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 Tara Van Derveer |
Justin Deer (Stanford, CA)
What were your impressions of the UConn-Tennessee game? Do you think thatTennessee just had a bad game or is UConn that much better than the rest ofthe country? Also, if you were to play UConn in the NCAA's, what game planwould you impliment? Would you try to pressure Sue Bird or concentrate onstopping Shea Ralph or Svetlana Abrosimova? I was also just curious to knowas to which player you think has improved the most over thesummer? Obviously Lauren St. Clair has made quite an impact with her sweetshooting and she gives Stanford another 3-point threat. But Cori Enghusenhas also played well and she can dominate the post. Are there any otherplayers who you think have made great strides over the summer?
Coach VanDerveer: As for Tennessee and UConn, let's see today (Wednesday, when they playagain). If we were playing them we'd have to really study. I haven'tstudied their team; we'd have to really look at their team and figure outhow we could best match up with them. Obviously they're having a greatyear. I think Milena (Flores) has improved a lot. I think everyone hasimproved a lot. But as you said, I think Lauren has made the biggest jumpin numbers, specifically.
Trina Westbrooks (Sacramento, CA)
During the Oregon game, the refs called Oregon for two illegal defenses.What exactly constitutes an illegal defense? Also, how do you keep yourbench players motivated? I know that players get playing time based onperformance, but what do you do to keep the players who don't get muchplaying time from getting discouraged?
Coach VanDerveer: No, they didn't. There's no illegal defense in women's basketball. Just probasketball. They were probably fouls. (As for playing time), I think thatprobably comes with the territory. You hope that players that don't play,their goals are not just based on playing time, but that they feel thatthey contribute in practice, feel that they're part of a special team, thatthey work hard. And you hope that they'll have their day.
Lindsey Boeckman (Canby, OR)
This year I'm a freshman at my high school. I was first put on a freshmanteam then I was pulled up to JV and sometimes I practice with varsity. I'musually a point guard but now I start as an off-guard which I feel as ifI'm less productive. I work extremely hard at practice and games and I waswondering what qualities you would look for in a starting point guard?
Coach VanDerveer: Being able to run the team's offense, handle the ball very well, be a goodpasser and shooter, leader on the court, play really good defense. And it'dbe nice if you rebounded too -- try to do it all.
Ken Wong (East Setauket, NY)
Coach VanDerveer, you had great success in international basketball overthe past ten years. My questions are the following: do you miss coachingUSA basketball and will you coach if asked? How have you incorporated theinternational game to the college game? How difficult is for a collegeplayer to play against a foreign player-i.e. St. Joe's Licherova? Lastly,is Naomi M. still playing? Good Luck to you and the team in Pac-10 !!!
Coach VanDerveer: I enjoyed it while I did it but it was extremely time-demanding. I felt itwas a great opportunity, but I can't say I miss it. I think the use of thethree-point line is a big thing, and also playing bigger players away fromthe basket, like the St. Joe's player did, like Carolyn Moos shootingthrees. Moving players away from the basket. As for other players, it'sdifficult for them to play against American players too. A lot of timesinternational players play a different style, and more than anything theyseem to be very strong fundamentally: they pass, shoot and dribble, face upreal well. They seem to be a bit more versatile than American players, andbetter shooters. Naomi, I saw last week. She's still working out and shehopes to play in the WNBA.
Yi Zhang (Cupertino, CA)
Hi Coach, great job this year (and every year). What do you think is thedifference between this year's team and last year's?
Coach VanDerveer: Maturity, more depth, improvement. I think much improvement from our pointguard -- that's probably number one. Overall experience, and confidence.
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