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Welcome to The Amy Eagan Podcast. Every Saturday Lindenwood University's Head Women's Basketball Coach Amy Eagan talks women's basketball and much, much more. We'll talk about past games, future games, players, the OVC, the NCAA, academics, careers, and many other interesting topics.
Gary D Stocker (00:01.122)
Welcome to the Amy Egan podcast where each week we chat with Lindwood University head women's basketball coach Amy Egan about women's basketball, the OVC, recent games, future games, and a lot, lot more. Amy, sometimes you talk about careers as well. Amy, welcome back. Since we last chatted, I believe there are four W's in your column. Tell us about those.
Amy Eagan (00:22.349)
Yeah, yeah. Thanks for having me and I'm getting my voice back from being voiceless for a few days. So bear with me a little bit today if I'm a little bit scratchy. But yes, I mean, super proud of our kids. I mean, I don't know if anyone would have thought at
in our second year with kind of how last year went. If we would have won four straight already in November and so I'm really proud of them and I think it says a lot about them and you know they've just been working really hard. They're very coachable and you know we try to make practice and everything really hard and really uncomfortable so that when they get in those situations and games they know how to handle them and they've just been really handling that really well. So I think that's a direct correlation of their preparation.
whether that's practice, whether it's scout, it's really paying off, I think, in this win streak for them. So getting really proud of them, they're the ones that make that happen.
Gary D Stocker (01:19.473)
And talk about losing your voice. We had Education Day a week or so ago, and there were hundreds of middle schoolers and grade schoolers screaming at the top of their lungs. Talk about Education Day and what that's like.
Amy Eagan (01:30.154)
Yeah, I always say as a coach is one of your least favorite days to coach in because you can't because the kids are so loud that your players can't hear you. On the reverse side, that's probably our players favorite day to play because they can't hear us correcting them. no, think it's such a great special day as I tell our kids before.
The night before I always tell them that they're going to have this many young children watching them. And for some of these kids, it's the first time they've ever been to a college women's basketball game. For some others or the same, it's maybe the only time they ever get to come to a college women's basketball game. making sure that our kids understand that, that the impact they have, the role models that they have an opportunity to be in front of these kids is just a really special thing. And I think we got.
amazing kids on our team. They're great role models for those kids. So I'm excited that that we get to host that day and that we get to have that impact on those kids.
Gary D Stocker (02:30.39)
And then in the last week, the two Gracies had particularly good weeks for different reasons. Talk about those.
Amy Eagan (02:36.012)
Yeah, yeah, I mean, you you talk about Gracie Warnley, who we brought in and, you know, I think I had said before, you know, we saw that kid play a lot and watched her a ton in AU as she was AU teammates with Alyssa Nielsen and Ellie Brueggemann. So we watched her ton and I just loved watching her in AU and she had already committed to somewhere else. so it was just a lot of watching and wishing, you know, at that point, because she had already committed and then
You know, she went into the portal and we went really hard after, you know, I was really, really comfortable knowing exactly what we were going to get out of that kid, you know, and I think, you know, that was probably one thing hopefully for her. One of the reasons she chose us is because I knew exactly what type of player she was and how she was going to fit our system and because we had seen so much of her. So really fortunate that we were able to get her. And, you know, I think, you know, when you talk about a kid last year, you know, that didn't play as much
as she wanted or would have liked. This is kind of still her freshman year a little bit, when you talk about minutes and that experience for minutes. And we know that we've talked about the difference between freshmen and sophomores, just how many minutes and how much experience our freshmen got last year. it, I think, took her just a little bit of time with the new system, new coaches, new teammates. Again, technically going from being a freshman type thing in a system
Gary D Stocker (03:41.81)
yeah?
Amy Eagan (04:04.772)
But I think she's really, really taken now to our system and to our team and really getting a lot more comfortable with stuff. And so I'm proud of her just for continuing to work, continue to see that vision, continue to push. And when maybe things aren't, haven't gone as well she wanted at the very beginning, but I think now you're seeing some of that. So again, just a great, great, great addition to our program on the floor, off the floor.
Gary D Stocker (04:26.81)
Yeah.
Amy Eagan (04:32.836)
And then Gracie Kelsey. Man, just I get so excited that she's back. I just I know how good that kid is, you know, and I say it all the time, but I'm really excited for her. I think, you know, coming off an ACL, she's worked so, so hard to get herself back at this time of the year. And if you even look at her, her strength, her upper body strength, her lower body strength, I mean, the way she moves, she moves way better than she ever did last year before she.
Gary D Stocker (04:37.008)
Ha
Gary D Stocker (04:40.644)
Ha ha ha.
Gary D Stocker (04:58.918)
really? Interesting.
Amy Eagan (05:00.052)
Yeah, so she looks really, really good. Now it's about just gradually getting her into our system and getting her comfortable with stuff. And none of that happens. You don't go from not playing to whatever, 40 minutes a game overnight. So it's going to take her just a little bit with stuff. But I think she's getting more more comfortable every day. And I'm really looking forward to her getting back and working her way back into things for us.
Gary D Stocker (05:30.297)
And so the ratchets the competition kind of ratchets up here a little bit next couple times rent also today for an action for an afternoon game I think. It was afternoon against all Roberts and I think early next week Nebraska would hope to get out of both of those games.
Amy Eagan (05:42.292)
Yeah, well, I think.
You know, we've talked a lot about Oral Roberts with our kids. I think they're really, really good team. And they've shown that, you know, kind of in the same situation, a little bit as as us in regards to they were all pretty much new last year and then returned a lot of those those kids from last year and have added some pieces. They're a little bit older. I think they've got a few more kids that are six year kids, but just a really talented team and very well coached. It's crazy because.
Both of us and Oral Roberts coach, we coached against each other when I was at Drury and she was at Southwestern Oklahoma. So we're familiar with each other's probably systems, those kinds of things. But just a very talented team. They beat Arkansas by I think almost 30 the other day. Yeah, they beat Tulsa who's another great team.
Gary D Stocker (06:20.913)
Gary D Stocker (06:29.615)
I that. Yeah.
Amy Eagan (06:34.7)
So they're riding a lot of confidence. think our kids are riding a lot of confidence right now. So it's going to be a matter of who can go out tonight and execute their game plan. And again, we're on the road. So we've got to be able to handle some of that on the road stuff and put together a complete game for sure tonight. And then we head over to Nebraska for one of our guarantee games next Tuesday. Natalie Potts was playing for them who actually went to incarnate word and we had kind of scheduled
that with, you know, having her in mind and then obviously Brooke and they were high school teammates and that kind of stuff for her ACL. So she's out for them for the year. But again, we get to go to, you know, a big 10 and just a little bit of that experience, you know, with it and give them the best shot that we can give them. So excited about that. And then, you know, you talked about December, we're to be home for, you know, four straight games and two of those conference games. So I feel like we have been on the road a little bit here in this
Gary D Stocker (07:10.01)
Right. Right.
Gary D Stocker (07:29.66)
Yep. Yep.
Amy Eagan (07:34.55)
stretch but excited to get back home for December.
Gary D Stocker (07:38.586)
And then I presume you're having Thanksgiving at your house for your players, because there's not much time between now.
Amy Eagan (07:41.962)
Yeah, of course. Well, I think, you know, I could offer that for sure. And I would offer that for sure. But they probably need a break from me. But no, we actually, you know, we're fortunate enough that we're able to give a little bit of a break. So we're going to practice early Wednesday morning and then most of them are going to head home.
Gary D Stocker (07:50.576)
Ha ha ha ha.
Amy Eagan (08:01.746)
and then they'll have Thursday off, Friday off, and then we'll come back and practice Saturday. So they actually get a pretty big break for Thanksgiving. And so it'll be good for them to rest their minds a little bit before we get back after it on Saturday with stuff. But just a big time that we can give some thanks and spend a little extra time with family.
Gary D Stocker (08:16.806)
Okay.
Gary D Stocker (08:24.146)
And then last question, you kind of mentioned this earlier. Last year we watched those nine freshmen and you're famous now for bringing nine freshmen on board last year who struggled at the end of games and really just a year later you've won some close games, Amy. I suppose you expect that for the next coming years as well.
Amy Eagan (08:31.212)
you
Amy Eagan (08:40.65)
Yeah, yeah, I think we still got a lot of growth in those areas. We've gone back as a staff and showed our kids a little bit of some of the late game stuff, but really as a staff really kind of have gone through some of that, what we can continue to do, what we need to do. And there's still things, I mean, there's still a lot of things that we need to work on that we need to add.
But I think we're way further ahead than last year, know, with all of that. And whether you talk about just having a feel for, you know, your kids' strengths and weaknesses and where to put them in spots. I mean, it's just way better this year. you know, you look at a lot of the games that have been close for us and you watch a lot of that film and it just comes down to like, you know, when you need to make plays, you got to have kids that are willing to make plays. And our kids, as sophomores now, I think understand that a lot more and are making some of those things
So, I'm proud of them for doing those things. And again, I hope we just continue to learn from all those situations and grow and continue to add to what we need to add.
Gary D Stocker (09:44.415)
Well, coach, I wish you and your family a happiest of Thanksgiving. And we will look forward to getting together again, I guess, next Monday and do Amy Egan podcast. We'll call that a wrap for today. So this has been Amy Egan podcast where we talk Linwood University, women's basketball, and much, much more. Coach, best always. And we'll talk again next week.
Amy Eagan (10:02.262)
Thanks, Gary. Appreciate it.