Grace VanSlooten Explains Why She's 'All About' Joining Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever's decision to sign rookie forward Grace VanSlooten to a rest-of-season contract on May 22 sparked a lot of buzz, especially as it came just a few hours before Indiana was facing the Golden State Valkyries on their home court.
While VanSlooten wasn't a well-known name before this decision, the fact that Indiana's front office jumped on the opportunity to sign her right after she was waived by the Seattle Storm showed that they believe she makes a lot of sense for their franchise.
And VanSlooten was thrown right into the fire, playing two minutes against the Valkyries on Friday night. While she ultimately didn't make an impact in the box score, one would assume that her role would expand once she gets more acclimated to Indiana's system and culture.
Grace VanSlooten Speaks to Indiana Fever Fit Before Valkyries Game
The good thing for VanSlooten is that the Fever appear to have an extremely warm and welcoming locker room, as shown by how well the roster gets along with each other. And it seems that VanSlooten has already felt this, which she conveyed when speaking to the media before Friday's game.
When asked her impressions about Indiana and how she might fit into their roster, VanSlooten said, "So far, everybody has been great. Really welcoming. They seem to want to run, and play fast, and that's what I'm all about. So hopefully, it's a great fit," per a YouTube video from Tony East.
VanSlooten was then asked about having to come in and be available for a game despite never having practiced with the Fever, and said, "Hectic, for sure. You know, I got a couple plays under my belt, so hoping to use those three to four plays that I actually know. So, gonna really rely on communication from my teammates.
"I've heard that they're great communicators, so putting a lot of trust in them to kind of tell me where to be on the floor and tell me what to do. So I know they'll be great helping me out," VanSlooten continued.
The Fever have a few days off before their next game, which is on May 28 against the Valkyries (albeit this time on Golden State's home court). This should give VanSlooten more time to learn some of the team's offensive sets and become better acquainted with her new teammates, potentially opening the door for her to have more of a role as the year progresses.
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Grant Young covers women’s basketball for Women’s Fastbreak and Indiana Fever On SI. His coverage centers on league trends and the growth of women’s basketball, both on and off the court. He also creates digital content focused on the sport’s biggest moments and personalities.
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