Tasha Pointer/ Davalyn Cunningham / Tammy Sutton-Brown
Davalyn Cunningham coming soon!

Jennifer Kushinka:
Players are feeling better over their efforts over the past months...

Linda Miles:
I think we're starting to gel. And you guys know over the past 3 years, us, since we've been freshman, this is the time when we blossom as a team.  Personally, I feel we're focusing more on the things that make this team click, and play at the level we used to play at.

Jennifer Kushinka:
And what is that?  Mostly defensive intensity?

Linda Miles:
Our defense gets our offense going.  As you see, we're getting our defense back at the level we are capable of playing, last time, we were ranked 5 in the nation, I thought that was great because with defense, or offense or whatever, but we're coming around to what we know to get the offense going.  Running up and down the court, getting fast breaks, and getting closer jump shots.  As you critique and watch the game, you can see us playing at a higher level.  Just defensive intensity and just getting down, getting easier baskets.

Jennifer Kushinka:
How much of that is communication? It seems at least from out here, you’re talking more, communicating more than you did maybe earlier in the year?

Linda Miles:
I think that any level of defense at the college level, the collegiate level, it is communication because you have to talk to one another, help each other out.  Its just not a matter of showing up.  But you do a silent screen, when a person getting screened  Well you know you show up they still might not adjust the way they need to adjust, so communication is key, communication is key to anything you do in society nowadays.

Jennifer Kushinka:
OK, talk about your strength, you’re averaging maybe 6 points a game.  Do you want to get that up a little bit, do you need to for this team to win?

Linda Miles:
Yes, I would love to, but um, you take what you get. You take what comes towards you, and so whatever, so um, I mean either way I look at it, I feel that I wish we ran more, played a little more freerer, we wasn’t so focused on who's just the scorer, who is the main shooter or whatever. So, but you know you try to fit in where you can fit in or whatever. So take what you can get.  I mean me, I just look at as taking a  stride and move on.  You know so.

Jennifer Kushinka:
Has it been at all difficult with the chemistry of this team? You’ve missed some games, Karlita’s missed some games, now Kourtney has left the team.  Has it been at all difficult within this family?

Linda Miles:
It has become difficult because you never get to see the true faces of everything you put together.  And like you said, you miss a player here for a game, then you show up, and then they come back, and get a different feel for them.  Then a player steps away from the team, and  you just have to play enough to fill in a void that the player left, so it is tough to really to get focused to gel.  That’s why it’s a project of time before the whole team gels.  Like you said, the mid, what is this, January, February? and March comes around.

Jennifer Kushinka:
Time is almost running out for you.  About 5 or 6 more weeks with this team.  What are you’re goals from this point on?

Linda Miles:

Personally, to finish off strong.  Playing the basketball Linda is capable of playing.  That’s one thing that gets frustrating and in time with me because there’s more in me or whatever. So defensively I’m always consistent, so you don’t have to worry about that.  I know I need 65 more points  to 1000.  Some people you talk to say,”I didn’t know Linda was even close to it.” But, you know, so, and it’s frustrating because you know you wanna get there because you want to leave something.  You know everyone says Linda was just a defensive player.  But it’s tough when you always go out there having to give your energy to a certain thing, and other players laugh at that, so I don’t know you, you just stay focused and then stay within yourself and just try .  I don’t know take care step by step, game by game.

Jennifer Kushinka:
Are you having fun still?  Is it still fun?

Linda Miles:
(long pause) At times, it is, it’s fun nagging at the defensive end.  And you know you feel like you bring your energy, and sometimes it’s taken at a negative energy.  So sometimes you feel like, "well I’m not even going to give you guys any energy".  You know, and you read it wrong and Linda’s being negative or Linda’s being too tough or Linda’s being mean.  So, I donno, sometimes it’s enjoyable, and sometimes it’s more of" maybe I’ll just sit back "and then it’s almost like they need to hear something from me.  So I don’t know, I’m probably ready for another level, I think personally.

Jennifer Kushinka:
That’s senior forward Linda Miles, today’s Scarlet Knight Player Profile of the Game.

Tammy Sutton-Brown:
You know I can't look back and say. I know it's just lower back pain.  And um, yea, I've been to doctors of whatever.  And they had me on some stuff, but it comes and goes.  I guess it's really when I might get hit now and then and it just aggravates it. So, it really depends.

Jennifer Kushinka:
I see you during timeouts come out, you need to get stretched out, you need ice, so does that help during the game?  Or is it kinda like the best you can do?

Tammy Sutton-Brown:
Um, no it helps, yea.  Yea, um I need to keep it loose and stuff. It's when it gets tough that it really spasms.  And as long as I keep it loose, then I'll be OK.

Jennifer Kushinka:
Tammy, as a big person inside, it must be so frustrating at times, especially lately when teams are playing a zone.  It seems there are 2 or 3 people on your arm sometimes.  I mean  how do you see that without getting frustrated?

Tammy Sutton-Brown:
(laugh, laugh) Um, it's hard, um, we just you know as long a our guards are doing their job and attacking. then uh, shooting the ball well.  That will obviously open up the game inside, that's what we're trying to do right now.  And uh, and we're successful at it and it's a lot better but sometimes it is frustrating though.

Jennifer Kushinka:
And so, your not getting calls you should, or you cannot even think about that?

Tammy Sutton-Brown:
I can't even think about that, cause I mean, I've been playing about for 4 years and I know that some calls I may get called for but in return, they may not for me.  So, it's part of the game, I can't really complain.

Jennifer Kushinka:
You've been playing in the Big East for 4 years now, do you feel the game is getting more physical?

Tammy Sutton-Brown:
Um, you know that's a hard question to ask me.  Coming off of the summer, and uh, going through what I was going through as far as internationally.  You get away with a lot more stuff.  Um, really, over the past 3 years? Um, tough to say.

Jennifer Kushinka:
I was just wondering, with the players are faster, bigger, if it's getting more intense. There's  some games where there are fouls going around with the big people.

Tammy Sutton-Brown:
I guess so, yea in that sense, yeah.

Jennifer Kushinka:
Talk about the defense, it's not really as intense as it was last year.  What do you think has been the missing piece?

Tammy Sutton-Brown:
Um, you know I think it was the key word intensity. Um, you know we still have opposition better.

Rest coming soon!

Jennifer Kushinka: Rutgers point guard Tasha Pointer talks about her improved play since deciding to play without gogles.

Tasha Pointer: I really didn't wana wear them at the beginning of the season becuase it takes away from me.   I love my headband, wearing my headband, and the things I have on my headband.  It wasa trademark of myself, and when I had on the goggles, i thought that I couldn't wear my headband because the goggles, it was too much going ontop of my head or whatever in my face.  i decided to take them off.  Coach Stringer would always talk bout me as far as she was saying I was missing layups because with the gogggles were either foggy or I thought someone was going to hit me in my face.  And then, um, let me see how I can put it.  I don need to wear my goggles but at the same time I think god guides me and protects me so i just don't.  I really wouldn't say it's hardheaded but at the sam time I try to play carefree and that's the way I feel, I can play carefree if I can put on my headband and let everybody know I'm still the same Tasha Pointer.

Jennifer Kushinka: You have become the #1 Rutgers player in assists, that seems to be something else you have really focused on in hte last month or two.  Is that at the top of your game right now?

Tasha Pointer: Um, I wish I could sa there was something I truely, truly focused on.  I really just wanted to just break the record.  Honestly because anytime you approach a record, it seems it's in your head, it's all your thinking about it all the time.  And I really didn't want to be that way.  But at the same time, I really wanted to break the record because that was my goal 4 years ago when I walked on campus, and Ireally felt htat I could avheive that goal.  I know that records are meant to be broken.  An I just hope that no one will break it within the next 2 or 3 years.  Let me have the reocrd for at least 2 or 3 years, something like that.  I'm excited about uh, just playing and succeding at the highest level and collegiate career on a good note.

Jennifer Kushinka: Three triple doubles at this point.  That is absoutly amazing phemoninal.  Are you aware at certain times in the game that you're close?

Tasha Pointer: Um, it really depends.  I think that today I was aware because the last minute or 2, I was thinking that I know Coach Stringer would have taken me out.  She didn't want me to pull me out of the game without me getting it.  But one of hte coaches told me I needed 1 or 2 more reobunds.  And I was like, ah, let me get it.  And so that's when I'm focusing on it.  But at the same time during the games or whatever, no ireallydon't focus onit.  It's amazing but I'm only 5-6 and I come out with triple doubles, and uh, I don't know uh.  I really don't know what to say because auctully I get a lot of balls that drop on the ground.  And I really fell as if that if there's a ball on the floor, that hits the ground, that rebound should be mine.  It wouldn't be right if I had a player that's 6-4 or maybe 6 foot beating me to the rebound that's on the ground.  Those are all mine, if I have anything to do with it.

Jennifer Kushinka: That's senior point guard Tasha Pointer, tonight's Scarlet Knight player profile player of the game.

Jennifer Kushinka: What’s the difference in the Rutgers defense?

Davalyn Cunningham: Um, the difference is we’ve committed ourselves to defense.  Each taken I guess responsibility for what we have to do.  Like we should have done from the beginning but now it’s more focused you know in the lockerroom we all wrote down what we wanted to get and stats we wanted to obtain and we tried to uphold them and defense is like our main goal.  We tend to play defense with all our heart and soul.  And we want to take pride in it and that’s what we did.  Today our defense was clicking and our offense was moving and it was great.

Jennifer Kushinka: Vivian Stringer has taken a little of the blame herself for saying anyway that she concetrated in the pre season too much on the offense.  Do you feel that has put this team behind?

Davalyn Cunningham: Umm, I don’t know, I can’t really say that, I guess what she was thinking was that our defense is there, defense is something, like defensive intensity is not something that can be taught, you know you can just teach the basics, and angles and whatever the play but I guess she was assuming we would come out and habe the same intensity form last year, but this is alittle bit different.  I dunno, um, I don’t blame her.