Post-Game Quotes
11/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 6, 2008
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Michigan State Head Coach Suzy Merchant
Opening Statement...
I think that it is a work in progress. I think there were some things that we did well but there are a lot of things that we have to work on, especially on the defensive end. I thought that the effort was there for the first night and I felt like we got some good minutes from a lot of different people. We got to play everybody and that is always a positive thing. I still think that there are a handful of things that we have to clean up.
On Aisha Jefferson's performance...
I think that anytime you take a year off it takes some time to get back into it. Just to see her out there lifts up our team. I think that she is a great leader. She's gone to war many times and just having her presence out there, whether she plays good or bad, is important for us. She really showed us what she is capable of doing.
On the team's improvement since last year...
I think that tonight we were big but we were athletic. We can cover a lot of ground. I'd like to see us do more things, especially defensively, but I think that you can see that our effort, athleticism, and work ethic are there we just have to put them together in a more effective way.
On Lykendra Johnson...
Just this week, because of some of our injuries, we moved Lykendra from a four to more of a three. She has really taken that role on pretty well and it looks like that's where she belongs. I think that is a good thing because it really makes us deeper. I think that Lykendra is going to be a key player in what we do. It's really nice to see her out there comfortable and relaxed.
On the performance of the freshmen...
One thing that I do know about the freshmen class is that they do have a blue-collar work ethic. You can see that they are scrappers and fighters that are not going to back down. Courtney Schiffauer is a battler. She can really compete...I definitely think that they have a lot of promise.
