Media Day Quotes

[Jennifer]

I can't post all of 'em, as their website is to slow (and sometimes crashes my internet connection here at work), but here are some I liked. Everyone, please add some from your respective teams.
Big 12 Media Day Quotes (http://www.big12sports.com/new/news/?id=2809&PHPSESSID=38512ba04dcbcb8ac7c96342b9a366ab&PHPSESSID=652873b72dc7259c8b4e523c6d0b9fbd)

Coach Coale:
on rebuilding: "Phylesha Waley was a kid who came in here and said I will do whatever you ask of me. She was not offered a
scholarship by anybody else in the country. We have built this thing squarely on #34."

On newcomer Maria Villarroel
"She is a tremendously talented player. She has the ability to accelerate like no student athlete I have ever been associated with. She is unbelievably quick and fast. She plays like a typical international player. I am going to take no credit for her two-handed jump shot except for when it goes in. She is really clever at getting to the basket in traffic. Her speed and quickness gives us that one-two punch that we had on the perimeter last year. We all knew we had it coming back with her and Dionnah (Jackson). English is her second language and she is excelling in the classroom as a computer engineering major. She is a diligent kid with a tremendous work ethic who will make us a whole lot better. She was picked as newcomer of the year, but that makes me wonder if people have seen Theresa Schuknecht play. Both of them are extremely talented."

Dionnah Jackson:
On teammate Maria Villarroel, Junior Guard: "I never thought I'd say this, but she is faster than me. She's a quick and smooth player. You think you've got her, but you don't."

Caton Hill:
On this year's team:
I think the team's chemistry is way ahead of where we need to be.
We're better in both defense and offense, and there are players on the team who are making offensive plays that we didn't make last year."

On opening season against Tennessee:
Why not? I think playing against teams like Tennessee help us to find out who we are and where we are."

We're all excited to play against Tennessee. It will be a wake up call for the freshmen on the team, but we will fight hard and play hard to find out where we stand."

[Bball Girl]

Coach Sharp

On if there will be a drop off in the Big 12:

“I am a big proponent of the Big 12. I obviously think it is the best conference in the country from top to bottom. I do not think there is any question about that. I think we have proven that over several years and not just a one-year stance last year. I think the last thing to do was to get a team to the highest level of playing in the country and Oklahoma took care of that for us last year. I think some people finally decided on the national level that the Big 12 was for real. I do not think there will be much of a drop in play. Programs in the Big 12, because of coaches in this league and commitments that universities have made to those programs, are in positions now to say they are reloading and not rebuilding. There are some people who are going to be unbelievably surprised, for instance Oklahoma, they have some people in that program right now that are at a high level and will compete well. I think that could be said for anyone else who lost major parts of their program last year. I do not think it will take long for a lot of teams in the Big 12 to be ranked again.”

[Bball Girl]

Coach Barry

On this year’s team:
“With many new faces this year, we lack so much experience that we have to make it up in our work ethic. Experience is not something that will be associated with the 2003 team. We must work harder and play smarter to make up for the lack of experience we don’t have this year.”

On sizing up the conference race:
“I think the frontrunners are Kansas State and Texas Tech. Kansas State has Nicole Ohlde who is one of the most dominating players to play in this conference and Texas Tech has great depth and talent and home court advantage.”

Linda Lappe
On getting to the Elite 8:
“We definitely wanted to make it to the Final 4. We look back and see that we were right there with 15 minutes left in the game. They went to the national championship and played with Connecticut. We were right there with them for 25 minutes. I think that gives us some confidence.”

[vickie1ok]

Jen, thanks for the great post. I love this remark from Sherri:

“A program at a university the magnitude of Oklahoma ought to be in a position every year to be one of the teams to go to the final four. That ought to be the way it is. We do not look at our team and say it was a very special thing and treasure that the rest of your lives because it may never happen again. We understand how special it is, but we have an expectation to get back there. "

I fully expect she will be back there again. But I'm curious why we aren't really hearing anything about Antionette Wadsworth. From what I've heard before, she is probably the best athlete we've recruited. Any word guys?

Again, thanks Jen.

[swok34]

vickie....I ran in to the bb secretary last week and talked to her awhile, I asked about Wadsworth (as well as many others), she told me that Antionette had some additional surgery this past month.....I think it was minor, going back and cleaning up scar tissue, maybe....She had been cleared to play prior and may be cleared now, I wasn't clear on that.

Wadsworth does act a little tentative on her knee, or did at the Baseline Bash when they were running drills. I talked to her at the banquet though and she said she's fine and ready to go.