Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Meet The Media
October 22, 2012 | Cowgirl Basketball
Oct. 22, 2012
Oklahoma State Head Coach Jim Littell
Opening Statement
“We would like to welcome you all here and we really appreciate you all coming out today. We are very excited about the upcoming season. We are very optimistic, our young ladies finished on a very high note last year, winning nine out of their last 10 and playing six games at home and winning the WNIT championship. We feel very good about how our practices have gone this far. I really like our group. I think it is a team that is close on and off the floor. I believe we have some different pieces to the puzzle that will enable us to be successful this year and we are very anxious to get started.”
How much as a coach can you control the team's chemistry?
“I think that is important in how you recruit and the type of people you bring in and what type of background they come from. We have been pretty successful at bringing in really good kids that have come from successful situations. I think you control that mainly through how you recruit.”
What pieces of the puzzle do you feel you have added this year?
“I think we are better six through 10. We return five starters and we have strengthened ourselves six through 10. We have added some people that can score off the dribble. That is something that I think was a weakness last year. We have added some people that can create off the dribble and create their own shot.”
On Liz Donohoe and what she did in the summer to get better
“Liz had a tremendous year last year, becoming the Big 12 Freshman of the Year and five times she was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week. We had a good talk about what happens to sophomores sometimes and having a sophomore slump. I really believe that she took that to heart and worked harder than she has ever worked, which I didn't know if that was possible. She is a player that spends a lot of time in the gym. As I told you all last year, she was the first one in the gym and last one to leave. We almost have to kick her out of the gym because she spends too much time in there. She has worked hard to improve her body and improve her athleticism. Our strength coach, Nick Hoheisel, did a great job with her in the offseason and I believe she gained a step in quickness and added some strength while she has done that.”
On upgrading the schedule
“It is. We felt like we needed to do that to raise the RPI and help us around tournament time. We just felt it was a natural step for the experience that we have on this team, to challenge them a little bit more in the non-conference schedule.”
What impact did last year's finish have on recruiting?
“I believe it helped us. The way we finished helped us, not only in recruiting, but in our fan base as well. The first WNIT game we played in front of about 2,700 and the last one was about 7,000. The people in the community got excited about it. It helped in recruiting to strengthen our crowd and show that we were being successful with a young group and that we were growing with a young group.”
Last year you had an unbelievable freshman, do you feel you have another one this year?
“Brittney Martin from Syracuse, Utah was ranked 18th in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz and she is a player very similar to Liz Donohoe. She may be a little better off the bounce and Liz may shoot it a little better from the perimeter. She is one of those players that brings a physicality you need to play in our league. Two things that I believe are the biggest adjustment for players coming into the league are the speed of the game and the physicality. Brittney Martin definitely has the physicality to play in this league.”
What maturity did you see in the returning players with everything that went on last year?
“We did mature. We came closer together. They became best friends. I believe they grew on and off the floor. I believe we have done a lot better job academically. They have realized they have more to give and I am really proud of the way the group finished up. We raised the bar. It is not good enough to be in the WNIT, we need to strive to be in the NCAA Tournament, compete in the top level of the Big 12 and just raise your expectations.”
How are you better than you were last year and what has been enhanced?
“I think experience is one thing that has helped us. Tiffany Bias is one of those players that is a junior and it seems like she has been in this league for five or six years. You can look down south to Oklahoma and Whitney Hand is the same way. Alison Lacey, when she was at Iowa State, was one of those players that played every minute from day one of being on campus. The experience that she brings and all the experience that Jordan Schultz and Liz Donohoe have. Toni Young becoming healthy. Kendra Suttles is playing better. LaShawn Jones is going to emerge as being a good player for us as well. I also believe that we have gotten better, six through 10, and our bench is going to be better this year. As you know, you can't play with five players in this league. You have to be able to count on some people making very positive contributions off the bench.”
What about the Big 12?
“We are better, but that doesn't equate to wins in this league. You have to go out and play. Baylor returns every starter. OU returns every starter. It is just a league that is very experienced and a lot of teams that return key people. KU returns a lot of people. I believe that Iowa State returns four starters as well. We have gotten better, but the rest of the league hasn't regressed. It continues to be the No. 1 RPI conference in the country. I think you will see a hit in the conference after this year with a lot of significant players moving on. This year, it is an experienced league that knows how to win.”
Were you surprised how well you played and bounced back in the WNIT and did it give you some inclination as to what this season might be like?
“We challenged our players that we are not going to stop. It would be awfully easy to win one game in the WNIT and say 'Ok, we have had a pretty good year and we have been pretty resilient and handled some adversity', but our players wanted a lot more than that. They were not only playing to finish last year, but playing to get ready for the next year. We used it as a springboard to get us to this season. I am very proud of how they finished the season and how hard they played the last six games.”
What are one or two things they were able to do during that run that helped them improve?
“We became a lot more balanced as the season progressed. In the last 10 to 12 games, we made a conscious effort to get the ball inside and balance between an inside and outside game. We started getting to the free throw line more. Not only in the WNIT, but in the last five or six conference games. We really locked in as a coaching staff and tried to instill it in our team that we want to be a team that can score inside, outside and at the end of the night have four players in double figures. When we got on that run the last 10 games, that was the formula that was successful for us.
Forward Liz Donohoe
On the offseason improvements she has made
"I think my offensive game is a little better. I'm coming off screens better. Defensively, I think I've gotten a little faster, so I will be able to guard some of those players a little better. A little quicker, not much, but a little quicker.”
On being hard on herself
"Yeah, I'm very hard on myself. I'm a perfectionist. It makes me better, but it's also my downfall. Sometimes it can be a negative thing, but it helps me as well."
On the strength of the Big 12
"I think a lot of these teams are equal. The Big 12 is definitely tough. It's a lot different than the preseason. There is an adjustment in the toughness level you have to have when playing these teams.”
Guard Tiffany Bias
On the offseason
"I think I had a lot to work on so I got in the gym and tried to improve on everything, mainly my ball handling and consistency. As a point guard, you really have to stay up on things like that."
On momentum from last year's great finish carrying over to this year
"I think it gave us a lot of momentum. It showed how much heart we had to finish out the season. We have a lot of newcomers that we have taken under our wings, and we just want to progress. We don't want to take a step back. Everyone got in the gym, worked hard and got better. It's going to show our fans we are a better team and strive to get better."
On any newcomers standing out in practice
"I think everyone is playing well. I think that Brittney Martin has really come along. She's progressing with us. Her shot is very consistent, and she's going to help us a lot on the court."
Center Lindsey Keller
On the offseason
"It was pretty good. We all worked in the gym a lot--played a lot. We worked on running, Nick [Hoheisel] was amazing. He really got everyone a lot stronger and faster. I enjoy a good workout. If you're getting me stronger and faster, I appreciate it. He puts in a lot of time and effort to make sure he's always there for us if we need him."
On the experiences the team's core has had together being a factor this season
"I feel like it makes you really appreciate the wins you get and to realize the hard work you put in. I'm a senior, it's my last year, so it's do-or-die for me. This team has taken so many strides and I'm really excited for this season. It's going to make me appreciate every game, realize how much each game counts, and how much each win counts to help us get into the NCAA Tournament. To struggle and then find success, it means that much more and feels that much better."
