Tulane Teams Begin to Arrive at Fall Homes
Sep 7, 2005 | Women's Basketball
Sept. 7, 2005
LUBBOCK, Texas - As the city of New Orleans continues to deal with the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina, the Tulane athletic teams are making their relocation to their new fall homes. The Green Wave baseball and women's basketball teams are setting up shop in Lubbock, Texas on the campus of Texas Tech University.
Head women's basketball coach Lisa Stockton, head baseball coach Rick Jones and junior women's basketball player Jami Montagnino met with the media in Lubbock on Wednesday afternoon. The following are excerpts from the interviews:
Tulane Women's Basketball Coach Lisa Stockton Opening statement: "First, I can't thank Texas Tech and the community enough for what they have done for our team and our student-athletes. It's incredible the support they have for us, and I think our players have had a rough week."
On her players having a chance to rest and reorganize: "Well, they are a week behind in class, so they have a lot of catching up to do, but I think just being in one spot and knowing where we are going to be and what we are going to do is going to be a big relief for us and I think they will be able to relax. I hear there is a football game this weekend so that sounds good."
"I think its going to be really good for us to be together and start training again and start conditioning. I think they are a really good group together, they really like each other a lot and I think being here on campus is going to help us."
On trying to get back to normal life: "I know that I am trying to get back to a normal life. I just can't really say enough about the people here who have helped them take care of their schedules and everything like that. Hopefully now they can relax, because they know what is ahead and we know what we have to do."
On the possibility of returning to Tulane in the spring: "When you have a city as old as New Orleans and a school with as much tradition as Tulane, they have both been through a lot. Tulane did not get the damage that the rest of the city got and I certainly hope that will happen and we are in very good hands with our president. Right now, we know we are going to be here and we'll take it from there."
On the players' belongings: "It's been a little tough because the freshmen had already checked in to campus and all of their stuff is there, and so when they evacuated, they left all of their stuff there. When we say the clothes on our back, for some of them that is really what they have. So it has been a little bit of a transition, and again Texas Tech has been a really big help with that."
On Tulane's practice schedule: "We are really way behind but I think that we are going to get really geared up next week and get refocused, that is the big thing. We need to get them in class I have never had so many of my players want to be in class more because they are worried about missing this semester. I think our focus will really come back next week."
Jami Montagnino, Tulane Women's Basketball
On first impression of Texas Tech: "First of all, the campus is absolutely huge and we are used to the longest walk from the front of the campus to the back in 15 minutes tops, so taking shuttles is a new thing. The facilities are amazing, I'm from Baton Rouge, so LSU's campus is the largest campus that I am used to. We are happy to be here and the people here have made us so comfortable so far. We were a little skeptical and worried at first because we didn't know what classes we were taking or when we were practicing and we are behind in school now, but everything has gotten a lot better since we have gotten here."
On thoughts about Tech's facilities: "I have not had a chance to see the gym, but they say it draws a nice crowd and I hear the fan base around here is awesome, so I hope we can draw some of those fans out to our games since our friends and family are not around here to support us."
On thoughts about Katrina experience: "Obviously our parents are sad because they cannot see us, but this is just an amazing opportunity for something like this that has never happened. The NCAA has had to make new rules and relax some rules, so we are just grateful. So many positive things have come out of this experience."
Tulane Baseball Coach Rick Jones
On past couple of weeks: "This is a first in college athletics and all I can tell you is that I have been here less than 24 hours and there is no way that anyone could make my staff, my players, and myself feel more welcome than this entire administration from the President to the Athletic Director's office to Coach Hays [head baseball coach Larry Hays], everyone associated in the administration. It has just been an outpouring of support for our kids and you would not know the difference between Tulane athletes or Texas Tech athletes based on the way they have been treated. It is a comfort knowing that we cannot control a natural disaster, but you can control how you respond to it afterwards and being able to adjust. There is no doubt in my mind that we will have great support here from Texas Tech and there is no doubt in my mind that my guys will be gracious guests and very appreciative of the opportunity to form as a ball club and to continue their education."
On guidance for players: "Without the perseverance of our president Scott Cowen and our athletic director Rick Dickson and his administration, I don't know if we would actually be here. They have worked tirelessly and if you start to think to bring an athletic department together in that short of time, with school starting, on different campuses and to get us enrolled, it was a daunting task. We are sitting in different parts of the country on conference calls that we had to inform our athletes and that wasn't something that we could do on a daily basis. To pull this together is an unprecedented thing. It has been a surreal experience, as far as the storm and the aftermath. It has moved to a nervous, anxious time for the coaches, players, and people associated with the program to what I think will be a tremendous outcome. For the time that we will spend on this campus, I know that our young men will be supported. Now we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel."
On the thought of the Tech facilities: "They are great facilities and the good part about it is that I have known Coach Hays for a long time. "
