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9 p.m.
Women's Basketball
vs LSU
Quotes: Duke 88, Wingate 44
11/3/2010 11:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Duke Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie
On team's performance:
“Some good things for us out there, better in the second half than first. Some more aggressive rebounding. We were trying some different combinations. We're really excited, ready for the next practice, and still a long way to go. Kathleen was outstanding because she was so aggressive. Both defensively and offensively going to the boards hard. It was great to have Jasmine [Thomas] out there, particularly in the second half, attacking and very balanced. I thought both Kathleen [Scheer] and Jasmine had great games, and I really appreciated the rebounding by Krystal [Thomas]. We have to be ready for anything, ball smart and intelligent in our play. It was great to put different people in different places.”
On having a different lineup:
“I think in kind of creates situations, and we have to be ready for anything. I think at first we got off to a slow start, obviously we did, but I think at the same time it was great to put different people at different spots, and to utilize the eight that we had.”
On team's first half sloppy play:
“There was a lack of urgency to protect and take care of the ball in the first half. In the first half I saw passive mistakes, in the second half I saw aggressive mistakes.”
On Wingate:
“They just played hard. Barb does a good job with that team. I'm not as sure it matters what's by your name, whether it's a II or I. I think they played very hard and did a great job. Stayed intense, never ever quit. I think they were having fun with our slow start too. They were enjoying that element of the game. So you just have to give them credit. I hope they do very, very well.”
On Haley Peters:
“She's relentless in her effort. She's very motivating to coach because she plays so hard. And right now, Haley just kind of overruns things. She puts out so much effort, it reminds me of Jasmine [Thomas] a little bit when Jasmine was a freshman. When Jasmine was a freshman she put out so much effort, but you can actually overrun with your effort and intensity, and I think Haley is going through a process of understanding, again, a totally different position. She's going through a process of understanding how to be efficient with her effort. And not overrun it, or to stop, or go too quickly on offence, to shoot too quickly, and to be more relaxed. I think that is going to be a challenge for her. She just plays so hard.”
On versatility of Haley Peters:
“I think she did a great job today, out there at the three and playing the four. She's working, you know the starting lineup, that I like the lineup when Kathleen [Scheer] plays with Haley [Peters] because we can pull defenses out. So I think there is a lot for her, but I think you will more see her in the four.”
On status of Allison Vernerey and Chelsea Gray:
“Allison wanted to play tonight, and I chose not to play her. She hasn't been in enough practice to do that. So Allison [Vernerey] is coming, she's coming along, and I hope to see her on Sunday. But I won't say that is affirmed. And Chelsea [Gray], you know that foot got sore after Blue/White. We've really held back on this time, to heal. I don't anticipate Chelsea for Sunday. I think were going to have to wait through that, rest that foot, make sure it's in the best place it can be. And then build her in from there.”
Duke Senior Jasmine Thomas
On team chemistry with new players:
“It's coming together. It's going to be a process throughout the year. We have so many talented players who are all just learning how to play together. We should have way more assists. We should be moving the ball better. We should be scoring more. It's going to be a process and we're working on it.”
On playing off the ball:
“It's fun. It's fun to be on the floor from a different position. I find myself talking too much still, but that's going to be a habit that's going to be hard to break. It's fun in being able to help the [younger players] learn. Chloe [Wells] and Chelsea [Gray] when she gets back are going to be the point guards of the future. I like being in the game with them and helping them adjust.”
Duke Junior Kathleen Scheer
On her level of comfortableness:
“I don't really think I did anything different. I've been practicing like that. Just trying to go hard to the boards, get good shots and try not to force too much. I know I've kind of been forcing the three and it hasn't been falling for me. I was trying to mix it up a little bit and trying to get my teammates involved.
On her turnaround jumper:
“Well my three is not falling, I've got to go to different things so I mix it up a little bit.”
On developing her play in the post:
“I think it's kind of been my fault in the past. I kind of put myself out on the three-point line and didn't really mix up my game. In high school I was a very versatile player. I could play outside and I could play inside and I just chose not to do that when I came here. I blame myself for that. I think I've always had those moves, I just never used them.”
On her level of confidence now:
“I feel pretty relaxed. I feel good, a lot more confident. I think the past two years have helped me grow a lot and I understand a lot more now. The coaches and everyone else have helped me through that. I feel a lot more confident this year and that has a lot to do with the way I'm playing.”
Wingate Head Coach Barbara Nelson
Your best returning player, Kurie Washington did not play tonight, what was the reason for that?
“She did not. This summer she had a tear in her meniscus that was pretty good and kept catching so we did surgery at the end of July. She had been out about eight or nine weeks, came back, did not miss any practice until last Wednesday night, when we thought she tore the whole thing again. But we were blessed, on Monday we found out she did not. The doctors put her on a six-day steroid regiment to relieve all of the inflammation and she will be let out next Monday.”
Considering she did not play, how proud are you of your team's effort?
“I am really proud of them. She averages 20 points a game for us. She's the kid who, when we are struggling, we run everything through her. All of our sets are run through her. Tonight they were run for #11, who's a freshman, and #3, who's a transfer. So they are new kids in our program. I was pretty proud of them, they did a good job when they were called on to step in and play more minutes to replace our leading scorer.”
Does playing a team at the caliber of Duke have a positive impact on your program?
“I think so. We did not play scared. We have five freshmen, four sophomores, three juniors and one senior. Last year, with a young squad, we came here very scared and Duke jumped on us very early. We went away whimpering, I think we lost by 69 last year. This year, down by 16 at the half, it was a much more respectable game. We were in it to some level. We are not going to fool ourselves to think that we can beat them. As long as we can compete we will be pretty happy. I think that their size and their rebounding wore us down eventually.”
Are you confident that the team will have a better record next year?
“Absolutely. I definitely think so. I think #14 gives us a solid presence inside, Simone Rutledge. She had trouble scoring inside with Krystal Thomas today. In our league we have on 6'8” girl at Tusculum and everybody else, their big players are 6'2”. She will be fine in our league. I think she defended Krystal (Thomas) pretty well for most of the game. Most of Krystal's baskets came down the stretch when she wore us out on the boards, then we couldn't keep her out.”
Speak of the effect that playing against players like Karima Christmas and Jasmine Thomas has on your team?
“As I told the girls as we were preparing for this the last two days, the goal was not so much to come in here to win. The goal was to come in here and be competitive, see where we are offensively and defensively. I think it's ok for us to recognize where we are and be proud of the fact that we were competitive and worked hard and never quit. I think we played hard all the way down the stretch, and I think we made them play hard down the stretch.”
Who else have you played during the exhibition games?
“We played Presbyterian, which is a low division I, a Big South team. We beat them by four without Washington so we were pretty pleased on Sunday. I don't know what you know about Division II, but we couldn't start until October 15th. We are behind any Division I team because they start on October 1st, and I believe they get 30 practices during the 45-day period. We're a little bit behind in the physicality, the size, and the time. We have 13 kids, eight of which are new so we are pretty pleased with where we are right now.”
What does playing against teams in the ACC do for Division II programs?
“I think for us it is neat for our kids to come here and get into Cameron. We got here early and they were all on the court, taking pictures of themselves on the “D”. They are pretty excited to be at Cameron, and Duke always treats us really well. We get to drive right up to the back, we are escorted in. Duke treats us as they would any other Division I team that walks in the door. They treat us with tremendous respect, and we admire that, and we enjoy having the opportunity to get that once in a while. I think our girls are excited about the opportunity to play an ACC team. I felt like last year we were too thankful to be here, and less competitive. I felt like this year, we felt as a team that we should compete so that I was much more pleased with what we brought. It helps that they (Duke) are young. They have five freshmen. They are fabulous, the new “Fab 5” if you can use that term again. They are pretty phenomenal, and they are going to be great, and they are going to have a great ACC career. At least it evened the odds a bit that they had players trying to learn their system as well. Well, maybe not even, maybe 10%. I think if you look at the stats, the boards are the place where we knew we would get killed. They had 27 offensive rebounds, that is pretty amazing.”
On team's performance:
“Some good things for us out there, better in the second half than first. Some more aggressive rebounding. We were trying some different combinations. We're really excited, ready for the next practice, and still a long way to go. Kathleen was outstanding because she was so aggressive. Both defensively and offensively going to the boards hard. It was great to have Jasmine [Thomas] out there, particularly in the second half, attacking and very balanced. I thought both Kathleen [Scheer] and Jasmine had great games, and I really appreciated the rebounding by Krystal [Thomas]. We have to be ready for anything, ball smart and intelligent in our play. It was great to put different people in different places.”
On having a different lineup:
“I think in kind of creates situations, and we have to be ready for anything. I think at first we got off to a slow start, obviously we did, but I think at the same time it was great to put different people at different spots, and to utilize the eight that we had.”
On team's first half sloppy play:
“There was a lack of urgency to protect and take care of the ball in the first half. In the first half I saw passive mistakes, in the second half I saw aggressive mistakes.”
On Wingate:
“They just played hard. Barb does a good job with that team. I'm not as sure it matters what's by your name, whether it's a II or I. I think they played very hard and did a great job. Stayed intense, never ever quit. I think they were having fun with our slow start too. They were enjoying that element of the game. So you just have to give them credit. I hope they do very, very well.”
On Haley Peters:
“She's relentless in her effort. She's very motivating to coach because she plays so hard. And right now, Haley just kind of overruns things. She puts out so much effort, it reminds me of Jasmine [Thomas] a little bit when Jasmine was a freshman. When Jasmine was a freshman she put out so much effort, but you can actually overrun with your effort and intensity, and I think Haley is going through a process of understanding, again, a totally different position. She's going through a process of understanding how to be efficient with her effort. And not overrun it, or to stop, or go too quickly on offence, to shoot too quickly, and to be more relaxed. I think that is going to be a challenge for her. She just plays so hard.”
On versatility of Haley Peters:
“I think she did a great job today, out there at the three and playing the four. She's working, you know the starting lineup, that I like the lineup when Kathleen [Scheer] plays with Haley [Peters] because we can pull defenses out. So I think there is a lot for her, but I think you will more see her in the four.”
On status of Allison Vernerey and Chelsea Gray:
“Allison wanted to play tonight, and I chose not to play her. She hasn't been in enough practice to do that. So Allison [Vernerey] is coming, she's coming along, and I hope to see her on Sunday. But I won't say that is affirmed. And Chelsea [Gray], you know that foot got sore after Blue/White. We've really held back on this time, to heal. I don't anticipate Chelsea for Sunday. I think were going to have to wait through that, rest that foot, make sure it's in the best place it can be. And then build her in from there.”
Duke Senior Jasmine Thomas
On team chemistry with new players:
“It's coming together. It's going to be a process throughout the year. We have so many talented players who are all just learning how to play together. We should have way more assists. We should be moving the ball better. We should be scoring more. It's going to be a process and we're working on it.”
On playing off the ball:
“It's fun. It's fun to be on the floor from a different position. I find myself talking too much still, but that's going to be a habit that's going to be hard to break. It's fun in being able to help the [younger players] learn. Chloe [Wells] and Chelsea [Gray] when she gets back are going to be the point guards of the future. I like being in the game with them and helping them adjust.”
Duke Junior Kathleen Scheer
On her level of comfortableness:
“I don't really think I did anything different. I've been practicing like that. Just trying to go hard to the boards, get good shots and try not to force too much. I know I've kind of been forcing the three and it hasn't been falling for me. I was trying to mix it up a little bit and trying to get my teammates involved.
On her turnaround jumper:
“Well my three is not falling, I've got to go to different things so I mix it up a little bit.”
On developing her play in the post:
“I think it's kind of been my fault in the past. I kind of put myself out on the three-point line and didn't really mix up my game. In high school I was a very versatile player. I could play outside and I could play inside and I just chose not to do that when I came here. I blame myself for that. I think I've always had those moves, I just never used them.”
On her level of confidence now:
“I feel pretty relaxed. I feel good, a lot more confident. I think the past two years have helped me grow a lot and I understand a lot more now. The coaches and everyone else have helped me through that. I feel a lot more confident this year and that has a lot to do with the way I'm playing.”
Wingate Head Coach Barbara Nelson
Your best returning player, Kurie Washington did not play tonight, what was the reason for that?
“She did not. This summer she had a tear in her meniscus that was pretty good and kept catching so we did surgery at the end of July. She had been out about eight or nine weeks, came back, did not miss any practice until last Wednesday night, when we thought she tore the whole thing again. But we were blessed, on Monday we found out she did not. The doctors put her on a six-day steroid regiment to relieve all of the inflammation and she will be let out next Monday.”
Considering she did not play, how proud are you of your team's effort?
“I am really proud of them. She averages 20 points a game for us. She's the kid who, when we are struggling, we run everything through her. All of our sets are run through her. Tonight they were run for #11, who's a freshman, and #3, who's a transfer. So they are new kids in our program. I was pretty proud of them, they did a good job when they were called on to step in and play more minutes to replace our leading scorer.”
Does playing a team at the caliber of Duke have a positive impact on your program?
“I think so. We did not play scared. We have five freshmen, four sophomores, three juniors and one senior. Last year, with a young squad, we came here very scared and Duke jumped on us very early. We went away whimpering, I think we lost by 69 last year. This year, down by 16 at the half, it was a much more respectable game. We were in it to some level. We are not going to fool ourselves to think that we can beat them. As long as we can compete we will be pretty happy. I think that their size and their rebounding wore us down eventually.”
Are you confident that the team will have a better record next year?
“Absolutely. I definitely think so. I think #14 gives us a solid presence inside, Simone Rutledge. She had trouble scoring inside with Krystal Thomas today. In our league we have on 6'8” girl at Tusculum and everybody else, their big players are 6'2”. She will be fine in our league. I think she defended Krystal (Thomas) pretty well for most of the game. Most of Krystal's baskets came down the stretch when she wore us out on the boards, then we couldn't keep her out.”
Speak of the effect that playing against players like Karima Christmas and Jasmine Thomas has on your team?
“As I told the girls as we were preparing for this the last two days, the goal was not so much to come in here to win. The goal was to come in here and be competitive, see where we are offensively and defensively. I think it's ok for us to recognize where we are and be proud of the fact that we were competitive and worked hard and never quit. I think we played hard all the way down the stretch, and I think we made them play hard down the stretch.”
Who else have you played during the exhibition games?
“We played Presbyterian, which is a low division I, a Big South team. We beat them by four without Washington so we were pretty pleased on Sunday. I don't know what you know about Division II, but we couldn't start until October 15th. We are behind any Division I team because they start on October 1st, and I believe they get 30 practices during the 45-day period. We're a little bit behind in the physicality, the size, and the time. We have 13 kids, eight of which are new so we are pretty pleased with where we are right now.”
What does playing against teams in the ACC do for Division II programs?
“I think for us it is neat for our kids to come here and get into Cameron. We got here early and they were all on the court, taking pictures of themselves on the “D”. They are pretty excited to be at Cameron, and Duke always treats us really well. We get to drive right up to the back, we are escorted in. Duke treats us as they would any other Division I team that walks in the door. They treat us with tremendous respect, and we admire that, and we enjoy having the opportunity to get that once in a while. I think our girls are excited about the opportunity to play an ACC team. I felt like last year we were too thankful to be here, and less competitive. I felt like this year, we felt as a team that we should compete so that I was much more pleased with what we brought. It helps that they (Duke) are young. They have five freshmen. They are fabulous, the new “Fab 5” if you can use that term again. They are pretty phenomenal, and they are going to be great, and they are going to have a great ACC career. At least it evened the odds a bit that they had players trying to learn their system as well. Well, maybe not even, maybe 10%. I think if you look at the stats, the boards are the place where we knew we would get killed. They had 27 offensive rebounds, that is pretty amazing.”
Players Mentioned
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C
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