Q&A with Sloane Martin, Minnesota Lynx play-by-play broadcaster
A conversation after the Valkyries’ tough loss
The Minnesota Lynx, undefeated Western Conference champions, left Chase Center Sunday night with another win under their belt. The Golden State Valkyries left the first half with a 52-51 lead, but their offense fell flat in the second. And a 24-3 Lynx run from the end of the third to the late fourth quarter buried Golden State. Despite a 10-1 run at the end of the game to close the deficit from 22 points to single digits, the Valkyries fell 86-75.
Veronica Burton led the team with 21 points and five rebounds, but the real highlight of the Valkyries’ game was Kate Martin’s 14 point burst in her first five minutes off the bench. But neither could top the Lynx’s Napheesa Collier, Western Conference Player of the Week and current MVP favorite, who put down a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
After the game, I had the chance to sit down with Lynx play-by-play radio broadcaster, Sloane Martin. She’s the lead play-by-play broadcaster for Big-10 women’s basketball and, in 2019, was the first woman to handle television play-by-play duties at the Minnesota State High School League Boys’ State Hockey Tournament. She commentated for the 2024 Paris Paralympics, and has worked with the Lynx since 2019.
Here’s our conversation, edited lightly for readability. You can catch her live commentary at iHeart Radio.
If you had to pick one thing that won this game for the Lynx, what would it be?
I really look at that second half, where Minnesota limited the Valkyries to 23 points. The Valkyries scored 23 points in the first quarter alone. So, when you looked at the box score [for the first half], Minnesota scored a season-high but allowed a season-high. [They] shot 55 percent from the floor, and yet they trailed.
[The second half] was just like a flip of a switch, I think, especially defensively, where they really just hunkered down and got back to their identity. This [is a] really experienced and veteran team that knows how to play defense.
Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve, before the game, really complimented the Valkyries on how they fight and how they battle. And you’re seeing that identity under the Valkyries Head Coach, Natalie Nakase. You could definitely see that, the way that they were fighting. But I think Minnesota just basically said, “We're done playing around here. We're going to take control of this game.”
You actually have experience being coached by Natalie Nakase during AAU when you were in high school. Do you have any insight into her coaching style from that time?
This was half my life ago, so let's keep that in perspective. But I think all of us teens really looked up to her because she — and she'll say this, she even said this in her pregame for us conference — she's short in stature, but she was a walk-on at UCLA who became a starter.
She was someone who pushed us extremely hard. You know, [late University of Tennessee Head Coach] Pat Summitt was someone who I looked up to a lot because she raised the bar for women. She asked a lot, she demanded a lot, and she pushed them a lot. And I feel like Natalie really did that to us.
She got us in the best shape of our lives. She wanted us to play the game the right way, to compete hard. And I'll just remember her being, you know, certainly tough to play for. But that’s what I wanted in terms of being challenged. So, it's no surprise to see her have this team that's really fighting.
As a play-by-play broadcaster, you're tuned into every moment, every pass, every game. Do you think you have a unique perspective on the Lynx from that?
I'm gonna have a lot of random recall, that's for sure. An encyclopedic knowledge of this team. But I think so, especially having that access, traveling with the team, being able to see the literal entire picture of a season, which is exactly what we set out to do as broadcasters. It's like you’re narrating what the story of this season looks like.
What’s the Lynx’s story right now?
A team that has a chip on its shoulder, that has championship expectations and is willing to do anything to meet those and to get back this year. A team made of some of the most joyful, professional, fun, but also admirable people to be around.
As professionals and competitors, that's what I think is so fulfilling to be surrounded by all the time. How they care about each other: their personalities, their maturity, their experience, all of it. To be able to kind of feed off of that and see in person the journey they have together, I think that's one of the coolest things.
What did you expect going into this game, and was there anything that surprised you?
I was expecting it to be, honestly, a tight battle because of what Golden State did to the Liberty most recently. The Liberty just demolished the Connecticut Sun today, [100-52]. So for the Valkyries to be within five against them and to have that three-day turnaround and to come in with the confidence that they did in this game, I think that was really setting up for at least a hard-fought first half.
I think what stands out to me the most is the second half. Allowing only 23 points in that second half overall, eight points in the third quarter alone, just completely putting this wall up defensively and really hampering anything the Valkyries wanted to do. But I wasn’t surprised that it was close for [a] half.
I think this is a match up that will be fun to watch throughout the rest of the season, because the Valkyries are just going to grow together. But the result was maybe not entirely surprising. I mean, Minnesota is an extremely good team and undefeated this season for a reason, winning in all different ways, in all different environments.
When we're talking about locking the Valkyries down for the third and that big 24-3 run, what do you think got them to lock in for that stretch? Did you see any specific changes the Lynx were making there?
That's a good question. And sometimes that's hard for me to identify when I'm exactly in the moment. This was the third game in the last four games where Minnesota’s had 10-plus steals. I think that activity increasing defensively, finally settling back into what we know our identity is defensively, that was the biggest thing.
I think that there were some lapses in the first half, especially with the help defense. [Golden State’s] Veronica Burton was great, and then Kate Martin having a career high in the first half alone. And then she goes scoreless throughout the rest of the game. I think those were some major adjustments to really take out those players that were doing damage.
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On Thursday, the Valkyries play the Phoenix Mercury, who are ranked second in the west. That won’t be easy, but if playing — and losing — three consecutive games against first-ranked teams can fuel rather than discourage Golden State, they’ll stay competitive.
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