Oct. 20, 2011
#20 Alex Bentley
Junior, Guard
Q: How motivated did the loss to DePaul last season make you for this season?
A: With every season that ends, it's motivation for the next one. I took last season's end pretty hard and I'm always going to remember it and learn from it. We're going to get after it this year.
Q: What are going to be some of the keys to this season? Is Nikki Greene going to take you guys to the next level if her game rounds into shape?
A: Honestly, everybody on the team, from the starters to the bench, have to bring our A-game and step it up. We have to get that much better and I believe we are.
Q: How different do you feel about your game now then when you first started?
A: Experience helps a lot. I'm more comfortable in the point guard position. I had to learn a lot freshman and sophomore year. All that I've learned has transitioned into this season. I'm just going to keep learning and keep getting better.
Q: Who's the one player we don't know about that you're seeing in practice that took her game to another level and is going to be an exciting deal for you guys this year?
A: That's pretty hard; I could say a lot of names - Ariel Edwards, Gizelle Studevent, Nikki Greene. Everyone has just really stepped up their game and I think the fans are going to be really surprised to see who comes out and who really shows a lot of determination.
Q: You're the hunted now. You're coming in with a ranking. The target's a little more fluorescent than usual. Is that a challenge you guys welcome?
A: We welcome it. Honestly, it doesn't really faze us that we're ranked. It's nice to see that we're ranked but it doesn't really mean too much because last season is over. This season is a new year. We're going to have to prove ourselves.
Q: What about Coquese saying we need to get stops. Has defense been a big emphasis so far?
A: It's always a big emphasis on our team. We have to get stops and we have to work as a team and as a unit to get those stops.
Q: You're part of this great point guard tradition. Is that special for you that you're in that conversation with this program?
A: It's definitely an honor to be a part of that. So many point guards have come in through here and become legends. That's what I aspire to be.
#33 Maggie Lucas
Sophomore, Guard
Q: What is the difference this year, as last year you guys were the hunters and now you're going to be the hunted?
A: The only difference is other teams' perceptions of us. For us, it's just still focusing number one, what we do and improving upon last year. Defense is big for us. That's a big thing for us.
Q: How has the dynamic of the team changed with more experience coming back?
A: Experience helps a lot. I think everyone feels a lot more confident. There was very little drop off from where we finished last year to where we began when we started practice this year. It feels like we just picked up on where we left off. I just feel like from there, we keep improving.
Q: Did you adjust your offseason routine at all after a year of experience?
A: I adjusted it in working on some different things. We attacked offseason workouts pretty hard, just getting in the best shape we can get in going into the season because it's a marathon. It goes on for a long time. You want to be sure you're ready for that.
Q: How much does the DePaul loss in the NCAA tournament give motivation to get further this season?
A: Anytime I was sore or anything in the offseason, that was something I thought about. I don't want to feel that ever again. That was a really hard loss, definitely the hardest loss I've ever experienced in my whole career. It pushes you when you have something like that in the back of your mind.
Q: What kind of adjustments have you had to make with the way teams were playing you towards the end of last year?
A: I just had to start dealing with contact a little bit more. I had to handle it with more composure. That's something I worked on in this offseason is handling getting hit, getting held and kind of using it to my advantage. I'm working on some new things, getting of screens. Fred Chmiel is great with that kind of thing.
Q: What kind of adjustments do you have to make with the way the three-point line has changed?
A: I don't know if it's going to be that big of an adjustment. If you look at a lot of our games from last year, we're behind it anyways, because subconsciously we see another line and we step behind it. Me and Zha(que) (Gray), we shoot from pretty deep. I don't think it will be too big of a deal. I wouldn't be surprised if we step on the line a couple of times just because it's something new, but I don't think it will be that big of a problem.
Q: Can you talk about your tough non-conference schedule, including North Carolina in the Bryce Jordan Center and what it will do for the team?
A: I'm very excited for that game. I think it's going to be an awesome one for the program to have a chance to play a team like that in the ACC-Big Ten challenge. It helps us tune up for the Big Ten. Everyone knows how strong the Big Ten is and how good everyone (is). Top to bottom, it's a very strong conference, probably one of the strongest. Those kind of games, they prepare you for what you're going to see the rest of the year.
#24 Mia Nickson
Redshirt Junior, Forward
Q: How do you replace Julia Trogele on and off of the court?
A: That's going to be really difficult because Julia provided a lot of leadership, a lot of insight. She was here for four years. She knew what Coquese was looking for, what the Big Ten was about and things like that. It's really difficult, but how we're doing that is we're all taking responsibility of that this year. As the captains, we're taking a little bit more. One of the things that we've done as a team is we've grown a lot. Every individual player has grown from their first year to their second or third year here. That's been very important.
Q: Can you talk about team dynamics and how much fun you guys have?
A: We have a lot of fun. Off the court, we're always with each other. On the court, you see us like grabbing each other shooting and everything. I think that's really important, especially when it's difficult in practice, we just come together and bring each other up.
Q: Have you talked to transfer Dara Taylor as you had the same experience transferring here?
A: I told her that it was bittersweet. She's going to learn a lot from sitting out, especially as a point guard. She gets to see a little bit of what the Big Ten has to offer. In the ACC, we don't really get to see other conferences play until like the tournament so I think it will be beneficial for her to see how the guard play is and just how the speed of the game is different and how physical it is from the ACC.
Q: How do you balance being confident after the results from last year without being over-confident heading into the season?
A: What's great about this team is that we're not overly confident at all. We don't really think about what's been asked of us from the media and things like that. It's mostly what we put on ourselves. We just want to be better. That's our team focus. That's our team goal. It'd be great to get back to where we were and get further, but as a team, we just want to get better, finish better, do certain things better than we did last year.
Q: What pressures have you put on yourselves and do you have your own expectations for this season?
A: Our whole expectation, like I said, is just to get better. Defensively, get better. Rebounding, get better. We don't want to be a one-dimensional team. Last year, we could shoot. Everybody knew that. We want to add a little bit to our game this year to make it a little bit more difficult to guard us.
Q: Can you talk about how the dynamic has changed this season with all of the experience coming back?
A: The dynamic has not changed too much, just the fact that everybody is more mature. I think that will be to our benefit. I think everybody came back with a sense of urgency to get better, not just individually but as a team. That just helped us with the practices and the preseason things.
Q: What are your thoughts on the non-conference schedule and how they can prepare you for the Big Ten?
A: I think our non-conference schedule is really good. It's going to be physical. It's going to be hard fought games. That's what the Big Ten is all about. I think it's going to be really good to have that before we get into conference play.
#54 Nikki Greene
Junior, Forward/Center
Q: Last time I talked to you was right at the beginning of your freshman year and you were super, super quiet. I want to know if you're a little less quiet yet?
A: I think I'm still me. I say enough to help lead on the court and lead by example, but I'm not as reserved.
Q: How different do you think you are from when you got here as a heralded recruit to where you are now?
A: I believe that I am more disciplined. I am more open-minded to learning new things. I'm very coachable, so if the coach wants something to be done the right way, I do my best to get it done instead of second-thinking it, overanalyzing it and giving up on it. If I don't understand it, I will actually go to Coquese and talk to her about it. If she has a right way to do it, I'll do my best to do it the way she wants it.
Q: Did you have a hard time doing that as a freshman?
A: It was just a different technique. Coming from high school, it was different. The way we play defense is a lot different. I didn't understand the help rotations.
Q: After last season's loss in the NCAA Tournament, were you one of the players that dwelled on that or did you want to forget all about it and think ahead?
A: I wouldn't say I dwelled on it hard. It only motivated me to do better. It showed me that they needed the post players to help out in that game because after a while the guards needed help and they were playing great defense. It motivated me to do better in the offseason.
#23 Ariel Edwards
Sophomore, Forward
Q: What's it like being back this season as compared to last season?
A: It's totally different. We were talking about this yesterday in the locker room. The first week of practice last year is nothing compared to the first week of practice this year. We run things so much faster and the chemistry is so much better; it looks really promising for us.
Q: You have some tough non-conference games early. What are your thoughts on how the non-conference schedule and how that can help you when you get to Big Ten play?
A: The job of the non-conference schedule is to prepare you for the season; to get better and to get ready for things hopefully after, like the NCAA Tournament. You want to play against the best and people that are going to be the best.
Q: Last year's loss to DePaul was kind of crushing for you guys, do you feel like that was motivation for you guys to really work hard over the summer?
A: Definitely. Defense has become one of our most important things in practice. It's something that we focus on. People have always talked about how we're a team that can score, but we haven't proven yet that we are a team that can play defense, so that's something that we're going to do this year.
Q: Looking through the media guide we saw you're a basketball family - your brother plays at Radford, your cousin's a 1,000 point scorer at Northwestern - is there competition in the family?
A: No. My brother is going to come here to play the men's team (on Nov. 14). But there's no competition. I ask them for advice and they help me out.
Q: Do you feel like they have been able to help you progress on the court or anything?
A: Definitely. He has a lot of experience. My cousin definitely has a lot of experience because he's played in this conference. They just help me so much.
#40 Marisa Wolfe
Junior, Forward
Q: This team has grown up together, no longer young and exuberant, now being hunted a little bit. How exciting is that?
A: It's very exciting to kind of get the feeling that all the other teams that we have played against felt. It's kind of nice to play with the target on our back to prove ourselves a lot more than being the underdog all the time.
Q: What does Coquese expect out of the big people? What are you doing to improve with the style of play she wants?
A: We play fast, we need to always be ready to run up and down the floor and look to score all the time. We need to be a presence.
Q: What was the biggest eye-opening experience for you coming from a small town, Ford City, to playing Big Ten basketball?
A: Everything. I never really had conditioning in high school. I played every game, all game, so I just got in shape from playing. Coming here, we had court workouts two-three days a week sometimes. That was probably the biggest eye-open for me. I worked out a lot at home my freshman year, coming here, especially freshman summer, it didn't even seem like I had done anything because it is high-level. But coming back every year it gets a lot easier, you get into the flow of things.
Q: Do you think Ariel Edwards has a chance to take this team to another level?
A: She worked on her game a lot this summer and she has gotten so much better. She's going to help this team so much.
Q: Talk about Alex Bentley.
A: Alex works so hard. She never wants to lose anything in practice. She never wants to lose anything in general. She's very competitive and I love to say she's the point guard for team.
#5 Talia East
Sophomore, Forward
Q: What do you look to provide this season as a sophomore?
A: My role this year is pretty much wherever Coach Quese needs me. Definitely try to hold it down in the post defensively and offensively and provide what the team needs to secure the win.
Q: How has the team leadership changed this year with the loss of Julia Trogele?
A: The team leadership is really there. We've got Marisa (Wolfe) and Mia (Nickson) off the court, who are fantastic. On the court, you've got Alex Bentley leading us through every drill and keeping us hustling and going hard. Leadership wise, we're doing really well.
Q: What has the trip to the NCAA Tournament done for the confidence level of the team heading into this season?
A: I think confidence wise, it was nice. We're going off the goals we set for ourselves. I would say that it's definitely a nice bonus but our goal is just to make it again this year and make some noise in the tournament.
Q: After missing games last year as you came in with an injury, do you think coming in and practicing from day one is going to help this year?
A: Oh yeah, it will definitely help me. I feel kind of like a super-freshman, like re-learning everything, getting everything down. I'm physically able to go as hard as I can without worrying. I think this year definitely helped. I'm excited.
#44 Tori Waldner
Freshman, Forward/Center
Q: After playing against your teammates, are they similar to you or better?
A: Much better. Playing against all of them, they are so physical. They are so aggressive, which is what I should expect. They are just going to get me so much better, just by learning from them every game.
Q: What has been the biggest challenge so far?
A: Conditioning, the running, the pace of the game, especially because you want to run for this team. It's been hard.
Q: Is it difficult learning defense and all of the plays?
A: It is. Learning the plays and how they play defense is always different with different teams. It's hard, but they are teaching me. They are making sure that I get it first. They aren't trying to rush me through it. They want to make sure that I am good myself and then put it together with the team.
Q: Maggie Lucas mentioned how good you have been offensively. Would you agree?
A: I think so. They say I'm doing well. I don't know if that's true or not, but they say I can shoot. They want me to shoot if I have the chance. But they also want me to be physical underneath the boards. As long as I keep finishing well, I'll be good.
#12 Zhaque Gray
Senior, Guard
Q: What are your expectations for the season after being ranked so high?
A: We really don't put expectations on where we should be ranked because that really doesn't matter. What matters is where we are at the end of the season. We just have to stay focused on what we need to do, what we need to do to get better, what we need to do to be good, and what we need to do to be better than last year.
Q: Do you think you know each other better as a team?
A: I think we definitely know each other a lot better, especially because off the court we've bonded more. I just think everybody came back way better. This summer (Coach Washington) challenged us to make 10,000 shots. I think everybody made it. I am positive everybody made it or over 10,000. We are working really hard and we are working to get better and become a better team. We are just taking it day by day.
Q: How do you guys hope to improve as a team from last year?
A: We are looking to be more aggressive defensively and pressure people the way they pressure us. Just improve way more than last year.
Q: Do you think the team mentality has changed at all? As Coquese Washington said in her press conference, you are now the hunted not the hunters. Do you think you have a burden on your back to be better?
A: No, not at all. Just like I said, we are taking it day by day. We usually are not the hunted, but I feel like the team and our will to win and how much we want to win we are not just going to look and say, "Oh, we are good and we have this ranking." The ranking doesn't really mean anything. It's just other people's opinion on what we are. Nobody else can just tell us what we are. The ranking really doesn't mean too much, even though it's exciting. It really doesn't matter too much. I feel like we are going to handle it really well.
Q: What are your personal expectations coming into the season?
A: I really don't have any personal expectations. I just want to do everything that my team needs me to do. If it's scoring, then it's scoring. If it's defense, then it's defense. If it's passing, then it's passing. Whatever they need me to do for us to be successful and get to the Final Four, the semifinals or a national championship.
#2 Dara Taylor
Junior, Guard
Q: How do you feel you can contribute this year since you can't play?
A: First, I just want to try and contribute in practice. [I want to) push Alex. I hope I am the toughest guard she faces all year. Every game while I'm on the bench, I will give support and clap my teammates up, being a big cheerleader.
Q: Why did you pick Penn State?
A: I came up on a visit and I loved everything about it. I loved the school, the coaches, my teammates. Everything just seemed like the perfect fit. I really thought it was a good home for me.
Q: How did you improve in the offseason?
A: Everybody works on their own game personally, strength wise and conditioning wise. Then we also worked together as a team. I think we got closer and really learned each other's games. I think it's going to pay off this season.
#25 Gizelle Studevent
Junior, Guard
Q: How did the NCAA Tournament give you confidence?
A: Basically, we hadn't made the NCAA Tournament for a while. With Coquese (Washington) coming in here and making a difference and actually getting us there, I think we all feel like we are a part of something special. When we finally reached the NCAA Tournament, it felt great because we worked to get there.
Q: How did you build up your confidence as a player?
A: I think that individually, when you are a part of a team that is working hard and progressing each year, you feel that you are a part of something special. It helps you want to work on your game and want to work hard to do stuff to help the team. That helps your confidence.
Q: How did the offseason help you and the team?
A: I think we did really well. We all went home and worked out at home. Then we came back for preseason workouts. We were all working really hard. We were making sprints, reaching our weight because you have to reach a certain level of weights. We just came back working hard and we were ready to go.