Marita Payne Quotations

Kentucky had a massive crowd and it pumped us all up. I think that did a good job to spark us.

It being my first time representing my country, it was a special feeling getting to wear the uniform and even more exciting to achieve a medal in the games.

Playing in the World University Games has made me hungry to get out there and start our SEC season and see how much I can help lead my team in what we hope to be a special year.

We got into a panic situation because we were within reach of the game. We weren't able to execute the way we needed to win the game.

At the end of games, it can get very frustrating at times. Sometimes I get a little bit down on the whole outlook. You try to make the most of it, but sometimes things just don't fall your way.

A lot of Americans just know the stereotypical things about Australia. The first year, I got pretty sick about hearing the same things over and over again, so I started playing along. Some of the things people come up with are pretty funny.

There were no tryouts for the team, because the athletes were playing all over. They were chosen based on their stats throughout the year and by recommendations from Australian coaches.

It seems like every team can be beaten in the SEC. If we had played like we did tonight, we could have had more special nights this season. It depends on how assertive we are. We need to stay aggressive.

The best part for me was realizing how much team chemistry pays off in the end. That is really what helped our team go all the way to win bronze. All the teams we competed against had been practicing together long before the games started, but we had an edge because we gelled together so well both on and off the court.

I'm just excited about the idea of getting to show my ability. I wasn't sure about who was looking at me but I knew there was some teams that were interested.

How can that not give someone more problems?