Women's basketball hosts annual Media Day

The BYU women's basketball team held its annual Media Day, Monday at the Marriott Center.

Along with individual photos and the team photo, BYU head coach Jeff Judkins and selected players were interviewed by the local media.

• This year's team boasts a young squad with 11 underclassmem.
• Junior guard Brenna Chase and sophomore center Sara Hamson are the two returning starters. Chase (13.5 ppg., 2.2 rpg., and 3.0 apg) was named to the West Coast Conference First Team last year.
• Hamson (5.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 4.3 bpg) led the nation in blocked shots per game with a 4.3 average. She enters this season as the returning WCC Defensive Player of the Year.
• This season's 16-member squad includes six international players: Maria Albiero (Londrina, Brazil; Babalu Ugwu (Jundai, Sao Paulo, Brazil); Shalae Salmon (Porirua, New Zealand); Kaylee Smiler (Hamilton, New Zealand);  Khaedin Taito (Hastings, New Zealand) and Signe Glantz (Ostersund, Sweden).
• This past August, the Cougar team spent 12 days in Europe, traveled to four countries, played three games and one team scrimmage. They won all three games.

The Cougars open up the 2018-19 season with a home game against UC Riverside on Friday, Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. Prior to the home opener, the team will also play a home exhibition game against Dixie State University on Tuesday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m.

This Thursday, Oct. 18, the team will play in its annual Blue/White game beginning at 6:30 p.m.

QUOTES

BYU head coach Jeff Judkins

On building team chemistry in the offseason:
“I think the trip to Europe was a real blessing. We have 11 underclassmen, so to be able to go and get 10 days of practice and play games and see how everything works, they kind of get a good idea of what it’s all about. The nice thing is that they’re all young and there isn’t a lot of age difference. The last few years we’ve had a lot of older seniors and then young kids and for whatever reason, it’s a difficult dynamic and they don’t see eye to eye on things. This team is a lot closer because of that.”

On the number of international players on the roster:
“It’s really weird how it works. You sign a kid from New Zealand as we did with Kalani Purcell, and all of a sudden girls see her success and people get a hold of you. It’s a lot about word of mouth, and I think by having her (Kalani) be successful has opened a lot of doors.

And then Shalae Salmon has opened a lot of doors too because of her being here. We’ve lost a lot, but we’ve been fortunate to get two girls from Brazil as well. The Sweden connection is through a junior college assistant coach that we a have a good relationship with. BYU’s not afraid to let us go and find the best players we can. It’s getting more that way now because it’s so hard to get kids from the Power Five conferences.”

On some of the trademarks of this year’s team:
“We’re really deep. I can play a lot of different players. We haven't had any injuries so far, knock on wood. Last year, it seemed like the injury bug hit us. Now I have a lot of depth, and that pushes people. The freshmen that came in this year are very good and they’re very talented. I think they’ll push the other players a lot. We have some seasoned players that have played enough minutes that they know what’s going on, which is going to be really helpful.

Junior guard Brenna Chase

On personal goals for this season:
“I want to win the WCC Championship. It is a team thing but it’s also a personal thing.”

Most looking forward to this season:
“I'm just looking forward to hanging out with my teammates. I love our dinners before games, it’s always really fun. Before every game, I always eat a steak.”

On how she can contribute to the team this season:
“I’m hoping I can contribute with my defense and my scoring. Do something on both sides.”

Favorite place from August team trip to Europe:
“Probably Slovenia, I’m sure everybody said that because it was just so beautiful.”

Nickname on the team:
“They just call me B”

Senior guard Caitlyn Alldredge

If you could pick one player on the team to be stranded on a deserted island with who would you pick? Why?
“Probably Malli or Sara because they’re really tall and could get things out of trees.”

Nickname on the team:
Cait

Favorite place from August team trip to Europe:
“Lake Bled or Rome. Lake Bled was very mountainy, which was different than I was expecting, and the history of Rome was really cool.”

What did you learn about team/teammates in Europe:|
"I learned that they’re super fun and have spunky personalities. I hadn’t seen that side of them before when we were just playing basketball”

On how she can contribute to the team this season:
“Try to stay positive and playing as much defense as I can. On offense, I want to play strong and hard.”

Sophomore guard Paisley Johnson

What did you learn about team/teammates in Europe:
“I learned how well we can communicate and work with each other. Even though we were around each other for two weeks, no one got annoyed with anyone. We learned how to treat each other in a respectful way and make sure we’re all on the same page.”

On personal goals for this season:
“I want to improve every single day. I want to be named to the First Team All-WCC team and make it to the NCAA tournament.”

On how she can contribute to the team this season:
“I feel like I’ll be able to contribute with providing energy, making sure we’re hyped and ready to go each game. I also think I’ll provide a big presence on defense when I’m on the court.

If you could pick one player on the team to be stranded on a deserted island with who would you pick? Why?
“I would pick Maria Albiero because we both can feed off each other’s humor. We’d probably die, but we’d have a lot of fun.

Freshman guard Kaylee Smiler

Favorite place from Europe Trip:
“Going to Lake Bled and swimming in the lake one night.”

What did you learn about team/teammates in Europe:
“I learned that we had a lot in common. It was easy to get to know them and to bond with them. Since I’m not from America, I thought it might be hard to bond, but we’re all the same.”

Most looking forward to this season:
“The games. The environment here is completely different. I’m ready to see how hard it is to play against other universities.”

On how she can contribute to the team this season:
“I’ll do anything. If my team tells me to do anything, that’s what I’ll do.”

Junior forward Shalae Salmon

What did you learn about team/teammates in Europe:
“I learned the other side of my teammates that you don’t see on the court. I got to get close with a lot of the freshmen since I didn’t know them very well. I got to see the silly side of my team.”

Favorite BYU basketball memory:
“Beating Utah at home last season. We had a transfer from Utah on our team last year so we really wanted to win that game for her.”

On personal goals for this season:
“I want to go to the conference tournament and win it. I want to go to the NCAA tournament and to be a leader on the team and be really good.”

Most looking forward to this season:
“I’m excited to play with these girls because we’re a really deep team.”

On how she can contribute to the team this season:
“One of my main strengths is playing in the paint and showing that inside presence and I think that that's what’s going to help the team most.”

Nickname on the team:
Sally or Lai

Favorite place from Europe Trip:
“It was nice to be in nature at Lake Bled and there were a lot of fun activities we did there.”

Freshman guard Tahlia White 

Favorite place from Europe Trip:
“My favorite place to visit was Rome because of the history and I’ve always wanted to go to Italy. The Rome Forum and Colosseum were really cool.”

What did you learn about team/teammates in Europe:
“Because we’re so young, I feel like it is easier for us to bond. I think that going to Europe gives us an edge because of the team chemistry it created.”

On personal goals for the season:
“My goals are to contribute to the team as much as I can. I’ll be pushing myself to reach my potential to help the team reach its potential.”

Most looking forward to this season:
“I’m looking forward to playing with the girls. We’re already super close so I’m excited for the season to start so we can start winning lots of games.”

On how she can contribute to the team this season:
“I want to come in as a freshman, work hard and push my teammates. I’m going to help raise the team’s level of play.

If you could pick one player on the team to be stranded on a deserted island with who would you pick? Why?
“Paisley because she is the most fearless on the team.”

Nickname on the team:
T or Tia

Favorite place from Europe Trip:
“My favorite place to visit was Rome because of the history and I’ve always wanted to go to Italy. The Rome Forum and Colosseum were really cool.”

Sophomore center Sara Hamson

What have you learned about team/teammates so far this offseason:
“We’re a tight-knit group. I like how close we are and how much of a team atmosphere it is. We’ve all improved over the offseason and it shows the work ethic we all have.”

Favorite BYU basketball memory:
“I love rivalry games, so beating Utah last year is one of those for sure. I didn’t necessarily do amazing offensively, but I had nine blocks in the game so I held down the defense that game.”

On personal goals for the season:
“I want to come back from my injury strong, get back to where I was last year and then surpass that.”

Most looking forward to this season:
“I think that this team is a lot closer than last year’s team so I’m excited to see how far we can go.”

On how she can contribute to the team this season:
“We’ll see how I’ll come back from my injury. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get back to where I was and help make the team better.”

If you could pick one player on the team to be stranded on a deserted island with who would you pick? Why?
“I feel like I’d choose Maria. She’s good at coming up with things and coming up with things on the fly. We’d do really well and survive.”

Freshman Ashley Beckstrand

What did you learn about team/teammates in Europe:
"I learned a lot about the freshmen because they are new to the squad. It was fun to get to know them a little bit better.  Kaylee is really good at dancing and Babalu is really funny. She seemed to be really quiet when you first get to know her, but she’s actually really funny."

Personal goals for this season:
"I would just like to help my team win in any way possible.  I want to get on the court and play solid defense and get some steals and bring energy to the court."

On how she can contribute to the team this season:
"Last year I redshirted so this year I am really excited to just be able to go out there and play, so I’m most excited about playing. I think I can bring a good defensive presence to the team and lockdown some really good players."

Favorite place in Europe:
"Slovenia hands down because it was literally out of a movie. Everywhere you went it was just like is this real? Absolutely stunning."

If you could pick one player on the team to be stranded on a deserted island with who would you pick? Why?
"Probably Khaedin because she literally could beat up anybody if she needed to. She’d probably get work done on the island, so we could just make stuff and survive."

Nickname on the team:
Smash or sometimes spud

Sophomore guard Maria Albiero

Personal goals for this season:
"I personally would like to contribute to my team as much as I can and just follow my role. I know what Juddy expects from me and that he wants me to run the team and that’s what I want to do. I also want to contribute with scoring and assists, but at the end of the day just run our team."

On how she can contribute to the team this season:
"I think we are really young and everyone wants to win and work hard. I’m just excited to see where we can get. I think a lot of people think we lost a lot and we did, but at the same time we are really young and good so I’m excited about that."

What did you learn about team/teammates in Europe:
"I felt like I had the chance to get closer to all of them. Before going I remember making a conscious effort to relate to everyone and I learned that we are young and that everyone has a desire to win and because of that, we are going to be really good."

If you could pick one player on the team to be stranded on a deserted island with who would you pick? Why?
"I’d pick Paisley because she would keep things fun and interesting. We would have fun and come up with ways to have fun."

Nickname on the team:
Sometimes they call me Ri Ri.

Favorite place in Europe:
"I was very excited to go to Italy, but I also really liked Slovenia and Lake Bled. It was really beautiful.  The nature around the lake was really nice, and the lake was very blue and really pretty."

Freshman Malli Valgardson

Personal goals for this season:
"To continue to get better and I’m excited to just play a little bit and get that experience on the court."

On how she can contribute to the team this season:
"I’ll probably be more of a role player this year so when I get in, I want to make the most out of the opportunity and look for my teammates and get them open shots and hopefully help them get better. I look forward to playing and hopefully going to the NCAA tournament."

Nickname on the team:
Barbie

Favorite place in Europe:
"Probably Lake Bled just because it was like out of a fairytale. It was so cool just to see it."

Freshman Babalu Ugwu

On when she started playing basketball:
"I started playing basketball when I was five years old. I'm from Brazil and they usually play soccer there, but I was too tall. I tried basketball and fell in love with it."

On favorite place on Europe trip:
"We went to Lake Bled, Slovenia and it was so beautiful. There is a little island in the middle of the lake. We had a game there as well and we won. Actually, we won all of the games."

Personal goals for this season:
"I want to be able to play my very best every day in practice and in the games. I hope to do whatever I can to make our team better."

Khaedin Taito

Personal goals for the season:
“Get healthy.”

Most looking forward to this season:
“Getting healthy and getting on the court.”

Favorite place in Europe:
"There were so many places, but I think I liked the first place we went to, Prague. The structures were really cool."

If you could pick one player on the team to be stranded on a deserted island with who would you pick? Why?
"I think it would be Shalae Salmon because she's hilarious. She makes me laugh and that's a good time."

What did you learn about the team and your teammates while in Europe:
"I definitely got closer to a lot of my teammates. I just got to know everyone more individually, which was cool."

Freshman guard Shaylee Gonzales

Personal goals for the season:
“ A goal I have is to be a starter. I know that's going to be really hard, but I just need to work hard at that and really get to know the plays. 

Most looking forward to this season:
"I'm looking forward to just going out with this team because we're really young. We have good chemistry so far so I think that's really good."

Favorite place in Europe:
"I have two. The first one is Lake Bled just because it was really pretty. It was like a fairytale. The second one was Rome, just because of all the sculptures and the shopping."

Nickname on the team:
Just Shay for short. 

If you could pick one player on the team to be stranded on a deserted island with who would you pick? Why?
"I think it would probably be Tahlia. I'm always with her and we're roommates. We're really close and we're best friends, so I think we can work well together."

Senior forward Jasmine Moody

Personal goals for this season:
"Just to be a leader on the court and help out my team wherever I am needed."

On how she can contribute to the team this season:
"I’m really looking forward to playing Gonzaga. I really want to beat them on their court."

What did you learn about the team and your teammates while in Europe:
"They are really hard workers. I don’t think we will ever give up. They are all really hard workers and though we may be young I think they will fight to the end.

Favorite basketball memory:
"Probably it’s the bus rides because Juddy loves to do trivia questions and he always does questions none of us know. It’s funny for us to try and attempt to answer them."

Nickname on the team:
Princess

Favorite place in Europe:
"Honestly, it was Lake Bled. That is the place where our team really got close because it was just raining and pouring, and it was beautiful, but we really got to bond there."

Freshman forward Signe Glantz

Personal goals for this season:
"I would say just to always do my best and play hard. I want to do whatever I can do to help our team get a conference championship."

On how she can contribute to the team this season:
"Just playing with everyone because we have been working hard in practices and I look forward to playing with everyone and do everything we have done in practice. I’m definitely going to work hard on defense and taking my shots on the offense. I’m a big player and can shoot to bring depth to the team."

If you could pick one player on the team to be stranded on a deserted island with who would you pick? Why?
"I would say Babalu because we have the same kind of humor."

Nickname on the team:
Sig

Favorite place in Europe:
"Lake Bled because of the pretty nature. All of the other places were beautiful buildings, but I like the nature we saw at Lake Bled the best."

Freshman Abby Mangum

Personal goals for this season:
"I just want to help improve my teammates and myself like my shot and being more consistent on defense."

On how she can contribute to the team this season:
"Hopefully winning a conference championship. Also helping my teammates be the best they can be and also showing my effort every single day and improving myself when the opportunity is there."

If you could pick one player on the team to be stranded on a deserted island with who would you pick? Why?
"Probably Ashley Beckstrand because she knows how to start a fire."

Nickname on the team:
Abz

Favorite place in Europe:
"Probably Lake Bled. It was so pretty and the most picturesque place I have ever been to."