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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 (00:02.77)
Good day and welcome to the Amy Egan podcast for December 30th, 2023, the last podcast for 2023. Happy, happy new year, Coach Egan. Well, you know, we do this every, we do this once a week and we're going to do this all year long, I think, just to get a feel for what it looks like inside of Linwood University Women's Basketball. And Amy, did all the players get home and back to campus safely?
amy (00:14.051)
Happy New Year! Exciting times!
amy (00:31.07)
Yeah, so we were up in Minnesota playing at the University of Minnesota and we all kind of flew, a lot of us flew back here and then the ones that could drive drove home, but a lot of them flew to their hometowns from Minnesota and I think we only had one kid that her flight got delayed and canceled, but her parents were there so they spent the evening together and had kind of a special evening together, but other than that I think everybody made it home and
Gary (00:56.753)
Aww.
amy (01:00.279)
They had four days at home and then came back on the 26th and we were back to work.
Gary (01:04.782)
Excellent. Anyway, I watched the Minnesota Iowa game yesterday and it continues. You know I've talked about this before. It continues to fascinate me. The skill levels, not only the individual skill levels, but the team skill levels and we see that all across the board. It just fascinates me, Amy.
amy (01:14.581)
Anything?
amy (01:21.202)
Yeah, it's just getting better and better. You know, I was sitting there just watching even the Minnesota women, you know, warm up and that, and it's just amazing. You know, they just, they don't miss. They just don't miss, you know, and the skill level of what they were working on and doing is it's fun to watch. And I do think that's a big reason that the women's game is growing is because the skill level is growing and it's becoming a lot more fun to watch.
Gary (01:47.874)
And you said the young ladies had four days off. I'm guessing they didn't do a lot of wind sprints on their own. So.
amy (01:55.25)
Probably not. They probably took some time off. You know, I think our strength and conditioning coach may have given them a few things to do if they could find a gym and get in. But, you know, with four days I wasn't too worried about them losing conditioning or, you know, losing strength, that kind of stuff. I mean, I did really want them to enjoy some time with family and friends. So we didn't really talk about it. And they came back and we've been fine this week. So.
back after it and had some really good practices and a few days that we could just really work on ourselves again and then a few days to prepare for southern Indiana.
Gary (02:31.618)
And we've had a few of the players on in previous podcasts and each one mentioned their family and they were eager to get back to see their family. That's kind of touching, you know, that's the kind of players you have on your team that family is so important to them.
amy (02:43.762)
Yeah, you know, one of our pillars is family. And you know, I tell all recruits when they come on visits and when they come on campus that, you know, family is a priority and they become a big part of who we are, even though they're not here every day as parents or guardians or whatever that is, but they do become a big part of who we are. And you know, a lot of that is they're trusting us with their daughters and to grow them as people and as students and as athletes and to take care of them. So.
It naturally becomes, I think, a bond and a relationship. And our kids, they know that that's a value that we have, and we hope that's a value that they have. And I would say that's very true for our team.
Gary (03:24.998)
Okay, so 10 games in. What are the biggest takeaways from you, both at Linwood University and as a new D1 head coach?
amy (03:35.402)
Yeah, well there's a lot. I mean, I think, you know, we're growing every day as a program and that's not just on the floor, that's off the floor. And I think that's the biggest thing. And the most important thing is that we just continue to do those things, especially through some hard times that we've had here in the non-conference schedule. And I think our kids have done such a great job of continuing to want that, continuing to make that happen and continue to get in the gym. And...
be engaged and be invested. And I think that says a lot, like I've said, about them with their character and so forth. And I really do believe the best is still yet to come for this group and obviously for our program going forward. I think for us, I would say big takeaways just, we still have a lot of growth in us. I think we've seen a lot of inconsistency.
I think we're getting more consistent, but I think we've seen a lot of inconsistency. You know, youth, we used as, yeah, we had nine freshmen, the most freshmen in the country of any other Division I school in our program. But in all reality, you know, these kids now have played, these freshmen have probably played more minutes than some sophomores. So you're heading into the second part of season, that's not an excuse. And so they understand that and they know that and they've gotten some really good experience.
But I think, you know, when you look at where we're headed and what we're doing, I think it's definitely in the right direction. And I think that's a really good takeaway. We had a really tough non-conference, and we're ready to get after it in the OVC.
Gary (05:13.718)
I think a really tough non-conference is a gross understatement. It was some big players, big teams.
amy (05:19.41)
Yeah, yeah, we when we knew that going in and you know we had some really good conversations with our kids about it and they knew it as well. And you know every day for us it's a process and it's a process to get better for what's to come the next day you know and it's not just for a game you know basketball is a long season and it's definitely not you know it's not a sprint it's a marathon and so I've said it over and over we want to be playing our best basketball in February.
We're getting closer to that or we're not there yet. And we have a lot of things that we worked on this week with like rebounding that we're really struggling with and free throws that we're really struggling with. If we can just get a little bit better at those two things and continue to do what we're doing, I think it can help take us to that next step and that next level.
Gary (06:06.61)
Cool. Last time we chatted, we talked about the holiday basketball scene. So I presume you've been watching lots of basketball games, going to lots of basketball games the last couple of weeks. What kind of talent are you finding in the whole St. Louis region and beyond?
amy (06:21.854)
Yeah, you know, we've been to this tournament and we went up to the State Farm Classic and some area high schools and, you know, I think there's some really great talent in St. Louis and I think we're doing a good job of getting in on some of those mixes and really starting to pursue a lot of kids within the St. Louis area and finding new kids within the St. Louis area, especially some young kids and adding them to our recruiting list. So.
I think we're doing a really, really good job with that. We're not there yet with everything. We gotta continue to build those relationships with coaches and AU coaches and kids and parents. But I do feel good about what we're doing there. And I have such a great staff that's so good with people that really helps with that as well. But I would say there's definitely a lot of talent and it's fun to watch.
I think the more we can get out and the more we can have the chance to evaluate, because I think it's important to evaluate kids more than just once. You wanna see them play different talent, you wanna see them play different levels, you wanna see how they handle hard, you wanna see how they handle easy. You wanna see a lot of different situations. So the more we can get out, the better feel we have for them and how they fit into not just our system, but also our program and our culture.
Gary (07:37.498)
And I went out and I know the OVC season starts today at Lindenwood. And I went out and looked at the records. We talked about this a few weeks ago. I think all of the OVC teams, when I checked a few days back, except Western Illinois, had what we'll call struggling records in the non-conference season. So I'm guessing most OVC teams had a similar kind of schedule, one that challenges them. Is that what you saw?
amy (07:53.646)
Mm-hmm.
amy (08:00.714)
Yeah, I would definitely say that. I think a lot of them were playing power five schools for some money games and doing some things to help offset some budgets and that kind of stuff in those areas early on. So I think that's a big part of it. I mean, I think, would we play three power fives? I think Little Rock might have played four or five. And we know how good they are and how good defensively they are. So-
I think it's hard to tell early on where everyone sits. I think once we get going and rolling with conference, and you kind of see how conference goes, that'll give you a much better idea, just because everybody plays such a different and a tough schedule in the non-conference season.
Gary (08:44.454)
So I'm guessing Southern Indiana is outside your window doing their shoot around about now. I went out and did look at some of the stats and Southern Indiana has two, almost three players averaging double digit points in the first part of the year and they come in with a one offender record of five and five. What do you expect to see from them?
amy (08:53.623)
Yep.
amy (08:59.842)
Yeah.
amy (09:04.674)
They're very good, they're very talented, they're a veteran group. I went back, two years ago they were in the GLVC and we played them while I was at jury, so I went back and watched that film. All the kids they're playing now that are seniors and juniors were freshmen and sophomores then. So I could see just from watching that game to watching them now, just their growth and the amount of growth that they've had. But they're definitely veteran, I think. They play really, really hard. They play really, really well together.
They're very selfless and just a really good squad. You know, they do a lot of high-low type stuff They usually play two post players together, which is kind of uncommon in the game of basketball these days so it's a different type of preparation that you have to have because you have to understand how to defend those things and Again, they're talented their post players are really talented and they have a lot of guards that are talented So we're gonna definitely have to execute the game plan that we have today
And we're gonna have to not just play hard, but we're gonna have to compete. We're gonna have to make some things happen for us defensively, turn them over some, and we're gonna have to get some stuff out of our press. And then they press as well, so we're gonna have to take care of the ball on the other side being a young.
Gary (10:18.106)
And then I talk about the nine freshmen on the team. I noticed when I was looking at the OVC stats, the freshman Ellie Bruggemann is in the top echelon of OVC scores. What's her upside over the next three years and what does she need to do to get better?
amy (10:31.702)
Yeah. Oh, well, I would say, you know, Ellie's not even close to where she's going to take her game and what she's going to do in our program. And, you know, two things I would definitely contribute that to is, number one, her selflessness. And she doesn't care. I mean, she doesn't care if she scores, you know, she wants to do whatever she can to help our team win and to put us in a position to win. And you know that because she's one of our better defensive kids.
She doesn't make a lot of defensive mistakes, she plays hard, she rebounds. And so I think her selflessness and her willingness to do whatever it looks like on that night to help us win is definitely there. She's seen a few games, she's seen a lot of face guarding and probably hasn't scored as much as she's capable of scoring because of that. Because we haven't gotten to a lot of that in our program with what to do and how to handle it and different plays and quick hitters, we just haven't.
But she's handled it so well because she's continued to play on the other end. And then I would say that the second thing is just her work ethic. I mean, I was sitting in here the other day at, it was like 5 o'clock or 530 and I was getting ready to wrap stuff up. And I heard a ball bouncing and I looked down on the court and Ellie was out there shooting by herself and getting shots up and working on her game. And we haven't had a chance to even work with her yet really. We've done some shooting and but we haven't really had a chance to dive into.
where we're gonna take her game, what she needs to work on, what we want her to get better at. And a lot of that again is because of a new program with us wanting to get last summer some offensive and defensive stuff in our system in and then just so much that we're having to do this year offensively and defensively. So I think it's gonna be pretty special for her once we have an opportunity to work with her and really work on growing her game and what that's gonna look like in the OVC.
Gary (12:25.442)
And then finally, probably the most important question of the week, Michigan or Alabama, Texas or Washington?
amy (12:34.047)
Well, I'm a Mizzou fan, so I think Mizzou should be up in those games.
Gary (12:37.918)
I'm going to go to bed.
It was a fascinating game the other night with Missouri and Ohio State. Just fascinating on that fourth quarter.
amy (12:44.37)
Yeah, well you know that the Schrader kid went to Truman State and that's where I played so have a little special interest in him and what he's done and pretty special kid obviously and everything that you've seen on and off the floor for that program. But I would say you know I kind of went back and forth I kind of think Alabama is going to beat Michigan. I really do and I kind of heard maybe they stole their
offensive or defensive coordinator or someone from the Michigan staff. So they might have all the calls, I don't know. We'll see, I'm not sure they need it, but I'm gonna go with Alabama to win it all.
Gary (13:14.274)
Yeah.
Gary (13:22.386)
Fuck that.