On Saturday Belmont beat Tennessee Tech 51-29 in the OVC women’s tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Bruins have owned the postseason for almost a decade, making the NCAA tourney 6 times in the past 7 years. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Belmont PG Destinee Wells about making the NCAA tourney yet again and developing a dynasty.
Photo credit: Belmont Athletics
You were born/raised in Tennessee: what made you choose Belmont? They made the decision easy for me during my recruitment since all of the players/coaches were nice and welcoming. I wanted to come here so that I could play immediately and win some games.
You play for Coach Bart Brooks: what makes him such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He cares about us as more than just players, such as with our mental health.
You are 5’6”: do you see your height as an advantage or disadvantage on the court? An advantage, of course! I have been small all my life but I am quick and use my speed to try to make my opponents uncomfortable.
Last year you were named OVC ROY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It was a huge honor for me, I was really nervous as a freshman and it was a big adjustment for me, but I had some amazing teammates who helped me get that huge accomplishment.
In the 2021 OVC tourney title game you scored a career-high 32 PTS and had 4 STL in an 8-PT win over UT-Martin en route to being named tourney MVP: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? Championship games are the most fun time of the year. We worked hard during a difficult season and felt that we deserved it. Our goal was to get the win and I was willing to do whatever it took: it was so much fun!
In the 2021 NCAA tourney you upset Gonzaga before losing to Indiana: what did you learn from that tourney run that you think will help you this time around? In the offseason we worked hard in the weight room to get stronger/faster so we will be more prepared to compete this month and let our hard work show itself.
Last Saturday in the OVC tourney title game you scored a game-high 22 PTS in a win over Tennessee Tech: how does this year’s championship compare to last year’s championship? It felt great. We started out rough (only scoring 17 PTS in the 1st half), but then we pushed the ball and turned up our defensive pressure and were able to hold them almost scoreless in the 4th quarter (outscoring the Golden Eagles 13-3 in the final 10 minutes).
The Bruins have now made the NCAA tourney 6 times in the past 7 years: is it fair to call your program a “dynasty”? Yes. Our seniors have worked so hard, which is why the rest of us chose to come to Belmont: we wanted to be a part of that.
1 of your AAU teammates is now your college teammate: how nice is it to share all of your success with fellow starter Tuti Jones? It is amazing. We only played together for 1 year in AAU but then we grew closer over time. 1 day we jokingly said, “Hey, let’s go to Belmont!”…and we both ended up here. I love playing with her.
What kind of seed do you think you deserve, and what kind of seed do you think you will get? I think that we deserve an 8/9 seed but will probably get a 12/13. We will be ready to play whoever we get matched up with and I cannot wait!