NEW ORLEANS – Old Dominion women's basketball head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones and graduate guard Kaye Clark attended the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Media Day, hosted at the league's office inside the Superdome, on Wednesday.
The Monarchs, who reached the conference tournament semifinals last year, were picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt's Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was announced on Monday morning. ODU returns five players from 2022-23, to include starters in Clark and Jordan McLaughlin, but also hit the recruiting trail hard, bringing in 10 newcomers for the upcoming season.
"This year we have our sights set [on winning the league], I think the same as any other team in the Sun Belt Conference," said Milton-Jones. "You want to win, and you want to put a great product out there on the floor. We went out this year to recruit players that we felt could get us to that mark. It's one thing to make the semifinals of the conference tournament, but we want to cross the line. We want to get to the finals, we want to be able to call ourselves champions and to go dancing at the end of the season."
Clark, a graduate student from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, started all 34 games last season and was the conference leader in both steals (85) and steals per game (2.50). She finished tied for third on the team in scoring alongside McLaughlin with 8.6 points per game. The pair also combined for 214 assists.
ODU went 22-12 overall and 12-6 in conference play in its first year as a member of the Sun Belt. Clark was asked about what she learned from last season, both about her own game and playing the teams in the league.
"I've learned that we need to go hard from the jump. There were some losses that we shouldn't have taken in conference, and it caught up to us. I feel like we're prepared now with the new group of girls in addition to the five that are returning."
When asked about her defensive game and replicating her success in steals this season, Clark added that her opponents, "Better be able to handle to ball."
She went on to credit both her teammates and Coach Milton-Jones.
"Starting with Coach D, she brings a lot of intensity when it comes to defense because defense wins championships and games as well. I tell myself that if I start off with high intensity, I know that my teammates will follow. I don't really pay attention to the steals. Just being able to clog up lanes and make our opponents scatter, hopefully it turns into steals and points for my teammates so we can win games."
"I think the reason why she can be the league leader in steals is that she's very omnipresent in the game," Milton-Jones said of Clark. "So when you are in the moment and you understand the scouting and you understand the tendencies and you understand the offense, then she can kind of play in the gray area. Those moments where people have a lull mentally, she can play in those areas very well and her instincts kick in and she gobbles up those opportunities."
After an exhibition game against Christopher Newport on Friday, Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m., the Monarchs will host Lincoln (Pa.) for their season opener on Monday, Nov. 6 beginning at 4 p.m.
Head Coach DeLisha Milton-Jones and Kaye Clark Wrap Up Sun Belt Media Day in New Orleans
