I have been hard on Nicole Ohlde since I began covering the Lynx. That is because I believe that she has the talent to be an All-Star in the WNBA and, apparently, Coach Zierden and his staff feel the same. Throughout training camp, the new coaching staff have been pushing Ohlde to achieve her potential this season and, hopefully, Lynx fans will reap the rewards of their work this season.
After practice last week, I sat down with Ohlde to discuss training camp and the upcoming season, which is now only three days away.
SL: How excited are you for the up-tempo style of play that Coach Zierden is implementing this season?
NO: Well, definitely very exciting. I think that with the team we have right now, that style of play will be to our benefit. I like getting out and running, getting the rebound, out-letting it quick and, like I said, with our guards that we have that are so quick, we also have quick post players. They’re mobile and we can get up and down the floor, so I’m definitely excited.
SL: What’s been the hardest part of training camp for you so far?
NO: I think, obviously, when you have a new coach and adjusting to his philosophy and the way the new coaching staff runs things, I wouldn’t say it’s difficult, but it’s different. But, I’m not going to lie, it’s been tough. The two-a-days have been…um, we’re in here a lot, but, I think, in the long run it’s going to pay off for us. Everybody that was here last year knew the feeling that we had and we all knew we wanted to change it, so this is a step towards changing that.
SL: What are your thoughts on Coach Zierden so far?
NO: He’s a great guy definitely. First of all, as a person, he’s very genuine, he cares about us and he’s somebody that you can go to with anything. From a coaching perspective, his knowledge of the game is great. He wants us to get better each and every time we step on the court and he wants us to leave here feeling like we got better. He’s putting his heart and soul into helping us achieve that.
SL: Numbers-wise, are you concerned about the lack of post players on this team, especially after the release of Katryna Gaither?
NO: No, definitely not. I think we have three of us back from last year and a rookie in Kathrin, so we’re good where we’re at. We’re trying to hold it down and we’re in here working extra and I think the coaching staff that we have is going to bring the most out of us. We all think that we can get it done.
SL: So, um, in my first article for the Downtown Journal, I basically put the pressure of this season on you specifically.
NO: Gee, thanks.
SL: Sure. Do you believe that is a fair assessment of this team? In order for this team to achieve anything this season, Nicole Ohlde has to step up and take her game to that next level?
NO: I think definitely I need to step up and, if you ask anyone in this gym about my past couple years, I do need to step up. That’s something coming into the season that I want to do and I’m looking forward to doing it. My teammates and the coaching staff have confidence in me and I’m ready for the season to get going to accept the challenge.
SL: Do you need to get “mean” on the court?
NO: If you want to call it mean or call it aggressive, sure. I mean, basically I just need to be aggressive all the time. That’s something that the coaching staff is working with me every day and trying to get that into my brain. Some people call it mean, but basically you just have to produce more, so whatever way you can get that done, get it done.
SL: Everyone else has had to do it, so now it’s your turn to be a scout for me. Tell me what you’ve seen out of the rookies in camp so far.
NO: We’ll start with Shay. She’s extremely athletic, she can hit the jumper, she can hit the three, she can get to the lane and she’s taller. She’s an excellent rebounded coming in off the wing and is someone who can help us out a lot.
SL: Kathrin Ress?
NO: Kathrin is a hard worker. I mean, look at her…she’s always in here doing extra work. She’s a big body and she’s strong. She has a little bit of that European style being from Italy, so she has those up-and-unders, the fifteen footers and a lot of combo moves.
SL: Noelle Quinn?
NO: She’s extremely quiet for one thing. She’ll trick you though…she’ll talk a lot, but she’s quiet. She’s an excellent passer, very smooth and you’ve always got to have your hands up and ready because there is going to be a pass coming.
SL: …and Lindsey Harding?
NO: She’s the quickest person out here. She’s an excellent leader and she’s very vocal. She stepped up to the challenge right away when she got here and she’s someone who wants to lead. All of these rookies want to win and take us to that next level.
SL: Finally, this team is coming off a 10-win season and the key acquisitions in the off-season were rookies. They’re all talented, but rookies nonetheless. So, with that in mind, what do you believe is a realistic expectation for this team this season?
NO: Obviously, coming into this season, we want to be competitive. Last year, there weren’t a lot of games where we were competitive. I would say 10. Ultimately, we want to reach the playoffs, we want to be Western Conference Champions and we want to be champions. We’re definitely going to win a lot more games then ten, I think we’re going to be exciting, we’re going to work extremely hard and we’re going to surprise a lot of people.
No comments:
Post a Comment