Katie Gearlds Show for Monday 11/8/2021 Notes
Since WBB gets so little coverage, I will, at least for a little while, transcribe KG's show for those who don't want to listen to it. I think we are all curious what this next year will bring. It is more or less a complete transcription except for omitting a few extraneous comments and shortening some of the run-ons.. I occasionally add extras (Like positions, height, years played or the speaker's facial emotions etc.) and have tired to remember to put them in italics. I am sure there are errors as I am not a great typist. Take it for what it is worth.
Katie Gearlds Show
Nov. 8, 2021
Tim Newton (TN) and Katie Gearlds (KG) with guest Madison Layden (ML)
TN: You have one game under your belt… (stream dropped) …sometimes the kids should not just play through their offense. If their shots aren’t falling they still need to do the other things on the defensive end, rebounding - all the other stuff because the shots will eventually fall but the other stuff has to be constant.
KG: Yeah, we talk about it all the time. You don’t always make your shots but you can control your effort on the defensive end & your effort on the glass. I would say that for 3 quarters we did that. I hope the fans would appreciate our energy. I thought our team did a really good job of having fun playing basketball again and playing with each other.
TN: You said last week you were going to play up-tempo and you did that. You said you were going to play man-to-man and you did that too.
KG: Yeah, we did that. That’s what we want to do. Like we said, shoot it before you turn it over. We want to play 94 ft. of BB. Our team right now has bought into that. It’s fun playing that. It’s fun playing with and for each other.
TN: Findlay was playing their 3rd game in 5 days and they were short-handed because of some COVID protocols. They played zone the entire game so 36 3PT shots for you out of 77 attempts. Is that more than you want to see or did you take them because you were open?
KG: Yeah, we took some good shots and some questionable ones. That happens in the game of BB. 36 is a lot. If it was a real game I think it would be a record. But Cass got real hot and Madison got some open looks that she would normally make. The ball moved around the perimeter and we made extra passes but we’ve got to get it into our (?). We’ve got to score in the paint, whether it is passing it in or dribble/ drive. They did zone us for 40 mins and I’ll be honest, we just put in our zone offense last week. That’s how far behind the 8-ball we are.
TN: Last week you said Cassidy Hardin’s key role is to shoot the BB. She got in the rhythm yesterday and I think the only thing you’d like to see is that when she gets in a rhythm like that, that she shoots it more.
KG: Yeah, she had 3 or 4 in a row (6/12 for the game) and then she passed up another one and it’s like “What are you doing?” She is never gong to get yelled at for taking a shot. No rules really apply to her. She’s got the green light.
TN: Again, she got into the rhythm but I think with Cassidy we’ve seen her intelligence away from the BB. She’s not going to win athletic awards for quickness and speed so she’s got to anticipate things. She’s been able to do that. Biochemistry majors are pretty smart.
KG: Yes, she’s smart. And I know all about not being athletic. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t say anything about Cass’s blocked shot yesterday. She flew out of nowhere and I’ve never seen anything like it. She hits a 3PT, comes down and blocks that shot, Madison finds her and she gets another 3PT.
TN: My guess is that she is going to remember that blocked shot far more than the 6 3PT shots she hit yesterday.
KG: Yeah, I talked to her and her folks after the game and (we gave her hugs?).
TN: There were 3 players that didn’t suit up yesterday from injuries. What is the timeline for those 3 that you really haven’t had a chance to see yet this season?
KG: Skye (Williams) has been a great culture piece for us. She is a great joy to be around. She had surgery this summer and I think she’s making some steps so let’s just get her back on the court. We need to get her on the court and get her comfortable but I think she’s making steps on the elliptical and I think she is progressing really well that way.
TN: So is Doumbia going to be out for awhile?
KG: Yeah, she twisted her ankle pretty good - I guess last Saturday (10/30?) in a scrimmage against the guys. Her first month was a good month and I think she is coming along a little bit better. The swelling is out but she is still in a boot. She can work on the bike. She gives us another form of athleticism especially if we choose to play small at the 4 spot with her ability to get downhill.
TN: And we also did not see Roxane Makolo yesterday.
KG: She’s coming back from an ACL and her knee flared up a little bit. MRI was clean. We’re just taking it careful with her. She would give us another boost on the perimeter.
TN: Abbey Ellis got the start at point guard. She is Australian. What does she bring to this team?
KG: Honestly, just full effort for all 40 mins and all 94 ft. Her motor is always going. She was a little nervous yesterday coming from CalPoly and playing here in Mackey for the first time. But she settled in, hit a good 3PT for us (1/3) & got into the paint. She’s going to be crafty. She has a European style to her. She has an international flair and can do different things that we don’t normally see here in the States. She’s a joy to coach, a joy to be around. She lifts everyone’s spirits.
TN: Another transfer Jeanne Terry from Illinois - I was a little surprised looking at the box score that she had 10 pts and 10 rebs.. A very quiet double double. That has kind of been her MO for the 3 years she was at Illinois.
KG: Yeah, you’ve seen it what she’s done against us the last couple of years. I honestly didn’t realize (that she had a double double) either. She is just going to get her points, get her rebounds - I think she had 6 offensive rebs. Her ability to make plays for her teammates. She understands how the game is supposed to be played. She is so selfless, sometimes I wish she would be a little bit more aggressive. She has fallen in love playing alongside Madison and Cass. She tells me often “I didn’t have those shooters at Illinois.” So it’s fun.
TN: Mide Oriyomi also played quite a bit yesterday (17 mins) - fouled out in the 4Q. What did you see from her?
KG: Just her versatility, her ability to guard 1 thru 4, great length. She can give us some buckets inside. She hit a 3PT (1/2 for the game) but she’s learning how to play with her teammates right now. If we can get her calmed down offensively she does such a good job for us on D - her length and guarding multiple positions - she is going to find herself on the court.
TN: We talked last week about the differences in college BB from your playing time to now and one of the things is that we used to say this player is a “2” or a “4” but now the ability to play different positions has become a requisite for most college BB players.
KG: Yeah, you want kids who can play different spots - versatility. You look at the makeup of our team, I mean if Madison rebounds it she can push it, same with JT (Terry) and Abbey, Cass, Jayla & Brooke off the bench, even Mide can dribble the ball up the court. It gives us such different options. Their ability to do that offensively but yet guard different positions - we’ve got to take advantage of it.
TN: In terms of playing in front of a live audience in Mackey, it’s not just your freshman and transfers, kids who were freshman last year have not played in front of a live audience in Mackey either. There were friends and family but there wasn’t a whole lot of noise in the arena last year.
KG: I think I saw that there were 10 kids on our team who had not played in front of a Mackey Arena crowd before. We had a decent crowd for an exhibition game. Hopefully they’ll grab someone else to come to Sunday’s game. It would be good to see that lower bowl filled again. I think the more people who come the more they’ll fall in love with how wer’re going to play BB this year.
TN: Congrats to Drew Roth and the Women’s Soccer team for getting in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009. With the success of soccer, football, volleyball and excitement for MBB and WBB it seems Iike there is a lot of momentum in your athletic department.
KG: Yeah, what a fall we’ve had. That scene (after the football win) - straight mosh pit. We were the team (introduced) on the field. I’m going to say we brought all the luck. What a great time to be a Boilermaker.
TN: What do you feel you’ve accomplished in the last 7 weeks or so?
KG: We’re taking steps. We are not going to build the wall yet but if we can add one brick at a time and just take one step at a time. As cliché as it sounds, we can’t skip a step. We have to build it from the bottom right thru to the top. The credit goes to our team - they’ve bought in. The staff has done a really good job of helping me along and given me the confidence that my stuff is good enough. But all the credit in the world goes to the girls. They understand “Why not now - let’s go do it.”
TN: Jane Schott is my broadcast partner and head coach of the W. Lafayette WBB team - she has seen Madison Layden from her freshman year on playing at Northwestern and she says Madison has improved year after year adding something to her game. What does she bring to your team and what do you expect of her at her guard position?
KG: Everything. We expect a lot from Madison. She needs to be an All-Big Ten performer for us. Not just scoring - she’s got to take shots (8/16 overall) - but I thought she did a great job on the glass on Sunday (9 rebs). We challenged her with her length to give us some second chances. With her length she’s always done a good job defensively understanding and being in the right spot getting deflections and so on 3 steals). But we need everything from her. We told her that and she stepped up to it. Her and Cass have come in the gym - working on some footwork. She’s going to have a great season for us. I’m excited to coach her.
TN: Another player I think you’ll be counting on to give you energy especially in her present position as your 6th player is Brooke Moore. She’s got the ability to score for you off the bench and that’s important for a team to have something you can get off the bench.
KG: Yeah, Brooke has done a really good job of buying in to that right now. I’ve told her “Hey, if we start you we’ve got to try and get an inside presence. We’re going to get JT (Terry) & Cass some looks so you’re probably going to miss out on some opportunities. But if we bring you in off the bench then you have the 6th man role like Jordan Clarkson (for Utah Jazz) role, the Kelsey Plum (for Las Vegas Aces) role - and you can come in and be you. And she has really boughten in to it completely and she has been an incredible teammate.
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TN: I wanted to add some more data to a few of our former Boilers playing professionally.
TN: Now we have Madison Layden (21 starts as a freshman, earned All-Big Ten Freshman Team accolades, stats last season were 8.7 PPE, 3.2 RPG and 3.0 APG in nearly 32 mins/game) who is a sophomore this year. She comes to us from Northwestern HS in Kokomo. You had the opportunity to play for both your mom and your dad who were part of the staff there. What was good and what was bad about playing for your parents in high school.
ML: It was really fun. My senior year I was able to play with my sister. I mean, it was hard - if it got heated in practice when you went home at night you never knew what to expect but I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. It was a good four years.
TN: Were you able to separate being a player from them from being at home and being Madison?
ML: Some days were worse than others (slight smile). If I didn’t practice well then it was harder at night. But we got over it.
TN: Both your parents played collegiately and they had a couple of daughters who are pretty good at BB. You probably had a BB in your fans from a pretty early age.
ML: Yeah, ever since I was born I was in the gym. My mom was always coaching so I was always there with her.
TN: When did you realize that your skills were good enough that “Hey, maybe I can play in college?
ML: Definitely by middle school I started to get looks from colleges and I started to take a few visits. It definitely became real as a possibility then.
TN: Not only did you play for your mom as your HC but you played on a couple of state championship teams. Talk about that experience and if that has been able to help you when you came to Purdue.
ML: That was a lot of fun. Obviously that helped me to play at Banker’s Life Stadium with so many fans there. Now carrying over playing at Mackey it’s the same feel. Yeah, awesome.
TN: You almost had 3 straight championships and Jayla Smith was on the other side of that and now she is a teammate. Is that bygones or do you still talk about that game.
ML: No, we don’t talk about it. Jayla was unbelievable that game. Having her here with me is special.
TN: What drew you here to Lafayette?
ML: I wanted to stay close to home and I felt the best connection to the coaches and players.
TN: And you major had a huge part of that, right?
ML: Definitely. I decided I wanted to major in pharmacy so Purdue is the best pharmacy school.
TN: Now Ajah Stallings is in pharmacy. That’s a pretty tough major. How have you been able to balance the books and the basketball.
ML: Yeah, it is tough but having the Brees Center to study at - I spend a lot of hours there.
TN: Talk about the experience last year with all the changes of COVID precautions and no fans. What was that like?
ML: Yeah, it was really hard with all the classes on-line and pretty much not being able to see anyone and no fans. It was hard. But now it is pretty much back to normal.
TN: Did your basketball family take on more importance when you couldn’t be with your normal people? Was it a tighter group?
ML: Definitely. We had to rely on each other more, I think. We had to spend a lot of time together.
TN: You are not wearing glasses but during the game you do wear goggles. Is that something you have always done?
ML: Yes. Ever since I was little I have always worn the goggles to protect my eyes.
TN: In your freshman season you were an All-Big Ten Freshman. Tell us how you think you played last year.
ML: Obviously I struggled some games - I guess just because I was a freshman. (Shrugs) I am trying to step up and be a leader for the team this year.
TN: You had a coaching change when Coach V retired. How do you feel about playing for Katie and the different style she wants to bring in.
ML: It is super exciting this year. In yesterday’s game I had a lot of fun pushing the ball in transition and being up-tempo like we want to play. I’m excited for the rest of the game.
TN: Over the summer you were invited to the USA U10 trials. Tell us about the experience and what you brought back from that experience.
ML: That was awesome to be nominated for that. It was a cool experience just playing with all those girls because i didn’t really know any of them. We became friends and I think I was able to learn a lot and bring that back to our team.
TN: It must have made you feel like you belonged out there - that is part of the process to believe in yourself and that you belong at that level.
ML: Yeah. I felt a lot of confidence and I think I was preparing for that for the summer.
TN: I talked to the coach earlier and she talked about her first trip down the tunnel as the head coach and for you it was your first trip down the tunnel with a Mackey with fans. You’ve played in front of big crowds in HS, but what was that like for you?
ML: Personally I didn’t have a lot of nerves. I just thought it was so much fun to see a lot fo fans there. I am excited for, hopefully, more and more people to come.
TN: Some BB players are superstitious. Do you have any routines that you follow - food, socks, etc.?
ML: I don’t have any. I do whatever.
TN: About 48 hrs from now we will be somewhere down in Kentucky for the first real game against the Hilltoppers. What can fans expect from this team?
ML: (A little bit of hmm and hawing to start.) Hopefully a lot. I think we have a lot fo talent. I’m just excited to see everyone. Obviously we have a lot of new pieces. But they’re all working really well together.
TN: Thank you Madison. Have a great season.
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TN: Someone on-line wanted to know if you are you superstitious because you had your hair down in the first half and then up in the second.
KG: I am superstitious but that had nothing to do with my hair styling yesterday. It is weird to be in sweats on the side lines and not in heels.
TN: So is that going to be what we will see going forward?
KG: I think we are still trying to figure it out. We originally said we are going to dress up for home games and then be casual on the road. But I think it’s till up in the air.
TN: We had Western Kentucky in here two years ago and you look at their roster and our roster from that game and there is not a whole lot of people still left (on either team).
KG: Yeah, it is like night and day. And even from last year they lost quite a bit but they got some talented young kids. They scored 112 pts in and exhibition game. They really lit it up and they seem to want to play up-tempo too so it could be a track meet on Wednesday. But I’m just excited to get out there and our first road trip together. It’s going to be a dog fight. They’ve always been really good at home. Coach (Greg Collins - 4th season) has done a really good job. We’re gonna have our hands full and we’re gonna have to show up. We will have to give it everything we’ve got.
TN: This will also be an opportunity for you to see when you put together a scouting report can your players follow that plan. And you’ll have some good times and bad times during the game so can they keep on an even keel.
KG: Yeah, we had a really good walk-thru today. Friday we had a little bit of a something for Findlay but mostly we just had an intimate talk as a group. But today we had a great walk-thru and talked about what we need to do and we had a good film session. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we’ll have a practice and then jump on a plane and we’ll see what happens Wednesday.
TN: You mentioned that you wanted to get more production from your post players. Sometimes feeding the post is one of the hardest things a high school player has to learn because they don’t have to - if they are a good guard they’ll be shooting the ball. How hard is it to teach playing inside-out?
KG: You’re right. When I was in high school (pause and a smile) I was shooting it. We talked today and our bigs came in and watched some film with Alex and Beth. They need to let us see their numbers - if we see their numbers then the ball needs to go in to them. Whether they score or not, the ball has to touch the paint. We’ve got good size in there with Ra Shaya, Rickie and Nya. We’ve got to take advantage of it. We’ve got to get the ball to them and they need to do something with it.
TN: Defensively a couple of times you gave up some dribble penetration. You talked about the way you defended it compared to the previous coach might be a little bit different. How about that transition?
KG: Yeah, it’s different. And that’s kinda where we lost our heads in the 3rdQ yesterday when we weren’t making shots. But we need to get the ball into the paint and be aggressive for 94 ft. It comes down to trust - trusting that you are going to have another line of defense. Everybody has to move and do their own part. But we’ve got to be able to guard the BB on the bounce for more than one bounce. It will get better. I’ve only been with these guys for 7 weeks in this capacity so for the most part they’ve done a good job of trying to understand what it looks like. I think for 3Q’s we did a good job. But it is only going to get tougher from here on out.
TN: You talked last week about team unity and we saw that in your first game. Anytime a player went down the players on the court all ran to her. That must be gratifying to see your points getting through here.
KG: And it happens in practice too. At the game you only see 4 teammates running to the one who is down but in practice it is 12 or 13. It shows you that you are in this together. And it shows the other team that too. Now it’s become a habit.
N: Madison said earlier that she does not want to talk to Jayla Smith about that state championship game.Now you have them both. Talk about what that is like to have Jayla in your program.
KG: Jayla is by far our most athletic player. She is just explosive. She is going to have a very, vey good career here. She is starting to figure things out. This summer she did a lot of growing up. She has just grown. Especially the last couple of weeks off the court in terms of who she it. Being Indiana Miss Basketball comes with a lot of pressure but that kid is going to be something special.
TN: Yeah and that title is not only an honor but comes with a lot of responsibility. She is the 10th Miss Basketball. You understand that and the pressure on your shoulders - all eyes are on you.
KG: I think she is figuring that out. What a really, really good young woman. She’s been great off the court for us and on the court she’s going to be fun to coach and the Mackey faithful are going to have fun watching her play.
THIS WEEK”S GAMEPLAN:
NT: You already have talked about how WKU is an up-tempo team who can score a lot. We could see a track meet. We may have to have batons along with basketballs. It’s a fun style to play and a fun style to watch.
KG: Yeah, I’m excited to be on the sidelines. I think our group is going to go down there and get the job done. We are going to go down there. We are going to compete very hard. We are going to get everything ______?
TN: Then on Sunday Western Michigan comes in and they are a Mid-American team and will come in with a chip on their shoulders because a lot of those kids were hoping to get into a Power 5 school. We’ve seen that no matte what, those schools will be a handful.
KG: Yes, we do a good job of protecting our home court but hopefully we will do a little better job than we did Sunday. I’m excited to be back in front of our fans for a real game. We might be a Power 5 school but the reality is we are where we are. We have to approach it that way every day. Nothing good can be taken for granted.
TN: Next games are Wed nite at Western Kentucky (11/10) at 7:30 EST (Video on ESPN+ and audio on BOB Radio). The home opener on Sunday (11/14) against Western Michigan and that game time has been moved back 1/2 hour to 2:30 PM EST. (Video on BTN and audio on BOB Radio).
Thanks coach.
Since WBB gets so little coverage, I will, at least for a little while, transcribe KG's show for those who don't want to listen to it. I think we are all curious what this next year will bring. It is more or less a complete transcription except for omitting a few extraneous comments and shortening some of the run-ons.. I occasionally add extras (Like positions, height, years played or the speaker's facial emotions etc.) and have tired to remember to put them in italics. I am sure there are errors as I am not a great typist. Take it for what it is worth.
Katie Gearlds Show
Nov. 8, 2021
Tim Newton (TN) and Katie Gearlds (KG) with guest Madison Layden (ML)
TN: You have one game under your belt… (stream dropped) …sometimes the kids should not just play through their offense. If their shots aren’t falling they still need to do the other things on the defensive end, rebounding - all the other stuff because the shots will eventually fall but the other stuff has to be constant.
KG: Yeah, we talk about it all the time. You don’t always make your shots but you can control your effort on the defensive end & your effort on the glass. I would say that for 3 quarters we did that. I hope the fans would appreciate our energy. I thought our team did a really good job of having fun playing basketball again and playing with each other.
TN: You said last week you were going to play up-tempo and you did that. You said you were going to play man-to-man and you did that too.
KG: Yeah, we did that. That’s what we want to do. Like we said, shoot it before you turn it over. We want to play 94 ft. of BB. Our team right now has bought into that. It’s fun playing that. It’s fun playing with and for each other.
TN: Findlay was playing their 3rd game in 5 days and they were short-handed because of some COVID protocols. They played zone the entire game so 36 3PT shots for you out of 77 attempts. Is that more than you want to see or did you take them because you were open?
KG: Yeah, we took some good shots and some questionable ones. That happens in the game of BB. 36 is a lot. If it was a real game I think it would be a record. But Cass got real hot and Madison got some open looks that she would normally make. The ball moved around the perimeter and we made extra passes but we’ve got to get it into our (?). We’ve got to score in the paint, whether it is passing it in or dribble/ drive. They did zone us for 40 mins and I’ll be honest, we just put in our zone offense last week. That’s how far behind the 8-ball we are.
TN: Last week you said Cassidy Hardin’s key role is to shoot the BB. She got in the rhythm yesterday and I think the only thing you’d like to see is that when she gets in a rhythm like that, that she shoots it more.
KG: Yeah, she had 3 or 4 in a row (6/12 for the game) and then she passed up another one and it’s like “What are you doing?” She is never gong to get yelled at for taking a shot. No rules really apply to her. She’s got the green light.
TN: Again, she got into the rhythm but I think with Cassidy we’ve seen her intelligence away from the BB. She’s not going to win athletic awards for quickness and speed so she’s got to anticipate things. She’s been able to do that. Biochemistry majors are pretty smart.
KG: Yes, she’s smart. And I know all about not being athletic. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t say anything about Cass’s blocked shot yesterday. She flew out of nowhere and I’ve never seen anything like it. She hits a 3PT, comes down and blocks that shot, Madison finds her and she gets another 3PT.
TN: My guess is that she is going to remember that blocked shot far more than the 6 3PT shots she hit yesterday.
KG: Yeah, I talked to her and her folks after the game and (we gave her hugs?).
TN: There were 3 players that didn’t suit up yesterday from injuries. What is the timeline for those 3 that you really haven’t had a chance to see yet this season?
KG: Skye (Williams) has been a great culture piece for us. She is a great joy to be around. She had surgery this summer and I think she’s making some steps so let’s just get her back on the court. We need to get her on the court and get her comfortable but I think she’s making steps on the elliptical and I think she is progressing really well that way.
TN: So is Doumbia going to be out for awhile?
KG: Yeah, she twisted her ankle pretty good - I guess last Saturday (10/30?) in a scrimmage against the guys. Her first month was a good month and I think she is coming along a little bit better. The swelling is out but she is still in a boot. She can work on the bike. She gives us another form of athleticism especially if we choose to play small at the 4 spot with her ability to get downhill.
TN: And we also did not see Roxane Makolo yesterday.
KG: She’s coming back from an ACL and her knee flared up a little bit. MRI was clean. We’re just taking it careful with her. She would give us another boost on the perimeter.
TN: Abbey Ellis got the start at point guard. She is Australian. What does she bring to this team?
KG: Honestly, just full effort for all 40 mins and all 94 ft. Her motor is always going. She was a little nervous yesterday coming from CalPoly and playing here in Mackey for the first time. But she settled in, hit a good 3PT for us (1/3) & got into the paint. She’s going to be crafty. She has a European style to her. She has an international flair and can do different things that we don’t normally see here in the States. She’s a joy to coach, a joy to be around. She lifts everyone’s spirits.
TN: Another transfer Jeanne Terry from Illinois - I was a little surprised looking at the box score that she had 10 pts and 10 rebs.. A very quiet double double. That has kind of been her MO for the 3 years she was at Illinois.
KG: Yeah, you’ve seen it what she’s done against us the last couple of years. I honestly didn’t realize (that she had a double double) either. She is just going to get her points, get her rebounds - I think she had 6 offensive rebs. Her ability to make plays for her teammates. She understands how the game is supposed to be played. She is so selfless, sometimes I wish she would be a little bit more aggressive. She has fallen in love playing alongside Madison and Cass. She tells me often “I didn’t have those shooters at Illinois.” So it’s fun.
TN: Mide Oriyomi also played quite a bit yesterday (17 mins) - fouled out in the 4Q. What did you see from her?
KG: Just her versatility, her ability to guard 1 thru 4, great length. She can give us some buckets inside. She hit a 3PT (1/2 for the game) but she’s learning how to play with her teammates right now. If we can get her calmed down offensively she does such a good job for us on D - her length and guarding multiple positions - she is going to find herself on the court.
TN: We talked last week about the differences in college BB from your playing time to now and one of the things is that we used to say this player is a “2” or a “4” but now the ability to play different positions has become a requisite for most college BB players.
KG: Yeah, you want kids who can play different spots - versatility. You look at the makeup of our team, I mean if Madison rebounds it she can push it, same with JT (Terry) and Abbey, Cass, Jayla & Brooke off the bench, even Mide can dribble the ball up the court. It gives us such different options. Their ability to do that offensively but yet guard different positions - we’ve got to take advantage of it.
TN: In terms of playing in front of a live audience in Mackey, it’s not just your freshman and transfers, kids who were freshman last year have not played in front of a live audience in Mackey either. There were friends and family but there wasn’t a whole lot of noise in the arena last year.
KG: I think I saw that there were 10 kids on our team who had not played in front of a Mackey Arena crowd before. We had a decent crowd for an exhibition game. Hopefully they’ll grab someone else to come to Sunday’s game. It would be good to see that lower bowl filled again. I think the more people who come the more they’ll fall in love with how wer’re going to play BB this year.
TN: Congrats to Drew Roth and the Women’s Soccer team for getting in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009. With the success of soccer, football, volleyball and excitement for MBB and WBB it seems Iike there is a lot of momentum in your athletic department.
KG: Yeah, what a fall we’ve had. That scene (after the football win) - straight mosh pit. We were the team (introduced) on the field. I’m going to say we brought all the luck. What a great time to be a Boilermaker.
TN: What do you feel you’ve accomplished in the last 7 weeks or so?
KG: We’re taking steps. We are not going to build the wall yet but if we can add one brick at a time and just take one step at a time. As cliché as it sounds, we can’t skip a step. We have to build it from the bottom right thru to the top. The credit goes to our team - they’ve bought in. The staff has done a really good job of helping me along and given me the confidence that my stuff is good enough. But all the credit in the world goes to the girls. They understand “Why not now - let’s go do it.”
TN: Jane Schott is my broadcast partner and head coach of the W. Lafayette WBB team - she has seen Madison Layden from her freshman year on playing at Northwestern and she says Madison has improved year after year adding something to her game. What does she bring to your team and what do you expect of her at her guard position?
KG: Everything. We expect a lot from Madison. She needs to be an All-Big Ten performer for us. Not just scoring - she’s got to take shots (8/16 overall) - but I thought she did a great job on the glass on Sunday (9 rebs). We challenged her with her length to give us some second chances. With her length she’s always done a good job defensively understanding and being in the right spot getting deflections and so on 3 steals). But we need everything from her. We told her that and she stepped up to it. Her and Cass have come in the gym - working on some footwork. She’s going to have a great season for us. I’m excited to coach her.
TN: Another player I think you’ll be counting on to give you energy especially in her present position as your 6th player is Brooke Moore. She’s got the ability to score for you off the bench and that’s important for a team to have something you can get off the bench.
KG: Yeah, Brooke has done a really good job of buying in to that right now. I’ve told her “Hey, if we start you we’ve got to try and get an inside presence. We’re going to get JT (Terry) & Cass some looks so you’re probably going to miss out on some opportunities. But if we bring you in off the bench then you have the 6th man role like Jordan Clarkson (for Utah Jazz) role, the Kelsey Plum (for Las Vegas Aces) role - and you can come in and be you. And she has really boughten in to it completely and she has been an incredible teammate.
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TN: I wanted to add some more data to a few of our former Boilers playing professionally.
- Adreona Keyes (2014-2018) - She has now started her season in Romania. Through 3 games she is averaging 21.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG and 4.3 APG.
- KK Houser (2009-2014) - Playing in Poland had a huge game with 25 pts, 8 rebs, 5 assists and 3 steals.
- Ae’Rianna Harris (2016-2020) - Playing in Belgium in last week’s single game she had 13 pts and 9 rebounds.
TN: Now we have Madison Layden (21 starts as a freshman, earned All-Big Ten Freshman Team accolades, stats last season were 8.7 PPE, 3.2 RPG and 3.0 APG in nearly 32 mins/game) who is a sophomore this year. She comes to us from Northwestern HS in Kokomo. You had the opportunity to play for both your mom and your dad who were part of the staff there. What was good and what was bad about playing for your parents in high school.
ML: It was really fun. My senior year I was able to play with my sister. I mean, it was hard - if it got heated in practice when you went home at night you never knew what to expect but I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. It was a good four years.
TN: Were you able to separate being a player from them from being at home and being Madison?
ML: Some days were worse than others (slight smile). If I didn’t practice well then it was harder at night. But we got over it.
TN: Both your parents played collegiately and they had a couple of daughters who are pretty good at BB. You probably had a BB in your fans from a pretty early age.
ML: Yeah, ever since I was born I was in the gym. My mom was always coaching so I was always there with her.
TN: When did you realize that your skills were good enough that “Hey, maybe I can play in college?
ML: Definitely by middle school I started to get looks from colleges and I started to take a few visits. It definitely became real as a possibility then.
TN: Not only did you play for your mom as your HC but you played on a couple of state championship teams. Talk about that experience and if that has been able to help you when you came to Purdue.
ML: That was a lot of fun. Obviously that helped me to play at Banker’s Life Stadium with so many fans there. Now carrying over playing at Mackey it’s the same feel. Yeah, awesome.
TN: You almost had 3 straight championships and Jayla Smith was on the other side of that and now she is a teammate. Is that bygones or do you still talk about that game.
ML: No, we don’t talk about it. Jayla was unbelievable that game. Having her here with me is special.
TN: What drew you here to Lafayette?
ML: I wanted to stay close to home and I felt the best connection to the coaches and players.
TN: And you major had a huge part of that, right?
ML: Definitely. I decided I wanted to major in pharmacy so Purdue is the best pharmacy school.
TN: Now Ajah Stallings is in pharmacy. That’s a pretty tough major. How have you been able to balance the books and the basketball.
ML: Yeah, it is tough but having the Brees Center to study at - I spend a lot of hours there.
TN: Talk about the experience last year with all the changes of COVID precautions and no fans. What was that like?
ML: Yeah, it was really hard with all the classes on-line and pretty much not being able to see anyone and no fans. It was hard. But now it is pretty much back to normal.
TN: Did your basketball family take on more importance when you couldn’t be with your normal people? Was it a tighter group?
ML: Definitely. We had to rely on each other more, I think. We had to spend a lot of time together.
TN: You are not wearing glasses but during the game you do wear goggles. Is that something you have always done?
ML: Yes. Ever since I was little I have always worn the goggles to protect my eyes.
TN: In your freshman season you were an All-Big Ten Freshman. Tell us how you think you played last year.
ML: Obviously I struggled some games - I guess just because I was a freshman. (Shrugs) I am trying to step up and be a leader for the team this year.
TN: You had a coaching change when Coach V retired. How do you feel about playing for Katie and the different style she wants to bring in.
ML: It is super exciting this year. In yesterday’s game I had a lot of fun pushing the ball in transition and being up-tempo like we want to play. I’m excited for the rest of the game.
TN: Over the summer you were invited to the USA U10 trials. Tell us about the experience and what you brought back from that experience.
ML: That was awesome to be nominated for that. It was a cool experience just playing with all those girls because i didn’t really know any of them. We became friends and I think I was able to learn a lot and bring that back to our team.
TN: It must have made you feel like you belonged out there - that is part of the process to believe in yourself and that you belong at that level.
ML: Yeah. I felt a lot of confidence and I think I was preparing for that for the summer.
TN: I talked to the coach earlier and she talked about her first trip down the tunnel as the head coach and for you it was your first trip down the tunnel with a Mackey with fans. You’ve played in front of big crowds in HS, but what was that like for you?
ML: Personally I didn’t have a lot of nerves. I just thought it was so much fun to see a lot fo fans there. I am excited for, hopefully, more and more people to come.
TN: Some BB players are superstitious. Do you have any routines that you follow - food, socks, etc.?
ML: I don’t have any. I do whatever.
TN: About 48 hrs from now we will be somewhere down in Kentucky for the first real game against the Hilltoppers. What can fans expect from this team?
ML: (A little bit of hmm and hawing to start.) Hopefully a lot. I think we have a lot fo talent. I’m just excited to see everyone. Obviously we have a lot of new pieces. But they’re all working really well together.
TN: Thank you Madison. Have a great season.
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TN: Someone on-line wanted to know if you are you superstitious because you had your hair down in the first half and then up in the second.
KG: I am superstitious but that had nothing to do with my hair styling yesterday. It is weird to be in sweats on the side lines and not in heels.
TN: So is that going to be what we will see going forward?
KG: I think we are still trying to figure it out. We originally said we are going to dress up for home games and then be casual on the road. But I think it’s till up in the air.
TN: We had Western Kentucky in here two years ago and you look at their roster and our roster from that game and there is not a whole lot of people still left (on either team).
KG: Yeah, it is like night and day. And even from last year they lost quite a bit but they got some talented young kids. They scored 112 pts in and exhibition game. They really lit it up and they seem to want to play up-tempo too so it could be a track meet on Wednesday. But I’m just excited to get out there and our first road trip together. It’s going to be a dog fight. They’ve always been really good at home. Coach (Greg Collins - 4th season) has done a really good job. We’re gonna have our hands full and we’re gonna have to show up. We will have to give it everything we’ve got.
TN: This will also be an opportunity for you to see when you put together a scouting report can your players follow that plan. And you’ll have some good times and bad times during the game so can they keep on an even keel.
KG: Yeah, we had a really good walk-thru today. Friday we had a little bit of a something for Findlay but mostly we just had an intimate talk as a group. But today we had a great walk-thru and talked about what we need to do and we had a good film session. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we’ll have a practice and then jump on a plane and we’ll see what happens Wednesday.
TN: You mentioned that you wanted to get more production from your post players. Sometimes feeding the post is one of the hardest things a high school player has to learn because they don’t have to - if they are a good guard they’ll be shooting the ball. How hard is it to teach playing inside-out?
KG: You’re right. When I was in high school (pause and a smile) I was shooting it. We talked today and our bigs came in and watched some film with Alex and Beth. They need to let us see their numbers - if we see their numbers then the ball needs to go in to them. Whether they score or not, the ball has to touch the paint. We’ve got good size in there with Ra Shaya, Rickie and Nya. We’ve got to take advantage of it. We’ve got to get the ball to them and they need to do something with it.
TN: Defensively a couple of times you gave up some dribble penetration. You talked about the way you defended it compared to the previous coach might be a little bit different. How about that transition?
KG: Yeah, it’s different. And that’s kinda where we lost our heads in the 3rdQ yesterday when we weren’t making shots. But we need to get the ball into the paint and be aggressive for 94 ft. It comes down to trust - trusting that you are going to have another line of defense. Everybody has to move and do their own part. But we’ve got to be able to guard the BB on the bounce for more than one bounce. It will get better. I’ve only been with these guys for 7 weeks in this capacity so for the most part they’ve done a good job of trying to understand what it looks like. I think for 3Q’s we did a good job. But it is only going to get tougher from here on out.
TN: You talked last week about team unity and we saw that in your first game. Anytime a player went down the players on the court all ran to her. That must be gratifying to see your points getting through here.
KG: And it happens in practice too. At the game you only see 4 teammates running to the one who is down but in practice it is 12 or 13. It shows you that you are in this together. And it shows the other team that too. Now it’s become a habit.
N: Madison said earlier that she does not want to talk to Jayla Smith about that state championship game.Now you have them both. Talk about what that is like to have Jayla in your program.
KG: Jayla is by far our most athletic player. She is just explosive. She is going to have a very, vey good career here. She is starting to figure things out. This summer she did a lot of growing up. She has just grown. Especially the last couple of weeks off the court in terms of who she it. Being Indiana Miss Basketball comes with a lot of pressure but that kid is going to be something special.
TN: Yeah and that title is not only an honor but comes with a lot of responsibility. She is the 10th Miss Basketball. You understand that and the pressure on your shoulders - all eyes are on you.
KG: I think she is figuring that out. What a really, really good young woman. She’s been great off the court for us and on the court she’s going to be fun to coach and the Mackey faithful are going to have fun watching her play.
THIS WEEK”S GAMEPLAN:
NT: You already have talked about how WKU is an up-tempo team who can score a lot. We could see a track meet. We may have to have batons along with basketballs. It’s a fun style to play and a fun style to watch.
KG: Yeah, I’m excited to be on the sidelines. I think our group is going to go down there and get the job done. We are going to go down there. We are going to compete very hard. We are going to get everything ______?
TN: Then on Sunday Western Michigan comes in and they are a Mid-American team and will come in with a chip on their shoulders because a lot of those kids were hoping to get into a Power 5 school. We’ve seen that no matte what, those schools will be a handful.
KG: Yes, we do a good job of protecting our home court but hopefully we will do a little better job than we did Sunday. I’m excited to be back in front of our fans for a real game. We might be a Power 5 school but the reality is we are where we are. We have to approach it that way every day. Nothing good can be taken for granted.
TN: Next games are Wed nite at Western Kentucky (11/10) at 7:30 EST (Video on ESPN+ and audio on BOB Radio). The home opener on Sunday (11/14) against Western Michigan and that game time has been moved back 1/2 hour to 2:30 PM EST. (Video on BTN and audio on BOB Radio).
Thanks coach.
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