11/13/2020 basketball Edit

RHoops HC C.Vivian Stringer previews season, eager to get started

Richie O'Leary • TheKnightReport

Publisher

Today marks the official start of the 2020-2021 Rutgers Women's Basketball season as Head Coach C. Vivian Stringer met the media during her annual Media Day event.

The Basketball Hall of Famer and women’s basketball coaching legend, who is getting ready for her 50th season as a coach and 26th season in charge of the Scarlet Knights, discussed this year's team and how the pandemic has affected the start of their season.

“To tell you the truth we started relatively late and we are not in the shape that we need to be, but we think we will meet the deadline when we are expected to play,” Stringer told the media. “We will have enough people that are in the shape that we need them to be so that we can go forward with this. Do you realize that when the players were home during the summer, they couldn’t practice. So many of them came back to school and one of the more difficult situations that I came back with is when one of my assistant coaches came up to me and said “coach just remember this is really not January”. This is really not the time of year that you think it is, it is a few months later than normal. I get very upset with that because I have written down every practice and I am very precise about exactly where we need to be at every specific time in order to get ready for the season. So it’s kind of crazy and I have to peel that back because we didn’t have a summer and I keep getting reminded of that this is really our summer now. I’m like okay hold up we are behind, but we have to keep going forward too. I assure you that we are picking up things and learning a lot, especially tough when you have seven freshmen. They are seven joyful freshmen learning a lot, but they will also be fine when the time has come.”

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This season will present a long list of challenges as their is a laundry list of rules and precautions that teams must abide by to try and help prevent the spread of the COVID-19. However, coach Stringer believes her staff and players are ready to play and succeed despite the trying road ahead.

“This is real different, I think you’re going to see the effects of the distancing that we have got to do with a lot of our young people,” said Stringer. “We can’t bond in the same way, the kids can’t go to parties and young people always want to get together to bond and there is no one on campus. And you know when you’re going into your senior year, you are used to the crowds of people cheering and I think that’s a big reason why guys like LeBron James didn’t want to play because of the lack of crowds. Recently I was walking with Brian () and we went into the arena (RAC) and he was saying “okay this is where everyone is going to sit,” and it was really strange. I’m sure I’m going to adjust, but it is what it is. This going to be different.”

This past offseason, coach Stringer and her staff managed to bring in a top 10 recruiting class and the number one class in the Big Ten Conference per ESPN rankings.

The class features prospects such as guard Diamond Johnson (No. 6 overall), forward Sakima Walker (No. 21 overall), forward Chyna Cornwell (No. 48 overall), guard Elizabeth Martino (No. 53 overall) and wing Erica Lafayette. This group of girls has already impressed coach Stringer a ton in the few practices that the team has participated in so far.

“You know what, let me say this I appreciate the fact that they are together and they all stick together,” Stringer said of her talented freshman class. “It made me recall several things, but they all stick together, they adapt and have adapted to this COVID situation, the virtual classrooms and the whole thing. Do they like it? No they aren’t crazy about, but I feel bad for everybody that has been sequestered because that’s the way it is now. They in particular have been restricted to so many things and it’s unfair. It seems to me that they love to play basketball or football or whatever and they just want to play sports, get out in the open and just play, but that’s not the case. I think with the help of the upperclassmen, and certain I would even say with the help of Zipporah because she’s our leader not he academic side, she’s really focused on what she needs to do.”

On top of having a top recruiting class, the Scarlet Knights also return one of the top scorers in the entire nation in Arella Guirantes averaging 19.9 points per game (12th in nation).

Coach Stringer is beyond excited to return her top scorer and thinks she has a very bright future ahead of her.

“Arella was not happy as you could tell a little bit,” said Stringer. “She is driven to flat out get it done. I think the Big Ten coaches voted for the top players last year too early before our game against Iowa and Arella was the deciding factor for us in that game. She was truly the Big Ten’s scoring leader, but she didn’t get that honor because of that. She’s driven and we don’t always get what we want or feel that we deserve. But because she is such a great competitor, she wouldn’t walk away from that. She is going to march in here and assume that a lot of things are going to happen and one of the first couple of things we need from her is that leadership, her scoring, her defense and just need her to be that outstanding player that she has been for us. However she can’t do that by herself, we’ve got to chip and get some things done ourselves. The freshmen are going to help us make an impact and we are just waiting for that.”

It is still unknown when the Scarlet Knights will open the 2020-21 season, as the schedule has yet to be released. However you can expect some news on that soon and you can be sure that Stringer and her Scarlet Knights will be ready for whenever that first game might be.