Georgia Tech’s womens basketball coach MaChelle Joseph was recently interviewed for ramblingwreck.cstv.com, Georgia Tech’s athletic Web site, and she praised former lady Panther basketball players LaQuananisha Adams and Metra Walthour.
Joseph, the Yellow Jackets coach for the past seven years, participated in a question-and-answer series Sept. 14 regarding the upcoming season. During her tenure, Joseph has produced three straight 20-win seasons and has reached the NCAA tournament every year.
Joseph said Adams secured valuable playing time during the off season because her squad went on a foreign tour. The coach said the extra playing time helped boost her confidence.
According to the report posted on the Yellow Jacket’s Web site, Joseph said, "One of the things that I noticed early on in preseason is that her (Nisha Adams) perimeter shooting has improved dramatically. It seems like her foundation, the strength in her legs and upper body has improved from staying here all summer. I believe she is a very versatile post player and is a perfect complement for Sasha Goodlett on the inside. You know, Sasha brings brute strength and size and Nisha adds quickness, athleticism and length, so I think that we’re very fortunate to have a player like Nisha Adams in our program."Joseph also commented on Walthour’s improvement over the summer, saying she is currently the third-strongest person on her team.
"Metra put in a lot of work this summer," Joseph said. "She went to a point guard camp that really helped her understand what the role and responsibilities are of a point guard. She’s now the third strongest person on our team, so I definitely think even though she’s small, she’s powerful. And the experience she gained starting as a freshman in the ACC and playing in an NCAA tournament definitely will carry over to her sophomore season and give her a lot of confidence heading into this year."
Walthour’s longtime friend and AAU teammate Monique Bennet, a former standout at Statesboro High School, earned praise after making a big impact on the Yellow Jackets squad during her freshman season.
"The biggest thing for Mo is when we challenged her in the offseason to become more consistent, in her approach to practice every day, her shooting drills and her individual workouts," the coach said. "I believe the confidence she gained in the foreign tour carried over to her summer workouts. She’s in the best shape of her life. She may be one of our most improved players at this point, and we all know what she’s capable of. You look at her numbers against UConn as a freshman and some of the other games like Iowa in the NCAA tournament. I believe that Mo has the potential to be an impact player at Georgia Tech."
The Yellow Jackets begin the regular season at the LIU Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov.27, against Seton Hall.