Article on Bria Hartley
La jugadora americana con pasaporte francés, número 7 del draft de 2014 en la WNBA, reaparece en Salamanca tras superar una grave lesión de rodilla
www.salamancahoy.es
Article is in Spanish so I translated below. If you click on the article link there is a spot to click on photos of Bria.
One of the most exciting summer signings for CB Avenida, the
American Bria Hartley , was the star this Tuesday with her official presentation to the media. The North American escort, with a French passport, was chosen number 7 in the 2014 WNBA draft and now, at the age of 30, joins the charro club to recover her place in the elite after overcoming a serious knee injury that has had her a year off the field.
President Jorge Recio has confirmed that «with Bria we close the cycle of official presentations for now. When we received the list of players with the possibility of bringing her, we made every effort to be able to bring her because of the quality of the player that she is and because of her career. She was the ideal player that we were missing, a player who creates and who has points. It cost us many conversations because also during the process she changed representatives and it was more complicated but then we signed her right away and we are proud that a player of her category is with us. She rounds out the squad without a doubt. She can make a difference for us ».
The North American previously expressed to the media, after thanking the president for his words of welcome, that “I am very excited to be here, to have this opportunity. After injuries it is difficult to come back and the first opportunity is important, for that I am very grateful. Questioned about her loss, Bria Hartley pointed out that «breaking the anterior cruciate now is better than doing it ten years ago, but I had the experience of having suffered this injury before. I already knew what I had to do to recover well and that was my goal, to return to 100%.
«Once you come out of an injury like this you have to look at the resources that a team has to be able to adapt to being on the track. For me it is easier to focus only on the court if the resources that the team has are good, "added the player.
About his scoring role for CB Avenida, Bria Hartley said that "it's something I've done before in my career and I've always known how to adapt to what each club I've been to needed. Sometimes more scorer than others ». The shooter's adaptation to the team is on the right track: "First I have seen an incredible city and as for the players and the team, everything has been very easy."
Bria Hartley has spoken with Americans who have passed through Salamanca such as the stars Tiffany Hayes and Kahleah Copper and they have told her that «I spoke with Tiffany, with whom I shared a dressing room at the University and I know that she is very critical and when I heard that she was very comfortable here I was very clear. If she says that she is fine... ».
His return to the track took place
this past weekend with the two friendlies in the Ribadeo tournament . In them Bria Hartley felt “good. It is difficult and even more so with knee injuries to go out and play two games in a row. She hurts but the body feels good ».
The coach Pepe Vázquez pointed out about his new player that “for me as a coach it is a privilege to have Bria here. He is going to give us a lot because his quality is unquestionable. We have also discovered a very good person who is a leader in the group, affable and who puts the good of the group before his statistics. She is going from less to more, she played two good games and will be important at all levels, both as a player and because of her seniority, her leadership and to make her teammates better. She has also improved her shot at '3' and gives us versatility because she can also act at '1', at '2' and at '3'”.
