Named to the Preseason All-Southeastern Conference First Team, senior Christina Wirth is primed for a huge season. The Vanderbilt women's team has been pegged to win the SEC Championship and is the preseason No. 12 team in the country. The forward spoke with Meghan Rose of the Vanderbilt Hustler about how the team handles high expectations, what her role as a leader is and how she became such a versatile player.
Vanderbilt Hustler: As one of three seniors on a team picked to win the SEC this season, what would you say is your major role?
Christina Wirth: One good thing about our team is that we have a lot more experience overall, not just with the seniors. Last year, we were pretty young, so I think my job is having the most experience on the team with Jen Risper. Our season has a lot of ups and downs, and you need someone on the team to keep everyone focused and to stay grounded.
VH: Having started 68 consecutive games through the end of last season, how important is it for you to have an impact in every game you play?
CW: I think you earn the respect of your teammates and they count on you. Whether I'm having a good game or not, I still feel that I can bring something to the team through communicating with and encouraging my teammates. I try to make sure we're on the same page with our coaches, and that the five of us that are on the court at the time carry it out on the floor.
VH: After averaging 13.1 points per game last season as a junior, what would you say your basic individual goals are for this season?
CW: I don't really make scoring a goal, I think that it's something that just comes if you're open you shoot, but you can't force it. For me, rebounding is definitely a big goal for me this season; we're pretty small underneath. All of our post players are about 6 feet tall. I think that rebounding is something that, as a team, we have to worry about, making sure that we are boxing out and be really disciplined. I also want to get to the free throw line a lot more this season. People know me as a shooter, and they run at me to try to take my shot away. I have to drive more, and try to take it to the basket.
VH: Both the preseason AP and the Coaches' Polls have Vandy ranked No. 12 in the nation. Has this recognition affected the team's spirits at all?
CW: I think that it's a great honor, to know that people are seeing us as one of those great programs. But as a team, we're doing a good job of not letting it get to our heads at all or putting too much pressure on ourselves. I think that we are going to go out there and know that we have a great opportunity in front of us, and we knew that even before the rankings came out. We're just going to take the season one game at a time, and hopefully we'll be in a good position come March and April.
VH: How much of an honor was it for you to be named to the All-SEC first team?
CW: It wasn't something that I was really expecting after the end of last season. We play in an amazing conference with amazing players. I don't think it's something that I've really done in my life, but God has given me the ability and the opportunity to go out there and play.
VH: What would you pinpoint as the greatest strength of your game?
CW: I'm definitely not the most athletic player by any means, but I think that I am pretty fundamentally sound. I know how to take advantage of what the other defense gives me. I can adapt well to the style of play of the other team. I've gotten better at my low-post play during my years here. Before college I didn't really play post at all.
VH: You're a very versatile player on the court. How have you managed to transition between guard and forward during your years at Vanderbilt?
CW: It was kind of tough. I had to learn a lot of plays during my freshman year for a couple of positions since they told me there was a chance I could play both post and guard. Our post coach, Vicky Picott, has done an amazing job of teaching me and she's been very patient with me. During my sophomore year, everything began to click for me.
VH: After only graduating senior Liz Sherwood from last year's team, how is the team meshing early on this season?
CW: I'm excited, we have everyone back except for one person, and we have two freshmen this season. Basically it's the same core, and we have a definite chemistry on the court and off the court. It's a lot of fun, and we're pretty competitive. I think it's going to help us a lot. Our program is getting pretty good at playing our best basketball at the end of the season. Give us a couple of months and a few games under our belt, and I think we'll be doing pretty well.
VH: How important is a successful start, as you begin to face tougher conference competition in the latter part of the season?
CW: We look at every game as an opportunity to get better, even exhibition games that don't really count. We make goals for every game, and we take each one seriously. We all know that these games now matter for seating in the tournament, and it's important to recognize how important these games now are, even though it's a very long season. Having a lot of experience on our team is really going to help us take care of business early.
VH: With all of the hype around the team this season, what goals have you set as a team?
CW: We have set individual goals for each game, but we also have goals as a team. We want to win the SEC regular season. We won the SEC Championship when I was a sophomore, but we haven't won the regular season since I've been here. We also want to win the SEC Championship and go to the NCAA Tournament again this season, and we want to go further than the Sweet 16.
VH: Your dad Alan is a former major league baseball player and your five siblings are also involved in sports. How did your family influence your decision to play basketball competitively?
CW: Growing up and always being around sports, my parents always encouraged us to get involved and play them. I'm a pretty self-motivated person, and I chose basketball as my sport when I was about 11 or 12 and started to focus on it. All of the girls in my family played basketball, and my brother decided to play soccer. I guess you'd call us a sports family.
