rookie | caitlin clark (ON HOLD)

03 | well hello

saturday, june 22 indianapolis

The morning after the Fever's thrilling victory against the Atlanta Dream, I woke up with a mix of excitement still having to drag myself out of bed. Today was going to be a slow day, so I took my time to get ready before heading to the Fever's practice session to get some insights from the players about their win and their preparations for the game tomorrow.

Milo wagged his tail as I got ready to leave, sensing my excitement for the day. "Big day ahead, Milo," I said, giving him a quick pat before heading out.

When I arrived at the stadium, I met with Jason, my cameraman. The atmosphere was noticeably more relaxed than on game day. The players were warming up, chatting, and joking around. I spotted Caitlin shooting some hoops with a few teammates and made a mental note to talk to her later.

Rachel greeted me with her usual enthusiasm. "Ready for another round of interviews, Julia?"

"Absolutely," I replied, feeling more confident than ever.

I approached Aliyah Boston first, who was stretching near the sidelines. "Aliyah, congratulations on the win last night. What was the key to your success?"

Aliyah smiled. "Thank you! Our success was really a team effort. We stuck to our game plan, communicated well on the court, and kept our energy up. It was a tough game, but we pushed through."

Next, I caught up with NaLyssa Smith, who was practicing her free throws. "NaLyssa, your transitions from defense to offense were impressive. How do you keep that intensity throughout the game?"

"It's all about staying focused and trusting my teammates," she said, wiping sweat from her forehead. "We train hard for these moments, and it all comes down to execution and teamwork."

As I was wrapping up my conversation with NaLyssa, Caitlin jogged over. "Hey, Julia. Got a moment?" she asked, her eyes bright with curiosity.

"Of course," I replied, my heart skipping a beat.

We moved to a quieter corner of the gym. "Caitlin, your performance last night was outstanding. How do you stay so composed under pressure?"

She chuckled. "Lots of practice and mental preparation. I try to stay present in the moment and focus on what I can control. The support from my teammates and coaches makes a huge difference too."

"Your fans have been showing a lot of love on social media. How does that impact you?" I asked, curious about her perspective.

"It's amazing to have such a supportive fan base," Caitlin said, smiling. "Their encouragement means a lot to me and motivates me to keep pushing myself. I try to stay grounded and remember why I play the game."

After our conversation, I thanked Caitlin and moved on to interview Kelsey Mitchell and head coach Christie Sides, who both shared insightful reflections on the team's performance and their strategies moving forward.

As practice wrapped up, Jason and I started heading back to the office to work on editing together to post on the website. After we finished editing for a few hours, we set an automatic release time and met up with Sarah and her videographer, Daniel, who seemed to be done with work also.

"Hey, Sarah, Jason and I were getting ready to head out for lunch if you guys would like to join us," I said, packing up my things.

Sarah grinned. "Sure, that sounds great. Where to?"

We decided on a cozy little café nearby, a popular spot among locals. As we settled into a corner booth, the conversation flowed easily. We talked about everything from our favorite places in the city to our career aspirations.