Chicago Sky rookie J. Faulkner Q&A session

I been gone for a minute but I promise you I am back. Life got a little crazy but thing are finally slowing down and I can focus on the things I love.  Basketball is one of the things I love but to be more specific the WNBA. My goal is to give you all at least 2 blogs per month during the season. I've enlisted some help this time around from lovers of the league(WNBA), fashion bloggers, Chicago Sky fans (Section 110) and other guest bloggers. 

As we (WNBA fans) prepare for the upcoming season I have the privilege of opening my blog with a feature from Sherron Shabazz. Sherron Shabazz is a freelance writer with an intense passion for Hip-Hop culture and professional basketball. Sherron frequently shares his opinions as a contributor to Examiner.com, HipHopDX, Yahoo Sports, SLAMonline, and The Real Hip-Hop.com. It is funny how the world works and especially funny how small the world of the WNBA. Sherron and I met via social media then we seen each other at a Chicago Sky game and I have been following him every since @SherronShabazz  He has gifted me with this Q&A session with Jay Faulkner (whom I call Lil Mississippi simply because she is tiny and that's where she went to school). Enjoy...

Chicago Sky 2014 third round pick Jamierra Faulkner

by @SherronShabazz

Over the last couple of seasons one glaring hole in the Chicago Sky’s roster has been the back-up point guard spot. In 2012 Ticha Penicherio was brought in to back up Courtney Vandersloot, but the league’s all-time best passer had seen better days and battled injuries all season long. In 2013 Sharnee Zoll-Norman was signed and between a thumb injury and inconsistent shooting, she never quite worked out.

Head Coach and General Manger Pokey Chatman’s goal was to find the perfect back-up for Sloot. The team signed Nebraska’s Yvonne Turner and Oklahoma’s Aaryn Ellenberg to training camp contracts. The team also drafted Southern Mississippi’s Jamierra Faulkner with the 34^th overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft.

The 5’6” Faulkner averaged 17.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 8.4 assists per game during her senior season at Southern Mississippi. Faulkner’s 8.4 dimes a game was the best in Division I basketball. Her three steals per game was fifth best in the NCAA. The scrappy point guard seems to be Pokey’s kind of player.

In her first preseason game Faulkner led the Sky in scoring (11 points) and assists (5) in a 73-66 win over the Indiana Fever.

Royal Abstract spoke to Jamierra Faulkner about her first WNBA training camp, the battle for the back-up point guard position, and being drafted by the Chicago Sky.

Q: How has training camp been so far?

Jamierra Faulkner: It’s been real intense. It’s a big change from college. A lot of early morning workouts. We do about two workouts and then we have practice. Just a really intense change I would say.

Q: What exactly is the change?

JF: Well the type of workouts we do is a bit different and we go up and down more often than I did in college.

Q: Did you have any idea on draft night that Chicago was interested in you?

JF: I did. I had an idea that they were interested in me but I didn’t know who was going to pick me or if I was going to get picked at all.

Q: So how did you feel when you heard your name called?

JF: I was excited but it didn’t show. I was more in shock. I didn’t go crazy. I was actually at my head coach’s house watching it and she was just flipping out! I was excited but I was more in shock.

Q: What advice have the veterans given you so far?

JF: Just to be aggressive. T. Young always tells me to be aggressive and stay focused. She even noticed that when I’m focused I can accomplish a lot when I’m on the court.

Q: Has Coach Chatman told you what she needs from you specifically on the court?

JF: Yeah, she said I need to talk more, sit down with her one-on-one, watch extra film, and get up extra shots.

Q: The team desperately needs a backup point guard, has the battle for that position been tough in practice?

JF: Yes, we have two other really good point guards, Aaryn [Ellenberg] and Yvonne [Turner]. It’s just a matter of who wants it the most.

Q: Who wants it the most?

JF: I want it the most but we’ll just have to see.

Q: What part of your game do you feel needs the most work?

JF: Change of speed. I’m usually 100 mph all the way but at this level you have to be able to change your pace.

Q: What’s the best part of your game?

JF: I would say my vision on the court and my defense.

Q: What do you bring to the team overall?

JF: I believe I bring defense.