ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL TIPOFF MEDIA DAY

October 24, 2023

Khyreed Carter

Dyaisha Fair

Kyra Wood

Syracuse Orange

Women's Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Thanks for joining us. I am here now with the Syracuse women's basketball team. Felisha Legette-Jack is not with us. We have assistant coach Khyreed "KC" Carter with Syracuse and spent time with Coach Jack at Buffalo. You understand the process and the building block that has gone into creating a culture at Syracuse where she also has her name and her jersey in the rafters, as well.

Let's just start with going back there. A team that a season ago, some may say that you somewhat looked over. You were at the bottom of the conference. Now having that team where you had to step up every single day on the opposing side, they're like they have one of the most prolific scorers in the nation and now just a group of women that believe that they can change this conference. What does that mean for you and this staff, understanding Coach Jack's look and foundation and mantra of what she wants this team to be?

KHYREED CARTER: Yeah, it's all from building the culture. It starts from the character piece. It was important to us to bring in high-character individuals from our program. I think as you see as the year went on last year, we really started to gain confidence.

We had two big wins near the end of the year with North Carolina and Miami where we finally started putting the pieces together.

That's who we are. Our identity is we're going to compete as a high level, bring pressure, we're going to get after it. We have some phenomenal scorers that are going to do what they are able to do.

It's establishing the culture. Like you said coming in, we had to bring 10 new players in. It's building that trust and that chemistry and that camaraderie. That was the process. We talk about it every day, it's about the process, not the destination but the process going through it.

THE MODERATOR: Joining you onstage, the grad student now, Rochester, New York, goodness, gracious, Dyaisha Fair. So many amazing accomplishments in your first year in the ACC. Took it by storm on the first team, but also led the league in steals. Seeing you and how you accomplish things on both ends of the floor was definitely fun to watch.

Then also joining us, Kyra Wood, a junior out of Buffalo, New York. Happy to see you with Syracuse. There's a story of how this is like a full-circle thing for you.

Dyaisha, just to go back to what this season meant for you, coming over from Buffalo, understanding for Coach Jack, what she wanted and how she was going to establish that with a new group, and really saying, We want our name to be different. What were some things that you could share that she challenged you guys day in and day out? She's so fiery in the locker room, in different ways.

You had the hardhat, too. What did that mean for you to see how she challenged you guys?

DYAISHA FAIR: With 10 new players, in the beginning you don't know what you're going to get. So seeing that we had all of these different pieces from all over the world, it's her first year in the conference just like it's ours, we had to figure out how to get it done together.

She challenged us to see how we would unify, how would we come together, how would we do it, like, as fast as possible, as quick as possible. The season comes in, like, a blink of an eye. That was the biggest challenge.

Although it took us some time, longer -- it may have been longer than others. We figured it out and realized that we're capable, like we're able, like we matter.

Q. What was the journey for you coming over to the ACC? What was the challenge for you?

DYAISHA FAIR: I'd say the challenge was playing at a fast pace on a regular basis in this conference. I'm capable of doing it. I'm capable of doing me, I'd say, no matter where I am. But doing it on the regular basis against other people that are like me was the biggest thing.

Q. Doing you is doing pretty well, too. Second on the NCAA active scoring list right behind Caitlin Clark is not something you just brush over. Kyra, just explain why Syracuse now.

KYRA WOOD: I feel like we embrace that kind of, like, us not on anybody's radar. That gives us a good chip on our shoulder. That gives us our little grit, our little fight to want to prove people wrong.

We're fine with it. It's not something we need to be on a list, we need to be on a top 25. We know what we have as a team. We know what we have individually, coaching staff. We know what we can bring.

I feel like everybody buying into that process, buying into our talent, what we can do this year is why we could be a true contender this year.

Q. Going over who you have returning, it's not a lot of turnaround. You have eight players from last season, including four starters, which is really huge. That's building on a roster that had the post-season experience reaching the WNIT super 16. You talked about the two games you took down two ACC 'Foes, as well. As far as how you built on that, what can you take away from what you saw in those moments and what the next step is for the program?

KHYREED CARTER: Yeah, for us it was about finishing. You look at our games that we lost in the ACC, we were right there in the fourth quarter. If you look at them, they outscored us in the fourth quarter. Understanding how to finish a game, how to put a full 40 minutes together against the best teams in the conference.

When you look at what Miami was able to do last year, they took the NCAA tournament by storm. It gives us a little bit of confidence knowing we competed with the best of the best. We gave 'em a run for their money.

But we were able to score the ball at a very, very high level. So now our challenge is can we defend the ball at a very, very high level.

Building off those games is important, even that post-season experience. A lot of our players' first time ever playing in the post-season. To get that one-and-done mentality where if you lose, you're done. It was a great experience for us. We're just looking to continue to build off of it.

Q. If you're looking at what that meant for you in the WNIT, how you wanted to grow. You get a taste of it, but we want more. What would you say that was like for you in the locker room?

DYAISHA FAIR: Getting into the WNIT for me was an uncomfortable thing because that's not where I wanted us to be, but we had to take where we put ourselves in.

I feel like seeing we were capable of getting into the post-season, it's there for us to take it, to get where we want to be. So seeing that's what we were able to do to build off of, it's pretty much what we'll have to do is build to get to the NCAA.

Q. Looking at the two leaders on this stage, you come to Media Day, you are the voice of this team. Kyra, I'm looking at you and wondering as a leader for this team, captain of this team, what can we expect from this squad? How are you going to hold them accountable?

KYRA WOOD: I think our biggest thing this year is holding each other accountable, not just from the captain spot but from the entire team.

We always say, Player led. I think we're not taking that for granted. We're not taking advantage of that term. We're actually acting on it.

We have talks where we need to say, This person, you need to do this. It's not just coming from us. I feel like we have an equal voice amongst our team. I think that's helping us and our chemistry and our camaraderie on the court as well, holding each other accountable, showing each other what we need to hear.

Finally, it may not be how you want to hear it, it's what you need to do, what you need to do right now, so figure it out. That's how it is. That's just the reality of it.

Understanding that, understanding that it's not -- we can't wait anymore. We can't let a year go to waste, let a day go to waste, let a game slip out again, not be able to finish in the fourth quarter like Coach KC said. We have to be able to act now, do it now.

Q. A couple of the other players that cannot speak for themselves, but Alyssa Latham as well as Alexis McNabb. What are these pieces, how do they do that for you? Anyone we should keep an eye out on, this person is going to be really special this season?

KHYREED CARTER: Alyssa Latham is the real deal. She's the real deal. We lost one starter, but that one starter brought a presence for us with rebounding the ball, a vicious attack.

Alyssa Latham is cut from that same type of cloth. She's a worker. Our freshmen that we brought in, her and Sophie Burrows, they're workers. They're in the gym, pushing these individuals to continue to be better every day.

Alexis McNabb, she comes from a high pedigree. To have that type of player on our team that understands what the work looks like, what the work is supposed to be like, continues to push us each and every day, push our players each and every day.

Those two freshmen, they're not on the radar, but I promise you by the end of the season they will be.

Q. Another year, year opportunity to say WNIT is not what we're going for. In looking at the schedule, how are you challenged out of the gate? Anything you have circled on the schedule? Or it's just day by day?

DYAISHA FAIR: Yeah, I just saw it's day by day, brick by brick, for sure. Let's just put our head down and get to work.

KYRA WOOD: Yeah, I think it's day by day. One of our challenges last year was thinking too far ahead and not taking that moment by full storm and taking it and saying, We need to get done what we need to get done now, then look forward to tomorrow's practice or tomorrow's game. Not looking at we have the No. 14 seed a few weeks from now.

We need to focus on the game tomorrow. We need to win that game to get to that game. Just taking it day by day, building off what we have is going to be a successful year, hopefully.

Q. Coach, you're working with this team as far as the development. Some things you want to see in them to sustain in this season knowing what's coming up next to get different results?

KHYREED CARTER: I think communication is very small but it's a huge piece. You look at what we did last year. We scored the ball, but defensively we had our lapses. Defense is all about communication and trust.

Our players, like we said, a player-led team, so they're building that trust amongst themselves. The next level and step for us is being able to communicate, have those uncomfortable conversations with each other in the moment. That's the biggest step we need to continue to take.

Q. Dyaisha, do you hear these things and you're like, Defensively if we have to get better, you being on the all defensive team, how do I have a hand in this?

DYAISHA FAIR: I think, like he says, it's communication. What we do as a unit, of course. One person can be getting theirs, but if it's not enough, it's not enough. We've realized that that hasn't been enough, so the team has to step up completely as a whole. That includes me.

Q. When you're thinking of the hardhat, what do you call the hardhat?

KHYREED CARTER: It's called a hardhat. The hardhat.

Q. Something the coach brought over from Buffalo. In order for someone to get the hardhat this year, being different, what do you think that's going to be?

KYRA WOOD: I think that dirty work, that behind-the-scenes, not necessarily -- maybe it might not be Dyaisha scoring 30 points, but that defense that allowed the other person on the other team not to get the 30 points, bring it down to 15. 15 still looks good, but that difference maker. You know what I mean?

Q. Do you have anything to add or that sounds good to you?

DYAISHA FAIR: That's cool (smiling).

THE MODERATOR: Ladies, thank you so much for your time. Coach, thank you so much.

KHYREED CARTER: Appreciate you.