Inside The Hawkeyes
  • 2 years ago
Hawkeye hoops
Transcript
00:00 Hannah, how's the knee feeling?
00:01 We heard you got it banged up a little bit the other game.
00:03 Yeah, it's feeling good.
00:06 I've been resting a little bit, so I
00:09 can get back to full health.
00:11 Do you feel like you could have played full game the other night
00:14 if you need to?
00:15 I know Coach Bluter said that it was just kind of resting
00:16 to make sure you're ready for three games in three days.
00:18 But do you feel like if you had to play more runs,
00:21 you could have done that?
00:22 Yeah, absolutely.
00:23 You can always push yourself when you need to.
00:26 I know the bounce back Sunday was
00:29 what you guys expected to do and whatnot.
00:31 But how significant was that moment just early in the season
00:35 to have a loss like Thursday and bounce back the way
00:39 you guys did on Sunday?
00:40 I think it's really important.
00:43 And I think it's better that it happens now
00:45 than later on in March.
00:47 And so I think that having that loss early on this season
00:49 is a big learning curve.
00:50 And we can always learn from that and improve.
00:53 And yeah, for later on, it's always
00:55 good to have it early on in the season.
00:58 Deja Vu, I mean, last year you lose early.
01:00 Nobody expected it.
01:04 Did that enable you to sort of figure out how to deal with it?
01:08 Yeah, I mean, honestly, it kind of
01:09 felt like when we lost at home to NC State.
01:13 It kind of had that-- it was eerily similar to that.
01:15 And I mean, we learned so much about ourselves
01:18 and what we need to improve on.
01:20 And like I said, it's better to have it happen early on.
01:24 What did you need to learn to improve on?
01:26 Well, I think it had to do a lot with ourselves.
01:28 I think in that game, we weren't running our offense.
01:31 We weren't being disciplined.
01:33 And I think just going back to the basics,
01:36 and we've done that in practice as well.
01:38 I know this is looking ahead a little bit,
01:40 but are you hoping for another chance at Kansas State
01:43 this weekend?
01:44 I think we're ready for whoever we play.
01:46 But obviously, I think we all want
01:49 to get a win against Kansas State.
01:51 But I think we're ready for whoever we play.
01:55 Hannah, just what's significant about this weekend
01:58 as you guys kind of push through the non-conference schedule
02:01 here?
02:02 I'm really excited to play a few games in a few days.
02:06 It's been a long time since I've done that.
02:10 But I'm excited to get better.
02:12 And to do it in Florida is nice.
02:15 Yeah, I'm excited.
02:17 What is that kind of bang, bang, bang practice for,
02:21 whether it's the Big 10 tournament or the NCAA
02:25 tournament to a certain extent?
02:26 What does playing three straight days
02:28 do for you guys in terms of getting you ready for stuff
02:32 down the road?
02:33 I think mentally it really prepares us
02:36 for later in the season.
02:38 Having to learn scouts for each team so quickly
02:43 is going to be crucial for especially Big 10 tournament
02:46 and then NCAA tournament for sure.
02:50 Holly, for you, how have you been feeling
02:51 these last two games?
02:52 I know I think it was the first three games this season
02:55 you started a little bit shooting.
02:57 But these last few games you've really gotten it going.
02:59 What have you been feeling like out there?
03:01 Just a little bit more comfortable.
03:03 I think just coming in with an attack mentality.
03:07 My teammates have done a great job
03:08 of giving me that confidence.
03:10 And it also always helps when you see the ball go
03:12 through the hoop as well.
03:14 Are you starting to see some of that Europe trip,
03:16 those exhibition games start to network all pay off?
03:18 Yeah, obviously.
03:20 I think anything that we did this summer
03:22 has obviously started to pay off a little bit.
03:24 But I think just the biggest thing for me
03:26 has been my confidence and seeing
03:27 the ball go through the rim.
03:30 Are you all right?
03:31 It was kind of a tough loss last night.
03:34 I was hoping no one brought that up.
03:37 But no, I'm good.
03:39 I think we might see them in the Super Bowl.
03:44 Were you always a basketball player?
03:46 I mean, your size would indicate that maybe you
03:49 played other stuff too.
03:51 No, basketball runs in my family.
03:54 I played it.
03:55 That's the longest sport I've played ever since I could
03:57 remember, five years old.
04:00 Obviously, played a little different.
04:01 I've played soccer.
04:02 I played mostly every sport, but definitely basketball
04:04 the longest.
04:06 Five years old, really?
04:07 Yeah.
04:08 Did you have a hoop at home?
04:09 Yeah, I did.
04:10 And my brother played too.
04:12 So we were always very competitive.
04:16 For either of the players, Coach Bluter
04:17 is two wins away from 500 just at Iowa.
04:21 What does that big number mean?
04:22 And what's it like to be part of a monumental win,
04:25 inevitably, hopefully this week?
04:27 I mean, Coach Bluter's the GOAT.
04:29 So to just be a part of something special like that
04:32 is truly remarkable.
04:34 And I couldn't be happier for her.
04:37 Yeah.
04:38 I'm excited for her.
04:40 She's a great coach.
04:42 I'm happy that I get to play for her
04:44 after watching her coaching for so many years.
04:47 So I think it's great being a part of it a little bit.
04:51 There's been some pretty tough post-challenges
04:53 in these first five games.
04:55 Just where do you feel like you're at right now,
04:58 based on the start of the season after going
05:00 through these first match-ups here?
05:04 I think I've learned a lot about playing in the post.
05:07 Guarding girls bigger and stronger than I am
05:11 is a challenge.
05:11 But it makes me better every time.
05:14 So I'm thankful that we've had such great match-ups.
05:18 I mean, how much has your intensity really been tested
05:22 and really needed to be there, watching you work on defense,
05:26 whether it was against Aoka or Kittley?
05:29 It seems like you've got to be active and stay moving pretty
05:32 much all the way through.
05:34 Is that kind of what you see?
05:35 Yeah, I have to move a lot.
05:37 Especially, they're so different, Aoka and Kittley.
05:41 They play very different basketball.
05:43 They're built differently.
05:44 So having to learn how to guard them for their skills
05:50 was really challenging for me.
05:52 But I think I did it pretty well.
05:54 I mean, what are all these different challenges
05:56 by the time you get to March?
05:57 I mean, how much more comfortable
06:01 do you think you'll feel and better just handling
06:03 challenges like that?
06:06 You know, you grow with everything.
06:09 Shooting, whether it's getting in the gym,
06:10 whether it's guarding somebody in a game.
06:14 So I think all experiences are very beneficial.
06:17 Thank you, guys.
06:22 Sorry, Coach Bluter's opening.
06:23 I'm going to get back to you.
06:24 Questions?
06:27 You know, going to Florida is always fun for our players.
06:30 You know, they know how to travel,
06:31 because being overseas for 12 days together,
06:34 they kind of know how to separate fun
06:37 from getting to work.
06:39 And so I think that was a good experience for us this summer.
06:43 But I feel like we've had one poor game.
06:46 Otherwise, we've played pretty well.
06:48 Ironically, we could play that same opponent again on Sunday.
06:51 There's a good chance of that happening.
06:54 But we can't worry about that yet.
06:55 You know, we have to get through these first couple of games.
06:59 And first off is Purdue-Fort Wayne.
07:01 They lost to Michigan.
07:02 That's their one loss.
07:03 They're 2 and 1.
07:05 And then the possibility of playing, really,
07:08 the home school in Florida Gulf Coast.
07:12 And they're a team that's always in the NCAA tournament,
07:14 you know, a really strong mid-major.
07:17 So we'll have them.
07:20 And if we can get by them, we'll have most likely
07:23 the winner of Kansas State and North Carolina.
07:25 So possibility of playing the same team twice in 10 days
07:29 when you've lost to them is kind of unusual.
07:31 But I think it also helps our players really
07:35 be prepared for that game.
07:37 Have you ever had a situation where
07:39 you played a non-conference team twice in one year?
07:41 I have not.
07:42 Yeah, it's pretty unusual.
07:46 You know, but I don't know if I mind this one, actually.
07:49 I was going to say, I know it's looking ahead a little bit,
07:51 but how much does everybody want another shot at Kansas State?
07:55 Yeah, I think people do.
07:56 But saying that, I think they really
08:00 are a good defensive team.
08:01 And they pose you a lot of problems with Aoka Libyan
08:03 in there inside.
08:04 So obviously, a tremendous team.
08:07 But I do not think we played our best.
08:10 And how much of that was Kansas State?
08:12 Some of it, yeah.
08:13 And some of it was our own selves.
08:16 And so we know if we get to play Kansas State again,
08:21 I know I'll have our players' attention.
08:22 But I also know it's going to be another really hard game.
08:26 Was bouncing back and beating Drake just kind of a sign
08:29 that this team is really able to handle kind of a lot of things
08:31 that get thrown at them?
08:33 I hope so.
08:34 I hope it shows their mental toughness
08:36 and their understanding that one game does not make a season.
08:39 And that let's come back and prepare for the next one.
08:43 Whether we win or lose, we prepare the same way,
08:45 practice the same way, have the same intensity and enthusiasm
08:49 in every practice.
08:51 So you're closing in on 500 here, 500 wins here.
08:56 I know that.
08:56 Yeah, 498, 499, something like that.
08:59 So what's that mean to you?
09:02 And I'm sure you're going to say, means I'm getting old.
09:06 I won't say that, OK?
09:09 Seriously, what--
09:09 No, I really didn't have any clue about that.
09:12 I really didn't have any idea.
09:18 And so what is that mean, 500 wins at Iowa?
09:23 I won't say I'm getting old.
09:25 I won't say I've been here a long time.
09:27 Those are too cliche, aren't they?
09:30 No, I mean, I think it will be special for me because I mean,
09:35 I love this place.
09:36 And this place has been good for me.
09:39 I hope I've been good for it.
09:42 And any time you have those, it does always
09:45 make you reflect on the people that have come and been there
09:49 with you throughout the journey.
09:51 Any time you have a milestone, right,
09:53 whether it's turning 50 years old
09:54 or whatever that milestone is, it kind of
09:56 gives you a time for reflection.
09:58 And so I'm sure that will also happen.
10:00 Coach, going off that question, what's
10:02 it like to do it with this group?
10:03 And it's funny because Kate and Gabby were part of the 400 wins.
10:06 So they've been around for a lot of wins in their three
10:08 or four years-- or four or five years here.
10:10 Oh, yeah, Dr. Kate, she's been here for a while.
10:13 We're going to have to tease her because she's only got her
10:16 master's degree and not her doctorate degree
10:17 in that amount of time.
10:20 Yeah, I mean, this is a special group.
10:22 But I go back to the--
10:23 what was the Winnie the Pooh used to say?
10:26 Today is my new favorite day.
10:28 Remember that, that Winnie the Pooh would say that?
10:30 Well, I'm going to say this is my new favorite team, right?
10:33 Like, every day is your new favorite day,
10:35 and every team is your new favorite team.
10:37 And certainly, this is one of them.
10:40 I know maybe the intensity is not quite as intense
10:44 as the Big 10 tournament or the NCAA tournament.
10:46 But what is this back-to-back-to-back,
10:50 having to prepare for new teams in the short window,
10:53 what does that do to kind of as a little tease for that
10:57 down the road?
10:58 It's a really good preparation for the Big 10 tournament,
11:01 where you don't have those breaks in between.
11:03 And you play three games in three days or four games
11:05 in four days, whatever the situation is.
11:07 So it's excellent preparation for that experience ahead
11:11 of us.
11:11 What is--
11:16 Anything stand out about IPFW as far as they do well?
11:21 They've only played three games, and one of them
11:23 was against a Division II school.
11:25 So I'm really looking at the Michigan game
11:27 more than anything.
11:28 And I think they're really scrappy.
11:31 Obviously, we've got a little bit of height advantage.
11:34 Kind of interesting that Shayla Sellers is their power forward,
11:37 and her sister Cheyenne Sellers is the point guard at Maryland.
11:41 Dad was a professional basketball player, really
11:44 just having that connection.
11:46 She does a nice job for them.
11:49 But in my mind, it's a game we should win if we go in there
11:53 and we play our best.
11:55 But they're going to be scrappy.
11:57 We know that we're going to get everybody's best shot.
11:59 We always know that.
12:00 Thanks, Coach.