Alyssa Charlston | FOX 13 Seattle Sports Anchor/Reporter

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Kick off your summer and shop in-store or online at Whole Foods Market today. We are pleased to welcome Alyssa Charleston, who covered this game in Seattle. We heard what Caitlin had to say about the atmosphere. Alyssa, what was it like?

Oh my goodness. Well, first of all, thanks for having me on to talk about it because I'm so wired. It was such a crazy atmosphere. They just kept showing more and more Seattle celebs that were in attendance.

And that's not completely abnormal, honestly, if you're in Seattle and you follow the sports there. A lot of people show up for their teams, but it was just electric from start to finish. I mean, from long before intros, people were excited once Caitlin Clark ran out onto the floor. I didn't know what kind of reaction there would be just because I heard at Connecticut that there was obviously a ton of fever fans that showed up for her and cheered for her. But there were also Connecticut fans that were cheering for her mistakes. And that's why she's changing the game. She's making people care one way or the other. So Seattle Storm fans went crazy when she was announced and there's so many young girls and young boys that were going nuts.

I talked to a bunch of different people that have kids and some have teenage boys and they were trying to do anything they could do to get into the game. And it was sold out two hours before. There were a bunch of Seahawks that were like representing and they threw out late.

They were like throwing T-shirts across. It felt like Seattle had been waiting really 25 years for something like this. And I think we all recognize that Caitlin Clark is behind it, but it's also the investment that's gone into her and her career and what she's done. But she's one of only two rookies.

I think Diana Taurasi is the only other one that's averaged 17 points in her rookie year. And so if Caitlin continues to do that, she deserves all the praise in the world. She's handling it so gracefully, too. So just to clarify, the majority of the fans there were cheering for the Storm. They were excited to see Caitlin, but they were all in on their own team. Yes. Yeah.

Important clarification. They were going crazy any time the Storm made a run. And what was cool to see is, yes, there were loud cheers for Caitlin Clark, but it went crazy. I mean, the place was shaking when Jewell Lloyd was announced. And that shows, you know, recognition for Seattle teams and the athletes that we already have. And that's what's special about it.

And I'm sure you've talked about this a ton. Like, Caitlin is bringing new fans to the WNBA. There were a bunch of fans, I'm sure, that had never seen a WNBA game tonight. And now they get to see Jewell Lloyd do stuff that Caitlin Clark has done.

The fadeaway jumpers, the turnarounds, the over a hand, like highly contested, off a screen fadeaway three. Like, she has been doing that on the regular. And now people get to see her and more of NECA and more of Skylar Diggins-Smith, Sammy Whitcomb. So that's what's special. I think a lot of people were introduced for the first time to Seattle's superstars because they showed up to see a phenom like Caitlin. That's awesome. It's good to hear, yes, the Seattle Seahawks were actually posting a photo of the guys who were in the house.

And I know that you retweeted it yourself. But they, as a group, showed up to support the Storm. And no doubt that is in large part because of Caitlin Clark. I have to ask you, Alyssa, it seems to be a theme right now. Charles Barkley's talking about it, Lebron's talking about it, where there is criticism or maybe tepid support inside the league for Caitlin. I know some have phrased it as jealousy or envy, and I certainly understand that, maybe some insecurity. But what have you heard from Storm players about this new phenomenon that's gripping the league?

Well, I think that there is some credence to it. And I don't know if, I mean, outright, like jealousy feels like the word for it, but it's also like so many players have put so many years into this league and their blood, sweat and tears. And they've been told that they don't matter and that people don't care. And who cares if women's basketball is next? Like, it's not cool to do that anymore. It's cool to show up to games. And that's what's honestly changed my mindset, too, because like I played college basketball, I played overseas. But I've always kind of accepted that, you know, certain demographics, you know, primarily older males aren't really going to care about my sport.

And that's OK. Like I got my school paid for and there's, you know, like especially with players now, like they're making money and NIL. And I think there's just a little bit of like, well, where have you guys been? Like, yes, Caitlin Clark is awesome, but you do sense that.

I can't lie for a single second. Even tonight, there are people that are kind of being careful with their questioning. Around giving her too much attention. And even, you know, there's a question on like Caitlin scored, I think, 15 points in the finals.

I don't know, like quarter and a half. Like she really came on second half and made it a game. And someone asked about like the defensive adjustments, like how do you stop someone like that? And it's like, well, we always have that kind of tough defense that we doesn't matter the opponent, doesn't matter who wouldn't even name the Caitlin Clark. So it's like I think they're kind of getting used to it a little bit, but no one has more pressure on them right now than Caitlin Clark. And I think it's hard to anyone who's been on a team with kind of like a not saying Caitlin Clark is a ball hog, but she's someone who commands attention.

Right. Anyone who's been on a team with that kind of player, you have mixed feelings because you're like, OK, you're helping us win. But also it's like you're getting all the glory.

And it's just it's a little hard, I think, to wrestle with. But I do think the more people talk about it and like say, you know, like Noel Quinn was happy to sing Caitlin Clark's praises, the head coach of Seattle Storm. So coaches get it. I think players are like still coming along, but it's personal for them and I don't blame them. I think it will change over time, though.

It's like playing on a team with Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes or Aaron Rodgers, where nothing that you do really seems to matter compared to the Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Alyssa Charleston is with us here from Seattle following this first West Coast trip for the Fever and Caitlin Clark. But the storm end up winning by two in an exciting final minute.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence. Well, from your perspective, and I played college hoops, too. I've asked this question of a lot of of women in the industry like Lisa Bluder and Lindsey Gottlieb. Why, Caitlin?

There have I've even asked Hall of Famer Ann Myers Drysdale. Why, Caitlin? Because there have been some incredible players. There are some incredible players who are in the league. What do you think it's Caitlin that that has attracted all of a sudden all this attention and and spearheaded this meteoric popularity spike? Yeah, it's honestly such a good question and you can't ask enough. I'm so glad that you have asked all those great minds and like your mind yourself, you know, as a college basketball player that we just didn't get the same kind of traction.

And I think it's a two part answer. I think part of it is she has been doing things that no one else quite has done. Arike Agunbawale is honestly one of the closest comparisons. And then Kelsey Gray lately at certain times, like she went off against the Seattle Storm in the playoffs in 2022 against Sue Bird and was just unconscious. I've never seen a player just be in that kind of zone the way she was hitting mid-range shots.

I just haven't seen someone with a quick release that's willing to pull up from the logo that has the green light, like not just in college. She now has the green light for the most part with Indiana Fever. Like we saw that Connecticut game where she took the lead in the fourth quarter with a shot that was literally like seven feet beyond the three point line. It's really that Steph Curry effect. And I know there are so many other players that maybe are more versatile that can get it done around the rim and have so many skills. She's just got such a crazy skill from beyond the arc.

It's kind of like Harlem Globetrotters, like circus stuff that she does that just puts people in awe and she does it at a pretty high clip. And the other thing is, I think places like ESPN have really invested in putting her in front of people and putting her in highlight reels on Sports Center. And they've really invested in her and I think that's from a bunch of WNBA players calling for investment. Like if you build it, they will come for a long time. So it's a huge credit to WNBA players who have asked for that for a long time.

I think it just caught the thing by storm. And she made it to the national championship twice. So I don't think we can discredit her and Kate Martin and obviously an incredible coach in Lisa Bluder. But I think that's the two parters, the circus act stuff that she can do and then the investment in her. Alyssa, the Storm have their own rookie that they've been waiting on, Nika Muehl, who came from Connecticut.

What does she have to say about her journey to finally get a visa? She was hilarious. She was putting in extra work after the game too. Like she was running up and down the court with a trainer doing cuts. Yeah, she was working up quite a sweat after the game. And I asked her about, you know, like the shirt, like what's this thing with the shirt? That was an awesome shirt because she wore, showed up to the Storm game tonight.

You know, as they're all doing their cool outfits and stuff. She had a shirt that said, had like a picture of a visa with a stamp of approved on it. Hilarious. And so she was like, yeah, my dad's a creative designer. He's like a graphic designer.

He got it done in one day. I should have gotten my visa from this place. But I think part of the problem with her getting a visa is she was not an employee of UConn.

I mean, I don't know if you've already talked about this with other people and I'm just saying the same thing. But the Storm PR person today was telling one of us that like it's the fact that you get your, your employment is based on gains. It's like the same thing with NFL.

It's like, oh, I get my game check. You're not necessarily an employee just because you're practicing. So I think that's what took so long is because she went from being a student athlete at UConn. She couldn't earn NIL as far as I know because international students can't earn NIL if they're not an employee. And then she came to the Storm and we know how quick that turnaround is from the WNBA draft. So she wasn't able to get like employment status.

So it just kind of delayed everything. But she's legal. She's good to go. She is a ball of energy. And yeah, she is. She's truly hilarious. Like she's such a fan favorite because of her personality.

Good. I hope it's not just Kaitlyn, but it's other rookies that also attract a lot of attention. And we know about Aliyah Boston, who is a second year player. But Angel Reese and Cameron Brink, who's part of the WNBA now, too, coming out of Stanford. And actually, if you don't mind, I'm going to throw you a curveball, Alyssa, because I see on your Twitter that you're a Pac-12 product. What's your reaction to what's happened to your conference? Oh, my goodness. Well, it's so sad. And I do have to clarify, I call games for Pac-12.

Oh, gotcha. But I played at the University of Idaho. I grew up in this area. And so I live in Seattle now. I grew up on Pac-10, Pac-8, even right before I got born. I was born like you were fed and bred Pac-10 and then Pac-12. It's so weird. And the weirdest thing is that I'm sure since you played, like, you know how good the women's basketball conference is.

Yes. Like they had 16, 17 ranked in the top 25 for most of the season. That is nutty. And to see it like, oh, it's falling apart now, like the college football, UW and Oregon, like UW made it to their first national championship in forever since 1991. So it's just it feels like the weirdest timing. But I think everyone points to L.A., everyone points to UCLA and USC for dipping out early and having conversations that nobody knew were going on. And you also have to blame the last two commissioners.

It's Larry Scott and it's George Klyavkov for not primarily Larry Scott. Irresponsible spending and then not coming up with a deal that was lucrative enough to keep UW and Oregon. And there they go. It's it's so weird. I just like I can't even imagine next year what it's going to be like. Like the WCC now has Seattle U and Grand Canyon and Wazoo and Oregon State.

Oh my gosh. It's so weird. It's hard to keep up. It's like it's like free agency in any sport when you don't pay attention to one. Like we don't have an NBA team here in Seattle, obviously. So I find out really early on in the NBA season, oh, shoot, like he's on this team now. That's what it feels like with like, oh, yeah, well, dang, like Utah and Arizona are in the Big 12 now.

My goodness. I still hear it from Seattle sports fans all the time on our local affiliate that they desperately would love to see the NBA back in their city. Do you hear that from people, too, working in the industry?

Oh, it's constant. It's like you hear it as often as good morning. People want a team here so bad, like it's the environment tonight. I mean, packed to the brim. Like every single seat filled climate pledge is perfect for basketball. And there's a little pressure on the Seattle Kraken NHL team, honestly, to like get it going because the second the NBA announces expansion teams, which there's a strong hope. Like there's a strong optimism, almost like confidence that the NBA will return. But it's like Kraken have to continue to hold on and grasp their fan base because the NBA is coming. And that's going to take even more attention from every sport. Right. So that we just want our history back, like the GP and the Sean Kemp and let the little kids know that weren't alive yet. That that's how Seattle was built. Right. The Sonics were built. I hope it's got to happen soon.

Maybe this summer we might get an announcement this summer. It's crazy, too, because as you say that, I always tease younger people who never saw Michael Jordan play like, oh, you're such sad saps. You never saw the greatest of all time or even going back a little farther to guys like, I don't know, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, that kind of stuff. But now you're right. We're getting to a generation of sports fans who don't even know that Seattle had a basketball team. Gosh, that makes me feel old, actually. Oh, I hate that.

That's the reality that just struck me. Yeah. I'm glad, though, that the women's basketball team is getting a lot of that attention and that the other local teams are supporting. If you want to see some of the videos from inside the arena, the sold out crowd, raucous electric atmosphere, you can find Alyssa on Twitter at Alyssa Charleston. We would love to connect with you again. Thank you so much for a couple of minutes on the show tonight. Yes, of course. Thank you for having me on. I feel like I got to vent and express all this excitement. You're on my level right now. Oh, always.

Absolutely. Talk to you soon, Alyssa. Thank you. Bless you. Hey, have you tried Instacart for spring allergy relief? You can order decongestants, antihistamines and more through Instacart from stores like CVS, Walgreens and Costco delivered in as fast as one hour. Because those red, watery eyes need relief now.

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