>> COACH JACK, IT HAS BEEN A LONG BUT BUSY OFF SEASON.

WHAT HAVE YOU AND YOUR STAFF BEEN WORKING ON?

>> THE FIRST THING I HAD TO DO WAS GET A STAFF.

SO, YOU KNOW, AFTER THAT LAST GAME AT BOSTON COLLEGE AND WE WERE UP SO MUCH AND THEN WE LOST , YOU KNOW, THE WAY WE DID, AND SO WE HAD TO REVAMP OUR STAFF.

WE HAD TO GO GET SOME QUALITY PEOPLE TO COME WITH.

CASEY AND AMBER.

THEN WE HAD TO GET SOME PLAYERS.

AND WE GOT SOME FUN PLAYERS TO SAY THE LEAST.

ONE IS FROM JAPAN.

VIA NIGERIA.

>> THAT'S IZOJE UCHE.

SOPHIE BURROWS, IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR TO YOU BRING HER BACK.

WHAT SORT OF STEPS FORWARD ARE YOU EXPECTING HER TO TAKE THIS YEAR?

>> WELL, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY THAT SHE COMMITTED TO US AND THEN SHE ENDED UP GOING TO MADRID, SPAIN, TO PLAY FOR HER NATIONAL TEAM.

AND, YOU KNOW,FIRST YEAR WAS PRETTY GOOD.

SECOND YEAR DIDN'T GO SO WELL.

AND WHEN WE GOT OFF THE BUS COMING FROM THE ACC TOURNAMENT, I TOLD EVERYBODY TO GO HOME, DO YOUR THING.

BUT SOPHIE, CAN YOU MEET ME IN MY OFFICE.

AND I WANTED HER TO UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH I VALUED HER AND I SAW HER STRUGGLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR AND SHE SHARED WITH ME SOME REALLY HONEST THOUGHTS.

AND AS I SHARED MY HONEST THOUGHTS WITH.

I KNEW THAT WE WERE IN THIS THING TOGETHER.

I THINK SHE UNDERSTANDS WHAT I'M TRYING TO BUILD HERE AND I WILL BE THE LOUD CRAZY ONE AND SHE WILL BE THE SOFT SPOKEN ONE THAT GETS THE JOB DONE FOR US.

>> FOR FANS, THEY'LL KNOW SOPHIE.

THEY WILL KNOW MADELINE POTTS.

AND IZOJE UCHE.

WHO ARE SOME OF THE NEW PLAYERS.

>> JOURNEY THOMPSON IS NOT NEW.

SHE IS NEW IN THE WAY SHE IS PLAYING.

SHE DIDN'T PLAY WELL LAST YEAR.

WE MADE A PACT TO DO OUR BEST AND SHE HAS BEEN DELIGHTFUL TO COACH.

SO INCREDIBLY GIFTED IN WHAT SHE IS GIFTED AT.

SOME PEOPLE ARE GIFTED AT SCORING AND RUNNING OR WHATEVER.

AND SHE IS GIFTED IN SETTING THE SCREEN.

SHE IS GIFTED IN TALKING TO HER TEAMMATES AND SAYING THIS IS HOW WE DO IT HERE.

AND SHE IS GIFTED IN HELPING ME GROW THE REST OF THE TEAM.

SHE IS A SENIOR.

AND THIS IS HER LAST YEAR.

AND I THINK SHE IS HAVING THE MOST FUN THAT SHE HAS HAD WHEN SHE EVER PLAYED THE GAME.

YOU MIGHT SEE HER REAL EARLY IN THE FIRST GAME.

>> SPEAKING OF THE FIRST GAME, YOU HAVE THREE GAMES IN THE OPENING WEEK.

I KNOW WE ARE A LITTLE WAYS AWAY TO BE ABLE TO GO THROUGH A SCOUT OF THE OPPONENTS YOU BUT WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING AND HOPING TO SEE FROM YOUR TEAM IN THE EARLY GOING?

>> WELL, LAST YEAR WE WEREN'T MENTALLY TOUGH ENOUGH OR FOCUSED ENOUGH TO TAKE ON OUR NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE, HENCE WE DIDN'T HAVE A GREAT GAME AGAINST ST.

JOES, ALBANY, SMU CAME IN EARLY AND GAVE US THE L. AND I THINK THIS IS A DIFFERENT GROUP.

I THINK THEIR MENTALITY IS LIKE, ANYBODY WE PLAY, ANYWHERE WE PLAY 'EM AT, WE ARE GOING TO RESPECT EVERYBODY.

WE ARE GOING TO FEAR NOBODY.

AND SO THE FIRST FEW GAMES ARE GOING TO BE ONE AT A TIME.

STONY BROOK IS A TOUGH TEAM.

WE'LL GIVE OUR BEST EFFORT