Nina Norman Quotations

We've started to play hard now. But we should have been doing that all year. We waited too long.

The crazy thing is, as bad of a year as we've had, we still have a chance to make the NCAA tournament. People don't understand that if we don't start playing better quick, our season is over in two weeks.

She took care of me for 18 years. It's time for me to take care of her.

She knows the game so well and studies it all the time, and we learn a lot from that. She was a great offensive player, and she really gave me a lot of confidence in myself.

Nobody wants to finish the season this way.

Building team chemistry was the most important thing we did this summer. We really didn't do too much socializing off-campus, because after we finished playing each night, we would get home around 8:30 or so and everyone was really tired. But, some of the freshmen have come over to my house and I've cooked dinner for them.

I fell asleep a couple times (in the film room). I just looked at the screen because the coaches said to. But by midseason, (guard Jamie Carey) talked to me, and I took interest.

I don't think we're having an off year, I think we've just had some off games. We've had a lot of trouble with zones. Sometimes we get disconnected and go off on our own tangents and take bad shots.

Given the situation Tiffany was put into this year, she's done a great job handling the pressure of sharing her knowledge and experience with the freshmen. One of Tiffany's strengths is that she follows up her words with the way she plays; she's a great leader by example and we all see from Tiffany that hard work really does lead to being a great basketball player.

I think we got down on ourselves a little bit when they took the lead. It was hard for us to regain our composure.

My shot was falling so I just kept doing what was working for the team. Before the game (coach) said this is my game.

I was really active as much as possible while I was allowing my bone to heal. I was in the Cooley weight room, and rode the bike and did the treadmill and did lower-body workouts every day. Right now, my ball-handling is back and it (the hand) feels really strong.

I wasn't paying attention to whether they scored or not, I was just staying on my man. We knew we had to fight back and that the game wasn't over.

Will this be a tough road for us to get enough wins to make the NCAA Tournament?. Yes, it will, but I really like the way we are playing right now. We've told the seven freshmen, this is why you play. For the chance to do something special in your tournament. We have a second chance and I intend on making the most of it.

We played really well sometimes, and the next couple of minutes we just fall in the hole and forget everything we're doing.

This summer, we really did not discuss team goal-setting officially. We haven't talked about it yet as a group with the coaches, especially since two of my teammates (Erika and Daria) were not here with us.

This senior year is not what any of us wanted, of course. You have to take what you get, and work with what you have sometimes. The seniors have tried to teach the young players and learn from each other as well. I am anxious to see them come into their own and show the talent and success that we've had glimpses of this year. It is going to happen.

Every team enters the Big 12 Championship with a 0-0 postseason record, and that's got to be our theme.

I've seen a lot of growing pains. They could have really contributed to the team.

Sometimes we were playing really well. Then the next couple of minutes we would fall in a hole and lose our composure.

Sometimes I get frustrated really fast so I have to learn to be positive and not get frustrated so fast. (Against Connecticut) I was really frustrated (early) but then I knew that everybody looks up to me and looks to me to make plays and get everybody going, so I was just trying to be positive the whole game. It worked, so I just have to keep getting better at that.

Now it's about my family and helping them out the best I can. It's not going to be about basketball anymore. I hope to land a job in the Houston area this summer and help them out. They mean more to me than anything else.

I hope we have a chance to play back-to-back-to back games. Our freshmen need to experience that and know how hard we've got to work this week in order to accomplish our goal of making it to the NCAA Tournament. The best thing is, we ARE getting better and better every day. I hope we have the chance to show that for a lot of games here.

I knew I would get a (national championship) ring by the time I graduated. I still haven't gotten it. It's been tough. But you have to take the good with the bad.