Iowa women's basketball press conference
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00:00 What was your hardest one?
00:02 Um...
00:04 You kind of operated a different academic level than everyone else.
00:06 Well, yeah.
00:08 We have a lot of people doing a lot of hard things in school.
00:12 But I had a couple. One was a developmental language disorders.
00:16 I kind of took some random classes this semester.
00:18 Because I graduated, so I finished up a lot of classes.
00:22 Exactly, that's a lot.
00:24 So it's not like some molecular quantum.
00:28 No, that's Addie and Taylor, not me.
00:30 That's true.
00:32 Sharon, you've been starring for a little bit.
00:36 What's it like to hear Lime Springs, Iowa, when you get introduced?
00:40 Well, to be honest, I don't hear it too much when the crowd is loud or something like that.
00:44 But it makes you a little proud.
00:48 Because, I don't know, I have so many people back home that text me or Facebook post about me.
00:54 And that just truly means so much.
00:56 And I know that those people back there look forward to watching every game.
01:00 And are proud to see me here and doing what I'm doing.
01:04 You have 24 hours in Lime Springs.
01:06 What do you think about that?
01:08 Well, there's a bar that's changed ownership probably every year for the past couple years.
01:14 But that's a good place.
01:16 What kind of bar?
01:18 I don't know what it is right now.
01:20 I don't know what else.
01:24 There's not much there.
01:26 You grew up on a farm though, right?
01:28 Yes.
01:30 So was that crops, livestock?
01:32 Yes.
01:34 He hasn't done it recently.
01:36 But for the longest time my dad did beef cattle and we did corn and soybeans.
01:42 Yeah.
01:48 Do you know what goes into the coaches decision to start you and sort of flip Hannah every so often?
01:58 Have they discussed ever playing the two of you together?
02:02 I think, I mean we have a lot of good guards.
02:06 So, I mean, not taking up their spot.
02:08 I mean all of them are doing amazing so let them do their work.
02:10 But I don't know, it's their decision with who to start.
02:14 I think a lot of it goes into who their five is or who they have playing their center position.
02:20 Hannah's obviously a little better at defense than I am.
02:22 So that probably goes into it quite a bit or just who they think can do more on offense, kind of balancing that.
02:30 We'll get to you eventually.
02:32 But Sharon, I know over the last year I know this has been a journey for you coming back from your injury.
02:38 But even the last few months, I mean coming into the start of the season,
02:40 I don't know if a lot of people expected you to be the starting post player for this team.
02:44 But just tell me about these last couple of months being able to be somebody who stepped into the spotlight,
02:49 be on the receiving end of a lot of Kaitlyn Clark passes and this role that you've occupied now this season.
02:54 Yeah, it means a lot.
02:56 It just, it's felt good.
02:58 And I think everybody would say that if they were having playing time.
03:00 But it does feel good and it has been a long process.
03:04 You know, just looking at basketball in my life, that's been a journey for sure.
03:09 And coming here and getting hurt my second year and then kind of just battling last year,
03:15 not only because of an injury but just kind of struggling through that.
03:19 But it feels good to be on the other side of it.
03:23 And I know it's definitely not like I've secured this.
03:25 We have two other really good post players that aren't getting many minutes right now.
03:29 And they do a lot every single day to push us.
03:32 So it's definitely not secured.
03:33 And we have a lot of competition going on every day in practice.
03:36 But it does feel good.
03:38 What do you think is the difference in your game from, say, the summer to now
03:42 when the coaches have so much confidence in you?
03:46 Yeah, I think a lot of that was on the mental end for me.
03:48 Just kind of flipping the switch and, you know, playing with a little bit more freedom
03:53 and more confidence.
03:54 So that was for sure the biggest change for me from summer to fall.
03:57 You're somebody who's emerged too as kind of a fan favorite just with your toughness,
04:01 your grit out there too.
04:02 Is that the way you've always played?
04:04 Where did you kind of learn that style of play?
04:08 I think that is how I've always played.
04:10 I grew up with an older brother.
04:12 My dad was my coach my whole life, and so I always played against the guys.
04:16 And I think my dad just really instilled that in me.
04:19 And my brother was definitely not easy or soft on me.
04:23 We would always go at each other.
04:25 So I think that's helped a lot, and that has shaped some part of my game,
04:29 like the toughness.
04:31 Is it kind of a Chicago tough kind of thing?
04:33 That's what people say.
04:34 I don't know.
04:35 I don't know if that has anything to do with it.
04:39 Question for both of you guys.
04:40 We're kind of--not necessarily at the halfway point in terms of games,
04:43 but tomorrow's the last non-conference game.
04:44 You guys only have one loss right now.
04:46 Where do you guys think, as a team, you guys are at in terms of the way you guys
04:49 have played to this point?
04:51 Yeah, I think we're definitely hitting a good stride right now
04:54 before the Big Ten season starts.
04:58 I think coming off of last year, it was really important for us to learn how to
05:02 mesh together and our chemistry to grow throughout these couple of early games.
05:07 I think we've done a really good job with that.
05:09 So I'm excited for a Big Ten play, too.
05:12 And obviously tomorrow's the game.
05:15 If there's one spot this team really needs to take another step in,
05:19 what would it be at this point?
05:21 Is there something that you can take to another level as a team right now?
05:28 I think we're always pushing rebounding better.
05:31 And I think we've made a lot of growth with our offense so far,
05:34 but I think we can still get more cohesiveness and flow with our offense, too.
05:40 Is that a function of just having lost McKenna and Monica,
05:45 and they were there for so long that it just takes a little while to know
05:50 where everybody's going?
05:52 Yep.
05:53 I think for sure it just takes time to get everybody else in the flow.
05:56 The three starters from past years that are still here, they've worked together,
06:02 but they haven't necessarily worked with the other two that are on the court.
06:05 Yeah, so we have a lot of different lineups on the court,
06:07 and getting those to work together takes time.
06:09 Along those lines, Sharon,
06:10 what's been the biggest adjustment for you playing with Kayla?
06:17 From a basketball standpoint.
06:18 Right.
06:19 I think the speed that she plays at and her eyesight for sure.
06:24 Just the way that she waves passes in there when you don't even --
06:27 like Coach J says, she'll find you when you don't even know you're open.
06:30 So it's being ready for that at all times.
06:33 Has she ever thrown you a pass where as she's throwing it to you,
06:35 you're like, "Why are you doing this?"
06:37 And then all of a sudden it's just there.
06:38 Yeah, plenty of times.
06:40 Not in games, but in practices.
06:41 Yeah.
06:46 All right, thanks guys.
06:47 I think we're all knowing who we are here.
06:50 And I hope you knew that it wasn't Lisa Bailey.
06:53 She was changed.
06:54 Okay, good, good.
06:56 That's the worst is when you show up and people are like, "Wait,
06:59 we didn't pay for the understudy ticket."
07:02 [Laughter]
07:04 Anyway, I just -- you know,
07:07 the finals week is always nice when that's over.
07:10 And I thought our team really had a nice -- pretty nice showing down in --
07:14 or over in Des Moines.
07:15 That was a fun event.
07:17 I can't tell you how many Hawkeye fans I ran into that were just so happy
07:22 that it was there.
07:24 And I hadn't really thought about that part of it,
07:28 of just a lot of people were putting their family events,
07:32 their Christmases around it.
07:33 So I was very happy that for the men and women it went well.
07:38 So that was -- kudos to our marketing, I think,
07:40 for thinking outside the box there.
07:42 But I thought we played pretty well.
07:44 Obviously it was an opponent we should have done well against
07:47 and needed to do well against.
07:50 And I think for the most part we really did, especially in that second half.
07:53 Now the trick, I think the men's side of the conference,
07:56 has shown us how nervous these games are right before Christmas.
08:01 I mean, boy, you know,
08:03 Indiana where they come back and win by one or something like that.
08:06 So any coach will tell you that these games,
08:08 when everybody is, you know, excited about going home
08:12 and thinking about, you know, the Christmas list or whatever,
08:15 if they celebrate.
08:17 So we have a team, though, I think is locked in.
08:21 I think -- I've loved our practices ever since getting back from Cleveland State.
08:25 I feel like there's a lightness.
08:27 I feel like there's another step forward in becoming, I think,
08:33 who we're going to become.
08:35 I think this non-conference has been a lot of -- just a, you know,
08:41 a lot of experiences that have come together to, you know,
08:46 we had a little bit of an injury for Hannah,
08:49 took her out of the lineup a little bit.
08:50 She's healthy, getting her back,
08:52 trying to figure out who's going to be that four
08:54 or who we can use at the three, at the two.
08:57 So I'm really excited with how it's gelling.
08:59 And now we have a team in Loyola who came off a big win.
09:03 They won on a buzzer beater, have a long-range shooter that can hit it.
09:09 They don't have as much size.
09:11 They've shown a lot on film that they front,
09:13 which we haven't seen a lot of fronting.
09:16 So they're going to be -- you know, they want to go home with a major upset.
09:20 I think if this non-conference has shown anything,
09:23 is you definitely get everybody's best shot.
09:26 But I think we've had a great time of prep.
09:30 We've had a great focus.
09:32 And hopefully we'll have one more here.
09:34 So that's my opening, folks.
09:36 Any particular questions?
09:38 Will Hannah start tomorrow?
09:40 At this point, we're still in flux.
09:42 But she's -- I think that could be a strong possibility.
09:45 We're just still seeing, you know, how we want to shape that up.
09:49 How do you weigh those factors and who starts?
09:54 And would you like to give Hannah more than 17 minutes?
09:59 Yeah, I think in -- you know, with her being -- coming back off the injury,
10:05 some of it was limited a little bit when we were bringing her in.
10:08 Some of it, you know, she had -- just basketball is funny like that.
10:12 You know, even though you're really in good shape,
10:14 but if you sit out for a while, man, a couple trips down the floor,
10:17 you're sucking wind pretty intensely, even an athlete like Hannah.
10:21 So part of that limiting, part of it not coming immediately,
10:25 putting, you know, 30 minutes on that, you know, recovery and healing.
10:30 And then, you know, the team that we played, it didn't -- you know,
10:33 we were able to rest and we didn't need to play all those minutes.
10:37 So a lot of things came into that.
10:40 And then how do we make those decisions?
10:42 Or, you know, we track a lot of things in practice
10:44 and we stat a lot of things.
10:46 And, you know, sometimes it's, you know, really, really clear, you know,
10:50 this person is just killing it and it's a Kaitlin Clark-like
10:53 or it's a, you know, Megan Gustafson.
10:56 They're going to -- when they start, they're starting for their careers; right?
10:59 A lot of times, though, there's just --
11:02 when you have a really healthy, good, balanced team, it's so close.
11:05 You know, it's really close.
11:07 And that's when you have to get, you know, everybody understanding that
11:11 when my number's called, we're ready to go, whether I start,
11:14 whether I come off the bench.
11:16 And thankfully we have a team, you know,
11:19 we've always had a pretty good culture that gets that.
11:21 It doesn't mean they're not disappointed if they -- you know,
11:23 you can't start them all, but they understand it
11:25 and they keep pushing, you know, in practice.
11:28 So that post group is, you know, they're competitive and they're pushing.
11:33 It's been really, you know, it's been a good battle.
11:37 Do you have kids or have you had kids that are just better coming off the bench?
11:40 Yeah, there are.
11:42 That's a great question.
11:43 And I think that's what we've been trying to figure out too is, you know,
11:48 who's more productive and more efficient maybe when they're just coming off
11:52 and they can, you know, get a sense for that,
11:55 get a sense for the flow of the game and don't feel that pressure.
11:59 And it's usually the interesting thing is very few people say that, you know.
12:04 They don't like, "You know, I think I'm better off the bench.
12:06 I'd like to defer."
12:07 You know, everybody wants that because that's what society always celebrates, right?
12:11 That's what you've got to be.
12:13 You've got to be the corner sweet.
12:14 You've got to be the one.
12:15 And I think the best teams can really understand that role.
12:21 And I think that there are some kids that are better off the bench,
12:25 but most of them will probably argue that I'd rather start, you know.
12:28 You're sitting here with just one more non-conference game
12:31 and then a break before Big Ten play.
12:33 What areas do you feel like you guys are doing really well in
12:36 and then maybe areas that you feel like need to be improved before Big Ten?
12:39 Yeah, you know, that's a great question.
12:41 I think overall I think our defense has been pretty solid.
12:44 Now, we haven't gone against, you know, the UCLA's, right?
12:49 But we're facing some good -- you know, K-State was good.
12:53 Virginia Tech had a lot of, you know, great skilled players.
12:57 And we're getting everybody's best shot.
13:00 I think usually there's -- overall the defense is pretty good,
13:04 but then there might be one area.
13:06 Like we've let one person get hot.
13:08 We haven't really gone over the ball screens as much as we wanted to.
13:11 Or our showing was a little flat or flooding or whatever.
13:15 But I think overall the mindset to that, I think we've liked that.
13:19 I think our offense is -- sometimes it can flow a little bit herky-jerky.
13:26 Other times it's really moving and grooving.
13:29 So I think that continues to be a work in progress.
13:33 But, again, I think it's -- as we've been going, a lot of times you're trying to
13:40 see different combos out there.
13:42 But I really like the progression, when I say I, our staff does.
13:47 I think we saw some really good moments flowing in that Cleveland State game.
13:53 So I think -- I just think we'll want a little bit more consistency of that
13:59 offense, of not going a few minutes where it just is one pass and we're forcing
14:04 something.
14:06 But usually, typically, our teams continue to get a little bit better.
14:12 If you do it right, right when you need it most you're hitting it.
14:15 So I'm hopeful that's -- we're going to hit this Big Ten season and then we're
14:20 going to get test after test after test.
14:22 That will season us and hopefully we can win as we're seasoned and then really
14:27 be flowing again when you hit that middle of February.
14:30 I'm sure you guys knew that you have a little bit better production out of
14:34 Sharon this year than when she was injured last year, of course.
14:37 But I think a lot of fans are a little surprised to see 9.5 rebounds, what
14:41 she's averaging right now.
14:43 I mean, did you guys expect at the start of the year this kind of production out
14:46 of her?
14:47 Is she surprised, you guys, with how much she's done this year on the court?
14:49 You know, I think -- not surprised.
14:52 I think Sharon was on track before that injury.
14:55 I call Sharon an old-school Iowa post player from the six-on-six days.
15:01 She's going to do a job, she's going to get there, and if you deliver it to her
15:05 where she can, you know, just do a simple boom, boom, move, she's very effective.
15:12 Unfortunately, the injury kind of set back and then, of course, we had Monica
15:17 rising.
15:19 Sharon has an unbelievable work ethic.
15:21 So I'm not surprised.
15:24 I think we have, you know, we have really a group of four posts that do different
15:29 things really well.
15:31 And that's really great.
15:33 It's really challenging because sometimes I want that and I want this and I want
15:37 that thing all in one at this particular three or four minutes.
15:41 And that's the thing.
15:43 You just never have enough minutes, right, to get everybody in that's working
15:46 hard that deserves the minutes.
15:48 So, you know, that's when you're trying to make those right decisions.
15:52 But going back to Sharon, she has just -- she works really hard.
15:57 She's a really strong defender.
15:59 Like we don't always talk about the defense, right, because we love to score
16:03 points and we like to be efficient.
16:05 But Sharon's very strong in there.
16:07 And a lot of times, you know, we're going to look a little different.
16:12 Obviously we are already than we did last year.
16:15 But the emphasis isn't so much on the scoring of the post.
16:19 We just want to do our jobs when we get it.
16:22 And Sharon really understands that.
16:24 And defensively, I mean, she just is pretty solid.
16:27 She's able to push them out and then she just, you know, can grab those boards.
16:32 So I'm excited, not surprised, for her because she's had a unique path, right.
16:38 She's had a lot of strife in high school with losing her mother and just kept,
16:43 you know, battling that next day and that freshman year.
16:47 And then to have these moments is really fun for a kid that's working so hard.
16:52 So I think her defense has always given her a little bit of the edge just
16:55 because I like that physicality.
16:57 And I think that showed in the Iowa State game after the first half, you know,
17:02 their post is a really good post, you know, great kid, is Sharon kind of settled,
17:07 too.
17:08 And then when she settled, we didn't let up quite as many points, I think.
17:13 They only let up three in that second half.
17:16 So I like that about Sharon.
17:18 And I think she's going to be key, whether, you know,
17:23 who comes off the bench or who starts.
17:25 I think that component is going to be really good.
17:27 You mentioned the defense.
17:29 The one area that's been really good this year is the rebounding,
17:31 both offensively and defensively.
17:33 And in the past, rebounding has kind of been that thing that people have
17:36 pointed out as something that needed to improve.
17:38 Just talk about, you know, where that is right now.
17:40 Well, I think that's a big key,
17:41 and I think that could be where we've got a little bit better.
17:46 Anytime Hannah's on the floor, you've got a shot to get the board.
17:50 It doesn't matter where she is on the floor or if it's offense or defense.
17:54 Some kids just have a knack for it.
17:57 She's got a nose for it.
17:58 She's got a feel for it.
18:00 And then she's got the body for it.
18:01 So she just helps you automatically get a little bit more efficiency with that.
18:08 And then, again, Sharon's size and her strength,
18:11 sometimes she just is able to use that, you know,
18:14 to let the ball really care them off.
18:17 She's not going to sky up and get it, but she's taken up that space.
18:20 And we've tried to make it more of an emphasis, but it's -- I mean,
18:26 that's the key.
18:27 I mean, Lisa, that's -- ever since I played for Lisa,
18:30 if there's one thing, it's rebounding.
18:32 It hasn't always shown.
18:34 It's also offense, in case we haven't noticed.
18:36 But, I mean, you get more possessions with the rebounding; right?
18:40 If you out-rebound in both ways, it gives you a better shot to win.
18:44 So I think that and I think we just -- Sydney Althorter, when she's on the floor,
18:49 we all love that kid.
18:51 I mean, she just has a nose for it, too.
18:54 So you've got a couple different kids playing a few more minutes now
18:58 that really that's their thing.
19:01 So when that's their thing, then all of a sudden it becomes a thing,
19:05 and then everybody wants to get it.
19:07 So that's what we're hoping is going to continue to happen,
19:10 starting against Loyola, because, you know, for outsize them
19:15 and the post position, especially if Sharon or Addy's in there,
19:19 and then carrying -- you know, going into the Big Ten season,
19:21 that's going to be huge.
19:23 You talked about Sid a little bit.
19:25 Is that just kind of a Chicago tough attitude kind of thing with her?
19:29 Yeah, I think.
19:30 I mean, I loved when we recruited her.
19:32 She just has that knack, you know.
19:35 She's one of those kids in high school, she can bring it down is the point.
19:39 She can post up, and she has that little stretch finish.
19:43 But, yeah, I think it is a Chicago toughness.
19:46 You know, she just -- yeah, she just was always fun to watch
19:51 because she's not going to back down.
19:53 You know, she's one of those kids that, you know, they just do their job,
19:59 like Kate Martin.
20:00 You know, it's fun when they get a pat on the back,
20:02 and of course everybody wants to be the one.
20:04 But those guys, the joy in it is just I'm in the trenches,
20:08 I'm going to do what we do, and I'm just going to get a joy
20:12 out of helping you, you know, get that pass.
20:15 I'm going to get joy out of getting that rebound and diving and throwing it.
20:18 And that's kind of rare to get kids with that type of motor that can really excel.
20:26 And I think Sid would be very proud to say it's Chicago toughness.
20:31 Played different positions, but also from Chicago.
20:34 Doyle was that way too, kind of just kind of that.
20:37 Yeah, definitely, gritty.
20:39 I just -- both of them, I think that's really -- both of them have that.
20:42 And that's just, you know, you can't coach that.
20:49 You know, you can't -- like when you go recruit, like you think you got it, right,
20:53 and that's what you love about them.
20:55 But when you get them here, when you really see it day in and day out,
20:59 when it's everything you think it is and more, that's when you celebrate.
21:02 And that's what Doyle was like, and that's what Sid's like.
21:05 And, you know, that's what a lot of those hard-nosed kids,
21:09 if you see it and you hope it, but then when you get them here
21:12 and they're exponentially, that's what's really fun.
21:15 And it's just -- it's like, you know, height, right?
21:19 Those are things you can't -- no matter how good you are as a coach,
21:22 that if they have that innately, you can really fan the flames.
21:25 And that's what's fun about a kid like Sid.
21:28 You and Sharon both have said that kind of the difference in her from summer to now
21:35 is that she's got confidence.
21:37 How did she develop that confidence being kind of the backup kid to summer?
21:44 You know, Sharon's a big teddy bear.
21:46 I mean, she just is.
21:48 I love that kid.
21:49 I mean, I love them all, but Sharon, that's been the biggest thing
21:52 because, you know, she's just this knight and she's just lovely.
21:55 She just wants everything to go well on the court, and I think you see that.
21:59 Like when something good happens, she has this innocent smile.
22:03 You know, like if she surprises herself,
22:06 sometimes I'm like, "Don't look surprised when you make that," you know?
22:09 She'll kind of -- she'll be like, "Whoa, that went --" you know, "That worked."
22:13 And there's an innocence to that.
22:16 With that, Sharon just doesn't want to disappoint anybody on the floor.
22:21 So there's some kids when you miss a shot, they're just mad because they missed a shot.
22:25 She is frustrated that she missed the shot, but it's more so like she let Kate down
22:31 and she let Kaitlyn down and she let -- so that with the confidence.
22:35 So we've worked a lot about like, "Hey, you know what, if you miss that,
22:39 we need you to keep going."
22:41 Just like if Kate misses a drive and a putback, we don't want her to stop; right?
22:46 You know, Kaitlyn, you know, she misses two or three, we're not really pulling her back.
22:50 And just getting her, I think, to think on that plane because that's where she is now; right?
22:56 We're not just the -- you're not just coming in at the end of the game and like,
22:59 "Oh, okay, I missed that, we're up or down."
23:01 It's like, "No, you're the one."
23:03 And I think she's starting to understand that she's the one.
23:06 Would you call her a pleaser?
23:08 I think a little bit in a good way, not in a negative way.
23:10 But I think she just wants to help it move forward and she's really selfless.
23:16 And that's a great quality on a team, but it can be hard when it can play with your confidence.
23:22 But I think when she started to think that, "Hey, I'm the one,"
23:26 that's really helped her confidence.
23:28 But when you're new at it, you know, it's fragile.
23:31 And so we've just got to keep a watchful eye on it.
23:34 But I think she's really grown into that.
23:36 And I think, you know, sometimes those bigs, I mean, they're just big shoes.
23:41 You know, I think everybody, I think collectively, when I say everybody, is like if they miss one,
23:48 you can just hear a collective sigh.
23:50 It's like, "Oh," right?
23:51 Because Megan hardly missed sometimes.
23:53 Monica hardly missed sometimes.
23:55 But they did; right?
23:56 But it's like I've tried not to -- you know, I just want them to be who they are.
24:01 And I think that's -- we've gotten through that, you know, after the summer and the early fall is, you know,
24:08 we're going to miss and don't let it bother you.
24:10 People are -- I don't care if it's a point blank layup you should have made,
24:13 you're going to make the next nine.
24:15 You know, it's just you can't let that bother you.
24:17 And I think sometimes there's a -- I think, you know,
24:21 they didn't see their upperclassmen miss much, so they don't want to let people down.
24:25 And I'm like, "Listen, you're doing great."
24:28 And I think if they just know they're doing great, then I think they'll continue to be, you know,
24:34 producing and enjoying it.
24:35 That's the main thing.
24:36 You want to enjoy the role that you get to play.
24:39 And if they're playing under pressure or feel like they're going to disappoint people,
24:42 then A, they're not having fun, and then they can't be productive.
24:45 So I think that's the confidence piece we just keep working on is just be you; right?
24:50 And just, you know, it's always the next play.
24:53 And, you know, we're in a great place.
24:56 You know, people -- we do have high expectations.
24:58 No one has them higher than I do or they do.
25:01 But you can't let everybody else's opinions, you know, affect you.
25:05 How's Gabby Marshall handling this?
25:08 I mean, she had a slump last season too and got herself out of it.
25:12 Yeah.
25:13 But how is she handling this?
25:14 You know, the same.
25:15 I think, you know, no one is more tight or, you know, upset or bummed about it than Gabby; right?
25:24 But she just shoots it.
25:25 I mean, we have practices where that kid is like fire, you know, not missing just like 70%, right?
25:33 And so just kind of the same mindset of the mental preparation.
25:37 And we all know that there will be a breakthrough.
25:41 And I think it's also helpful to know there's other people that can take some of that pressure off.
25:46 She's the key defender, you know, the key, you know, experience.
25:49 She's been there.
25:51 So that won't ever, you know, be traded, if you will.
25:55 But she's doing well, frustrated, but not in a way that's taking her out of it.
26:01 You know, we're really proud of her, and she's always in that gym getting shots up.
26:05 And just we need to put a couple games together.
26:08 And once I think we do that, and that's the beauty of it; right?
26:11 What are we, 11-1?
26:13 And she hasn't really been consistently Gabby Marshall yet, which we've seen.
26:18 And I just really believe that when we need it most, Gabby will be there.
26:23 And I think that's how our whole staff feels.
26:26 You know, it's just a matter of time.
26:29 And I think that's how she's taking it.
26:30 Frustrated, but not in a way that's paralyzing her at all.
26:35 And that's what good shooters do, and that's what I know that she'll continue to do.
26:40 Just the fact that she snapped out of it last year, I mean,
26:43 it gave you a little more comfort.
26:44 Yeah, I think so.
26:45 It gave her a little more comfort.
26:46 Yeah, I definitely think so.
26:47 Yeah, I just -- and for us, you know, in the game, you're like, "Ah, dang it."
26:51 You know, but you won four or whatever, or over, or whatever.
26:54 We don't even -- it's not a thing for us because we're so confident in that.
26:58 You know, I think, yes, I agree.
27:00 Everybody looks like the box score, and you want her to hit that big one, you know,
27:03 and you swing it with that one more pass.
27:05 But there's just so much confidence in her and what we see every day in practice.
27:08 And she gives us so much in so many ways that it's not anything that we're fixated on,
27:15 only because we feel badly, only because you love all your kids, right?
27:19 But it's not anything that I don't think won't shape up when --
27:23 and I really believe that when we need it most, it will be there.
27:28 Yeah.
27:31 Perfect.
27:32 Thank you guys and happy holidays. Merry Christmas, all that.