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The Golden State Valkyries have officially started their first season in the WNBA, and Tiffany Hayes is playing a key role in the newly formed team. As training camp began on Sunday, the Valkyries will be looking to build a strong foundation with players who will be playing together for the first time.
Hayes spoke with ESPN reporter Kendra Andrews on what it will take to build Golden State into a successful franchise.
"We have to lock in on those little things because we're just getting started together," guard Tiffany Hayes said. "We have to build our foundation so that in the future we know what we're coming from.
"It's very important to [find an identity early], and the way to do that is to be yourself and just do that to the best of your abilities. When you do that, everybody knows where they need to be, and they know what they are going to get from me, and me from them."
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The Golden State Valkyries are the first expansion team to enter the league since the Atlanta Dream joined in 2008.
Atlanta was able to find success rather quickly as it reached its first WNBA finals in just two years and then went on to play in three finals series within the first six years of formation. Tiffany Hayes was drafted by the Atlanta Dream and helped lead the franchise to the 2013 finals.
The Dream set a good example of how quickly an expansion team can reach the height of the league if they're able to establish their identity. Golden State coach Natalie Nakase believes the players the team brought in during the expansion draft are the type of players that will set the foundation of what the franchise is trying to be.
Tiffany Hayes hopes to build chemistry with Golden State with a trip to Alcatraz
Tiffany Hayes spoke to the media following the first day of training camp and expressed her unique idea to build chemistry and bond with the team, as she told reporters that she wants to take the team on a tour to Alcatraz.
"The first thing I want to take them to is [Alcatraz]," Hayes said. "We going to Alcatraz for sure as a tea. We got to do that one ... I'm not trying to have nightmares. I'm trying to have a little fun and learn a little something that's it."
Tiffany Hayes signed a one-year deal in free agency with Golden State to join former Las Vegas Aces teammate Kate Martin, who was drafted by the Valkyries in the league's expansion draft.
Golden State will hope to establish its identity within its first two preseason games before opening the season against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 16.
