Warren Previews 2016-17 at Media Day

Head coach Tanya Warren and the UNI women's basketball program hosted it's annual media day in the McLeod Center today, previewing the 2016-17 season. The defending regular season conference champions return three seniors to the court this year, including two-time first-team all-conference selection Madison Weekly.

(10/31/2016) 2016-17 Women's Basketball Media Day

On where all Madison Weekly will play on the court this season…
"Madison will play the point and we will also play her off the ball. Kennedy Kirkpatrick, our graduate transfer, can play some point which allows us to move Madison off the ball. Ellie Herzberg can play some point."

On Madison Weekly's leadership style…
"I've been extremely pleased with our leadership, not only from Madison, but from Angie Davison and Hannah Schonhardt as well. Madison is quiet by nature, but she has had to really talk and take on that role. She has had to get out of her comfort zone and take on that role as a leader and she has done a great job."

On Madison Weekly's improvement on the court…
"I was just saying to our staff, I didn't know if Madison could make as big of a jump offensively as she did a year ago, but she has. Her ability right now to put the basketball on the floor and get to the rim and still finish with contact has been the biggest jump. She shoots it well, has mid-range, has the floater. The thing we talked about on what she needed to improve on going into the summer was the weight room and to finish with contact and we have seen that improvement throughout the course of practice so far."

On how Ellie Herzberg is improving after missing last season with an injury…
"Ellie has been doing extremely well. Everyone is going to think that she should be automatically back to where she was when she made the all-freshman team, but it is going to take her a minute to get back into the grove. But I have been very pleased with what I've seen. Usually when someone is coming off an ACL they lose a step, Ellie has not lost a step. She is still extremely fast, especially with a ball in her hand. She defends well and has done a good job of taking it to the rim. We are looking forward to having her back with her contributions to this team."

On who will be complimentary to Madison Weekly on the scoring end of the game…
"One of the keys for this team to be successful is that we have to have balance. It starts with our inside players. Taylor Hagen is going to have to score for us in the paint. Heidi Hillyard has done an incredible job. I really like the way Heidi plays the game both offensively and defensively. That group has to be able to give us some scoring points in the paint. Kennedy Kirkpatrick can score in a variety of ways. She shoots the three well and is extremely good off the bounce. Angie Davison will have to be a more consistent three-point shooter for us. When you look at those kids and how you are able to use Madison and know that she is going to get the opponent's best defender, everyone else is going to have to step up and when your name is called."

On Mikaela Morgan…
"We are looking for her to have a break out season. She really does remind me a lot of Jeremy Morgan, her brother. I said to her that we don't have the luxury to wait until your senior year. We need her now. She is capable of doing that for us now. She embraces that and is looking forward to having that role."

Thoughts on the newcomers…
"Megan Maahs is extremely gifted offensively. She is very skilled and can score with her back to the basket with either hand. She has very good footwork and can face up, shoot the three and she runs very well. Heidi Hillyard has a high motor. She is going to be one of those kids that will go out and make a fantastic play and you go 'oh my goodness' but then she is going to make a play where you go 'why did she do that,' but she has a high motor. She can shoot the three and is very good off the bounce at the high-post area, but what makes Heidi good is her ability to get you extra possessions. Mariah Criswell is going to have to play some minutes for us at the one, but off the ball as well. Mariah can shoot the three and has an uncanny ability to get shots off that you aren't sure how she gets them off. There are a variety of different kids that don't have the experience and will have to get their feet wet and contribute. Their roles are going to be changing throughout the season."

On the competition throughout the team…
"It has been extremely competitive and we love it as coaches. We know that we have to be able to go to our bench and our bench has to be able to contribute, that is what makes a good team great. So not only do we need to be able to develop those three seniors, but everyone else coming in to contribute. So they are doing a very good job of competing against each other making each other better."

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