RICHMOND, Va. - La Salle Women's Basketball Head Coach
Jeff Williams attended the Richmond Coliseum's first-ever in-person Atlantic 10 women's basketball media day on Thursday, spending time talking with various media outlets about the excitement and expectations surrounding his squad for the upcoming season.
The event was held at the Coliseum as a prelude to the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship, which found a home in Richmond for at least the next three seasons.
A-10 Commissioner Bernadette McGlade, ESPN Radio's Greg Burton, Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones and SMG Executive Vice-President Maureen Ginty spoke of the high regard and high expectations of Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball this season as well as the excitement surrounding the landing of a home for the A-10 tournament. Saint Joseph's Head Coach Cindy Griffin delivered the invocation and Dayton Head Coach Jim Jabir made remarks on behalf of the A-10 coaches.
The preseason poll and preseason all-conference teams were also announced, with La Salle predicted to finish 10th in the league. Dayton was picked as the preseason favorite, followed by reigning conference champs St. Joe's. Duquesne, Fordham and George Washington round out the predicted top five. The remaining predicted finishes include Richmond (6), VCU (7), Saint Louis (8), St. Bonaventure (9), La Salle (10), George Mason (11), Massachusetts (12) and Rhode Island (13) round out the preseason poll.
Following the program, Coach Williams had the opportunity to talk to print and digital media including CBS Sports regarding his outlook on the Explorers this coming season. The squad has a whole new look, with five new starters including three eligible transfers with a combined six years of BCS starting experience. The team also welcomes four freshmen with the potential to make an immediate contribution.
Below are a few of tidbits that Coach Williams gave to the various media outlets:
On preseason practice:
We're very excited about this year. Practice has been going great. Our transfer kids have been providing tremendous leadership. Practice has been very intense, upbeat, [and] our team chemistry has been great so I'm very excited about this year. We still need to score the basketball, rebound the basketball… but were working at it and our kids are getting better every day.
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On the newcomers:
We have some new kids –
Micahya Owens,
Deja Bullock,
Lisa Mintzer,
Jasmine Alston – all tremendous kids who are going to contribute right away.
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On the new Atlantic 10 Championship location:
I'm very excited about the tournament [because] the city of Richmond has embraced it. I think Commissioner McGlade and Wendy Larry have done a tremendous job in putting this together.
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On the team's motivation this season:
We have to be motivated, not just to get the tournament but to win. Our goal is to win. We want to get to the NCAA [tournament], we want to be playing in March. That's our motivation, that's what we talk about every day, and our kids have been working very hard. The big thing is that we have great leadership. [Team leaders]
Leeza Burdgess,
Khristin Lee and
Alicia Cropper have been tremendous for our team morale and just for competitiveness in practice. It starts in practice, and they bring a great deal of intensity… so we're very excited.
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On the La Salle men's basketball program's influence:
Coach Giannini spoke with me after last season and said [I'm] at the same place [he was] at the end of year three. He said it just takes a couple of breaks and the kids working hard and believing, and that [we] can get there. So we're excited, they're a great group, we're a very close group – the women's and the men's programs – they're very supportive. They showed us the way and we're going to try to follow them.
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On fellow Atlantic 10 women's basketball coaches:
There are very very good coaches in the conference and they have accumulated tremendous talent. I don't think a lot of people want to play us right now. Schools are getting very good and I think it's attributed to the coaches.
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On lessons he tries to impart on the squad:
I think just being good people and being responsible. Every year you get a new crop of kids and they don't understand that they're being watched all the time, not only by peers but by young people and potential employers, so they have to be on their P's and Q's. I think that's the thing that we stress a lot.
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On the impact of transfers in the college game:
 [Transfers have] had a huge impact, they're having a huge impact on my program right now. Currently we have three transfer kids. It's good in a sense, but also bad in a sense. You don't want so many kids transferring, I think kids need to do a better job of making decisions on where they go to school and choose schools for the right reasons. But on the other hand, we have three high level transfers and I'm excited about that.
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On his favorite coaches in the college game:
Favorite coach, I think Coach [Vivian] Stringer. She's a good friend. It's tough out here in sports and I think she's exhibited that she could stay around. She has longevity in the sport and she's done it with class. Also one of my former head coaches Sonya Tyler, who was one of the first people to sue a university and win because of Title IX. Those two coaches have had a huge impact on my life. [They're] two African-American females who showed me how to do it the right way and help me get to this position where I can be a head coach.
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On his favorite holiday food:
Cake and ice cream always {laughs}, no matter what occasion!
