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Midnight Madness: Ladies’ Night

Led by guard Caroline Coyer, the Villanova Wildcats have won at least 21 games in each of the past three seasons. (USA Today Sports)
Led by guard Caroline Coyer, Villanova has won at least 21 games in each of the past three seasons. The Wildcats are looking to head back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since her freshman year, 2012-13. (USA Today Sports)

You can’t officially say that you’re ready for the college basketball season without including the ladies as well. We were honored to spend some time with some of the Big East Conference’s best in women’s basketball, and there’s a lot of character to go along with the talent.

And some of them are just characters, in terms of being humorous personalities.

Our coverage of Midnight Madness continues on A Lot of Sports Talk, as we continue to set you up for the beginning of the 2015-16 college basketball season that’s just around the corner. Both ALOST editor-in-chief Adesina O. Koiki and staff reporter Amy Kovalchick attended the Big East and Atlantic 10 Conference Media Days, both taking place in the Big Apple, and recorded more than 30 interviews of coaches and players during the two events.

As the clock strikes midnight both tonight and on Friday night (into Saturday morning), we will present some of those interviews to you, as we got to talk with championship-winning head coaches as well as some of the players who may very well be household names before the end of the upcoming college basketball season.

In this edition of Midnight Madness, as we said, it’s all about the ladies. Our first interview is with a former conference player of the year who has dazzled in two difference conferences.

1. Marissa Janning (Creighton Bluejays)

From the time she won Freshman of the Year in 2013 in the Missouri Valley Conference to being a back-to-back first team selection in the Big East, Marissa Janning has been able to make adjustments very well – from high school to college, from the MVC to the Big East. In our third interview with Marissa at a Big East Media Day, Marissa talks about adjusting to the new faces that are on the team this season, what she’s improved on as a player since she first stepped on campus in Omaha, and the role of family that has helped shape Marissa to being one of college basketball’s best players.


 

2. Caroline Coyer (Villanova Wildcats)

After a season which saw them come up just shy of an NCAA Tournament berth, the Villanova Wildcats are looking to make it back to the NCAAs for the first time since the end of the 2013 season, and all-conference guard Caroline Coyer will be the one to lead the charge. Part of a very productive backcourt that includes her twin sister, Katherine, the older Coyer (Caroline) talks about how she reacts when she’s called by her sister’s name, as well as the motivation that she has to make the tournament this year after coming so close last season.


 

3. Katherine Coyer (Villanova Wildcats)

Not to be outdone by her older sister (by three minutes), Katherine Coyer also showed her personality when sitting down with A Lot of Sports Talk for her interview, which came right after Caroline’s. One of the most improved players in the Big East Conference last season, Katherine talks about playing in the Big East Conference and the depth of the league, as well as why most people think that she actually is the older sister – at least in terms of behavior and responsibility – and not Caroline. It’s a fun few minutes of a sister talking about another sister with love…for the most part!


 

4. Jessica January (DePaul Blue Demons)

We also got a chance to spend some time with members of the DePaul Blue Demons, regular season co-champions as well as the Big East Tournament champions in 2014-15. Included in our time with DePaul is our conversation with guard Jessica January, who plays in the backcourt in one of the nation’s dynamic offenses. Among other things, she explains to us how she has improved as a player from the first time she stepped onto campus a couple of years ago.


 

5. Sarah Beal (Providence Friars)

One of the best guards in the Big East, Sarah Beal is looking to lift the Friars to heights that are well beyond what experts are predicting for her team this season. Beal talks with us about how she is health wise after injuries curtailed her past two seasons, as well as whether it motivates her when she sees her team being picked near the bottom of the league standings before the opening tip of the season.


 

6. Kavunaa Edwards (Villanova Wildcats)

We end our “Ladies Night” with the showstopper. Kavunaa Edwards continues our preview of the Villanova Wildcats women’s team, and she also let us in on her humorous side, which was a joy to witness. Amidst all of the laughs, there was basketball talk as well. That, plus we also have her impersonating her head coach, Harry Perretta, and why she is able to finish his sentences. Oh, and she starts the conversation with a musical number. Sit back and enjoy…

[Cover photo (Marissa Janning) courtesy of David Banks/USA Today Sports]

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