The Kyle Whittingham Coaches Show comes your way at six o'clock tonight. Should be an entertaining one this evening after a tough weekend. So we have one coach at six. We have one coach right now. We'll do some Utah women's hoops around the road against Northwestern on Thursday night at five o'clock start time, and coach Lynn Roberts back on the drive on a Tuesday.
Coach, Happy Tuesday. How are you.
I'm doing great? How are you?
I'm well, I'm well all right.
So some new faces, some familiar faces, a two and zero start, neither game has been relatively close.
We'll kind of get to what's next.
I do want to talk about this interesting change of conference and what it means for your program. But from a macro standpoint, what should we know about your team this year?
Again?
A lot of faces coming back and some new faces added to the puzzle.
Yeah, I think that's well said. You know, we have our core group back, Gianna Napkins returning All American, has two years left, Kenny McQueen, the hender for Utah Local, and Jenna Johnson. Those guys are all seniors in Eshvita back Matty Wilke back. We've got some good ones and you know, a lot of preseason lists for point guard of the Year with a Nash and Jenna's on the power forward of the year, you know, one of ten,
one of ten, one of ten. So we've got some good guys back that have been in this program for you know, three years, four years, and they also you know, beyond being upper class, and they have a lot of experience. You know, they've all played every year they've been here, they've advanced in the NCAA tournament, and they've won Tactal championship. Like there's just a lot of experience, not just age experience, but big game experience in winning. So that's a luxury
as a coach. But then we also have three really good freshmen and a couple of transfers that I really like, and then some key role players back that are you know, they've improved. So I like our roster. It's a great mix of new plus just experienced veterans. So I think that's a good balance. When you're looking at the season, Well.
When you lose an all time great, it's tough to make up for the absence, and Unlisia has now moved on to pro basketball in Minnesota. What have what have you tried to do so far? I guess you're just relying on, you know, all the girls that have been in your program. But again, you don't. You don't just replace somebody who is historically great. So how are you going about kind of the big hole that Alyssa leaves behind?
Yeah, I mean you don't. It's not, as I've said a lot, like, it's not zero sum where she graduates and you bring in somebody and you wipe her hands clean like hey done, Like it's it doesn't work that way. And but where it's not like she was the entire program either. I think the system played for her. She
was an incredible generational talent. But we had a lot of good players around her too, And so those guys you know, are going to step up, like you mentioned, and be in some bigger, more uh scoring reliant roles. But then we've got we've got a transfer, a grad transfer from she's originally from France, graduated at Rhode Island.
It was all big East out there, and so she you know, six three sixty four really long athletic shit, twenty two points in our second game she's good and she's going to help fill some need there, and then it's just, you know, it's my job to put our best scoring, our best players and positions to have the most impact. But we certainly have the talent to make
up for it. And it's you know, while it's definitely is a loss, it's not something that stresses me out in terms of can we still be as effective, if not better.
Through two games? You're still playing the same type of flow system. Everybody touches the ball, the ball move. You still like to shoot a lot of threes. You know, it does look like your style of play. I wonder how much of that is based off of and look, you do have a lot of players who have been
in the program. But do you decide exactly what you will implement based off of your personnel or you a coach that says this is how I know to win, and you're going to play in this system, Like, how does that process play itself out prior to the start of the year.
Yeah, I think a little bit of both. I think our philosophy remains the same in terms of the way we want to play the game. The nuances of that it depends on who your players are right now. The luxury is that we get to recruit players that fit our system. So if somebody cannot shoot at all, we probably won't recruit them. That doesn't mean they're not a good player, but they're just not a good fit for us. And so you know, we're recruiting now to the system.
But every year is nuanced. And even if we've got a bunch of players back and it's you know, a lot of the same ingredients, it's still a different recipe. Every year is different and that's the fun part of coaching, and you've got to keep it new. And so we're doing some different things than are nuances. But in terms of the philosophy of pace and tempo and space and great shot selection, that'll that'll be the same as long as I'm coaching.
How has your recent success conference championships NCAA tournaments, how has that affected your ability to recruit on the trail to get into doors that maybe three four years ago you were not able to get into.
Yeah, for sure.
I mean six great players want to want to win, right and they want to be around other great players, and so you know, we're fortunate to be at a spot with our program where we're nationally known and respected and we've kind of earned our earned our keep a little bit to where we have. You know, we're able, we have the ability to get in there, and you know, another huge part of that is our home crowd attendance.
You know, last season we averaged seventy two hundred. When I got the job ten nine and a half years ago, we had the year before I got here, they averaged six hundred and fifty four people, and so we're up to seventy two hundred, and that's a huge part of recruiting kids. You know, if you're an elite player, you want to play in front of a great home crowd,
and we want to keep building that. You know, my goal is to get to ten thousand and be like you know Iowa and Yukon, those types of places that have historically had great crowds, like that's South Carolina like that. That's the next step. I'm certainly not content with where we are, and we just want to keep pushing.
Is this your tenth year?
Yes? Can you believe it?
I feel like you just got hired.
I know me too, but the bags under my eyes tell the.
Well, tenth year is the head coach, but the first year as the head coach in the Big twelve. And you know, look, it doesn't necessarily this is just my opinion. It doesn't necessarily adversely affect you the way that it does Craig, because the Big twelve conference on the men's side is ridiculous. But I feel like the PAC twelve on the women's side may have been a superior conference overall, or maybe it's pretty close. As of now, looks like
we've got four teams in the top twenty five. Yes, after two games, l we're going to break down the top twenty five. IOWA Stayed, Case Day, West, Virginia, Baylor. But how would you articulate what this Big twelve challenge means for the women's side of things? Is it better competition? Is it pretty linear? Give me your thoughts there.
Yeah, And I think I think you're right. I think the PAC twelve on the women's basketball side was and this is not an opinion, this is statistically factual and in terms of tournament, game advancement, statistics, play, you know, all the things, net ranking, everything packed twelve on's basketball was the best women's basketball conference. And I think what made it uniquely elite was that it was from top
to bottom. Everybody was really competitive. You know, there's a lot of a lot of population in the West and no other conference that could you know, in the area Power five now Power four. But so there was a lot of West Coast talent that we got to stay. We being packed twelve and it was an elite league on the women's side, and maybe you know how you might equate the Big Twelve on the men's side, right
like it was just the best. So you know, everybody kind of got absorbed into well not everybody rip Oregon State in Washington State, but they'll make it back. Everyone kind of got absorbed into other leagues and so we'll all kind of be spread out, which I think will you know, elevate those leagues too. But the Big Twelve is good. You mentioned four teams, but that's not just the only four that are good. Arizona's always tough. TCU is good, We're good, Colorado's always good. Like it's a
good league. It's a tough league. And I think for me, you know, there's a lot of places being a West Coast kid my whole life, there's a lot of places I've never you know, competed at new arenas, new travel, all of that, new opponents. But that part's kind of fun too. It's a new challenge. Change kind of keeps you sharp, and so I'm excited. I'm looking forward to it. I certainly don't think it's gonna be easy for anybody in the big twelve on Norman side to cruise through.
I think it's gonna be everyone's gonna kind of take their lumps. No one's going to go undefeated. But I think it's a really, really good league.
What did you ask because you had a lot of players coming back from injury, a lot of and unfortunately that was an issue that plagued you at the end of last year. So what did you ask during the off season from some of these young women who played for you who were hurt to make sure that they were healthy, stay in shape, and were you satisfied with the way that your roster came back ready to play.
Yeah, we've got an unbelievable group that we have to and this is the honesty, goodness truth. We have to actually lock the gym so they don't get in when they're supposed to be having an off day. They are so driven and bought in and motivated to be great that they work their tails off. So my you know, my issue as a coach now is that they overtrain more than having to get them going. And that's a good problem to have as coach. I'll tell you.
That of the of the young women you have returning to play for you, who would you point out? I would imagine Gianna is gonna be on the list as far as helping the incoming freshmen of the transfers understand because you can only do so much when as the coach, and then they're going to go when they're going to a class and they're going to go hang out. So who are you kind of leaning on to help you know, these new players understand what you ask of them as being part of this program.
Yeah, we've got a handful of players that just breathe our culture. They live it and that you know John Eapns is one, Jenna Johnson and Neeshvita Kennedy, McQueen, Matty Wilke, those guys you know, I mentioned em earlier. They they are the walking example of what we want and they you know, they've completely bought in. And so when your best players are doing that, the new guys fall in line. I don't have to do a whole lot. It's pretty player driven and player led at this point, which is awesome.
Well, before I said you, Louise, you should know that the latest bracketology has you in Region four in Spokane. Is an eight seed play in South Dakota State.
Yeah, well, oh that's where we were last year. That was a great experience, wasn't it. And uh we played South Sacosta State. So I don't anticipate staying as an eight seed. The goal is to be a top four and host, so I think that's very It's challenging, but it's doable. But just like top twenty five poles, I don't pay much attention to the bracketology. We just kind of stay in our lane and keep our nose down and chop wood.
Man, I wouldn't imagine, So I was surprised that there was actually a bracketology available for me to look at.
After two non con games.
Before I set you loose, tell me about Northwestern your next opponent coming up on Thursday.
Yeah, you know, I've never in my in my career played Northwestern home or away or anywhere, so this is a first. I actually don't know if Utah has played Northwestern, that'd be a good trivia ever in its history. But yeah, I mean big ten team. They've had a they've they've lost a couple of close games against really two really good teams, so they're going to be hungry to win. And it's a you know, our first road game, and
it'll be a tough challenge. But I think they're well coached and they've got, you know, a Big ten roster, so we have our hands full. We you know, we're the underdog going on the road in the big tenth.
All right, Lynn, thanks for the time. Great to have college hoops back. Safe travels and we'll chat again.
Okay, okay, thanks for having me.
On all right, Lynn Roberts.
She's on social media at youte coach at UT's coach rob is where you find her. And as she referenced, you know, one of the things that's allowed her to really build this program in the right direction is the home attendance being what it is now. On the women's side, they'll be home next on the eighteenth against McNeice.
Looks like they'll get rolling.
They've got Notre Dame coming into town on the thirtieth of November. That's the top six team in the country. Then they'll launch into Big twelve play a little bit later on, so appreciate Lynn's time.