March 28, 2025 • 5 mins
GVSU Women's Basketball is playing for their first National Championship tonight! Head Coach Mike Williams joins us to discuss their historic season!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is West Michigan's Morning News, Steve Kelly and Brett Mekita.
Ladies and gentlemen on game day and a big one,
might we add, Welcome to West Michigan's Morning News. Grand
Valley State University's head women's basketball coach, Mike Williams. Congratulations
on the best season so far in team history.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Yeah, hey, thanks a lot man. We're down here in Pittsburgh,
beautiful Pittsburgh downtown and it's been a great, great trip
so far, So thank you, Mike.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
You guys are thirty seven into you. You hat a
veteran club, you know, after a great year last year
coming back, But did you have to coach them differently
because you had such great senior leadership coming back? I'm
curious about that. And when did that all start where hey,
we knew we were going to be really good.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yeah, you know, do we coach them diffinitely? Probably if
I didn't coach them too much because this group really,
like you said, they're veteran. These guys have been playing.
We have three of them, you know, Hadley Miller and
Riley Bisinessballing, Ellie Dross. They had been playing from now
for five years and so they kind of knew, knew
the ropes, knew what was going on, and you know,
(01:09):
we got together. We had a transfer from Lewis cat Schmentt,
the freshman that we thought was going to probably give
us some good mints, and that's Riley's sister Kenzie. Back
in d of June, before we went to Italy, we
started practice. We had ten practices, We went five days
in a row, took it down one five more days.
At that point in time, you could see that, Wow,
this this team's pretty good. And since then we've had
(01:31):
to absorbed four major injuries, and obviously that set us
back a little bit. They looked a little bit different
when a little bit smaller, when you know, when four
year post players go down, two of your major post
players go down. But these players have adapted and done
a great job.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Now, you were an assistant back on the team in
two thousand and six that won it all for GVSU
defeated American International fifty eight to fifty two. But you
certainly have been around the block as a head coach
with Davenport, your success there in turnal runs. I want
to ask you sort of, like Tom Izzo always talks about,
it's different to prepare when you're into tournament play than
the regular season, how have you used your experience as
(02:10):
a coach and been there before because your opponent this
is the first time they've been to the National championship game.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yeah, we've done I think different a little bit this year.
We play real high up temple pace, a lot of pressings,
try to push the ball, taxes are players a lot,
and so now we do play ten eleven players, and
so that makes it a little bit different. But we
really try to have a practice plan and prepare for
these games by load management on our players. You know,
(02:39):
you hear the NBA and you kind of think it's goofy,
but there really is something too. And so this year
we've really did Before the game, we go really hard
in practice. It's like a game, probably a game times too.
The next day is a lot of half court stuff,
you know, preparations, shooting, ball handling, stuff like that, you know,
not walk through but lower intensity drills and stuff like that.
(03:03):
And then the day before the game we really do nothing.
We come in, shoot, walk through, nothing at any pace
at all, and then they play the game. And I
think that has really helped their players' bodies get through
this year, you know, and years pass they were really
really banged up. This is the first year we've been
kind of like, you know what, we really don't have
(03:25):
a lot of injuries going on if they weren't in
during the season and put these players out.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
GVSU women's head basketball coach Mike Williams live from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
They'll play for the national championship tonight seven o'clock. You
can check it out at ESPN plus. By the way,
they've scored one hundred or more points seven times to
his point, So yeah, they like to push the pace.
And Mike, let me ask you this when it comes
to cal State Dominguez Hills. They're thirty six and one,
(03:50):
they have the national player of the year, Nala Williams.
What do you expect in the matchup with them tonight?
What do you guys need to do to come out
with the championship?
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Well, number one, they really good pressing team. They're you know,
better than we are. You look at their numbers were
very similar in a lot of categories, but they really
they're long and athletic. He plays nine to ten players,
but they really have they mix their zone presses up,
so you've got to beat their press. And once you
beat their press and the half court, they're very they scramble,
(04:21):
you know, they're they're almost like we match up with
Glennville State four years ago in the final four, and
they're very similar, and we didn't handle it well. Uh,
you know, we were a little bit obviously we had
the talent we have now we're a little bit more limited.
But uh, you know, you you got to handle it
press obviously. You know. Now the lines is the best
(04:41):
in the country for a reason. You got to keep
her in check. They crashed the boards hard. They really
pund the glass. They got three four players that just
doe all over that offensive glass. I can't remember the numbers,
but it was staggering. So you got to keep them
up the glass, handle the press and eating Ali Williams
and check.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
That is head coach of Grand Valley State University's women's program.
Mike Williams also named National Coach of the Year by
the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and of course GLIAC Coach
of the Year as well. Best wishes for win thirty
eight tonight, coach, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
All right, man, appreciate the conversation. Thank you,
This is West Michigan's Morning News, Steve Kelly and Brett Mekita.
Ladies and gentlemen on game day and a big one,
might we add, Welcome to West Michigan's Morning News. Grand
Valley State University's head women's basketball coach, Mike Williams. Congratulations
on the best season so far in team history.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Yeah, hey, thanks a lot man. We're down here in Pittsburgh,
beautiful Pittsburgh downtown and it's been a great, great trip
so far, So thank you, Mike.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
You guys are thirty seven into you. You hat a
veteran club, you know, after a great year last year
coming back, But did you have to coach them differently
because you had such great senior leadership coming back? I'm
curious about that. And when did that all start where hey,
we knew we were going to be really good.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yeah, you know, do we coach them diffinitely? Probably if
I didn't coach them too much because this group really,
like you said, they're veteran. These guys have been playing.
We have three of them, you know, Hadley Miller and
Riley Bisinessballing, Ellie Dross. They had been playing from now
for five years and so they kind of knew, knew
the ropes, knew what was going on, and you know,
(01:09):
we got together. We had a transfer from Lewis cat Schmentt,
the freshman that we thought was going to probably give
us some good mints, and that's Riley's sister Kenzie. Back
in d of June, before we went to Italy, we
started practice. We had ten practices, We went five days
in a row, took it down one five more days.
At that point in time, you could see that, Wow,
this this team's pretty good. And since then we've had
(01:31):
to absorbed four major injuries, and obviously that set us
back a little bit. They looked a little bit different
when a little bit smaller, when you know, when four
year post players go down, two of your major post
players go down. But these players have adapted and done
a great job.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Now, you were an assistant back on the team in
two thousand and six that won it all for GVSU
defeated American International fifty eight to fifty two. But you
certainly have been around the block as a head coach
with Davenport, your success there in turnal runs. I want
to ask you sort of, like Tom Izzo always talks about,
it's different to prepare when you're into tournament play than
the regular season, how have you used your experience as
(02:10):
a coach and been there before because your opponent this
is the first time they've been to the National championship game.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yeah, we've done I think different a little bit this year.
We play real high up temple pace, a lot of pressings,
try to push the ball, taxes are players a lot,
and so now we do play ten eleven players, and
so that makes it a little bit different. But we
really try to have a practice plan and prepare for
these games by load management on our players. You know,
(02:39):
you hear the NBA and you kind of think it's goofy,
but there really is something too. And so this year
we've really did Before the game, we go really hard
in practice. It's like a game, probably a game times too.
The next day is a lot of half court stuff,
you know, preparations, shooting, ball handling, stuff like that, you know,
not walk through but lower intensity drills and stuff like that.
(03:03):
And then the day before the game we really do nothing.
We come in, shoot, walk through, nothing at any pace
at all, and then they play the game. And I
think that has really helped their players' bodies get through
this year, you know, and years pass they were really
really banged up. This is the first year we've been
kind of like, you know what, we really don't have
(03:25):
a lot of injuries going on if they weren't in
during the season and put these players out.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
GVSU women's head basketball coach Mike Williams live from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
They'll play for the national championship tonight seven o'clock. You
can check it out at ESPN plus. By the way,
they've scored one hundred or more points seven times to
his point, So yeah, they like to push the pace.
And Mike, let me ask you this when it comes
to cal State Dominguez Hills. They're thirty six and one,
(03:50):
they have the national player of the year, Nala Williams.
What do you expect in the matchup with them tonight?
What do you guys need to do to come out
with the championship?
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Well, number one, they really good pressing team. They're you know,
better than we are. You look at their numbers were
very similar in a lot of categories, but they really
they're long and athletic. He plays nine to ten players,
but they really have they mix their zone presses up,
so you've got to beat their press. And once you
beat their press and the half court, they're very they scramble,
(04:21):
you know, they're they're almost like we match up with
Glennville State four years ago in the final four, and
they're very similar, and we didn't handle it well. Uh,
you know, we were a little bit obviously we had
the talent we have now we're a little bit more limited.
But uh, you know, you you got to handle it
press obviously. You know. Now the lines is the best
(04:41):
in the country for a reason. You got to keep
her in check. They crashed the boards hard. They really
pund the glass. They got three four players that just
doe all over that offensive glass. I can't remember the numbers,
but it was staggering. So you got to keep them
up the glass, handle the press and eating Ali Williams
and check.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
That is head coach of Grand Valley State University's women's program.
Mike Williams also named National Coach of the Year by
the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and of course GLIAC Coach
of the Year as well. Best wishes for win thirty
eight tonight, coach, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
All right, man, appreciate the conversation. Thank you,
Popular Podcasts
Cold Case Files: Miami
Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides. Cold Case Files: Miami follows award‑winning radio host and City of Miami Police reserve officer Enrique Santos as he partners with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, determined family members, and the advocates who spend their lives fighting for justice for the victims who can no longer fight for themselves.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.