1
00:00:13,100 --> 00:00:15,200
And welcome back to Crimson Cask
ale and klaviyo. 

2
00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:19,000
Here joined by Amanda Foster. 
We haven't been on together for 

3
00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:20,800
a little bit, but Amanda happy 
New Year. 

4
00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:22,800
How you doing? 
I'm doing pretty well. 

5
00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:25,700
Happy New Year, happy holidays. 
I'm a back in Bloomington now, 

6
00:00:25,700 --> 00:00:28,500
which is really nice and very 
happy to be back. 

7
00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:32,100
So it's thick the Best two days 
in Bloomington, where nobody 

8
00:00:32,100 --> 00:00:35,200
else is here at all. 
I can I can verify that because 

9
00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:38,800
I was, I went out to watch the 
IU men's game last night. 

10
00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:43,300
And there were not people out by
and large, which given the way 

11
00:00:43,300 --> 00:00:45,400
that game went, maybe they were 
the Smart Ones, but yeah, 

12
00:00:45,900 --> 00:00:51,100
probably probably, but no, we're
happy to be back here at Crimson

13
00:00:51,100 --> 00:00:56,600
cast for the 2023 year. 
I guess, you know, we got to to 

14
00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:59,900
Sports Seasons coming up. 
We got a bunch going on as both.

15
00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:03,400
Men's and women's basketball are
hitting the home stretch here as

16
00:01:03,408 --> 00:01:06,700
they get into Big Ten play and 
hopefully NCAA tournament play 

17
00:01:06,700 --> 00:01:10,800
after that for both squads and 
we wanted to welcome a special 

18
00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:13,800
guest on the show as Nicole 
cardano. 

19
00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:19,200
Hillary, who many of you know 
played here at IU and was it was

20
00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:23,200
a key part of the most 
successful IU, Women's teams 

21
00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:27,300
that we've had joins us live off
continent. 

22
00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:29,800
As she's currently in Spain, 
Nicole. 

23
00:01:29,900 --> 00:01:31,500
Well, great to have you on the 
show. 

24
00:01:31,500 --> 00:01:34,500
How are you doing? 
Thanks, thanks for having me. 

25
00:01:34,500 --> 00:01:38,300
I'm doing well. 
Like you said, I'm I'm over here

26
00:01:38,700 --> 00:01:43,100
overseas and really enjoying it.
Let's let's just go ahead and 

27
00:01:43,100 --> 00:01:45,800
dive in and kind of talk about 
where you're at and what's been 

28
00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:50,200
the, I guess the sequence of 
events since you graduated from 

29
00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:54,300
IU and, you know, now you find 
yourself playing overseas like 

30
00:01:54,300 --> 00:01:57,000
what, what does that whole 
process been like and worked in 

31
00:01:57,008 --> 00:02:01,500
the order of operations on it. 
Well I mean honestly the process

32
00:02:01,500 --> 00:02:06,500
has been something that I've 
just kind of had to you know, go

33
00:02:06,500 --> 00:02:11,500
as I mean you know, take as I go
because I had a couple friends 

34
00:02:11,500 --> 00:02:15,000
that went through this whole 
process and but I guess I just 

35
00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:20,400
didn't know, you know the actual
steps but pretty much I guess. 

36
00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:27,100
The first step is I got an agent
and and you start to decide with

37
00:02:27,100 --> 00:02:31,600
your agent whether or not You 
know, you want to stay in a 

38
00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:34,700
certain part of Europe and like,
for example, I wanted to say in 

39
00:02:34,700 --> 00:02:36,400
Spain. 
So that's something that me and 

40
00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:40,100
my agent talked about and then 
you kind of just start getting 

41
00:02:40,100 --> 00:02:42,800
connected to. 
Well, they get you connected to 

42
00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:47,200
different teams and in what I 
wanted, like I said, Spain and 

43
00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:51,800
from then on you, you know, 
obviously every agent, every 

44
00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:54,900
situation, every player, and 
then, of course, every contract 

45
00:02:54,900 --> 00:02:58,300
is different. 
And so, They pretty much give 

46
00:02:58,300 --> 00:03:01,500
you an idea of what your 
contract would be and then you 

47
00:03:01,500 --> 00:03:03,600
pick from there. 
And that's pretty much how I 

48
00:03:03,608 --> 00:03:07,400
ended up here. 
So I've looked at the team name 

49
00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:09,400
and I'm terrified of trying to 
pronounce. 

50
00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:13,600
Okay, don't tell the folks who 
you're playing for, what the 

51
00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:18,000
league is and and what's kind of
the overall season setup looks 

52
00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,800
like it for that Squad. 
Yeah, so the name is 

53
00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:24,600
intimidating, its it was really 
ivica. 

54
00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:29,400
And then o Squadron, which is 
I'm so glad I didn't try that. 

55
00:03:29,500 --> 00:03:32,300
Yeah, nope. 
Well, we're up here in The 

56
00:03:32,300 --> 00:03:37,100
Basque country and so a lot of 
these names are even, you know, 

57
00:03:37,100 --> 00:03:42,800
very unfamiliar to me. 
But but pretty much the season 

58
00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:46,000
we're in the first League. 
It's called me kind this, huh? 

59
00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:51,500
And pretty much the seasons kind
of set up as you would, you 

60
00:03:51,500 --> 00:03:56,200
know, if I try to compare it to 
maybe the college season, it 

61
00:03:56,200 --> 00:04:00,600
would be, we Preseason. 
And then you start off and you 

62
00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:05,400
do you certain to conference 
play which would be here in 

63
00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:08,100
Spain. 
And then this year, we were 

64
00:04:08,300 --> 00:04:12,800
fortunate enough to be in otoko 
about which is a whole nother 

65
00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:16,899
division, another League where 
you play, you know, throughout 

66
00:04:16,899 --> 00:04:21,399
Europe. 
And so we got to do that kind of

67
00:04:21,399 --> 00:04:25,600
earlier in the season and it was
an incredible experience. 

68
00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:28,600
We went to quite a few Ooh, 
different countries that I don't

69
00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:31,500
think, you know, I would have 
ever thought about, you know, 

70
00:04:31,500 --> 00:04:36,000
going to if it weren't for 
basketball and, and really cool 

71
00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,500
experiences. 
And then, so we finished with 

72
00:04:38,500 --> 00:04:41,400
that portion the eurocup portion
of the season, and now we're 

73
00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:44,600
doing the second round of our 
conference season. 

74
00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:48,800
Okay. 
So you know what's the makeup of

75
00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,900
the roster of the team? 
You know are there is a lot of 

76
00:04:51,900 --> 00:04:54,600
players primarily from Europe. 
Are there other other players 

77
00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:55,900
that have played in the United 
States? 

78
00:04:55,900 --> 00:04:59,300
What does that setup look like? 
Like, well, there's there's 

79
00:04:59,300 --> 00:05:04,000
different rules on in each 
league and so you're only 

80
00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,400
allowed to have a certain amount
of Americans and things like 

81
00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:10,900
that so you are definitely going
to see more Europeans on the 

82
00:05:10,900 --> 00:05:17,200
team. 
But yeah, I mean there is 

83
00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:20,900
Technically I'm not considered 
an American. 

84
00:05:20,900 --> 00:05:23,700
So right? 
I would say since I came from 

85
00:05:23,700 --> 00:05:27,800
playing in America I would say 
there's two of us and then yeah 

86
00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:33,500
the wrestlers quite a few 
Spaniards we have to Africans 

87
00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:40,300
and Romanians from there's 
another from Latvia. 

88
00:05:40,300 --> 00:05:43,200
I mean we're really from all 
around to be honest. 

89
00:05:44,500 --> 00:05:47,500
So I'm curious what was the 
adjustment like for you playing 

90
00:05:47,500 --> 00:05:49,300
in? 
College and then obviously going

91
00:05:49,300 --> 00:05:51,800
and you have a whole new team in
a whole different makeup and 

92
00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:56,400
what kind of role have you kind 
of Taken on in that process but 

93
00:05:56,400 --> 00:06:03,100
it definitely was a big change. 
And like you said, I had a lot 

94
00:06:03,100 --> 00:06:05,900
of adapting to do just and 
that's going to happen on any 

95
00:06:05,900 --> 00:06:07,800
team. 
Whether you go play overseas, or

96
00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:09,500
if you just joined a different 
team. 

97
00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:14,700
I am extremely lucky, or I have 
been throughout my whole 

98
00:06:14,700 --> 00:06:15,400
college. 
Career. 

99
00:06:16,300 --> 00:06:20,000
Absolutely love my teammates. 
And and you know, that's that's 

100
00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:23,200
a big part of the adjustment 
process is being able to kind 

101
00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:26,500
of, you know, fit in and, you 
know, get to know your 

102
00:06:26,500 --> 00:06:29,200
teammates. 
And so that has been very fairly

103
00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:34,500
easy in a sense And then, you 
know, to just to the style of 

104
00:06:34,500 --> 00:06:37,900
play that has been probably, you
know, the biggest kind of 

105
00:06:37,900 --> 00:06:43,700
difference that I've noticed 
because it's also I my style of 

106
00:06:43,700 --> 00:06:46,900
play is very Americanized 
because of having played in 

107
00:06:46,900 --> 00:06:50,700
America for so many years 
compared to the style here. 

108
00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:55,800
So just adjusting to that. 
And and understanding what they 

109
00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:00,100
want compared to, you know what,
maybe I think in my head I'm 

110
00:07:00,100 --> 00:07:04,400
used to That's probably been the
biggest adjustment know what 

111
00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:07,600
does that exactly mean, 
americanize, I gotta take a lot 

112
00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:11,200
of our listeners to be curious 
because we see a lot of know, in

113
00:07:11,300 --> 00:07:13,400
in both men's and women's 
basketball will see a lot of 

114
00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:16,200
players go and play in Europe 
and it's clearly a different 

115
00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:20,300
style of play. 
But but but for those people who

116
00:07:20,300 --> 00:07:22,800
maybe aren't aware of the 
specifics or details, like what 

117
00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:24,800
are the primary differences in 
your eyes. 

118
00:07:26,100 --> 00:07:29,500
In my eyes? 
I would say, first of all, the 

119
00:07:29,500 --> 00:07:36,200
physicality There is a lot that 
are, I guess I should say, you 

120
00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:41,300
can be way more physical here 
and refs are, you know, going to

121
00:07:41,300 --> 00:07:47,300
allow you to to make that 
contact compared to in the 

122
00:07:47,300 --> 00:07:51,900
state's, you know, coming from a
defensive perspective, which was

123
00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:55,200
a big role of mine at IU. 
That's, I've noticed a big 

124
00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:58,800
difference of being able to to, 
you know, be more physical. 

125
00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:03,200
But at the same time, 
understanding that I have to 

126
00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:08,200
also take the physicality on the
other end and so I would say 

127
00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:14,600
that and also the style of play,
I would say that European ball 

128
00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:19,700
is more awful compared to, you 
know, one-on-one style play that

129
00:08:19,700 --> 00:08:25,800
you see a lot in the states and 
like one thing that I would say 

130
00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:31,100
is fouls are used in a way to 
like stop. 

131
00:08:31,300 --> 00:08:33,200
APA game. 
That's very different than what 

132
00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:35,700
you would do in the states. 
Like in the state's sit there 

133
00:08:35,700 --> 00:08:40,299
and you would, you know, play 
defense to stop the ball. 

134
00:08:40,299 --> 00:08:44,300
Can bear to hear sometimes on a 
fast break, you know, if your 

135
00:08:44,300 --> 00:08:48,100
team isn't in position, then you
take that file and you know, 

136
00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:54,400
kind of stop the game and then 
kind of re conjoin or you know 

137
00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:57,500
whatever you want to call it and
get your defense back on track. 

138
00:08:57,500 --> 00:09:00,400
I think that's I mean that's a 
good example of how difference 

139
00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:05,600
how Those the two styles are so 
while you're at Indiana, 

140
00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:08,100
obviously everyone kind of 
everyone who watched obviously 

141
00:09:08,100 --> 00:09:10,700
knew how you played in from a 
very defensive standpoint is 

142
00:09:10,700 --> 00:09:13,200
that still the role that you 
have on this new team or is 

143
00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:14,400
there something else that you're
doing? 

144
00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:17,500
Mainly. 
Yeah, I would say a big part of 

145
00:09:17,500 --> 00:09:22,800
my role as defense. 
And as a point guard it's hard 

146
00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:26,100
to say that you know, that in 
itself isn't a role. 

147
00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:31,100
And so obviously understanding 
you know what? 

148
00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:35,300
My coach wants what? 
I can take advantage of on the 

149
00:09:35,300 --> 00:09:39,100
offensive side and how people 
you know, are going to try to 

150
00:09:39,108 --> 00:09:42,100
take advantage of my size on the
defensive side. 

151
00:09:42,100 --> 00:09:47,000
That's kind of stayed the same, 
but it's at the same time, 

152
00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:49,300
completely different because 
it's a whole other team. 

153
00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:53,400
So yes and no. 
Yeah, answered your question at 

154
00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:53,900
all. 
Yeah. 

155
00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:58,900
It looks like statistically, I 
mean, obviously a little bit of 

156
00:09:58,900 --> 00:10:02,000
a transitional period at the 
beginning of the season, but you

157
00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,300
really started to pick up in 
minutes and any rural 

158
00:10:05,300 --> 00:10:09,700
statistical contributions. 
I mean, how how is the process 

159
00:10:09,700 --> 00:10:12,600
of getting more comfortable with
the style of play and your role 

160
00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:14,700
on the team? 
Like how is that progressed? 

161
00:10:14,900 --> 00:10:18,600
And how have you I guess kind of
process that transition over 

162
00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:20,000
into being a professional 
player? 

163
00:10:21,500 --> 00:10:25,000
Well, I mean, like I said on any
team you're going to have to It 

164
00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:28,400
takes time to adjust and 
understand and and like I said, 

165
00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:32,600
in the role that I'm in, there's
a lot of trust that goes into 

166
00:10:33,700 --> 00:10:37,700
being able to be on the court 
and being the one calling plays 

167
00:10:37,700 --> 00:10:40,300
and looking at the coach and 
being that, you know, second 

168
00:10:40,300 --> 00:10:45,500
coaches, they call us. 
So, I would say just yeah, I 

169
00:10:45,500 --> 00:10:50,300
mean, little by little, it took 
time to understand and and kind 

170
00:10:50,300 --> 00:10:52,200
of get my feet wet in that 
sense. 

171
00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:57,800
And and little by little I think
I've Been kind of working my way

172
00:10:57,900 --> 00:11:02,200
kind of into to kind of 
understanding and being more 

173
00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:05,800
fluid with my teammates and the 
game and itself. 

174
00:11:07,300 --> 00:11:09,600
I guess I different kind of 
question now. 

175
00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:11,000
Going back. 
You just mentioned the amount of

176
00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,600
travel you were able to do what 
was the Fate, what was your 

177
00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:15,600
favorite spot that you've been 
able to play in? 

178
00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:20,500
If you can find one, gosh, I 
don't know if I can pick. 

179
00:11:20,500 --> 00:11:23,300
I think it's just the fact that 
I can say that I've been, like, 

180
00:11:24,100 --> 00:11:26,800
to the Czech Republic in like, 
places like that. 

181
00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:29,300
That you're like, wow. 
Like I mean, we've been to 

182
00:11:29,300 --> 00:11:31,300
France, which was really cool as
well. 

183
00:11:33,700 --> 00:11:37,900
Yeah, I mean, I don't know if I 
could say one specific one, but 

184
00:11:38,900 --> 00:11:41,000
I will say that, it's been 
really cool to see the 

185
00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:44,300
differences in the gyms and 
everything in the different 

186
00:11:44,300 --> 00:11:46,400
countries which they kind of do 
all say the same. 

187
00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:51,500
But in their own way, when you 
see like the fans and everything

188
00:11:51,500 --> 00:11:53,300
like that, it definitely 
changes. 

189
00:11:54,900 --> 00:11:57,200
Let's switch gears a little bit 
and talk about your time here at

190
00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:00,300
IU. 
So you know, you you came in and

191
00:12:00,300 --> 00:12:02,900
it was in the middle essentially
of covid. 

192
00:12:02,900 --> 00:12:07,300
It was a very unusual time to 
say the least but you ended up 

193
00:12:07,300 --> 00:12:11,500
being a part of two of the most 
successful, maybe the most to 

194
00:12:11,500 --> 00:12:16,000
successful seasons in IU Women's
basketball history, as you 

195
00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:19,600
reflect back on what that 
experience was like, what's up 

196
00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:22,100
with you with it? 
And you know what things have 

197
00:12:22,100 --> 00:12:24,100
you were you most the most proud
of? 

198
00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:31,000
But I guess when you walk out of
here, I mean like you said those

199
00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:36,000
those two years were I mean, 
it's hard to put into words but 

200
00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:40,600
they were incredible. 
I mean, not only coming in in 

201
00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:43,900
covid and having to deal with, 
you know, all that yet. 

202
00:12:43,900 --> 00:12:48,000
Getting to the point that we got
two in the tournament and just 

203
00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:52,500
in the season and all was 
incredible and then that second 

204
00:12:52,500 --> 00:12:57,100
year being able to to say that 
we were still able to make it 

205
00:12:57,100 --> 00:13:01,600
you know, as far I mean you know
close to as far as we did and to

206
00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:05,300
say that we weren't just you 
know, that that One time team 

207
00:13:05,300 --> 00:13:09,000
that was going to do it and then
you know, we'll just die off 

208
00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:13,200
like the fact that we kept with 
it and understood what we had to

209
00:13:13,208 --> 00:13:18,500
do and you know, worked our way 
and I think also for me 

210
00:13:18,500 --> 00:13:24,100
personally coming from a smaller
school and obviously I am small 

211
00:13:24,100 --> 00:13:27,700
as well. 
You know, physically, I think, 

212
00:13:27,900 --> 00:13:32,400
you know, I'm just proudest that
that I was able to To have my 

213
00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:36,000
coaches trust in me and and, you
know, make me part of the team. 

214
00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:40,200
And the way that I was in the 
role that I played, and yeah, I 

215
00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:43,100
would say I'm just proud that I 
was part of that team and being 

216
00:13:43,100 --> 00:13:46,200
able to say that I was is some 
incredible feeling. 

217
00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:49,800
Culture is a big thing, and 
everybody kind of talks about 

218
00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:52,000
the culture of Indiana 
basketball from your 

219
00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:53,800
perspective. 
What did you see? 

220
00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:56,500
Whether it was from the coaches 
or your other teammates, are the

221
00:13:56,500 --> 00:13:59,500
fans, just how did that kind of 
play into your game and then the

222
00:13:59,500 --> 00:14:01,700
success of the team as a whole 
that when you were with them? 

223
00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:08,000
I mean, I think that the culture
of I you just without even 

224
00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:10,800
thinking about it, I mean, 
Indiana such a basketball 

225
00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:13,400
school, you know? 
And, and understanding not even 

226
00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:18,300
the pressure, but kind of the, 
you know, what's behind. 

227
00:14:18,300 --> 00:14:22,500
The name is all part of the 
culture and understanding that 

228
00:14:22,500 --> 00:14:25,600
when you wear Indiana on your 
chest, you know, there's a lot 

229
00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:28,300
of people, whether it be the 
fans, your coaches, you know, 

230
00:14:28,300 --> 00:14:33,900
your family friends, there 
they're expecting you and And 

231
00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:36,700
you know, rightfully so to do 
your best. 

232
00:14:36,700 --> 00:14:42,600
And and I think that The 
coaches, and just the whole 

233
00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:46,800
Atmosphere by you. 
It's just so easy to fall into 

234
00:14:47,900 --> 00:14:52,300
IU and completely being there, 
100% committed. 

235
00:14:52,300 --> 00:14:56,800
And, and I think that's, that's 
such a big part of the culture 

236
00:14:56,800 --> 00:15:01,700
is, is the commitment and the 
consistency that there is with, 

237
00:15:01,700 --> 00:15:05,400
like, with the fans. 
And I think that is something 

238
00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:07,300
that's that. 
We talked about a lot because 

239
00:15:07,300 --> 00:15:12,500
it's so true or we talked about 
before, Is that the fans are 

240
00:15:12,500 --> 00:15:17,700
such a big part of of our energy
and and everything that comes 

241
00:15:17,700 --> 00:15:21,100
with, you know, coming out and 
being able to play our best is 

242
00:15:21,300 --> 00:15:24,300
having those fans around its 
unmatched. 

243
00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:27,700
That's awesome. 
Yeah, the it's been fascinating 

244
00:15:27,700 --> 00:15:29,200
to watch it. 
Someone has been at IU for a 

245
00:15:29,208 --> 00:15:33,700
long time first, as a student, 
and then and then as a faculty 

246
00:15:33,700 --> 00:15:38,200
member and then watching, IU 
Women's Basketball which really 

247
00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:41,800
struggled to, you know, kind of 
maintain a foothold with with 

248
00:15:41,900 --> 00:15:46,000
you know many fans suddenly 
become this thing where I think 

249
00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:47,600
Amanda. 
If I'm right like the game this 

250
00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:50,500
past weekend they think the 
attendance was like six or seven

251
00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:54,100
thousand. 
Yeah that's a huge leap and you 

252
00:15:54,100 --> 00:15:57,000
know it didn't all Ben while you
were there but the fact that, 

253
00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,600
you know, covid kind of ends and
then everybody kind of not just 

254
00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:02,700
the people come back but you had
new people coming in 

255
00:16:02,700 --> 00:16:05,100
consistently. 
That that's a really fascinating

256
00:16:05,100 --> 00:16:08,200
vibe to watch from the outside 
like how conscious are you as 

257
00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:12,000
players of that on the team? 
Like how much, how much do you 

258
00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:13,300
notice that? 
And how much does that resonate 

259
00:16:13,300 --> 00:16:20,700
with the way that you played? 
I mean, it's definitely. you 

260
00:16:20,700 --> 00:16:24,300
know, obviously we play to win 
and we play, you know, we've 

261
00:16:24,300 --> 00:16:27,100
practiced long hours and we 
understand that we're capable, 

262
00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:31,900
but it also gives you a great 
feeling to know that, you know, 

263
00:16:31,900 --> 00:16:34,700
all those people that come, 
whether it be those that have 

264
00:16:34,700 --> 00:16:38,400
come for Years or new people, 
you know, to be able to say 

265
00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:42,200
like, you know, we're out here 
playing our hardest and giving 

266
00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:44,600
it our all and understanding 
that they're there to cheer us 

267
00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:48,000
on whether you know, whether 
it's cold outside, whether it's 

268
00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:51,000
hot weather, it's a Friday, 
what, you know, They're just 

269
00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:54,700
there to enjoy. 
And for me, I just love that, 

270
00:16:54,700 --> 00:16:58,200
you know, we can be that source 
of entertainment and and, you 

271
00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:01,400
know, joy for someone. 
And I think that's that's the 

272
00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:04,800
biggest part about it and I 
remember connections, really? 

273
00:17:05,099 --> 00:17:09,599
Yeah, the the Princeton game in 
the tournament last year, I 

274
00:17:09,900 --> 00:17:11,800
think that was still one of the 
best environments I've ever been

275
00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:13,800
in. 
Is like this could happen every 

276
00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:17,599
single game if people really 
showed up and stayed consistent 

277
00:17:17,599 --> 00:17:20,200
so absolutely. 
I agree 100%. 

278
00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:25,700
I think that, I mean my family 
was there and you know, my 

279
00:17:25,700 --> 00:17:29,800
family doesn't get to be there 
all the time and even they were 

280
00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:33,000
saying, I mean, that environment
is something that is 

281
00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:35,000
Unforgettable. 
I mean I remember especially 

282
00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:39,700
kind of towards the end of my 
last season which I knew was 

283
00:17:39,700 --> 00:17:43,300
coming, you know going out there
and it just gives you goosebumps

284
00:17:43,300 --> 00:17:47,000
you know hearing you come out of
the locker room and you hear 

285
00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:50,100
those people just cheering you 
on an do it. 

286
00:17:50,300 --> 00:17:51,900
It just it still gives me 
goosebumps. 

287
00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:56,200
It feels like college. 
Women's college basketball is 

288
00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:59,500
kind of a Changing of the Guard 
going on a little bit right now.

289
00:17:59,500 --> 00:18:02,800
I mean, you know, for the 
previous 15 years it's a lot of 

290
00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:07,000
Yukon lot of Notre Dame, a lot 
of South Carolina, Stanford kind

291
00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:10,300
of the the traditional name 
brands and then then you look at

292
00:18:10,300 --> 00:18:15,100
what IU has done the last few 
years, Ohio State, you know, 

293
00:18:15,100 --> 00:18:16,900
Maryland some of these other 
programs. 

294
00:18:16,900 --> 00:18:20,900
I mean, how do you view where 
women's college basketball is at

295
00:18:20,900 --> 00:18:22,800
now because it feels like from 
an outsider's. 

296
00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:25,500
Spectre beliefs that there are a
lot more programs who are 

297
00:18:25,500 --> 00:18:28,800
capable of getting to a final 
four, applying at a really high 

298
00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:32,800
level and the competition level 
just seems to have exploded. 

299
00:18:33,300 --> 00:18:35,400
I mean, is, does that seem like 
it from your perspective? 

300
00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:37,700
And what do you think the 
driving force behind that is? 

301
00:18:38,700 --> 00:18:42,400
I absolutely agree with that. 
I think in these past years, 

302
00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:47,300
we've seen it just in the 
tournaments who is, who is 

303
00:18:47,300 --> 00:18:48,900
there? 
It's not always the same people,

304
00:18:48,900 --> 00:18:51,600
like you said, Yukon and Baylor 
and, and, you know, the main 

305
00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:57,800
ones. 
But I think it's I don't know, 

306
00:18:57,900 --> 00:19:00,800
you know, maybe whatever is in 
the water they say, I don't know

307
00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:05,900
if that's how they say it, but I
think it's just programs. 

308
00:19:05,900 --> 00:19:11,100
Have have put a lot into whether
it be recruiting. 

309
00:19:11,100 --> 00:19:13,700
And then, you know, once you 
have the girls, they're creating

310
00:19:13,700 --> 00:19:21,100
a culture within a team and in a
program and I think it's also a 

311
00:19:21,108 --> 00:19:25,700
big part is People under, you 
know, kind of getting into 

312
00:19:25,700 --> 00:19:29,100
women's basketball and, and like
we said, like new fans and 

313
00:19:29,100 --> 00:19:30,800
things like that. 
And I think that's a big part of

314
00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:34,000
it too. 
Is, is, if you if your program 

315
00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:38,200
like I've said as a player 
having fans and doing all that, 

316
00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:42,300
it just helps immensely, you 
know, whether whether you know, 

317
00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:47,200
it's physically or mentally, but
those are to the same thing at 

318
00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:49,900
the end of the day. 
Absolutely. 

319
00:19:49,900 --> 00:19:52,700
Yeah, what I mean, what's your 
perspective on this years? 

320
00:19:52,900 --> 00:19:57,200
Why you team obviously they've 
that had a lot of really good 

321
00:19:57,200 --> 00:19:59,100
moments are ready to start the 
season. 

322
00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:03,100
Certainly some unfortunate 
moments with with Grace going 

323
00:20:03,100 --> 00:20:06,500
down with the injury and so 
forth but you know if you got a 

324
00:20:06,500 --> 00:20:10,400
chance to walk the much or talk 
with anybody on the team, what's

325
00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:12,200
your perspective on them at this
point? 

326
00:20:12,900 --> 00:20:17,300
Well, I unfortunately being here
and then the time change and 

327
00:20:17,300 --> 00:20:20,300
then also the VPN, I've been 
trying to figure out how to 

328
00:20:20,300 --> 00:20:22,400
watch the games and it's been 
super hard. 

329
00:20:22,900 --> 00:20:28,000
But I have tried to follow with 
box scores and obviously like, 

330
00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,800
you know, Twitter and Instagram 
and all that and they've been 

331
00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:37,200
doing really well and I love 
that, you know, because it is 

332
00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:43,900
quite a different team because, 
you know, losing the three of us

333
00:20:43,900 --> 00:20:48,000
and then also more players and 
then knew coming in and seeing 

334
00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:51,200
how they've kind of all been 
able to come together. 

335
00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:55,300
And and yeah, I have to Talk to 
the coaches and my teammates 

336
00:20:55,300 --> 00:20:57,900
still. 
And and I mean, I think that 

337
00:20:57,900 --> 00:21:02,400
they, you know, like I said that
program is such a, such a great 

338
00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:06,000
program to be a part of and and 
I think, you know, sky's the 

339
00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:08,400
limit for them and they've been 
doing really well. 

340
00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:11,000
And I mean obviously every once 
in awhile, you know, you're 

341
00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:15,000
going to have those types of 
games that, you know, he wished 

342
00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:18,400
he could, you know, get back, 
but you keep going. 

343
00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:21,100
And this team is in this 
program. 

344
00:21:21,100 --> 00:21:22,700
I should say, is one that 
doesn't give up. 

345
00:21:22,900 --> 00:21:27,000
So, go all my faith in them. 
There's been, I guess especially

346
00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:30,100
compared to last year this year,
a lot more players coming in off

347
00:21:30,100 --> 00:21:32,900
the bench and the lot more 
contributions in that way. 

348
00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:34,800
I don't know how much, 
obviously, if you've been able 

349
00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:36,800
to keep up with that. 
But was that kind of a surprise 

350
00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:39,300
to you based off of the way that
the starters played? 

351
00:21:39,300 --> 00:21:43,000
So consistently last year? 
What do you think kind of is 

352
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:45,900
going into that those 
decision-making skills or just 

353
00:21:45,900 --> 00:21:52,200
the the decision making, um, I 
mean, like you said, I haven't 

354
00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:55,100
been able to watch as much but 
what I would guess. 

355
00:21:55,100 --> 00:21:59,800
And, of course, I'm also not a 
coach, but I could definitely 

356
00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:05,200
see the fact that it's it is a 
whole almost new team and then 

357
00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:09,200
with Grace going down and, you 
know, being out for for a little

358
00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:16,300
bit is that's definitely gonna 
get a kind of You have to get 

359
00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:19,800
new players involved, but also I
think that the new players have 

360
00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:24,600
that are part of the team are 
are very good pieces and being 

361
00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:29,100
able to use those as much as you
possibly can, that's just 

362
00:22:29,100 --> 00:22:33,100
another advantage that IU has. 
Yeah, Matt, hopefully ends up 

363
00:22:33,300 --> 00:22:36,000
now, you know, get down the 
road, you get Grace back on the 

364
00:22:36,008 --> 00:22:38,000
court. 
Now, you have a much larger tool

365
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,200
kit to use. 
Yeah, yeah. 

366
00:22:40,700 --> 00:22:41,800
Absolutely. 
Yeah. 

367
00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:45,500
That's that's the goal really is
to have that That bench that you

368
00:22:45,500 --> 00:22:48,700
can rely on? 
Yeah there it's really 

369
00:22:48,700 --> 00:22:51,300
fascinating because again it's 
like roster depth and things of 

370
00:22:51,308 --> 00:22:56,900
that nature that really it's one
thing to have a good set of 

371
00:22:56,900 --> 00:22:58,600
starters. 
It's another to be able to pull 

372
00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:02,000
other pieces off who can both 
play large minutes but also play

373
00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,300
situationally. 
And you know just feels like 

374
00:23:05,500 --> 00:23:08,200
given the high level of 
competition, particularly in the

375
00:23:08,208 --> 00:23:11,700
Big Ten at this point with so 
many good teams, you're just 

376
00:23:11,700 --> 00:23:15,400
going to have to have that and 
it's just it's almost a 

377
00:23:15,408 --> 00:23:18,500
non-negotiable thing, especially
if you have Operations to go 

378
00:23:18,500 --> 00:23:21,500
deep in the NCAA tournament. 
I was going to say there's also 

379
00:23:21,500 --> 00:23:25,200
it's a long season. 
So yeah, you definitely want to 

380
00:23:25,208 --> 00:23:29,700
have, you know, as much fresh 
legs as you possibly can. 

381
00:23:31,100 --> 00:23:34,500
When the car rotation? 
What what's coming up for you 

382
00:23:34,500 --> 00:23:35,800
here in the next couple of 
months? 

383
00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:37,100
Obviously, you're still in 
season. 

384
00:23:37,100 --> 00:23:39,200
How long does the season go for 
you? 

385
00:23:39,200 --> 00:23:42,600
And Jody. 
Are there any particularly 

386
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:44,300
interesting games or trips 
coming up? 

387
00:23:44,300 --> 00:23:46,000
That that your, you got your eye
on? 

388
00:23:47,700 --> 00:23:53,300
Well, like I said, we're in the 
second round of the conference 

389
00:23:53,300 --> 00:23:59,900
or the league play and our 
season, or regular season would 

390
00:23:59,900 --> 00:24:04,400
end April 15th and then you go 
into playoffs and the top 8 

391
00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:11,100
teams go into playoffs. 
So hopefully, you know, we can, 

392
00:24:11,100 --> 00:24:14,800
we can do that. 
And as for games that I'm 

393
00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:17,700
excited about, I mean, honestly,
all of Them. 

394
00:24:17,700 --> 00:24:22,500
Although I will say, we are 
going to go play Salamanca which

395
00:24:22,500 --> 00:24:26,100
is bedroom ideas, how I knew 
that, which is where Alexa gobei

396
00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:30,100
plays and so I'll get to play 
against her and see her. 

397
00:24:30,100 --> 00:24:33,500
So I'm very excited about that. 
Have you two been keeping in 

398
00:24:33,500 --> 00:24:35,700
touch and kind of are you? 
But you think you both have your

399
00:24:35,700 --> 00:24:39,000
eye on that game? 
Absolutely, absolutely. 

400
00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:41,200
Yeah. 
We talked, we talked quite a bit

401
00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:45,400
and you know, definitely stay in
touch as well. 

402
00:24:46,100 --> 00:24:47,700
Awesome. 
Well, we'll look forward to 

403
00:24:47,700 --> 00:24:51,800
continue to watching from afar. 
It'd be great to get some of the

404
00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:55,300
games available here, but we're 
still in a situation where we 

405
00:24:55,300 --> 00:24:57,700
don't get all of the global 
stuff unfortunately and you're 

406
00:24:57,700 --> 00:25:01,700
obviously in spot with IU 
Women's Ball, but thanks so much

407
00:25:01,700 --> 00:25:05,600
for taking the time to talk with
us and best of luck for the rest

408
00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:07,200
of this season. 
And we'll look forward to 

409
00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:09,000
hopefully having you on again 
here soon.