TORONTO — For any team with more than two weeks of practice time and more than a single game in franchise history, a transition bucket in a scrimmage at morning practice would have been forgettable.
But for a Toronto Tempo franchise desperate to stack reps and build connection on the court, the long-ball pass that veteran point guard Julie Allemand sent down the court to Brittney “Slim” Sykes on Monday was anything but forgettable.
It was so memorable, in fact, that Allemand brought it up unprompted after practice.
“Today, I was happy because I felt like I had a connection with Slim, and it was the first time I had that feeling,” she told reporters.
Chemistry is an undeniable factor in the success of a basketball team, and it’s something Toronto’s expansion team is dialed in on creating.
“It was good just to know that [Sykes] was running at all times, and I could find her,” Allemand added. “That’s what I was saying during the game. That’s how I want us to be. If you run, I’m going to give you the ball.
“That kind of stuff, I think at first it’s going to come during practice. And if we still don’t find that chemistry, then we have to talk for sure, and communication will be a big point.”
Sykes backed up Allemand’s focus on that bucket. She, too, saw it as a breakthrough in their chemistry.
“I hauled ass down the court, and [Allemand] threw the ball to the basket,” Sykes said. “She’s been telling me, if I just get out and run, she’ll throw it over top.
“And I’ve been working my way back to full strength, and today, to get that full run-out in practice and get that layup, I was really hyped. One, because it’s been a while since I’ve gotten a fast-break layup like that. And two, like she said, just working on that chemistry and knowing, ‘OK, I got somebody that’s going throw that ball down the court, so I’ll take off.'”
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While the Tempo are focused on starting the season strong, ushering in a new era of the WNBA that has expanded to Canada, and learning a new offensive system, they are also focused on simply getting to know each other. So much of the first set of goals depends wholeheartedly on the last one.
Game 1 against the Washington Mystics proved what happens when you send five players onto the court who don’t feel comfortable with each other yet. There was unfamiliarity with the systems that head coach Sandy Brondello was trying to run, but more glaring, there was unfamiliarity among teammates. At times, it wasn’t obvious who the primary ball-handler would be, players were unsure about filling space, and as a result, the team was slow to get down the floor and often crowded near the top of the key.
As the Tempo learned that night, you can’t win if your team is only tallying 10 assists. Moving the ball and knowing where to set up to ensure good spacing will always trump individual contested drives to the paint and deep, desperate 3-point attempts. Toronto settled for tough shots against the Mystics and only had 16 points in the paint compared to Washington’s 40.
“I would say running habits, that’s going to be the most important. We saw a couple times … the spacing, it was really not good, and again, it is because we still don’t know each other well,” Allemand said.
In the last few minutes of play, the Tempo overcame some of the chemistry issues that had plagued them all game and built their first advantage of the second half — a 2-point lead. However, they ran into trouble with 30 seconds left as a miscommunication between Brondello and her players resulted in a poor inbounds play and the ball ending up in the wrong hands. The way the 3-point loss ended is something Brondello takes partial accountability for.
“On the last one, that’s on me, because … I tweaked who was taking it out,” Brondello said. “But Laura didn’t actually hear that I wanted Slim and her to change positions. So there’s the little clunkiness that we’re finding at the moment, and we need time just to script it a little bit more.
“I’ve got to do better. We’ve just got to execute a little bit better with how we want to play.”
Since opening night, the team has thrown itself into improving connection. It’s not something the Tempo are just working on during practices. They have established a book club that brings them together off the court. Right now, they’re reading “It Should Have Been You” by Andrea Mara.
With four days between their first and second games of the season, they also spent the last week practicing on their home court in Coca-Cola Coliseum. That helped them build familiarity with the rims and atmosphere they’ll be battling in all season long.
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That extra work paid off, as they showed significant improvement in Game 2, an 86-73 win over the Seattle Storm on Wednesday. The Tempo more than doubled their assists, showing a tangible example of successful connections between teammates.
Beyond that, lethal duos began to arise. A speedy Kiki Rice, set up by a ripping pass from Allemand, proved almost unstoppable. The rookie had 0 points in her first game but improved to 12 in her second. The league’s first-ever millionaire pair — Sykes and guard Marina Mabrey — also showed their budding chemistry as they led the team with 18 and 26 points, respectively.
“I just asked them … to trust each other [and] move the ball. Once you create advantage, you want to keep advantage,” Brondello said after the win. “I thought we did a good job of moving it and getting it to the next action.”
Up next, the Tempo have even more chances to work on chemistry with four games on the road in 11 days, starting on Friday against the Los Angeles Sparks. A special level of camaraderie can be built when a new squad faces its first test on a rival court and gets time to bond on the road.
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