The Sports Information Department sat down with head women’s basketball coach, Randy Tuggle, to get his insight on the upcoming season. Here is what he had to say.
What are you looking to get out of your pre-season practices?
I am finding out who can play and who can not. Half of this year’s team are newcomers, so I need to find out what they can do. I know what the returners can do, so I am trying to figure out how the new players will fit onto this year’s team.
You finished with a record of 28-3 last season and return a lot of players from the team, what are the expectations to do even better this season?
Our goal is to win the regular season and the conference tournament this season. We had a great season last year, but winning the conference tournament is like putting an exclamation point on your season. We are also looking to reach the NCAA tournament again, but we need to take it one step at a time.
Your first game is in under a month against cross-town rival Guilford, what will you be looking for from your player’s by that time?
We need to make sure everyone is on the same page offensively and defensively. I want to know who has bought into our philosophy and who hasn’t and we should know by that time.
What is your biggest strength heading into the season?
Experience. We have four player’s returning from last season who have played in big games, who made it to the tournament, and know what it takes to win and that is a major strength this season. We are also a fast team, from point guard to the post, and it is unlikely we will play another team as quick as us this year.
How many first year player have you brought in and can any of them make an immediate impact?
We have nine new players this season and there are a few who can make an impact. Each of our freshmen has a very specific skill they bring to the team and we will work on developing them into complete players. A transfer, Jena Cabe, and an upperclassman, Jackie Farrell, should be able to step onto the court and give us a lot of good playing time this year as well.
You lost one of your key starters in Nikki Wilborn, how will you look to replace her?
You can’t replace a player like Nikki. She did so much for this program and for me as a coach, she is truly irreplaceable. We will look to some of our young players to develop and fill some of the roles she played, but as a whole, we can not replace her.
Danielle Duncan is a pre-season All-American this year, how will her presence affect the team this season?
With a player like Danielle, you know exactly what you’re getting every single game. She is going to play hard every time she gets the ball and has a good chance of scoring. She is an excellent player to build a team around and will positively affect the team in many ways.
Can you give us some insight into what fans can expect from your team this year?
The girls will be very enjoyable to watch this season. We play much different than most women’s teams. We work hard on both ends, run breaks, get quickly into offensive sets, and take advantage of good situations. It should be an exciting type of basketball to watch.