Last Friday UAlbany beat Maine 56-47 in the America East women’s tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Great Danes lost to the Black Bears twice last month but the 3rd time turned out to be the charm, and now they will prepare to face #1 seed Louisville on the road this Friday. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with UAlbany SO Kayla Cooper about an incredible 1-year turnaround and winning the conference tourney.
You grew up in Maryland: what made you choose UAlbany? I just loved the culture and how at home I felt during my visit. While I was on my official visit everyone was so nice and welcoming. Throughout the day I could see myself playing here and it just felt like the right decision.
You play for Coach Colleen Mullen: what makes her such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from her so far? What makes her a good coach is just how much she is willing to help you reach your goals/full potential. She is willing to work with you and is consistently trying to make you better both on and off the court. The most important thing I learned from her is to be where your feet are and to always stay hungry/coachable. As a player, and just as a person in general, I always overthink everything and do not stay in the present but she is always there to calm us down and remind us to be in the moment and take everything step-by-step.
You are 6’ tall: how much of an advantage is your height on the court? Not much: what really gives me an advantage is my speed/athleticism when it comes to grabbing rebounds or driving to the basket.
You are majoring in Biology: why did you pick that subject, and what is the post-graduation plan? I actually switched my major over to psychology because in the past I found it so interesting. As far as my post-graduation plan, I am still thinking it over, but I do want to play basketball overseas.
Last year you were named to the conference All-Rookie Team: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant a lot to me because with the year being so challenging due to the pandemic (which made it so hard to work on my game), it just felt good to have that recognition and know that what I was going through was going to pay off.
You have 3 teammates from Sweden and 1 from Italy: how has your team been able to bond while bringing in players from all over the world? It is easy. Something that I love about our team is that we are all so welcoming and are able to create a bond with everyone we meet. No matter where you are from you will be a part of the family.
Last year you won 7 games but this year you have won 23 (and counting): how were you able to turn things around so dramatically in just 12 months? We all finished last season knowing that we could have done more so we all had our own personal goals when we went home and worked over the summer. Once we got back together we had created a culture where we wanted to be champs and would do whatever it took to be successful.
Last Friday in the America East tourney title game you had 8 PTS/12 REB in a 9-PT win over #1 seed Maine: how were you able to get revenge after they beat you twice last month, and what did it mean to you to win a title? Winning this title meant everything to us. We had already lost to Maine twice but were able to get revenge the 3rd time simply because we wanted it more. We set our minds to it and were not going down without a fight: I honestly do not think they expected us to come out with the intensity we brought. The bus ride back was all smiles and everyone was so happy while singing and dancing!