Jacie Hoyt Meets With The Media In Advance Of OSU's First Road Trip

Head Coach Jacie Hoyt

Opening statement:

"We have a really big week coming up, with our first away game. I think that St. John's is a really good team and is going to be a very different look than what we've seen in our first five games. I'm really looking forward to this week and just learning more about our team and being a little bit battle-tested in different ways than what we've seen so far."

On the team's mentality after the first two weeks of the season...

"I think we have a tremendous amount of confidence. We were able to get a lot of players on the floor and give them those reps together. I think that no matter who you're playing, the way that we've been able to score the ball is impressive. I've been really impressed with that, and maybe more importantly, just our ability to find the open people and shooters. I think we have a tremendous amount of confidence, and our kids are really bought in and bought into each other right now. So, I think they're feeling good, but I also think they're really hungry to play someone different and be challenged in different ways."

On freshman guard Lena Girardi...

"She hasn't exceeded what I thought she was capable of doing on the floor, just because I have so much belief in her; it's crazy. I just feel like if anyone is as competitive as Lena, good things are going to happen, and that's probably the most valuable asset that she brings. But I keep saying this: she just loves the game. She has surprised me with her work ethic. I knew she worked hard; every time I talked to her in the recruiting process, she was either going to the gym or leaving the gym or couldn't talk because she was at the gym. But I mean, I don't think y'all understand how much time she's spending in the gym. She is there at 6:30 in the morning, and she's there up until she goes to bed. She's running people ragged here; she's running our managers ragged because they're always rebounding, she's running our coaches ragged because we're always showing her film. She's obsessed. There are kids who love the game, but I think she even goes beyond that, and she's truly obsessed with becoming the best that she can be. And that has surprised me; I don't think I've ever coached a kid that goes quite to the level that she does in terms of her preparation and work ethic."

On NIL's impact on the team...

"Our kids aren't here for money. We're taking really good care of our kids, as we should; they're really good. So, we're going to take care of our kids always, but the best thing that we have is that kids want to be here because of our culture. Kids want to be here to be coached by the coaches that we have and to play alongside the players that we were able to retain from last season. Kids wanted to stay here from last season because of their positive experience, because of our fanbase. Honestly, it's just something that's really special to be a part of right now, and that all started last season. But it's our culture, and it's something that you can't put a price tag on. And I think that the kids who we kept from last year helped it, and they understand that. And then the kids that we were able to bring in with our top-rated portal class, they had a lot of different options. Honestly, they probably could've gotten paid more than if they came here, but we've been able to identify the kids that have the character that they prioritize winning above all, and understand that maybe some of those programs that are paying more might be paying more because they're in a little bit of a desperate situation. I feel incredibly grateful that we have kids who are just here because they want to be a part of Cowgirl Basketball and not because of a paycheck."

On OSU's recent signees...

"We are really excited about our signing class. I think we got one of the biggest steals in the portal in Annie Kibedi, and then the other two players just complement us perfectly. We got a stud shooter in Addisyn Bollinger, and then just a winner in Bralyn Peck: someone who's just really versatile and fits what we do. We're really excited. I think we've learned here to be OK with maybe not having a top signing class every year, but we've done really well in the portal. So, we're really confident with who we feel like we can retain, but also our ability to recruit out of the portal. And then, just getting the perfect pieces out of our freshmen. Stailee Heard was [on the] All-Freshman team, Jadyn Wooten was last year, and we have every expectation for Lena [Girardi] to do the same thing. So, I'm not saying we're not playing our freshmen, but it has to complement what we have, and I think we've done a good job of that."

On maximizing senior guard Haleigh Timmer's three-point shooting...

"It's just what we do at this point. I want her to shoot more; I was mad at her the last couple of games because I thought she passed up a couple of shots. I actually talked to her about that over the weekend, like 'Every time you can set your feet and shoot it, you need to shoot it.' And I think that what we're seeing with her success is: number one she's just really good and playing really well, and she's going to have a great season ahead of her, but also she has a lot of other weapons around her. So, it's not like teams can just key in and take her away or even take two players away. We have anywhere from three to five shooters on the floor at a time, so I think it's just a testament to all of the weapons that she has around her as well."

On the Cowgirls' upcoming matchup against St. John's...

"St. John's runs a lot of really good stuff. Their coach has been there for a long time; he's done a great job. But where we want to play fast, they really want to slow it down, so that's going to be a fun look for us to just have something that we haven't seen before. They are definitely going to slow it down and play toward the end of the shot clock, and obviously we want as many possessions as we can [get], so I think it's going to be a real fight of who can control the style and the tempo."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Jacie Hoyt Meets With The Media In Advance Of OSU's First Road Trip

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