Kentuckys Georgia Amoore Talks March Madness Getting Wnba Ready Australian Roots

Georgia Amor, welcome to the Courtside Club.

Amor, it's good! A-plus from Amor!

Are you yearning for another Final Four?

Getting to the Final Four that year, you know, it changed the trajectory of my career personally.

It would be lovely to go back.

A new career high for Georgia Amor.

43 points, 8 assists.

What gets you going in moments like that?

Did you feel like there was something that flipped for you?

I think actually I got surprised when I looked up at the scoreboard and saw the stat line.

And I was like, oh, wow. Like, I had no idea.

Look at the veteran, Georgia Amor.

Can we confirm that the WNBA is next for you after this?

Oh, yes.

Okay. I would assume all of this sets you up, though, for the next level.

Because you're going to be in for the same thing.

This is about to be my life for however long I end up playing for.

So I was like, why not experience this before, you know, I take that next step.

What's up, you guys? I'm Rachel Demita, and welcome to the Courtside Club.

Today is our very first episode of Courtside.

Courtside Madness.

So this week, you guys, we are interviewing some of the biggest stars in women's college basketball.

And today, I am so excited to have Georgia Amor on the show.

You guys, we had a lovely conversation.

I am a huge fan of Georgia's.

She is such a unique player in women's college basketball and one of the best point guards in the country.

She has such a unique story, and I'm so excited to help her share that with you guys today.

So with that, I hope you enjoy the interview.

Georgia Amor, welcome to the Courtside Club.

Thank you.

Thanks for having me.

I know it's a busy time of year for you right now, and you're actually just days away from your very last NCAA tournament.

How are you feeling?

It's crazy.

I mean, I've been thankful to be, I think, in five, if you count, maybe four, if you count the bubble.

Remember that San Antonio one?

So, I mean, you know, not many people get to experience that.

And obviously, I was fortunate enough to go on a Final Four run as well, which is, again, not many people experience that.

So, you know, I've had...

I've had a lot of fun in March, but this being my last one, you know, I'm excited, but, you know, I'm not as nervous because I've been in this position before.

And, you know, it's March, you know, it's cliche, but anything happens.

Are you yearning for another Final Four?

I mean, obviously, it will be lovely.

Like, it was insane, the experience.

And I think that even getting to the Final Four that year, you know, it changed the trajectory of my career personally.

So, it was very, very exciting.

It was very, very derp.

And, I mean, this year, you know, anything can happen, but it would be lovely to go back.

I know you talked about that when you guys went to the Final Four.

You weren't expecting all the extra things that were there.

You know, obviously, you have the basketball, but then you have the brands and the events and the music and the this and the that.

So...

Yeah, no, it's pretty full on and obviously as it should be.

You know, it's a highly anticipated event, but they treat you like you should be there, which is the coolest thing.

So, coming off of the...

The SEC tournament this year, maybe not the outcome that you guys expected.

Heartbreaking loss to Oklahoma.

But what has been the mindset now in the locker room that you guys have had time to regroup?

And how has that shifted to get you guys ready for the tournament?

Yeah, I think we knew that we, as a team, didn't play our best against Oklahoma.

And Oklahoma also being one of, like, the top teams, period.

Like, obviously, they're ranked and whatnot, but they come from a conference where I think they ended up winning it.

If not, they were, you know, one of the top teams in that conference.

So, we knew that that was a good team, a good game to play.

So, we didn't get our heads too low in going into March.

You know, I was kind of just reminding them it's a whole new ballgame.

You know, like, everything that has happened prior, like, it doesn't...

It actually does not matter.

You know, we've seen upsets happen.

We've seen people lose games they shouldn't have.

We've seen people won games that they shouldn't have.

So, just to keep the spirits high and in these last couple of weeks, I guess,

just look back...

Look back in, but most importantly, just gain our confidence back.

So, you having been to all of these tournaments in the past, like, four going into now your fifth,

you being a leader on this team, what do you bring to the team?

And what knowledge do you have just from going through the ringer at all these different tournaments?

Like, the experience.

Like, it's...

You can't...

You don't know until you're in it, really.

And I can say as much as I've been through my experiences in every single tournament,

NCAA.

Every tournament that I've been a part of has been completely different.

We went from Bubble to, you know, Maryland hosting us and us getting knocked in the first round by, you know,

Florida Gulf Coast.

It's just...

Then after that, it's a Final Four.

And then last year, you know, we lose at home second round.

So, it's like, I've been in a lot of situations.

But those words, you know, they can only do so much sometimes.

You know, you can warn people, but until that happens, like, I don't really think many people can understand it.

But, you know, all you can do is pretty much...

Share some wisdom and, you know, just trust that the leadership that you've done during the year is trusted by your team.

And I think it is.

I hope it is.

And if it's not, I would hate for them to be lying to me.

Hopefully, they're listening.

But I think the main thing I just keep telling them is, like, we should be excited.

You know, like, it's not...

Nothing to be scared about.

Nothing to be worried about.

It's the teams that have the energy, the excitement, that are ready to tackle it full on that, you know, do super well.

You're at the gym right now.

I'm assuming you're in the film room.

Yep.

And I heard that you do multiple films before practice.

So talk to me about that.

I mean, obviously, we have team film.

So we'll watch, you know, personnel, the team we're about to play.

I do a lot of personal film with Coach Brooks after a game.

And it's kind of gotten to the point now where we're watching it and it's...

We kind of talk hypotheticals, which is cool because it triggers, like, obviously my imagination.

So, like, he'll put...

He'll put a play on the board and you're like, you made this play, which, like, is the right play.

Like, what else could you have done?

And in that particular frame, I could have been like, oh, I could have passed it to her.

And he's like, yeah.

And he's like, but if you want to, like, think back when the transition break started, you could have, you know, crossed it, done this.

So it's, like, me thinking about those scenarios kind of help on court, obviously, because I think I do have, you know, a creative imagination.

And nothing that I do is...

All the experience and, like, the success I've had...

All the success I've had is in, like, spur of the moment, you know, things where, you know, my reaction probably was because I watched film.

I knew they were going to jump out of this hard hedge.

So stuff like that, you can't...

You can't teach as much as you can, you know, watch.

You can't really simulate that sometimes in individuals, which is really cool.

But even when the coaches have team film the day before a game, I'll watch it with them.

And that's, you know, different than play a film because we obviously watch personnel and we're trying to get used to the team.

But when the team...

When the coaches watch film...

You know, they're talking about potential defensive matchups or what we can do on this particular player or, you know, if it's...

Every team has done this, like, should we try something different?

Like, there's just possibilities.

And I just like the discussion, you know, the way that they're not afraid to bounce ideas off of each other.

And you shouldn't be shy in throwing out an idea because, you know, good things come from collaboration.

Yeah.

So basically what you're telling me is basketball IQ is also something that you can work on.

Oh, yeah, for sure.

Like, it's not just something that's...

And you've done a lot of work to get to the point where you're out to be able to be the leader that you are.

And you're also getting the praise now.

I feel like in this final year, like, people are starting to really pay attention to you.

You're a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year.

Congratulations on that.

So aside from your basketball IQ, your leadership, how else do you think your game has improved this season?

Yeah, I mean, I took a massive step in coming to a completely new conference and a completely new team.

If you want to talk about it, we had a lot of fun.

We had 11 new girls.

So it's my responsibility, as well as Coach Brooks's, obviously, on the court to gel, including me, like, 11 new girls.

You know, so it's like, I don't know these people.

I knew Claire Strack a little bit, like, on court-wise because she played a little bit last year.

But she's growing as well.

So it's like who she was or the person I played with last year is not who I played with this year.

That's how much she's grown.

So I think, you know, it was my responsibility to make sure people are, you know, comfortable in the right positions to kind of eliminate.

All the thought process that they needed, you know, like, just put them in a position where they can literally just catch and shoot.

And I think I took great pride in that, you know, in transition breaks, just trying to get early on as well, like, opportunities for everyone to get them acclimated and comfortable.

And I think, you know, if you want to go that deep and look at the start of the year to the end of the year, like, I changed, but I didn't.

Like, it was very, very intentional in what I was doing at the start of the year in terms of, you know, sharing the ball, making sure that, you know, everyone's building up.

Confidence and we're getting comfortable with each other.

And then obviously towards the end of the year, you know, I did start scoring more.

Yeah, we're going to talk about that.

But even, you know, jumping to the SEC, like, it was unbelievable, I think, because, yes, I did learn so much in the ACC.

And I think a lot of it was, like, intellectually, play-wise, you know, every team had a system.

It was very set up.

And I had this year in the SEC where it was more spontaneous.

You know, they might run an action, but they have athletes that can get a ball.

So it was, like, you had to be aware offensively and defensively, like, for something random to happen.

So I think that this year was so cool for me because the instincts, the instinctual part of my game developed more, but it was on display more.

You know, I always had good instincts, I think.

But, you know, in the quicker pace of the SEC and, you know, the athleticism and people can just cover ground quicker, I learned, you know, it's like if you want to know exact examples, you know, I was known as a three-point shooter.

This year, my major.

Mid-range took another step because it was, like, they were pressing up on me on the three, obviously, and obviously just being a defensive pressure system, you know, they're going to be up.

And then you get into the paint and you have these athletes that can just send your ball.

Yeah.

But you don't know where it's going to go.

And I think I did end up finishing pretty well.

But mid-range was, like, sweet spot.

You know, like, get downhill, pull up quick, just focus, lock in on the rim.

So that was a good thing for me because, you know, I think for the longest time I was a three-point shooter and had the occasional layup.

But now it's like, no, I can pull up, I can come off the screen and snake it.

And specifically for me, you know, I've never seen as many defensive coverages as I have in this conference.

As I just said, you know, people were icing me, hard hedging me, doubling me, denying me, face guarding me, locking me in the corner.

You know, a lot of focus was on me.

And I had to just figure it out.

I had to figure it out how to get the ball and get my team back in position, really.

Right.

Because your team needs you on the court.

And they need you to do those things and then also be a leader.

I want to talk about a couple of things.

So from my understanding, you also had to gain some muscle mass and get a bit stronger to prepare for SEC.

Can you tell me about what your training was like this summer to prepare for that and then also going into the season?

Yeah, I think it starts beyond coming to Kentucky.

You know, I spent some time with the Australian national team in China.

And obviously there, like, you're obviously lifting and we're playing against the Chinese national team, which is great.

But you play against women.

And you play against, and it's like a selection camp.

So you're practicing, you know, against each other.

And, like, people, like, they want a spot at the Olympics.

So, like, they're going to try as hard, obviously.

So I think I got used to the physicality then, you know, in practice day in and day out.

We're playing, we're scrimmaging.

Then you go and play against the Chinese national team who are known to be, you know, fast, in your face, like, kind of erratic.

Pesty, yeah.

Yeah.

So, like, learning from that.

So that's already two kind of different.

Styles that I just learned over the summer.

And then I come here and I'm like, right, let me get stronger because, you know, I want to be more explosive.

I do think I got too strong for a little bit.

But I think, you know, it helps, you know, as soon as I started, like, leaning out and getting into the flow of the season, I had my pop back and I was strong.

You know, I had to be strong through my core.

I had to be explosive.

And that's been a big part of my game.

But I think because I gained the muscle, what I lost kind of.

This time last year, I was a lot leaner than, you know, just going through a season.

I was, like, a lot leaner than what I am now.

But it's because I front loaded that muscle and I'm in a pretty, pretty good spot right now.

So just keeping up with the importance of, you know, just feeling good in your body, you know.

You did, like, a bulk and cut, you know.

I did.

Let's do it.

Just the roundabout way of doing it.

Exactly.

I know you also played around with your shot a little bit.

You said that, obviously, you worked on your mid-range game.

You said that you were a good shot.

I think that got better.

But your shot form, you also worked on.

Can you tell me a little bit about that?

Yeah, just, I mean, making it a bit more concise.

There was games this year, and I could give you concrete examples, you know,

against Georgia or Mississippi State where I'm running down the left wing.

And I have to catch the ball and, like, essentially put it from here to here as quick as possible

because people are selling out on me.

So we had to, like, speed that up a bit.

Not as much wind up, you know.

I grew up having a different shot, you know.

Bringing it more to the left of my face.

And now I think it's a little bit more here.

But I had to fix those mechanics as well.

You know, pretty much being who I am, the focus on me, I can't have a slow release shot.

Yeah.

And especially as you go on to the next level as well.

And I feel like at any stage in your basketball career, and especially when you do get to college,

it gets harder and harder to start changing mechanics of something that you've done your whole life.

But with the footwork, with, like, little tweaks.

As you continue on, it helps you to just evolve your game.

Yeah.

And it feels like your coach, too, has been all in on helping you develop and get to the best of your ability, for sure.

Yeah.

I think when people hear the word, like, change.

Like, I changed my shot, but it wasn't, like, a revolutionary 180.

Oh, my God.

Like, it's groundbreaking.

Like, we do tweaks.

She's up here.

Yeah.

Like you said, like, the footwork, you know.

Just, like, maybe where I release it from.

Like, that's how intricate of detail Coach Brooks goes into.

When it comes to, like, shot form and mechanics.

And he does it often.

He does it with everyone.

You know, it's not just me.

And I think it's really cool.

Like, he'll still – we'll still do, like, check-ins, you know.

Every single individual I have with him, we do form shots.

And for, like, maybe five, ten minutes, that's the time where it's like, oh, that's a bit funky.

Like, trying to eliminate that.

And it's just been a big part of me for five years, you know.

And it's gotten to the point now where, like, he obviously helps, but, like, I know.

I know what feels right.

I know what feels wrong.

You know, I can land and, like, look at my shoulders and be like, ugh.

Like, that's why.

Like, let me square these a little bit more.

Seems to be working out for you.

And I also – I want to hype you up again because you're also a semifinalist for the Naismith Player of the Year Award.

But with that, I want to read to you the other players on this list because it's just completely stacked.

Of course, we have yourself.

We have Lauren Betts, Madison Booker, Paige Beckers, Hannah Hidalgo, Taniya Latson, Olivia Miles.

We have Anissa Morrow.

Hayley Van Lith and Juju Watkins.

So, firstly, congratulations also being a semifinalist here.

If you could win this award and you could have a co-winner with you, who would you have up there?

I mean, I have so much respect for all those girls.

And I think it's, like, a really, really cool list because it's – no one plays alike.

You know, you mentioned Hannah.

Like, no one plays like her.

Madison Booker, no one plays like her.

Like, everyone is so smooth.

But, like, you would have to put Juju.

You know, I think, obviously, like, what she's done as a sophomore is incredible.

But she goes to USC, which, you know, obviously that's where she's from.

I'm not quite sure if USC was, you know, the best team on her list or whatnot, maybe when she committed there,

in terms of, like, wins and losses or record or notability.

Like, whatever the case may be, she's gone to a place and she's elevated it immediately.

From a culture standpoint, from a playing standpoint, you know,

I watch their games, I watch their UCLA championship, and they rely on her so much.

Like, she has to just get it out the mud, you know.

So, I have so much respect for what she does, and she carries herself with such grace.

And I can't imagine being on the platform that she's on.

So, to handle all of that and still go out and perform and, you know, be dominant is – it's amazing.

Yeah, definitely a lot of pressure on her, too, just with the media and whatnot.

But she's killing it, especially second half of the season.

And I feel like she really picked it up, for sure.

Yeah.

So, you are also one of the only three players in NCAA history to pass 2,300 points and 800 assists.

There's only two other people on that list, Kaitlyn Clark and Sabrina Nescu.

So, how does it feel to be in that company?

Yeah.

I mean, unreal, obviously.

They're both dominant in the W, you know.

They're the faces of what they do.

And once again, going back to, like, the pressure that they both carry,

it's hard to –

You know, do that and go out and perform.

But it is – I mean, it's pretty cool.

Could you imagine when you're growing up in Australia just hooping that you would be in the likes of big names like that?

And like I said, like, the list that you're on for point guard of the year, player of the year.

Or is it something that you just don't really think about right now?

And you're like, you know, I just – I need to go out there and do my job.

I think now I definitely look at it and I'm like, wow, like, this is really,

really cool, obviously.

You know, it's something a little unbelievable committing, you know, to Virginia Tech when I was, like, 17 or 18.

Like, I thought I was just going to be here for, like, fun, four years, like, go home.

Like, that's it.

But, like, I think the way that, you know, I don't really – like, every single day was something new for me.

And I think I, like, squeezed absolutely everything I could out of college, which is, like, I'm not going to, you know, regret anything leaving college.

I know that I've done the most.

And that's obviously put me in the position.

And to be, you know, where I'm at right now and in terms of pro, we'll see what happens.

But, you know, I just don't think that if you asked me five years ago if this would have been happening, I'd be like, well, no.

Like, absolutely not.

So I think it's cool now.

I don't let it get to me too much, obviously.

I think this year especially, you know, it was so good for me transferring because it was, like, every single day I had to be great.

Like, I had to take care of myself, take care of 10 other new girls.

I had to, you know, make sure that the staff were.

That were being heard and I had to kind of be like a translator or, you know, I had to grow in so many ways.

So just this move in general had obviously projected me a lot more than if I stayed comfortable.

But I think, you know, that's just been the story of my college career.

I've taken a lot of risks and they've played out really well.

So let's talk about your scoring for a little bit.

You alluded to it before.

You've kind of started scoring a bit more.

Can we talk about the 43-point game against Oklahoma?

43 points, eight assists.

What gets you going in moments like that?

Did you feel like there was something that flipped for you during that game?

I wouldn't say, like, intentionally.

I think actually I got surprised when I looked up at the scoreboard and saw, like, the stat line.

I was like, I had no idea, really.

I think because it was a close game in itself, you know, it wasn't like we were blowing them out.

And it felt like because it was, like, basket for basket, it felt a lot tighter.

So I wasn't too focused on, like, my individual points.

And, like, I don't think it was until, like, I went to shoot free throws.

And I think Deja said something about me only needing a couple more.

And I think by then maybe I had 33 or 35 in the fourth.

And I was like, oh, wow.

Like, I had no idea.

But I think, you know, just the pace of the game, you know, I found a good flow.

Oklahoma want to play fast pace.

And, you know, defensively they were trying some different things.

But just every single shot I took, I took with confidence.

And, you know, when you play a fast-paced team like that, like,

when you have the chance to kind of, you know, slow it down,

work through some things, you're going to do it.

So maybe that pace and tempo helps.

I don't know.

But I can definitely say it was fun.

But it worked out for you.

And you got the dub.

So you alluded to it.

You did choose not to go to the WNBA last year and follow your coach, come to Kentucky.

Can we confirm that the WNBA is next for you after this?

Okay.

How much have you been thinking about it?

Obviously, now that it is a month away, a bit more.

And, you know, I've got some things lined up that obviously you can't avoid talking about

until after the season.

But I think for this season, I did the best job at being so present because,

like you said, when I transferred here and I mentioned it earlier,

like I took on a huge responsibility.

I'm not quite sure if I knew how big it was going to be.

But it's worked out in ways like I can't even,

you know, express.

So I think, you know, just being present and, like,

genuinely just worried about every single game.

Like, I haven't played against these SEC teams before.

So, like, looking back now, obviously, like,

it's different playing at LSU to a Georgia this year.

But, like, I treated them the same because I had no idea.

You know, so it's like this present mindset, this, you know,

every single game and, you know, teams doing different things for me

helped me just, like,

genuinely take it day by day.

So I, like, I was not really too worried about too much of that at all

because I was like, no, I have to be great against Mizzou.

I have to be great against, you know, Mississippi State.

I would assume all of this sets you up, though, for the next level

because you're going to be in for the same thing.

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

Come the summer.

Yeah.

That's what I said about transferring here.

It was kind of like the best middle step, you know, coming to a new place,

moving my stuff, being on a new team, essentially.

Being in a new conference, playing against new players,

I still obviously had the comfort of my head coach,

which is why I say the middle step was good.

But, yeah, this is about to be my life for however long I end up playing for.

So I was like, why not get a head start now and experience this before,

you know, I take that next step.

Yeah.

So you have to balk again.

No, I'm just kidding.

So, Georgia, on the Courtside Club, we like to take a little halftime break.

And for this halftime, I want to take it back to your roots.

So I want to take it back to Australia.

And I have some words.

They're English words, but they're like Australian phrases.

And I want to see if you can tell me the definition of them.

Yep.

Okay, so the first one, I have ankle biter.

It's a kid.

A child.

So you really just call them that?

Like, oh, look at the little ankle biter?

I think more, like, obviously just like novelty.

But I think it's more.

Small and annoying.

Okay, so what about a bludger?

I haven't heard that.

But is it someone that's just, like, full of crap?

Or just, like, someone that's lazy?

Yeah.

That's what it said online.

Someone who's lazy.

So it's kind of, okay.

What about a furfy?

A furfy's a beer.

A what?

A beer.

Oh, a beer?

Yeah.

Is it?

It's a brand of beer.

That's what I'm.

Oh, okay, okay, okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

And again, you're the Australian, so I'm not, like, the internet can say whatever they

want.

It says stories that are untrue, like a fake story is called a furfy.

I haven't heard that one.

Also a beer.

Yeah.

Okay.

What about a piece of piss?

A piece of piss.

Something that's, like, easy.

Okay.

This is easy, but the word piss can be used in, like, Australian language is so contextual.

It's like, oh, I don't know.

It's not even funny.

Okay.

Like, it can work in views for many different things.

Okay.

Like, give me another example.

Can I use that word or is this piss?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

So a piece, like, a piece of piss, something is easy.

You could be on the piss, which means that you're drinking alcohol.

You could be, like, pissed while on the piss means, like, you could be angry while drinking

alcohol.

Like.

Okay.

You could be.

Like, if you have some, like, winner's piss, you're drinking after, like, it's, like, you're

celebrating a championship.

Like, drinking a beer.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You could just be drinking a beer too after there's a championship.

Yeah.

I mean, not only soldering a Racquard pot, but drinking burnt ones over the back doors,

as an dealership, like, drinking out of the trophie.

The trophie?

Yeah, with a ferfie!

Yeah.

You've...

Yeah.

Wait.

I'm not even gonna try.

But yeah, you know what I'm saying.

Okay.

Interesting.

Okay, so next we have a sickie.

To fake being sick, like, Chuck a sickie is to, like, get out of work.

Ah, have you ever chucked a sickie for practice?

Oh yeah.

trash cans over there if you need to throw up

yeah okay so what about maccas maccas that's just mcdonald's maccas okay yeah

do you guys like mcdonald's over there is it better in australia or in the states it's it's

better in australia but i will tell you kfc in australia is next level huh i didn't even know

you guys had it over there okay so what about footy footy i grew up playing footy so that's

like our football like football like and people always are not soccer football it's yeah it's

completely different like its own sport i can't even explain it like you would have to go and

youtube it because my explanations never do it justice so what kind of ball is it is it a round

ball or is it like a football ball it's like a football ball but less sharper like has a little

bit more roundness

like rugby yeah but a little skinnier than a rugby ball okay you have to keep it yeah

oh so that helped you in basketball possibly yeah like dodging and weaving and taking hits yeah

okay and lastly thongs thongs are what you wear on your feet like flip-flops okay it's so funny

because growing up like my first game i wore thongs like i was just subbed on like on my

cousin's team and i was telling that story and i think over here and people are like

just like maybe reword it next time right okay so i brought that up because i actually heard you

tell that story about you were what like five years old and your first game you were wearing

flip-flops or thongs my mom also used to call them thongs we are we are very american but the

ones that like just go through your toes and then split like that like yeah you know that what is it

what are they happy honors or yes exactly yeah okay so i don't think you're that crazy for calling it

that

my mother also used to call it that so maybe it's also an ohio thing i don't know but okay

so let's jump into the rest of the second half growing up in australia how would you compare

the culture of basketball there to the culture of basketball in the states i think that basketball

has grown at home um while i was in it obviously it wasn't as huge as you know the state you know

we don't have college scholarships you know it's semi-pro and pro so it's a bit more cutthroat um i

think that's a good thing to say growing up like i had a lot more harder coaching um i was in a lot

more like cutthroat systems honesty was huge um and just like we didn't have a gazillion teams

playing at circuits we didn't even have circuits so it's like if you were making a team like you

were legit you know like that it wasn't just playing you know where you live um so i think

you know and in the states you know everyone has highlight tapes everyone has instagram everyone

gets put on social media and obviously it's not just like you know you're not going to be able to

it's cool to grow the game but i think you know from a mental standpoint like australians are

generally maybe a bit more hard-nosed tougher like team camaraderie um kind of than like the

individual showcase of you know american talent if that makes more like system basketball a little

more yeah so how in the world do you get college coaches in the states to see you play i literally

had to make a national team

like that's how like little it was when i was growing up and it's changed like obviously now

people have travel teams or people can use social media um but i literally had to make a national

team go all the way to belarus um play in a world championship get noticed oh wow wow so could could

it be fair to say that maybe we're missing out on some talent that's over there that doesn't get to

that level or do you think yeah say there's like maybe like hidden ones um obviously like who you

are as a teenager isn't who you are as like an adult like you can develop and you can grow um i

think it's just a different type of player you know australians um and i think a lot of them also

don't want to go to college like a lot of them just want to end up playing pro um so it's it's

tough to it's really tough to say um but yeah like if you want to go to a good american school like

obviously you have to like be on the national teams you have to be on like high level um

you know visit visibility i guess like it's i would say there are a lot of people who are

like i was hidden for sure like the way that they found me and developed me like it was

absolutely unbelievable um so yeah there's definitely still people out there like that

for sure so you were also on the national team this past summer you talked about it a little

bit that you played in china what was that experience like yeah it was unbelievable um

obviously you know to be on a team where they're going through like olympic selections obviously

is an honor in itself um but you know those girls and those team were that they're great

first of all but you know like i grew up watching lauren jackson i grew up idolizing her you know

when we played in seattle for the sweet 16 elite eight we play in seattle's arena her jerseys

retired like she was on that team so to just be around her and get a chance to touch the court

with her was unforgettable um and then you have someone like kayla george who you know has bounced

around the league who stuck on the aces team and want to ring with them you know they're all so

um experienced with you know playing obviously in different levels overseas and

just being you know the faces and such great role models but to see them you know as people

operating um how they go about getting ready for games you know how they incorporate pilates or

whatever into their into their lifts like it was really cool to see that that's eventually what i'm

going to have to transition to when i'm not doing you know college lifts or something yeah what i'm

taking from you when you talk about how you have developed your game you feel like a sponge like

you're just soaking in knowledge constantly

wherever you go and it seems like you pick up on those little things which i think was going to be

so helpful for you as you continue because it does come down to when you get to that highest level

it is the little things how can you make this little adjustment how can you get a little faster

how can you get a little bit stronger but with the national team again i know you won a gold medal

wouldn't you 16 team uh i won a gold medal yeah you 16 in the asia qualifiers in india and then

because we qualified we went to the worlds and we got bronze

okay so do you want to get back to a stage like that do you have you see olympics absolutely and

i think you know the way that it's set up you know to be at the age in olympic selection where

the olympics you know are in la than in brisbane like oh yeah i didn't realize that yeah it's it's

it's pretty cool um and obviously it is a goal of mine but the talent that we have is just

unbelievable and you know sandy brondello is a great coach and she just signed on for the

four more i think it was four more years or the next term um so i think it's it's in a really really

great position yeah yeah we have a few more years that would be so exciting before i let you go i

want to reflect on your college career a little bit more so who's the toughest player that you've

had to guard you can go any year well if you want to talk about the worlds like that whole usa team

was stacked you want to talk about having like page az as i cook uh i think celeste taylor was

like that team was insane jordan horston um but in college if i have people that i remember that

just lit us up and i don't mean like personally but like playing against him and you're like oh

my god like it like um bell from when she was at florida gulf coast she just went crazy and

obviously eliminated us first round that was insane um and then i mean coming to the sec you

is hard to guard because she's the way that she plays is so unique and she's a glue for that for

that team um but you know we in the acc you know you just play against notre dame and like that

whole team is difficult because it's like just pick one yeah i would say like not to guard but

i think the best player that i would want on my team if i had the choice i sonja citron give me

her right now because offensively and defensively she's just so solid so i think like the person

hard to guard hardest to guard me was her okay that's what i was gonna ask you next is who's the

toughest player that has guarded you so would you say her yeah sony yeah she's gonna be fun to watch

at the next level as well yeah like it was so irritating because you do a move and she's just

so stone face and she's like she never gets herself out of position she never gambles

it was like she would guard that move she like try again like she is so quiet too she's just

you don't expect it from her because sometimes you know the people who are doing the most are

getting hyper getting screaming yelling she's just yeah yeah what is the what is the toughest

gym that you've had to play in so like i played in the sold out lsu that's tough i don't know

what's tough you know playing out it playing in a gym like that sold out lsu um or playing in the

gym like missouri where it's stone cold not many people there

yeah like tougher it's hard to get up for those games yeah yeah so besides tech and kentucky who

has the craziest fan base i think just from like seeing it maybe like at nc state have like maybe

the most consistent fan base the ones that show up but i'll never forget you know when we're playing

in seattle or we played in the li tip off the way that iowa fans traveled was unbelievable

anywhere you have a player like caitlyn clark you're gonna follow to watch those games um

so yeah maybe maybe those two yeah cool and what game has been the most meaningful for you

i know it might be hard to pick one i mean obviously the acc tournament championship

against louisville um my junior year would be like a specific game yeah i mean we we had a

conference championship tournament championship and it's kind of different like we won a conference

tournament last year and obviously you have to win so many games but like we ended up securing

that position with like two or three games left in the season so it was kind of like not that we

forgot about it but like winning a game celebrating after getting the trophy like that succession like

events afters was a hit home that like oh we won something yeah that's awesome okay so before i let

you go i know you're heading into practice soon i have some buzzer beaters for you so who is

you?

one person that you would love to see sitting courtside at your game

oh probably like trinity rodman okay i like that i love you so much

okay not footy soccer yes who is one person dead or alive that you would love to sit courtside with

oh my gosh these are i've never been asked this before now i'm thinking about it too much

honestly probably someone like anthony edwards just to hear whatever's out of his mouth watching

the game

yeah he's honestly seems hilarious

okay and what is one event in history that you would have loved to have been courtside for

this could be a sporting event or other i just want to see the first wmba game period

like the first game that'd be like pretty cool yeah i don't even know who would be

a part of that was like nancy lieberman in that opening season because i know she was like playing

she was playing with the

men for a while. Yeah. And then maybe she was a part of that. Yeah. Yeah. It would be cool to see

how it's, how it's come to where it is today. Well, Georgia, thank you so much for coming on

courtside club. Let everyone know where they can find you and anything they should be looking out

for. Yeah. I mean, my Instagram is just Georgia Amor and that's all I use. Perfect. Easy.

Of course. Good luck the rest of the way. We will definitely be tapped in. Thank you.