The fellas sit down with Delisha Milton-Jones, Head Coach of Old Dominion Women's Basketball, to talk about recent games, the progression they have made as a team, defense, hot and cold streaks and more.

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Aaron: Monarch Nation.

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Welcome back to the

Monarchs basketball show.

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As always, we are thrilled to have

coach Delisha Milton Jones in the house.

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What's going on, Coach?

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Delisha: Same old, same old, as

some would say, same superheated.

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We're in the heat of the season, uh,

closing out the non conference schedule.

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Uh, we're in a good space right

now, seven and four, and had a huge

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win the other night, so we're good.

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Aaron: Awesome.

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Well, let's, uh, you know, for

those who, uh, have You know,

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I've been following the program.

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Let's just take a step back.

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Obviously it's been a couple of weeks

since we've had you on the show.

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You've had three games since you had

on the first of which was against

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number 24 NC state down in Raleigh.

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Delisha: Yes.

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Aaron: Um, really competitive first and

fourth quarters, the middle of the game.

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There were some challenges.

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Talk to the fans about that game.

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Delisha: So the NC NC state.

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The NC State game was, uh, it was tough

because we went in hostile territory

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and they're a very good team and, um,

uh, they have great length and they

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shot the ball well and, uh, it just

seemed like it was a rough night for us.

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The first quarter started off strong.

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I thought we followed the game

plan tremendously, but we ended

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the quarter with two back to back

threes for them that were huge.

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One was, um, a wide open shot that should

not have been, and then the other was

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we fouled the three point shooter with,

like, seconds left on the, the ball.

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shot clock to in the quarter, and

they were able, they were able to

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shoot three free throws that kind

of gave them momentum and shifted

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everything that we had been working

towards in that first quarter.

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And in that time out, I could

just remember, um, the morale and

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the emotions behind the morale.

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Everything just sunk.

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Um, because we, it was almost like

we were on to something great,

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then we made two great mistakes

and the bottom just fell out.

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So I was more so in the huddle

saying, Hey, you stay together.

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We're okay.

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It's good.

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We still got a whole nother quarter.

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We can repeat everything that we did

well, and we can have the same scenario.

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But it was like herding cats at that

point and trying to get 14 different

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energies back collected to being one.

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So we ended up having an uphill journey.

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Uh, in that game and halftime came and

it was still the same scenario, trying

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to regroup and, and cut the lead so

that we could get back in the game,

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but we could never find our footing.

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Mike: Alright, following that trip to

Raleigh to play NC State, we hosted ECU

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at home, uh, in the Anne Donovan Classic.

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Delisha: Yes.

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Um,

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Mike: this was a tough loss in over time.

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I've got to give credit to their center.

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She did a really good job getting

to her spot all night long.

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And I think that really had an

effect on us because she was

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able to get points in the paint.

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And rebound really well over us.

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And I think that was maybe the edge.

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Delisha: It really was.

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And you know, the way that our

defense is designed, uh, one person

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should not be able to beat us.

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Even if she had a stellar

night, think about it.

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They had to win in overtime with one

person having a stellar night like that.

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But what it came down to

was the scouting report.

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She was able to get to those spots.

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Cause she's a good player, but the job

wasn't done in terms of your next best

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defense, which was boxing her out.

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She was 50 percent from the field,

just from rebounding her own

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misses and putting them back in.

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And she did that all night long.

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And that cost us.

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So if we didn't do well on that first

job, that next best job was to just get

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her off the glass, to secure the rebound.

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Now you've done your best.

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Um, we fell short in that rebounding

area because she finished with what

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a double double, I believe Um stellar

numbers on both ends of those stats and

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when you have a high powered offensive

player like her You can't give her good

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looks or even second looks off of one

possession and They were able to come

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away with a big time win for their

program based off of what they posted on

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the website How they celebrate it after

the game, you know, it just goes to show

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that people are going to be up for us

We are somebody, whether they want to

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beat us because of who we are and the

prestige behind this amazing university,

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or whether it's because of them wanting

to be in my player's shoes, or because

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of who they're being coached by.

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People have amazing motivating

factors when they're coming into

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Trotway Arena to suit up and play

against us and our players have to

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recognize that and either match that

level of intensity or superseded.

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Mike: Now, all right.

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I want to make sure we give some credit

to Endya Buford here because obviously

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she's one of our best players and

has been for a while now, but this

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game, um, I'm always impressed by her.

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Like, this was a really impressive

game by her and her play kept us in it.

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All game long.

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What can you tell us about Endya

that makes her makes her tick?

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I guess.

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Delisha: So Endya Buford, she is

a high powered, um, jog or not.

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Even though she may be one of the smallest

people on the floor, she plays big.

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She's one of our best rebounders,

most physical rebounders and

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finishers inside the paint.

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She just has this knack for the ball.

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She plays with a tempo and speed that

is blurring, you know, on the floor.

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And when we really figure it out in

terms of how to play with that tempo

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and timing of what she does, then

it's going to open up the offensive

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game, not just for her, but for her

ability to make plays for others.

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She's the type that will put you on her

back and she will will you to victory.

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Had we had her, um, going into the

conference tournament last year, it

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would have been a different ball game.

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But she fractured a finger in

that last home game against JMU.

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I think it was senior

night for us last year.

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Fractured her finger and on her shooting

hand and she wasn't able to play.

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And that really hurt us.

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That was a dagger in our hearts in

terms of everything that we were

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building for, but she's healthy and

she's playing amazing basketball.

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And even in the law, she

can still see her impact.

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Aaron: Mike, I love that

you brought that up.

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I, I'm not usually the stats guy and not

on our football show, not in basketball.

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It's usually Mike and Gary

are doing those things.

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But before this, I did look at some of the

stats for your returning players in India.

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She, she stands out.

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So I'm looking here.

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She's, she's only up two minutes

a game so far, but her field goal

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percentage is up by a percent.

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Her rebounding is up by 1.

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7 rebounds a game, her assists

are up over one a game.

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So she's clearly just as an

overall player, she's taken steps

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forward like all across the board.

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Delisha: She really is and we've had

healthy conversations about how I want

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to be able to use her on the floor.

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And I told her, I said, you know, we're

What will make you even more dangerous

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is not just having you as a, uh, a

two guard or a three guard, being able

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to put the ball in your hands as the

point guard with the, with the ability

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to make decisions for self and others.

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That's going to make you even more deadly.

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She really could be a draft pick.

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If someone was ballsy enough to

say, you know, I want somebody

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with a little bit of spice.

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They may not fit the

prototypical size and length.

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of a WNBA guard.

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But man, if you want someone to

come and play like a water bug and

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play with tempo and be tenacious

on both, she's a two way player.

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She is Dion Sanders when

it comes to basketball.

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She's going to give you great, amazing

things on the defensive end, and

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she's going to give you high powered,

amazing things on the offensive end.

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Aaron: All right.

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So following the game at East

Carolina, you guys went on the road

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to Howard 17 point win and y'all

took some, some steps forward.

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So I know a lot of what we've discussed,

you know, in after post game and then on

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the show is where we've struggled a lot

in different offensive areas as a team,

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but 44 percent from the, from the field.

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Three pointers still, you know,

you're in the 20s, but free throws

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back up, uh, 25 points off the

bench and 24 points Fast break.

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Delisha: Yeah.

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Aaron: So talk about that a little bit.

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Delisha: Yeah.

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So, you know, the offensive side, it

doesn't worry me at all because I know

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we we hang our hats on the defensive end.

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Yes, the ball needs to

go through the basket.

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We're taking the shots that we

need to take and they're there.

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I have complete confidence in my players

and I want them to remain confident in

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themselves and their skill sets that

that ball is going to fall for us.

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And when it does, it's going to blow

the minds of everybody that's watching.

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It's gonna be a fun game

for them to see as well.

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play.

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I think tremendously.

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We have put an effort on the

transitional part of our game.

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If our defense is doing what it's doing,

it should be creating offense for us when

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we allow them to have one opportunity

at a shot and we can rebound the ball.

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Now I want whoever has it to push

it, whether that's my four man or

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that's my 12 or three, even my five.

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They have the ability to push the

ball, but I want it to be in a primary

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ball handlers hands so that can open

up our fast break opportunities.

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We have players that are shooting 60

percent from the field in transition.

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That's some are when you really

break down the numbers analytically.

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Then you have Mariah Clayton, our

true freshman, who's sensational.

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She's about 50 percent in transition.

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Then you have India Buford,

who's shooting a ball at over

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like 33 percent from the three.

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Samara Phil shooting 36

percent from the three.

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Oh, Hemiah Fielder almost shooting

38 percent from the three.

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If we can get out and open up the court

and play with space and tempo, and timing.

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Now we can open up this game in

a completely different way that

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we haven't been able to tap into

before because we were being pressed

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and we were turning the ball over.

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Now we couldn't reap the benefits or the

fruits of our labor, but it is coming.

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We are building this thing.

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It just may, it may not be the typical way

that things are built, but a foundation

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has been laid in terms of the culture

and in terms of how we built the team.

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Now it's just about us putting the

bells and whistles together here and

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there So we can understand that when

it's time to really present this thing,

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when it matters the most, we'll be

able to have the product on display

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that we, we desire it, how the way

that it's been desired for it to look

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Mike: coach.

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You say you hang your hat on defense and

the, your field goal defense back that up

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Old

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dominion women's basketball is

28th in the country right now,

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holding their opponents to 35.

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4 percent from the field.

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This early in the season that has to give

you some confidence and optimism about

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this team because if you continue to

shut your opponents down, hold them to

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under 35 percent from the floor, you're

going to have a chance to win every game.

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Delisha: No doubt.

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And that's what we want.

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And even when you look at it from the

standpoint of our, um, the three point

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percentage that we hold our opponents to,

I think we're fourth in the nation, you

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know, um, everyone has designed this game.

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And now the trend is.

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Uh, to have shoot threes and get layups.

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Well, if my math is mathing, I think

that three points is more than two.

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So, if you want to give yourself a

chance to win, take away the three point

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line, make it a two point scoring game.

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Now, that, that, uh, ups our chances.

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of being able to win.

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So defense is something that

we do have control over.

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We don't have control over whether

the ball is going to go in at a

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high rate or not, but we can make it

difficult as hell for our opponents.

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And now when we come down on the offensive

end, did our defense Produce offense

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for us by us having numbers when we

get out and run and are we making good

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decisions and taking care of the ball

when we get to our transition or our

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secondary options within transition

that that is to be determined.

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But I love the odds that we give

ourselves night in the night out

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by what we do in the defensive end.

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Aaron: Yeah, I mean, that's so true.

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Whether people like it or not,

the game has really evolved into

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you're either making a layup.

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Or you're shooting a three.

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There's not a whole lot in between.

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And a lot of that has

become kind of inefficient.

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So Mike and I talked about this a

little bit, you know, uh, at the game,

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sitting there watching, is there, um,

You want to create a transition points.

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We were just talking

about transition points.

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Now, do you design that as trying

to create transition points by

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just the traditional defense and,

and being able to grab steals or

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denying those three point shots?

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So when people are

shooting 21%, against you.

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They're creating long rebounds, which

create transition opportunities.

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Delisha: Well, it won't necessarily

be a long rebound because we're

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running them off the three point line.

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If ball screens are happening, then

we're positioning our bodies in a way

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to where we're only giving you one

direction and that direction is also

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going to be met with, uh, A force

from our post players because we're

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funneling you away from the middle of

the court or the free throw line area.

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You're going to have to

go out towards half court.

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Now, when we do that, we can shake

back up and build our walls again.

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Now, if you do happen to get downhill,

it's going to be by design too, because we

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have a scheme for that to where maybe our

bigs will be a little bit flatter on on

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this show and not as aggressive in terms

of hard hedging, but a little bit flatter.

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It's like drop coverage, but

instead of being dropped back.

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We're sitting up to flatten it out.

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Now we run the guards off the three

point line and the only shot that

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they'll have is a pull up jump

shot that should be contested.

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So now it's not going to be a long

rebound, but it'll be a shot that is.

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Difficult for teams to take

because all they do in practice

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is shoot threes and layups.

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Now we have everyone in position

to be able to contest and box out.

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So now we can get out and we can run.

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If we can run with numbers and get the

ball up the floor and score easily, great.

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If not, then we have to set up

and we have to find something.

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The difficult part for us is A lot

of teams don't want to fool around

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with us in man to man defenses.

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So they set back up in zone defenses,

which clogs the paint, prevents us

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to be able to get the penetrations.

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So now it's helping us having to

learn a different way to play.

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You got to come and penetrate,

come to a two foot jump stop, look

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for your drive and kick the ball.

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type games and have to play with

balance with your two feet up under

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you and being very methodical and

surgical in terms of how you attack.

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And I think non conference

has served us well.

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So now when we see all these

different teams in the Sunbelt

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Conference, Troy, they want to

get up and run and jump and press.

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Lafayette, they want to wait till half

court, then they come and jump you.

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Um, JMU, they'll play

man, they'll play zone.

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We'll be ready for everything

because we've seen it and in

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health, in a healthy dosage.

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Mike: All right, coach.

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So this Sunday, you guys host Delaware,

who's off to a slow start for them.

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They're three and six,

oh, and three on the road.

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They're coming off a 10

point loss to Villanova.

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What else can you tell us

about this Delaware team?

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Delisha: So Delaware, they, they

kind of are a team that is built

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with a lot of isolation type players.

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You know, uh, their post players

can attack you going to the basket.

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Their guards can attack you from

the perimeter or getting downhill

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to get to that 15 ft range area.

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or even trying to get paint touches.

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So we're going to have to play some great

defense where we switch up our calls.

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We'll start in man and then switch to

a zone and we'll be in man and switch.

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I mean being zoned and switch to a man.

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We want to try to keep them on their heels

and try to eliminate what their coaches

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can do from the sidelines by constantly

having their players in a probing.

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type manner to where they're trying

to figure out what am I looking at?

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Um, and they're doing more

reading than attacking.

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If we can have them in that, in that,

uh, that level of play, then I think

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that That has them in our hands and

we can kind of have more control of

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how we can manipulate the tempo of

the game and how they're attacking.

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They're going to pound the ball

inside looking for high low

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type action with their bigs and

they're aggressive with that.

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So we want to load up in a certain

way to be able to have help on that

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backside, forcing them to have to

make the skip past, which will be

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ready to run down and close out to

get them off the three point line.

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Aaron: All right.

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And then nine days out,

it might be too far.

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You might not even a looked at.

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This game, although it

is a conference game.

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It's your first conference game.

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So you're familiar with south alabama

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Delisha: Yes,

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Aaron: they too are three and six.

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I did do these notes the other day

says perhaps they have played since

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I don't think they have Um, they've

struggled on the road a little bit.

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Although they are coming off a loss

to old miss So they're playing a good

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team there Um, can can you let monarch

nation know what they should expect

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with this first in conference game

and how south alabama likes to play?

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Delisha: So it's going to be a big game

because it's the first conference game

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and it's going to be, um, one where

you're going to figure out which team

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did what they were supposed to do over

the break, meaning players going to

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gym and work and stretch and hydrate,

or the players go home and act like

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a bunch of fat cats and just eat up

everything inside and become lethargic.

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The work that you're putting in now

and the mindset you're setting now will

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help us once Christmas break is over

in preparation for that first game.

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Coveted win in conference play.

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South Alabama is going to come in here

and they're going to come probably loose.

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You know, playing like

they have nothing to lose.

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That's even dangerous.

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Or they could come in and they can have

the mindset of a wounded animal where

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they're going to fight to the death

and they're going to claw with every

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ounce of energy in them to get a gutsy

road win against a very good team.

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We're considered one of

the tops of the conference.

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So, so now we're going to have to,

um, Now we're going to have to figure

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out how we can get our players to like

level out in terms of their way of

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thinking To really figure out how we

can walk away with a great first win

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kelsey thompson played for south alabama

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Aaron: I was just going to ask me so

how so when you when you talk to your

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players, so you talk to kelsey This is

one of those games that for some players

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could be um How do you keep yourself from

being too excited from a game like that?

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Like, how do you get in

the right frame of mind?

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Delisha: So it's about

regulating the emotions.

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You know, I told them, um, we're a good

team, but the thing that stops us from

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being a great team is our inability at

certain moments to regulate our emotions.

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We can't be triggered by certain things,

whether it's internal or external.

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We have to have a workmanship.

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Working a workman's blue collar

type mentality about everything

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that we do when we're on the court.

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And we have to be focused

on the things that matter.

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If you're focused on the fact that that's

my former team and I want to kill them and

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I'm gonna shoot the ball and I'm gonna go

off and I'm gonna have this amazing game.

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You're probably going to fall flat on your

face and we're going to lose miserably.

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But if you just come in and you

just say, Hey, that just happens

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to be an opponent that I know well.

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But I'm still going to be totally

committed and focused to everything

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that we have going on game plan wise.

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Then now that's when you're walking to an

amazing game and we get an amazing win.

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Mike: All right.

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I think, uh, we'll be wrapping

up here shortly, but I

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wanted to ask this question.

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Uh, the season's a long season,

um, and some players get on hot

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streaks, some get on cold streaks.

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How do you manage those streaks

as the season goes along?

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Cause obviously they

also come with emotion

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when

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you're struggling, it gets hard.

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Yeah.

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Delisha: Yeah.

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Yeah, it is hard, but I tell the players,

we're tapping into the mode of mindset.

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Everyone can go in and train their biceps,

train their, their quads, their glutes,

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their abs, all these major muscle groups.

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Um, you can train those, but we always

forget to train that other muscle within

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your brain, you know, and, um, mindset.

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How can you get to the other side of

whatever it is you're feeling or thinking?

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If you, if you say you're,

you're in a slump, you're

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probably going to be in a slump.

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Um, you know, I want them to

speak positively and I want

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them to have positive thoughts.

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Proper perspective so that they can get

outside of things quicker and they could

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get to the other side of Bad thoughts

by getting to positivity they can get to

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the other side of bad feelings into good

feelings But it all is about the mindset.

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What are you thinking?

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What are you saying that produces the

energy to to tell you what you're feeling?

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And now you can get out of a slump

if you're going to walk around

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with the energy of I can't hit a

shot I'm not making shots You're

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probably not going to make a shot.

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But if you can walk around with

next shot mentality, next shot

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mentality, then now there's a

positive energy attached to that.

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Something good karmically is

going to happen in your favor.

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So it's literally about speaking it

into existence, changing your reality

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by your thought processes that you

attach to whatever it is that you're.

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Yeah,

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Aaron: you're so right about that.

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And when it, especially when it

comes from the coaching staff.

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So I know you, you and Mike, both teams

are very much together and family.

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And one of the experiences that,

that Mike and I had was Mike, uh,

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Mike Langston, not Mike Jones.

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Okay.

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During the open prep, during the open

practice before the season started.

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So the first time that, um, in a game

kind of environment where we saw.

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Him talking to his, his players.

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And as Robert Davis was coming down,

Robert had hit a couple of three point

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shots, but before he even had crossed

half court, the ball's coming up in

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transition and you already hear Mike

going again, again, and when they hear

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that from, from you encouraging them

like that, I met, I would imagine,

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especially if you're struggling, if

you're hearing that from your head

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coach, like let it go, do it again.

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It makes a big difference.

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Delisha: It really does.

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And that's why we have, we leave

no space for negative talk.

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Uh, and, and I know my players well.

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So when I see them in that mode,

that's when I constantly interject

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into the conversation or bull guard my

way into their mindset, or I'll stop

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and say, Hey, what are you thinking?

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I could see it.

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I see it on your body language.

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Tell me what you're thinking.

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What are you saying to yourself?

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Don't talk dirty to yourself.

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Talk nice to yourself.

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You know, sometimes we can be

so mean to ourselves and then we

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project that energy to others.

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When, when this is not the

environment that we're in.

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We got to change that.

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We got to become better with that.

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So talking positively, building

confidence, getting them

425

out of the rut mentally or

emotionally that they may be in.

426

The quicker you can get them out of that,

the quicker they can get to success.

427

If something good happened, repeat it.

428

If something not so good

happened, go back to base, center

429

yourself to get back to good.

430

Mike: All right, coach.

431

I know you and Mike have an

announcement to make about a radio show.

432

Would you care to fill in fans now?

433

Delisha: Me?

434

Mike: Yeah.

435

Delisha: Okay.

436

So yes, we have a great, we

have a radio show coming and

437

I'm super excited about it.

438

I want to be able to give the

fans an opportunity to hear

439

from me more in an in depth way.

440

Uh, it's a great basketball banter

or conversation that will be had.

441

We could talk all things hoops,

all things ODU women's basketball.

442

Or just all things, whatever, whatever

the subject matter may be, you'll be

443

able to get my thoughts and my processes

and my feelings and philosophy.

444

So I think it's an amazing thing.

445

And I'm super excited about it.

446

Mike: So we've heard that

show will start January 6th.

447

The first episode will be recorded at

water's edge winery on that day at 6 PM.

448

So get to water's edge winery, get to meet

coach Milton Jones and coach Mike Jones.

449

and have a blast at the winery.

450

Um, that show will be going

on the rest of the season.

451

Um, but on top of that, this

Sunday, get out to Chartway arena

452

and root on these lady Monarchs.

453

They will give you free

basketball quite a bit.

454

We've gotten two overtimes already.

455

Uh, so

456

Aaron: Mike, you are

457

streaking with that man.

458

Delisha: I want to play off of Asia Wilson

when they won their last championship

459

and she came to the press conference

and she was like, you know, next year

460

you got to have minimum four shots.

461

Before you can even enter into the party.

462

So we're going to a winery.

463

So maybe we have to take, allow people

to chug about two glasses of wine

464

before they come in so everybody can

loosen up and we can set the vibe

465

and we can have a really good time.

466

Mike: Yeah, let's do it

in the blue room Sunday.

467

Get loud for these lady monarchs.

468

They are playing hard.

469

Obviously we mentioned we hit hard

on how good this defense is playing.

470

So get out and cheer these ladies on.

471

Yes, can't wait.

472

I hope you and the team

have a happy holidays.

473

Thank you as always for joining us.

474

Go monarchs

475

Delisha: Thank you.

476

Aaron: Go monarchs