April 18, 2006

Opening Statement
"I'm extremely excited to be back home. As most of you know, I am from Steubenville, Ohio. I was once a 6-4 gangly young lady who was recruited to the University of North Carolina and played for a national championship. Since that time I've traveled to 16 different countries playing a sport that was a hobby for me in Steubenville, Ohio. Through the vehicle of basketball, I've gone all around the world, and I've been an ambassador of Ohio. I'm extremely excited about coming back here to give other young ladies the same opportunities that I had. I'm excited about coming here and making this an enjoyable team to watch. We're going to get up and down the floor. We're going to fast break. It's going to be exciting for the players to play that style, and it will be exciting for the fans to watch. I came here last week for my interview and I was so impressed with the sense of community and the support that's here for all athletics, but particularly women's athletics."

On how she's prepared herself to be a head coach:
"I'm going to surround myself with a lot of experience and good people to fill out my staff. I believe that my experiences have prepared me for this. I coached at the University of North Carolina and absorbed all of the knowledge that was there. When I played for San Antonio and Portland, they allowed me to be a coach/player. When that happened, if there weren't any timeouts left, I was the player on the floor saying, `We need to foul.' or `We're running this play for the last shot.' My insight as a player and a coach will help me be a better head coach. There are some coaches who believe that things will work, and they have these theories they teach the team and hope it will work. The things I'm going to teach this team, I've tried against the best players in the world. I think it will build instant credibility with the players."

On the support the University will provide:
"I feel like I have the support that I need to be successful here. I've placed a lot expectations on myself. I really have a goal to succeed here and do well here. I feel like I have the support from the president, the athletic director and the rest of the staff to do that."

On she will recruit student-athletes to Ohio:
"Because I'm from Ohio, I think that will help a lot. There are a lot of little cities in Ohio, like Steubenville. In recruiting, I will be able to go and share my personal testimony to someone else. They can see that I came from a small hometown and I've been able to travel all over the world and play against the best competition in the world. As we build this program, I think the program will stand for itself. I think it's going to be very easy for me to sell Ohio University to a recruit. I'm confident about that."

On her thoughts about the returning student-athletes:
"I immediately researched the team to find out what type of team we have here. I definitely think there's a lot to build on. I like the fact that recruiting is completed, so I just have to jump right in and maybe work on some defensive things. I think that's an area I can make an impact with this team. I'm not at all opposed to the players that are here. We had a meeting today. I think they feel real comfortable with me already. I feel very comfortable with them. We're ready to move on from here."

On how she feels coaching in her home state:
"It's hard to place it in words. I've traveled so much. The saying is really true. There's no place like home. I think that sums up how I feel right now. I've been away from my family for a long time. They're some of my biggest supporters so it feels good to be able to allow them the opportunity to come back to Ohio University. They're going to be the team's biggest supporters, and they're always there for me in any way that I need them. The opportunity to recruit this area means a lot to me. I've experienced a lot of great times within my athletic career and this definitely ranks high among the key moments in my life."

On how the quality of high school play in the state has improved:
"It's improved tremendously. I'm excited because there's a ton of talent here in Ohio, especially in the Columbus/Pickerington area, and even around here just driving along route 33. There's some athletes here, we just have to find them. The quality of play has improved tremendously. I think some of that is due to the fact girls are able to start playing earlier. I started when I was in the seventh grade. If you ask most of our players when they started they'd say third or fourth grade at the community center in their town. With the exposure of the WNBA, I think it's created more excitement for women's basketball. There are more role models for little girls. The level of play is higher. There wasn't a WNBA when I was a little girl. I was a cheerleader, I was in the band, I ran track, I did a bunch of things to keep busy. There were no goals for me to play professional basketball. Now little girls can say, `When I grow up, I want to be like Lisa Leslie.' They have that, which makes them go out in the summer time and play pick-up basketball and things like that. The level of play has gotten better and better. Much better than when I played."

On her biggest influences playing basketball:
"My dad played at Steubenville. He played for Coach Watts. I grew up a daddy's girl. Pretty much, whatever my dad was watching on TV, that's what I was watching. I wore his number in high school, and he pretty much inspired me to play basketball. My family has always been involved in athletics so that was the thing to do in Steubenville. When I played, I saw that I got attention in a certain way. That was a time when my family all came together to the game at one time. I liked that picture. The more I continued to play, the more I saw that picture. I think the support that I got was the thing that motivated me to get into athletics."

On her coaching mentors:
"Coach Hatchell at North Carolina is definitely one of my mentors. I can call her at anytime and ask her any questions. She basically told me that my success here at Ohio is a reflection of North Carolina. They're going to do everything they can as my mentors within basketball to make sure I'm successful here."

On being the first female African-American head coach in school history:
"I'm very honored to be that person. This is an amazing opportunity. I feel very blessed and feel very honored to be in that position. Now I can call my brother and sister (who are both Ohio graduates). My sister was the first African-American electrical engineer major to graduate in four years. She's made her mark here. My brother has also done a lot of things within the culture area of Ohio University."