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BIG TEN CONFERENCE MEDIA DAYS (WOMEN)October 29, 2009Jim FosterCHICAGO, ILLINOIS Q. With Jantel, what's next for her as far as her development? JIM FOSTER: Continue to work on her left hand and her three-point shot, which has improved, I think, a lot over the summer. Q. With the return of many of last year's key contributors, how do you expect them to respond to all of the preseason hype surrounding the team? JIM FOSTER: I think it's a team that's used to having expectations. They've had some success and have sort of been a target in the Big Ten for the last five or six years, and I think you just get used to walking around with that on your shoulders. Q. Most of the conference teams are going to play a conference game in early December. What are the challenges trying to get ready for that right in the middle of a non-conference season? JIM FOSTER: I think it's a very equitable way to do it. I think we start exams December 7th, and I think the rest of the conference runs through and a couple schools end like the 22nd, 23rd. So you really couldn't find any scenario that worked unless you moved it up before exams started, and that was the consensus of the coaches, and I just think it makes for a fair, competitive situation. Q. In the preseason coaches poll, Ohio State was ranked top and the Michigan Wolverine program is ranked at the bottom. You guys take on the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor this year. Would you be able to assess their program and what Borseth has done? JIM FOSTER: Well, I think this is when you'll start to see that. When you inherit somebody else's players and they played in a much different style than you had played, I think it's a very difficult thing to walk into and have to deal with. I think what you'll see this year is a team that's more a reflection of how Kevin wants to play basketball, and I think you'll start to see a difference in their style. There was a significant difference in philosophy between the two coaches. Q. Similar question about your point guard Samantha: What's the next level in her game? And what do you need to see out of her in her sophomore year? JIM FOSTER: Well, I think she's improved significantly. Her passing ability I think established her as a freshman, but her foot work has really, really improved through the course of some long spring workouts and then the amount of time she put in over the summer, and as a result she's shooting the ball much better than she did last year, at any time last year, on a consistent basis day-to-day. I think being the point guard for a gold medal-winning USA Basketball team is a great confidence builder. Q. What changes have you seen in Samantha and Jantel after their experience with Team USA last summer? JIM FOSTER: Well, as I said, Sammy's shooting is much improved and is just playing at a higher level than at any point last year. And Jantel, I can say the same. In fact, I told them the other day, I thought that they were probably the two most improved players in our gym. You know, when your better players come back improved, that's a good sign. Q. Could you talk a little bit about the parity of the league this year, and do you think anything is changing with some of the incoming recruiting classes? JIM FOSTER: I think the bottom of the league is much improved, and I think as a result of that, there's a push upward, and it forces significant play through the course of the year. And I think one of the things that was a problem for the Big Ten was that the bottom wasn't very strong. When we went into conference play, you didn't have to play as tough as you need to to be ready for the postseason. I think last year you started to see that swing in the direction of more competitive situations. Northwestern, I think McKoewon is going to do a great job. I think Borseth is doing a great job at Michigan. And you don't necessarily see it in the wins, but you see it in the preparation and having to play those teams. I really think that with the bottom of the league improving, the middle and the top will be better prepared to play in the postseason. End of FastScripts |
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