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Gold and Black Illustrated, Vol 28, Digital 2

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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 28, ISSUE 2 83 set, she's got to be one of our better one-on-one players, not just shooting the three. So that's a big part of her game that we want her to work on, that and her defensive skill set. She has to become even more versatile. "Last year, she kept saying she was a three-point shoot- er and we were like, 'No, you're a scorer.' Because Ashley was a scorer, she was able to shoot that three pretty well, but I think we have some really good three-point shooters this year so I don't think an opponent can just take one person away (and have success)." Gold and Black: You're young at the point. Versyp: "It's very young and that point guard position is going to be very, very important. That's the one that we'll see who shines there. I think (Tiara Murphy) has the ex- perience but not being able to play and getting back (from an ACL injury), I think she has the mindset. I think Miracle (Gray) has improved in a lot of different ways and really worked on her game and understanding and getting every- one involved in the offense. "And then Karissa can play 1 or 2, and when she plays the point, we're a lot faster because she's so fast, so she brings a different element. And obviously she's a scoring point guard." Gold and Black: You might be younger inside. Versyp: "We're really young and inexperienced down low. Point guard and how we handle our post players are going to be really crucial, because our 2s and 3s are really solid." Gold and Black: What are you going to do at the 4? Versyp: "It's a work in progress. As we know in non-con- ference, we play teams with four guards and a post, so Tam (Farquar) is really a guard, but we're going to put her at the 4 initially and in the Big Ten we'll start bringing her out some. She just gets it; when she starts to understand when to drive and step somebody up (that's a step), but she just gets better every day. You have to have her on the floor, she's just so athletic and makes things happen. But understanding what we need from her is big for everyone right now. "I think Dani can bring a lot of physicality. She's a good shooter. She's playing the 4 spot, as well, but you can also use her posting up, so she's very versatile. 'Ria has to play the 4, 5. She's really worked on her 15-foot shot, so she's facing the basket and if she goes to the hole, she's going to the hole. She's just so athletic, that's the big thing. "And then you have Nora and Fatou, 6-foot-6 and 6-4 (in the post). Fatou has just gotten better every day and her body is impressive. Her knowledge of the game is solid. We have the big size, so we can go high-low, we can be big or we can just have one post player down low, but if they get it in the paint, they're scoring." Gold and Black: Who is your best back-to-the-bas- ket scorer? Versyp: "With Nora, she has to be, but she can face up too. But she's got to score down low. But Fatou, she will score down low. She knows her job, she knows her role, but she has a beautiful shot, so if someone isn't guarding her at 15-foot, (she can hit it). I think we have people (to do that) now. "'Ria (Harris) is definitely a scorer down low and will be a 5 when we play against smaller teams, no question, but we have to have a back-to-the-basket who wants to bang and Fatou is it. Nora will continue to grow into that. If you're that big, you have to continue to shoot the basket- ball. We've got to have that contact going through. If you get the ball in the paint, you need to score, and Fatou isn't afraid of contact and isn't afraid to shoot the ball." Gold and Black: Harris was great as a shot-blocker last season, but can she be even a better technically sound defender this year? Versyp: "You can't teach every angle, you can't teach everything, so she learned how to use her lower body, how to get over a seal. Now she's even working harder, because now she understands all of it. And she's one where you tell her something (needs work) and she corrects it right away. It's not like you have to keep going at it, that's why she is so successful, especially down low. You can see the strides she's made, just working down low and being un- dersized against Fatou and Nora, you've got to go against players who are bigger than you. And now Tam and her, when they go against each other, I mean they're both play- ing above the rim, they're blocking each other's shots, and that's what's going to improve her. Now we have players who can make her better every single day." Gold and Black: You've said it again this year, like you've said before, that you want to run, get up and down the court as fast as possible. Versyp: "Get the ball out and get a quick pass. Our guards have got to move. We want to get the best shot in the first 10 seconds of a shot clock. And if we don't have

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