Oct. 30, 2016
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Penn State Women's Basketball
Postgame Quotes vs. Bloomsburgh (Exhib.)
Oct. 30, 2016
Coquese Washington
Penn State Head Coach
Q: What you were hoping to get out of this game and did you get what you wanted for the first time looking at a different team?
A: Absolutely. As you can probably tell some of our kids needed to play with the lights on and with the fans in the stands. We certainly had a nervousness about us early in the game, but I think we worked it out. We wanted to get an opportunity to work on our execution, so I think we were able to accomplish that.
Q: You have been preaching all offseason about the speed you want this team to play with and you finally were able to showcase it against a different opponent, how do you feel like the faired?
A: I didn't think we played as fast as I'd like. I think we've played faster than we have in the past, but I think in terms of looking at our ability to play faster, I think we can [play faster]. We had stretches and ebbs and flows when we were playing at that pace, but we have to be consistent and keep it at that high level for the full game. I think when we get Siyeh [Frazier] back that certainly will help because we need a rotation to be able to do that.
Q: I asked Peyton earlier what she saw from the freshman and the younger players, what did you see tonight? And, how about what you saw from Teniya [Page]?
A: I don't look at Teniya as a younger player because she played a lot last year, but I thought when Teniya decided to really take over the game in terms of controlling the pace, controlling the tempo, being more vocal, in particular on the defensive end; there's a noticeable difference in our execution. One of the challenges for her this year is to do that consistently and be the vocal leader of our team. It's something she wants to do and she's learning how to do. I thought Jaylen [Williams] and Ashanti [Thomas] came in and certainly had a presence in the post. Jaida Travascio-Green, you saw that she's a fantastic shooter. We have to continue to do what we did tonight and find her when she's open and let her put it up, because she can knock them down at a high pace.
Q: Other than not being quite as fast as you would have liked, there were a lot of different scoring options. Is that kind of what you're looking for?
A: Absolutely. I think our depth and our ability to spread the offense around can be a key for us and can be a strength for us. I'd like to see us take care of the ball a little bit more but I think that's just the fact that it is early in the season and we are getting out there and getting used to each other and getting used to playing again. We had a few more turnovers than I would've liked.
I'm happy with where we are, we certainly have some work to do before we tip off with Drexel, but we have a couple of weeks to smooth out some things. I'm happy with where we are and I think we can play a little bit faster and can take care of the ball better. If we can do those things, I think we'll be in good shape.
Q: I know you said this wasn't the pace you were hoping for. Do you still think what you saw out there on the court today is a good foundation to build off of for the next couple weeks?
A: There were a lot of positives and a lot of things that the kids can take away from [this game]. As coaches we often say you learn a lot from a loss, but I think there are a lot of things that we can learn positively in terms of areas of growth out of a win. So we'll watch the film and point out some areas we can continue to get better at and we'll go from there.
Q: On top of that, what are some of the specific areas that you hope to improve on before you tip off in the regular season against Drexel?
A: I'd like to get our pace up. I'd like to do a better job of taking care of the ball. We've got to be better with our communication on the defensive end; some of our fouls, some of the rebounds, some of the rotations weren't as tight as they need to be because of our communication. And I still would like to see us execute on offense a little bit better. So, a number of things we can get better at in the next two weeks.
Peyton Whitted
Senior | Forward
Q: How did it feel to finally play somebody other than yourselves?
PW: It felt great. We've been playing against our practice players and against each other for so long now and just seeing new faces, and getting a different style of play was really helpful for us.
Q: You're a senior, so what was it like seeing the younger players come up and get some minutes and do some big things on the court?
PW: I'm excited by the way all of our underclassmen have been playing. Today, if you saw, they didn't really look like underclassmen. If you saw Jaida playing, you didn't see that she's a freshman, she's not playing like one. That's what is really good about this team, how quickly everyone is adjusting to everything that comes with college basketball. They're doing a great job.
Q: Regarding the faster pace, what did you see today that will kind of set the tone for the rest of the season?
PW: I'm trying to think. We did a lot of good things today. Definitely something that we can take from today to set the pace for the rest of the season is how many threats we have on the offensive end. I think everybody scored today, so, just knowing that we have so many options on offense is going to help a lot.
Teniya Page
Sophomore | Guard
Q: The new style of offense, where you're really trying to pick up the pace, is that a lot different for you? What are your thoughts on that?
TP: I wouldn't say it's different, but I will say I do like it. It's a lot more shots for everyone. We're a fast team, so we get to get our speed up in the open court and then we're just trying to play as fast as we can in the half court, too. I love it. It's just something that we have to continue to work at.
Q: Regarding the faster pace, what did you see today that will kind of set the tone for the rest of the season?
TP: I think the thing we take away from this is how fast we get the ball out. The faster you get the ball out, the faster the pace can be. We got a lot of layups because our post players were passing the ball faster so we were getting a lot of layups on the other end.