University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vols Transcript
October 27, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Head Coach Holly Warlick
(Opening Statement)
It is a great time of year and it's exciting for us. We have been about two and a half weeks into practice. I have not been disappointed. It has not been perfect. There are days where we could have been better, but I love our effort. As you all know our numbers are low, but it is what you do with those numbers and your productivity and I think we are on track. We are not ahead of the game. I would be nervous to say if we played tomorrow, I would not want that to happen, but we are progressing really well. We have added two new staff members, Sharrona Reeves has come to us from West Virginia and has been a great addition to us. Heather Ervin, who has been with the football program is now with us. I think we have two people in place that have really helped us in our overall effort to get better. I think leadership has been a question and it was a question last year. I will tell you this; it has been a different feel for us. Our kids are hungry, motivated and we are getting great leadership out of Jordan Reynolds and Diamond DeShields. At times we've needed Mercedes and Jamie. I am excited that going into practice it has been extremely competitive. If you do not have to teach effort, you are in business; so far I have not had to teach effort. I have had to get on them, yes, but I think they are going out with the intentions of getting better. So I am really proud of that leadership and how they have stepped up and taken control of this team.
(On Mercedes Russell and her confidence level)
"I think last year was truly Mercedes' freshman year, because (during) her freshman year her feet were bad and she could not run up and down the court. I think she has gotten stronger and more confident. When you are her size; she has developed strength and she has practiced hard to get to the level where she wants to be. I think her confidence has gotten better. I will tell you this, she is a point guard trapped inside of a post's body. She knows the game and had a great high school coach, but she knows the game. You could tell her one thing and she could go and tell everyone else where to go and what they need to do. The knowledge is there and the reps for her have been important. I think for her just working this summer on her game and coming back she has been very positive from a leadership standpoint and how hard she is working and playing on the basketball court."
(On people who stood out in the offseason)
"If you went player by player, you would see the most improvement from Jaime Nared. Jaime dedicated herself to getting better both offensively and defensively, so when you get better you have to get in the gym and work and Jaime got in the gym and worked. There are some kids that had to take time off because of nagging injuries and I get that, but Jaime I thought really dedicated herself to getting in the gym. You also see Jordan Reynolds, her body has changed, her percentage of fat has gone down and that just doesn't happen. She has put in the time, she is quicker and she has put in the work. If you keep going down the line; you look at Diamond and think that she did not have as a productive year as we all thought she should have because we are putting her up here. She was coming off a massive injury and I tell everyone that when Diamond's game turned around is when she got healthy. Some of little factors for that has made a big difference."
(On a player who will stand out this season)
"I think all of us because at times last year did we play up to our potential? No, but I said this last year, we never lost sight of what we wanted to do and how we played. We were a great practice team and not necessarily a great game team. These kids had some struggles here and then we went to the Elite Eight. We are proud of that; it was hard work. We did not let the negative noise and record affect us. So I think all of them feel like they need to step up and they have. If you followed us last year closely and you came to practice now, there is a totally different feel. As a coach I don't walk into practice thinking, who is going to show up and who isn't going to show up; they are all ready to go. Do they all love practice? No, they love the game and I get that, but I think their effort is genuine and their will to get better is there."
(On the #14 ranking in the USA Today Coaches Poll)
"14th is great. I would have liked to be one, but everyone wants to be one or in the top ten. All I know is that I think these kids have an opportunity to be very special and being ranked 14th right now. We will take that as a positive. Our schedule is harder than it was last year, so we can be excited that we are 14 but we need to focus on maintaining that ranking and being better. We have to compete and we have an unbelievable schedule that will help us move up and get that respect that we are looking for."
(On the way the league has changed)
"I think you are seeing the result of kids playing basketball earlier and there is more for us to choose from. So I think you will continue to see different teams going to the Final Four and when you have a Breanna Stewart on Connecticut's team and Moriah Jefferson, that is something that comes around every once in a while. Those kids were awesome. I don't think any coach would tell you that it isn't about players. It is about players. I think coaches are getting players. You can be a great coach when you have great players. The thing for us is that we get to choose from more people and yes you will see different teams get upset and moving on because it is about talent and how they jell together and play together."
(On who will step up behind Jordan Reynolds with Te'a Cooper being out)
"Well I think Alexa Middleton has done a great job thus far and she is a utility player for us right now. She can play the two, the one and if we go small, she can be in the three spot. I think you are going to see her have the opportunity to showcase her game. I think Lex is the type of lady that the more she plays the better she gets. If she can demonstrate that she can handle the point and lead the team in practice and if we have confidence in her, then she can back up Jordan."
(On the tough schedule changing practice)
"We have battled injuries since I have been a head coach. I have looked back this year and tried to analyze what we are doing and what we are not doing and so I chose to do a lot more plyometrics to get us more in-balance instead of just running to get us more in-shape. We are not in the best shape we could be in. We are in good shape, not great shape and we will play into that, but I was thinking in the past that we needed to come in great shape because our schedule was so tough early, but we are going to get there. With the limited amount of players and a veteran group, you do not necessarily have to go three and a half hours; you just have to be productive. If we have something on the practice sheet, we are going to get to it and keep going. More is not always better; especially when you have a small group of players, but it goes back to your effort. If they are working and going all-out in two hours then that's great, but if they get to an hour and a half and they are lagging, then not so much. You have to go a little longer. It's a feel of how your team is adapting. We are getting in shape because we do not have the numbers. We are going up-and-down against our practice players and they are pretty darn good, so we have to be in great shape and be at our best level to beat our guys."
(On what is needed from Mercedes)
"I think we need to get Mercedes the ball more. And that is difficult when people are keying in on her and running a zone and packing it in on her. That is hard because Mercedes shoots a great percentage. So we have to find ways to get her the ball a little bit more and she has to work a little bit harder. And I think she is doing that right now so it's a compliment to her, but it forces her to take her game to another level."
(On the addition of Cheridene)
"Cheridene is out with an ACL injury so she will be sitting out this year. Which we knew about going in, but I think this is great for her. She is a great student in her classes, but she can sit back and learn and watch our system. We are talking about a player that is hard, aggressive, and tough-nosed, great rebounder, steady and she will be an old school Lady Vol player for us. If you watched film on her she is a little like Bashaara Graves, so I think she will be a great addition for us in the next year."
(On Candace Parker winning the WNBA championship)
"It is a pride factor. It made me proud of Candace and how hard she has worked this season. How much she has handled and I know what it means to her. I know what it means to her to have played at this University and play under Pat Summitt and represent the Lady Vols and it all goes hand-in-hand. She has won at every level and she is excited to have won at that level. I know how hard Candace Parker works and she is relentless. I was jumping around like I had won as well. All of us as Lady Vols were jumping up excited for Candace. Even someone from Stanford was excited so that's a deal and a bonus.
Jordan Reynolds
(On Alexa and what she has seen out of her at practice)
"I would not necessarily say Alexa is a backup player. She is a phenomenal player, she does just about everything for this team, she is a great leader and she takes the right shots and she is not afraid to take the big shots. She penetrates when we need penetration and she does everything we need for this team. She is a spark so I would not call her a backup player because when I'm not doing things right she always is. She has enhanced her game, she has worked hard this summer and we will need her a lot this year. "
(On the different feeling in this team)
"It is a different feel. Bashaara (Graves) along with Jasmine (Jones) and Draya (Carter) and Nia (Moore), were the old school Lady Vols, were the last people I played with my freshman year so it's our year. Me, Diamond, Mercedes and Jamie, all of the upperclassmen who have learned from the upperclassmen when we were younger, everyone I mentioned before. It's our year to uphold that legacy and do things the way we know how to and that's the difference this year. We have different leadership and leadership roles, we have people who have stepped up and we follow and do what we are supposed to do. I think that's the difference this year."
(On what it felt like to be the final SEC team in the NCAA tournament)
"I think a lot of people overlook it because last season, as you know, we dropped out of the rankings so people feared we wouldn't have made it to the tournament and that would have been the first time in years that would have happened or ever so we ended up being the last SEC team standing in the NCAA tournament, which was a surprise for us but we just kept the faith, believed in each other and we had a great run. It showed that if you put your mind to it you can accomplish anything because no matter what the media says or the outside says, if you believe in yourself you can make that run like we did last year."
Diamond DeShields
(On the difference in Mercedes this year)
"With Mercedes she is more experienced. She has always been a smart player so she brings her knowledge and enhances her wisdom as far as the game of basketball goes. She is the only experienced post player that we have, Qui (Schaquilla Nunn) is great but she hasn't played in the SEC. She is in her fifth year now but it's different when you come to this conference. So Mercedes is the head of that snake when it comes to the post and being in charge of it. Bringing consistency on and off the floor. She has been great for us and I think her confidence has carried over from her run last year."
(On the issue with outside shooting last year)
"We kind of settled a lot with shooting last year, we just shot the ball. When we were open, we just shot it; when we weren't open, we just shot it. So having the athleticism, the size and quickness that we do, we have to make that work, penetrate and use our defense and utilize our offense better. That is something that we have worked to improve. You know shots will fall, but you got to focus on taking the right ones."
(On the toughness of the schedule)
"Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country prepares you to play in the toughest conference in the country. We are playing against the likes of Baylor and Penn State, great non-conference teams, but having the opportunity prepares you and we are excited. At the same time, we are taking it day-by-day. I don't have any team circled on the calendar because they are all important. Today is our only focus. So today we have practice and that's what we are worried about. The games will approach soon so we will worry then. But for now we are trying to stay humble and remain in a steady place and a right frame of mind so we can take on each challenge day-by-day and not get too far ahead of ourselves."
