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University of Houston Athletics
2016 Women's Basketball Media Day
11/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HOUSTON BASKETBALL MEDIA DAY QUOTES (PDF)
2016 HOUSTON BASKETBALL MEDIA DAY QUOTES
Guy V. Lewis Basketball Facility • Houston, Texas • Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016
HEAD COACH Ronald Hughey
Opening Statement
"First of all, thank you guys for being here so much. It's just really outstanding that with everything going on in Houston, joining that with the women and men's basketball team. It's definitely a great year for both of us. Thank y'all and welcome to Guy V. Lewis Development Facility. It's a beautiful facility that we have, and we cherish it a lot. Just to tell you a little about myself, I'm in my third year. I had the opportunity to come in to this historic program and had the opportunity at the time to recruit some really good players and looking forward to a really outstanding season.
This excitement is up. We had the opportunity to get our freshmen in early for the summer. It's the highest recruiting class that has been here in the last ten years, and two out of the five were in the Top-100 of the country. They are sitting alongside of Serithia Hawkins, you might know from last year who was unanimous pick all-conference freshman, but we are expecting great things from her. Then Chyanne Butler, who played part of the season last year. She was our transfer from USC, with a full year under her belt of last year, so we expect some great things from her.
Just to talk a little about the things we did this summer, preparing for this upcoming season. We had the opportunity to go on a foreign tour to Costa Rica. We played three games over there, and it was an opportunity that was just life-changing. We put in a new offense, so we had a chance to see it and incorporate it. We won every game by 30-40 points, but the games weren't the biggest thing for us. The biggest thing was the practices that we had the opportunity to have here. We had all the young ones with the rest of your older ones. Because we only have two seniors this year. They are Jackie Blake and Kierra Graves. Just watching those guys mesh into the culture that we are building here and laying that solid foundation was one of the best things you could ever see.
We talk about the four pillars we use every single day, the first is elite attitude. When you have an elite attitude, it means you make the room better. It means that you make everything you touch better. So we talk to the young ladies about having an elite attitude in every part their life. Then, having self-discipline, Discipline is going to carry throughout everything that they do. Having their respect. It's a word tossed around a lot, but not everybody is implementing it into everything the way we do. And the lastly is character plus accountability.
Last year we were a really good defensive team. The problem was we couldn't score on offense. We had problems scoring on offense, and we rectified that problem. So we can get back-to-back stops, sometimes three times get the stop, but on the other end was our Achilles heel. Having the opportunity to go through the summer and sit down with Coach (Kelvin) Sampson and a few other mentors like Mike Davis over at TSU and redefine what we wanted to do offensively was really good so our girls have really jumped into what we were doing. It's much faster, we are getting up and down the court now. Having the opportunity to get like the guys 20-30 three's a game, early three's in transition.
The thing that we really love is the opportunity we have on our schedule. We have a Dec. 7th game at Texas Tech that we are really looking forward to and a home game against Rutgers on Dec. 10th. It's really going to show a different brand of basketball than you have had the opportunity to see over the last couple of years.
Finally, kids that we recruited in the program are all mine now. They always say the third year is where you start to see the change. Compliments to Coach (Kelvin) Sampson, we are really looking forward to it. We have a tremendous staff. Everybody is all-in every day. There is just so much that I can say that we are just super excited about what is going on here, what's going on overall here at the University of Houston that we just have to be a part of it. And we are not just along for the ride. We're coming to pull up our seat at the table and eat as well."
On the effect the new facility has on recruitment
"I'm glad you asked that question. We had our "Junior Day" two years ago, and out of the top-150, we had one kid show up. It was a Saturday. We had a football game, we had a basketball game, and we had everything. This year we didn't have basketball game for our Junior Day, we only had football and volleyball. Because of this facility, because of what is going on with football, because what men's basketball did last year, we had seven Top-50 kids here. This facility is the difference. The commitment we have from the top to the bottom is the difference, and everybody could see it. Just having this facility brings those top kids in, so we can have the opportunity to entertain them."
On balance between the new players and the veteran's leadership
"We are still trying to find that balance. It's so crazy because we have young kids who are so vibrant. They are energetic and ready to go. They think they can move mountains, and they want to go so fast, but you have to have the opportunity to slow down and be taught. That's where we are now. We have a good mixture.
Brianne Coffman, who was a transfer from Oklahoma State, is one of the ones that has come in and is giving us some great leadership. She'll have a chance to play this year, along with Chyanne Butler and Serithia Hawkins. Those three are our steady leaders every single day, and it starts with them. Off the court, on the court, on the bus, in the locker room, in this facility, on this campus, they are leading from top to bottom, because we always say you have to be trusted off the floor before you can be trusted on the floor. So now the young ones who didn't have the opportunity to understand that are starting to get that part of it."
On what fans can expect from the offense
"The first thing is early transition threes; getting the ball out early. Again a few things I learned from Coach (Kelvin) Sampson was the first 10-12 seconds of the shot-clock, you get the shot that you want. That is the opportunity we want to have this year. When you go further in the shot-clock the defense is forcing you into the shot that they want you to have. So we want to get our early threes so we can play the transition.
We are running the dribble-drive offense which (John) Calipari runs, so it's the opportunity for our point guard, 2-guard, 3-guard, now 4-guard to all be around the perimeter and exchanging the different positions. On top of that, to boast with a good, solid, post-game. We are all athletic. Everybody can sprint now, so we are running 10-11 seconds down and back. We can get up and down the floor now, so we don't have to worry about slowing it down walking it and things like that. We are really looking forward to the fast-pace and the opportunity that we can get from pushing the ball and getting early shots from transition."
On how this year will be different than last year
The last couple of years have been tremendously hard, but hard doesn't own me or this program, so that is why we always overcome it. Now we have a breath of fresh air, because now we aren't walking into the door to get kids that you didn't recruit and trying to put them in your system. Now you're recruiting the kids for your system, and now you got the kids that you want. Now you have to refine it, retune it and make some growing pains. We are going to get there every single day, but, the difference is, we are going to get there with more wins than losses this year.
On what it is going to take to get to next level
That accountability and hard work, getting the best recruits that we possibly can. Getting the kids in Houston to understand exactly what we are doing here, the commitments all the way from the top to the bottom. They say it in football, they say it in men's basketball, across the board, getting those kids to stay at home and recognize what we are doing. We have got to do our part, and our part is coming. Being able to recruit them in the right way and having the necessary success when they get here. Because they have to experience the necessary success so the next ones can go `I want to go here.' That starts with us as a coaching staff, being the best that we can possibly be every single day. That accountability, that elite attitude and those things like that going forward are the building points we want to use with those kids coming into this program and elevating this program. Again, you'll see a big change this year and an opportunity for growth. That is all we want every single year. Some years can be better than others, but now, year three, we are looking for the upswing to be able to move forward in that direction.
On conference coaches putting them in last place
I love the opportunity to be the underdog, and our kids really knew it going in. It just adds the fuel to our fire. One of the two things we have to do is just show up to play every day. We show up and be who we are. We won't have any problems with that. But again, being disciplined, being accountable, carrying yourself with an elite attitude every time you step on the court and just showing up to play. We carry the basketball. We get early shots in transition. We just need to be the team that we practice to be every day. We shouldn't have any problems.
On getting the recruits to stay home in Houston
We got three, and that is the thing that helps, because these three can help us with the next three. Again, that is with success. And then it's the greater focus that we have with the kids in Houston. Jeff, our financial guy last week said `Coach Hughey, you're not spending a whole lot in recruiting.' I said `Jeff, we don't have to get on 10,000 planes anymore.' Everyone is trying to come over here to get the best kids in Houston. It's a drive for us. That is the thing that has helped us the most. Now we get to see these kids more than everybody else coming from out of town. Now we get to make more phone calls and texts and they get to see the success of some of the kids they had the opportunity to play against or play with. All of those things are balled up into one thing to help us better with the recruiting.
On Big 12 expansion decision
For us, we were all-in in the American Athletic Conference until it changes. That's the mindset we had from the beginning to the end. I know everybody else tweeted everything and all that other stuff. But for me, I always learned to stay in the moment, and that's what we tried to do through the whole thing because nothing is promised. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. We just try to stay in the moment, doing what we are supposed to do. Let the powers to be make that decision or not. We just want to stay focused on who we are, and we just try to do that.
On being on full health and people that they rely on for scoring
The thing that I love about that is we have added in Brianne Coffman and Dionna Collins who were sitting out last year. They were redshirts, and they have definitely come in and helped us with some stability, some scoring, rebounding and things like that. Some of the freshmen, not to lay a lot on them, because freshmen can go up and down, but they have the potential to be really good at scoring the basketball. Every freshman comes in thinking that they can score, score, score. To understand, they have to play defense. Once they figure that part out, they can redirect their mind and focus so they can get back on balance. We have Angela Harris and Jasmyne Harris that can really score the basketball. They are not the only ones. Mariah Mitchell can shoot it. Natasha Mack is the only kid that we have out right now, because she was having a little issue with her quad. So we had to do a little surgery on it. Probably another 4-5 weeks and we'll have her back. She's a 6'4 (post) from Lufkin. She's the only injury right now, but everyone is looking good. We are looking forward to getting her back as soon as possible.
SOPHOMORE GUARD Serithia Hawkins
On the excitement for the upcoming season
"I'm very excited to get the season started. The team is ready to prove everyone wrong and do our best."
On taking rankings personally
"I take it very personally, because if they feel that way, we have to prove them wrong."
On the improvements made in the last few years
"We've made a lot of improvements. When we went to Costa Rica, we did a good job in practice, played hard and challenged each other to keep it going."
On the togetherness of the team after the Costa Rica trip
"Everybody bonded well together. We got the freshmen in and they connected with us. It was a fun experience."
JUNIOR GUARD CHYANNE BUTLER
On the excitement for the new season
"I'm really excited. We put in a lot of hard work, so we're ready for this season to come. We want to have a better season than last year. We want to make sure we get out and push the tempo up, control the game and just make sure we stay on top of everything."
On the new offense
"The new offense has been great. We're pushing the tempo a lot. We're getting people open shots, driving the lanes and creating openings for everybody else. The offense is going to be really good this year."
On the differences between this season and last season
"This year, it's a lot more competitive. Our practices have been really competitive. We're getting a lot accomplished, so we feel a lot more enthusiastic this season. We're making sure everything is put together, and our chemistry has been really good."
On having something to prove
"Last season wasn't one of our best seasons, but we're looking to prove everyone wrong. We just want to come out strong and show everybody that we're not the team that we were last year."
On Coach Hughey's idea of looking to score in the first 10-12 seconds
"We want to be relentless. We want to show everybody that, no matter what, we can push the tempo. We can control the game. We want people to run with us."
On changing conditioning offensively
"We're a running team, so we pick up full court. We have to be in shape. We trained a lot this off season to be in shape, so we're ready for it."
On what they have to do to prove people wrong
"We just need to believe in each other and pick each other up when we're down. We can't let people get in the way of us. We have to make sure that all of us trust and believe that we can do it."
SENIOR CENTER Jacqueline Blake
On the differences between this season and last season
"I can definitely say we have a lot of talent. The freshmen coming in are definitely giving us the energy and effort we need. It's going to be a better year."
On the new offense
"The new offense is great. It gives everybody a chance to score, rebound and get into great positions to shoot the ball well this year."
On the new Guy V. Lewis Development Facility
"I love this facility. I'm here almost every day. It's like another home. You just come here and shoot whenever you want."
On the program Coach Ronald Hughey is building
"Coach Hughey is definitely building this program up. This year we're going to make a stand and take things to a higher level."
On embracing being the underdog
"We definitely are going to show people a different look this year. We're going to let them know who we are, and come out making a stance. Practice is definitely getting after it every single game."
JUNIOR FORWARD Brianne Coffman
On the differences between this year and last year
"Coach Hughey did great recruiting the freshman he brought in. There is a lot of talent, and I'm looking forward to the season."
On the pre-season polls
"I see it as motivation. It hurts, because they haven't seen us play. They saw what we did last year, but we have new freshmen."
On a new identity of the team
"We only have five or six returners, so we're basically a new team. For them to count us out and have us at the bottom already, we have to show them that it's not what they think."
On leading a young team
"For the people (Coach Hughey) did bring in, a lot of freshmen have a hard time getting the hang of things, especially when the season starts. We did go to Costa Rica this summer, so we did have our freshman there and they did participate. They were already in the mix, so we're already a step ahead of everybody else."
On the freshmen making the adjustment from high school to college
"You have to be able to focus. It's being able to handle basketball, school and still have a social life. One thing I would tell them is to focus and have the mindset to really want to do what we do every day."
On the conditioning changes this season
"We've done a lot of running already. We had boot camp this summer where we did a lot of running. We had three days of conditioning and two days of boot camp, so we've done a lot already. It's going to help us in the long run with the dribble drive."
On having to sit out last year
"Having to sit and watch my teammates struggle last year fueled a fire. I'm ready, and I know what we needed last year, but I couldn't help. This year, I'm ready to do my part."
On her transfer
"I just wanted to be closer to home. I can go home on the weekends because it is just three hours away, and I have five younger brothers and sisters I get to watch grow up now."
JUNIOR GUARD MARIAH MITCHELL
On the excitement for the new season
"We're really excited about this year, because we have a lot of talent with the freshmen coming in, and we feel like we have all of the missing puzzle pieces."
On the change between her freshman year to now
"(Coach Ronald Hughey) brought in a lot of talent with the freshmen. They bring a lot of positive energy, which is big when we practice and have team functions."
On the new offense
"We're running guns. We'll have quick passes and quick shots, get up the floor, push in transition and have eager defense getting in everyone's faces, ready for anything."
On adjusting to the changes
"(Coach Ronald Hughey) is really helpful when he breaks it down and tells us where we're supposed to be and how it's supposed to work. Our staff is really great with breaking things down and letting us know exactly what they want and how they expect it."
On the specific changes from last year
"We actually sped it up. We have people who can run in transition, hit quick shots and get back on defense. They can run a one-two-one and run a one-two-two as well. There are different varieties of defense that will affect us positively in the future."
On how they practice quick offense.
"In practice, we work with a 24 second shot clock. That's six seconds off of the shot clock. We're just working to get it across the court quickly and get us moving in transition."
On keeping the expectations high with a young team
"It's about being positive about everything you do and being certain and passionate about the things that you do."
On the Navy-style boot camp
"It was really difficult, but of course it brought us together more as a team. There were a lot of things we didn't think we could push through, but we were there right next to each other, and that helped. Everybody had to be in their seat by 5:30 a.m. We were crawling on the grass and running around the track with logs, water jugs and sand bags. There were different challenges that we all accomplished, and it was really good to do."
