by Shane Vicry
Guest Writer
I recently had the privilege of sitting down with the Lady Lions’ head coach, Christian Papp, to talk about expectations for the upcoming women’s basketball season in light of some early season performances. The following are some highlights from the conversation.
So what’s the team’s record so far this year?
We are 3-2 not counting an exhibition loss to Tennessee Tech.
Oh, how did that go?
Terrible, we lost something like 101-31.
That’s sort of to be expected though I guess?
Yeah.
So, what were some pre-season goals/expectations?
Well, we were picked to finish seventh in our conference. Personally, I’d like to finish in the top five. And really, the key is to make sure we are constantly improving, and be playing our best ball by the end of the year, in time for the conference tournament.
Have the expectations changed any – in light of early performances, what you’ve seen in practice?
Honestly I’ve been pretty disappointed despite winning the last three. We just aren’t maximizing our potential. Sometimes you can win and lose at the same time, if you know what I mean. A few games ago, we won by like 22 or something, but I felt like we should have won by 40.
Any standout players?
Anna Thomas. She doesn’t even know how good she could be. She could be an 18 point per game, 1st team all conference type of player.
Has anyone’s playing surprised you so far?
Sara Barnett. I’ve been very pleased with her so far. She’s shooting 40 percent from three and has been very consistent. I look to her for stability.
Any strengths/weaknesses?
Weaknesses: turnovers and handling pressure, for sure.
Have you been working on anything specific to try to fix the problem?
Oh yeah. We’ve been doing a lot with footwork, jump stops, a lot of fundamentals.
What has it been like getting to know/coach this particular group of girls?
It’s been good in many ways. They care about one another, strong character; they make good decisions versus bad ones. They aren’t the toughest team that I’ve ever coached, though. And you can print that.
Anything else you’d like the students to know?
I expect excellence. We have had moments where we have flashed greatness, but we need to show consistency. I put a lot of pressure on these girls. Some people don’t agree. Some people say it should be different because they’re girls or whatever. I tell them diamonds are created out of pressure. And in these economic times there are going to be points in these girls’ lives where they are going to face hardships and pressures. This is preparing them for that.
If you could use one word to describe this team?
Potential.
This season will be a success if…
We stay unified. We never quit.
Thanks for your time, coach.
The ladies will put their three game winning streak on the line in what is sure to be a stern test against NAIA Sweet Sixteen qualifier from a year ago, University of the Cumberlands. We look forward to an exciting season, and can rest assured that Coach Papp will be working hard to get the best results out of the team.