Takeaways from Dana Evans/Kianna Smith Press Conference
November 05, 2020 | Women's Basketball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville women's basketball senior Dana Evans and redshirt junior Kianna Smith addressed the media on Thursday afternoon to discuss the upcoming season, areas of improvement, the contributions of the freshman class and more.
Here are some takeaways from their press conference.
Dana Evans on the 2020-21 team.
"We can be hard to beat because we have so many weapons. We have shooters on the perimeter and talented post players inside. We have girls that can get to the basket at will. We have a lot of different people that can do a lot of different things. This makes us really versatile in our approach. We have a lot of girls who can play the four position, which will help us stretch the defense, that can shoot the three well. There are some things that we have to clean up though, like I said, we have a lot of guards that will be playing the four spot, which means the rest of the guards, the one, two, and three spot, will have to help clean up those rebounds because we are not as tall as last year. We do not have Kylee (Shook), Bionca (Dunham), and Jazmine (Jones), which you knew they were going to contribute at least six rebounds a game, so we are going to have to step up and rebound as guards. I think everything else will take care of itself."
Dana Evans on where she can improve this season.
"There is always room for improvement. For me, I would say off the ball defense is something that I have been putting a lot of emphasis and time in to improve, more so rebounding the ball and playing defensive assignments off the ball more. Offensively, letting other people bring the ball up the floor and learning to score in different ways, finding people, getting people open shots, making their game easier. I want to be relentless. I want to be that person that you can't take your eyes off of, whether that's on defense or offense. I want to do everything I can do to help the team succeed."
Dana Evans on the excitement surrounding the freshman class.
"This is a really good class. We all know what Hailey (Van Lith) can do. She is really talented. She can do pretty much everything needed out of a guard, score, get people involved, bring the ball up the floor, provide defensive pressure. She is a really good rebounder as well. Olivia (Cochran) has been giving us a lot of contribution from different areas, whether that is rebounding, taking charges, or getting everyone going on that side of the ball. For her to be a post player, but have the vision of a point guard and be able to pass really well out of traps is incredible. She has been impressive. Our other freshman, Merissah (Russell), she has been doing really well for us. She plays big at the four, but she can shoot the three, mid-range, and get to the basket. I think for her though, she is going to help us a lot on defense. She is able to mix it up well on defense, whether it is pressuring the ball, getting up and trapping the point guard, or being able to give us different looks. I'm very excited."
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Kianna Smith on what she has learned from Coach Walz playing her at multiple positions.
"I think it has been great. I have been able to learn the game a lot more, but basketball is basketball for me regardless of the position I am playing. I have to be able to read the defense and adjust. That is a main thing that I learned from Coach Walz last year, whether I am at the four position or the point guard position, I have to read the defense and continue to play basketball the same way at every position. But, I know that Coach Walz shifting me around one through four has been beneficial for me to learn the game even more."
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Kianna Smith on the leadership of Dana Evans.
"I think the main thing that I see in Dana is her leadership and her voice this year. That's been different from last year, she is stepping up big for us. When we are young on the court in practice, she controls the floor really well as an experienced player. She instills trust in all of us knowing that we have a lot of depth and talent. She looks to us and gives us confidence to be able to score the ball. Dana has just been a great leader so far and I expect her to continue that throughout the season."
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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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Here are some takeaways from their press conference.
Dana Evans on the 2020-21 team.
"We can be hard to beat because we have so many weapons. We have shooters on the perimeter and talented post players inside. We have girls that can get to the basket at will. We have a lot of different people that can do a lot of different things. This makes us really versatile in our approach. We have a lot of girls who can play the four position, which will help us stretch the defense, that can shoot the three well. There are some things that we have to clean up though, like I said, we have a lot of guards that will be playing the four spot, which means the rest of the guards, the one, two, and three spot, will have to help clean up those rebounds because we are not as tall as last year. We do not have Kylee (Shook), Bionca (Dunham), and Jazmine (Jones), which you knew they were going to contribute at least six rebounds a game, so we are going to have to step up and rebound as guards. I think everything else will take care of itself."
Dana Evans on where she can improve this season.
"There is always room for improvement. For me, I would say off the ball defense is something that I have been putting a lot of emphasis and time in to improve, more so rebounding the ball and playing defensive assignments off the ball more. Offensively, letting other people bring the ball up the floor and learning to score in different ways, finding people, getting people open shots, making their game easier. I want to be relentless. I want to be that person that you can't take your eyes off of, whether that's on defense or offense. I want to do everything I can do to help the team succeed."
Dana Evans on the excitement surrounding the freshman class.
"This is a really good class. We all know what Hailey (Van Lith) can do. She is really talented. She can do pretty much everything needed out of a guard, score, get people involved, bring the ball up the floor, provide defensive pressure. She is a really good rebounder as well. Olivia (Cochran) has been giving us a lot of contribution from different areas, whether that is rebounding, taking charges, or getting everyone going on that side of the ball. For her to be a post player, but have the vision of a point guard and be able to pass really well out of traps is incredible. She has been impressive. Our other freshman, Merissah (Russell), she has been doing really well for us. She plays big at the four, but she can shoot the three, mid-range, and get to the basket. I think for her though, she is going to help us a lot on defense. She is able to mix it up well on defense, whether it is pressuring the ball, getting up and trapping the point guard, or being able to give us different looks. I'm very excited."
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Kianna Smith on what she has learned from Coach Walz playing her at multiple positions.
"I think it has been great. I have been able to learn the game a lot more, but basketball is basketball for me regardless of the position I am playing. I have to be able to read the defense and adjust. That is a main thing that I learned from Coach Walz last year, whether I am at the four position or the point guard position, I have to read the defense and continue to play basketball the same way at every position. But, I know that Coach Walz shifting me around one through four has been beneficial for me to learn the game even more."
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Kianna Smith on the leadership of Dana Evans.
"I think the main thing that I see in Dana is her leadership and her voice this year. That's been different from last year, she is stepping up big for us. When we are young on the court in practice, she controls the floor really well as an experienced player. She instills trust in all of us knowing that we have a lot of depth and talent. She looks to us and gives us confidence to be able to score the ball. Dana has just been a great leader so far and I expect her to continue that throughout the season."
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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
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