Oct. 11, 2007

Before practice begins on Fri., Oct. 12, South Carolina women’s basketball coaches and players spoke with the media. Below are some of their quotes:

Head Coach Susan Walvius
General Overview
“We are going to be a very different team. We’ve basically had the same basketball team for four years. They improved with each year and had the opportunity to go to postseason twice. Our staff did a great job in identifying needs to improve the perimeter shooting. In recruiting for this year, we felt we needed to identify perimeter shooters. We believe we found those players, and they will complement the strength we have inside. We should be an exciting basketball team to watch and a fan friendly team to watch.”

“Fans want to see a 3-point shot and scoring. We will be a much better offensive team this year. Our shooting percentage from the perimeter this year will be better. I think you will see a balanced scoring attack.”

“The strength of our team last year was our depth. We didn’t have any players averaging double-figure points last year. This year will be different. I really like the way we look right now. I like the fact that we can spread the floor and shoot the ball. Hopefully we’ll have four to five on the team with double figures this year, consistently.”

“The recruiting class we signed last year was ranked 18th nationally. We brought in some players that are going to fill our needs.”

On the newcomers
“Jordan Jones is deceptive. She runs very well. She shoots it great. She has tremendous range on her outside shooting. You’ll hear a lot about her as the year goes on.”

“Courtney Newton does a fantastic job in shooting the basketball. We have moved her to the point guard position. She has done a real good job for us. I am excited from what I see from Courtney. She has great vision. She is unselfish and smart and she can communicate. She has done a fantastic job. Early I think you will see her play a lot at the line.”

“We are probably are going to move Lauren Falohun more toward a slasher role. She is a tremendous athlete and attacks the rim well.”

“You have to have a solid point guard to be a solid basketball team. Samone Kennedy is doing a really nice job there.”

On the Schedule
“This is the toughest non-conference schedule that we have played. I want to set the tone for the newcomers on our team about the level of play we will face when we reach the SEC. You have to play the tough games to win them. You have to play against the best teams to be one of them. That is our goal. I am excited for our fans. Anytime we can bring great opponents in, it is great. It generates excitement, and we’re interested in doing that.”

On the possibility of Ashlie Billingslea returning this season after a knee injury
“We are encouraged by where she is in her rehab. There is a chance that she will be back in December and ready for SEC play. We will evaluate at that time what is in the best interests of Ashlie and the team.”

On the offseason work of Demetress Adams
“Demetress impressed me with the time she has put into the gym this summer. That’s what coaches want to see players do — have passion for the game and get in the gym and develop their weaknesses. I am not exaggerating, she put in two-plus hours a day this summer. She is a tremendous athlete. She has put the time into developing her skills. She will be a focal point in our offensive sets this year.”

On recruiting in South Carolina
“We want to recruit the state and give the South Carolina players the chance to have this University as their stage for national competition.”

Senior forward Lakesha Tolliver
“What I’m looking forward to is a great season this year and getting our freshmen on track. We really want to make it to the NCAA Tournament.”

“We’re a little bit quicker than last year’s team. We have players that can pass the ball better and, like last year, we have great post size.”

“I see myself as being there for the freshmen to help them understand the program and the way everything goes, just making sure that we all stay together to reach our goals at the end of the year.”

Demetress Adams
“I expect a good performance from everybody. We’re a quick team. We have a lot of new players. We’re expecting a good season with a lot of enthusiasm.”

“We’re taking more time to actually teach different concepts to our younger players. We do have a lot of smaller, quicker guards. Some of the elements that maybe we lacked in the past, we have this year. The biggest difference will probably be our size. This year we are a little shorter, but the quickness makes up for it.”

Lauren Falohun
“I just want to have fun playing. We have a more exciting, more athletic, more free-style team. I’m ready to have fun.”

“We have different personalities, which is a good thing. We have more fun personalities, which makes the journey better.”

“We just want to work hard with our young team. We need to pay attention more, and we just want to go out there and win.”