| ... |
2.15.2000
Chat Transcript with Women's Basketball Coach Joan Bonvicini
| Bobby Lee Coleman asks Joan, you are doing an excellent job. |
| Thanks for the support and thanks for all the questions from the fans today. I have to go now. Be sure to follow us the rest of the way as we strive for our first PAC-10 title. Go Cats! |
| miriam stern asks Monica had her calf taped at the last game what is her status? |
| She had a swelling in the lower part of her calf and it was affecting her game. She played much better on Saturday. It was great to see her knock down some threes. It's coming at a great time. |
| Eric Hale asks How far do you think this team can go? |
| If we continue to improve -- we need to continue to be a good road team -- and if we continue to do well in the Pac-10 down the stretch, then we can do well in the postseason. The most important thing to remember is to go get it one game at a time. |
| David Hall asks What is special about this year's team that is different from other teams you have coached? |
| We have the most depth I've ever coached in my life. It took a while to get all the rules set, but right now we are playing great team ball with great unselfishness. Every day I have a quote for the team before practice and the quote is "If it happens to the team, it happens to me" and that means a lot to this team. |
| John Brooks asks What is your greatest accomplishment as Head Coach at Arizona? |
| That's hard for me to say one particular thing. The first time we went to the NCAAs was big for us. The thing that helped our program the most was the year we didn't get in the NCAA Tournament. We thought we were going to get in, but instead we went to the NIT. We were disappointed but we changed our mindset to win the NIT and that was a big turnaround for the program. Watching the players grow and mature is a great accomplishment for me. They come back and tell me how much they enjoyed playing here. |
| Mary Louise Vigil asks Coach Bonovicini, are we better prepared to go up against UCLA in Saturdays game? |
| I think we are significantly better than the last time we played UCLA and USC. UCLA has stumbled a little, but they are the defending conference champs and they will be ready for us. USC will also be ready for us so we are anticipating two very good games in Los Angeles. |
| linda reinke asks What kind of defense gives your team the most trouble? |
| I don't want to give away any secrets, but our team plays so many defenses that we get good work against all kinds of defense in practice. |
| Mary Jane Maglione asks Congrats on your game wins and Happy Valentine's Day. When can we watch a game televised here? How are Mom and Dad doing? Any idea where the city will be for the sweet sixteen games? Mary Jane |
| Hey Sis! How are the kids? I hope it's not too cold in New Hampshire. Everyone is fine at home and Sweet Sixteen sites are Portland State, Kansas, Memphis and Virginia Commonwealth, March 25-27. We are on TV this Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. PT against UCLA. |
| Jackie Kosteck asks Our post players are so much better this year, is it due to our new coach? |
| It's definitely due to a number of factors. Curtis Loyd has done an outstanding job dealing with our post, but the other reason is that they are all a year older, stronger and more experienced. We have very good competition in practice because there is a lot of good players. |
| Jay Romero asks Hi, Coach B! Is next year going to be a rebuilding year due to the loss of a great Senior class? How will your incoming recruits fill the void? |
| We hope it's not a rebuilding and more of a reloading. However, we will definitely miss our seniors. With our returning players we have some nice post players, but we need to have Tysell step up her game. Our recruits - Candice Allen from Ontario, Calif. is averaging 29 points a game. Veranda James, a 6-3 post player from Pomona, Calif is averaging 33 points. Amiee Grzyb, a point guard, is averaging 16 points a game for a team ranked No. 12 nationally. They will be instrumental for us next year and we hope to sign two more this spring. |
| richard nyhan asks what is your teams rpi and how does it compare with other pac-10 teams? |
| Right now we are No. 20. We moved down this week even though we won. We were No. 15 last week. Washington and Washington State's rpi is lower so that brought us down. But we are the highest in the Pac-10. |
| Miriam Stern asks What is the status and how do you feel about a post season PAC-10 tournament? |
| I'm very much in favor, particularly for the women. We are one of only two conferences that doesn't have one. The other is the Ivy League. We don't get the attention at the end of the season that the other leagues do. The media is focusing on all the other conference tournament. I think it would be a great way to bring the entire conference together. It would create a similar NCAA Tournament atmosphere. Having been in a conference tournament before, I think it definitely prepares you for the NCAA Tournament. |
| Miriam Stern asks What is the graduation rate for your program, and can you tell us how and what some of the past graduates are doing now? |
| Every player who has gone through here has received a degree. The NCAA graduation rate will be around 70-75 percent for us, but that counts players who have left for whatever reason to go somewhere else. They do all sorts of things from teaching to playing pro ball. Jackie Barrington is home with two children. Brenda Pantoja is coaching at UNLV, so they do all sorts of things. |
| Chris Roberts asks For the last four years we have had three very good ball-handlers who are able to bring the ball up the court; Lisa, Felicity, and Monica are almost always the only ones to be given ball-handling responsibilities. Since they are all in their last year shouldn't we be developing that skill, a little more, in some of the returning players like Reshea and Julie and Tysell? |
| I think Reshea and Julie have receive a lot of time in the last few years. That's not there main responsibility right now. Tysell is developing and I think you'll be able to see her do that more next year. |
| tina rimer asks We saw your team versus Louisville in december, two months later, how good are they and do you think the cats can make the philly final four? |
| We had a good win against Louisville in December. I'm more concerned with winning right now. Obviously, we'd like to be in Philadelphia for the Final Four. Let's win our first Pac-10 title and worry about the Final Four later. |
| Dick Nyhan asks What is the reasoning for the rule change that only allows five players below the free throw line on foul shots? |
| The reason is because there was so much fouling on the line and congestion that wasn't being called. The rule allows for a cleaner game. It actually makes it tougher to rebound. It gives the offensive rebounders more room. |
| Dick Nyhan asks In the "Daily Wildcat", one column said that Tyselle Bozeman could petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility. Is this true? |
| Yes, it is true. Because she was a prop 48, if she is close to graduation or 75 percent completed toward graduation, she can petition the NCAA for another year. We will do that when the time is right. |
| Mellanie Fuller asks Hi...can you give an example of what goes on adjustment-wise in the half-time locker room...perhaps the process that brought the defensive change against Washington. How much input do the players have? |
| There is a lot of adjustments that go on. I meet with our staff prior to going into the lockerroom. I highlight a few areas that need adjustments. Sometimes players will ask a question or point out an area that needs work. And I listen to what they have to say. As a staff, I think we've done a good job of making adjustments. |
| Sarah Brands asks Hi, I'm a freshman at Elsinore High School in Wildomar California. I'm interested in your summer basketball camp. Can you tell me more about your camp. |
| We have three weeks of camp this summer, from 9-17 years old. The first is June 22-26th, a five-day camp. The next is a day camp only, for ages 6-14, July 24-27th. The next is elite camp for high school only, Aug. 3-6. For more information contact our office. |
| Ron Stout (season ticket holder of six & Top Cat) asks We are big fans of Saturday Night games (actually we work on Saturdays). Will you consider returning to Saturday evening games? |
| The biggest thing we try to do on Saturday is go oppositte the men. If the men are in the evening then we go in the afternoon. The only exception is if the game is televised, then TV set the time. |
| jackie moore asks Hi! My name is Jackie Moore. I live in Canada and I have heard good things about Arizona. First, I would like to know if their are any available scholarships, and how I go about getting one. How good does a Canadian basketball player have to be in order to get an athletic scholarship? jackie moore |
| The best thing to do is contact our office and talk to our recruiting coordinator Danielle Ianello. We've had a Canadian player in the past - Andrea Constand - and she was from Toronto. She was very good player here. |
| Cat Fan asks Hey Joan, Do you still have contact with Adia and Marte. Are they playing overseas? Can't wait to see Adia play for the Mercury this summer! |
| Adia is playing in the Ukraine now. I just spoke to her this week. She should be back in the U.S next month. Marte is playing in Northern Italy and playing well. This Friday we are doing an alumni function at her home in L.A. |
|
--> -->