Takeaways from Jeff Walz's Press Conference

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville women's basketball head coach Jeff Walz addressed the media on Thursday afternoon to discuss yesterday's signees, the development of key contributors, and what to expect from newcomers as the season approaches.

Here are some takeaways from his press conference.

On yesterday's two signees...

"Sydni Schetnan, she reminds me a lot of Kylee Shook out of high school, someone that can score with her back to the basket, but can also face up and shoot basketball. She is not as good as a three-point shooter right now as Kylie (Shook) was coming out of high school, but I believe that she can help us on the defensive end more. Payton Verhulst is a winner, to be named MVP for USA at the U16 World Championships this past summer speaks volumes for itself. She is not the type of kid that is going to wow you with everything she does, but when the nights over and you look at a stat sheet, she is very impressive. She rebounds the ball, she can pass it, she scores, and she has very good instincts on the defensive end of the floor. She is a player that you watch at first glance, and you are like "okay she not bad, she can play" but then you sit down and really watch what she does you are really amazed. We are very excited about her size at the guard spot and her ability to score to the basketball foremost, but with those two signees we are very pleased."

On Elizabeth Balogun...

"I have been really impressed with her maturity. I thought at times last year she would let a couple things that didn't go her way affect her play. All of a sudden one bad thing would turn into two, turn into three, and then all of a sudden, the ball started rolling and we could not get it stopped; whereas, now I think her maturity is so much further along. If she misses a shot, she moves on to the next play. If she turns the ball over in practice, she is getting back on defense and coming up with a big stop for us. I have been really, really pleased with that aspect of her game. She has also worked on putting the ball on the floor and attacking the basket off the bounce. She is finishing around the rim, finishing with a pull up jump shot. She has really expanded her game to where she is not only going to be a three-point shooter. I think for her as she continues to develop, these pieces are really going to be a big asset for her because she's so long that when she gets into the paint, she is now able to shoot around you and shoot over you."

On the newcomers...

"They have been great. I'm really impressed. I will start off with our junior college transfer Ahlana Smith. Ahlana is a smooth operator; she glides. I was telling my staff the other day when I am watching her in practice, she makes things look really easy. She's able to get to the rim, she changes speeds extremely well. Defensively, she reads passing lanes, she understands the defensive concepts. I think part of that is she played college basketball for two years, she has got a little bit of an advantage by doing that, but she is good. She is really good. Our freshmen are going to have the opportunity to play. Olivia Cochran, Merissah Russell, and Hailey Van Lith, all three in are going to play for us. Olivia, I always thought she was good, or I would not have recruited her, but she has really impressed me. She is further along than I thought she was going to be both offensively and defensively. She is probably the best back to the basket post player that we have had here in a long time, even as a freshman. She likes her back to the basket, she likes to battle down low, she likes to use her strength, and she can finish over top of the defender with either hand. She has also shown the range to be able to step out and shoot the three at times, so I have been really impressed with her so far. Hailey Van Lith, she's a worker. Everything that she did in high school and with USA Basketball, she has continued to do that for us. They have all adjusted extremely well to playing with other great players and that is normally the biggest challenge for most players. When you are the best player in your high school team you normally have to take 15 to 20 shots; well, now they are starting to realize that "I don't need to take any bad shots". In our scrimmage we had the other day Hailey, I think had 18 points and she was 7-12 from the field. That is what I talked about with efficiency. She is learning to become extremely efficient and I know when she gets a good shot, she is going to be able to knock it down. Marissa Russell is one that is going to be able to play the three and four spot for us. The one thing I never have to question with her is her motor. She is always going to play at a high pace. She has done a great job in all of our scrimmages getting us extra possessions. She crashes the offensive glass; she will also come up with a lot steals. She keeps the ball alive for us. She has great instincts for the game. You know her biggest challenge right now is getting her to slow down. I tell her all the time in practice, sometimes she is either a home run or strikeout, and right now I need some singles from her. She just has to continue to make the simple play and she will continue to see herself getting better and better, but all of their efforts have been outstanding. There is no doubt all of them will play significant minutes for us. "

For the latest on Louisville women's basketball, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Twitter account at @UofLWBB or on Facebook at facebook.com/UofLWBB.
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Players Mentioned

Elizabeth Balogun

Olivia Cochran

Merissah Russell

Kylee Shook

Ahlana Smith

Hailey Van Lith

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