Oct. 30, 2007
Head coach Beth Burns
Opening statement
"We are excited, as you can imagine at this time of year, with what lies ahead of us. Last week was nothing short of unique for all of us, so I must open by saying that I hope everyone is safe. We, as a team, were relatively unscathed personally. With that said, we are really excited with where we are at this point in time. What is really exciting is our guard play. Right now, every guard on the roster is competing for a spot and that makes practice fun. It gives us the ability to extend things defensively, because we can play a lot of people. We are lean but good inside, so it is really important that our guards control what we do."
On freshman center Paris Johnson:
"(Paris) is one of the most talented bigs who I have ever worked with in terms of the skills that she has and her ability to feel the game. The physicality of the game will be her first adjustment. Fortunately for her, as she continues to grow, we have very good guards who can put (the ball) on the floor. They create a lot, so she is able to score off of their dribble penetration. Her first step will be to dominate on the blocks, because she is not quite there yet from a physical standpoint."
On sophomore guard Quenese Davis:
"Quenese Davis has been fantastic. We tease her a lot that last year, as a freshman starting point guard, she was the best player for both teams early on, and she really learned by being on the floor. Now, she looks like a seasoned veteran. It is kind of remarkable that she is just a sophomore."
On playing an up-tempo game this year:
"The thing about speed is that it only works when you do. So, we must play like our feet are on fire and extend in order to play six or seven people at the guard spot. Because of our size, that will be the most successful formula for us. This may be the fastest team, one through five, that I have ever coached, and I have had some fast teams. With Quenese Davis, Jené Morris, Kate Eveland, Tamika Lipford and LaSandra Dixon, I have real confidence in our depth level. I am not afraid to go to the bench in the backcourt and this is the first year that I can say that."