Now that the basics for a road trip have been established, there is one stark difference between traveling WNBA players and NBA players.

Motherhood.

When traveling is as necessary for a player’s business as nurturing a young child is for maternity, it can make for a difficult situation, but the Monarchs mothers handle it in stride.

Mothers have an innate need to worry about and ensure the well-being of their children, while dads generally leave the childcare duties at home with their spouse.

The Monarchs have three mothers. Yolanda Griffith has a daughter— Candace, who recently graduated from high school. Scholanda Robinson has a daughter — Aishida, who now is four years old and an excellent dancer for her age! The most recent mother is DeMya Walker who also has a daughter - Zachara, who recently turned one and is a regular on the sidelines in her mother's arms, while DeMya recovers from a knee injury.

Candace was old enough to know when Yo arrived in Sacramento that road trips really aren't that exciting.

"It was tough in the beginning when I first arrived here because it was just Candace and me," Griffith said, reflecting on 1999. "Eventually I moved my family up here to help me. My life takes a lot of balance. Parenting comes first and basketball comes second. You’re going to always be a parent. Basketball comes and goes. I had a lot of help as far as when I had to travel and Candace was (in Sacramento). I was able to find a babysitter when I traveled. You still have concerns but having help makes it a little easier to focus on your job."

Aishida has yet to travel with Scholanda. Fortunately she can rely on her husband to take care of their daughter while Mommy is on the road or playing in another country.

"As a parent, you want to be there for your child as much as you can," Scho said. "You want to give them as much as you can. You want to be around them. You want to be able to teach them the things that you want instilled in them. I’m so grateful that I have a terrific husband who is a great father. We’re on the same page and I think that’s what’s important. We have the same beliefs about discipline and many other ideas. She learns a lot of the same things from her dad that she would learn from me. I don’t worry about her well-being because my husband is the best."

Zachara is the one who has ultimately become the team baby. As Scho says, if anything ever comes up on the road and DeMya needs help, "she has 13 aunties to look after her." Even though Zachara joined the Monarchs on the road last season, her presence was taken in stride. No crying, no baby formula problems, no baby basket issues. She was just another member of the close-knit group of women, who also happen to be among the elite basketball players in the world.

"It’s right in the flow of everything so it’s easy," Scho said of having Zachara on the road with the team. "Its second nature and DeMya’s a good mom."

As all mothers do, the Monarchs love to talk about their bundles of joy.

"We talk about the little milestones and the funny things that our kids do," Robinson said, smiling ear to ear. "My daughter is something else! She’s a character! She’s full of personality, so she always has a story that I can tell that is so funny. I share that with my teammates a lot because they all know her. She was around last season and they like to hear about her progress and what not. Definitely when she’s not here, I pass on the funny stories because they’re hilarious."

The Monarchs are tremendous athletes, entertaining players, but most importantly they are unbelievably caring and fostering women. While their hardships are brought upon by the nature of their profession, they wouldn't have it any other way. The players realize how fortunate they are to be in the WNBA. Sure they would enjoy a few less sleepless nights due to turbulence or late night children's nightmares, but in the end, their love for their young ones perseveres as they play the game they love to generate the best possible life for their daughters.

As Sophocles once wrote, “Children are the anchors that hold a mother to life.” Luckily, for the fans of the game, the mothers of the WNBA are the anchors that hold the game to life.

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