BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEDIA DAYS

October 19, 2005

Sherri Coale

Erin Higgins

Courtney Paris

Leah Rush

COACH SHERRI COALE: Great to be back in Dallas. Wish it was just a little bit cooler, but I won't complain too much. I have with me today junior Erin Higgins, junior Leah Rush, and freshman Courtney Paris. Practices have been terrific, very excited about our squad. It seems that I have made some sort of big news statement by bringing Courtney today. She is a freshman obviously, and I guess that's unprecedented. But a terrific freshman and a freshman very well prepared for the atmosphere of Big 12 media day. Practices have been awesome. We're excited. We have an unbelievably challenging schedule which I am sure many of you will ask about as we get on into this. We're excited and ready to start.

COACH SHERRI COALE: You are absolutely right. Dionnah Jackson was the real deal, the total package. I always say, when a senior graduates you don't replace her with one person. I don't think you replace Lauren Shoush as a senior on last year's squad. Who is going to drive on the floor and get loose because for us now who is going to take charges. That's what Shoush did. We have to find somebody to do those jobs. Somebody's got to get a bunch of offensive rebounds and somebody has got to be a defensive stopper and somebody has to break the defense and get to the rim. That's what Dionnah Jackson did. Doesn't really matter who we get it from as long as we get it. And if it's by committee, it is okay with me.

COACH SHERRI COALE: The Big 12 conference lost a lot of very talented players to graduation last year. It was a very senior-laden league and there are lots of new names. Even when I looked through the lineup of who was going to be at Big 12 media day, a lot of different names than the customary. Seems like Kendra Wicker (phonetic) has been coming for ten years, and I know for a while Stacy Dale (phonetic) has been coming for ten years. It's kind a changing of the guard, I suppose, and a very talented young group of freshmen in the Big 12. I think that's one of the reasons it's such honor for Courtney to be mentioned as preseason Rookie of the Year. It's not like there wasn't a lot of competition for that award out there. Great league.

LEAH RUSH: I think our team has a different look this year. I was the center last year, now Courtney is taking that. It's just -- having a presence like that on the inside really changes the way the rest of the team plays. Everybody is kind of moved back to their natural position now and so it makes it a little bit easier, I think, for everybody to be successful.

ERIN HIGGINS: I just think that we have never really had an actual true center presence in-the-paint so now with Courtney and Ashley we get that so now we have a lot of attention going in on the inside that's going to open up a lot of stuff on the outside, which I am excited about. And I don't know I just feel like they are coming along very, very well. I don't know that we have had this much team chemistry this early in the year as we have this year since I have been here.

COACH SHERRI COALE: Close to 7, I believe is what she had. I feel really good about our point position. I think that may be the piece that's the most improved. We're going to look different because we have a quintessential post player for the first time. But I think with all the attention -- and it's very deserved. Courtney and Ashley are incredible young players and they are going to change a lot of things for us, simplify a lot of things for us. But maybe they have come at the right time and maybe the biggest difference is that those juniors are ready to be what they need to be around and with a quintessential post player. Britney Brown and Kenra Moore may (inaudible) I don't have any idea. We have had four days of practice. They both have been really, really solid. They are different kind of point guards. Britney is solid and very, very dependable and you may not get a wow play, but she is not going to do many things wrong. Kendra may throw it out of bounds and then she may throw a look-away that gets everybody out of their chair. Her ceiling is really, really high. Both of those guys have figured out the mentality I think of the point guard position which is a very, very difficult thing to grow into. The leadership, the responsibilities, I am very please the with those two, and with everyday of practice, everybody, Leah, Erin, Chelsi, Krista Sanchez, everybody who has thrown the ball to the post is getting more comfortable. I think we can have a lot of guys that can feed it and feed it well.

COURTNEY PARIS: I think as far as being a young post player and just -- I mean, as far as individuals and learning things, for instance, about your regular people in the post I never thought about that. Every day after we work with the coaches always think I wish I would have known that in high school knowing how to use my body more. Just different techniques, I have gotten so much better just in the little time I have had here and I am excited for the next four years. I think as far as coming in as a freshman I had a lot of experience with college practicing with the coach from Duke this summer. A lot of that -- I got a lot of big adjustment from USA basketball experience coming in so I think I got a lot of experience coming in.

COACH SHERRI COALE: Sure. I think there's a changing of the guards and I think that's one of the things that makes the big 12 conference so special. You don't go on a two or three-year drought waiting for other national Player of the Year candidates. They are just -- the next layer you peel the top one off, there are your next superstars. That's one of great things about this league. Attractive thing for young players who are looking for their home for the next four years, this is a place where the competition is as good as it gets. There are lots of stars just waiting for their opportunity.

COURTNEY PARIS: I think -- I mean after my official visit -- I am a people-person and I had got to know all these guys, I got to know the coaches a lot during recruiting. Really my heart was just there. Ashley and I, I think we're twins but we're very much different. I think towards the end we both were kind of looking at different schools, but ultimately Oklahoma had what we were both looking for and it's worked out really well for us.

COURTNEY PARIS: I think Ashley, she is more of like -- she is more of like an outside player and she likes to be facing the basket. I am more of like a lot of kids growing up, always wants to be the pointguard and dribble the ball around. I was always the kid that always wanted to be posting up and --

COACH SHERRI COALE: You try to dribble, you try to do that.

COURTNEY PARIS: Don't tell me.

COACH SHERRI COALE: Yeah you do.

COURTNEY PARIS: I think I am more of like a power post and she is more finesse and can do be a little bit more versatile than I am.

COACH SHERRI COALE: A lot of people at the same time get try to guard her in practice. I really feel bad for Leah because we had a little rebounding drill going on the other day, little cut-throat action where you put the bubble on the rim so shots don't go in. Everybody's working on blocking out and offensive rebounding. We went for about 5 or 6 minutes before Courtney figured out how this game can best work and so she began to shoot and get her own rebound because you get points when you rebound and shoot, and get her own rebound and shoot and get her own rebound and Leah is flying against the wall and running back after and looking at me like would you please stop this. I was giggling at half court. Eventually they figured it out, and understand that she is a presence to be reckoned with in the middle of the lane. We haven't had anybody really good her real successfully yet and I think that's really good for us.

ERIN HIGGINS: I guard her. She doesn't want any of me. (Laughter.) Because (inaudible) exactly. We play against guys, we have the guys scout team and they can't guard her. She is just -- like she said she's learning how to use her body, which I think she kind of lacks coming in. She is learning how to not necessarily go through people but making -- go around them and then use her body. She is using her brain a lot more than when she first came in. She is a very, very smart player. A great passer, no offense. She is a great passer, I mean I think that's one thing that people don't know, she has unbelievable court vision so if somebody is going to come double she is going to find whoever is getting doubled up. She is very smart and I think that that's going to help her out a lot especially in this league.

COACH SHERRI COALE: I don't know if as wide open is appropriate, but it is still wide open. I think in my mind Ohio State jumps right into those two you just mentioned, Jessica Davenport is a force and they did a great job down the stretch last year. Has the pieces to go around her. I think there's a lot of teams that could win it. I think that's just a continual sign of positive growth of Division I Women's basketball, just keeps getting better.