Kathy Fedorjaka, Bucknell University (9th Season)
2005-06 Patriot League Women's Basketball Composite Schedule
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Kathy Fedorjaka Bucknell University
Five Questions Archive
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Each Friday during the Patriot League women's basketball season, www.patriotleague.com will provide a brief question-and-answer session with each head coach, which were completed prior to the start of the League schedule in the beginning of January. This week, the interview is with Bucknell University's Kathy Fedorjaka.
Q1 - What are your thoughts on your season thus far (prior to League play)?
A1 - First of all, when I look at where we started this season and where we are today, I am very pleased with our growth in every sense of the word. In terms of wins and losses, we've been a little up and down through the non-conference portion of the schedule. We've had some very good moments and segments where we've really clicked and have played very well and had some other stretches where we've struggled. However, there are some real positives that we will carry into Patriot League play. Our efforts and production on the defensive end of the floor have been very consistent and I think we can really rely on our defense. Some of our younger players have seen significant minutes and have produced well in these minutes. This will only help us as we move into League play. And finally, the chemistry of this team is tremendous. They are hungry, motivated, and want to win and their work ethic has been very good day in and day out in practice. As this young squad continues to gel and become consistent in their roles I am really confident in what they will be able to accomplish. Consistency is our main point of focus right now.
Q2 - What are your expectations of the upcoming League schedule?
A2 - I think that the non-conference portion of our schedule has prepared us well for the League play. We've had a solid mix of home and road games and we've seen different styles of play that we've had to prepare for from our opponents. But League play is a different beast all together, and with a team comprised mostly of freshmen and sophomores we've tried to stress this all preseason and with our practice efforts. In League play you need to be prepared and play at your highest level every night because everyone knows each other so well and the League has great balance. My expectations of this year's team are that they will compete hard every night and that they will make the rise to the top of the League.
Q3 - Who will be your toughest competitors once League play beings?
A3 - I know it sounds clich? but I've been doing this long enough to know that our toughest competitor is always our NEXT competitor. You can never look ahead and you have to take care of business one game at a time. In League, you've got to defend your own court well and then you've got to go out and get some on the road. Every conference game is a battle and it's all about that opponent you're facing that night.
Q4 - How much pride do you take in the Patriot League scholar-athlete model?
A4 - I take a great deal of pride in the Patriot League scholar-athlete model and that's why I coach at an institution like Bucknell University. What I really like is the true balance between the academics and athletics that the schools in the Patriot League achieve. Our student-athletes are very well rounded and add so much, beyond their athletic abilities, to the campuses that they reside on. I'm amazed by their talent and their commitment to "doing it all". They get it done in the classroom, on the playing surface, as leaders on their campuses, and with all the other activities so many of these fine scholar-athletes are involved in. They just strive to be the best in all they do and I think they serve as tremendous role models for young kids in this day and age.
Q5 - How has the team adjusted to the absence of the injured Lindsey Hollobaugh and who has stepped up to filling her shoes?
A5 - I am very proud of how our team responded and at how our players stepped up during the absence of Lindsey Hollobaugh. The timing of when we lost Lindsey was very tough because it was so early into the season and we are a team comprised of so many newcomers that hadn't even worn a Bucknell jersey more than five times to that point. But it was a crossroads and many teams face some of those moments in every season. We had to make a decision and our decision was to use it as a positive. We met as a team and determined that we were going to grow and establish some other threats we knew we had during the time that she was out. It's one thing to say it and another to do it and I'm proud of how these ladies responded immediately, rose to the challenge, and won four straight, all on the road, without Lindsey. I believe that this was a critical point in our season and I believe it has made us better. It's certainly great to have Lindsey back now and be getting her back to full form, but I believe that that stretch will pay off for us the rest of the season. It's hard to point to any one player that filled her role during that stretch because everyone elevated their game and made different contributions and they really pulled together and made it happen as a team.