March 19, 2024 • 43 mins
It’s finally March and things are HEATING up in women’s college hoops! This week we’ve got the reigning National Freshman of the Year and Florida State superstar, Ta’Niya Latson! Haley and Ta’Niya recap the conference tournaments, what’s about to go down in March Madness, and Ta’Niya’s journey from hooping around the country as a kid to dominating in Tallahassee as one of the game’s budding talents.
- ACC tournament, conference tournament play (1:41)
- ROY watch between Ju Ju Watkins and Hannah Hidalgo (11:40)
- March Madness outlook, sleeper teams and players (13:02)
- Moving around as a kid, falling in love with hoop, recruiting (21:27)
- Freshman year, being a starter immediately, getting injured and that perspective (28:32)
- Return from injury, still being underrated, Florida State Big 3 (25:33 )
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
My first summer in college. It was pretty rough. I
was like, I don't know if I'm fin the storry.
These practices are crazy. My defense, I don't even know
what hell defense is like geez. I was just like, yeah,
I was just a deer in hairlights and I was
just stressing so bad. But it wasn't until like right
before the season, we had a scrimmage against our practice guys,
(00:23):
Like we had a real scrimmage, refs and everything that
was just to get us prepared for the season, and
we had a real game.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
My coach put me in the starting lineup for that,
and I was like, oh, okay, I think I swore
like twenty seven against the boys, And that was like
my breakout moment, especially like just in practice, like okay,
I feel like myself again. And since then I just
was like, you know what, I.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Can welcome back to sometimes. I hope We've got a
highly requested guest just in time for marsh manas joining
us today. Quick Humble Bragg twenty twenty three National Freshman
of the Year, two times first Team All acc one
of the fast It's just in program history to ever
cross a thousand career points, none other than Florida State's
(01:05):
own Toenai Latson, thank you so much propping on the
pod today. Thank you so much for having me, of course,
presented by Wendy's. Well, March Madness is here, So I
need to know what song is on repeat in the
locker room right now for you and your team to
get y'all ready, I.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Would say Humble by Little Baby. Well, I'm not from Atlanta.
I'm from Miami, but I used to live in Atlanta.
I went to the high school in Atlanta. Little Baby's
my favorite artist, So repeat for me.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
You can claim the a a little bit. You said
you spent some good time there, Okay, I see jumping
right into the women's basketball landscape. Things are heating up
in the conference tournament. As we've seen over these past
few days, things have been a little crazy. But we'll
start with you guys in acc tournament. Big win against Syracuse,
tough loss against NC State. What do you like about
(01:57):
how your team is gelling headed into March Madness right now?
Speaker 1 (02:00):
We're just we understand that it's bigger than us and
we want to, you know, change the program.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
We want to turn it around.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
I feel like we all have the same common goal,
which is to win. That's very important, and we're just
jeling right. We have chemistry on and off the court,
and like I said, we just.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Have each other's backs. So I feel like that's what's
helping us go into the tournament.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Yeah, I feel like it's very apparent when you guys
play that you have great team chemistry. You've kind of
had that young core really since you guys came in,
so I think it's really kind of showing as you
get into this part of the season. But I mean,
the ACC Final was exciting. Notre Dame be NC State.
It was a really close game. Did you have Notre
Dame winning or did you pick NC State? What was
your kind of prediction heading into that.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
I knew Notre Dame was gonna win, okay, but I
have a lot of friends that play for NC State,
so I was kind of just neutral. I love coach
iov she's such an amazing coach, and coach Wes Moore
he's such a great coach too, So I knew it
was going to be a battle, but I knew Notre
Dame was going to win.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
It, Okay, Yeah, I got I saw Notre Dame play
against Georgia say. I mean, they're tough to beat. I
feel like they have a lot of different weapons. But
you guys do too. You lead the ACC top of
the conference and scoring at eighty points a game. I mean,
that's hefty. How are you supposed to like it's really
just trying to outscore y'all at the end of the day.
So what makes you guys so dangerous on the offensive end?
Speaker 1 (03:17):
I feel like we played pretty fast. I mean, we're
the fastest in the conference.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
That's our motto. Just be the fastest team in the country.
Get to the basket, you know, just everybody's an attack.
Everybody can go to the.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Basket, and I feel like that really helps us score
as much as we do.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
I mean, in you individually averaging twenty one a game,
that's insane for you to be doing. For still, I
feel like you're still so young in my eyes, but
you've been running a FSU for a few years now.
So I mean, you're averaging twenty one a game, fourth
and ACC thirteenth in the country. How do you feel
like you've continued to elevate your game because even as
a freshman, you were one of the top scorers in
(03:53):
the league, and so now you're at the head of
every scatting report. So how have you continued to still
work through all the different defense schemes being thrown at you.
If they're going over, they're trapping, all these different things.
How have you been able to continue to elevate your game?
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Just trying to be consistent with my outside shot and
I've been working on that in an off season. Just
trying to, you know, open up the lane for me
to be a threat all over the floor. Just getting
my teammates more involved. When I am getting tried, just
try to pass somebody that's open, Just make the right
place for my teammates and myself, and just continue to
be me.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
I just take what the.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Defense is given me, but also just still trying to
be aggressive, still trying to have that hunger. I feel
like that was the biggest thing this year for me.
Just continue to be hunger.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Yeah, And I think it's what you talked about reading
the defense. You're not one of those players where like
it's always you're going to get yours. I feel like
you read the defense so well in terms of like
you're getting your teammates involved. You've a lot of different
scoring weapons on your team. And so I think that's
what makes you so great is reading though all those
different options, which I've always loved about your game, even
throwing it back through our first takeover when we met,
(04:56):
like you're a player to get your teammates involved. But
talking about other conference tournaments, the SEC was absolutely insane
watching it was all over the place. So we'll start
off with the semis. Tennessee had South Carolina, which I
did not see coming. Honestly, I know Tennessee is good,
but I thought South Carolina was gonna run that game.
Camilla hitting the three like your first career attempt is insane.
(05:20):
So with Starborth Tennessee, do you feel like they're kind
of kind of like being under the radar team. I
feel like their coach always has in prep, so coming
into the tournament, I feel like, you know, you guys
beat them earlier in the year, which was close. Well,
you guys won by one something one by one. That
was a close game too, and so you know, I
(05:41):
feel like they're kind of under the radar. But coming
off a loss like that, do you feel like that'll
really help them moving into the postseason.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Yeah, I mean, I feel like nobody's coming that close
to beating South Carolina, and I feel like that should
give them an extra boost, like that they are capable
of beating the best. That shouldn't be like a dagger
for them. I feel like that should give them confidence
to show like what they're capable of. And they have awesome,
awesome players like Jewel Spear, Makia Jackson, and they just
(06:09):
they just jell. I feel like they really fit each other.
So I feel like they're going to make a pretty
good run in the tournament.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
I feel like a lot of teams have the capability
to really put together a tough run of the tournament.
Oh yeah, but another team like that is LSU. I
just I don't have the words. Everybody knew that rematch
was going to be insane. LSU South Carolina has really
become a rivalry in recent years. I feel like and
SE seems invincible a lot of the time, but they've
(06:37):
had a few close games like that. Talking about Tennessee,
I think they had another scare earlier in SEC play.
But like the end of that game shows the intensity
of women's basketball right now, and I feel like it's
literally all over my social media feed no matter where
I am. What's TikTok Twitter, it's online seeing So I
want your opinion. Do you feel like the benches should
(06:57):
have been ejected?
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Like? What?
Speaker 3 (06:59):
What are you? And especially like them not being able
to come out and celebrate at the end was wild.
I saw Chloe posting the selfie before in the locker room.
I was dying. But what's your opinion on how the
end of the game and how that was all handled? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
That was crazy.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
I mean I can see the ejections, but like you said,
just allowing them to come out and celebrate that was like,
I feel like they should have been able to do that. Yeah,
I don't know, Like I knew it was going to
come to that because it was a pretty physical game
and you know the rest were lating and play and
talks next. So yeah, I mean that's what happens, Like
post Don Staley said, that's what happens when Temperance Squayer
(07:36):
and everybody's trying to win. But it was really great
for TV. It's it's good for girls basketball too. I
feel like it brings a lot of exposure for us.
And yeah, I mean I'm always going to go for
South Carolina because my teammate Raven Johnson my high school teammate.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
I love her. I was so happy that they won.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
I like LSU two. I got a couple of friends
over there too. So it was a good game though.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
It was really good.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Yeah, it was a good game, And like you said,
I feel like it's so good for women's basketball, not
only like the pub around it, but more so just
to show that competitive aspect to it. I feel like
a lot of times people don't think that we play
like that, Like it's physical out there, and like you said,
the rest were letting them play. I was watching the
battle in the post like it was getting shippy. Oh
(08:20):
we're not calling anything today, but literally literally do you
feel like you've noticed like a level of physicality really
increase in the postseason Because watching yesterday's game and other
women's college basketball games, I'm like, oh my god, it
is down and dirty up in the pain. I feel
the physicality has just gotten to another level as we
(08:42):
head into March madness. M h.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
You see teams just like they got that hunger in
their eyes. Every game is like hard, especially in the
a SEC tournament like River Baldwin and Maddy Westboper going.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Yeah, like it was.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Some temperance playing then, So yeah, I just feel like
everybody just has one goal, which is to win, and
they're playing hard for sure.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
I'm really just like refs are letting them play because
I feel like, especially in conference tournaments like that, refs
are really trying to set the tone that like it's
going to be played a certain type of way. But
I did not see that this year, which I was
a fan of honestly, like, let them play. It's great.
But touching on another conference, we have the Big Ten.
Seeing Ohio State in Indiana lose, I was shocked that
(09:24):
was that was insane because Ohio State was on a
fourteen game win streak heading into that, so to drop
back to back and I don't know how that's going
to affect their number one seed. Lining like that, I
feel like it's just showing the depth of every conference
because I feel like in years past it's kind of
been like SEC Pack twelve and ACC you're deep from
top to bottom. Big Ten and Big twelve are always
(09:45):
kind of run by those same top teams. But see
somebody like a Nebraska A getting to the championship game
is really exciting. And so that overtime final, oh my God.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Do you feel like that secures Iowa a number one
seed heading into the turn or do you feel like
things can still kind of be shaken up coming into
Selection Sunday.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
I feel like that secures them.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Honestly, they had they had a pretty good year, even
though they had a couple upsets. I feel like just
the power of Caitlin Clark, like, yeah, you know, yeah,
I feel like they're going to get that number one
see for sure.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Yeah, I feel like they could have secured it with that.
But honestly, like the number one seas are really all
over the place. You had somebody like uc LA run
the table at number two for weeks on in Ohio
State for weeks and for them to kind of drop
like they did towards the end of the season, it
should be interesting. I think Selection Sunday is going to
be all over the place. And finally with the peck
Stanford did lose yesterday. Hurt my heart, but I mean
(10:41):
usc is tough. Usc is tough. You gotta give to him.
And I feel like, you know, Juju's amazing, but I
feel like people are so caught up being like she's
the whole team, when in reality, she's a great supporting cast,
somebody like Mackenzie Forbes, who I played club with, who
I love seeing her.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yeah, yeah, I played USA with her, and she's such
a great teammate, Like she does all the little things,
so she does.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I love seeing just like other players step up. And
I think what makes Juju great, just like yourself, is
that when she sees like maybe she doesn't have the
hot hand, you know, she's still swinging the ball, She's
getting her teammates involve, there's all these other things going on.
Do you think USC has enough like in their arsenal
to get a number one seed after winning the pack
at the end of the year.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
M I don't know. PAC twelve was tough this year, Like,
I don't know, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
We'll leave that one undecided. And then yeah, talking about
Juju a little bit, we talk about Notre Dame coming
from you being a Rookie of the year yourself. Who
has your vote for this season's Freshman of the Year,
Hannah or Juju? Are you on one side? Are you
gonna take the middle?
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Give us some good Well, I've been knowing Juju since
I was in like seventh grade.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
She was like sixth grade. So it's some history there,
and you know, Hannah Hodago, I gotta give her a pot.
She's an amazing player, so I'm just gonna stay neutral.
But at the same time, I gotta go with, like,
my friend, you just been playing her butt off, like
I'm not gonna lie. A lot of people haven't seen that.
And I feel like she gives college.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Basketball just stuff like a refreshing Like she's so refreshing,
she's such a great person.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
She's an amazing player. Like I said, so I feel
like they're going to give it to her.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Yeah, okay, I appreciate you taking aside. You were trying
to skip out on me on a few of those
controversial questions. I appreciate the side. Uh. But you know,
I think they both had amazing seasons. But I don't
think USC, like we talked about, their supporting cast is great.
But I don't know USC would be where they are
without Juju and her performances, which I think she's so
(12:42):
valuable to that program, not only for her scoring, but
like seeing the impact that she's had people coming to
their games, all the different celebrities.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Like it's insane, it's insane.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
But think about the tournament I want to get into
the madness a little bit, and some of our next
questions are brought to us by a lovely sponsor and Wendy's.
So I want to ask you a question about We
talked a little about like kind of those dark horse teams,
people who are kind of coming into it towards the
end of the season. What teams have made you do
a double take and like who could kind of make
(13:13):
a run this year, because there's always those teams. A
few years ago is Craton, I don't know. I think
another year it was like, yeah, Miami was a team
last year, So who do you feel like is going
to be that team this year?
Speaker 1 (13:27):
M I feel like Michigan. Michigan has been playing pretty
good too lately. I'm not gonna lie Michigan. Course Tennessee,
like I just said, I feel like they're going to
make a pretty good one.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Who else sang? I don't know.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
I feel like, I mean Notre Dame, like they just
want acc but I feel like people are still kind
of like underestimating them. I feel like they're going to
make a pretty good one too.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Especially if they're healthy.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Virginia Tag, I mean, they just lost liszt kid me,
So I don't know. I don't know, but yeah, those teams.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Some good picks. I think the one I would add
is like Oregon State coming into their own this this
half the season, because I mean, like me playing against
some of the pack. You know, they're always good, but
I feel like in years past, recently they've kind of
not been getting it together. But I think this year
they've really been showing out. Like Reagan Beers is a
monster down there. Oh my god, her playing her last year,
(14:22):
she set a screen on me, and I think I
almost like passed away. I wasn't getting through that. I
was done. I needed a sub so, like, she's a monster.
But they have a lot of great pieces. But talking
about teams, I want to move into specific players. Is
there anybody that has like really impressed you this season
that's gonna make some noise in the tournament?
Speaker 2 (14:42):
M M of course Juju, of course, Hannah Hidalgo with
Kia Jackson. Who else?
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Georgia Amore, Like I know she's without Liz right now,
and that's like her partner in crime.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
But she's an amazing player, amazing player. Who else? I
don't know, Alyssa Peelee. I feel like she's pretty good. Yeah,
yeah from Utah. Who else? Yeah, that's all I got
on the top of my head right now.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
There are some good picks. I love watching Georgia play
her step Pad three is actually like unguardable. What are
you supposed to do with that?
Speaker 2 (15:20):
That crossovers. My freshman year.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
That was like my walk into college moment almost got
almost failed.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Yeah, it's okay, It's happened to many people out there.
It's fine. I had my welcome to the League moment
with a freaking jab step, so like, you're good, a crossover,
step back, You're fine. But I think headed is a tournament.
One thing that I've always found so interesting. It's like
you play at these neutral sites, right with the regionals,
you have Seattle, greensborod whatever it may be. But the
(15:51):
way that the certain fans show up for certain teams,
it does not feel neutral. Like see South Carolina travel
to Greensboro, which honestly isn't even that far in Colombia.
But like playing somebody like that, I feel like there
are certain fan bases that are just absolutely insane. What
do you feel like one is the wildest fan bases?
I mean, recently in college hoops.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
In C State when we played them, they had the
whole crowd. It was just go.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
Pay Really, I didn't know that one.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Yeah, they have a pretty big crowd. It is like
super loud and there when we do play there. Louisville
has a good one in the ACC too.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Who else? Iowa?
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Of course, you know, Oh my god, yeah yeah, Lsu
they have prettiest crowd.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
I feel like those are the top ones for sure.
I didn't realize NC State traveled like that though. I
didn't know the pack was like that. I feel like
you know about LSU, Iowa. A big one for me
is I see game cognation everywhere, like it does not
matter where you are. I see South Carolina fans. And
then my last one around this is we talked a
little bit about different guards in the ACC and how
(16:56):
stacked it is, including yourself. Who do you feel like
is your toughest guard where it's kind of like that
big guard that's circled on you on every scatter before
every time you play them.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
M dang, let me see, it was Haley Vandless she
was she was a dog and who I'm not gonna
lie it's Hannah now of course like she's she's just
a dog on defense and offense, like she can play
both ends of the floor. When we played Notre Dame,
(17:26):
I was like, preparing for that was the most focus I've.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Ever been in the game.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Like I was like I had to go beet training
before that game. Like it was it was serious.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
It was serious.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
But yeah, she's such an amazing player. So I feel like, yeah,
Hannah's Hannah's a big dog. She's a big dog.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
That's crazy. That's crazy. Yeah, I mean to be doing
that as a freshman as wild and I feel like
that that's how people were curcling you when you were
a freshman and now still, which is m h it's
crazy to see. But talking about giving people their flowers,
we gave Handah whole bunch of Georgia. But I feel
like one person that kind of goes under the radar
for a lot of people is Miss Fair from Syracuse.
(18:06):
For her, oh my god, for her to be doing
what she's doing, and I feel like she doesn't get
enough love in the media as well. You don't see
that hype. And I remember I played her in my
freshman year and she was at Buffalo. She gave us
buckets like a thirty ball, like what like there was
we threw six different people at her, and there was
still she was still gonna go get hers. So what
is it like scouting her? And then actually it's one
(18:28):
thing he scout somebody, but actually executing that when playing
somebody for her caliber talsks me about.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Her the first time we played them at their house,
like she was on fire. I feel like that was
when she first hit like three k points and we
had like.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Three four different people on her and it was crazy.
She was shooting from the coach's box.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
I was like, Yo, this is grazy, Like you couldn't
do nothing about it.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Like it is like you try to ice her, you
try to drop on her, like it's just so many
different defenses and she's in a amazing shooter. All you
can do is really just try to turn her into
a driver, make her put the ball on the floor.
And I feel like that's what we did the second
time around, which in the ACC tournament, she only had
like two.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Threes and we were just like, oh, thank God, thank
you God.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
That's a win. That's a win. Yeah honest, yeah. And
then my other one, I say, doesn't get a lot
of love but every time I watch n C State,
I'm always really impressed with Aziah James. I feel like
she's kind of that X factor with NC State you
think about you know, yes, Senai Rivers, you have Rhyther River,
you have Madison, all these different pieces, but I think
she really holds them down and it's a spark for them,
(19:36):
which she gets hot. So what do you think she
brings to NC State?
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yeah, that that's my dog. She's a she's a killer.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
I was surprised that she didn't play as much last
year because last year we beat NC State at home,
but when she came in the.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Game, it was like a whole different momentum.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
So I'm just happy to see that she's out there
killing it like how she is now.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
I really wish she was playing with me. But but yeah,
she's such an a as employer, even better person off
the court.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
I love that. Okay, So before we get to talking,
it's more about you and talking about your journey all
these different things. We've started a new segment here, which
is my Question of the Day, which is my favorite
thing to ask people. This is gonna tell me a
lot about you. Okay, So prepare yourself it's gonna be
a little out of the park. But what do you
feel like is the biggest animal that you could take
(20:24):
in a fist fight? Talking about no weapons, like have
a big ego here, Okay, don't say some lame like
a puppy or like a raccoon, because people have tried
to tell me that, Like, what's the biggest one you
feel like you could take?
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Probably an elephant?
Speaker 3 (20:40):
Oh my god? Really?
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (20:44):
Yeah, but like that's what you say, like the biggest
like sidewise.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Like you're yeah, like you're gonna take it in a
fist fight, though, an elephant?
Speaker 2 (20:51):
No, no, let me see.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Let me see what am I gonna take? Probably like
a snake like people are scared of.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Thanks, that's a good one. I haven't heard snake yet.
Elephant is wild, mine is giraffe. I feel like I
could take out the knees and then get them on
the ground and then win. You know, yeah, all right,
I didn't like your face that you needed to have.
I said, I know, all right, whatever, snake, I'll take it. Whatever.
(21:23):
We're gonna jump into you and your basketball journey. Let's
take it back a little bit. Miami, Florida. Your dad
was in the military, so you kind of jumped around
a lot. Texas, Missouri, Hawaii, Atlanta, Miami. How did you
start getting into basketball? Who put the ball in your hands?
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Honestly, my cousins did.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
They played overseas and I just grew up watching them,
And ever since I was three years old, I just
always wanted to play basketball.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
But I didn't start taking it serious until like seventh grade.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
That's when I was like, Okay, I want to start
playing basketball for real, for real. Before that, I was
just thinking of everything. I was raised in Missouri, so
you know, I was raised around a lot of white kids,
and you know, I just wanted to, you know, try
to follow in their footsteps. I wanted to be a
marine biologist at one point before like taking basketball serious,
like I was a nerd. And then I was like,
(22:12):
you know, and once I moved to Hawaii, I started
taking it more serious. My dad was like, nah, you
need to really start, like, you know, training and taking
this serious. So that's what I did, and ever since
then the rest is history.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
Oh wow, I love that. Oh wow, I mean I've
had growing up in Hawaii was so much fun. I'm
actually very jealous of that. I bet that was a blast.
So growing up you started to take it seriously around
seventh grade, was there somebody that you really modeled your
game after, somebody that you looked up to?
Speaker 2 (22:39):
M Maya More for sure.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
I loved Maya More like she was an amazing player,
such when she retired, But yeah, her, and I would
say Lebron James. I just like how powerful he plays like.
He just plays like he's just like, you know, a
king for real. So I try to model that like
I tried to. But I lot of comparison of like
(23:01):
baby Flash, like Dwayne Wade, So now I just watched
a lot of him, like young Dwayne Wade for sure.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
So those are those are three good picks. Honestly, you
named some heavy hitters. I can I can see all
three of them. Though. I feel like the way, even
though you may not be the biggest guard out there,
the way that you get to the rim like you're
bullying people down there, there's no getting in front of you,
which is really impressive. Talk to me a little bit
about your recruiting process, moving from state to state kind
of all around the country. Did that have an impact
(23:29):
in the way you got recruited? Maybe you know jumping
around AAU, teams, different schools, things like that. How did
that impact your recruiting?
Speaker 1 (23:36):
Well, I didn't start like getting recruited for al until
like I moved to Atlanta. That's when I started playing
with FBC in like tenth grade. That's when I started
getting my offers and stuff like that. But people knew
me from Hawaii, they just didn't know how to contact me.
So that was when I started really getting like more offers.
My first offer was probably I think it was Georgia,
(23:58):
and then Florida State had came for that, and then
after Florida, say, everybody just started rolling in.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
And so when did you realize, you know, he kind
of talks about jumping around all these different things, playing
against a lot of different types of competition. When did
you realize that you were gonna be one of the
best players in your class? Because you ended up coming
out the top small guard in your class shooting guard.
So when did you realize, like, I'm like that, you know,
like I need to be getting recruited. I'm gonna go
(24:25):
do X y Z once I get to the next level.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
I would say, like tenth grade for sure.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
I struggled in high school because I played with so
many good players. I just was like, you know, maybe
I'm not enough, maybe I'm not as good as you
know who I'm playing with. And you know, my mom
used to tell me a lot. She used to be like, okay, tonight,
you can't compare yourself to other people. And that's what
I've been sicking with the whole time. And I feel
like McDonald American, that's what really solidified it for me
(24:50):
that I am one of the best of my class.
Just like I mean, I was like third stream. I
came off the bench.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
For real midgar. I was like, I'm mad that.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
But yeah, that that just gave me motivation, especially heading
into college, because I was like, nah, I'm way better
than what people are trying to put, like you know,
project me as so no.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
I feel that my McDonald's game was absolutely awful, Like
I was trash, so like I poof that. I get that.
I agree. I think it's also like, when you're playing
in such competition, it's hard to not have that comparison
going on in your head because it's like, oh, well,
they're doing this, they're doing that. I need to be
doing a different things. Especially I remember seeing your your
(25:34):
FBC team, like y'all were all over Instagram, y'all were
everywhere loaded. So what were some of the top players
in your class or in that AA you experience that
you remember going head to head with and being like, Okay,
this is gonna be my competition, not only now but
now in the college landscape, like y'all are still the
top dogs going head to head.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
Oh yeah, well I never played against ki q Rice,
but she was always like top lorm beds.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
That was you know, boring bets and born bits.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Yeah, while j Johnson I played against her a lot.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
In Atlanta, London.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Jones, I've been knowing her for a while too, So yeah,
it was just a lot of girls like Jania Barker
her too, she played for Essence. Yeah, it was just
a lot of girls. I'm like, dang, I don't.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Know how I'm you know, like I didn't even know.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
I thought I was going to make the McDonald American
Oh please, like sending a hope and a prayer. I
was like, I hope I do. But I didn't make
the Jordans All American whatever that was. But I didn't
make that. So I was just like, well, I'm glad
you just have made the Makedon All American team, especially
because I feel like I was.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Just underrated in high school for sure.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
Even though I was a number one shooting guard, I
just felt like I wasn't still well.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
So you're jump into some of my questions here. We'll
jump back into that in a bit, don't you worry.
But what ended up being that deciding factor for you
to choose Florida State? Because I feel like Florida State
is like, historically this legendary program, but kind of before
you got there, they've been under the radar for a
few years. They had been performing as people wanted them to.
So what made you want to go to Florida State?
Speaker 1 (27:05):
It was somewhere that I knew I could make a
name for myself. And I feel like I could have
went anywhere and made a name for myself for sure,
but they were just the most consistent. I loved the staff.
The girls treated.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Me like I was their little sister when I went
on my official visit, and I just had a great time.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
I remember going with Raven and Snoop up there for
an unofficial and I didn't have an offer, but those
two they did have an offer, and I was just
up there like a little kid. That was the first
college I've ever been to, so I was just happy
to be there. And then by the end of that I.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Got the offer.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
So I was just like, you know what this is
definitely like from then on, I was like, Yeah, this
is going to be a top five school for me.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
And then it's hard because then your head coach Sue
retired in twenty twenty two. So then when Coach Brooke
ended up taking over, what was that decision making process
for you to decide to stay? Because I feel like
a lot of people reopen up their recruiting, think about
leaving all these different things. So what was it about
Coach Brooke that made you decide that you to stay.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Yeah, it was definitely hard here and coach who retired
because she's such an amazing moment. But Coach Brookes, she
was the associate head coach at the time, and she.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
Recruited me like heavily. We talked all the time, We
talked about.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Boys, school, everything, so she was one of the only
coaches that I actually had a connection with. So I
was just like, you know what, I'm gonna stick it
through and see where it takes me and it's one
of the best decisions I've ever made.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
Well, yeah, I mean it seems like it's worked out
pretty well. And so I went it back to your
freshman year. You showed up and showed out. You were
the first a SEC freshman to ever lead the leading
scoring at twenty one point three single season freshman scoring record,
which is insane. And then you just did so much.
You really carried for the state as a freshman, which
I feel like is really hard to do. Coming in
(28:46):
to the league. You're figuring out college. There's a lot of
different factors that are now impacting you. But you know,
coming into your freshman year we talked about that underrated piece.
Do you feel like you had something to prove?
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Yeah, of course I knew like capabilities, I knew like
coming into college. Well, at first, my first summer in college,
it was pretty rough. I was like, I don't know
if I'm fin the side. These practices are crazy. My
defense I don't even know what hell defense.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
Is Like, Oh, she's huge. Gee.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
I was just like, yeah, I was just a deer
in hairlights and I was just stressing so bad. But again,
going back to that connection with coach Brook. She just
told me to take it one day at a time,
and I feel like that would really help me and
gain back my confidence and you know, just that hunger
to you know, go out there and prove myself.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
And then ever since then, I just ran with it. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Well, I feel like what's so interesting with that underrated
aspect of you is like within the women's basketball community
and basketball community general, everybody knows how much of a
bucket you are. Right Like we've talked about you many
times on this podcast, that's even being on here or
anything like that. You're brought up consistently, and so I
think within the basketball community there's no sense of underrated,
(29:55):
like you are elite. But I feel, like we talked
about earlier, with all these different players, the media isn't
giving that recognition that you deserve. And so even coming
from yourself talking about you know, freshman summer is very humbling.
I was humbled as well, Like it's you got to
learn a lot, it's schemes, it's help side, it's not
everything runs through you. And so when did you start
(30:18):
feeling like I could really dominate night in and night out.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
In the top league like the ACC it wasn't until
like we had like it was right before the season.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
We had a scrimmage against our practice guys, Like we
had a real scrimmage, refs and everything that was just
to get us prepare for the season, and we had
a real game. My coach put me in the starting
lineup for that, and I was like, oh, okay, well
and then.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
Like after that, I just like I think I swore.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Like twenty seven against the boys, and that was like
my breakout moment, especially like just in practice, like Okay,
I feel like myself again. And since then, I just
was like, you know what I can. If I can
do this against these boys, I can do it against
these girls. So just getting back to me and being confident,
that was like that was that moment for me.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
Yeah, I mean I feel like confidence can really change anything,
like whether the ability is always going to be there,
but it's the way that you view yourself really. So
I feel like your game is so different from a
lot of different players, the way that you move, the
way that you're able to body people, your body control,
all these different aspects of you. What do you feel
like is that part of your game that teams weren't
(31:25):
really prepared for to deal with you with your freshman year, Like,
what do you think set you apart from a lot
of the different guards in the ACC.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
I feel like my speed definitely, my change of pace,
just getting to the basket, the way I.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Can weave throughout defenses.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
I feel like sometimes that has a lot of teams
stuck and they don't know what to do, and just
my relentnesses. I just keep going. I don't stop. So yeah,
I feel like that's what really just shocked a lot
of teams.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
No, for sure. And I feel like even watching you
as a freshman, I think that a lot of people
I wasn't even mature at this point in my freshman career,
but like you know, you miss so you have a
few turnovers, whatever, that relentless aspect to you, You're gonna
keep going. It does not phase you. You are still going.
And as an opponent, like that is so frustrating because
you're like, oh, I'm in their head, but you're really not,
(32:11):
Like you just gonna keep it, pushing next play, and
it's very frustrating. And so I think for other ACC
teams and all the opponents that you face, like to
see you do that. Know, as a freshman, but continue
do it now. It's really hard to stop somebody with
that type of mindset. And you've always had that impact
with the team that you were on, and you were
kind of put into what seemed like a leadership position
(32:33):
pretty early leading your team is scoring, leading the league scoring.
So how hard was that as a freshman to come
in and like lead the team and you're seventeen eighteen
leading these twenty two year olds, Like, it's a weird
dynamic to have.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
It was very hard.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
I always feel guilty for the sussosia that I do have,
well I did.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
I just felt bad because.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
I'm like, dang, bro like these like, you know, fifty
year seniors and they haven't even scored a thousand points,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (33:02):
Yeah, you're out here already, get there.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
So I never wanted to really just it was just
hard just to be myself fully last year.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
I felt like, especially with like you know, some.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
Of the older girls that we had. They loved me,
of course, they supported me, but I.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
Always felt bad for what I, like, you know, achieved,
because I just was like, I don't want to step
on anybody's toes.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
I don't want to, you know, do too much, but
at the same time, like I gotta go get.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
Mine, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
And at the end of the day, I always did
anything that it took, you know, for my teammates to
be successful, for us to win and stuff like that.
But I just had to stop feeling guilty and just
continue to be me because I know the person.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
That I am.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
Yeah, and I think it's also like seeing those older
teammates uplift you in the fashion that they did, because
not a lot of people can take that. If you're
older and you're a young person coming in and you're
outshouting them doing all the different things, a lot of
people can take that the wrong way and then they
will then like sabotage a tea whatever it may be.
But it seems like the program that you guys have
and the girls that you're playing with everybody, it's like
(34:03):
once you put your own eagles aside and the whole
team goal of winning is at the front, that's all
that matters. It's whoever's going to get us there, it's
going to be worth that. So talking a little bitout
the end of your freshman season, your seasons cut short
with an injury, and y'all were peaking at that time,
which is so tough. I feel that I had the
(34:23):
same thing happened. And so take me back to that
moment when you found out you weren't going to be
able to play in the postseason. You still learn Rookie
of the Year first team on acc But how were
you able to handle being sidelined with an injury right
before the conference nca tournament? Because it's hard and it's
hard to stay engaged and you know you're already having
this amazing season, so like you want to do more,
(34:45):
as I know you did, so like, how were you
able to deal with that?
Speaker 2 (34:49):
Yeah? It was tough at first.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
I was like, dang, like right before the tournament, I
feel like that was going to be my moment to
just like, you know, show the world like who I
really am around that. But I feel like everything happens
for a reason. I trust God, And like I said,
I just felt like it happened for a reason, and
I was blessed. It was a blessing in the curse
at the same time, because I got to see things
(35:12):
from a different perspective. I felt like, you know, sitting
on a bench and taught me a lot about how
to be a good teammate, how to celebrate others even
when I'm not out there, And I feel like that
was a learning curve for me for sure.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
It didn't seem to impact the mindset that bag because
your first game back, come back, twenty ball upset over Tennessee.
You picked up right where you left off. So I
feel like that's amazing to see, especially for somebody so young,
to come back and just get right back into the
flow of things. So what was that recovery process for you,
Like heading into your sophomore season, working on that off
(35:43):
season not only like focusing our knee rehab, but it's
also the mental aspect of trusting yourself again getting back
into playing shape.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
It's very difficult that summer after like my injury and stuff.
I had to go to USA.
Speaker 1 (35:56):
And I was insnawstic, yeah, but really just prepared.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
Me for the season.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
I felt like this past summer was probably the hardest
summer I've ever had, just mentally, just like there's so
much pressure I have to continue to grow my game
and I want to be consistent. I want to, like
I said, just continue to grow. So all the pressure,
all the media, my family and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
It really became a lot at one point.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
But I felt like once non conference was over this year,
I felt like I was back into my group coming
into ACC play. So yeah, I felt back in shape
and I felt ready to go.
Speaker 3 (36:30):
Well, I mean, we see it. We see it now,
And I want you to talk a little bit about
kind of your big three that you guys have at
Florida State. Because the three y'all be going crazy, you,
OMG and Mikayla. When you guys are healthy, it's unstopable.
Then you also take into account Sarah, your point guard.
I feel like all y'all together, it's quite a core
to have. And so was there a certain game this
(36:52):
season with all four of you guys hitting that really
made you feel like you guys could contend in the
tournament this year and make it deep run.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
Yeah, Regina into we played great against Virginia Tech. I
felt like we all like we all did what we
had to do.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
And since that game, we just came together and we
were like, we're the core.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
We have to you know, we have to set the tone,
even for the players on the bench, the freshman everybody.
That's when we ran with the whole season, just the
core us for you know, going out there just doing
the best that we could.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
Okay, amazing you do Virginia Tech quick. I remember watching
that game, y'all. Y'all were clicking. It was very apparent.
And when you guys are clicking, it's scary. And so
you know, coming off a tough loss in a CEC tournament,
now we're getting to March madness, it's really big tournament time.
What's not only your mindset but kind of the vibe
of the locker room thinking about what goals you guys
have moving into this postseason.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
I feel like nobody expected us to go to the
semi finals in the a SEC tournament anyways, So that
was just that was just motivation. Just it's for for
us to just bring into NC double as. I feel like,
like you said, when we're clicking, we probably played the
best our best games in the tournament. Honestly, we played
really good and that's it just gave us a taste of,
(38:06):
you know, what we're capable of and how far we
can actually go.
Speaker 3 (38:10):
I mean, this is the time to peak, honestly, But yeah,
you know, the rest of the season matters. You're trying
to get together, but like you're peaking now, that's what
you need to see. And this is also going to
be your first NCAA tournament with your team at full strength.
So how does that feel, y'all peaking at the right time,
everybody's clicking and you're out full strength. How good does
(38:30):
that feel to have everything clicking at the right time.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
It feels amazing. Like I said, it just we care
about each other.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
We want to win, and I feel like everybody's on
the same page and it's a great time to be
on the same page. I feel like, yeah, so yeah,
I just hope that we can go pretty far.
Speaker 3 (38:49):
Well, I'm excited for y'all. I mean, I'm always rooting
for you individually, as you know, but now I'm a
I'm a little bit of a Semino fan rooting for
you and the team.
Speaker 2 (39:01):
Now.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
I don't know if I could get that far, but
but like a little bit, I'm always like, go tonight.
But before we wrap up, we get into the vibe check,
which is going to be rapid fire questions, which I
feel you're gonna be great at because we've had a
few rapid fire already with you knew VT, you knew
all these different things, so we're ready. It's starting off
pretty easy. What's the drill that you never want to
(39:23):
see on your practice plan?
Speaker 2 (39:25):
Mhmm probably shoot, it's not rapid.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
I was about to say, what happened.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
It's so many drills I don't like to see, but
probably the Foster advantage. I don't like that drill.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
What is that?
Speaker 2 (39:40):
Like?
Speaker 1 (39:40):
It's like when you have the free throw and it's
like two people and it's like one on two and
two on three, like, yeah.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
You're if you're the one, if you start as the
one your gas Yeah yeah, yeah, that drill does suck? Okay,
game winning shot or game winning.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
Steel, game winning shot okay, and.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
One or three pointer and one group TikTok or solo
TikTok group group Okay? Why double zero for your jersey number?
Speaker 1 (40:12):
In Hawaii? I got that number. My coach was like,
my AU coach was like, oh, you play like.
Speaker 2 (40:16):
James Bond, like double zero, double o seven. So I
just cared it and ran with it.
Speaker 3 (40:21):
So, oh that's good. James Bond is nice.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (40:24):
I feel like I've never heard that in a basketball term,
but I like it. I like it. Okay, where's the
toughest place to play on the road? And why.
Speaker 2 (40:34):
In C State because of their crowd.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
Yeah, we talked about it earlier. Okay, biggest trash talker?
This could be anybody or somebody on your team.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Sarah, but Jetty really yeah, we'd be at the now.
Speaker 3 (40:47):
Really, I feel like I've seen this, like they always like,
will run a back quick highlight of her. You just
see her mouth.
Speaker 2 (40:52):
Yeah, I can see that.
Speaker 3 (40:55):
Okay, what's your biggest basketball ag?
Speaker 2 (40:58):
Ooh? Charges? I hate I hate people that take charges
on me. Really, Yes, it's the new rule. You can
take a charge anywhere, and I hate it.
Speaker 3 (41:07):
Yeah, that's true. Okay, who's the biggest flopper?
Speaker 2 (41:12):
H Nigga's flopper? I don't want to put my teammates
down like that. But Sarah Sarah and her again.
Speaker 3 (41:23):
So we need it.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
She'd be bringing all the emotions. She is an actress. Yes,
I love that.
Speaker 3 (41:29):
Honestly, you you need somebody like that to get you
some calls you every now and then. You need it. Okay,
who's your celebrity lookalike?
Speaker 2 (41:38):
I don't even know who I look like. I don't like.
I don't get comparisons.
Speaker 3 (41:42):
You know you're one of one's the answer. That's the answer. Okay,
somebody you would want to play two on two with,
but it can't be one of your own.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
Teammates m Raymond Johnson.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
Okay, I love that. Y'all gonna be a little small,
but I believe in you. I believe. Okay. What is
your favorite pregame height song?
Speaker 2 (42:06):
So? Hmm the Biggest by boss Man Bilo.
Speaker 3 (42:10):
Okay, so I thought you were gonna say some Little
Baby since we were talking about it earlier, but that's
another good pick. Okay. What's your best impersonation of Coach brook.
Speaker 2 (42:21):
You?
Speaker 3 (42:23):
Oh my god, the voice is crazy. If she listens
to this, you're gonna get in trouble. I will not
be to break. She already out Okay, Okay, I'm really
be listening out for that eter be miked up so
I can hear that voice specifically. Okay, that's good, But Tanya,
thank you so much for coming on. This has been
such a pleasure to get to catch up with you.
Speaker 2 (42:45):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (42:46):
I really I am so proud of you and the
growth that you've had.
Speaker 2 (42:50):
And this is podcasts. I really love this podcast, so
thank you for having me.
Speaker 3 (42:54):
Yeah, you know, always go you slightly ghost seminals, but
not too much, none of the none of the arm stuff.
I'm not doing that. Yeah yeah, But thank you so
much to everyone for listening. Stay tuned for another episode
of Sometimes I Hope. We'll be back next week. Hey everyone,
(43:17):
thanks so much for listening to Sometimes I Hoop. Please
don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review wherever you get
your podcasts. Be sure to follow me on Instagram at
Haley dot Jones. That's no I and Hailey and three
s's and Jones to get all the Sometimes I Hoop content.
You can also watch the episodes on the players Tribune
YouTube page. Thanks again for all your support the players
(43:46):
tribute dot com
My first summer in college. It was pretty rough. I
was like, I don't know if I'm fin the storry.
These practices are crazy. My defense, I don't even know
what hell defense is like geez. I was just like, yeah,
I was just a deer in hairlights and I was
just stressing so bad. But it wasn't until like right
before the season, we had a scrimmage against our practice guys,
(00:23):
Like we had a real scrimmage, refs and everything that
was just to get us prepared for the season, and
we had a real game.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
My coach put me in the starting lineup for that,
and I was like, oh, okay, I think I swore
like twenty seven against the boys, And that was like
my breakout moment, especially like just in practice, like okay,
I feel like myself again. And since then I just
was like, you know what, I.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Can welcome back to sometimes. I hope We've got a
highly requested guest just in time for marsh manas joining
us today. Quick Humble Bragg twenty twenty three National Freshman
of the Year, two times first Team All acc one
of the fast It's just in program history to ever
cross a thousand career points, none other than Florida State's
(01:05):
own Toenai Latson, thank you so much propping on the
pod today. Thank you so much for having me, of course,
presented by Wendy's. Well, March Madness is here, So I
need to know what song is on repeat in the
locker room right now for you and your team to
get y'all ready, I.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Would say Humble by Little Baby. Well, I'm not from Atlanta.
I'm from Miami, but I used to live in Atlanta.
I went to the high school in Atlanta. Little Baby's
my favorite artist, So repeat for me.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
You can claim the a a little bit. You said
you spent some good time there, Okay, I see jumping
right into the women's basketball landscape. Things are heating up
in the conference tournament. As we've seen over these past
few days, things have been a little crazy. But we'll
start with you guys in acc tournament. Big win against Syracuse,
tough loss against NC State. What do you like about
(01:57):
how your team is gelling headed into March Madness right now?
Speaker 1 (02:00):
We're just we understand that it's bigger than us and
we want to, you know, change the program.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
We want to turn it around.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
I feel like we all have the same common goal,
which is to win. That's very important, and we're just
jeling right. We have chemistry on and off the court,
and like I said, we just.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Have each other's backs. So I feel like that's what's
helping us go into the tournament.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Yeah, I feel like it's very apparent when you guys
play that you have great team chemistry. You've kind of
had that young core really since you guys came in,
so I think it's really kind of showing as you
get into this part of the season. But I mean,
the ACC Final was exciting. Notre Dame be NC State.
It was a really close game. Did you have Notre
Dame winning or did you pick NC State? What was
your kind of prediction heading into that.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
I knew Notre Dame was gonna win, okay, but I
have a lot of friends that play for NC State,
so I was kind of just neutral. I love coach
iov she's such an amazing coach, and coach Wes Moore
he's such a great coach too, So I knew it
was going to be a battle, but I knew Notre
Dame was going to win.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
It, Okay, Yeah, I got I saw Notre Dame play
against Georgia say. I mean, they're tough to beat. I
feel like they have a lot of different weapons. But
you guys do too. You lead the ACC top of
the conference and scoring at eighty points a game. I mean,
that's hefty. How are you supposed to like it's really
just trying to outscore y'all at the end of the day.
So what makes you guys so dangerous on the offensive end?
Speaker 1 (03:17):
I feel like we played pretty fast. I mean, we're
the fastest in the conference.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
That's our motto. Just be the fastest team in the country.
Get to the basket, you know, just everybody's an attack.
Everybody can go to the.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Basket, and I feel like that really helps us score
as much as we do.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
I mean, in you individually averaging twenty one a game,
that's insane for you to be doing. For still, I
feel like you're still so young in my eyes, but
you've been running a FSU for a few years now.
So I mean, you're averaging twenty one a game, fourth
and ACC thirteenth in the country. How do you feel
like you've continued to elevate your game because even as
a freshman, you were one of the top scorers in
(03:53):
the league, and so now you're at the head of
every scatting report. So how have you continued to still
work through all the different defense schemes being thrown at you.
If they're going over, they're trapping, all these different things.
How have you been able to continue to elevate your game?
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Just trying to be consistent with my outside shot and
I've been working on that in an off season. Just
trying to, you know, open up the lane for me
to be a threat all over the floor. Just getting
my teammates more involved. When I am getting tried, just
try to pass somebody that's open, Just make the right
place for my teammates and myself, and just continue to
be me.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
I just take what the.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Defense is given me, but also just still trying to
be aggressive, still trying to have that hunger. I feel
like that was the biggest thing this year for me.
Just continue to be hunger.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Yeah, And I think it's what you talked about reading
the defense. You're not one of those players where like
it's always you're going to get yours. I feel like
you read the defense so well in terms of like
you're getting your teammates involved. You've a lot of different
scoring weapons on your team. And so I think that's
what makes you so great is reading though all those
different options, which I've always loved about your game, even
throwing it back through our first takeover when we met,
(04:56):
like you're a player to get your teammates involved. But
talking about other conference tournaments, the SEC was absolutely insane
watching it was all over the place. So we'll start
off with the semis. Tennessee had South Carolina, which I
did not see coming. Honestly, I know Tennessee is good,
but I thought South Carolina was gonna run that game.
Camilla hitting the three like your first career attempt is insane.
(05:20):
So with Starborth Tennessee, do you feel like they're kind
of kind of like being under the radar team. I
feel like their coach always has in prep, so coming
into the tournament, I feel like, you know, you guys
beat them earlier in the year, which was close. Well,
you guys won by one something one by one. That
was a close game too, and so you know, I
(05:41):
feel like they're kind of under the radar. But coming
off a loss like that, do you feel like that'll
really help them moving into the postseason.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Yeah, I mean, I feel like nobody's coming that close
to beating South Carolina, and I feel like that should
give them an extra boost, like that they are capable
of beating the best. That shouldn't be like a dagger
for them. I feel like that should give them confidence
to show like what they're capable of. And they have awesome,
awesome players like Jewel Spear, Makia Jackson, and they just
(06:09):
they just jell. I feel like they really fit each other.
So I feel like they're going to make a pretty
good run in the tournament.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
I feel like a lot of teams have the capability
to really put together a tough run of the tournament.
Oh yeah, but another team like that is LSU. I
just I don't have the words. Everybody knew that rematch
was going to be insane. LSU South Carolina has really
become a rivalry in recent years. I feel like and
SE seems invincible a lot of the time, but they've
(06:37):
had a few close games like that. Talking about Tennessee,
I think they had another scare earlier in SEC play.
But like the end of that game shows the intensity
of women's basketball right now, and I feel like it's
literally all over my social media feed no matter where
I am. What's TikTok Twitter, it's online seeing So I
want your opinion. Do you feel like the benches should
(06:57):
have been ejected?
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Like? What?
Speaker 3 (06:59):
What are you? And especially like them not being able
to come out and celebrate at the end was wild.
I saw Chloe posting the selfie before in the locker room.
I was dying. But what's your opinion on how the
end of the game and how that was all handled? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
That was crazy.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
I mean I can see the ejections, but like you said,
just allowing them to come out and celebrate that was like,
I feel like they should have been able to do that. Yeah,
I don't know, Like I knew it was going to
come to that because it was a pretty physical game
and you know the rest were lating and play and
talks next. So yeah, I mean that's what happens, Like
post Don Staley said, that's what happens when Temperance Squayer
(07:36):
and everybody's trying to win. But it was really great
for TV. It's it's good for girls basketball too. I
feel like it brings a lot of exposure for us.
And yeah, I mean I'm always going to go for
South Carolina because my teammate Raven Johnson my high school teammate.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
I love her. I was so happy that they won.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
I like LSU two. I got a couple of friends
over there too. So it was a good game though.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
It was really good.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Yeah, it was a good game, And like you said,
I feel like it's so good for women's basketball, not
only like the pub around it, but more so just
to show that competitive aspect to it. I feel like
a lot of times people don't think that we play
like that, Like it's physical out there, and like you said,
the rest were letting them play. I was watching the
battle in the post like it was getting shippy. Oh
(08:20):
we're not calling anything today, but literally literally do you
feel like you've noticed like a level of physicality really
increase in the postseason Because watching yesterday's game and other
women's college basketball games, I'm like, oh my god, it
is down and dirty up in the pain. I feel
the physicality has just gotten to another level as we
(08:42):
head into March madness. M h.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
You see teams just like they got that hunger in
their eyes. Every game is like hard, especially in the
a SEC tournament like River Baldwin and Maddy Westboper going.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Yeah, like it was.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Some temperance playing then, So yeah, I just feel like
everybody just has one goal, which is to win, and
they're playing hard for sure.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
I'm really just like refs are letting them play because
I feel like, especially in conference tournaments like that, refs
are really trying to set the tone that like it's
going to be played a certain type of way. But
I did not see that this year, which I was
a fan of honestly, like, let them play. It's great.
But touching on another conference, we have the Big Ten.
Seeing Ohio State in Indiana lose, I was shocked that
(09:24):
was that was insane because Ohio State was on a
fourteen game win streak heading into that, so to drop
back to back and I don't know how that's going
to affect their number one seed. Lining like that, I
feel like it's just showing the depth of every conference
because I feel like in years past it's kind of
been like SEC Pack twelve and ACC you're deep from
top to bottom. Big Ten and Big twelve are always
(09:45):
kind of run by those same top teams. But see
somebody like a Nebraska A getting to the championship game
is really exciting. And so that overtime final, oh my God.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Do you feel like that secures Iowa a number one
seed heading into the turn or do you feel like
things can still kind of be shaken up coming into
Selection Sunday.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
I feel like that secures them.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Honestly, they had they had a pretty good year, even
though they had a couple upsets. I feel like just
the power of Caitlin Clark, like, yeah, you know, yeah,
I feel like they're going to get that number one
see for sure.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Yeah, I feel like they could have secured it with that.
But honestly, like the number one seas are really all
over the place. You had somebody like uc LA run
the table at number two for weeks on in Ohio
State for weeks and for them to kind of drop
like they did towards the end of the season, it
should be interesting. I think Selection Sunday is going to
be all over the place. And finally with the peck
Stanford did lose yesterday. Hurt my heart, but I mean
(10:41):
usc is tough. Usc is tough. You gotta give to him.
And I feel like, you know, Juju's amazing, but I
feel like people are so caught up being like she's
the whole team, when in reality, she's a great supporting cast,
somebody like Mackenzie Forbes, who I played club with, who
I love seeing her.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yeah, yeah, I played USA with her, and she's such
a great teammate, Like she does all the little things,
so she does.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I love seeing just like other players step up. And
I think what makes Juju great, just like yourself, is
that when she sees like maybe she doesn't have the
hot hand, you know, she's still swinging the ball, She's
getting her teammates involve, there's all these other things going on.
Do you think USC has enough like in their arsenal
to get a number one seed after winning the pack
at the end of the year.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
M I don't know. PAC twelve was tough this year, Like,
I don't know, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
We'll leave that one undecided. And then yeah, talking about
Juju a little bit, we talk about Notre Dame coming
from you being a Rookie of the year yourself. Who
has your vote for this season's Freshman of the Year,
Hannah or Juju? Are you on one side? Are you
gonna take the middle?
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Give us some good Well, I've been knowing Juju since
I was in like seventh grade.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
She was like sixth grade. So it's some history there,
and you know, Hannah Hodago, I gotta give her a pot.
She's an amazing player, so I'm just gonna stay neutral.
But at the same time, I gotta go with, like,
my friend, you just been playing her butt off, like
I'm not gonna lie. A lot of people haven't seen that.
And I feel like she gives college.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Basketball just stuff like a refreshing Like she's so refreshing,
she's such a great person.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
She's an amazing player. Like I said, so I feel
like they're going to give it to her.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Yeah, okay, I appreciate you taking aside. You were trying
to skip out on me on a few of those
controversial questions. I appreciate the side. Uh. But you know,
I think they both had amazing seasons. But I don't
think USC, like we talked about, their supporting cast is great.
But I don't know USC would be where they are
without Juju and her performances, which I think she's so
(12:42):
valuable to that program, not only for her scoring, but
like seeing the impact that she's had people coming to
their games, all the different celebrities.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Like it's insane, it's insane.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
But think about the tournament I want to get into
the madness a little bit, and some of our next
questions are brought to us by a lovely sponsor and Wendy's.
So I want to ask you a question about We
talked a little about like kind of those dark horse teams,
people who are kind of coming into it towards the
end of the season. What teams have made you do
a double take and like who could kind of make
(13:13):
a run this year, because there's always those teams. A
few years ago is Craton, I don't know. I think
another year it was like, yeah, Miami was a team
last year, So who do you feel like is going
to be that team this year?
Speaker 1 (13:27):
M I feel like Michigan. Michigan has been playing pretty
good too lately. I'm not gonna lie Michigan. Course Tennessee,
like I just said, I feel like they're going to
make a pretty good one.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Who else sang? I don't know.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
I feel like, I mean Notre Dame, like they just
want acc but I feel like people are still kind
of like underestimating them. I feel like they're going to
make a pretty good one too.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Especially if they're healthy.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Virginia Tag, I mean, they just lost liszt kid me,
So I don't know. I don't know, but yeah, those teams.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Some good picks. I think the one I would add
is like Oregon State coming into their own this this
half the season, because I mean, like me playing against
some of the pack. You know, they're always good, but
I feel like in years past, recently they've kind of
not been getting it together. But I think this year
they've really been showing out. Like Reagan Beers is a
monster down there. Oh my god, her playing her last year,
(14:22):
she set a screen on me, and I think I
almost like passed away. I wasn't getting through that. I
was done. I needed a sub so, like, she's a monster.
But they have a lot of great pieces. But talking
about teams, I want to move into specific players. Is
there anybody that has like really impressed you this season
that's gonna make some noise in the tournament?
Speaker 2 (14:42):
M M of course Juju, of course, Hannah Hidalgo with
Kia Jackson. Who else?
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Georgia Amore, Like I know she's without Liz right now,
and that's like her partner in crime.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
But she's an amazing player, amazing player. Who else? I
don't know, Alyssa Peelee. I feel like she's pretty good. Yeah,
yeah from Utah. Who else? Yeah, that's all I got
on the top of my head right now.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
There are some good picks. I love watching Georgia play
her step Pad three is actually like unguardable. What are
you supposed to do with that?
Speaker 2 (15:20):
That crossovers. My freshman year.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
That was like my walk into college moment almost got
almost failed.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Yeah, it's okay, It's happened to many people out there.
It's fine. I had my welcome to the League moment
with a freaking jab step, so like, you're good, a crossover,
step back, You're fine. But I think headed is a tournament.
One thing that I've always found so interesting. It's like
you play at these neutral sites, right with the regionals,
you have Seattle, greensborod whatever it may be. But the
(15:51):
way that the certain fans show up for certain teams,
it does not feel neutral. Like see South Carolina travel
to Greensboro, which honestly isn't even that far in Colombia.
But like playing somebody like that, I feel like there
are certain fan bases that are just absolutely insane. What
do you feel like one is the wildest fan bases?
I mean, recently in college hoops.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
In C State when we played them, they had the
whole crowd. It was just go.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
Pay Really, I didn't know that one.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Yeah, they have a pretty big crowd. It is like
super loud and there when we do play there. Louisville
has a good one in the ACC too.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Who else? Iowa?
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Of course, you know, Oh my god, yeah yeah, Lsu
they have prettiest crowd.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
I feel like those are the top ones for sure.
I didn't realize NC State traveled like that though. I
didn't know the pack was like that. I feel like
you know about LSU, Iowa. A big one for me
is I see game cognation everywhere, like it does not
matter where you are. I see South Carolina fans. And
then my last one around this is we talked a
little bit about different guards in the ACC and how
(16:56):
stacked it is, including yourself. Who do you feel like
is your toughest guard where it's kind of like that
big guard that's circled on you on every scatter before
every time you play them.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
M dang, let me see, it was Haley Vandless she
was she was a dog and who I'm not gonna
lie it's Hannah now of course like she's she's just
a dog on defense and offense, like she can play
both ends of the floor. When we played Notre Dame,
(17:26):
I was like, preparing for that was the most focus I've.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Ever been in the game.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Like I was like I had to go beet training
before that game. Like it was it was serious.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
It was serious.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
But yeah, she's such an amazing player. So I feel like, yeah,
Hannah's Hannah's a big dog. She's a big dog.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
That's crazy. That's crazy. Yeah, I mean to be doing
that as a freshman as wild and I feel like
that that's how people were curcling you when you were
a freshman and now still, which is m h it's
crazy to see. But talking about giving people their flowers,
we gave Handah whole bunch of Georgia. But I feel
like one person that kind of goes under the radar
for a lot of people is Miss Fair from Syracuse.
(18:06):
For her, oh my god, for her to be doing
what she's doing, and I feel like she doesn't get
enough love in the media as well. You don't see
that hype. And I remember I played her in my
freshman year and she was at Buffalo. She gave us
buckets like a thirty ball, like what like there was
we threw six different people at her, and there was
still she was still gonna go get hers. So what
is it like scouting her? And then actually it's one
(18:28):
thing he scout somebody, but actually executing that when playing
somebody for her caliber talsks me about.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Her the first time we played them at their house,
like she was on fire. I feel like that was
when she first hit like three k points and we
had like.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Three four different people on her and it was crazy.
She was shooting from the coach's box.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
I was like, Yo, this is grazy, Like you couldn't
do nothing about it.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Like it is like you try to ice her, you
try to drop on her, like it's just so many
different defenses and she's in a amazing shooter. All you
can do is really just try to turn her into
a driver, make her put the ball on the floor.
And I feel like that's what we did the second
time around, which in the ACC tournament, she only had
like two.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Threes and we were just like, oh, thank God, thank
you God.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
That's a win. That's a win. Yeah honest, yeah. And
then my other one, I say, doesn't get a lot
of love but every time I watch n C State,
I'm always really impressed with Aziah James. I feel like
she's kind of that X factor with NC State you
think about you know, yes, Senai Rivers, you have Rhyther River,
you have Madison, all these different pieces, but I think
she really holds them down and it's a spark for them,
(19:36):
which she gets hot. So what do you think she
brings to NC State?
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yeah, that that's my dog. She's a she's a killer.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
I was surprised that she didn't play as much last
year because last year we beat NC State at home,
but when she came in the.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Game, it was like a whole different momentum.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
So I'm just happy to see that she's out there
killing it like how she is now.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
I really wish she was playing with me. But but yeah,
she's such an a as employer, even better person off
the court.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
I love that. Okay, So before we get to talking,
it's more about you and talking about your journey all
these different things. We've started a new segment here, which
is my Question of the Day, which is my favorite
thing to ask people. This is gonna tell me a
lot about you. Okay, So prepare yourself it's gonna be
a little out of the park. But what do you
feel like is the biggest animal that you could take
(20:24):
in a fist fight? Talking about no weapons, like have
a big ego here, Okay, don't say some lame like
a puppy or like a raccoon, because people have tried
to tell me that, Like, what's the biggest one you
feel like you could take?
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Probably an elephant?
Speaker 3 (20:40):
Oh my god? Really?
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (20:44):
Yeah, but like that's what you say, like the biggest
like sidewise.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Like you're yeah, like you're gonna take it in a
fist fight, though, an elephant?
Speaker 2 (20:51):
No, no, let me see.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Let me see what am I gonna take? Probably like
a snake like people are scared of.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Thanks, that's a good one. I haven't heard snake yet.
Elephant is wild, mine is giraffe. I feel like I
could take out the knees and then get them on
the ground and then win. You know, yeah, all right,
I didn't like your face that you needed to have.
I said, I know, all right, whatever, snake, I'll take it. Whatever.
(21:23):
We're gonna jump into you and your basketball journey. Let's
take it back a little bit. Miami, Florida. Your dad
was in the military, so you kind of jumped around
a lot. Texas, Missouri, Hawaii, Atlanta, Miami. How did you
start getting into basketball? Who put the ball in your hands?
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Honestly, my cousins did.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
They played overseas and I just grew up watching them,
And ever since I was three years old, I just
always wanted to play basketball.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
But I didn't start taking it serious until like seventh grade.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
That's when I was like, Okay, I want to start
playing basketball for real, for real. Before that, I was
just thinking of everything. I was raised in Missouri, so
you know, I was raised around a lot of white kids,
and you know, I just wanted to, you know, try
to follow in their footsteps. I wanted to be a
marine biologist at one point before like taking basketball serious,
like I was a nerd. And then I was like,
(22:12):
you know, and once I moved to Hawaii, I started
taking it more serious. My dad was like, nah, you
need to really start, like, you know, training and taking
this serious. So that's what I did, and ever since
then the rest is history.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
Oh wow, I love that. Oh wow, I mean I've
had growing up in Hawaii was so much fun. I'm
actually very jealous of that. I bet that was a blast.
So growing up you started to take it seriously around
seventh grade, was there somebody that you really modeled your
game after, somebody that you looked up to?
Speaker 2 (22:39):
M Maya More for sure.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
I loved Maya More like she was an amazing player,
such when she retired, But yeah, her, and I would
say Lebron James. I just like how powerful he plays like.
He just plays like he's just like, you know, a
king for real. So I try to model that like
I tried to. But I lot of comparison of like
(23:01):
baby Flash, like Dwayne Wade, So now I just watched
a lot of him, like young Dwayne Wade for sure.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
So those are those are three good picks. Honestly, you
named some heavy hitters. I can I can see all
three of them. Though. I feel like the way, even
though you may not be the biggest guard out there,
the way that you get to the rim like you're
bullying people down there, there's no getting in front of you,
which is really impressive. Talk to me a little bit
about your recruiting process, moving from state to state kind
of all around the country. Did that have an impact
(23:29):
in the way you got recruited? Maybe you know jumping
around AAU, teams, different schools, things like that. How did
that impact your recruiting?
Speaker 1 (23:36):
Well, I didn't start like getting recruited for al until
like I moved to Atlanta. That's when I started playing
with FBC in like tenth grade. That's when I started
getting my offers and stuff like that. But people knew
me from Hawaii, they just didn't know how to contact me.
So that was when I started really getting like more offers.
My first offer was probably I think it was Georgia,
(23:58):
and then Florida State had came for that, and then
after Florida, say, everybody just started rolling in.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
And so when did you realize, you know, he kind
of talks about jumping around all these different things, playing
against a lot of different types of competition. When did
you realize that you were gonna be one of the
best players in your class? Because you ended up coming
out the top small guard in your class shooting guard.
So when did you realize, like, I'm like that, you know,
like I need to be getting recruited. I'm gonna go
(24:25):
do X y Z once I get to the next level.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
I would say, like tenth grade for sure.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
I struggled in high school because I played with so
many good players. I just was like, you know, maybe
I'm not enough, maybe I'm not as good as you
know who I'm playing with. And you know, my mom
used to tell me a lot. She used to be like, okay, tonight,
you can't compare yourself to other people. And that's what
I've been sicking with the whole time. And I feel
like McDonald American, that's what really solidified it for me
(24:50):
that I am one of the best of my class.
Just like I mean, I was like third stream. I
came off the bench.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
For real midgar. I was like, I'm mad that.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
But yeah, that that just gave me motivation, especially heading
into college, because I was like, nah, I'm way better
than what people are trying to put, like you know,
project me as so no.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
I feel that my McDonald's game was absolutely awful, Like
I was trash, so like I poof that. I get that.
I agree. I think it's also like, when you're playing
in such competition, it's hard to not have that comparison
going on in your head because it's like, oh, well,
they're doing this, they're doing that. I need to be
doing a different things. Especially I remember seeing your your
(25:34):
FBC team, like y'all were all over Instagram, y'all were
everywhere loaded. So what were some of the top players
in your class or in that AA you experience that
you remember going head to head with and being like, Okay,
this is gonna be my competition, not only now but
now in the college landscape, like y'all are still the
top dogs going head to head.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
Oh yeah, well I never played against ki q Rice,
but she was always like top lorm beds.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
That was you know, boring bets and born bits.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Yeah, while j Johnson I played against her a lot.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
In Atlanta, London.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Jones, I've been knowing her for a while too, So yeah,
it was just a lot of girls like Jania Barker
her too, she played for Essence. Yeah, it was just
a lot of girls. I'm like, dang, I don't.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Know how I'm you know, like I didn't even know.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
I thought I was going to make the McDonald American
Oh please, like sending a hope and a prayer. I
was like, I hope I do. But I didn't make
the Jordans All American whatever that was. But I didn't
make that. So I was just like, well, I'm glad
you just have made the Makedon All American team, especially
because I feel like I was.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Just underrated in high school for sure.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
Even though I was a number one shooting guard, I
just felt like I wasn't still well.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
So you're jump into some of my questions here. We'll
jump back into that in a bit, don't you worry.
But what ended up being that deciding factor for you
to choose Florida State? Because I feel like Florida State
is like, historically this legendary program, but kind of before
you got there, they've been under the radar for a
few years. They had been performing as people wanted them to.
So what made you want to go to Florida State?
Speaker 1 (27:05):
It was somewhere that I knew I could make a
name for myself. And I feel like I could have
went anywhere and made a name for myself for sure,
but they were just the most consistent. I loved the staff.
The girls treated.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Me like I was their little sister when I went
on my official visit, and I just had a great time.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
I remember going with Raven and Snoop up there for
an unofficial and I didn't have an offer, but those
two they did have an offer, and I was just
up there like a little kid. That was the first
college I've ever been to, so I was just happy
to be there. And then by the end of that I.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Got the offer.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
So I was just like, you know what this is
definitely like from then on, I was like, Yeah, this
is going to be a top five school for me.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
And then it's hard because then your head coach Sue
retired in twenty twenty two. So then when Coach Brooke
ended up taking over, what was that decision making process
for you to decide to stay? Because I feel like
a lot of people reopen up their recruiting, think about
leaving all these different things. So what was it about
Coach Brooke that made you decide that you to stay.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Yeah, it was definitely hard here and coach who retired
because she's such an amazing moment. But Coach Brookes, she
was the associate head coach at the time, and she.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
Recruited me like heavily. We talked all the time, We
talked about.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Boys, school, everything, so she was one of the only
coaches that I actually had a connection with. So I
was just like, you know what, I'm gonna stick it
through and see where it takes me and it's one
of the best decisions I've ever made.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
Well, yeah, I mean it seems like it's worked out
pretty well. And so I went it back to your
freshman year. You showed up and showed out. You were
the first a SEC freshman to ever lead the leading
scoring at twenty one point three single season freshman scoring record,
which is insane. And then you just did so much.
You really carried for the state as a freshman, which
I feel like is really hard to do. Coming in
(28:46):
to the league. You're figuring out college. There's a lot of
different factors that are now impacting you. But you know,
coming into your freshman year we talked about that underrated piece.
Do you feel like you had something to prove?
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Yeah, of course I knew like capabilities, I knew like
coming into college. Well, at first, my first summer in college,
it was pretty rough. I was like, I don't know
if I'm fin the side. These practices are crazy. My
defense I don't even know what hell defense.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
Is Like, Oh, she's huge. Gee.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
I was just like, yeah, I was just a deer
in hairlights and I was just stressing so bad. But again,
going back to that connection with coach Brook. She just
told me to take it one day at a time,
and I feel like that would really help me and
gain back my confidence and you know, just that hunger
to you know, go out there and prove myself.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
And then ever since then, I just ran with it. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Well, I feel like what's so interesting with that underrated
aspect of you is like within the women's basketball community
and basketball community general, everybody knows how much of a
bucket you are. Right Like we've talked about you many
times on this podcast, that's even being on here or
anything like that. You're brought up consistently, and so I
think within the basketball community there's no sense of underrated,
(29:55):
like you are elite. But I feel, like we talked
about earlier, with all these different players, the media isn't
giving that recognition that you deserve. And so even coming
from yourself talking about you know, freshman summer is very humbling.
I was humbled as well, Like it's you got to
learn a lot, it's schemes, it's help side, it's not
everything runs through you. And so when did you start
(30:18):
feeling like I could really dominate night in and night out.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
In the top league like the ACC it wasn't until
like we had like it was right before the season.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
We had a scrimmage against our practice guys, Like we
had a real scrimmage, refs and everything that was just
to get us prepare for the season, and we had
a real game. My coach put me in the starting
lineup for that, and I was like, oh, okay, well
and then.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
Like after that, I just like I think I swore.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Like twenty seven against the boys, and that was like
my breakout moment, especially like just in practice, like Okay,
I feel like myself again. And since then, I just
was like, you know what I can. If I can
do this against these boys, I can do it against
these girls. So just getting back to me and being confident,
that was like that was that moment for me.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
Yeah, I mean I feel like confidence can really change anything,
like whether the ability is always going to be there,
but it's the way that you view yourself really. So
I feel like your game is so different from a
lot of different players, the way that you move, the
way that you're able to body people, your body control,
all these different aspects of you. What do you feel
like is that part of your game that teams weren't
(31:25):
really prepared for to deal with you with your freshman year, Like,
what do you think set you apart from a lot
of the different guards in the ACC.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
I feel like my speed definitely, my change of pace,
just getting to the basket, the way I.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Can weave throughout defenses.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
I feel like sometimes that has a lot of teams
stuck and they don't know what to do, and just
my relentnesses. I just keep going. I don't stop. So yeah,
I feel like that's what really just shocked a lot
of teams.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
No, for sure. And I feel like even watching you
as a freshman, I think that a lot of people
I wasn't even mature at this point in my freshman career,
but like you know, you miss so you have a
few turnovers, whatever, that relentless aspect to you, You're gonna
keep going. It does not phase you. You are still going.
And as an opponent, like that is so frustrating because
you're like, oh, I'm in their head, but you're really not,
(32:11):
Like you just gonna keep it, pushing next play, and
it's very frustrating. And so I think for other ACC
teams and all the opponents that you face, like to
see you do that. Know, as a freshman, but continue
do it now. It's really hard to stop somebody with
that type of mindset. And you've always had that impact
with the team that you were on, and you were
kind of put into what seemed like a leadership position
(32:33):
pretty early leading your team is scoring, leading the league scoring.
So how hard was that as a freshman to come
in and like lead the team and you're seventeen eighteen
leading these twenty two year olds, Like, it's a weird
dynamic to have.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
It was very hard.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
I always feel guilty for the sussosia that I do have,
well I did.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
I just felt bad because.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
I'm like, dang, bro like these like, you know, fifty
year seniors and they haven't even scored a thousand points,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (33:02):
Yeah, you're out here already, get there.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
So I never wanted to really just it was just
hard just to be myself fully last year.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
I felt like, especially with like you know, some.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
Of the older girls that we had. They loved me,
of course, they supported me, but I.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
Always felt bad for what I, like, you know, achieved,
because I just was like, I don't want to step
on anybody's toes.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
I don't want to, you know, do too much, but
at the same time, like I gotta go get.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
Mine, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
And at the end of the day, I always did
anything that it took, you know, for my teammates to
be successful, for us to win and stuff like that.
But I just had to stop feeling guilty and just
continue to be me because I know the person.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
That I am.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
Yeah, and I think it's also like seeing those older
teammates uplift you in the fashion that they did, because
not a lot of people can take that. If you're
older and you're a young person coming in and you're
outshouting them doing all the different things, a lot of
people can take that the wrong way and then they
will then like sabotage a tea whatever it may be.
But it seems like the program that you guys have
and the girls that you're playing with everybody, it's like
(34:03):
once you put your own eagles aside and the whole
team goal of winning is at the front, that's all
that matters. It's whoever's going to get us there, it's
going to be worth that. So talking a little bitout
the end of your freshman season, your seasons cut short
with an injury, and y'all were peaking at that time,
which is so tough. I feel that I had the
(34:23):
same thing happened. And so take me back to that
moment when you found out you weren't going to be
able to play in the postseason. You still learn Rookie
of the Year first team on acc But how were
you able to handle being sidelined with an injury right
before the conference nca tournament? Because it's hard and it's
hard to stay engaged and you know you're already having
this amazing season, so like you want to do more,
(34:45):
as I know you did, so like, how were you
able to deal with that?
Speaker 2 (34:49):
Yeah? It was tough at first.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
I was like, dang, like right before the tournament, I
feel like that was going to be my moment to
just like, you know, show the world like who I
really am around that. But I feel like everything happens
for a reason. I trust God, And like I said,
I just felt like it happened for a reason, and
I was blessed. It was a blessing in the curse
at the same time, because I got to see things
(35:12):
from a different perspective. I felt like, you know, sitting
on a bench and taught me a lot about how
to be a good teammate, how to celebrate others even
when I'm not out there, And I feel like that
was a learning curve for me for sure.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
It didn't seem to impact the mindset that bag because
your first game back, come back, twenty ball upset over Tennessee.
You picked up right where you left off. So I
feel like that's amazing to see, especially for somebody so young,
to come back and just get right back into the
flow of things. So what was that recovery process for you,
Like heading into your sophomore season, working on that off
(35:43):
season not only like focusing our knee rehab, but it's
also the mental aspect of trusting yourself again getting back
into playing shape.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
It's very difficult that summer after like my injury and stuff.
I had to go to USA.
Speaker 1 (35:56):
And I was insnawstic, yeah, but really just prepared.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
Me for the season.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
I felt like this past summer was probably the hardest
summer I've ever had, just mentally, just like there's so
much pressure I have to continue to grow my game
and I want to be consistent. I want to, like
I said, just continue to grow. So all the pressure,
all the media, my family and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
It really became a lot at one point.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
But I felt like once non conference was over this year,
I felt like I was back into my group coming
into ACC play. So yeah, I felt back in shape
and I felt ready to go.
Speaker 3 (36:30):
Well, I mean, we see it. We see it now,
And I want you to talk a little bit about
kind of your big three that you guys have at
Florida State. Because the three y'all be going crazy, you,
OMG and Mikayla. When you guys are healthy, it's unstopable.
Then you also take into account Sarah, your point guard.
I feel like all y'all together, it's quite a core
to have. And so was there a certain game this
(36:52):
season with all four of you guys hitting that really
made you feel like you guys could contend in the
tournament this year and make it deep run.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
Yeah, Regina into we played great against Virginia Tech. I
felt like we all like we all did what we
had to do.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
And since that game, we just came together and we
were like, we're the core.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
We have to you know, we have to set the tone,
even for the players on the bench, the freshman everybody.
That's when we ran with the whole season, just the
core us for you know, going out there just doing
the best that we could.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
Okay, amazing you do Virginia Tech quick. I remember watching
that game, y'all. Y'all were clicking. It was very apparent.
And when you guys are clicking, it's scary. And so
you know, coming off a tough loss in a CEC tournament,
now we're getting to March madness, it's really big tournament time.
What's not only your mindset but kind of the vibe
of the locker room thinking about what goals you guys
have moving into this postseason.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
I feel like nobody expected us to go to the
semi finals in the a SEC tournament anyways, So that
was just that was just motivation. Just it's for for
us to just bring into NC double as. I feel like,
like you said, when we're clicking, we probably played the
best our best games in the tournament. Honestly, we played
really good and that's it just gave us a taste of,
(38:06):
you know, what we're capable of and how far we
can actually go.
Speaker 3 (38:10):
I mean, this is the time to peak, honestly, But yeah,
you know, the rest of the season matters. You're trying
to get together, but like you're peaking now, that's what
you need to see. And this is also going to
be your first NCAA tournament with your team at full strength.
So how does that feel, y'all peaking at the right time,
everybody's clicking and you're out full strength. How good does
(38:30):
that feel to have everything clicking at the right time.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
It feels amazing. Like I said, it just we care
about each other.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
We want to win, and I feel like everybody's on
the same page and it's a great time to be
on the same page. I feel like, yeah, so yeah,
I just hope that we can go pretty far.
Speaker 3 (38:49):
Well, I'm excited for y'all. I mean, I'm always rooting
for you individually, as you know, but now I'm a
I'm a little bit of a Semino fan rooting for
you and the team.
Speaker 2 (39:01):
Now.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
I don't know if I could get that far, but
but like a little bit, I'm always like, go tonight.
But before we wrap up, we get into the vibe check,
which is going to be rapid fire questions, which I
feel you're gonna be great at because we've had a
few rapid fire already with you knew VT, you knew
all these different things, so we're ready. It's starting off
pretty easy. What's the drill that you never want to
(39:23):
see on your practice plan?
Speaker 2 (39:25):
Mhmm probably shoot, it's not rapid.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
I was about to say, what happened.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
It's so many drills I don't like to see, but
probably the Foster advantage. I don't like that drill.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
What is that?
Speaker 2 (39:40):
Like?
Speaker 1 (39:40):
It's like when you have the free throw and it's
like two people and it's like one on two and
two on three, like, yeah.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
You're if you're the one, if you start as the
one your gas Yeah yeah, yeah, that drill does suck? Okay,
game winning shot or game winning.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
Steel, game winning shot okay, and.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
One or three pointer and one group TikTok or solo
TikTok group group Okay? Why double zero for your jersey number?
Speaker 1 (40:12):
In Hawaii? I got that number. My coach was like,
my AU coach was like, oh, you play like.
Speaker 2 (40:16):
James Bond, like double zero, double o seven. So I
just cared it and ran with it.
Speaker 3 (40:21):
So, oh that's good. James Bond is nice.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (40:24):
I feel like I've never heard that in a basketball term,
but I like it. I like it. Okay, where's the
toughest place to play on the road? And why.
Speaker 2 (40:34):
In C State because of their crowd.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
Yeah, we talked about it earlier. Okay, biggest trash talker?
This could be anybody or somebody on your team.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Sarah, but Jetty really yeah, we'd be at the now.
Speaker 3 (40:47):
Really, I feel like I've seen this, like they always like,
will run a back quick highlight of her. You just
see her mouth.
Speaker 2 (40:52):
Yeah, I can see that.
Speaker 3 (40:55):
Okay, what's your biggest basketball ag?
Speaker 2 (40:58):
Ooh? Charges? I hate I hate people that take charges
on me. Really, Yes, it's the new rule. You can
take a charge anywhere, and I hate it.
Speaker 3 (41:07):
Yeah, that's true. Okay, who's the biggest flopper?
Speaker 2 (41:12):
H Nigga's flopper? I don't want to put my teammates
down like that. But Sarah Sarah and her again.
Speaker 3 (41:23):
So we need it.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
She'd be bringing all the emotions. She is an actress. Yes,
I love that.
Speaker 3 (41:29):
Honestly, you you need somebody like that to get you
some calls you every now and then. You need it. Okay,
who's your celebrity lookalike?
Speaker 2 (41:38):
I don't even know who I look like. I don't like.
I don't get comparisons.
Speaker 3 (41:42):
You know you're one of one's the answer. That's the answer. Okay,
somebody you would want to play two on two with,
but it can't be one of your own.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
Teammates m Raymond Johnson.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
Okay, I love that. Y'all gonna be a little small,
but I believe in you. I believe. Okay. What is
your favorite pregame height song?
Speaker 2 (42:06):
So? Hmm the Biggest by boss Man Bilo.
Speaker 3 (42:10):
Okay, so I thought you were gonna say some Little
Baby since we were talking about it earlier, but that's
another good pick. Okay. What's your best impersonation of Coach brook.
Speaker 2 (42:21):
You?
Speaker 3 (42:23):
Oh my god, the voice is crazy. If she listens
to this, you're gonna get in trouble. I will not
be to break. She already out Okay, Okay, I'm really
be listening out for that eter be miked up so
I can hear that voice specifically. Okay, that's good, But Tanya,
thank you so much for coming on. This has been
such a pleasure to get to catch up with you.
Speaker 2 (42:45):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (42:46):
I really I am so proud of you and the
growth that you've had.
Speaker 2 (42:50):
And this is podcasts. I really love this podcast, so
thank you for having me.
Speaker 3 (42:54):
Yeah, you know, always go you slightly ghost seminals, but
not too much, none of the none of the arm stuff.
I'm not doing that. Yeah yeah, But thank you so
much to everyone for listening. Stay tuned for another episode
of Sometimes I Hope. We'll be back next week. Hey everyone,
(43:17):
thanks so much for listening to Sometimes I Hoop. Please
don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review wherever you get
your podcasts. Be sure to follow me on Instagram at
Haley dot Jones. That's no I and Hailey and three
s's and Jones to get all the Sometimes I Hoop content.
You can also watch the episodes on the players Tribune
YouTube page. Thanks again for all your support the players
(43:46):
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