George Washington University Athletics
Women's Basketball Hosts Media Day
11/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 2, 2006
WASHINGTON, DC - The George Washington women's basketball team addressed members of several local media outlets at the program's annual Media Day event on Thursday.
Head coach Joe McKeown and several Colonials' players discussed the upcoming season with area print and television reporters in the AD's Club of the Smith Center on Thursday afternoon. GW will host Lake Truck Lines in an exhibition game at the Smith Center on Friday at 7:00 pm, before officially opening the 2006-07 season at home against Maryland-Baltimore County on Nov. 10, at 3:00 pm.
Excerpts from Media Day
Head Coach Joe McKeown
On Lake Truck (exhibition opponent):
It's actually a pro team. They pick up players as they go. They have Nikki Blue, who plays for the Mystics, and Brittany Jackson, who went to Tennessee.
On backcourt:
Kim Beck and Sarah-Jo are both preseason all-conference. I think they are one of the best backcourts in the nation. Both are battle tested and have played in many big games. Kim is one of the top point guards in the country. Sarah-Jo is explosive, can put it on the floor. She is going to elevate her game to where she is one of the top scorers in the country.
On NCAA Tournament:
Coaches try to shy away from the numbers. We just want to be a good team at the end of the year. We have 11 returning players from a NCAA Tournament team. There've been Elite Eight teams which started out 1-4, so sometimes numbers can be a little deceiving. You can't predict players getting hurt over the year. Our goal every year is to win our conference and make the NCAA Tournament. We've been in the tournament every year except one or two.
On conference rivals not making last year's NCAA Tournament:
Last year I thought five teams could've made the tournament. Some great players from last year, Dupree and Booth, graduated. I think St. Joe's had some players hurt who are coming back and they should be a dangerous team. Temple and us should be in the Top 25.
On not being in the Top 25:
When you play the schedule we play you can get knocked out of the Top 25 right away. Our schedule makes it tough to stay in the Top 25. Preseason polls are what they are. They're not a great indicator of what's going to happen. I pay attention to Street & Smith's because it costs six bucks. I think we were 21st in there.
On Kimberly Beck:
Kim's had to play so many minutes and, it's amazing, her game hasn't suffered, she's actually stepped up. You'd think she'd be worn out, but she has elevated her game.
On Lisa Steele:
She's been up and down with injuries, but was one of the top recruited players on the East Coast. She has a great basketball IQ. She's practiced every day and is still a little behind, but she addresses our shooting weaknesses.
On non-conference schedule:
Maryland, Georgia, Tennessee, and the rest of the non-conference schedule will prepare us for the conference schedule and NCAA Tournament.
On defense and scoring:
We've always been one of the top defensive teams in the country. We really have focused on scoring because we lost games when we didn't score. We scored 88 points versus Old Dominion in the NCAA Tournament and then 54 versus Tennessee. Scoring will have to come from different places. Kim Beck needs to be more consistent with her scoring, as do the twins, Jazmine and Jessica. Sarah-Jo and Kenan need to be double-digit scorers. We also need to be more aggressive and get to the foul line more.
On renewing the Maryland series:
Maryland stepping up its program is special, but we have been consistent. A game played in November is not like in March, but we are excited about it. It should be a lot of fun. If you're a high school kid in the area, it should be fun to watch. Last time we played them was around 1993. We beat them and they didn't want to continue playing us. It's a win-win for both of the teams and the area.
On playing Tennessee:
If we come out of Knoxville in one piece, March should be fun. Last year's game here was a terrific game and we were toe-to-toe for 35-36 minutes. In the tournament game we held our own. Our players feel like we really can compete with them. The tournament game left us a little bitter, which it should, because otherwise it'd be like an exhibition game.
On becoming a "Giant Killer":
Well, we used to be a "giant," like when we beat Duke, North Carolina and UCLA in 1996-97. We want to get back to that point. We're tired of just being a "giant killer."
Senior guard/forward Kenan Cole
On chances of this team restoring program's status as a "Giant":
I definitely think so. We have both sides, great guard presence, as well as great posts. It's just putting it all together, but I think we have the potential to do that.
On keys to success:
Playing together as a team. We've really been working on our half-court sets, as well as keeping up with our defense and we're continuing to develop our team chemistry.
On being the favorite to win the A-10:
I don't think it really matters, because we expect to be at the top of the conference anyway. Whether they put us at the top or not, we're just going out to win every game.
On not being in the Top 25:
It is some motivation because we definitely want to be part of the Top 25. If we're not apart of that, we still know we have talent and we're a good team. We're going to go out and play as hard as we can and show them what kind of a team we are.
On factor of post play in A-10:
Post play is going to be a big factor, because we have great players returning. They all worked hard over the summer and got a lot better. We have an experienced backcourt that will be able to get the ball to them, so we're expecting big things.
Junior guard Sarah-Jo Lawrence
On characteristic that separates GW from other teams:
I think the difference between our team and other good teams is that we have team chemistry. We aren't coming out and each of us looking to score 20 points. If all five starters score 10 and we win, we're content with that.
On getting better on offense:
We've always been a team that has scored with our defense and we really never keyed in on our half-court offense. That's what we have been working on, how to play basketball within an offense, because we have great individual talent on the team. We're looking to stay within the offense with our individual skill as opposed to just scoring off fast breaks.
On season expectations:
I want to stop going to the Tournament and winning just one game. I want to go, at least, to the Sweet 16. I think we can go to the Elite Eight and maybe the Final Four. My goal, ultimately, is to win the A-10 and get to the Sweet 16 in the Tournament.
On biggest conference threat:
I think Charlotte has a lot of potential. Everyone is saying Xavier this year. I think a couple of teams: Temple, Xavier and Charlotte. We're looking to beat all of them. S-J
On treating game against Maryland:
If you're a real competitor and you really want to win, you have to get pumped for a game against the national champions. We're definitely ready for that game. We'll treat it like every game in that we'll play hard and try to win, but we're really going to be ready that day.
