Notes from B1G WBB Media Days

Casey Harter on what is being carried over from McKeown to Berube: I feel like it’s rather new. I feel like a lot of defensive principles are pretty similar, program to program, but kind of the little detail that she wants us to work on like ball screen defense and specific places to be and how to do certain things are always different. It’s been successful to practice so we’re excited to see it translating games.

Harter on her role as a team leader during a coaching transition: It’s definitely been a transition as you said, but just trying to keep each other accountable, and reiterate what coach wants from us in practice and off the court, just keeping the standard, we have a saying called “Lift the boat.” It just keeps everybody, you know, rising and no one falls behind. So just kind of keeping the standard that she’s set for us.

Visit afsport.lat for more information.

Harter on replacing lost production: We lost a couple big scorers for us, but we also, you know, have some really talented players coming in. We got a couple transfers, we have some freshmen. We’re really excited about this group. We’re excited for this season. And I think we have a good chemistry going on with our team right now, so it’s exciting.

Walton on which newcomers she is most excited to see on the court: I’m looking forward to seeing Lily Carmody on the court. She’s a junior transfer from D.C. She’s gonna bring a lot of experience for us, and she’s pretty versatile. She can play the coin, she can play for it for us. So we’re super excited to see her. get out there on the floor, just run the floor for us, and she’s super physical, so we’re excited. I’d say, um, Camdyn Nelson, she’s a sophomore, transferred from Syracuse. She’s also a point guard, so definitely having another point where out there is fun. She plays really hard, very pretty and tough on defense. I think that double guard [lineups], are gonna be fun to see.

Walton on the identity of the team: Um, I think we’re gonna be very gritty. I think we’re gonna do whatever it takes to win, [be] very defensive focus, have a lot of energy. I feel like we know each other well on and off the court and I think that chemistry is gonna definitely be reflected in our style of play. Um, and kind of just, like, like I said, I feel like all 15 of us are leaders, that’s definitely gonna help because no man calls behind like our “carry the boat” slogan. So, um, I definitely think our identity is still growing and we’re trying to find it because everything’s new, but definitely you can rely on those things from us.

Walton on what she worked on in the offseason: Being more of a point guard. Last year I played with [Caroline Lau] so I was more dominant on and off ball. But sinking into that point guard role and being able to run the new offense and hold my teammates accountable and know all the plays, as well as being able to score and get downhill, are definitely things that I’ve been working on.

Walton on being point guard in a transition offense: . I definitely feel like we do want to play in transition, so definitely having played with [Lau] and kind of knowing how the wing position should be playing [in that system] is gonna help me be the point guard. Our offense is transition and downhill, so we been working on that this preseason. So definitely it’s something that I can play to bring [this season].

Carla Berube on NU’s identity in the B1G: We want to out-tough teams. We want out work teams. You know, we want to make it really hard for you. We’re hanging our hats on our defense, That is, for me, the foundation. If you can play good defense offense can come from that. You know, the offense is always a work in progress, right? You’ve got to really develop that chemistry on the offensive end. So we’ve spent a great deal of time working on our defense and I want B1G opponents or non conference opponents to to not like coming into Welsh Ryan and knowing what it feels like in there, that we’ve got such a great fan base that is behind, and that you’re gonna face some really gritty basketball.

On if there’s added pressure replacing a coach as legendary as Joe McKeown: I don’t think it’s added added pressure. I certainly respect Joe McKeown so much and what he’s done for basketball as a whole, from GW to Northwestern. He’s left an incredible impact on the game. He’s been incredibly supportive and he’s come around and is always asking me how he can help. So, yeah, I mean, I think, there’s enough challenges, and I’m very grateful to take over for a legendary coach who has left the program in a good spot.

On her vision for NU WBB in her tenure: Yeah, to be back in the NCA tournament, to be at the top of the Big Ten conference, to get, you know, Welsh Ryan, packed again with fans that really enjoy watching us play, that there’s a buzz around town about Northwestern Women’s Basketball, that this is a destination. This isn’t a place where players are coming in and out, we want players to stay at Northwestern and really care about, you know, what’s written across their chest. As you said, good things are happening at Northwestern, in athletic from the football stadium, to the softball stadium, too, you know, national championships that we’re winning… I’m grateful to be at the at the helm at this time with this program.

On offseason focuses: We have eight returners and and seven newcomers, what [is] really important is for them to play connected. That doesn’t just happen overnight, you really gotta spend some time together off the court. You got to spend time together on the court, both on the offensive end and for me, specifically on the defensive event, how can you how can you connect? And you connect through through great communication on the court. We’ve been watching a lot of film on our practices. We’ll be playing against our practice players. We will be having a scrimmage, you know, in the next two weeks here. There’s lots to learn from, from those but I think that we’re definitely taking steps forward day in day out. But there’s still a lot of, a lot of room to grow, for us to take this program to another level.

On how Harter emboides the spirit of the team: I think Casey embodies a lot of, certainly what we want Wildcat basketball to be. Casey doesn’t take a play off. You have to actually rip Casey off the floor if she’s actually doing too much. She always wants to be in the gym, he always wants to get better, she’s working out with our guards coach a lot, working on her craft. But she plays incredibly hard. She’s all over the court. She runs hard. She defends hard, she attacks the basket hard. The one thing is I want her to use her voice even more. She certainly is a leader by example, but can she talk more? Absolutely. And I’m looking forward to, helping her find her, her voice even more. She’s an integral part of our team and what we want wildcat basketball to look like, to feel like, and she competes in everything she does.

Around the B1G

Cori Close on if she’s enjoyed the National Championship: I mean, I did enjoy it. I do think I was pretty relaxed and peaceful leading into it, which allowed me to sort of take in all the moments. But someone asked me today how many times I’ve watched the championship game. The answer is zero. I went to Gabriela Jaquez’s graduation party, and her dad had it on. So I watched one quarter, but outside of that, I really did not. I mean, the reality for us is the transfer portal opened the very next day, and so unfortunately, it’s on to the next

On wanting to repeat the process of winning a championship more than the result: Yeah, it’s not focusing on [the result]. That’s really hard. I mean, it’s a discipline to surrender outcomes every day. And as Nick Saban used to say, ‘the outcomes actually are your biggest distraction from greatness.’ And so, just the fact of being able to shut out those expectations and outcomes I think  is really one of the biggest things. That’s a discipline. But I think that as I look back I’ve had to reflect on my own leadership and what they’ve taught me, and it was the commitment to the values. We had a phrase all last year that we continue to use: ‘talent only determines the floor, your character and cohesion will determine your ceiling.’Last year, I asked the team, okay, we all know we have the talent to win. What are the values and commitments that we need to be totally steadfast towards? And they picked work ethic, selflessness, and shutting out outside noise. This group has a different set of calues that they are committing to for the entire year. That’s the key: the commitment and recommitment, Because  all of us lose sight ,and to recommit over and over again to those values, and to truly say, ‘you know what, I’m going to trust that I’m going to surrender outcomes so that I can be fully invested in our process, and trust that if we do that, outcomes will find us.’

Timea Gardner on staying Motivated after winning a Championship:

Yeah, I think we’re not really trying to repeat an outcome. We’re just trying to repeat the process and really just giving everything we can to each and every day, and we have such an amazing group that is committed to do that. So I think that we will let the cards fall where they may.

Sienna Betts on what it means to see successful UCLA Alumns in the pros: It means that Coach Corey’s process really does work, and it means a lot that people come back. Like that says a lot about a program, about a coaching staff. These people want to come back and give back into this program, and they’re very proud of where they came from. And I’m just really, really grateful to be in a program like that. And I hope some of them can come back as well and give back to the players.

Betts and Gardner on their favorite things about each other’s games :

I think my favorite thing about Tamia and how she plays, just how consistent she is, and her leadership is just so amazing, and it has such an effect, and it makes everyone want to step up and go to that level because she is just so neutral every single day, no matter what’s going on, no matter what she can do. She’s coming back from an injury, a long and very hard injury, and you can’t even tell how that’s affecting her, and that’s really inspiring for new people who have come into this program. She breathes UCLA and what Coach Corey wants out of a player, and I think that’s just really really amazing. And playing wise, she’s a great shooter, great finisher, really easy to play with for any position.

I think for Sienna, I just think I love her approach to excellence, and she just wants to be the best in every like capacity, and I think that you bring people along when you do that, and so I I just have loved seeing her grow through this last year, and I just can’t wait for this year for her. It’s going to be a big year, and I just love playing with her on the court too. I think our chemistry is continuing to build, and it’s just gonna be so fun.

On potentially going from Hunters to hunted with so much talent leaving for the Draft:

I don’t think that’s something that we’re really going to be thinking about, like in an every single day scenario. I think hunter hunted or not, we’re really focused on what we can control in those four walls, and every day in our gym together, really focusing on what we know is important, what we see every day, you know, and just bringing what it takes for every single game.

Lindsay Gottlieb on JuJu Watkins’ condition: 

She’s in great physical condition, and looks great. And then, you know, you just have to get back to the rhythm of playing basketball in a competitive way. So we’ve tried to do as much. Game setting, 3 on 3, 4 on 4,  5 on 5 as we can for the whole team. So, to be able to play together, but also, take time to ramp up to get her ready, and she’s gonna be great.

On a potential minutes restriction for Watkins:

You know, I’ll lean on our sports performance team, and then just my relationship with Juju, where she’s at. I mean, look, we have aspirations to be playing in April, so with all of them, we’re gonna be, conscious of doing what’s for the long term. Can her body withstand whatever I ask her to do? I’m sure. I’m just thinking about what’s best just overall long term. So we’ll make those decisions as they come, and she’s gonna be ready to go.

On if she could tell this was a special group early on:

I think so, yeah. I mean, obviously, you do everything to put things in place to build the way you want to. You know, you can’t manufacture the adversity that’s gonna come in the season, which you hope that you’ve built [the team] in such a way that you can understand anything. There’s no question we think we have a special level of talent. But even more importantly, I think a team whose chemistry is, good in a special kind of way, and also, the shared sense of what you’re trying to accomplish is there earlier, maybe than, than I’ve had.

Players besides Juju and Jazzy who have impressed early:

Kennedy Smith returns as a junior leader. She’s improved in so many ways. I think our freshman class could be as impactful as a freshman class that this conference has ever seen. That includes Saniyah Hall, Sarah Okele, Sitaya Fagin, we just added one more Alesia Talkouskaya from overseas, but the 3 that have been with us all summer have just proven that they’re gonna be really impactful players at a high level… I didn’t even mention our transfers. The transfers have been really, really important for us. We have 2 transfers that we play a ton. And that’s Pania Davis, Ryan Bennett, Lauren Williams is much, much improved. 

On the buzz around rivalry with UCLA

I think we’ll see record crowds everywhere we go, but there’s a special, I think, buzz when it’s the crosstown showdown. I think everyone knows, right, the type of program they have. And, you know, the program that we have, and then there’s just a poppable buzz around when it’s basketball, so I think it should be, you know, as exciting as ever.

On dealing with outside noise:

The external expectations are not something I care about. We really care about the internal expectations. However, we’re not, turning a blind eye to the attention. We are not afraid of the gravity that this team will carry around with them in terms of the attention and the excitement and that we’re a really fun team and they’re charismatic. I think we were going to play an exciting brand of basketball, so it’s kind of both. [We’re] not ordering our steps based on what other people want us to do, but [we’re] also not shying away from the space that we hold in the game and the expectations that come with that.

Kim Barnes Arco On unspoken motivation after last year’s exit: I think you know we reflected a lot on last season and it being the the greatest season in program history and all the accomplishments that we had and all the wins that we had and all the great games and the NCAA tournament run and then the way it ended. Why did it end that way?…What was our hurdle there? What do we need to work on to get better at? Where do we need to really emphasize our time to make sure that we take the next steps moving forward? And we bring up Texas a lot. We are not shying away from it. We remember what happened. We show film from it. I made them all come back and watch that first quarter of that game. Yeah, not a lot of words being spoken, no. But we have to learn from it, and we have to grow.

Similarity between this season and 2016 season: Yeah, I mean, I just think that was one of probably one of the lowest points of my personal coaching career. But those are things we continue to talk to our team about because we thought we were going to get invited to the tournament. We didn’t get invited to the tournament. So what is your response? So if you lose a game, what is your response? If you have an injury, what is your response? I think that’s something that our program, we’re going to respond in a certain way, whatever happens to us. And the most important thing is how we respond to something. We had a really tough loss to end our year. What is our response? And that’s kind of what we’re emphasizing right now.

Excitement for next year:

There’s a tremendous amount of excitement. I think what our team was able to accomplish last year, and you know, 28 wins, most in program history, 17-1 at home, best record in program history, and that core group returning and and continuing to improve, continuing to get better, wanting to be the best, wanting to do things for Michigan, wanting to leave their legacy. So there’s been an incredible buzz. They come to work every day, wanting to grow, wanting to learn. So I think they’re excited. I feel lucky and fortunate as a coach to get to work with them every single day because of their passion, because of their work ethic. So they want to certainly take those next steps, and they’re investing their time and energy into doing that.

Robyn Fralick on how MSU fits into the B1G standings wise: I have no idea. I think there’s so many good teams. Um, and to be honest, we don’t really all know until the season gets rolling, and you see how it comes together, but the first three years, we’ve finished in the top third all three years, I don’t know if we’ve ever been picked there. We’ll see.  Yeah, I just know that we’re gonna be in a dog fight.

On if USC is the team to beat: We’ll see. I mean, they’ve got, obviously, a roster that is really talented. Michigan returns a really talented team that just made the Elite Eight.UCLA just won the national championship. Yeah, I think there’s a lot of teams that have the ability to win the league.

On new players who have stood out in the offseason:

Amy Terrian. She played, you know, for us as a freshman and really helped us win some key games. She had a really good off season. Monique Bobongie is a freshman from Australia, who’s played pretty high level basketball. Her game has translated quickly. Lilly Williams is a McDonald’s All-American. Her combination of size, and athleticism pretty special. We’re excited to see. So think her best basketball’s in front of her, her two French girls. Kathy-Emma, she’s 6’2 but has a 6’10 wing span,  so it’s pretty unique. Brolions is a point guard whose played a lot of high level basketball. and we also have transfers, who’ve played a lot. We have a lot of new players, but we’ve been really impressed with what they can do. And I’m interested to see how we can, how we can put it together.

On how the team looks to play this year:

I think we have some ability to score in the paint. I think we have more size at the rim defensively than we’ve had. We’ve been a little bit undersized, so, you know, adjusting for that, I think we have more rim protection than what we’ve had in my first three seasons here. So yeah, we are definitely adjusting based on personnel.

Gary Redus on learning from Kim Mulkey:

It was a very unique experience. I think that anytime you can coach with a legend, and you get to learn from a legend like Kim Mulkey, you get to experience things that you’ve never experienced before. So I think that going through it, you get to see how she handles success, but you also get to see how she handles failure, and you get to see how a practice looks when things are going great, and you get to see how practice looks when things aren’t going so great, and you really learn how to to structure, you know, not just your days, but your weeks and your months and an entire year, and I think that going through that with her, I think it really prepared me. 

On what he’s trying to instill in his first year in charge: 

We’re from Jersey, so you gotta. It has to be gritty. You gotta be tough. You gotta be scrappy. You have to be fearless, and that’s what I’m trying to bring to Rutgers. It’s not trying to be like anybody else, and it’s not trying to  duplicate what anybody else did.We want to be our program. Like we want to put something out there that’s gonna make our fans proud and make our alums proud. But at the end of the day, we really just want to go out there and play as hard as we possibly can. I think that we know where our team is and we know where our program is right now, and we understand that you know we’re just getting started, but that isn’t really an excuse for us. We expect to go out  there every single night. We expect to go out there  and leave people knowing that we’re there. We want to make it tough on people. We want to compete, and we plan to compete. This isn’t a situation where we’re planning to tiptoe in this thing. We’re coming in with a chip on our shoulder. We come in planning to show people what we can do.

On bringing in talent from New Jersey:

I think that if we can keep all the best talent from Jersey and from the tri-state area home, I think that we can have a really good team, and I think that that started with the portal. I think that when we saw the Pauldo twins, we wanted to bring them home. When we saw Tara was in the portal, we wanted to bring her home. It’s no different than what we do in high school recruiting. We want to be able to recruit locally and regionally first. I think that if you can do that, I think that you can have a very, very successful tenure because your roster–it’s a different pride when you’re playing for home. Like it’s a different feeling. Like it’s different when you have your family at every game, and when you can go home to get a home-cooked meal, or in these girls’ cases, to get their hair done, or whatever it may be, so it’s really important to be able to keep New Jersey talent home and to bring New Jersey talent home when it goes elsewhere. So that was of the utmost importance for me.

Read full story at source