Q&A with Kristi Toliver
7/3/2008 8:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
July 3, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - After helping Maryland capture the program's first-ever National Championship as a freshman, Kristi Toliver has taken her game to new heights the past two seasons, becoming an All-American point guard, also winning the Nancy Lieberman Award, and is on pace to shatter the school's all-time assists record.
Toliver is preparing for her senior season next year and umterps.com sat down with her, recently, to discuss various topics such as summer plans, the WNBA and her newfound appreciation of superhero movies.
Q. What are you up to this summer?
A. So far, I've just been taking a summer law class, training here and working out with the team. I go home whenever I can and try to enjoy the summer as much as I can. Summer is the time to take a mental break from everything, so I've been taking full advantage of that.
Q. What basketball-related skills are you focusing on during the off-season?
A. Later this summer, I'm going to an advanced concepts point guard college in Anderson, Ind., which is a step above the camp I went to last year. There are always things to improve on. I'm working on open-floor situations to prepare for the next level, a lot of one-on-one moves. Defensively, I'm just trying to work on getting tougher and stronger.
Q. Have you been keeping tabs on former teammates Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper in the WNBA?
A. Absolutely. I talk to those guys, almost every day. I'm definitely staying in touch. I have to make sure they stay out of trouble.
Q. You're clearly going to be playing in the WNBA next year. Is it hard to completely ignore that reality and focus on your senior season at Maryland?
A. Well, I definitely don't want to have one foot out the door already. I know I have my final season here coming up and this team is capable of doing great things. I have to keep next year in mind as far as my preparation the upcoming season. That's my first priority, but I realize once our season ends here at Maryland, I will go right into the league. I'm definitely not antsy to get out of here by any means.
Q. Has your mindset changed now that this is officially yours and Marissa Coleman's team?
A. Definitely. Marissa and I know that it's our senior year and it's up to us to dictate how great a year we can have. We know that we're responsible for everything that happens with this team. We're trying to maintain that good leadership we've had in the past with Crystal, Laura and Shay Doron before them. It's a big responsibility, but I think we're ready to take on that challenge. It will only help us in the future.
Q. Have the younger players been responsive to you and Marissa so far?
A. Absolutely. Obviously, it's different now that Crystal and Laura are gone, but at the same time, they know we've been part of a championship and know what it takes to win. A lot of the girls haven't played a single minute of college basketball before and they don't know what it's going to be like. I think Marissa and I have a lot of knowledge we can pass along to them to get them prepared for ACC basketball.
Q. When you're not in class or playing basketball, what do you do to kill time in the summer?
A. I've been going to see a lot of movies lately.
Q. See any good ones?
A. I was a fan of "The Hulk." I've never been a fan of action-hero movies. But I recently moved and we didn't have cable for three weeks, so I watched a ton of DVDs. I started watching the X-Men movies, "Transformers," and movies like that. I'm kind of a fan of those movies, now.
