Nova Southeastern University Athletics

General Thoughts
Head Coach LeAnn Freeland: I was extremely happy about the way we played. Delta State is a very aggressive team with a great amount of tradition in women’s basketball. We came out ready to play and we played together for forty minutes. Some calls didn’t go our way but we just stayed together and continued to play our game. We are so excited to advance and go to San Antonio for the Elite Eight.
 
Q: What was the atmosphere like?
 
Freeland: It was awesome. NSU has been behind us the entire weekend. It was a great building opportunity for our university to get behind athletics as well. President Hanbury stepped forward big time to support us and give opportunities to students and faculty and staff to come and be here and enjoy this moment with us. These moments are best when they are shared, and we get the opportunity to share with a lot of great people tonight. Our administration worked tirelessly to earn the host opportunity and that means a lot too, to be on your home court and see all your friends and family there to support. It was great.
 
Q: Talk about the job you were able to do against Seneca Walton, who has been a force all tournament.
 
Freeland: Sure, we had a number of players step up ready to defend her today. Seneca Walton is a very powerful player, she has a midrange game, and she squares and faces that basket really well. We just had a fight, they did a nice job, all our players who defended her tonight did a great job focusing on our defensive principles and making sure that we were in the right spot and we were able to contain her.
 
Q: Do you remember the first practice and the journey from that moment up to this point?
 
Danielle Robinson: The first practice I remember it being very intense, very competitive, because we all knew we were all fighting for the same thing. So we came in and we came together really, we just came and tried to compete hard.
 
Tailor Jones: I would have to agree with you D. One thing about this team we love to be challenged and we challenge each other every single day. So, we just need to keep continuing challenging each other and keep working and hopefully things will end up great.
 
Freeland: I will say from my perspective, we had an opportunity to have a work out pretty early when the NCAA rules allowed it. We got the whole group out there and watched them run and our coaching staff was very giddy at that moment because we knew we had something special. Even though we had to experience quiet a journey this season with the highs and the lows, we still are exactly where we wanted to be come March 18. So I am really proud of this group we pulled together and we are playing our best basketball right now.
 
Q to Jones: Being down 14-4, your shots brought the team back in the game. Talk about how you were able to make some key shots for your team in the first half?
 
Jones: I mean it’s the game of basketball. It’s an imperfect game, so there’s going to be ups and downs. You know someone has to be up or someone has to be down or it’s tied. We just kept pushing and staying together and we preserved and came out on top.
 
Freeland: For me it’s about the players and the vision that we shared with them when we recruited them and our coaching staff had quiet a vision… and we were bold enough to share it with every recruit who walked through our door. So for it to come to fruition means a lot. I’m starting to get a little emotional, but it was a really special moment that we get to share together and I like to stand by my word and its happening and I feel good about it.
 
Robinson: Words can’t even express how I feel right now. I’m just so proud of our team and just the hard work we put in to get here. We’re happy but we aren’t satisfied, this is just another step we are trying to take for the program. It will be exciting just getting back in the gym, getting back together and getting our bodies ready to go to San Antonio.
 
Defensively I just wanted to come out and be more aggressive, I wanted to put on the pressure, made sure we kept talking on defense and just get out team to play together.
 
Q to Jones: What does it mean to win it at home?
 
Jones: It’s a surreal moment right now, like Danielle said I can’t even express how I feel right now. To be able win this major tournament in front of my family and end it out like this my senior year, is amazing. I’m speechless.
 
Freeland: Not to mention being named MVP.
 
Q: What does winning this trophy mean?
 
Freeland: I’ve been in Division II my whole life. I’ve played in Division II, I’ve coached Division II for 14 years. When I left my previous job to take this job, I just saw enormous potential, with the administration that we have, the facilities, we’re in Fort Lauderdale! I mean what recruit wouldn’t want to be here with us? So we just share with them the whole package, we have it. We have a great athletic training staff, great resources from top to bottom, and we just needed the players and share with them that we want to be national champions. Are goal is to be a national contender year in and year out.
 
What’s it like beating a team that’s won six national championships?
 
Freeland: I personally have a long history with Delta State, as a player and a coach. I knew what we were up against. It’s sometimes hard to beat tradition, they know how to win, and the entire university knows how to win, so it’s a great moment because I know what our players have done throughout the season to get to this point. Beating such a great program is such a testimony to what our players do every day.