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80 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED McBryde gave you inside scoring late in the year last season, you really didn't have that threat in the paint. Versyp: "I really think Dominique has improved her game, but we need her to shoot the 15-foot jumper well, because people are going to double- and triple-team her down low. So she's got to be able to have a better face-up game and she's worked on that. I think Bridget Perry is going to be a scorer more for us consistently, at the 4 spot as a stretch, but also at the 3. "… You're going to have (Tiara Murphy) and Ashley (Morrissette) who can score the basketball, but I think (Andreona) Keys will really surprise you with what she's done with her game." Q. You want this team to run? Versyp: "Oh, we're going to run, yeah. Hopefully more so than we did last year." Gold and Black: Last season, you had to play smaller, yet try to be as physical as possible. This season, do you feel you have the personnel to play bigger, potentially stronger? Versyp: "Oh, I believe so. I think that we have depth. We compete every day and I'm excited for people to see the difference. And I think that we have 6-foot-6 (in Nora Kiesler) and 6-4 (Bree Horrocks) and then we have Ae'Rianna Harris, who is 6-1 but she plays much bigger than she is, because she is a shot-blocker, rebounder, leaper. And then you have Dom and Bridget. "There are times when we can go really big, have Ashley at the point and Keys and Bridget (at the 2/3) or Bridget and Dom (at the 2/3). That gives you a lot to play with. The depth in the post will help, which we didn't have a lot of last year, and I think our guard play will be very solid. And (we) will be a very good rebounding team, which we need to be, and that's evident already." Gold and Black: At the 4 spot last season, Purdue didn't have a physical option. But now, you have a physical option at least in Harris and then McBryde too, if she's gotten stronger. Versyp: "Well, Dom, when you see her, her body is just totally different. She's gotten stronger and is very physical. I'd have to say she's one of our more physical players down low right now. "You add Ae'Rianna and Dom's physicality and Bree and Nora who have worked on their lateral speed, trying to rebound out of their areas, doing a lot of different things, and actually Bridget has shown some growth in that area — not that we need her there — but there's times that we maybe have to go small. Now, we have Ae'Rianna and Dom and Bridget as more of a stretch 4/3. That was an area we needed growth and that's why we're excited." Gold and Black: What do you want out of your freshman guards, Dominique Oden, Miracle Gray and Lamina Cooper? They'll need to give you back- court depth. Versyp: "They've all got to play. The little things: They all want to be so good and they all bring differ- ent elements. They are all just catching on so quickly. I think what they did this summer is they embraced what everyone was telling them and they really took advan- tage of all the resources that athletes have. "Lamina is just a physical defender and rebounder. When she just plays, she's really good, and we're seeing that more and more. We're getting up and down and she sees things that pleasantly surprise us more than what we anticipated. Her shot, when you look at it, is not at- tractive, but it's pretty consistent. And I think when lefties shoot, it's just different, people look at it different. But she works at her game, she has a quick step to the hole. "(Dominique Oden) is a scorer. She just knows how to create space for herself, attack, know how to set other people up. We're playing her at the 2 spot. She has to be more consistent with the three ball, but she's a rebound- er and I love that we have a rebounder at the 2. … She comes out of nowhere to get boards. "For Miracle at point guard, it's tough. Every practice, she keeps getting it, being the point guard and under- standing the offenses and what we want to do. It's a work in progress but she's been solid. She brings defense, is physical. She's like (her sister) Coach (Nadine) Mor- gan, physical and powerful. "The freshmen all bring different things, but they're making everyone better." Gold and Black: Because of the improved physi- cality, are you encouraged about this team's ceiling defensively? Versyp: "Yeah, I am. April (Wilson) brought us a de- fensive stopper and I don't know who that's going to be. I'd like it to be Lamina, but you'd like it to be someone