Txstatebobcats.com, caught up with head women's basketball coach Zenarae Antoine to discuss the season to-date as well as looking ahead to this week's road trip against La. Tech and UT Arlington.
Txstatebobcats.com: Talk about the season to date
Coach Antoine: So far into my “sophomore year” as a head coach, it's been a lot of fun. We have quite a few new faces, some transfers that are in practice, some freshmen and then an opportunity to see this junior class step up, it's been a lot of fun across the board. For the most part this team is still pretty lighthearted on the road. They like a good meal, and enjoy laughing and having fun together.
The second thing I like, on the basketball court, is they've really picked up the intensity level, and the drive and determination. I think that's also a result of us stepping it up with our male scout team. They're pretty good too, so it helps challenge us on a day-to-day basis. I can say thus far into my “sophomore year”, eyes are wide open, pretty clear and one of the things I talk to the team quite a bit about is that we have a target on our back now, having been pretty successful in our first year. Going into the WAC, we were at the top of the leaderboard going into conference play with New Mexico State, so I think it was important to understand for our kids and still is.
Txstatebobcats.com: How do you continue to score in volumes on a nightly basis (19th in NCAA in scoring) when everyone knows that's the strength of this team?
Coach Antoine: I think it's been a big part of our identity since last year. Quite a few of the young women that we've recruited, in addition to the young women who are already here, are offensive minded players. That's something we encourage all the time. Last year I spoke so much about having a high basketball IQ and taking smart shots. The thing that we continually do, and the kids know if it's a shot you practice, and it's a good shot, then you're more than welcome to take it. We'll get kids to help offensive rebound on a miss.
I don't think it's too hard, because the feeling that most players get, the excitement and exhilaration of the fans and friends and family members, makes it all that easier when you're hitting shots. Confidence is obviously something I have in these young women, and it's something you need to step up and take big shots. I don't think there's a lot of preparation outside what we normally do, which is allowing them to take good shots, continue to push the ball in transition. I think the question of what do we need to change, is if they do stop a player or if she's having a down night, there's multiple players who can step up and we can look to, to knock down shots. As you've seen more recently that's come from our freshmen. Having Erin be WAC Player of the Week, having Ayriel step up and hit some huge threes. I think right now she's at the top of three-point field goal percentage in recent games and Raven Burns as well. I think it's exciting to know that it's not always going to have to be Diamond and Ezeh, although those kids need to still be huge for us.
Txstatebobcats.com: The last two games you've held Denver to 62 points in regulation and New Mexico State 61 for the game, what has been the key to improving defensively?
Coach Antoine: It's been an understanding of ultimately it's defense that is going to be the key to us winning a championship. The tides will change for us soon. I know the last four games have been pretty tough on the team losing. Three of those games have been three points or less. Truly understanding that big stops are going to be huge down the stretch for us as well as some of those along the way. The commitment level through watching film and understanding that, as well as knowing we can score, I think has continuously been pounded into their brains. We're still on board, we know that a championship is well within reach. I think that's exciting. Clearly defense has to be a big part of that conversation.
Txstatebobcats.com: Talk about the play of Diamond Ford (12th in the NCAA in scoring, 21.0 ppg) and Ashley Ezeh (23rd in country with seven double-doubles) and what it means to have a dynamic duo like that.
Coach Antoine: They truly are the dynamic duo. Especially for an offensive-minded head coach, that's true balance. An inside presence as well as an outside game really stretches defenses. That's a luxury for any coach and you look to exploit it if you can. Obviously I'm very thankful for having those two young women. We need to continue to build on that. We've been able to insert some players to surround them and take the pressure off them. Any time you have the inside-outside threat, it makes it tough for defenses and opens it up for offenses and makes it fun for fans to watch. You have to pick your poision.
Txstatebobcats.com: What were your thoughts on Diamond's 40-point performance against San Jose State?
Coach Antoine: First and foremost I was really proud of her. Any time you have an athlete that can score 40 points in any game, that's tough in regulation. I think that she's earned it and proven that on any given night, she's the best player on the floor. As you know as well as I know, her favorite player is Kobe Bryant, so that was the second thought that came to mind, was that she had a Kobe Bryant kind of night. Ultimately though, I'm really happy for her and her family, that she was able to achieve that kind of landmark at Texas State. In the women's game and in any game, in basketball to put up 40 is really difficult, but that's just something special that she has and I'd love for her to have a couple more.
Txstatebobcats.com: Talk about the three freshmen and their development
Coach Antoine: You know Ayriel is a point guard, and I think it's a tough position. You're going to be the one the team looks to, and also the one the coach is looking at as far as decision making goes. It's very difficult to come in as a freshman and take on that role. The nice luxury she's had is having Kaylan Martin as a mentor to her. She's been able to split time, and they've been able to play together as well. The nice thing is that Ayriel always wants to get better. She's very emotional, and wears her heart on her sleeve. The times that she's able to stay within her game, play hard and find her teammates, knock down shots, it's been really fun to see her continuous maturity. A big part of that lately has been her defense, she's kind of stepped up which is something we need. A big-time perimeter defender and she's getting better and better in that area. We always knew through signing her, she could score and she had quickness. We weren't sure how quickly she'd matured as a point guard, but I think she's coming along in that role nicely, due to the mentorship she has in Kaylan Martin.
Initally Raven was signed as a pure shooter. In practice, she has shown me she's much more than that. She's come up with some big defensive stops at times. There's times that could be better, but she's finding her time on the floor due to being better defensively. I know Raven can knock down shots. I know that down the road, she's going to have the opportunity, no different than Diamond one day, to hit a huge point mark. At this point what we need from Raven is defense. She understood that from the beginning, and I think she's finding more and more time due to her defense. Going back to what we talked about earlier, the nice thing about Raven is that she can knock down shots. She's been able to come in and knock down some big threes and open up the floor for everybody. I appreciate that about Raven.
Erin, for us, is a phenomenal utility player. She's one of those athletes that can guard multiple positions. She's long, lanky, tough to get around defensively and she's feisty. In high school she was always on the floor, diving after loose balls, blocking shots. I think what Erin brings is not just that she's a utility player because she can guard multiple positions, but she can score in multiple positions. There's going to be opportunities where she has a mismatch. She can score in the low block, she can stretch the floor by shooting the three and she can put the ball on the floor as well. I've really been proud of Erin's effort overall. As a freshman, she had an opportunity to be WAC Player of the Week. As we move forward, I look to be able to increase her production as she understands how to play at the college level. That's something we talk a lot about because Erin gives full effort all the time. Sometimes she doesn't realize she's tired so we have to pull her out and say 'Erin you need a break at this point' because she's doing so much. I think once she kind of gets it and truly understands what it's going to take for her to be productive on both ends of the floor, the skies the limit for her.
Txstatebobcats.com: You've talked about wanting to compete for a championship, what is going to be the key to achieving that goal this year after having four games in the WAC.
Coach Antoine: It sounds simple, but it's not very easy, balanced scoring is going to be a big part of that. Although I'd love for Diamond to have 40 point games, it needs to be a little more balanced, especially from the inside and out. Another huge key for us is going to come back to defense, and being able to get big stops and being able to clearly make sure rebounding is a big part of that.
Txstatebobcats.com: What are the expectations for UT Arlington and La. Tech this week
Coach Antoine: It's nice because we're not in classes. The other thing I found interesting about this team, moving from the Southland Conference to the WAC is that our team loves to hang out on the bus. They enjoy sleeping, watching movies, stopping at rest stops. So for them, it's more of a luxury, which might sound odd, but it's a luxury they have an opportunity to lay back and sleep and have their own spot. As opposed to being on an airplane, there's a lot of moving, getting up and down and shuffling. The trip itself will be fine, especially since we're not in classes so there's not the added stressor.
We all understand the legacy of Louisiana Tech. Obviously [La. Tech head coach] Teresa Weatherspoon was a great player, who is working hard as a coach. Understanding that makes it pretty easy to get teams going when you know your opponent is pretty tough. After that we have our old rival in UT Arlington. We split with them last year. We haven't had the opportunitiy to play in the new facility, so I know there's very little I need to do to get the team up for this road trip. That's nice because it means all I have to do is focus on X's and O's and how we're going to win the game. There's not a lot of psychological barriers I need to deal with as a coach. It's more just preparing the team to make sure somebody's in place to score and get those stops.
