Bowling Green State University Athletics
Curt Miller Press Conference Quotes
February 01, 2006 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 1, 2006
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team is preparing for a Wednesday (Feb. 1) game vs. Eastern Michigan University, in a matchup of the MAC's two remaining unbeatens. Falcon head coach Curt Miller met with members of the media to discuss the game, along with a few other subjects ...
(Opening statement)
"It's an exciting week for us, obviously. We're happy about our start, being 16-2 and most importantly 7-0 in the league. I think a lot of people anticipated that this matchup with Eastern Michigan would be a huge game, with two teams that have played very, very well this season. It is exciting for our kids; we built a natural rivalry with Eastern, having played in the West Division the past few years. It should be a very physical game, at times it might not be the prettiest game, but it sets up to be a great battle between two teams that have been tremendous in recent years."
(Have you been impressed that your team has been able to sustain momentum through each MAC game?)
"What has pleased me most is that they are so competitive, and they hate to lose. They have taken a lot of good shots (from other teams) and still found ways to win. Everyone, as we thought, is coming at us with their best effort. We're getting everyone's best shot, but somehow still finding ways to win. And that's just a credit to our kids, having that mentality of hating to lose, sticking to the game plans and believing in each other, even in those tough situations."
(How happy were you for Liz Honegger to get her thousandth point on Saturday?)
"It's great, it is a great accomplishment, being just the seventh player in history to reach 1,000 as a junior. Equally important, though, it is behind her now. She has no more pressure (to reach) that goal, so she can just go out and play, and not worry about it."
(On Kate Achter)
"She is tremendous, and has really changed the fortunes of our program. She makes our offense work; she attacks off of that high ball screen, and she makes everyone on the floor better. Her ability to get herself to the foul line as well as anyone in our conference is a staple of her game. Our offense lends itself to that opportunity. Also, she is a tremendous person off the floor, and a great ambassador not only for our program, but for our university, because she represents all that is great about college athletics."
(How much of a difference has the addition of Patrice McKinney made for Eastern Michigan?)
"She's been a huge difference, especially as she has gotten more comfortable. She is averaging a double-double in conference play - you're ecstatic when a kid gets one double-double; her averaging a double-double through seven games is simply amazing. She gives them another athletic presence, she can really score. But, one of the things that jumps off the page is her ability to rebound and allow them to get up and down the floor in their up-tempo game. They rebound as well as anyone in the league, and Patrice is one of the big reasons. She's been a huge addition, and she's another one of the great players that is playing in the MAC."
(Ryan Coleman seems to be playing at a high level for EMU)
"(She's playing at a) very high level. They are 11-2 since her return, and one of those losses was in her first game back. Essentially, they are 11-1 since her return, and that one loss was to a nationally-ranked Utah team. She just makes all the difference in the world. With Ryan Coleman all year, they could be sitting at 16-2 also. They have been tremendous since her return, and it's obvious why they are 7-0."
(What else do you see when looking at Eastern Michigan?)
"One thing that separates Eastern from the rest of the conference is that they are the most physical team in the league. They just come at you for 40 minutes; they're relentless, and if you are not ready for the physical play, you can be bullied out of the gym in a hurry."
(How big is it to have this game at home?)
"Well, it's a great rivalry, it will be great for the conference. But, in the grand scheme of things, with the new scheduling format, there is not an overall number-one seed (for the MAC Tournament). There's a winner of the East, there's a winner of the West, and there will be a number-one East seed and a number-one seed in the West. So, after the pregame hype, and the two hours on Wednesday when we play, it's not really going to matter. We both are striving to have the number-one seed in our respective division."
(That having been said, is your team excited for this matchup?)
"Yes, both teams have got to be really excited. This is what it's all about. We have had a great rivalry. We haven't won as many (head-to-head meetings) as they have, but we have won 23 of our last 26 games against MAC opponents. Two of those three losses are against Eastern. Certainly, everybody knows each other, they have played a lot of games here and in AAU against each other, and some were teammates. It is just great for our conference, and great for the rivalry between the two teams."
