University of Tennessee Athletics
Quotes from Head Coach Pat Summitt's Weekly Teleconference
November 15, 2000 | Women's Basketball
Wednesday, November 15, 2000
How do you feel about the status of the team in preseason practices and in the first game?
"First of all, the team is very anxious to play someone other than themselves. We are trying to work four freshmen into the mix and introduce some offensive schemes before the season starts. We are in a 'fast forward' mode because of our early schedule with games against DePaul and Clemson, two very strong opponents and veteran teams.
"The freshmen that we brought in this year have brought a lot of energy, athleticism and skill. Each of them should add another dimension to the team. I don't know what type of role each one play, but I expect Ashley Robinson and Tasha Butts to see a lot of action very early."
What is the starting lineup heading into the season?
"Our lineup has the possibility of including several different players. We are at least seven deep with starters. Based on our previous practices, the post game against Athletes In Action will probably include Ashley Robinson and Michelle Snow. In the first exhibition, we started Ashley and Gwen Jackson in front of Michelle. All three of them have demonstrated that they are ready to be in the starting lineup and no one is locked in.
"In the perimeter, we have four people that could start right now: Kara Lawson, Semeka Randall, Ace Clement and Tamika Catchings."
Can you compare Big Ten basketball with basketball in the SEC and other conferences?
"The style of play, for the most part, is not that different from conference to conference. We are seeing more skill and more athleticism that allows for up-tempo play in all of the various leagues.
"In the SEC, there is a lot of strength from top to bottom. Night in and night out, teams match up with us physically and athletically and we are challenged up and down the court. The other conferences, such as the Big East, Big Ten, ACC and Pac-10, are getting much stronger with better athletes."
How good is your team going to be this year?
"Today, we are not a national championship team. By March, I am hopeful that we will make a run and contend for the title. I like our talent but we need our veterans to come up big for us. We also need the freshmen to step in and provide an immediate impact. They might not need to make a huge difference every night, but they need to help us with depth and there they can make a difference."
How good is Connecticut this year?
"UConn was very impressive in its season-opener against Georgia on Sunday afternoon. The started the season right where they left off from the national championship game last year. They have a great deal of intensity and worked well defensively against Georgia. They have offensive weapons inside and outside."
Do you have the talent to match up with UConn?
"In terms of personnel, yes. However, we do not have the experience that they have right now. We need everyone to step up to make it happen and we must be a better offensive team. In the championship game, UConn exploited our weaknesses with a variety of schemes. We need to create a more balanced offensive attack this season."
Other than Tennessee and Connecticut, what are the best five or six teams in the country and why?
"I think that Georgia is a very good team despite not having an impressive showing against Connecticut. The Miller twins are both good and Nolan is an explosive weapon for them. Duke and Purdue are threats because of their solid recruiting. LSU has the guard play to make an impact nationally. Rutgers is also up there because of their talent and experience."
Did Semeka Randall really have that bad of a year last season?
"We have set high standards for Semeka and she has very high standards for herself. Last year was a sub par year for her. The good news is that she is playing terrific now. She has a new energy on the defensive end of the court and has been playing extremely well in our new offense. Right now, I would have to say that Semeka has been our most consistent player from the start of practice on October 14 until now."
What else can Tamika Catchings add to her game this year?
"Tamika can improve her game now that she is at the forward position. That move has opened her up and allowed her to be more of a threat in transition. She is a great creator and can shoot three-point field goals more often from her new position. Tamika is also having to make more decisions and understands the tempo of the game a lot better. With this change, I see her becoming a better player every day in practice. Starting this season, I knew that Tamika was going to start at the 3 position, but the rest was up in the air."
How did Kara Lawson's injury impact her work in the off season?
"Kara took a lot of time off this summer and that did her a great deal of good. The time off helped her mentally and she was ready to play at the start of practice. She is a much better practice player now. Last year, she was somewhat of a defensive liability and it was important for her to elevate her game defensively. Kara has picked up the intensity and it much more comfortable at the offensive end of the court."
How did the TCU series come about?
"Our philosophy has been to make an effort to play in the home state of every player that we recruit. Last year, we played in Cleveland for Semeka Randall and Philadelphia for Ace Clement. I thought it was important that we give Tamika a chance to play in the Dallas area after all she has done for this program."
Who do you like in the SEC this year?
"Who do I like, nobody. Who is good? Everybody. I think there is a lot of improvement with recruiting throughout the conference particularly from Auburn and Vanderbilt. It will be a difficult race in which you can't predict who is going to be in the top half of the conference. With all of the injuries that have already happened, you can never tell what the league is going to be like until conference play starts."
Talk about the recruiting class for next year.
"Obviously, we are tremendously excited about the class. We graduate four experienced perimeter players and we feel that we have filled a couple of spots with some strong players. At guard, we have brought in Courtney Young and Loree Moore and they will help us fill the one, two and three spots. We will also need for them to step in because we lose our ball-handlers.
"We also kept our commitment to the three-point shot with all five players. In particular, Brittany Jackson, a Tennessee native, has shown a lot of shooting range and poise. Michelle Munoz and Shyra Ely can play all over the court and are versatile players. Both will fit in well with our offense and the balanced attack we are looking for."
What does your team need to improve this season?
"We need to improve on the offensive end of the floor. We need to do a better job passing the ball. We also need make better decisions and pass with greater efficiency. That will help our shot selection and help us make fewer mistakes. On defense, our transition defense was very poor in the first exhibition game. We must get better in that aspect and work on our half-court defense."
