St. John's University Athletics
Women's Basketball: Preseason Q & A With Lisa Claxton
11/6/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 6, 2005
St. John's women's basketball began practices in mid-October. The 2005 Red Storm return eight letterwinners from last year's squad, which finished with an impressive 20-11 record and advanced to the second round of the WNIT. The Red Storm hosts an exhibition game on Nov. 10 before opening its season against Boston University on Nov. 18 in Carnesecca Arena at 7:00 p.m. Recently, freshman Lisa Claxton checked in with www.RedStormSports.com to answer some questions about her team and her first collegiate season.
RedStormSports: Talk about preseason practices so far.
Lisa Claxton: Well I just came back on Oct. 25 from an ankle surgery I had over the summer. So I've been working on catching up on my conditioning. Our team chemistry has been great on and off the court so far. I think we are going to be a successful team.
RSS:What's the worst thing about being a freshman?
LC: I would say the worst thing is always being known as "The Freshmen."
RSS:Okay, then what's the best thing about it?
LC: When you make a mistake, people sometimes write it off as a `freshman mistake.'
 The 2005-06 freshman class, Angel Tate (left), Lisa Claxton (center) and Monique McLean (right).  | |
RSS:What are your goals for this season?
LC: My personal goal is to get myself in shape and be able to help my team get to the NCAA Tournament. As a team our goal is also to get to the tournament.
RSS:Thursday night was the Red Storm Tip-Off, your first taste of the atmosphere at Carnesecca Arena. You were first in line to be introduced and take a lay-up. Were you nervous?
LC: I was nervous! I was going around making everyone feel my heart. My heart was beating so fast. For some reason, I kept telling myself `Please don't miss. Please don't miss.' So of course I missed. Next year I'll be ready. It was a fun night though, I wish it could have lasted longer.
RSS:What is it going to mean to you to play two games in Madison Square Garden this season?
LC: I honestly think it's an honor. There are not many college teams that can say they play on the same court as a professional team. Madison Square Garden is a second home for St. John's, and I'm so excited.
RSS:You're from Long Island, but went to high school in Philadelphia. What does it mean to you to return to your home state of New York for your collegiate career?
LC: Well, Philadelphia was a great place and I appreciate everything that happened to me there. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't change it. But, like they say, there really is no place like home. New York is my home and I am definitely very excited to be back.
RSS:What is something people would be surprised to know about Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico?
LC: She really is a tough coach. She is such a nice person off the court, but when she means business, she means business.
RSS:You've been in school now for nearly two months. What is your most enjoyable class so far?
LC: I would say Psychology 101. I'm not saying I like messing with people's minds, but I like trying to interpret what people are thinking or why they act the way they do.
RSS:What's your favorite part of practice?
LC: When we split up into teams and we do a defensive drill where you roll the ball up and you have to try to score but you're only allowed three dribbles. Coach might be disappointed that I don't know the name of the drill, but it's my favorite one.
RSS:What has been your favorite memory so far in your first year at St. John's?
LC: A really funny memory I have is from over the summer. Believe it or not, Monique [McLean] makes the weirdest noises when she sleeps. So one night, me and Kia [Wright] jumped because we didn't know what was going on. We all laughed really hard.
RSS:Describe your team in one word.
LC: Competitive
RSS:As the start of the season approaches, what games are you most looking forward to?
LC: I am looking forward to playing against Duke, Rutgers, Villanova and of course Hofstra. My brother [Craig "Speedy" Claxton] and sister [Stacey Claxton] both went to Hofstra, and I'm from Hempstead. I wanted to do my own thing though, which is why I chose St. John's. Still, it will be exciting to play there.
-- Red Storm --
