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Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase chats with Cate Reese, rear and Miela Sowah, left, as the Golden State Valkyries opened training camp in Oakland on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Carlos Avila Gonzalez\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
The Golden State Valkyries<\/a> set the bar higher than anyone expected in their inaugural season. Now, in Year 2, how do they not only meet that level but exceed it?<\/p>\n \u201cJust move on,\u201d head coach Natalie Nakase<\/a> said on Sunday, the first day of Valkyries training camp. \u201cThat was last year, right? I\u2019m always present with where my feet are. So nothing carries over from last year. It\u2019s a brand new year.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet in the next breath, Nakase acknowledged that a very important thing does carry over from last year: team chemistry.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Despite the opportunity for radical roster change with so many free agents available, the Valkyries instead chose to enhance the strong core they developed last season. They want to keep the successful unit together, and build on what they started in 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look around, all the rosters have changed,\u201d Naksase said. \u201cSo I think we\u2019re one of the teams who have built a continuity and maintained that. We did that intentionally. We\u2019re excited to build off of that.<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWhen you have success, you don\u2019t really want to go away from that.\u201d<\/p>\n Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase high-fives assistant coach Sugar Rogers as the Golden State Valkyries opened training camp in Oakland on Sunday.<\/p>\n Carlos Avila Gonzalez\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n In their Oakland training facility, with plenty of familiar faces, the vibes and energy were high on day one. At the end of practice, the players split into two groups and played a game of \u201cJeopardy,\u201d based on team terminology complete with the iconic music.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cIt keeps it fun and competitive,\u201d said guard Kate Martin,<\/a> noting that her team won, \u201cof course.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCamaraderie, being the most together team, was our superpower last year,\u201d Martin said. \u201cSo we\u2019re building upon that.\u201d<\/p>\n Several players noted that what was stressed in the first practice were the same basic tenets that led to last year\u2019s success: defense, communication and\u00a0\u2014 more than anything\u00a0\u2014 relentless effort.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone can see how much fun we had last year, how much we enjoyed each other, so to come back with some familiar faces, it\u2019s exciting,\u201d guard Veronica Burton<\/a> said. \u201cWe\u2019re also welcoming in some new people, so that balance of familiarity and chemistry will carry over but bringing in new skill sets and energy is going to be really exciting.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe smashed a lot of expectations, but we have new ones for this year. We always want to compete for a championship. That\u2019s the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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