David Thorpe Quotations
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Approach Quotes
I always told the girls there is no such thing as girls and boys basketball, there's just basketball, ... I told them to be physical and block out. There is only one way to play the game. One of the reasons is hopefully I was non-sexist. I taught them to play the game the same way I taught the boys. We were one of the first teams to play up-and-down, in-your-face defense. I used the same approach with the girls as I did with the boys' team.
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Center Quotes
It motivated the players to have women role models. They could go to the Target Center and watch the (WNBA's Minnesota) Lynx play, ... They could have heroes like Rebecca Lobo and those other great UConn players. They wanted to be like them. As a coach you just give them the skills needed for the opportunity to make it some day.
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Athletic Quotes
The biggest change is the kids get so much more respect, ... In 1983, kids who were not real athletic or big could get by. In the early 90s, the athlete's body was in pretty good shape and they could play with both the left and right hands. The kids took pride in their game. They started lifting weights, playing in the offseason and participating in AAU games. I had 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-5 centers.