Liberty’s Julie Vanloo nearly records triple-double after almost quitting WNBA dream

“I’m a bit overwhelmed. It was a tough week,” Vanloo said after flirting with a triple-double. “I’m a little bit overwhelmed, and I’m just trying to take it all in. That’s it, just being raised, trying to stay positive, trying to stay confident. I had a lot of conversations with my family, my close people, I really wanted to give up and go home, because I was exhausted from a long season overseas and from giving everything I had in training camp [in LA]. And so I was just like, ‘am I gonna give up or no?’ Like, do I need some time at home to just reset? But then I said, ‘No.’ My mom said, also, you’re not a quitter. So I didn’t do it, and I’m super thankful for this organization. It’s like my anxiety just went away, and I just feel super free, liberated. It feels good.”

The talk occurred after Vanloo’s agent told her the Liberty would be interested in signing her.

The Belgian stayed ready by hooping at courts on the famous Venice Beach.

“It’s my favorite place to be,” she said. “I also have a penny skateboard, and I just go there and, like, just be kid again.”

Indeed, Vanloo looked ready.

She knocked down her first shot of the night after coming off the bench — a 26-foot three-pointer assisted by French rookie Pauline Astier.

“The first shot I made was like a full relief, because I just really came off with just some — I don’t know. It was just I couldn’t be myself before that. And I’m an emotional player. Everybody knows that,” she said.

Vanloo credited new Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco for instilling confidence in her throughout the process. She said she felt like ” I played under him for longer than maybe a year.”

The new system the coach is implementing also made Vanloo’s addition seamless.

“They just share the ball really well. Play uptempo basketball,” she said. “There’s a lot of spacing, a lot of movement, just because you have players like JJ, she can shoot, she can go inside, outside. Stewie, the same thing, they can handle the ball. It’s just, I mean, there’s nothing like it. I just, I’m like, I knew it was good, but I was like, ‘whoa, OK. Like, this is easy.’ And then also, like playing with Marine, I know how to play with her. I know what she thinks. So it’s just easy.”

The breakout performance was great for Vanloo’s confidence. And her opportunity in New York isn’t for proving doubters wrong. She just wants to do her job.

“I think I belong to the WNBA, that’s for sure,” she said. “That’s the thing that I wanted to show but I didn’t even come here to prove a point. I came here to play basketball, to help out an organization, a big organization that I once dreamed of playing [for]. I never thought I could.”