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/ Women's Basketball
Introducing... Mercedes Staples
7/25/2018 11:55:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Minnesota women's basketball team welcomes three newcomers to the team for the 2018-19 season. GopherSports.com will sit down with each of them to get to know them better as they prepare for their first season in the Maroon and Gold.
Up next, it's Mercedes Staples, a point guard from Centerville, Utah. A four-star recruit according to ESPN.com, Staples was rated by the site as the No. 64 player in the 2018 class and the No. 17 point guard after she averaged 22.4 points, 4.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game this past season, helping Viewmont High School reach the Class 5A quarterfinals. She was named Class 5A First Team All-State by the Salt Lake Tribune and to the ALL-USA Utah Girls Basketball Team by USA Today.
GopherSports.com: Tell us a little bit about your recruiting process. You were originally committed to Clemson, but then opened your recruiting back up when the coach left and signed with Minnesota in May.
Mercedes Staples: "Yeah, I knew Clemson for about a year before I committed there. I felt like it was the right decision at the right time. The coaches, I am still super close with, so there was family there and I felt like it was the right decision right then."
GS: What was going through your mind when you found out the coach was leaving?
MS: "My mom called me and told me and I was in shock for a couple hours; I did not really know what was going to happen. I called my AAU coach, Natalie Williams, and she told me that people had been calling her all day, so then I heard of some places, like here for instance, that had not recruited me before. Obviously Clemson was the right decision at that time, because it opened up other opportunities."
GS: What was your initial introduction to Minnesota?
MS: "They contacted me once or twice. I was planning on coming to visit then those coaches left, so then I figured Minnesota was out and went for my other options. Then I got a text from Coach Whalen saying that she wanted to recruit me and so that's kind of how that all started up."
GS: What was that moment like, when you get a text from Lindsay Whalen saying that she wants to recruit you?
MS: "So awesome. It was unbelievable."
GS: How did you decide that Minnesota was the right school for you?
MS: "For two and a half weeks I traveled to four different schools and then I came home on a Sunday and I decided three days later. It kind of came down to my religion, so I did a lot of fasting and I did a lot of praying. And then that Wednesday, I came up to my parents and I said, 'I know where I'm going.' I don't know how to describe how you know, it's just a feeling."
GS: Aside from that feeling, was there anything else that brought you here?
MS: "How could you say no to Lindsay Whalen? I don't know how people are going to turn her down. Obviously we have a great staff so that kind of helped a lot and just the support they had here."
GS: Is this the first time living on your own? If so, how are you adjusting to that?
MS: "It is the first time. That first month was super hard. I had homesickness a lot that first week, and then I only had it when I wasn't busy. So keeping myself busy, I don't really think about it much and then I just call [my family] at night. It's hard, definitely an adjustment, but I'm doing better now so it's good."
GS: How would you describe yourself as a player?
MS: "I would say I am a humble player and a team player. I'm more about my teammates more than I am about myself. If you look at my past interviews you'll see that I am always talking about how my team helped me succeed because you can't do it on your own."
GS: How do you see your role on the team this year?
MS: "They've got some good guards right now. Kenisha (Bell) is amazing. I'm going to learn a lot from her with this one year with her, and I also have Jasmine (Brunson). I think being able to play with them my freshmen year is going to help me a lot to learn from them. I think just being able to play with these guys will help me know what my role is in this team this year and then being able to take what they had and apply it to next year so I think I'm just in the learning process right now."
GS: Are there any specific things that you've taken away from Kenisha or Jasmine yet?
MS: "They are really good leaders. They helped me a lot with learning offenses and they will come help me after a play and be like, 'You need to do this instead of that,' so I think that kind of leadership is awesome.
GS: Along those lines, as a point guard, what is it like learning from Lindsay Whalen?
MS: "It's incredible. We work on ball handling a lot when she's here. She helps us with how you are going to use that in your game, for example how you need to flick that bounce pass a little harder –she's just amazing. I'm just very grateful to have her to learn from."
Off the Court with Mercedes
Favorite food: My mom's homemade chicken roll-ups. I don't really know what she puts in it, but it has chicken, sauce and crescent rolls. Then you roll it up in it and dip it in butter with the bread crumbs and put it in the oven. It's honestly my favorite.
Favorite TV show: One Tree Hill
Favorite Movie: How to Lose a Guy in 10 days or The Greatest Showman
Favorite musical artist: Dan and Shay
Favorite WNBA player: I really like Diana Taurasi and obviously Lindsay Whalen and Maya Moore
Up next, it's Mercedes Staples, a point guard from Centerville, Utah. A four-star recruit according to ESPN.com, Staples was rated by the site as the No. 64 player in the 2018 class and the No. 17 point guard after she averaged 22.4 points, 4.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game this past season, helping Viewmont High School reach the Class 5A quarterfinals. She was named Class 5A First Team All-State by the Salt Lake Tribune and to the ALL-USA Utah Girls Basketball Team by USA Today.
GopherSports.com: Tell us a little bit about your recruiting process. You were originally committed to Clemson, but then opened your recruiting back up when the coach left and signed with Minnesota in May.
Mercedes Staples: "Yeah, I knew Clemson for about a year before I committed there. I felt like it was the right decision at the right time. The coaches, I am still super close with, so there was family there and I felt like it was the right decision right then."
GS: What was going through your mind when you found out the coach was leaving?
MS: "My mom called me and told me and I was in shock for a couple hours; I did not really know what was going to happen. I called my AAU coach, Natalie Williams, and she told me that people had been calling her all day, so then I heard of some places, like here for instance, that had not recruited me before. Obviously Clemson was the right decision at that time, because it opened up other opportunities."
GS: What was your initial introduction to Minnesota?
MS: "They contacted me once or twice. I was planning on coming to visit then those coaches left, so then I figured Minnesota was out and went for my other options. Then I got a text from Coach Whalen saying that she wanted to recruit me and so that's kind of how that all started up."
GS: What was that moment like, when you get a text from Lindsay Whalen saying that she wants to recruit you?
MS: "So awesome. It was unbelievable."
GS: How did you decide that Minnesota was the right school for you?
MS: "For two and a half weeks I traveled to four different schools and then I came home on a Sunday and I decided three days later. It kind of came down to my religion, so I did a lot of fasting and I did a lot of praying. And then that Wednesday, I came up to my parents and I said, 'I know where I'm going.' I don't know how to describe how you know, it's just a feeling."
GS: Aside from that feeling, was there anything else that brought you here?
MS: "How could you say no to Lindsay Whalen? I don't know how people are going to turn her down. Obviously we have a great staff so that kind of helped a lot and just the support they had here."
GS: Is this the first time living on your own? If so, how are you adjusting to that?
MS: "It is the first time. That first month was super hard. I had homesickness a lot that first week, and then I only had it when I wasn't busy. So keeping myself busy, I don't really think about it much and then I just call [my family] at night. It's hard, definitely an adjustment, but I'm doing better now so it's good."
GS: How would you describe yourself as a player?
MS: "I would say I am a humble player and a team player. I'm more about my teammates more than I am about myself. If you look at my past interviews you'll see that I am always talking about how my team helped me succeed because you can't do it on your own."
GS: How do you see your role on the team this year?
MS: "They've got some good guards right now. Kenisha (Bell) is amazing. I'm going to learn a lot from her with this one year with her, and I also have Jasmine (Brunson). I think being able to play with them my freshmen year is going to help me a lot to learn from them. I think just being able to play with these guys will help me know what my role is in this team this year and then being able to take what they had and apply it to next year so I think I'm just in the learning process right now."
GS: Are there any specific things that you've taken away from Kenisha or Jasmine yet?
MS: "They are really good leaders. They helped me a lot with learning offenses and they will come help me after a play and be like, 'You need to do this instead of that,' so I think that kind of leadership is awesome.
GS: Along those lines, as a point guard, what is it like learning from Lindsay Whalen?
MS: "It's incredible. We work on ball handling a lot when she's here. She helps us with how you are going to use that in your game, for example how you need to flick that bounce pass a little harder –she's just amazing. I'm just very grateful to have her to learn from."
Off the Court with Mercedes
Favorite food: My mom's homemade chicken roll-ups. I don't really know what she puts in it, but it has chicken, sauce and crescent rolls. Then you roll it up in it and dip it in butter with the bread crumbs and put it in the oven. It's honestly my favorite.
Favorite TV show: One Tree Hill
Favorite Movie: How to Lose a Guy in 10 days or The Greatest Showman
Favorite musical artist: Dan and Shay
Favorite WNBA player: I really like Diana Taurasi and obviously Lindsay Whalen and Maya Moore
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