BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEDIA DAYS

October 20, 2005

LaToya Bond

Christelle N'Garsanet

Cindy Stein

COACH CINDY STEIN: Got two players here, LaToya Bond, who is a senior out of Illinois. LaToya is a great leader for our team. She will prove to you how vocal she is maybe while she's here. But somebody that we rely on heavily within our program to help lead us defensively, offensively, tremendous passer, and LaToya has come back even better this year. We're really looking for great thing out of her. Christelle N'Garsanet, another senior. She's originally from Ivory Coast of Africa. Tremendous athlete. Tremendous rebounder. Another very good leader on our team, has come back in great shape, stronger, faster and really doing a lot of good things for us. And these two young ladies have been voted as captains by their teammates which I think also exemplary nice where they are within our program. So we're looking forward to this year the whole idea around the coffee thing is after we got those pre-season poles we figured we needed to wake you all up and we understand why the poles are what they are. We didn't earn peoples' respect last year and our goal this year is to make sure that people understand what we want out of the university of Missouri.

COACH CINDY STEIN: We expect a lot of things. I tell you, we understand kind of why we probably weren't selected real high in the polls, not that we're going to get wrapped up into that, but at the same time we understand. That last year was a very disappointing year in us. We felt as though we could have done a lot things better. The fact that we didn't, this team has really responded to that. This team really stuck it out this summer working very hard, doing things on their own, pushing their teammates making sure that they came back. They played a lot of basketball in summer. Came back in the fall really got the new kids involved. This is a team that has been extremely dedicated to making sure that the disappointments of last year don't happen this season.

COACH CINDY STEIN: Obviously, we felt the turnovers our defense needed to be a lot better and then obviously we had trouble scoring last year at times. I feel what we have seen thus -- this part of the season and it's still early, I think that we're doing better, ten times better on the defensive end. I think we're scoring a lot better because our kids have worked on those things this summer. But we are playing quickly. The turnovers' issue is still something that we're working out in practice.

LATOYA BOND: I think that last year we weren't mature enough and we didn't realize how good we could be as a team if we all put in together the effort. I think we learned a lot from last year just knowing exactly how hard we have to work and what it takes to be a great team.

CHRISTELLE N'GARSANET: I think from last year we just learned that we need more leaders and also better chemistry on the court. And I think we have been doing pretty good job working on that.

COACH CINDY STEIN: Well, it's funny because we really talk a lot about the fact that last year as much as we want to move forward we learned a lot from last year. Last year I would tell you from a professional standpoint it was probably the most disappointing of all in my career and from a personal standpoint, it was also extremely difficult. So it's having players leave during the middle of the year; having key injuries to players all year long; it just seemed like there was something that was always going on. I think LaToya hit upon that in the fact that our maturity level -- we kind of assumed someone else was going to kind of do it. This team really grew as a team throughout the year. I felt we responded towards the end. That's kind of where we are going right now. We have learned so much from last year and how you can handle that adversity; how you handle disappointments and I think we have a better sense of what we're all about this year.

LATOYA BOND: We were constantly getting everybody together to play open (inaudible), just get in the gym and work on your skills and shooting, stuff like that. I mean, we were playing like just about every day of the week just trying to get the feel of each other and let each other know that this year can be a big year for us.

CHRISTELLE N'GARSANET: Pretty much that's what she said, everything. We also tried to do a lot of things together as a team and it's been working pretty well. That's pretty much it.

COACH CINDY STEIN: I would tell you that that's an interesting question just in -- what is hard to respond to that is this team right now works really hard, so I haven't had to do a lot of motivating. Last year I felt like I needed a stick of dynamite every game, every practice, you know, and my foot wasn't big enough in some places. It was a constant struggle all year long up until the last quarter of the season and then they finally came on. So that's what is -- last year we tried everything to motivate them. Nothing worked. This group, I think, has learned from that and that's how they responded. I haven't had to motivate them for practice. They are ready to go.

LATOYA BOND: Obviously to have a good team you have to have a good inside presence and outside. You can kick the ball in and if teams double-up on Christelle, we also have great 3-point shooters. That's what every great team has is inside, outside presence.

CHRISTELLE N'GARSANET: I think we have pretty good chemistry. I really like to play with her, love to play with her. I think she kind of understands me all the time. We don't have to tell each other stuff. I think it's the same with me. I kind of I can read a lot of her actions and emotions. I think that really helps. I think we have a pretty good chemistry. And overall we have pretty good chemistry on the team.

COACH CINDY STEIN: I would agree with that. I think these two are roommates. They get along pretty well. LaToya a lot of times serves as Christelle's interpreter because when Christelle gets really excited in practice, she has that French accent that, you know -- that I can't understand her and LaToya is usually telling me what she just said. So these two do play very well together. They look for one another and I think that a lot of people assume -- for instance, LaToya doesn't say a whole lot, and she's quiet, but this team, our team looks for her all the time. She doesn't always have to say anything because they are looking for her. She's usually in the right spot. Then obviously Christelle runs the floor so well and she can get up there and run with LaToya. I think it's a very good combination.

COACH CINDY STEIN: I think the key to our team this year is our depth. I think that that's why we look and feel like we can do something this year within our conference. It's so important and I really thought coming there that our five newcomers would be more significant in practice right now. Actually, it's the other kids. It's the nine kids that are returning that are really being competitive. And doesn't mean that our newcomers aren't coming along, but they are not as significant because everybody else -- Blair Hardiek has come back blazing and really pushing LaToya, playing point guard, and we've talked about her playing point and LaToya at the two because LaToya is very versatile. She's come back very strong. EeTisha Riddle is looking pretty good. Kassie Drew is shooting the lights out. Seems like everybody is so much more comfortable. Everyone is playing really well and they are not really -- they are really working hard for those top five spots, but also understanding if they play that hard they will all play.