NC State's Maddie Cox and Zam Jones met with the media after the 61-53 win over Seton Hall.
This has been not the best start to your season. I know you all kind of struggled at the beginning last year. Where do you feel like this team is right now, and where does it need to get to do what it really wants to do?
ZAM JONES: We're definitely not where we need to be right now. But, again, we're a young team. We're figuring out each other. At the end of the day, we're going to get better and better as the season goes. So we're not where we're at, but we're definitely going to get there.
There's no panic.
MADDIE COX: I don't think there's any panic. We've got a lot of things to work out still, but ACC's are coming up, so we've got to figure it out quick. But I think we're all, again, still trying to learn each other's game and things like that.
Is the sickness, you guys, there have been a lot of players' sickness. Just describe what that's been like and how are y'all fighting that?
ZAM JONES: It's been crazy. We can't clap hands and practice. You see, at the end of the game, we didn't even hold hands doing the little dance at the end. I just say we're just fighting through. We know we played with who we had, and big players stepped up. So I guess we just got to figure it out. Stay healthy.
I kind of go lockstep with some of the early season struggles. It's like, let it rain, let it pour, give it all to us now.
ZAM JONES: Yeah, we did it now because when Marks come, it's all go all guys. So we ready.
Zam, what's it like to see players like Maddie and like KP step up into their specific roles and really grow into that?
ZAM JONES: It's amazing. I always tell Maddie, like, when it's your time to shine, show them who you really are. So I'm just glad that she gets the opportunity to play, and Khamil, she always comes out and plays. So I'm just happy that I got these two on my team, and I'm ready to see what their future holds for sure.
Maddie, Khamil didn't start because of illness. You come in, you have ten boards in the first half. Can you kind of talk us through your mentality and your thought process?
MADDIE COX: Yeah, Khamil's the best rebounder in the country. So I think just having her out in that limited minutes and things like that, I just really had to step up and take on that rebounding role for her.
What's it like practicing alongside her? As you guys are trying to figure things out, how are you growing next to her?
MADDIE COX: Yeah, I think just her work ethic and how she rebounds, how she goes to the boards and things like that, she works hard. So just playing against someone, playing with somebody in practice that goes hard pushes yourself. So, yeah.
Next game is a conference game. Where's the sense of level of urgency right now?
ZAM JONES: We don't go. Coach Moore already talked about getting prepared for it. So we're ready to get into conference play, and we're ready just to grow as a team.
Can you be a leader?
ZAM JONES: For sure. I'm getting into a role of it. I'm still a young, I'm a sophomore. So I got like Maddie Cox and Zoe to show me like how to be a leader. So I'm following their footsteps now, but I'm definitely stepping into a leadership role.
What are the aspects of it that you need to grow into?
ZAM JONES: I would say lead by example. sometimes I can get in my head or get down when my shot's not falling, but at the end of the day, it's a team effort. So just encouraging my teammates, telling them like we can do this, and then showing them also, just not telling them.
Ma'am, is she someone that an upperclassman would be a building to listen to?
MADDIE COX: For sure. For sure. She leads every game. She talks every game. So I think as she's stepping into leading by example, she's really going to grow in that aspect.
So one of the biggest indicators at this point for this team to win is your number of assists to turnovers and how many steals you get per game in terms of do you win that margin against the opponent. It's not perfect, but typically when y'all win those aspects, you win. But how do you get that to be more consistent, on a day-to-day basis?
ZAM JONES: I say coach more preach effort. You can't teach effort. So go out there, play your hardest, whether you're rebounding, playing good defense and help side. Whatever you do, just give as much as you can when you're on the court.
