University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC Women's Basketball Opens Practice Saturday
October 12, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Oct. 12, 2001
The UNC women's basketball team begins practice for the 2001-02 season on Saturday morning with an exhibition game less than three weeks away. The Tar Heels open the season on Nov. 9 against George Mason in the first round of the Preseason NIT.
As coach Sylvia Hatchell prepared to begin her 16th season at UNC, she answered a few questions about this year's squad.
Q: Heading into the season, what are your impressions of your 2001-02 squad?
Hatchell: "I really, really like what I've seen early with this team, in the chemistry, the work ethic, and the tremendous improvement the players have made over the summer and the fall.
"Nikki Teasley is back and better than ever. Candace Sutton and Coretta Brown had outstanding seasons last year and have gotten better over the summer. This freshman class has impressed me so much-it's an outstanding group, not just on the court, but in the classroom.
"This preseason has been one of our best, as far as the level of accomplishment. Jodi Hopkins, our strength and conditioning coach, has done a really good job with them. As far as their results in the weight room and in all the preseason conditionting tests that we do, the players are performing at a much higher level.
"Overall, this year's group is just a fun group to work with and I'm really looking forward to the season."
Q: People don't seem quite sure what to expect from this year's team, with preseason predictions varying quite a bit. Does that surprise you?
Hatchell: "I think an exciting thing about this team is that so much is unknown. I'm not surprised people don't know what to make of the team, but I have had a lot of smiles about that.
The team isn't so much of an unknown to the coaching staff-we have more to go on than most people. Still, I don't want to make a lot of predictions in the preseason, I just want to wait and let the team's play do the talking."
Q: How do you see the lineup as practice begins?
Hatchell: "We're really strong at guard, yet we've got Candace inside and I think she's going to be the premier center in the conference. So, I feel like we're pretty balanced all around.
"Coretta is still going to be at the point. She did such a good job last year-if we'd gone to postseason play, she would have broken a lot of records. Leah Metcalf is also going to do a great job at point guard. Nikki Teasley may play there some, but we're really looking to play her more on the wing.
"At that two position, we could see a lot of different people over there in addition to Nikki. Leah and Coretta could play some there, too, as could Courtney Chambers, Jenni Laaksonen and Kenya McBee.
"At the three, Nikita Bell looks good there and Courtney, too-she's very versatile. Courtney can play the two and three and can even play the point if we need her to. Those two, Courtney and Nikita, being left-handed, that's a good position for them. Liz Coughran also will give us depth on the wing as a shooter.
"Jenni and Kenya could also be there, but are probably more four players, especially with the way we play our motion offense because our four players step out a lot. Kenya, Jenni, Chrystal Baptist and Jennifer Thomas are kids who can play that four position.
"Inside, there's Candace Sutton, Tiffany Tucker and Carrie Davis. We're young there, with two sophomores and a freshman, but I think we have a lot of talent."
Q: You speak often of team chemistry and how that was one of the strengths of your 1994 NCAA Championship team. How is the chemistry on this year's team?
Hatchell: "A lot of teams have talent but don't go very far because they don't have that bond, that camaraderie. Basketball is a team game and players aren't going to accomplish what they want to accomplish as individuals without the team accomplishment. Chemistry determines how successful they are with their skills.
"This year's team has great chemistry. There's just so much harmony with the way they look out for each other, how they care for each other off the court, how they hang together. They're very different, but yet they enjoy being around each other and they have a lot of fun together.
Q: Last season was a disappointing one for everyone involved with the program. Has finishing 15-14 and missing out on the NCAA Tournament provided motivation for this season?
Hatchell: "Last year, we had so many close games. We sat down after the season and figured out that five or six games of our games came down to the very last possession. That just shows you how the little things can make such a big difference. We felt like one possession going our way last year could have made a difference in us going to the NCAA Tournament-if we had won one more game, I think we would have been looked at very strongly.
"I tell our team that all the time, that the little things make such a difference. All the players are important in what they can bring to this team, whether it's one rebound, one steal, one pass to the post or whatever, it could be the difference in our season.
Q: Nikki Teasley returned to the team this summer after sitting out last season. What kind of impact do you expect her to have?
Hatchell: "They're no doubt Nikki can make a difference for us. She can be a go-to player and basically take over a game when she needs to, which we missed last year in some close games."
Q: What is it that impresses you most about the freshman class?
Hatchell: "There's a long list of things that impress me about this freshman class. You can't help but love them. They're talented, they're enthusiastic, they're hungry and they have skills. All five of them are going to contribute and a lot of them will contribute right away. It's an outstanding class.
