Coach Chris Gobrecht Reviews Upcoming Season

Oct. 10, 2000

On the Season...
"There are still some questions that are left to be answered about this team and this season. For good reason because there are five new people that have to integrate into the team. We have a much-improved set of returning players and a much different frame of mind. The attitude and the sense of purpose - the sense that we're going to be good and we're going to be successful this year' - that I feel on behalf of the returning players is exciting. There's no question that the freshman are a group of very gifted young players, but they are in fact freshmen. We're going to have to weather some of that, but they can certainly play.

"Once again we're playing a very difficult schedule. Ours is probably one of the 20, 30 most difficult schedules in the entire country.

"The question for this team is not `will we be good?' it's `when will we be good?' We have to start off good in November, December and not wait until January or February. Last year it took us until February to be pretty good.

"We definitely lost some senior s that made a difference for us last year, but we have more than made up for their loss in the improvement of the returning players and the new talent we've added. We'll be a much better team than we were last year, stronger in some of the areas that plagued us a year ago. We're going to be more athletic - everyone thought we were athletic last year, but trust me, we weren't. The team had to struggle to do some athletic things and had to be very strong mentally. There are better athletes on this team. Our perimeter shooting will be much improved, our rebounding much improved, and our defense should be much improved. Last year we weren't nearly as good defensively as we could be. This is going to be a good team and in the next couple of years, you're going to see USC contending for a national title."

With a player like Ebony Hoffman coming in (a player with multiple accolades), and a team that improved last year with hard work and hustle, can she make a big impact without ruining the team chemistry?
"Well I think that Ebony has already begun to take a lot of ribbing from the team. She was a heavily recruited player last season - the most talked about player in the country - so the team was very aware of who she was and how hard we had to work to get her here. Now that's she's her, she's still one of the stars and one of the people we want to feature, but that will all work itself out with time. I think Ebony is handling it very well and I think that the team is handling it very well by understanding that Ebony is just like them. Sometimes she doesn't make her times on the runs and sometimes she struggles with stuff and doesn't understand things, but she gets to be a freshman just like everybody else. That's the number one thing, we have to understand that she's freshman. But I also know that there are some people on this team that really want to win, and we accomplish a lot with players like Ebony on the team. They're not going to let themselves get hung up on a bunch of petty stuff."

What is the difference in the team's attitude?
"They think they're good. It's just noticeable. I've worked with this program for the last three years and there's a definite difference in how this team acts. We're a lot more likely to step up and be proud of who we are. The expectation level is greater. They have a sense that they ought to be doing this because they know they can be one of the best teams in the country."

How are you viewing the conference breakdown?
"This team has talked about going up. We want to go for it - we want to make a run at the Pac-10 championship. And I don't think we just say that in the chatter, I think that the team really believes that we have a shot at it. So much of it depends on how quickly we can get it all going. We're going to play a schedule that will tell us if we have it figured out or not early. We'll get in trouble if we mess around with the schedule that we're playing. It took us awhile last year to finish 7-2 in the second half of the Pac-10 schedule. There were a lot of lights going on at the end of the season, but we missed out on some opportunities because it took us so long to figure it all out. How quickly the team listens, learns and grows will decided on whether or not we have a shot at the Pac-10 title. We have to be much better in January to start the conference season."

What are Ebony's strengths?
"Ebony probably has the best power-quickness game that I've ever seen, and certainly the best out of high school. She's extremely explosive, fast and quick, especially for somebody of that size. But again, she has things to learn... everybody has to be a freshman. She rebounds great, she plays hard, she'll run the floor hard and she's a fantastic passer. This is an area that a lot of people overlook with Ebony and don't really take into account what a great passer she is. In some ways, that's one of her greatest talents - the ability to pass the ball. If she improves at the rate that Tiffany (Elmore) has since she was a freshman, then she is going to be incredibly dominant."

What are your options at point guard?
"I think that we have lots of options to look at. We have one senior... Ayeshia Smith, but she does not have a lot of experience. She's only played a few games because she got hurt early last year. We have Camille Norwood who did a good job backing-up Erica Mashia last year, but she's injured right now. She stretched a ligament in her knee so she's going to be slow coming out-of-the-blocks. We have Ryane Alexander whose a freshman and who is excellent at distributing the ball and excellent with the outside shot. She's a tough kid who plays good defense. There's even the possibility that we may put Lauren Smith-Hams in that position. It was a little overwhelming to her a year ago but she may be able to handle it this year.

"We have all these options for people who are true point guards. Then I'm also looking at not playing anyone in that position at all, and instead putting as many of our good guards on the court at one time. We have some great two guards. You start with (Tiffany) Elmore and we also have Aisha Hollans and Jessica Cheeks - those are three very, very good guards. We can play two guards or we can even play three. Tashara Carter has the possibility of making this happen because I've thought of even moving her to the four spot. She is our starting forward and probably the best senior in the group. She's very focused this year and I expect a lot of things from her. Because of that, I'm certainly open to the idea of putting three guards on the court. The only problem is that we'll still have to defend teams."

Where do you see yourself fitting into the Pac-10?
"I think in all honesty I'd be disappointed if we weren't a top three, four team. I believe that we can make a run at the title if we're ready in January."

How important was the second half of last season? Is it possible to carry that momentum into this season?
"I think so. I think the team has kept that in them and it has played a big role in their confidence. But there's a key difference between this year and last year. It's a lot easier and much more fun to be the underdog. When you're playing good and people are not expecting all that much, it's much easier to sneak up on people. When they start to notice you, you won't be able to surprise them and they're going to be much more prepared to face you."

What is the overall attitude of the team concerning the Pac-10, considering there have been big changes like the loss of Shaquala Williams?
"Anytime anybody goes down, it's never a good thing. We never take any joy from seeing a player hurt. It's not good for the conference when a top player like Shaquala goes down. It will change Oregon in some ways, especially how they match up against other opponents. I don't know if it changes our match-up with them much. I think they'll just have to shift their emphasis elsewhere. As for the rest of the conference... as usual, Stanford is loaded with talented players. Arizona is quite talented. UCLA - anytime you have good guards, you're going to be a force to be reckoned with. Some other teams in the conference are also going to be much better: Washington will be better, Arizona State will be better. Oregon State snuck up on a lot of people last year and they will be back. Cal has lost some key people, but I still think they were the toughest team to guard last year - not UCLA, not Arizona."

Junior Guard Tiffany Elmore

What is the difference in the team's attitude?
"We all know that we are a much better team than we were last year. We have a different mindset and everybody is just a lot more confident. Everybody is looking to be better team leaders as well as better players."

Are you a lot more confidant in yourself?
I think I'm confident in my teammates and myself because I know how hard we've all worked this summer to become better players. We all understand that we can be a better team and now we want to just prove that on the court."

What are Ebony's strengths... are you surprised by her given her reputation?
"She's just so much stronger that a lot of the past players I've played with. She'll get you the ball when she's doubled. She knows when to score and she knows when to pass it out. She's just a big presence and I have a lot of confidence with her up front."

How important was the second half of last season?
Is it possible to carry that momentum into this season? I think that everybody feels much more confident because of what we did at the end of last year.