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| March
8th,
2004 |
| Tracy
Roller Talks About Beating Northern
Illinois and Today's Game With Miami |
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| by
Rob Mathews - GoBSU.com |
| Photo
courtesy Ball
State Athletics |
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| Rob Mathews:
What
does it tell you about this team to be able to go up to
Northern Illinois and defeat a team in the first round of
the conference tournament that had beaten you by 20 points
just four days earlier in the same arena? |
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Tracy
Roller: The
team knew the travel schedule and opponents that we
had to play in February were going to be a major test for
us... BOY WAS THAT AN UNDERSTATEMENT! Confidence is a
hard thing to lose, and it's even more difficult to get
back once you have lost it. We were looking for that
confidence boost when we finally got to return home for
Bowling Green on Senior Night, and losing in overtime took
the wind out of our sails. So, we went from Sunday
losing in OT to Monday traveling five hours to DeKalb to
losing by 20 on Tuesday. It was a tough week! But,
the team had to regroup... the short tradition of our
program DEMANDED IT! And after an off day on
Wednesday, we practiced on Thursday and Friday. Watching
those two practices, I knew we were going to win. Our
confidence was back (although manufactured!), and we had
time to prepare for them this time. We never stopped
believing in each other, and the perfect game ensued. |
| Rob Mathews:
What
does the NIU win mean for the program?
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| Tracy
Roller: When
I first got here as an assistant for Brenda Oldfield, just
making it to Cleveland was enough. But, after two
post tournament seasons, it just seemed that we were
SUPPOSED TO go to Cleveland. Unfortunately, it
doesn't work that way. Our conference is getting more
competitive, and the players are getting better and
better. This might be one of the best freshman
classes that I have seen in the MAC. And sometimes as
a coach, you forget to appreciate each step of the way
through the season. After the February we had, we
definitely celebrated the NIU win and our 5th straight
trip to Cleveland. Some teams can't say that! But,
the NIU win got us there. It has given us confidence,
it has changed our mentality, and it has given us hope
that the goal we had from the beginning is only three
games away! |
| Rob Mathews:
Do
you like the format of playing the opening round games on
Saturday, and then having three days to prepare and travel
instead of playing the opening round games on Monday and
having one day to prepare like the men? |
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Tracy Roller:
When
you are one of the three bye teams, I would say you
probably don't like the format because you play your last
regular season game on a Tuesday (if you had one!), and
then sat out until the following Wednesday while everyone
else played on Saturday. Miami (our quarterfinal
opponent) for instance, lost their last regular season
game to Kent State, and then had to sit and think about it
until they found out they would be playing us! The
last two seasons, I really thought we were rusty that
first quarterfinal game after the long layover. Now
that we had to play in the first round (AND TRAVEL!), I'm
grateful for the long layover and the time to prepare for
each team. I also like the break between the
quarterfinals and the semis unlike the men. It allows
our teams to be rested and give the best play that they
can for their school and fans in the semis.... not to
mention on TV.
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Rob Mathews: Talk
about Kate Endress, as a person and a student, and what
her latest honor, First Team Academic All-American, means
to the program.
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Tracy Roller:
Kate
is the definition of what Ball State Women's Basketball is
about, on the court and off. She constantly strives to be
the best she can be both academically and athletically.
That is what we try to instill in our players: to give
back to the community, to wear that BSU proud, and to
leave here a better person. In her three years here, she
has already done that. It is a very difficult task to be
picked as a First Team Academic All-American with all the
driven women's basketball players, but it is even more
difficult as ONLY a junior! It is a testament to Kate, her
family, and her commitment to this university. We are very
proud of her!
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Rob Mathews: Talk
about #1 seed Miami and the game coming up Wednesday at
1:00 PM at Gund Arena in
Cleveland.
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Tracy Roller:
Going
into the last regular season game, Miami was probably the
HOTTEST team. But, Kent came in and broke their 11-game
winning streak and made the giant seem not so huge! I feel
March is about mental edges. If you are the team that has
the edge, balls bounce your way, loose balls and rebounds
just come to you, and the game seems effortless. It is
very much an advantage. Miami has the best and most
consistent starting five in the league with great guard
play and two senior post players. They have, in my
opinion, the Coach of the Year in Maria Fantanarosa. They
have a go to player in Cindi Merrill that at times looks
like a human highlight film. They have a potential
Freshman of the Year in point guard Amanda Jackson. They
can offensively put up major numbers in a very short time
and refuse to lose. But, we now have that mental edge....
and in March, anything can happen.
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Rob Mathews: Thank
you, Tracy, for your time, and good luck in Cleveland.
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Tracy Roller:
Thanks!
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