Oct. 17, 2008
View the 2008-09 Season Schedule
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Melanie Balcomb, VU head coach, and her players spoke with VUcommmodores.com Friday afternoon prior to their first official practice of the 2008-09 women’s basketball season.
Melanie Balcomb, Vanderbilt Head Coach
How big is having your five starters returning this season?
This is the first time that’s happened since I’ve been here, so I’m really excited about moving forward. Of course you have to go back and review, but I’m really excited about being able to move forward at a quicker pace than we have in the past.
The team only had one senior return last season. What did they learn about themselves from that experience?
I think they gained a lot of big time experience in the big games. I think they obviously got to play in postseason. We lost to nobody but LSU and Tennessee in the SEC. So, they got a lot of minutes, a lot of experience and a lot of time in crucial situations. I think that definitely built their confidence.
You had a very good defense last year. How important is that for the upcoming season?
That’s huge. It was our best defensive team that we’ve had since I’ve been here. I think we got to the point where we were dictating people on defense. We were more physical, more athletic, and I look to be even better at it this year and even create more offense off of our defense than we were able to last year.
How do you go about doing that?
We’re adding two very athletic freshmen that are going to make us faster and quicker. We’re going to change some of our defenses to make them more aggressive and do more full court, three-quarter court and more trapping out of our defense, so a lot more aggressive.
The team is among the national leaders in field-goal percentage. How does that help you prepare entering this season?
I think we have to be more balanced on offense this year. I think with Tina Wirth and Merideth Marsh doing a lot of the scoring, and then Liz Sherwood, who was our sixth player but a huge force, a 6-5 post player who graduated. We’re going to have to make up for Liz and her offensive ability in the paint, and really attack the basket more and get to the free-throw line, and not just be as aggressive on defense, but more aggressive on offense.
Final thoughts:
I think this is a season different than any season I’ve had in that we have a lot of players returning yet we’re still a young team. I think people are going to forget that last year we lost one senior, but this year we only have three seniors. Christina Wirth and Jennifer Risper have been starting for three years, but they’re really our only seniors. Amy Malo is a senior but has not played much because of injuries most of her career. So, we’re still going to be young again next year. It’ll be interesting to see how much our players have worked, and how much they’ve developed their game over the summer and in the offseason.
Vanderbilt Players
Jennifer Risper, guard
What type of goals/expectations have you set for yourself this season?
I definitely want to work to do the same things that I did last year and more. Rebounding was a big statistic that helped contribute to the team; also, free throws, just getting to the line more and having a higher percentage; as a team, just going further than we did last year.
What did you learn last year from such a young team?
We learned a lot about each other and just working together. We were young, but a lot of our starters played the whole year. So, they got more and more experience as they went through the year. I just think that we came together and learned how everyone plays individually, and grew closer together in that way.
Is the team going to focus heavily on defense this season?
That’s a big focus this year, just knowing that we can be one of the best defensive teams in the SEC. I think we gained a lot of confidence last year in how well we played defensively, in rebounding and steals and getting tips. It’s definitely going to be a better defensive team.
Christina Wirth, guard/forward
You joined the Vanderbilt 1,000-point club last season. How important is that to you, and are you going to try to build on that?
Well, that wasn’t even a goal of mine, it just kind of happened. Obviously, I’ll score when I’m open and when my team needs me to, but that’s not something that I’m setting a goal for. I think there are so many people in our program who are capable scorers. I’m going to do what I need to do to help the team, but that’s not something that I’m going to try to force.
What types of goals/expectations have you set for yourself this season?
I want to be a better rebounder, especially offensively. We’re a relatively small team this year, and I think people are going to look at us and say that we’re going to struggle. I don’t think that we think that, but I know that one way we’re going to need to make up for our lack of height is by being a great rebounding team and hustling after balls. Also, being more versatile, I know that I have a reputation as a shooter, and so I’m going to have to add to that as teams try to take that away from me, and be more of a driver and use our other weapons.
What did you learn last year that you can use this season?
I think this year we know that we’re one of the best teams in the country, but we want to be in that elite group. We don’t want people saying the Sweet 16 is where we stop every year. We’re ready to go further than that and to do that we’re going to have to beat good teams like LSU, Tennessee, UConn, Maryland and all of those teams that are always in that top 10. I think that we can be there this year, so our focus in practice every day is going to be just to push each other so that when we get in games, the games are easier than the practices. So, I think we’re ready to go.