Oct. 30, 2002

Selected comments from Head Coach Cindy Stein, senior guard Kerensa Barr and junior forward Evan Unrau at the Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Media Day, held Wednesday at the Renaissance Hotel in Dallas:

HEAD COACH CINDY STEIN:
on looking forward to the season:
"This team has a special feel to it. What that means we won't know until March, but it's great from a coaching standpoint that this team has demonstrated the work ethic and the chemistry and the coachability that it has. We're really looking forward to the year."

on the Big 12 Conference:
"Once again the Big 12 will be very competitive and talented. It will definitely be a challenge. I'm very encouraged that our ladies are excited about getting started."

on Kerensa Barr and Evan Unrau:
"Those two young ladies are extremely important to our program - they're our leaders. They've been through a lot here. They've been to the Sweet 16 and experienced that kind of success, and they've experienced a .500 season. Some kids will run and hide from that, and others will face the challenge. The fact that they used their leadership to get other kids to come work out with them over the summer has definitely helped us be prepared for our season. You have to have that kind of leadership to be successful, and those two have provided it."

on the team's depth:
"One of the things we've been able to incorporate into our game already is that our depth is so much greater this year. Last year some of our struggles were caused by the fact that we had four starters and couldn't find a fifth, and our depth was very young. When our upperclassmen would struggle, we were having to bring in freshmen and ask them to play with high intensity. That led to our inconsistency. This year we're very competitive, even in practice. I like that, because that competitive nature is in everything we do."

on Unrau playing different positions:
"Evan primarily played inside last year. This year already, we've practiced with her at the 2 guard, the 3 position, the 4 and the 5. Probably the only spot you won't see her at is the point guard. She's been very successful at all those things. Last year it was a little much, asking her to play different positions. This year she's embraced it, she loves it, and she's very comfortable doing those things."

on the team's physical play:
"Last year once we got into foul trouble, we didn't have a lot of depth. This year we can compete better against some extremely talented players because we have a lot more people, a lot more size to throw at them. Cherice Mack is a freshman, but she doesn't play like one. She's very strong and powerful, and a very talented player. Megan Roney, her improvement and the production she'll provide for us, it's been very neat to watch already. Chinyere James - we call her "Stretch" - she's been very productive and she's not even in shape yet. She's been our point and rebound leader in practice, and she's still out of shape. So their type of play is very physical, very competitive. In our league, you have to have that to be successful."

SENIOR GUARD KERENSA BARR
on newcomers:
"We brought in two junior college transfers, and we also have two freshmen. They bring us a lot of athleticism, which we were missing last year. They've really been working hard and I think they'll all contribute early for us."

on the Big 12 Conference:
"There are a lot of teams in the Big 12 that are consistently good. I think this year could be a chance for us to prove that we belong with the powerhouse teams, and a chance to move up."

on improving the team's competitiveness:
"We've already started working on getting our style of play back to how it was my sophomore year, when we went to the Sweet 16. I'm going to be back at the point guard, where I'm more comfortable. I think the make-up of our team is similar to how it was back then, and that's why I think we're going to be more competitive this year."

JUNIOR FORWARD EVAN UNRAU:
on newcomers:
"'Stretch' and Cherice are both huge presences inside and will help us out a lot in the paint. We'll also be able to have a lot more movement on the perimeter."

on her changing role:
"I think this year I'll have an opportunity to become more of a perimeter player. Compared to last year, when we didn't have much size and I had to stay inside the paint, I think I'll be able to move more."

on goals for the season:
"Last year we were a little disappointed with the WNIT. This year we're all really focused on making the NCAA tournament. That was one of our goals last year but it didn't happen. This year it's one of our big goals, and I think to be considered one of the top teams in the Big 12, we're going to need to do that."

on the team's athleticism:
"I think our athleticism this year is going to be very similar to how our team was two years ago. "Stretch" James is very comparable to Marlena (Williams) in certain aspects of her game, and some good perimeter players that can become what Amanda (Lassiter) was."