We are still a couple of weeks away from the tip-off of the college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Villanova F Maddy Siegrist, who talked about beating UConn last February and her expectations for this season.
You grew up in Poughkeepsie: what made you choose Villanova? It was the biggest school that I felt I could play at back then. I came to campus and just loved the school.
You broke your ankle during your 2nd day of preseason practice when you stepped on your teammate’s foot: how bad was it, and how were you able to come back the following year to be named unanimous 2020 conference ROY? It was tough! I had to get ankle surgery, which kind of sucked: it was the 1st time in my career that I had a set-back like that. Looking back on it now, it helped me appreciate the game more and gave me motivation.
As a sophomore you became the 3rd player in Big East history to lead the conference in both scoring (22.8) and rebounding (9.8): how are you able to balance your scoring with your rebounding? Rebounding is a hustle area: you just need to want the ball and give your team some extra possessions.
Last February you had 17 PTS/12 REB in a 3-PT win over UConn, snapping the Huskies’ 9-year-long 169-game conference win streak: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is definitely up there: I would say top-5. It was incredible to be a part of that. We had the opportunity and I could not be prouder of my team.
In 2022 you were named conference POY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It is such a great honor because it is such a strong conference. It is a reflection of the entire team/coaches: not just me.
You also finished #2 in the nation last with 25.3 PPG: what is the secret to being a great scorer? You have to be resilient and cannot go into any game thinking that you need to score a certain # of points. If you play your best then good things will happen.
You have already graduated with a degree in Communications and are now working on your master’s in education: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? Time management: you have to prioritize certain things so I try to plan my day out. After sleeping/eating, school comes 1st, and then I make time to get some shots up.
You played for team USA at the 3×3 world championships last month where you made it all the way to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion France: what was it like facing Eve Wembanyama (whose brother Victor is projected to be the 1st overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft) in pool play? I did not even know that: it is pretty cool. All of the French players were really talented. I have seen a bunch of highlights of her brother: he is pretty impressive.
Your father George played basketball at Marist: who is the best athlete in the family? I would say that it is me. He was more of a banger inside so when we played against each other during the summer he used to win all of the time…until a couple of years ago. He will never let me take the same shot twice!
What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? The end goal is to get back to the NCAA tourney so I will do whatever it takes for my team to do that. We cannot look too far ahead so we will just take it 1 game at a time and I will try to be the best leader that I can be.