Poignant final diary entry from Kia......

[Lynx23]

Rookie Diary: The Sign Off by Kia Nurse - New York Liberty

 

[JavaMan]

Sure sounds like a "good-bye" to me. But whatever it is, Kia sure has a way of expressing herself in a gracious and conciliatory manner. How can you not love this powerful competitor and beautiful woman?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

"To all my young ones reading this… play. It doesn’t have to be basketball. It doesn’t have to be in a league…just play. Sports give you the opportunity to make friends, find your confidence, and develop life skills that you’ll use forever. Trust me when I say you’re going to fail, life’s going to knock you down…even when people on the outside think you’ve got it all. I’m telling you it’s okay and every athlete, every successful person you see have all gone through it before. I have a hope that even if just one little girl saw me play in my seafoam uniform and said I want to play, then I will feel like I really did my job."

Not crying, just thinking about it. I do love Kia. Still puzzled by her selection of Australia as her foreign venue, but maybe Europe did not come calling (that's a stretch I know.). The Liberty is like the WNBA Gulag and if the WNBA had any clout at all they'd take the franchise away from the Madison Square Dicks.

 

[Lynx23]

I think it's a "goodbye" in the sense that Kia understands the team will not look the same next year, that some players either will not be signed and/or will move on to another team. That's business. As far as Australia goes, in a recent diary entry Kia did say that she was recruited by one or more European teams and "left money on the table" to go elsewhere, part of her reasoning being that the season is not as long in Australia and she'll have an opportunity to rest before the WNBA season resumes. She left the door wide open for seeking a bigger payday in Europe next year.

 

[uconn34]

The Suns loss and mistake. No disrespect intended but drafting character is the key. Sometimes it comes with superb skill, like Maya. Sometimes someone is wise enough to see the John Havilcek that is Kia. Makes me proud she played for UConn.

 

[JavaMan]

TORONTO — The pride in playing for Canada was nurtured from a very early age, says veteran forward Natalie Achonwa. And so, when the big guns of Canada's women's basketball team gathered for training camp on Thursday, they said there was nowhere else they'd rather be.

"There's nothing like coming home and being able to play on your home soil, eat your home food, but also with so many people who are so passionate about the game and with so much love to come here and put their heart and soul into Canada Basketball," said guard Kia Nurse.

Canada will play Japan on Sept. 7 and world No. 1-ranked United States on Sept. 8 in an exhibition series in Bridgeport, Conn. They'll also face France, the U.S., and Senegal in a four-team tournament in France, Sept. 15-17 before travelling to Tenerife.

Full Article [HERE]

​

 

[MilfordHusky]

Kia and Gabby shared a lot of thoughts of their rookie season. Thanks to them for being open and articulate! You are Huskies forever.

Note for that Nasty Piece of Business--see you in Tenerife!! Go Canada!

 

[Bigboote]

Rocky, that paragraph stood out to me, too. Kids NEED to play -- competitive, not competitive, win, lose, they need to play.

________

'“It’s not goodbye forever, but see you later.” I have a feeling that quote is from the only movie on the planet that has forced me to shed a tear, “John Q”. '

I'd never heard of this movie; may have to check it out. I don't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure the first two movies I cried from were both Greta Garbo -- Anna Karenina and (especially) Camille. Then I read Camille. I remember telling a sister about crying through about the last 20 pages. She thought it was bizarre but cool that a 20-ish-year-old guy not only bawled reading a book but talked about how great it was.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

She's going to Canberra for the real season? Anyone know which team? Will she team up with the big Aussie who was considering UConn for a while?

 

[MilfordHusky]

She's going to Canberra for the real season? Anyone know which team? Will she team up with the big Aussie who was considering UConn for a while?

I think it's the Canberra Capitals, where Ezi formerly played. I believe that Ezi Magbegor is now playing in Melbourne, where Lauren Jackson is the GM.

 

[MSGRET]

"To all my young ones reading this… play. It doesn’t have to be basketball. It doesn’t have to be in a league…just play. Sports give you the opportunity to make friends, find your confidence, and develop life skills that you’ll use forever. Trust me when I say you’re going to fail, life’s going to knock you down…even when people on the outside think you’ve got it all. I’m telling you it’s okay and every athlete, every successful person you see have all gone through it before. I have a hope that even if just one little girl saw me play in my seafoam uniform and said I want to play, then I will feel like I really did my job."

Not crying, just thinking about it. I do love Kia. Still puzzled by her selection of Australia as her foreign venue, but maybe Europe did not come calling (that's a stretch I know.). The Liberty is like the WNBA Gulag and if the WNBA had any clout at all they'd take the franchise away from the Madison Square Dicks.

Geno secretly asked Kia to go to Australia to do some recruiting for UConn, since she is such a great representative of the University.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Geno secretly asked Kia to go to Australia to do some recruiting for UConn, since she is such a great representative of the University.

Now there is an idea with real potential.

 

[awhom111]

I think it's the Canberra Capitals, where Ezi formerly played. I believe that Ezi Magbegor is now playing in Melbourne, where Lauren Jackson is the GM.

That's right. Kia will still be teaming up with a familiar name for at least half the season as Canberra has signed Kaili McLaren to occupy the other foreign player spot on the roster. They could both be there the whole season, but the team gave Kaili a short term deal to fill in for a recovering Marianna Tolo and to give themselves flexibility to make a personnel change later in the season.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Kaili!!!