails to see whether they could actually steal Larkins with the last pick in the first round.
Who knew a war room could be so much fun?
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With the seventh selection in the 2008 draft, the New York Liberty selects ... Essence Carson from Rutgers University.
 The room held its collective breath when the Washington Mystics selected Crystal Langhorne, and everyone was REALLY ecstatic with the pick as Carson was the player they were hoping to land.
Taking a look over at the draft board, I noticed the team had Carson ranked at the top of their list at the three-position.
Blaze and Coyle gave each other a high-five when the pick was announced.
Liberty fans have to be happy with the job done by the scouting department.
Now it's back to the board as the Liberty prepares for its second first-round draft choice.
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 It's Draft Day 2008, and I'm here in the Liberty War Room at the MSG Training Center with GM Carol "Blaze" Blazejowski, Head Coach Pat Coyle and the rest of the front office.
Everyone is pretty excited about having two first-rounders, as they will surely have an impact on last year's Cinderella squad.
Still, it's a bit more subdued than I would have thought. Perhaps it's from the tension of hoping the player they want is still there when they draft seventh? Whatever it is, everyone seems content right now to chow down on their bagels while reminiscing about stories from their pasts.
The big news so far is that the Liberty will be playing in the first ever professional outdoor game at Arthur Ashe Stadium this year on July 19. Pretty big news.
Less than 30 minutes 'til the draft starts!
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Hey Liberty fans!!!
I hope you are all as excited as we are for the WNBA draft and training camp to begin.
 Can you believe we are starting season 12? Speaking of our season, I attended an event on March 26th at Hunter College. It was "A Celebration of Women's History Month" honoring women's rights, historic sites, etc.
The Liberty was recognized at the event and received a proclamation from Manhattan borough President Scott M. Stringer for being the first professional women's team to play in New York City.
It was an honor accepting the proclamation and listening to and meeting Elizabeth Holtzman, New York City's first woman comptroller and first woman district attorney. It turns out there were many Liberty fans there that are looking forward to our season.
I've got to sign off to get to work on all this preparation. See you all May 8th at The Garden!!
Lisa
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When I last left you, I was sharing my WNBA Draft experience ... and I'm back to finish.
So, the Draft finally gets started after all of the picture taking, all the conversing, all the shenanigans, and I'm shaking like crazy.
I'm no fool. The 2006 No. 1 Draft pick was going to be Seimone Augustus. I mean, I thought I did well and all, but not well enough to change everyone's mind. Plus, I heard that the coaches pretty much had their minds made up by that time. Then, the No. 2 pick was Cappie Pondexter. So, I'm sitting there thinking, "Okay, this all makes sense."
 But now, it's anyone's ball game! Picks No. 3 and 4 went to Monique Currie and Sophia Young, then a commercial break. WHAT THE?!?! How could they do this to me? They know it's my turn. My home team is about to pick!
This could be me. But I have to sit there and wait, watching the "Have you seen her?" commercials and all that. Finally, they bring it back to my life, and let the Sparks select their first round Draft pick. Guess who it was ...
"And the number five pick, out of UCLA, goes to Lisa Willis!!!!"
It went something like that. So now I'm going crazy. I stand up slowly, because we don't want to have any accidents. I start clapping, I still don't know why I was clapping. I'm hugging my mom, sister, dad, agent and best friend. I take a deep breath, and I go up and take the picture with my '06 Sparks jersey. I was wearing Adidas Shell Toes; that was kind of a safety precaution that I was taking. I made it up the four steps or so just fine.
Now Rebecca Lobo is asking me questions. I'm so happy, I just start to cheese (smile) really hard. I didn't have time to answer, "Are you happy, did you know you were coming here, what's the first thing you're going to do?" questions. Just look at me. I'm smiling so hard that you can see all my fronts, my molars and my "late" wisdom teeth. Just know that I'm excited.
That was my Draft experience. Outside of the nervousness, can't you tell why I would want to go back and do it again? It was fun. I met a lot of hoopers that I had only heard of, but wasn't friends with. It was amazing.
Good luck to everyone in the green room this year, and all those who get to watch in the comfort of their homes. Enjoy the experience, because, unfortunately, it only comes once!
Lisa
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Hey all ... Megan from the Sales Team checking in.
Holy Final Four! I don't know about you, but I'm getting really excited for the season because of all this March Madness. It has been so much fun watching the tournament and all the superstar seniors that will be finding out their new WNBA homes on April 10th!
 As PC mentioned, the office is in an intense bracket battle with Head Athletic Trainer Lisa White leading the pack. Yours truly is in third place and looking forward to the Geno vs. Pat Summit showdown; sorry to all those LSU and Stanford fans!
I just got back from a short vacation to the Bahamas. My main goals were simply to relax and get a tan - mission accomplished! I also got the chance to climb Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and visited Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman.
But now it is full speed ahead into the season, May 18 is right around the corner ... that means myself, along with the rest of the sales team, has to get back to working on selling out The Garden!
See you this summer!
Megan
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This is the second WNBA Draft that has happened since I was drafted (in '06), and much to my disappointment, I won't be able to personally participate, again. Last year I wanted to get drafted again. Needless to say, the WNBA Draft was one of my most memorable times ever! I was so excited, but sooo nervous. Let me tell you how it started ...
So I'm a senior at UCLA, doing what all the athletes do – hanging out in the coaches' offices. My coach told me that I had been invited to the "green room." So I'm like waaaaay geeked out at this point, but the only problem is that I had no idea what the "green room" was. I simply knew that I was going there. I knew it had something to do with the Draft, so I figured that would be something to get excited for.
 So I phone home and tell my dad. He got excited about that. I guess because he knew what it was. I actually told a few people and learned that being invited to the green room simply meant that I would actually be at the Draft, as opposed to watching it on TV.
What's going through my mind?
Now I have to find something to wear. I have to invite my family, best friend and agent. I am sweating like I am playing ball. Who's going to pick me? Will I get picked? What if I'm here for nothing? I hope I don't trip going up the stairs. What if I start to stutter when Rebecca Lobo talks to me? Why is my mom crying already when they haven't even called my name yet? Is this really happening to me? Hmm, I like Cappie's outfit. Do I look okay? Is the rest of my family at home watching?
EVERYTHING was running through my head.
The Pre-Draft Camp was two days before and apparently I did pretty well. So with every coach that came up to speak with me, I thought that was the team I was going to. Trust me, it was pretty intense. Plus I was only 21, I didn't know what to expect!
I'll wrap up my Draft experience in my next entry, stay tuned ...
Lisa
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