Angel McCoughtry
speaker
974 appearances
8 recordings
1 series
first heard Apr 2025
last heard 18 Nov
Angel McCoughtry’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
Trend
recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 6 in all, peaking in Nov 2025 with 3.
Appearances
And a lot of people don't know that. Because I did not play in the beginning. I might have averaged, you can look at the stats, I might have averaged maybe like less than 10 minutes. So you just had to stay ready for your moment. I was ready for the moment. I was pissed, but I stayed ready. And that's the key to the kids. You stay ready for your moment. It doesn't matter what you're going through.
You stay ready.
Not during that time. Later on, I wound up getting vets that kind of took like a Tamika Catchings. She was a great vet for me. Taj McWilliams was great because I had gone through a lot in my career. And Taj was one who really encouraged me during my career. So those kind of vets. So I always said to myself, as much as I went through in the WBA, I got to be that kind of vet to these kids.
I make sure, even if I'm not in the WBA right now, I'm constantly hitting up kids, DMing them, you good? If you want tears at ACL, because I tore mine twice, you know what it's like. Yeah, totally.
Constantly helping the kids.
You know, behind the scenes.
Always. I had that chip from being in Louisville. Louisville was not in the top 25 before I got there, ever. Louisville had never been past the first round of the tournament, ever. Louisville was not a name in women's basketball. It was Rick Pitino in basketball, and it was football. People were like, why are you going to Louisville when I signed? I'm like, I feel something. That's all I can say.
Young kid, I just knew that's where I was supposed to be. So I always had this chip. I remember I went to the men's game. I saw all the fans. I'm like, I can't wait to have my first college game tomorrow. 18,000 seat arena, it was 500 people. It looked like two people was in there. And I said to one of the upperclassmen, I said, where's everybody? She's like, this is it. And I'm like, what?
I said to myself, this is going to change. By my senior year, sold out crowds, 18,000 full. And this is before like the new, the new new of now. And we did it. From having that chip on my shoulder. So when I got to the NBA, I always had that, you know what I'm saying?
Um... I think, as far as me individually, I needed to be a more mature player during that time. And maybe what we needed was just a little more, just one more piece. You know, Sue Bird, she was an experienced star. I was a young star. She had all her pieces around her. They deserved it. The Lynx had an all-star team. You know what I'm saying? How can you beat them with all the talent they had?
We didn't have nearly as much talent, but we were always scrappy, kind of like the Louisville team. We didn't have the talent, but scrappy and worked harder than everyone else. That's how we got there. But we needed another piece. Obviously, Tiffany Hayes came in and was like a second piece for me. Don't forget Sancho Little, Erica D'Souza, Iziana Castro. They were all like amazing.
But we just needed one more like go-getter to get it. So, dang, a lot of my career is like went to the finals, fell short, went to the finals, fell short. But I can't take away the amazing career that it's just been amazing. And those are like... I feel like if I do get on a team now, I feel like I could be the piece to know what it takes to win it. Because I've watched how they won it.
I've watched these teams. I saw what they did. I saw the mentality. I saw how they played. So I kind of know what it takes to get there. So if I do get on the team now, I feel like I can help them with that missing piece to finish and win a championship. Because I feel like I know now what you got to do to actually win it, if that makes sense. What do you got to do to win it? What does it take?
It takes, number one, teams that pat each other on the back the most and have great chemistry, you're there. You know, talent, you got to have the talent. And you got to mix experience with young. You don't have all old team or you don't have all young team. You don't win like that. You got to have a mix of both. So in the league, it's a lot of young teams that maybe need a vet.
That's how you win.
I can't wait another year. I'm almost 40. Do I still have it? Yes. Is my body still in shape? Yes. If I get picked up this year, I have three years left. If I don't, I'm going to call it because I can't wait another year to get in the league. So I'm going to call it. And that's going to be it.
I am. Do you have closure around that? I didn't for a long time. I was really depressed for like three years. I've been depressed. Like I didn't leave the house. I couldn't watch the game. I had lost my identity. But I think now I've learned your identity is more than basketball. You can't shut yourself down because of a game. And now you see I'm getting out more. I'm starting to go to games more.
I've healed a little bit. I do want to finish on the court. But if not, I'm starting to get that closure like it's okay. It's going to be all right. You can move on to the next thing knowing that you did give your all every game. I never played for money. I made $44,000 as a number one pick. So we're not playing for money. I work my butt off as if I made a million. And I'm very proud of that.
Yeah, I'm so proud of you.
And I had never been injured ever in my career. I thought I was strong and I was invincible. Nobody can guard me. That's what you think when you're young. Girl runs into my leg. I fall and I'm like, dang, this hurts. And then I get up and I walk away. I'm like, I'm gonna be out for two weeks. I have a sprain. That's what I'm thinking. Because I've seen people tear their ACL. I've seen it in person.
Showing 921–940 of 974 · page 47 of 49
← Previous
Next →