Last Sunday Samford beat Chattanooga 72-67 in the SoCon women’s tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs made back-to-back NCAA tourney appearances in 2011/2012 but had to wait 14 years before making it back there this month. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Samford FR G Kaylee Yarbrough about being named to the conference all-freshman team and making the NCAA tourney.
You were a starter for your team at New Hope High School since the 7th grade: how on earth were you able to compete against players who were so much older/taller than you? I was really little/skinny so my main thing was to shoot the ball every time I got it.
What made you choose Samford? The coaching staff were so genuine and I could tell that they cared for their players both on/off the court.
You play for Coach Matt Wise: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He is very smart and knows what he is talking about. He is such a great guy and I love playing for him because he gets along great with us and had a great coaching style.
Last December you scored a career-high 29 PTS/10-18 FG in a 7-PT win at SC Upstate: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? For sure! When I get like that I have so much confidence and it is so fun to be out there.
Last week you were named to the SoCon all-freshman team: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? I was just in shock! I was so happy for my other teammates who got awards of their own because we worked so hard for this.
You finished the regular season 13-18: what was the mood of the team like entering the conference tourney? We bought in: we could have laid down when things were not going our way, but we came together/grew closer/never gave up.
Last Sunday in the SoCon tourney title game you scored a game-high 25 PTS/5-7 3PM in a 5-PT win over Chattanooga: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? Going into the game I saw how my teammates were playing, so when I subbed in everyone was in good spirits. Once my 1st shot went in I knew that it was over. As far as the postgame, you should see some of the videos because it was LIT in the locker room!
Your highest-ranked opponent this year was Minnesota (who is currently #18 in the nation): what makes them so great? I missed that game, but the Gophers played well together and had a lot of confidence.
You led the team this year with 12.2 PPG: how were you able to make such a great contribution despite being a freshman who only started 10 games? I give credit to my teammates for getting me open looks and setting screens. We are a very unselfish team so once we found our groove this season it has been so much fun.
What kind of seed do you think you deserve, and what kind of seed do you think you will get? I am so grateful for the opportunity to go against great competition and am just looking forward to facing a great opponent having some fun.
