ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL TIPOFF MEDIA DAY

October 24, 2023

Brooke Wyckoff

Ta'Niya Latson

Makayla Timpson

Florida State Seminoles

Women's Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We have Florida State with us led by Brooke Wyckoff, Ta'Niya Latson and Makayla Timpson. Ta'Niya, the ACC freshman of the year on stage with us.

We've talked about just how the ACC is one of the best if not the best conferences in the nation, eight teams that were in the NCAA Tournament, you being one of them, and because of the amazing SID that you have, one of eight programs to reach each of the last 10 NCAA tournaments, as well.

So just the history of playing in postseason, but also in your second season so building your era, as well.

As a recap, just what the last season has meant to you and how you can build.

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Well, yeah, that's been the standard at Florida State since I've been a part of it is that we make the NCAA Tournament, so we're really proud of that, that that's the bass line standard, and then our goal is to get as deep as we can.

In my first year at head coach, I was just so proud of our team and the way they stepped up to the challenge. There were a lot of unknowns. We had young players that didn't have a lot of experience at the college level, with the ACC, but they rose to the challenge and did a fantastic job.

I'm so excited now that they have that experience. We've got six returners, added six great new pieces that are ready to take that next step and continue to go deep into March.

Q. When you have two superstars to the left of you, as well, I don't think that's a hard thing to do. Makayla, if you can, talk about the season from last year but also in a sense of unfinished business. What does it look like for you in your jump this year?

MAKAYLA TIMPSON: I would say last year we did pretty good, but it was unfortunate when we had injuries, especially with Ta'Niya being out. It made it harder for us to be able to win and play better as a team.

But this year we've got good pieces that we can add, a lot of scorers, rebounders. It's going to be a pretty good season for us.

Q. Ta'Niya, how are you feeling?

TA'NIYA LATSON: I feel good.

Q. You led the conference in scoring as a freshman last season and obviously got national awards as a freshman, as well. What were some of the things that you took into account as far as how you had to grow in your first year and what that looked like for you to actually get a year under your belt.

TA'NIYA LATSON: I mean, I was just learning the ropes my first year. I feel like I was just going out there and trying to give everything that I could at the time for my teammates and my coaches, but this year I feel like I'm stepping into my leadership role and being more of a vocal leader in practice and off the court, too. Just encouraging my teammates, and I feel like that's going to be my biggest step this year.

Of course on the court-wise, I'm just working on my defense, getting better with that, and trying to become more consistent with my shot.

Q. Going back to that, Ta'Niya, when you're leading the conference in scoring, how did you see people change how the attention was directly on you and being able to dominate in such a prolific conference?

TA'NIYA LATSON: Yeah, of course it was hard some days, going in and just knowing that teams are game planning for me. But I feel like that's going to be my biggest step this year, also, just getting my teammates more involved so we all can become a threat.

We've got really good scorers, really good rebounders. We've got length this year. It's going to be really hard to guard us, and we're going to have a really good season.

Q. Sarah Bejedi also a big part of your core, and of course you have the turnovers and new faces as far as freshmen. Speak a little bit more about how they are going to be infused into your offense this year.

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Yeah, we were really able to go out and recruit people that fit who we are offensively and defensively. We've added, like the ladies were saying, some great scorers. We have a freshman Carla Viegas who's coming in, one of the best three-point shooters in the world in our age group, and we're really excited about that. She makes a lot of threes. That's always good.

Alexis Tucker, who comes from UC Santa Barbara. She's a fifth-year senior, so has a lot of college experience and is a capable scorer and has great size.

Amaya Bonner is another transfer who comes to us from University of Cal Berkeley, another long guard who is a capable scorer.

We have so many great pieces and new weapons that we're just excited to really infuse into our identity and just take that next step in who we are.

Q. You got to have some games over in Europe. What was that like for you guys?

MAKAYLA TIMPSON: It was just so exciting just to see us play and to see someone grow that I never seen play before and seeing their capabilities and their talent, it made me pretty happy to see, oh, yeah, we're going to do something.

TA'NIYA LATSON: Yeah, it was a really good experience. It was really good bonding time for us, too. We got to experience a lot overseas. Some stuff that we have never seen before.

Q. Which was what?

TA'NIYA LATSON: The food. But yeah, we had a really good time. It was really good for us as a team.

Q. Going back to last year, 12 wins in the ACC, which has been remarkable, the most since 2017-2018 season. How do you build on that and just understanding what this team looks like in the season?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Yeah, well, we build on it through having lived that experience, and having players that have been there and done that and seen what it's like. We had experience on our team last year in terms of they helped us get those 12 wins. We had four fifth-year seniors last year, and they've moved on.

Now these younger players have had that experience and can now push us to that next level.

I think experience counts for so much, knowing what it takes, and then doing our job as coaches to make sure that we're getting the right people in to really lean into our identity and focus on what we do well and be able to do that to the best of our ability throughout the season.

Q. The Big Ten-ACC challenge is no more, but the ACC was very dominant, so now we have the ACC-SEC challenge. What does that mean for you knowing it's a new era and also the matchup?

MAKAYLA TIMPSON: I would say it just gives me a lot of excitement, playing different teams, just to see where we're at and get us ready for March. That will be a great opportunity for my team and my teammates.

TA'NIYA LATSON: Yeah, they say SEC is pretty good, so I'm hoping that we dominate. Just like KK said, it's going to be a really good matchup for us this year against Arkansas, so we play them. That will get us prepared for March, like she said.

Q. Going back to the scheduling for you guys and how you have to schedule for the non-conference, what went into making sure that you guys were prepared for this season in putting those teams on the roster?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Yeah, it was very intentional to really beef up our non-conference schedule. Last year we started out gangbusters. We were winning, we were scoring a lot of points. That was great. We needed to do that and really gain confidence and understand who we were.

We wanted to finish stronger last year, and I really believe that with the experience -- again, talking about that experience. Now we know how we need to prepare ourselves, and that is by challenging these ladies early with really great competition and going through those ups and downs of what it is to play really top-level competition in the non-conference. That will carry us through hopefully ACC and deep into March.

It's all about how we're finishing. You can hear the theme. But I'm super excited.

It's just fun, as players, to play great competition. Who doesn't want to play these amazing teams, and it's fun for the fans. We can't wait.

Q. Makayla, going back to I guess I could say one of your favorite moments of last season, what that looks like on the court and how you build that this year.

MAKAYLA TIMPSON: I don't know. I think I had a lot of great moments last year. But just being in an environment where people -- we love each other and we're able to play with each other. It's just a lot of joy that comes with it. I'll say any moment that comes, I know I feel pretty good.

Q. As far as this team, I know throughout the ACC season there was a couple of bumps on the road. What challenged you guys to come even closer together throughout this season?

MAKAYLA TIMPSON: Just staying together. Like I said, injuries came and it was unfortunate, but I think we were able to push through the best we could, and we made it to March. I was very proud of that.

Q. Ta'Niya, Coach talked about you guys last year putting up so many different points and almost being a spark. No one really talked about Florida State coming into last season, and here you are one of the best teams in the conference. What can we expect to see from you guys this year?

TA'NIYA LATSON: Us winning and going deep into the tournament. We have a tough schedule, and just getting prepared for March is going to be our biggest thing. And staying together, like she said. Just building a really good culture for our team and like a sister hood because during those rough times and those bumps that's going to get us through it. Just trying to stick together and stick to the plan.

Q. Brooks, with your experience with Sue, taking over in the COVID year and having this full year, how do you feel like yourself as a head coach building those staples and the things you want to do as a coach?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Well, I was so well prepared by Coach Sue and just constantly am leaning on the philosophy and the coaching fundamentals that she taught me, which is just to love these players, just to be about them first. And Angel knows that; firsthand experience.

But really also within that, finding my own identity in terms of how do I feel like I need to lead this team, challenge this team, get the best out of them. That's been an amazing individual growth process and something that I have to work on every single day.

It's really, really fun.

I also have -- I really have the best group of girls that I can imagine just doing this with. They are really great humans. I'm just really thankful for that, as well.

Q. Talk about how exciting this season can be. I know you talked about the Europe trip and how that brings players closer, but every time you have an opportunity, you talk about the character of your team, you talk about how amazing the women are. Piecing things together for this group, how would you describe how that translates to on the floor, their camaraderie and their relationships in the locker room?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Yeah, it's everything to me and the work that they put in and the commitment to getting closer as a team every single day is huge. It doesn't matter how good they are as basketball players. If they don't have that foundation, we're not going to get very far, and I love that they know that. They understand that. None of us are perfect in it. We all make mistakes in that every single day.

But going back to that, I see them just constantly going back to that, yes, we are going to be closer, we're going to get better every day together.

That's all I can ask for as a coach.

Q. Almost building off of a question from the audience, with this being your second season, and I know that first one under your belt, even looking at the COVID year, how you've made your mark on this program, what are some things and challenges that you've pushed yourself through but also some gratifying moments for you?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Yeah, I'm just so grateful and thankful, and I know it sounds cliche, oh, I'm so grateful to be here, but I really am. Because of what this program and the people in it and Coach Sue poured into my life I can now be here today pouring into other lives.

Really the wins are amazing and they're so much fun, but really being able to be a part of the journey of young women is everything and the most gratifying thing I think I could ever ask to do in life, and basketball is the vehicle for that.

It really is about that. The wins -- we play a lot of games, but there's 365 days throughout the year that we're doing other things and dealing with other stuff. That has been as a head coach -- it's a different feeling as an assistant. It really is. It's a wonderful feeling.

Q. Playing off of one another, a dynamic duo, I don't know if you guys have a nickname yet, but what does it mean to have her on the floor with you and then also vice versa?

MAKAYLA TIMPSON: It just means a lot like knowing -- Ta'Niya, she's just a great player. It just means a lot, once again. Being able to play with her is just phenomenal and amazing. We look out for each other and we make sure each other is better every single day in practice. We're always encouraging each other and making sure we're getting done the things we need to get done.

TA'NIYA LATSON: I would say it's really cool playing with KK. We're both stepping into our captain roles on the team, so every day before practice we look at each other, make sure we're on the same page.

But on the court, KK is really good. She's a really good player. She's really dominant. I know I can always look for KK even when things go wrong.

KK is going to get us a bucket every time, so it's really good playing with her.

Q. As a point guard I have to ask you because knowing how to get KK the ball, if she gets the ball, no one can stop her what move?

TA'NIYA LATSON: Her spin move. She does a really good spin move. She's got a little middy on her, too.