Postgame Quotes

Dec. 4, 2008

Recap | Box Score | Notes |

Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson Quotes

On everyone on the team getting involved:

“I thought that our bench was really good. They have been great in practice and had great energy. I am happy for those kids, in particular Rebecca Feickert and Katie Smith. I thought that those two kids made the most of their minutes and made some nice plays.”

On the play of Kelly Kohn:

“She gave us a huge boost. She comes in and hits a three, does better on the boards, in the first half she let her shooter get loose. The second half she locks her down not letting her get off of the screen. I thought that our guards did a nice job.”

On the team not letting up when they have had a big lead:

“We came out of the locker room and played well. That is important. It is our maturity and the ability to come out and still be hungry and try to increase the lead that allows us to do that. When your bench is playing that well even if your starters are struggling in the second half, you can go to the bench. I thought that those kids did a nice job again.”

On the upcoming game against Marquette:

“It will be a great test. Marquette is very good. I hope that they lost the film to our game last year because they were not very good here. This is a much different and more experienced Marquette team than the one we saw a year ago. We are excited about the opportunity. It will be good to go up and get a chance to play a Big East team who won the NIT last year. It is a great opportunity for this team.”

Junior guard Kelly Kohn

On shooting differently than she did her freshman year:

“I’m definitely shooting differently than I did my freshman year. The repetition I’ve gotten since I’ve been in college has definitely helped. I’ve never spent so much time in the gym and that’s just something that my coaches have pushed me to do. I’ve gotten so much one-on-one coaching from them as far as my shot goes. If I miss one out of 10 shots, there was something I didn’t do and they will catch on to it. I’ve just done a lot of repetitions of shooting with the right form.”

On summer work-outs:

“I spent a lot of time on my game this summer. I actually only stayed at KU for one semester and went home for the second semester. Last year was a tough year for me with my injury, so I went home to clear my head. I knew it was vital for me to be in the gym every single day while I was home. I actually live a block from Adrian College and I was in the gym every day, having my mom or dad come and rebound for me. It was important to me to feel comfortable and confident in my shot.”

On transitioning from a tough year:

“The biggest transition for me so far has been going from starting every game my freshman year to coming off the bench. That’s hard for anyone that plays in college who is used to starting and playing a lot in high school. It’s definitely a different feeling being the offensive player that I am, the catch-and-shoot type of player. It was tough for me to find my rhythm coming cold off the bench. Coming off the injury was tough. It happened right at the beginning of conference play. Big 12 games are different than any other games we play throughout the year. It was definitely hard for me to come off an injury like that.”

Junior guard/forward Danielle McCray

On changing her style of play from last year:

“Throughout my high school years I was a leader by example. I just seem to be more vocal. Last year Taylor (McIntosh) was a mother figure. She talked to us and I always tried to follow what she was saying. I’m just trying to be a leader. Offensively I’m focusing on coming off on-ball screens and creating for my teammates and myself. I know some things are going to change when we start conference play. In the Big 12, every coach is a great coach and they’re going to take away things that you’re good at. Defensively I’m working on staying down, guarding guards off the dribble and containing one-on-one.”

On playing team defense:

“We need to contain, and stay in front. The athleticism is there and I can get steals if I keep someone in front of me and move my feet. We always try and get in the passing lanes before they catch it instead of getting there as they catch it. That’s something we’re just starting to do.”

San Jose State Head Coach Pam DeCosta
On the game:
“It was an eye-opening experience. I talked to my team about playing at this level, and this is what we are trying to achieve. But I can talk about it all I want, but until you play against it, you don’t know. This was a good lesson for us. KU is a very good team. They have a lot more athleticism than we do. And they’re a lot more physical than us. I do not think we reacted to how physical the game was. They came out and took it to us. We got to where we were standing around on offense and were intimidated. It was just hard for us to get into a groove.”

On turning the ball over 23 times:
“They are long and athletic. They are a lot more physical and they pushed us around. In our conference, we do not see that. It’s hard to go up against if you don’t see it all the time. It’s a good learning experience. This is something that we can take back and have our kids learn from. Now they know what it is going to take to play at this level. We have so many brand new players as we try and build this program that it is just taking time for us to get the chemistry on the floor and gel. But we’ll get it. It’s going to happen for us.”

On returning to KU after being an assistant coach:
“The whole thing was weird. I didn’t get nervous until we landed in Kansas City. We talked to our kids about the history of Kansas basketball. A lot of these kids don’t know the history. So we tried to educate them. I told them about when I first walked in here as a coach when I was first hired. I walked into Allen Fieldhouse and no one was on the court and it just gave me goosebumps. I told my team that story. It was great for our team to see what basketball is all about. It was weird for me to sit on the visitor’s bench. It was just a weird feeling. A lot has changed, but it was good. I’m glad to be back.”