by Karen Day

DWHoops: What's your role on the Fever going to be this year, so far as you can tell?

Alison Bales: Well, it's been changing because it takes a while to get all the veterans back in camp. I think we finally have all the post players, but we're still missing one guard [Sheri Sam], she should be here tomorrow I think. But we're going over roles this week. So far I'm playing some good minutes, I started one of the preseason games, I've come off the bench in the other ones, was the first post in the second one. I don't know, it's hard to tell because we haven't had everyone in camp, but I think after this week of practice we'll be able to see. I think the coaches are expecting a lot.

DWHoops: What's the biggest adjustment you've had to make so far?

Alison Bales: Just to the professional athlete lifestyle I guess. You know, there's no school, you just go to practice and then you're done for the day, or you have your little media, or we went to a Habitat for Humanity home once, and some other stuff, just appearances and such. It's basketball, you have some free time at night, I think once we get into the season and travel it will be a lot less. So far it's been nice, we've had a couple two-a-days, but it's mainly practice. Spending some quality time in Conseco [Fieldhouse].

DWHoops: How does your family feel about your being so close to home? Excited?

Alison Bales: Yeah, my family is loving it. My parents bought two season tickets already.

DWHoops: I saw your grandparents here tonight...

Alison Bales: My grandparents live about an hour away, so I've got family pretty much an hour from here North, West, East two hours.

DWHoops: And your cousin brought her whole AAU team tonight?

Alison Bales: Oh, did she bring the whole team? I knew there were quite a few of them, I knew a couple of them were coming. We're doubling the fan base here!

DWHoops: What was the emotion of playing your first official game with Lindsey [Harding] on the other team?

Alison Bales: You know, it was weird. We went out to dinner last night and just caught up, kinda talked, and it was weird when we were leaving, we're like, "Well, see you on the court tomorrow," like not good luck because you're obviously playing us. I don't know, it was different. We played Mo [Currie] in Chicago and it was kind of the same thing, you know, "My team," but I'm adjusting, I really like all the girls here in Indiana and it's going well, miss my Dukies though!

DWHoops: Is it different playing with Ann [Strother] on your team than on the other side of the court?

Alison Bales: True, true, Ann and Tasha, I played against both of them in college, it's a little different but it's cool, the WNBA is a little bit more...um...you become friends with a lot of people on different teams, you know them from before, from college or whatever, and before the game or the night after the game visit and stuff.

DWHoops: Have you talked to Ann about the fact that her last college game was ostensibly your best college game?

Alison Bales: No (laughing), we haven't talked about that yet. There is a little bit...you know Nicole Wolff was here and she played at Connecticut too, it's funny weird, you know all just hanging out, just Connecticut and Duke...it's all good times.

LINDSEY HARDING

DWHoops: What's it like spending the evening throwing the first ball out for the Minnesota Twins?

Lindsey Harding: Oh it's fun. I had the opportunity to meet all the players and they gave us a Twins uniform - jersey tops with our last names on the back and a #1 on it, and it was really good because my teammate Seimone [Augustus] threw it in the dirt and I threw a complete strike. It was a good experience to see the crowds of people up there and they were cheering...I've never been one that was big into baseball but it was all that.

DWHoops: How is it being on Seimone's team rather than on the other end of the court?

Lindsey Harding: It's good - you know, this game, you really can't do much about because we made mistakes that we just hadn't made throughout the year in practice. I know a lot of it had to do with jitters, you know, first game...but it's fun playing with her. You pretty much know what you're going to get from her every game, and it's great to have a player like that, knowing that she's going to get her 15, whatever, and everything else.

DWHoops: How did it feel tonight the first time you went into the paint and saw Alison there?

Lindsey Harding: Well, she didn't block me, she's never blocked me. Ali has never once, I'll put that on record, Alison's never blocked me. I will take a charge, I will take a carry, I will take a travel before I let her block me. No, it's great to see her out there playing, she deserves to be out there. She had a couple good blocks tonight too, playing her game, and had the opportunity to be close to home. We went out to dinner at Hard Rock Cafe last night, and it was great, so it's good to play against her.

DWHoops: I told her I was looking forward to seeing her set one of her picks on you...

Lindsey Harding: (laughing) Oh no she wasn't, I knew her, I knew her, I've been around her too many years for her to try to set that on me.

DWHoops: How is the offensive scheme in Minnesota different from Duke? There seem to be a lot more pro-style clearouts and such rather than a more rigid team-first approach...

Lindsey Harding: Well, in college it's more like you get into the plays and run all the plays through and everything, and here it's like you can run a play, but if you can take your man, if you see any opening then you have pretty much a green light more frequently, more often to take it and go. It's more free, you have more free chances to do what you want, especially offensively. But defensively it's pretty much the same mindset, helping your teammates out and looking down and pressuring the ball. We have a full court press that reminded me of Duke that we did there, and we want to push the ball - not as much tonight but we want to get more into that style, and that's something I'm used to from Duke.

DWHoops: Do you think going to Italy [with the US Senior National Team] helped you?

Lindsey Harding: Yes, it was a great experience. It kind of helped me before training camp, I was a little nervous after being drafted, uhh, I'm going to be [just] three weeks in training camp, but then playing with the best of the best from the WNBA and holding my own I knew that it definitely would be a little bit easier. It's still tough, practices are hard, but I'm just saying that as far as getting used to everything that it has definitely helped out.

DWHoops: Do you think the Duke/Texas game should be cancelled this fall?

Lindsey Harding: Why should it be cancelled? I think that will be a great game. If the team wants to play against her...Duke has a lot of talent...I don't know as much about Texas's talent but they have a great coach in G so I think it'll be a good game...she'll have a little advantage in that it will be on her home court...I love Coach G but I have to go for my Dukies!

DWHoops Senior Editor Rob Clough contributed to this article.