Oct. 6, 2008
As women's basketball head coach Joi Williams enters her second season at the helm of the Knights' program, she finds a different situation than that existed in the fall of 2007. With a season under her belt, Williams is no longer spending time trying to rebuild a roster, she is instead focusing on refining her team and making strides on the improvements made in 2007-08. The Knights went 10-18 in Williams' opening campaign, the first 10-win season at the school since 2004-05. Williams says her players have worked hard in the offseason to improve, and she recently sat down with Andrew Gavin from the UCF athletics communications office to discuss the how the team is preparing for the upcoming season.
Q: How do you feel each year when the summer comes to an end and you have your whole team back on campus?
"It is exciting. It is the start of a new year. You can put the previous year behind you and look forward to building on the things that you learned the year before."
Q: What is the most important thing your team can accomplish from now until the first day of practice in November?
"The biggest thing right now that we can accomplish is strength and conditioning. I think we are still trying to build on that base strength-wise. Having 10 freshmen last year we had a lot of kids who came in who had never done any strength training in the past. Last year was so overwhelming for them, and this year is different because they know what to expect and their bodies are ready. That is the biggest thing we are focusing on from now until the start of the season."
Q: What has your team done off the court to build unity and chemistry over the summer and since starting school?
"We took a few weeks off after last season ended, and then we got into postseason workouts, working on the things we needed to polish up. With all of them at summer school they got a chance to play pickup because obviously the coaches cannot have any involvement during the summer. The whole team was here including our freshmen, so they got a chance to play together, bond and develop some chemistry."
Q: What do you stress to your team about time management and balancing their responsibilities in the classroom and on the court?
"Just to be disciplined. We talk about discipline a lot on the court, but we stress that a lot off the court as well. You have to be disciplined in your academics, being on time to study hall and using your time wisely. They realize that when you get to this point and play at this level the social aspect of your life sometimes takes a hit. So you have to focus first on what you have to do in the classroom and secondly on what you have to do on the court. Whatever is left is social time."
Q: Looking at your players from the end of last season until now, who has impressed you the most with their progression?
"I do not think we have any single one person. After last season I think Marshay White was probably the player who had improved the most from the beginning of the season to the end. She certainly has matured at the point guard position, playing a tough role. We asked a lot of her, and she really developed a lot. Overall, when I look at them now they seem to have all come in and worked pretty hard over the summer. I am excited about all of them."
Q: What is your focus during individual workouts with the players?
"We are mainly working on repetition with fundamentals. We are doing a lot of teaching on things like footwork. In the post, we are working on being more physical and being able to finish with contact. With the guards, we are working on being more explosive and getting to the basket."
Q: What is easier about running your program after having a full year at UCF under your belt?
"I guess it is some continuity with the program. When I first got here we only had three players so we had to come in and recruit to fill a team. That was our main focus at the start of last year. This year has been completely different. The feel was different because we have been here a year, we know how things operate and we have had a chance to work with our support staff. Same thing with our kids, they are a lot more comfortable and experienced. For me it is different because I am working with veterans instead of freshmen that I really did not know."
Q: What changes have you noticed from your group of sophomores this year compared to last year when they were freshmen?
"They were completely overwhelmed last year and had so many things to learn, whether it was academically, with basketball or just being on their own. Everything changes when you go off to college and become a student-athlete. We really asked a lot of them last year, and they responded. I am really proud of the way they handled everything. If you look at our record, 10 wins does not really reflect that, but when I look at those games that were close it is just a matter of them getting experience. I really expect that now we are going to be able to take it to the next level, and be able to mentally be a lot tougher. I saw from the beginning of last season to the end that we got a lot tougher, so we want to continue to improve that area so that when adversity comes you can stand up and fight a little harder."