NWBL at Washington women's basketball
November 04, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 4, 2001
WASHINGTON VS. NWBL
NOVEMBER 4, 2001
POST-GAME QUOTES
Washington coach June Daugherty
General Remarks: "It is good to start and play against a team that is quick. Tamicha Jackson is one of the quickest guards and it is good test to play. We really improved upon our man defense. We were very concerned about their quickness and have to get into help and recover mode a lot with them and to give up quick points. We did a great job on defense, defending against Deborah Williams, Tamicha Jackson and Keisha Anderson. It is a real good sign that we played so well on defense. That is an area we put a lot of emphasis on as a program and wanted to see improvement."
On first time players: " I liked the fact that we had some players out there who hadn't seen a lot of minutes or maybe it was their first time out, like Kayla Burt or Emily Autrey from last year. They played very hard and were very relaxed and put up some good numbers both rebounding and scoring wise."
On balance of post and perimeter play: " We had a good balance with our perimeter and post game. We want to see more of the balance with our post and perimeter play, we would like it to be 50-50, post players scoring half as well as perimeter. For the most part in practice we have emphasized that and we had good start with that and want to continue. Our post players can step out and shoot the three and our guards may post up and hit a two. We like that versatility in opening up the floor."
On players: "I am very pleased with the entire squad, everybody that was eligible played. There was some nervousness but everyone settled down very quickly. The upperclassmen did a nice job in talking to the new people through their first game. I liked how aggressive we were, for example Kayla Burt came out looking for good shots. Sarah Keeler came out right away and made her presence felt inside at 6"4' for a player, especially who red-shirted last year. Kristen O'Neill did a fair job taking care of the basketball against very quick defenders. For the most part she did a good job setting us up in our offensive defensive sets."
On comparison to last year at this time: "We are definitely further ahead then we were last year at this time in our practices and after our first exhibition game. We are going to take a lot from this and our team is going to be able to understand some of the areas where we need to show some improvement, like our post defense. We lacked a little bit of intensity in the last five to six minutes, and allowed them to get back into the game. We had some rotation problems in our zone and these are things that are very correctable. I know the team will look forward to fixing these things. We are way ahead of where we were last year."
Washington Players
Forward Kirsten Brockman
General Comment: "I already felt in the flow with this team and prepared coming in with our scouting reports and the last three weeks of practice. It was a thrill to put on the jersey. From the time I woke up this morning, I was excited. This will go on for awhile. It felt incredible to be playing again."
Guard Kayla Burt
General Comments: "I was nervous as I was expected. But it all fell into place when I got on the court. It was nice to be on a court again and apply what we have been doing the past three weeks in practice."
"I am happy with my performance. I calmed down after the first play and played my game the rest of the time."
On playing with Kristen O'Neill:
"We match skills well. It is fun playing with her. We know each other so well, it's almost like we have a connection. We used to play against each other and now it is fun to be playing with each other."
On anticipation of role this year: "Our teammates have high expectations for us. They push us only to get better. There are so many leaders on this team and we are expected to lead as well."
Forward Kristen O'Neill
General Comments: "It was exciting to play here. It seems I have been watching from the stands forever. It was nice to be a part of the game."
Chemistry between the freshman: "We already know each other well and can play well with each other, that we just each feed off each other on and off the court."
Guard Giuliana Mendiola
General Comments: "The coaches have been pushing us hard in practice for this game. We have a lot of people who can run the ball. We met our defensive goal of keeping our opponents under 65 points. We will improve and clean up our offense."
On playing against players from the WNBA: "Those girls are quick. I thought overall they played well as a team offensively. It was cool to play against pro players."
