Late Night in the Phog - Bonnie Henrickson Quotes
Oct. 14, 2011
Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson
On if she thought the dancing or the basketball was better:
“I told them (the team) today that you guys dance really, really well; you better be able to play as well as you dance. It might have been a tie.”
On what she saw from the team tonight:
“The returners were aggressive. Angel (Goodrich) didn’t really get an opportunity to take any shots, but she dumped the one off to Chelsea (Gardner). Monica (Engelman) hit some uncontested shots. Aishah (Sutherland)’s three (was a highlight). I’ve seen her shoot one, but I don’t know if I’ve seen her hit one when I smell popcorn (during a game). The returners played well. I thought the freshmen didn’t try to do too much, because sometimes you get caught up in that. We’ll practice tomorrow and that will be a better opportunity (to evaluate). If we would have played well, I wouldn’t have been that excited. They get so caught up in the emotion of the night, it seemed like everybody was so tired after two minutes.”
On Aishah’s shot at the buzzer:
“It was a really cool moment (for her), to hit a three and then hit the last shot. She’s a kid that I think can be an x-factor. I think her and Tania (Jackson) can both bring a lot from that post position. They can bring a lot and we’re going to need a lot. They’ll both be important.”
On if she thinks the team is farther along because of the Italy trip:
“I think you can see it in practice. Now, we didn’t necessarily look it tonight. We didn’t pick up the ball, but we looked a lot better in practice yesterday and we’ll look a lot better tomorrow as far as how we play things and how we match up. We weren’t very good today, but we’ll be better tomorrow.”
On her wobble:
“I didn’t fall down. I weebled and wobbled and didn’t fall down. They asked me last week, `Coach, will you do that with us?’ and they were doing it in Italy all the time. You would have thought I wouldn’t have had to practice as much, because I watched them so much. (I would grade myself) probably a C-, but it’s a challenge for me.”
On who she thinks is going to bring the most excitement to the team:
“I think we have players that are exciting to watch. Angel Goodrich is one of the most special point guards I’ve coached in my career and one of the most special point guards in the league. She didn’t get a chance (to show her stuff) tonight; those passing lanes have to open up. She played well tonight, but if you’ve seen her enough you just wait for something to happen. It didn’t play out tonight, but we didn’t have one of those Angel moments that we’ve all come to love and appreciate. I think her style of play and how Carolyn (Davis) finishes and runs, that’s fun to watch in transition. And Monica can knock down some shots. We have some speed and athleticism that will make us fun to watch.”
Senior forward Aishah Sutherland
On if she enjoyed her last Late Night in the Phog:
“It was fun. I came out here to have fun with my teammates, and show our talents to people out there who don’t normally come out to our games. So hopefully they will come to our games (this season).”
On what she thought was better, the dancing or the scrimmage:
“I feel like it was pretty even, but the dance was great. It was the best dance we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
On if she gets nervous performing in front of the large crowd:
“You get hyped up. It was like this for the WNIT Championship (in 2009). We come out there with more energy, come out ready to play. When people come out to watch you, you want to give them a show.”
On what she thinks will draw bigger crowds at their games this season:
“The most important thing is defense. We need to win games and we will when our defense gets better. When people see that we are winning, I think they are going to come watch us.”
On what team chemistry adds:
“Chemistry is very important to win. If you don’t have any chemistry you won’t pass the ball around, you won’t work good well together. Chemistry is important and we have that on the court and off the court.”
