Talkin' Hoops with Gary Blair - Show #10

“It was a good road win at Texas Tech. Danielle Adams got in a little foul trouble in the beginning, but Karla Gilbert, with her first start, played extremely well. She had 8 points, 7 blocks, 6 rebounds and was really a defensive force. We were trying to get Adaora Elonu’s attention [by starting Gilbert] and I think we did. She came in and went 6-of-7 shooting, and continued playing well against Oklahoma, as well. Anytime you win at Lubbock, it’s a great thing. It’s my alma mater. [WTAW's] Tom Turbiville (a Tech alum) was calling the game. And after the game, Tom and I had the bus drive us around the Will Rodgers horse. Tom and I got out and took a picture, with the rear end of that horse still facing College Station. I just loved the win and I thought we played well. Danielle was unstoppable in the second half, and we were able to get 38 minutes out of Sydney Colson, which hasn’t happened in a long time. Sydney had 10 assists.”

“I thought it was one of our most complete games of the year. I thought we did a lot of things well in that game, including our bench playing very well, making 6 out of 9 shots. Skylar Collins had two big threes in the second half. Kelsey Assarian made a circus move under the net where she got her basket. And Maryann Baker had the last block of the game. Once again, Danielle Adams got two fouls early in the game, and we had to hold her out. She did tear it up in the second half, finishing with 30 points in the game. Sydney Carter was awesome. She played defense on Danielle Robinson as well as she could, and still got me seven boards and 17 boards, as well as hitting the first two threes of the game. It was just a total effort against No. 12 in the country. An easy win in one way, but a hard 22-point win.”

“We run a lot of sets … not a lot of motion. I have a lot of Danielle Adams plays. I’m like a coordinator in football, trying to come up with new plays. I’ll also run plays for someone else, knowing that Danielle will be the second option or first rebounding option. She is just very good on the offensive glass. Her game is coming around, and I’m very happy for her. She has worked very hard to get in the shape that she’s in, and I think she is the most underrated star in the game today. Everyone needs to see Danielle Adams in person because she’ll be a hall of famer someday.”

“One thing happens when she’s out there playing with Danielle … sometimes she takes the backseat. Danielle puts on the batman cape and Adaora wears the Robin suit. With Danielle in trouble, she puts on the batman cape and has lived up to who she’s supposed to be. I think that’s really helped her confidence and helped the confidence of her teammates, who know that they have a “go-to” player with her. She’s going to be here another year, and she’s a very good player in her own right.”

“We had good team defense. The half court defense was outstanding. We were rotating better and hedging better on the screens than what we did up at OU. OU is the best in the league at making that “extra pass,” penetrating and moving the ball around. They shot threes, but they always had a hand in their face, guarding them. It wasn’t a game that we were taking a whole lot of charges, but we got an intentional foul on Danielle Robinson right at half court, and that really helped. Carter did miss the two free throws, but she was just so tired and couldn’t put it up. But she played very well i the game."

“We’re actually going to do it for two nights … this game Saturday against KU and then the Baylor on national TV Monday night. We want people in pink. We’re going to have our hands full against Kansas, who just pulled off an upset against Iowa State in overtime. They’re a team that is playing very well from the perimeter. Angel Goodrich, their point guard, had 15 assists Wednesday night and leads our conference. I think between her and Colson, it’s going to be a show. Carolyn Davis, their post player from Houston, has had an outstanding career and is just a sophomore. She is a next-level player that leads the league in field goal percentage. There are a lot of Texas kids playing for Kansas, so it is going to be a huge game for us. It’ll be a great game for our post players to see how well they are going to be tested in future games."

“Our breast cancer game is very important to us. We have a lot of cancer survivors coming to watch the game, and the most important thing is that we’re going to auction off our players' jerseys after the game. What would you pay for a Danielle Adams, Maryann Baker, or Sydney Colson jersey? Those have been three special seniors, and I want people to say, 'I can do my part by bidding on those jerseys to help the cancer foundation in this area.”

“Baylor is playing very well. They are playing the best ball in the country, bar none. We’ll be ranked No. 5 since Duke got beat, and I want to keep living up to it. A No. 1 vs. a No. 5 rematch, just two weeks later. Which teams have improved in what areas? I do not want to go up there without at least a 1,000 Aggies. They do not seat as many, so you need to get online and buy your tickets. I promise you it’s going to be another great game, and hopefully we’ll have two more games with them in the future … at the Big 12 tournament and the NCAAs.”