The University of Mississippi Athletics
Yolett McPhee-McCuin Press Conference Transcript
10/30/2018 | Women's Basketball
Ole Miss Opens with a Home Exhibition vs. LeMoyne-Owen at 3 p.m. CT on Friday
Ole Miss women's basketball head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin met with several members of the media following practice on Tuesday at the Tuohy Basketball Center to discuss the upcoming season, which opens this Friday with a home exhibition vs. LeMoyne-Owen at 3 p.m. CT inside The Pavilion at Ole Miss.
On the closed scrimmage with Memphis…
"We had a closed scrimmage vs. Memphis this past weekend and we saw a lot of good things. So now we have had a lot of chances to watch film, look it over, make some changes and corrections. So, we want to be able to execute that. It will probably never be about the opponent for us, we are on our own journey. We are heavily focused on what we need to do to be successful."
On what people will see out of the team…
"I expect them to see kids that love the game. Kids that are excited and appreciative for the opportunity. And that comes from the top. There is not a day that goes by where I am not appreciative and grateful for the opportunity that I have. And we talk a lot about that as a unit. When you see them on the floor, they are going to look like they want to be there and they are going to give 100 percent."
On goals for the team…
"The goals are long-term, so we have been setting a lot of little wins, which is what we are calling them. We have been talking about attitude, effort, demeanor, executing, and controlling the controllable."
On starting practice and the culture…
"It has been great. We had a few that were injured, Shandricka, and she is back and looking great. In the scrimmage she looked really good. The exciting thing is that she isn't 100 percent yet. It has been awesome to just have 20 hours and to work with them. There is so much that we have to get good at and we are seeing how much we can do in a short amount of time."
On the newcomers…
"It is a fun group. When you are going to go in and just get a bunch of different people then you have to get good people with good personalities or it can be a box of chocolates. My experience coaching the (Bahamian) National Team has allowed me to come up with unique ideas to get things going quickly in a short amount of time."
On the differences in this year's team…
"From what I've heard from people that have come in and watched practice, they are just excited about the energy. They have been excited about the fact that the kids look interested and that they are excited to play."
On preseason expectations…
"You can only go up from there. Just to get the kids to come out and compete for 40 minutes. I have never been a coach that has been worried about the wins and losses, even in our most successful seasons it has always been about the process and the things that we can control like playing hard and getting defensive stops, understanding what the gameplan is and following through. That is the way that I am going to look at everything."
On Shandricka Sessom being named Preseason Second-Team All-SEC …
"I told her that it was a sign of respect. She didn't even play in conference last year so for them to put her on there means a lot. I didn't even get a vote. That was the rest of the coaches. This is probably what she needs to keep going. She is excited about being back. She's special, so I am excited about her."
Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB on Instagram at Ole MissWBB and on Snapchat with the handle @OleMissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on Twitter at @YolettMcCuin
On the closed scrimmage with Memphis…
"We had a closed scrimmage vs. Memphis this past weekend and we saw a lot of good things. So now we have had a lot of chances to watch film, look it over, make some changes and corrections. So, we want to be able to execute that. It will probably never be about the opponent for us, we are on our own journey. We are heavily focused on what we need to do to be successful."
On what people will see out of the team…
"I expect them to see kids that love the game. Kids that are excited and appreciative for the opportunity. And that comes from the top. There is not a day that goes by where I am not appreciative and grateful for the opportunity that I have. And we talk a lot about that as a unit. When you see them on the floor, they are going to look like they want to be there and they are going to give 100 percent."
On goals for the team…
"The goals are long-term, so we have been setting a lot of little wins, which is what we are calling them. We have been talking about attitude, effort, demeanor, executing, and controlling the controllable."
On starting practice and the culture…
"It has been great. We had a few that were injured, Shandricka, and she is back and looking great. In the scrimmage she looked really good. The exciting thing is that she isn't 100 percent yet. It has been awesome to just have 20 hours and to work with them. There is so much that we have to get good at and we are seeing how much we can do in a short amount of time."
On the newcomers…
"It is a fun group. When you are going to go in and just get a bunch of different people then you have to get good people with good personalities or it can be a box of chocolates. My experience coaching the (Bahamian) National Team has allowed me to come up with unique ideas to get things going quickly in a short amount of time."
On the differences in this year's team…
"From what I've heard from people that have come in and watched practice, they are just excited about the energy. They have been excited about the fact that the kids look interested and that they are excited to play."
On preseason expectations…
"You can only go up from there. Just to get the kids to come out and compete for 40 minutes. I have never been a coach that has been worried about the wins and losses, even in our most successful seasons it has always been about the process and the things that we can control like playing hard and getting defensive stops, understanding what the gameplan is and following through. That is the way that I am going to look at everything."
On Shandricka Sessom being named Preseason Second-Team All-SEC …
"I told her that it was a sign of respect. She didn't even play in conference last year so for them to put her on there means a lot. I didn't even get a vote. That was the rest of the coaches. This is probably what she needs to keep going. She is excited about being back. She's special, so I am excited about her."
Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB on Instagram at Ole MissWBB and on Snapchat with the handle @OleMissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on Twitter at @YolettMcCuin
Players Mentioned
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