PHOENIX On the court next to the Phoenix Mercury’s practice on Thursday at the Verizon 5G Performance Center, Kia Nurse dashes back and forth. After a brief pause, she gets on a stationary cycle and pedals at a light-to-medium speed while encouraging her colleagues as they compete in sets against male practice players with her hands free.
The former UConn standout eventually joins them for shooting practice. She effortlessly swishes in midrange shots. After that, 3-pointers. She also dribbles into some pull-up jumpers as she starts to regain her flow. She is obviously thrilled to be included in the action.
Nurse, a 6-foot guard, suffered a right ACL injury against the Las Vegas Aces in Game 4 of the WNBA semifinals last year. She has been back on the court for a time, but has only recently begun to progressively add more movement and direction changes. She made her first layup try again last week, replicating the shot that caused the knee injury.
As Nurse said to The Courant on Thursday, “a lot of it is kind of getting over the mental hump of you can do this or you can jump back on a box with an ACL leg.”
Therefore, it has probably been the most difficult aspect of it. However, it has been extremely enjoyable to sort of be able to join the team in some practice exercises and other activities.
Getting some shots in the Phoenix Mercury practice are Diana Taurasi and Kia Nurse.
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Kia Nurse is still hurt, right?
The Phoenix Mercury have re-signed Canadian Kia Nurse, the team announced on Saturday.
The 25-year-old from Hamilton, Ontario, played her first season with Phoenix after being traded from the New York Liberty, where she had spent the previous three seasons, where she averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
According to a press release from Mercury GM Jim Pitman, Kia Nurse had the ideal toughness, shooting, and high basketball IQ we were looking for in a trade for her in 2021. Because of how hard she has worked and rehabilitated this offseason, we are confident that Kia is the kind of person and player we want to keep as a part of the Mercury family and we can’t wait to welcome her back for 2022. Losing her to injury last October undoubtedly hindered our efforts in the Finals, and we know it hurt Kia to be unable to assist her team.
After tearing her ACL in Game 4 of the WNBA semifinals against the Las Vegas Aces in October, Nurse underwent surgery on her right knee and is now healing. According to the team, the 2019 All-Star wing is anticipated to play again this coming season.
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Has Kia Nurse given up playing basketball?
In The Valley of the Sun, Kia Nurse will run it. On Saturday, the Phoenix Mercury revealed that Nurse had renewed his contract with the team.
Has Kia Nurse left the WNBA?
Nurse and the Mercury coaching staff are aiming for a comeback some time during the second half of the WNBA season, though Nurse wants to keep any particular dates private to avoid outside expectations given the number of factors at play.
“Vanessa Nygaard, the head coach of the Mercury, stated on Friday that include her in the drills is somewhat of a tease. ” I am eager. At this stage, the countdown is more prominent than the ascent. I’m ecstatic to see her again.
“I believed we were firing on all cylinders last year heading into game four against Vegas,” Taurasi said.
It was [Kia’s] first year, and she was just beginning to really find her footing. And that injury was horrible for both her and us individually.
“And you know, rehab is really difficult. It was just amazing to see her returning and returning to the court. It is tiresome and it happens every day. And she has consistently criticized it. However, Kia is who she is.
The nurse is happy to report that she can count the really challenging parts of the rehabilitation process on one hand. One of those occurred as she sat in her bedroom, attempting to make sense of what had just transpired, just after she was hurt. She had never before experienced a serious injury; she had never even had knee issues.
“Nurse remembers telling herself, “You can feel sad, you can feel sorry for yourself for 24 hours.” “Following that, you must begin working and the recovery process.
Still unable to play on the court herself, Nurse continued her rehabilitation throughout the fall and winter “She needed a basketball fix for her job as a TSN analyst. She has been a part of the network’s professional basketball coverage since 2020, even participating as a color analyst in the first NBA telecast featuring only women in March 2021.
“It was enjoyable to observe NBA players in action and learn from what they do in their games as well as what I might incorporate into my own, said Nurse. ” I believe that viewing the game through a new lens and verbalizing what I perceive definitely helps me as a player.
Nurse paid close attention to how different teams tried to stop Raptors guard Fred VanVleet and how he reacted because she found similarities between her style and his. They both come off stagger screens and use pin downs to generate open shots. In order to learn how to build his own shot, Nurse also enjoyed watching Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.
Nurse contributed to TSN’s coverage of the NCAA Tournament as well. She has contributed to their March Madness coverage in prior years, but this was the first time they had a full-control show with reviews and analysis of the women’s game before, during, and after each game.
In their little time together, Nygaard has noticed Nurse’s basketball IQ and perspective, which enable her to succeed in those broadcasting roles. Friday’s shootaround ended with Nurse assisting the Mercury coaching staff in timing a game-winning play. While the team was playing, she was also active on the bench.
“According to Nygaard, your understanding improves the longer you play. ” Additionally, I believe that her work as a broadcaster for the Raptors has given her a unique perspective on the game. She has spent her entire career with the Canadian national team. She is simply a highly astute player. She poses the appropriate queries.
Nygaard said that Nurse has improved her shooting, taking use of her time away to give her game a new element of range. The Mercury staff excitedly anticipates her return and the potential effects it may have on the defense, rebounding, and overall team harmony. It’s safe to assume Nurse is anticipating that day as well.
“Rehab has been excellent. The past seven and a half months have been very uneventful, according to Nurse. ” While it has occasionally been tedious and irritating, it has also been extremely amazing to watch as I gradually learn new skills that are more in line with how I used to play the game. It’s quite thrilling. So let’s move on.
Tina Charles, a different former UConn standout currently playing for the Phoenix Mercury, sat out Friday night’s matchup with the Connecticut Sun. With a right shoulder injury, Charles was listed as out of commission. It’s uncertain how seriously injured the 6-4 center is and when she’ll be able to play again. Charles has played in nine games for the Mercury thus far this season, averaging 15.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists.
Kia Nurse is she quitting TSN?
The Phoenix Mercury have extended their contract with Canadian basketball player Kia Nurse, the organization announced on Saturday.
The native of Hamilton is recovering from an ACL tear she suffered in the WNBA playoffs in October.
In her first season with the Mercury, Nurse, 25, averaged 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists over 32 games.
Kia Nurse delivered the tenacity, shooting, and high basketball IQ that general manager Jim Pitman had hoped for when he acquired her via trade in 2021, according to a statement. “Losing her to injury last October undoubtedly hindered our efforts in the Finals, and we are aware that it hurt Kia to be unable to assist her team, but the way she worked and recovered this offseason solidified for us that she is the kind of person and player we want to continue as a part of the Mercury family, and we are eager to welcome her back for 2022.
The New York Liberty were where Nurse played for the first three years of her WNBA career.
What has made Kia Nurse well-known?
In 2011, Kia Nurse made her Team Canada debut at the U-16 FIBA Americas Championship. She led her team to the bronze medal the next year while serving as team captain at the U-17 FIBA World Championship, averaging 13.6 points per game. She averaged 10 points per game in 2013 during her first season with the senior national team, helping Canada finish second and earn a spot in the 2014 FIBA World Championship. Nurse, the team’s youngest player, participated in all seven games as the Canadian women finished fifth, their best placing since 1986.
Nurse had the chance to represent Canada once more in 2015, winning gold at the FIBA Americas Championship and the Pan American Games in Toronto, which qualified the team for Rio 2016. Nurse led Canada in scoring at the Pan Am Games, averaging 13.6 points per contest for a total of 68 points, including a surreal 33 points against the United States in the gold medal match. She won the position of Canada’s Closing Ceremony flag bearer thanks to her performance. She also held the top spot at the FIBA Americas, scoring 78 points overall on a 13.0 point per game average.
Nurse led Canada in playing time (2:33:20) and scoring (66 points), averaging 11.0 points per game in her Olympic debut at Rio 2016. With an average of 21.1 minutes and 10.5 points per game, Nurse was a major factor in Canada winning the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup. She placed third overall and third in points per game (18.2) at the 2018 FIBA World Cup (109).
Nurse led Canada into a FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2019 by averaging 15.7 points per game while starting each of the three games of the FIBA Olympic Prequalifying Tournament. She contributed to Canada’s third consecutive women’s basketball Olympic berth in February 2020 by averaging 16 points, six rebounds, and four assists as Canada went 3-0 in Belgium. With 39 points and the highest playing time of any team memberan average of 36.1 minutes per gameNurse led Team Canada in scoring at Tokyo 2020.
Nurse made a commitment to play for the University of Connecticut Huskies, the two-time defending NCAA champions, after winning three consecutive Ontario high school championships. She rapidly assumed a starting back court position during her first year at UConn and contributed significantly to the team’s NCAA championship victories in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, she was named ACC Freshman of the Year. In her junior and senior years, she advanced to the final four, and in 2017 and 2018, she was named the ACC Player of the Year and the D1 Defensive Player of the Year.
The New York Liberty selected Nurse with the fifth overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft. Before signing up with the Phoenix Mercury in 2021, she played there for three seasons and was an All-Star in 2019. She competed in the Australian WNBL for two seasons, helping the Canberra Capitals to back-to-back league titles and earning 2020 league MVP honors.
Basketball was her first sport when she was 4 years old, and she played with her sister and parents as a child. Outside Interests: 2018 University of Connecticut graduate… enjoys watching Netflix and hanging around with friends and family… “Respect All, Fear None” is the favorite motto of Odds and Ends. Darnell Nurse, the brother, plays for the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL.
Are Darnell Nurse and Kia related?
The Nurse family, one of Canada’s most athletic and competitive families, continues its never-ending sports trip.
As a member of Canada’s basketball team, Kia Nurse, the sister of Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse, hopes to increase her bragging rights over her big brother by returning home with an Olympic gold from Rio de Janeiro.
She told Canada’s 570 News that “obviously we have the ambition to go in there and grab a medal. I think need to play extremely hard together and peak at the perfect time. So, in my opinion, the Olympics were where we played our best basketball in the last four years.
Kia is among the finest collegiate basketball players in the United States as well as the Great White North. She assisted in leading the legendary women’s basketball squad of the University of Connecticut to NCAA titles both in 2014 and 2015.
Who has ever been the richest WNBA player?
top-earning WNBA athletes
- Deborah Taurasi Mercury Phoenix. $228,094.
- Seattle Storm Jewell Loyd $228 094
- Seattle Storm Breanna Stewart $228 094
- Connecticut DeWanna Bonner Sun. $227,900.
- Phoenix Mercury; Skylar Diggins-Smith.
- Heather Griner Venus Mercury
- Delle Donne, Elena Mystics of Washington
- Natasha Howard. Brooklyn Liberty
Are Sarah Nurse and Kia related?
Despite her accomplishment, Sarah’s parents never fully understood her position with Hockey Canada. Sarah attended her first centralization tryout camp with the Canadian national team last year, where the Olympic team was selected.
“Roger Nurse told me that there are some kids who just go throughthey’re the best players, they attend every camp, every occasion, every Four Nations (competition), and every worlds tournament.
For Sarah, it resembled a struggle. It was a fight regardless of how good you thought she was or how well she was doing.
“And, you know, she’s still standing, which is a fantastic monument to her resolve to endure it, he continued.
Being a part of a family with lots of competition contributes to some of that resiliency. Darnell Nurse of the Edmonton Oilers and Kia Nurse of the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team, both of whom represented Canada in basketball at the 2016 Rio Olympics, are Sarah’s cousins.
Issac Nurse, Sarah’s younger brother, is a right winger with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League.
For the Dundas Blues of the Provincial Junior Hockey League of Canada, left wing Elijah Nurse plays.
Isaac Nurse, Sarah Nurse’s brother, competes in the OHL for the Hamilton Bulldogs (Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images).
A well-known Canadian lacrosse player, her father was. The father of Kia and her uncle Richard NurseDarnell was a wide receiver for the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Donovan McNabb, a former quarterback in the National Football League, is related.
Sarah Nurse expressed pride in her family’s athletic heritage to CBC Sports, emphasizing that “I came here to forge my own course.
When giving hockey advise, Roger Nurse occasionally needs to be reminded of it by his kids.
“She would look at me and say, “Dad, you never played a game of NCAA hockey,” when I would mention a game she would play at Wisconsin, according to Roger Nurse. “Furthermore, Isaac used to remark to me, “Dad, you never played a game in the Ontario Hockey League.” taken as true.