Photo by: Bobby R. Hester, (c) 2010
2010-11 Women's Basketball Preview: Q&A With Head Coach John Margaritis
11/11/2010 3:39:21 PM | Women's Basketball
Riverside—With just a day remaining in training camp before the Highlanders open the 2010-11 Women's Basketball season against Montana, Head Coach John Margaritis took some time to stop by the gohighlanders.com offices to give us his take on the upcoming season. (View the video preview).
Q: Before we get into the 2010-2011 season, let’s take a quick look at 2009-10. The team started off struggling by losing 12 of the starting games, but finished strong by winning 14 of 17. We then won the conference tournament and went into the NCAA tournament for the third time in five years. Did last season turn out the way you expected, and what does this year’s squad carry from a year ago?
A: I don’t think that you expect a certain record. I know coaches that sit down and write a wins and losses prediction now and open it at the end of the year, seeing how close they got. I don’t do that; I just go one game at a time. So we had no expectations to what our record was going to be. What we did not expect was all the injuries and adversity that would come our way. What I thought that we took from the season is that we did not fall apart, we stuck together, we learned to believe in each other, and ourselves and when we were healthy we were a very good team, we could compete with a lot of people.
Q: You have two new assistant coaches this season, Carrick DeHart and Seyram Gbewonyo. Tell us a little bit about their backgrounds and what each will bring to the program.
A: They’re both UC graduates. Carrick played and graduated at UC Santa Barbara and Seyram Gbewonyo played and graduated at UC Riverside. They have a very accurate perspective and how it feels like to be a UC student. They understand the league; they understand what is expected of the people involved. They’re wonderful additions and we’re very glad to have them here.
Q: There were three seniors on last year’s team, center Amber Cox, who was named Big West Conference Tournament MVP, forward Marissa Rivera and forward Jessie Schmuckal. Who replaces their contributions in the line-up this season?
A: I don’t think you can replace them. I think what you do is look at the team that you have and you try to figure out how can you get the job done. Everybody steps up, everybody plays through their strengths, and then you adjust your faults through the strengths of the people you have. So I don’t think one person’s going to step in and replace one of them and then another person is going to step in to replace someone else. It’ll be a combination of the people that we have trying to collectively get the job done; in terms of “this is what it takes to compete against the opponents we have on the schedule and let’s get it done.”
Q: You have a couple new freshmen on the roster this year, Taylor Wallace, Dynese Adams and Jessica Ogunnorin. What can you tell us about each of them?
A: Well, Taylor Wallace and Dynese Adams redshirted his year. They’re working hard, getting better everyday and they’re contributing in practice. Jessica, we have a need in her position. She’s not going to redshirt. She will be playing. She working hard, trying to understand our system to get better everyday. What we’re looking forward to for all three of them is to contribute in the future. Right now, Jessica is going to be the one contributing during games, and the other two will be sitting out but contributing during practice.
Q: You also have two redshirt freshmen coming back from injuries last season, Natasha Hadley and Ebony Armstrong. How will they impact the program this year?
A: They both bring height to our team. On the opposite end of things, they didn’t get to play last year; they were both injured. So not only are they freshmen, but they’ve been out of basketball for a year. They’re working exceptionally hard trying to get back into the swing of things. I think it’ll take a little time before they get to the level where they will be contributing everyday and they will be able to contribute at the level that we thought they would.
Q: There are three transfers in your program this year, Brittany Palmer from New Mexico State, Nicole Anderson from Cal Poly, they are both eligible to play this season, and Briauna Linton, a transfer from Hawaii who will sit out due to NCAA rules. Which of those players can we expect to be making contributions on the court this year?
A: Linton is going to be sitting out, so she contributes everyday in practice. The other two young ladies that you mentioned will be expected to give us quality minutes. They’re older, they’re mature, and they have really good skills. So we’re excited to have them. I think they’re going to play a pretty big role this season, in terms of people who are on the floor and contributing.
Q: All-Big West First-Team Guard Alyssa Morris returns for her final season at UCR. Last year she had a breakout season, leading the team in points and rebounds. What do we expect from her in 2010-11?
A: Consistency. I hope she brings consistency. I hope she doesn’t try to do more than she’s capable of doing. I think she’ll be able to contribute, but at the same time playing in with the rest of us, the people on the floor, just play her part and do it well.
Q: Are there any other returners that you see in the mix of things come tip off?
A: Well, I think we could be the eight or nine deep this year. You can’t talk about our team and not talk about Rheya and Rhaya Neabors and about Brittany Waddell. As a matter of fact, as the season ended last year, Brittany Waddell, Alyssa Morris, and Rheya and Rhaya Neabors started the games. So although people do say we have three people returning, we won the tournament with four people that are still on the squad. Tre’Shonti Nottingham is going to be someone that will contribute and will play a huge role in our ability to compete.
Q: Montana is the opponent in the season opener Friday, November 12th at 7pm. The Highlanders are scheduled to face six teams that have postseason experience from a year ago, including WNIT runners-up Miami. What would you say is your philosophy in terms of scheduling your non-conference opponents?
A: Our philosophy has always been that our preseason schedule prepares us for conference and prepares us to play better at the end of the year. We haven’t tried to schedule easier or hard, we just try to schedule in a way that as the season progresses we can evaluate game to game, look to see what we need to work on and just become a little bit better every game.
Q: Are there games along the way that you look to as benchmark games, those that will give you the best idea of how things are going prior to the start of the Big West competition?
A: No, I feel that every game has its purpose. Every game you can learn from. If we play a game and play exceptionally well then you think that against a really tough opponent then obviously you can play at that level and see if you can maintain that or even get better.
Q: The Big West Conference Media Poll came out this week and UC Davis is picked to repeat as regular season champions. Why are they the favorites again this year?
A: I don’ know. I can’t think of the criteria that the media used, which leads us back to just playing those games. I think that there are other teams that are very dangerous, there’s a lot of parity in our conference. Santa Barbara is going to be exceptionally good. Northridge was picked last, and they’re going to be a lot better than that. The media, they did what they did; now we have to do what we have we do.
Q: Where do you see the Highlanders fitting into the mix that you just talked about?
A: I just hope that we stay healthy. I hope that we learn from the preseason games. Then I’ll have a much better idea as to what’s going on going into the conference. I think that having four people return from the tournament and having an opportunity to play people during the end of the year and being able to compete with them that if we play exceptionally hard and put things in the right perspective then I feel we can compete day in and day out. Like I said about Alyssa Morris, I’m looking for our team to be consistent. If you’re consistent, everyday you play at a level that makes it tough for the opponent to compete against. Obviously, what you need to take that to the tournament is consistency. You can’t have a bad day or a day when the opponent is a little better than you.
Q: Before we get into the 2010-2011 season, let’s take a quick look at 2009-10. The team started off struggling by losing 12 of the starting games, but finished strong by winning 14 of 17. We then won the conference tournament and went into the NCAA tournament for the third time in five years. Did last season turn out the way you expected, and what does this year’s squad carry from a year ago?
A: I don’t think that you expect a certain record. I know coaches that sit down and write a wins and losses prediction now and open it at the end of the year, seeing how close they got. I don’t do that; I just go one game at a time. So we had no expectations to what our record was going to be. What we did not expect was all the injuries and adversity that would come our way. What I thought that we took from the season is that we did not fall apart, we stuck together, we learned to believe in each other, and ourselves and when we were healthy we were a very good team, we could compete with a lot of people.
Q: You have two new assistant coaches this season, Carrick DeHart and Seyram Gbewonyo. Tell us a little bit about their backgrounds and what each will bring to the program.
A: They’re both UC graduates. Carrick played and graduated at UC Santa Barbara and Seyram Gbewonyo played and graduated at UC Riverside. They have a very accurate perspective and how it feels like to be a UC student. They understand the league; they understand what is expected of the people involved. They’re wonderful additions and we’re very glad to have them here.
Q: There were three seniors on last year’s team, center Amber Cox, who was named Big West Conference Tournament MVP, forward Marissa Rivera and forward Jessie Schmuckal. Who replaces their contributions in the line-up this season?
A: I don’t think you can replace them. I think what you do is look at the team that you have and you try to figure out how can you get the job done. Everybody steps up, everybody plays through their strengths, and then you adjust your faults through the strengths of the people you have. So I don’t think one person’s going to step in and replace one of them and then another person is going to step in to replace someone else. It’ll be a combination of the people that we have trying to collectively get the job done; in terms of “this is what it takes to compete against the opponents we have on the schedule and let’s get it done.”
Q: You have a couple new freshmen on the roster this year, Taylor Wallace, Dynese Adams and Jessica Ogunnorin. What can you tell us about each of them?
A: Well, Taylor Wallace and Dynese Adams redshirted his year. They’re working hard, getting better everyday and they’re contributing in practice. Jessica, we have a need in her position. She’s not going to redshirt. She will be playing. She working hard, trying to understand our system to get better everyday. What we’re looking forward to for all three of them is to contribute in the future. Right now, Jessica is going to be the one contributing during games, and the other two will be sitting out but contributing during practice.
Q: You also have two redshirt freshmen coming back from injuries last season, Natasha Hadley and Ebony Armstrong. How will they impact the program this year?
A: They both bring height to our team. On the opposite end of things, they didn’t get to play last year; they were both injured. So not only are they freshmen, but they’ve been out of basketball for a year. They’re working exceptionally hard trying to get back into the swing of things. I think it’ll take a little time before they get to the level where they will be contributing everyday and they will be able to contribute at the level that we thought they would.
Q: There are three transfers in your program this year, Brittany Palmer from New Mexico State, Nicole Anderson from Cal Poly, they are both eligible to play this season, and Briauna Linton, a transfer from Hawaii who will sit out due to NCAA rules. Which of those players can we expect to be making contributions on the court this year?
A: Linton is going to be sitting out, so she contributes everyday in practice. The other two young ladies that you mentioned will be expected to give us quality minutes. They’re older, they’re mature, and they have really good skills. So we’re excited to have them. I think they’re going to play a pretty big role this season, in terms of people who are on the floor and contributing.
Q: All-Big West First-Team Guard Alyssa Morris returns for her final season at UCR. Last year she had a breakout season, leading the team in points and rebounds. What do we expect from her in 2010-11?
A: Consistency. I hope she brings consistency. I hope she doesn’t try to do more than she’s capable of doing. I think she’ll be able to contribute, but at the same time playing in with the rest of us, the people on the floor, just play her part and do it well.
Q: Are there any other returners that you see in the mix of things come tip off?
A: Well, I think we could be the eight or nine deep this year. You can’t talk about our team and not talk about Rheya and Rhaya Neabors and about Brittany Waddell. As a matter of fact, as the season ended last year, Brittany Waddell, Alyssa Morris, and Rheya and Rhaya Neabors started the games. So although people do say we have three people returning, we won the tournament with four people that are still on the squad. Tre’Shonti Nottingham is going to be someone that will contribute and will play a huge role in our ability to compete.
Q: Montana is the opponent in the season opener Friday, November 12th at 7pm. The Highlanders are scheduled to face six teams that have postseason experience from a year ago, including WNIT runners-up Miami. What would you say is your philosophy in terms of scheduling your non-conference opponents?
A: Our philosophy has always been that our preseason schedule prepares us for conference and prepares us to play better at the end of the year. We haven’t tried to schedule easier or hard, we just try to schedule in a way that as the season progresses we can evaluate game to game, look to see what we need to work on and just become a little bit better every game.
Q: Are there games along the way that you look to as benchmark games, those that will give you the best idea of how things are going prior to the start of the Big West competition?
A: No, I feel that every game has its purpose. Every game you can learn from. If we play a game and play exceptionally well then you think that against a really tough opponent then obviously you can play at that level and see if you can maintain that or even get better.
Q: The Big West Conference Media Poll came out this week and UC Davis is picked to repeat as regular season champions. Why are they the favorites again this year?
A: I don’ know. I can’t think of the criteria that the media used, which leads us back to just playing those games. I think that there are other teams that are very dangerous, there’s a lot of parity in our conference. Santa Barbara is going to be exceptionally good. Northridge was picked last, and they’re going to be a lot better than that. The media, they did what they did; now we have to do what we have we do.
Q: Where do you see the Highlanders fitting into the mix that you just talked about?
A: I just hope that we stay healthy. I hope that we learn from the preseason games. Then I’ll have a much better idea as to what’s going on going into the conference. I think that having four people return from the tournament and having an opportunity to play people during the end of the year and being able to compete with them that if we play exceptionally hard and put things in the right perspective then I feel we can compete day in and day out. Like I said about Alyssa Morris, I’m looking for our team to be consistent. If you’re consistent, everyday you play at a level that makes it tough for the opponent to compete against. Obviously, what you need to take that to the tournament is consistency. You can’t have a bad day or a day when the opponent is a little better than you.
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