Jacie Hoyt Media Availability Quotes

Opening Statement

"I'm just really proud of our kids and we're playing a really fun, brand of basketball and our kids are having a lot of fun doing it. It's been a great start to kind of kick us off into what is about to come for Big 12 play. Obviously, just a big week for me personally and for our program. With the baby coming, I've been trying to get everything prepared and ready to go for not just myself but for everyone here that I'm kind of stepping away from. I think it's a great opportunity for our coaches and our players to really just step up and be leaders in my absence and I have no doubt that they'll do that. They've already done that, but just a good chance here in the next couple weeks to really just continue to move our program in the right direction. I imagine the plan is somewhat subject to change, but you kind of have an idea of, okay, I'd like to be backed by x date. I'm trying to keep an open mind. I think, initially, it changes all the time, right? So initially, I was thinking maybe it would take a little more time and then being out from that Florida tournament just really it taught me a lot about myself. I might change my mind again, I think I just learned that I'm wired to get a lot of myself worth from work. I just love what I do and I love being a part of a team. Again, I know things are going to change when a baby enters the picture, but I feel like I'm my best self when I'm able to be more involved and a part of the team. My goal is to hopefully be back maybe not standing on the sidelines, but just at least there for Iowa State to open up Big 12. Who knows? That could change. Hopefully, everything goes smoothly and everyone is safe and healthy on our side, but that would be my ultimate kind of motivation right now."

Can you put us in your mindset when you're watching the tournament that you were unable to be at?

"It was just painful and anyone who watched knows there was a delay, it was hard for anyone to watch, but especially for me just not being able to feel like I could really have a grasp on what was going on or how I could help, communicating to coaches at halftime or before the game or whatever, that was really, really hard. It wasn't good for my mental well being, but I'm learning right now just how to surrender and I don't know what I don't know. I hear that's a lot of being a parent is just having to give up that control. So, it's kind of preparing me, I think, for what I am about to experience also."

What are the emotions going to be more excited? Are you more nervous, kind of what's that like?

"Yeah, a little bit of everything. really just honestly just gratitude. I just feel so overwhelmed with it. It was so hard for me to be gone the Florida trip, but that was really eye opening to how much I love what I do, how much I love this particular team. There are probably teams in the past where I wouldn't have been as upset about being away from them, but I just I love this group of girls. I adore them and I've been emotional about how fortunate I am and so frustrated in being away from a group of people because it means that I love them that much and I enjoy being around them so much and fighting for them and with them. Obviously, it's for a really, really good reason, right? So just being emotional about how grateful I am to finally be able to be a mom. My husband and I have been trying for a long time. I mean, years and so for this to finally be here for us is just a huge blessing and I feel incredibly grateful to be in the position to have to miss, right? Overall, I would just say gratitude and just an overwhelming feeling of joy and and thankfulness, but also a little bit of fear. Now that it's getting closer, it's kind of like oh my gosh, oh, my gosh, this is happening, but we're thrilled."

Whenever you're watching those games in Florida, you're just like sending texts to the coaches that they'll read later or are you taking notes?

"Just taking notes. I wanted to tread lightly on that because especially with a delay in the feed, you don't really know. I took notes then communicated like I said before the game and at halftime and after. I trust them and I can give my input, but I know from being a head coach, you don't know what you don't know. I didn't want to be a fan and it's really easy to sit back and say, why did we do this or why didn't we do that? I wanted to make sure that I wasn't giving bad advice or seeing something different than what I actually was."

How valuable do you think that was for your players and your coaching staff that they had that little kind of trial run and then you could come back and work out some of the details?

"As much as I hated it, I do think it was really good for everyone in the long run to kind of just experience what it was going to be like and where we could be better to help our team or what we would do different. We met as a staff when we got back and just talked about, okay, when we're in that situation next time, you know, how can we be better, how can we better help our kids? Even with the players, you know, what would you do differently and I think it was great because we all learned a lot and with conference play coming up is the most important time for us and I think we'll be that much better having already got that sample size."

Is there something about this team that's surprised you like a positive that you maybe weren't anticipating or weren't anticipating this early?

"I think just having so many new kids their connection, you can see it on the court. You don't set records without having really great chemistry and the way that they've been able to find each other. I told them, you know, great for the scoring records, but you don't get the scoring record without the assist record and that's what makes this group so special is they're so selfless. They're so bought into we're hungry to get back to the tournament. They either stayed here or came here to get to the tournament. You can just see that in how they attack and approach every day of practice and every game. We're on a mission and you can see that in them. I think the surprise is just been, wow, like we have all these new faces, but man, they're hungry for it, they're bought in and they're willing to do whatever it takes to help us get there."

You all are receiving some votes in the poll now, is that validating and does that show that y'all are making progress towards that goal of being a tournament team and all the other stuff you want to accomplish? ?

"We talk daily about it's a marathon and you have to continue to show up and give your best every single day. It's great that we're receiving those votes, but we still have so much work to do and so much to prove to ourselves. So, it's reaffirming, I mean, how could it not be? Especially coming off of a very average year last year in my eyes. We have talked about not just wanting to win, but wanting to make a statement in those wins and I feel like we've done that thus far. I'm preaching to our team we just we wanna keep our foot on the gas no matter what the score is or what our win streak is or whatever. So, to see other people kind of recognizing that is, of course, a great feeling for us."

"I don't care who you're playing against. I told our team, there are people who could go out there and just not have any defense and they can't do what we're doing right now. I mean, you can play against air and not be able to put up the numbers and be as efficient as we are. So, I think we've definitely seen Stailee grow in her confidence level to shoot. I don't want to say it was a weakness of hers last year, but it wasn't necessarily a strength in her mind or other people's minds. That has been neat to watch her continue to get better. We talked a lot in the offseason about not having that sophomore slump because she did have a great freshman year. Not getting complacent and I think a lot of her success right now is because of the teammates that she's surrounded by. Last year, she had a lot on her shoulders, especially as a freshman, and now she's got great teammates around her that are able to facilitate for her and create for her and the great thing about Stailee is that she'll do that for them as well. I think we're seeing the best of Stailee right now, but the fun thing about coaching this team is it could be someone else the next game and the next game."

How do you feel your teams handled the fourth quarters, especially in some of these games that have you all been up huge amounts??

"I love watching our men's team. Coach Lutz is I just love what he's doing, I love how he's doing it. There's always like this criticism of you can't do it for four quarters or two halves in their case, and it's unrealistic, you know? The game is a game of runs So, I think our fourth quarters have been fine. Could they be better? Yes, but who's to say? I mean, look what we've done in our first quarters, so I don't really get too caught up in that to be honest. I don't want to play a perfect four quarters yet, that's for March, that's for late February. I think there's definitely areas we can improve, but realistically, you're just not going to play a perfect game."

You've really been able to get back to whether it be personnel or healthy players being able to get back to how you want to play your fast-paced, aggressive, defensively style. What inspired you as a head coach to pursue that kind of style?

"Honestly, it just goes back to my high school days and how I was taught to play the game. My mom, just won her 600th game on Friday and that's who I grew up learning from, and it was run and gun offense. It was press for 40 minutes and not let the team get the ball across half court and you can't necessarily do that at this level, but it's just a very aggressive approach. Offensively, that's what I grew up watching and learning and knowing how to teach best. So, I would say I get that from her and it's been fun to get back to that. this year, you know, last year we had the limited bodies and you look across the board at all the teams that I've ever coached, that's kind of been what we do and how we do it. It's been fun and my staff has done a great job getting the right pieces for it because you could have a game where you're shooting as much as we are, but if you're not making it it feels different, right? You have to get makers not just takers and we've got a lot of makers right now, so it looks and feels a lot better when you've got that. The way that basketball in general has shifted styles to a lot of outside shots, a lot of shooting."

Why do you think as someone who's always implemented that style, why do you think that it's becoming really more of a norm as time?

"It's fun. It's fun. I mean, kids wanna play it, you know, I think a few years ago, you had Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and the Splash Brothers. I mean, it's just like who doesn't want to shoot, you know, who doesn't want to get up and down and play fast and what fan doesn't enjoy watching it? I think it's just kind of this perfect combination of all those things and that's where you're just seeing it grow in in popularity. Transition defense, I think, is one of the hardest things to do in basketball, so there's also that side of it. It's hard to guard in my opinion. Where we're able to thrive in a right now is we've got really good post players. ?
So I don't want to discount that and shout out to Coach Lutz because I've watched his practices and he's been so good to me and been very open about how they do things and he's taught me a lot about just how we can better incorporate our post players to open up the outside. You have to have good posts that can do that for you, right? And our posts have done a great job of running the floor and being that paint presence and it's kind of made teams to have to pick their poison on what they're going to guard. I am really grateful for his mentorship in that and he wouldn't even tell you that he's been a mentor, but I I've just watched and I appreciate the way he's taught it and I've learned a lot from him."

What did your mom's 600^th win mean for you? Did you know that was coming?

"I learned about it just a couple weeks leading up to it honestly and my mom I didn't learn it from her. I never would because she's so humble, she's not about that, but it's incredible. I mean it and I say that because in a high school season, you know, for me we always played we always made it to state, we always played the max games that you could and you're looking at a 26-game season. That's not very many and to win 600, so just the amount of time that she's put into it, but most importantly, just the lives that I've seen her change throughout. That was the neatest thing for me. My sister put together a book for her, just reached out to former players and people who have could have been along that journey and it was just amazing for me and I was so proud as a daughter, as a player and a coach to see that impact that she's made truly a generational impact. It wasn't even really about the players that she coached. It's hearing how they teach their kids now, the things that they learn from my mom and the lessons and the work ethic and the stories that are shared. I think being a person who's about to bring my own baby girl into this world, that's who I want to be. That is who I want be for my players, that's who I want to be for my daughter. I can't even really put it into words, how special it is for me, just seeing all of her hard work because no one works harder than my mom. High school coaches, they don't get paid anything and they do everything. She works just as hard now as she did those first couple years of my life, trying to prove herself, and that's one of the things that makes her so special."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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