A chat with NY Liberty star Carolyn Swords
385) Kidsday reporters from Girl Scout Troop 1508 (l) Emma Marvelli, Bryana Sulinski, Elizabeth Gendron and Riley Sottile, with New York Liberty basketball player Carolyn Swords at the NY Liberty Training facility in Westchester. (June 16, 2015) Credit: Newsday / Pat Mullooly
We met New York Liberty basketball star Carolyn Swords after a recent practice at their training facility in Westchester.
What sacrifices have you made?
That's a great question. I think in order to play at a very high level . . . you have to put a lot of time in practice. Almost every single day if not every single day. Sometimes you have to go to sleep earlier when your friends want to stay out a little bit later and you have to do well in school otherwise you can't keep playing basketball. So I had to be very disciplined.
How do you feel about the transfer from Chicago Sky to NY Liberty?
So my time in Chicago was really exciting. I never had lived in a different part of the country and it was my first few years in the WNBA so I learned a lot from that program. Now that I'm in New York and back on the East Coast I'm really excited to be close to my family. They live in Boston so it's a quick flight. It's been really exciting to play in Madison Square Garden, the most famous arena in the world. So it's been a really great experience and I'm excited to be here.
Who was your favorite basketball player growing up?
I always liked watching Rebecca Lobo because she's from Massachusetts and I grew up in Massachusetts. She was with the New York Liberty, one of the greatest players, and I really admired the way she played. And being from Boston I'm also a big fan of the Celtics and so I followed their success as well.
Were there ever any people who didn't believe in you?
If there were I didn't know about it. What was most important was that my friends and family were really supportive. My family especially.
What's the difference between playing in Italy and the U.S.?
Playing over in Europe the style of play is a little different. Over in Italy it's a very fast game, maybe not as physical. You guys see today how we were kind of beating up on each other. So it's very physical over here in the States.
How do you feel about being chosen 15th in the whole country?
It's an honor to have been drafted to the WNBA. It was a really exciting time. I was there with my family, and my friends were watching, and it was just a really exciting moment to take the next step in my career.
What's your jersey number and does it mean anything to you?
My jersey number here is number 8. I'm usually number 30, but my teammate Tanisha Wright took number 30 and so I decided that I needed to pick a new number and I always liked number 8. It's not a very good reason.
