Ignatius L Hoops
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http://www.gophersports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/053116aaa.html
Stollings talks WNBA, Gophers' Summer Outlook. And mentions the Gopher will play at South Carolina.
GS: Now that you’ve had a couple months since the end of the collegiate season, what are some things you would like the returners to work on over the summer?
MS: I love the spring because it gives you time to spend more time on 1-on-1 improvements. I let my assistants run a lot of that and I get to sit back and watch a little bit. Our goal is always to have them leave us with an idea of two or three things we want them to really focus on at a high level individually. That’s what we utilize the spring for. They all left us knowing what that is. They all wrote out their goals for not just the spring, but the summer.
It’s going to be a very different looking team next year in terms of what we’re bringing in. It’s turning more toward the tide of having the style of players we’re looking for. We kind of look of look at this is our first true recruiting class, where we’ve been here and gotten some roots here. We’ve been able to establish an identity here. We look at this class as our first true full arsenal of Gopher recruits since our arrival. It’s exciting for us to have them here over the summer. I think you’re going to see them make great strides in having coaching over the summer and strength and conditioning over the summer.
GS: What are you already excited about for next season?
MS: I’m excited for our non-conference schedule, which obviously hasn’t been released yet, but we have a very competitive non-conference schedule, the toughest one we’ve had since we arrived. We’re bringing in multiple teams that played in the NCAA Tournament. We go to the Bahamas and we’ll open with an SEC opponent. The ACC/Big Ten Challenge game will be at home this year. The past two years it’s been on the road. We go to South Carolina. So it’s a competitive schedule. It will certainly test us early and often. I think the fans will enjoy the fact that that part of our program is being enhanced. We want it to be tougher and tougher as we go. So that part’s exciting, the schedule itself.
And the fact that we’re going to have seven players that are somewhat new faces. A couple of them have been here. When you look at Bry Fernstrom who came in mid-year, you look at Kenisha Bell who had to sit out a year, they’re familiar with what we want to do. Then we’ve got the four true freshmen, and we added Whitney Tinjum, a fifth-year transfer. So, seven new faces altogether that our fans will get to watch for the first time. We’re talking about some players that are extremely talented both on and off the court. We’re excited to bring another Minnesotan back home in Whitney, to play with a former teammate of hers, Bry. I think those pieces are falling together for us. We’re certainly not exactly where we want to be big picture, but we’re heading in the direction that we want to make this program a top-25, nationally known program.
Stollings talks WNBA, Gophers' Summer Outlook. And mentions the Gopher will play at South Carolina.
GS: Now that you’ve had a couple months since the end of the collegiate season, what are some things you would like the returners to work on over the summer?
MS: I love the spring because it gives you time to spend more time on 1-on-1 improvements. I let my assistants run a lot of that and I get to sit back and watch a little bit. Our goal is always to have them leave us with an idea of two or three things we want them to really focus on at a high level individually. That’s what we utilize the spring for. They all left us knowing what that is. They all wrote out their goals for not just the spring, but the summer.
It’s going to be a very different looking team next year in terms of what we’re bringing in. It’s turning more toward the tide of having the style of players we’re looking for. We kind of look of look at this is our first true recruiting class, where we’ve been here and gotten some roots here. We’ve been able to establish an identity here. We look at this class as our first true full arsenal of Gopher recruits since our arrival. It’s exciting for us to have them here over the summer. I think you’re going to see them make great strides in having coaching over the summer and strength and conditioning over the summer.
GS: What are you already excited about for next season?
MS: I’m excited for our non-conference schedule, which obviously hasn’t been released yet, but we have a very competitive non-conference schedule, the toughest one we’ve had since we arrived. We’re bringing in multiple teams that played in the NCAA Tournament. We go to the Bahamas and we’ll open with an SEC opponent. The ACC/Big Ten Challenge game will be at home this year. The past two years it’s been on the road. We go to South Carolina. So it’s a competitive schedule. It will certainly test us early and often. I think the fans will enjoy the fact that that part of our program is being enhanced. We want it to be tougher and tougher as we go. So that part’s exciting, the schedule itself.
And the fact that we’re going to have seven players that are somewhat new faces. A couple of them have been here. When you look at Bry Fernstrom who came in mid-year, you look at Kenisha Bell who had to sit out a year, they’re familiar with what we want to do. Then we’ve got the four true freshmen, and we added Whitney Tinjum, a fifth-year transfer. So, seven new faces altogether that our fans will get to watch for the first time. We’re talking about some players that are extremely talented both on and off the court. We’re excited to bring another Minnesotan back home in Whitney, to play with a former teammate of hers, Bry. I think those pieces are falling together for us. We’re certainly not exactly where we want to be big picture, but we’re heading in the direction that we want to make this program a top-25, nationally known program.
