Sept. 1, 2011
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2011-12 Quick Facts
Head Coach Nell Fortner
On expectations for the new season...
"The past two years have given us an opportunity to give a lot of kids playing time and build for the future. We are looking for that future to happen this year. We have got a strong freshman class that got good minutes last year. We have a lot of returners that are bring back a lot of experience and a lot of hunger to get to the NCAA Tournament. I think it's a matter of working hard in the spring and summer. They are highly motivated to have a season that doesn't fall short of the NCAA Tournament. We were one game short of it last year and nobody feels that more than this team. That was incredibly disappointing and that leaves a huge hunger in our hearts. Hopefully we can right that this year. We have great experience coming back. We finished the season with two big wins, we won at Georgia and at Arkansas and those were two great tests for us. We showed strong resolve and heart. It was good to see from a team that was pretty young and only had one senior in Alli Smalley. I am looking forward to the season and seeing what we can accomplish with the players we have coming back."
On the two newcomers...
"I am really excited about these two players. This is as excited as I have been about a recruiting class in a long time. Najat Ouardad is a point guard that has great experience coming from a junior college. She led her team to the semifinals of the NJCAA National Championship last year from Pensacola State and an undefeated season. They were the No. 1 team in the country at the junior college level the entire year. She did a great job of leading a very talented team and she was the leader. Her leadership capabilities are what is exciting about her coming here. She is competitive and she is experienced. She has been a part of the French National Team system for years which gives her even more experience. She is a tremendous passer, can see the floor very well and she likes to push the ball. We have the players to play that way and I think she will fit in nicely.
"Hasina Muhammad is a player that will make everyone think back to the DeWanna Bonner days, except she has her own flare to it. She is long and rangy, and she runs the floor so well. You can throw balls up to the basket to her and she can go up and get them. She makes the game exciting, and she is a great defender. You can put her at the top of the press, because she is so hard to get the ball around. She gives us a lot more opportunities to press and put more pressure on people. She is very versatile and she can play anywhere on the floor."
On whom she looks forward to being the leader this year...
"We have got three seniors on this team with Morgan Jennings, Parrisha Simmons and Chantel Hilliard. We are always looking to our seniors to be natural leaders because they have been here for three years and they know the system. They know what is expected of them and they know we expect them to step up and be tremendous leaders for us. Your point guard is a natural leader also, so even though Najat doesn't have any experience here, she has a lot of experience as a leader. She is older than her years as far as basketball goes. So, I am expecting her to come in and be a leader for us."
On building off of the WNIT Tournament from last year...
"We worked hard in the offseason on things that the players needed to improve on in the weight room to get stronger, and to work on team bonding. Everyone wanted to improve the team as well as themselves. I think they did a tremendous job of growing that atmosphere this summer. The disappointment of not making the NCAA Tournament always leaves you hungry with that taste in your mouth that you want to get rid of. The only way to get that taste out of your mouth is to get to the NCAA Tournament, and that is what we will be striving for."
On the personality of the team...
"They are great kids. You can look at our community service record, you can tell we want to help the community and help the kids. That is very rewarding actually, and I think it brings them together when they are presented with these opportunities. They have done a great job in the classroom, and they just represent our program very well."
On the guards...
"Najat is coming in and she is going to have to step in and play right away with the loss of Morgan Toles, which was a disappoint loss to the program and for Morgan. It is something that we all didn't have any control over, but we have had to find a way to move on. Najat and Morgan Jennings will have to fill that void. Camille is coming off an injury in the fall but was able to play some in the SEC season, and we saw glimpse of what she is able to do. She is a long-range bomber. She can just shoot the ball. She has a great feel for the game. We all know what type of player Morgan is. She did a great job coming in for Morgan Toles after she came down with her injury and she is going to have to do that some this year. Courtney Strain is just a great shooter. She has one of the quickest releases we have seen in a long time. She is two points or three points waiting to happen. Her green light is so bright, it is blinding."
On the wings...
"Parrisha Simmons is one of the best athletes we have ever seen come through the program. She can play the 3, the 4, or the 5. She can guard any position on the floor and I know she is excited about her senior season. Tyrese Tanner had a very good freshman year. She showed us a lot of what she can do. She is another versatile player who can play the 3 or the 4. When her ballhandling improves, she will be a very dangerous player. She is very dangerous inside right now, getting rebounds and getting baskets. We all know how Blanche Alverson can shoot the ball. When you have Camille and Blanche on the floor at the same time, you can really spread it out. Those two are very fun to watch when they are knocking down threes. Blanche is another versatile player who can play the 3 and the 4."
On the posts...
"Jassany Williams got some great experience last year. She has the potential to be a beast inside. I think she is very hungry to be that type of player. She worked hard in the offseason, so we are looking forward to what she is capable of this year. Chantel is a tremendous athlete and I think she is hungry to be that player that we have always wanted her to be. We have seen glimpses of it through the years. We are looking for her to be a constant inside threat. Pascale West is a rising junior and she had a great offseason. I think she is hungry to get on the floor this season, and we are hungry for her to do that. You don't see too man 6-8 players running around in our game in this country. She has the agility and shotblocking ability to give us big things. Peyton Davis is a rising sophomore that isn't afraid to bang inside. She is a big body that isn't afraid to bang and she is looking forward to being a more consistent scorer on the block. I'm looking forward to seeing her benefits in this season."
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