The Hokie Hotline this week originated from the Gobblertown Tavern in Christiansburg. The guests were Coaches Henrickson and Stokes.

Coach Henrickson began by discussing the most recent game against George Washington. She said that the team felt frustrated and disappointed, but that the team made a nice comeback that just fell a little short at the end. Several times she said that she didn’t think the team played well defensively and that the team did not shoot particularly well throughout the game. The team’s record stands at 9-5 overall and 2-1 in the Atlantic 10. Six of the next eight games for the Hokies are on the road, with the next three straight games being played in Philadelphia against LaSalle, Temple and St. Joseph’s.

The team has no games or classes this week, and they also had no practice on Monday. Each of the players met with their academic advisors, and the team will begin practices Tuesday for the rest of the week. There will also be other team events to try to keep the team together and reward them a little bit.

There was a lot of discussion of the roles of the coaches and how they are working with the players. Coach Henrickson mentioned that the focus for the team has to be on the rest of the season. In addition, she said that it is her responsibility to communicate to all of the players their roles for the team. Those will not always be popular decisions, but they are essential to keeping the team successful.

On the players’ side, they need to be mature enough to realize that sometimes sacrifices are necessary by the individual to promote team success. Several examples were given, such as Amy Wetzel’s move to the point guard position while Emily Lipton is injured. A caller asked about the playing time for two of the players that did not see any playing time against George Washington. Coach Henrickson mentioned that the decision was made in practice, and that the players continue to improve, and that they will have their opportunities if that continues.

Several questions focused on areas of improvement for the team. The coach listed several areas that the team will be working on in the near future. These included maintaining focus and intensity throughout the game, defensive intensity, and offensive transition. She said that they would be working on defensive drills, particularly controlling the ball handlers, and executing the offensive plays. One area that she pointed out that the team was doing well in was rebounding. The team is tenth in the country in rebounding margin, which is one thing that last year’s team did not do well. She credited some of the guards for helping out with the rebounding efforts.

A caller commented that it seemed that Sarah Hicks’ shot seemed to be off. Coach Henrickson agreed and said that the problem has been identified on the game film and they will be working on it with Sarah. They will be emphasizing that she needs to do more things for the team, and that she is not just a shooter. She also discussed Kim Seaver, whom she said is doing very well this year and is providing good senior leadership.

In injury news, Emily Lipton is still not ready to play yet. The training staff wants her to have one more week pain-free before returning to competition. She should be ready for the weekend games against Temple and St. Joseph’s. In the mean time, Crystal Starling and Amy Wetzel have started at the guard positions.

In off-court news, the fundraiser for the team’s trip to Europe next summer went very well. The goal was to raise $10,000, but they were able to raise $35,000 by the end of the night.

As she was concluding her segment, Coach Henrickson commented that this might in some ways be a more rewarding season for the team, in that they will improve much more over the course of the season. The team began the season with much less experience, and there is no substitute for that. As this team continues to play, they will see a great deal of improvement.

Bill Roth and Coach Stokes began by discussing the return trip from Dayton on Sunday, which did not see the team return to Blacksburg until after 5:00 Monday morning. A series of accidents, closed airports and late airplanes and buses caused the delays, resulting in a flight into Johnson City and a bus ride back to Blacksburg. The team was supposed to have an early morning practice, but it was canceled, and the team met in the afternoon.

Coach Stokes commented that the team had played well and given good effort, but that they had just missed some opportunities. The team is back for three straight home games and he said that it would be great to be back home to hear the crowd and the band. While discussing officiating, Bill Roth said it appeared that in some of the games that almost anything was acceptable away from the ball. Without commenting on the officials specifically, the coach said that he hoped some of the calls would continue to go toward the home team now that the schedule had turned back to Cassell Coliseum for Tech.

Bill Roth mentioned that Tech has never had a losing season at Cassell Coliseum and asked if there was pressure to win some of these next few games. Coach Stokes said that there wasn’t specific pressure, but that the team obviously wanted to win every time it came out on the court. The emphasis would have to remain on the team concept in order for that to happen. One player cannot take it on himself to win the games. He also emphasized that good things will happen for this team despite some of the tough losses because the players care.

The first caller asked if there was a timetable for the program to return to the top 20. Coach Stokes responded that there was no specific timetable, but that the immediate goal was to have a winning season this year and to go from there. He emphasized that this season counts and that they will not give up on this year, particularly for the four seniors on the team.

On the recruiting front, he mentioned that the fall recruiting class had been rated the 28th best class in the country, the second best in the Atlantic 10 and the fourth best in the Big East. The focus for the spring recruiting season would be for big men. So far, the Big East schools that Tech has been competing against for players have been Rutgers, Providence, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. He mentioned that there is a lot of talent in the junior classes around the state and that he is committed to keeping the best players from the state, particularly after seeing several of the best players around the Atlantic 10 from Virginia. He also discussed recruiting foreign players, which can be quite different, considering that there are so many more options for these players.

Bill Roth and Coach Stokes discussed some of the changes that had been made in the starting lineups recently. Tony Dobbins started and Brendan Dunlop came off the bench for Tech. Dobbins appeared a little nervous and he needs to show a little more poise, but it will be a learning process for him. When asked if he will stay in the starting lineup, the coach said that they will continue to evaluate this, and that they did it initially to try to take some of the pressure off of Dunlop. Roland Roberts has also moved back inside from the perimeter. Coach Stokes said that he wasn’t as effective outside and that the move back inside has already paid dividends in that he had nine rebounds on Sunday.

Next, they discussed Duquesne, Virginia Tech’s next opponent. They have five players that average in double figures in scoring and they like to run the ball. Wayne Smith is one of the better newcomers to the league and he is off to a great start for Duquesne. They don’t take a lot of three-point shots, but their percentage is very high, particularly among a few of their players. They average 89 points per game and the key to stopping them will be to slow them down. Tech’s players need to contain their man and move their feet in order to be successful.

The Virginia game in Richmond is in two weeks and Bill Roth asked if it would be tough for Coach Stokes to play his old team. He pointed out that he was at Wake Forest for eight years and that he has kind of gotten used to it over the years. He said that it would really be just another game for him.

The two concluded the show by discussing the Tech assistant coaches and what they mean for the program. Coach Stokes praised each of them and commented that they all put in a lot of time to help make the team successful.

• Bill Roth mentioned that from now on Tech fans would always be able to hear the Tech football broadcasts at road games similar to what was available for the Sugar Bowl. It was somewhat unclear if that meant only at bowl games or all regular season road games as well.

• Jim Weaver is a scheduled guest for next week. They will discuss some scheduling notes, including the possibility of a twelfth game.

• Game time for Wednesday’s home game against Duquesne is 7:00 at Cassell Coliseum.