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Behind-The-Scenes Peek At ACC Media Day

Oct. 12, 2016

By Megan Golden

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Early practice and 8 a.m. class never sounded so good when Lindsay Allen and Brianna Turner’s alarm clocks rang at roughly 5 a.m. on Wednesday for ACC Media Day. Allen and Turner, who on Wednesday were named to the preseason All-ACC team, joined Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame’s Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Women’s Basketball Coach, for a 6:45 a.m. departure to Charlotte, North Carolina.

The duo met McGraw at South Bend International Airport and traveled on the university charter, arriving at the Westin Charlotte at 9 a.m. for a full slate of interviews with national media. The team’s itinerary consisted of photoshoots and interview sessions with ACC Network, ESPN, Raycom and FOX Sports, among others.

Several questions focused on the individuals’ love and gratitude for the game of basketball, their outlook on the upcoming season, and their relationships with teammates and coaches. For Turner, the biggest struggle of the day was making a “serious face” for the camera. For those concerned, she ensured she will work on that in time for the upcoming season.

ACC Tournament Headed to Myrtle Beach
The ACC today announced its 2017 women’s basketball conference tournament will be held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, beginning in 2017. After years of the tournament being played in Greensboro, North Carolina, teams and fans will gather from March 1-5 at the HTC Center at Coastal Carolina.

Notre Dame enters the season looking to win its fourth conference tournament in as many years.

“I think we’ve got tremendous talent in our league,” McGraw said. “We have great players, we have National Player of the Year candidates, we’ve got great coaches and we have a lot of great fans.”

Predicting the Future
Collecting an assortment of video footage for in-season and tournament play, one particular interviewer asked Allen where she saw herself at the age of 40. Allen hesitated for a few seconds, before replying, “I might be doing something at 39, but I don’t want to be doing anything when I’m 40.”

McGraw and Turner sat together, chuckling, in the back of the room.

“I demand she answers that question again,” McGraw said, laughing, and later inquiring, “no significant other when you’re 40?”

Turner interrupted, “When I’m 40, I’m going to have two dogs, maybe a cat, some fish…”

Halloween-Ready
The interviewees answered questions about their favorite Halloween costume they wore as a child. Allen offered her green M&M costume was best, but she quickly pointed out that Kit-Kat’s are her favorite candy, not green M&M’s.

Turner unarguably won the costume contest with her orange Wheaties box, which featured her own face on the front.

Photo of the Day

Interviewer: “Got a gun show you want to bring?”
Turner: “Barely. There’s not much there.”
Interviewer: “One-two-three: flex.”
Turner: “I was flexing.”

Quotes of the Day
Coach McGraw
On what she is most thankful for in her coaching career…
“I think I’d start with my staff and all the players I’ve been blessed to coach. There’s so many great people I’ve met, so many experiences, so much travel, both overseas and in this country. It’s amazing what this game has given me.”

McGraw on the professionalism at Notre Dame…
“I think Notre Dame loves to be that welcoming place when our fans come in, when our opponents come in. I think we’re too nice to our opponents. ‘Welcome to Notre Dame’ is something every usher in the building is always going to say when someone walks in. I think we take a lot of pride in the level of professionalism that we have. I know the NCAA is very happy when we host a [tournament] game because we do know how to do it.”

Lindsay Allen
On the team’s mindset heading into the seasonââ’¬¦
“We come in every day with a sense of urgency and with intensity in practice, and that will eventually translate into games. Just focusing on the little things, focusing on our defense and making sure we’re having fun.”

On how she is looking to improve this season…
“I’m always trying to be a better leader, understanding my teammates better, understanding what coach McGraw wants better, and improving my overall game. Working on ball-handling, working on passing, working on my shooting, studying film, working on my offense. Everything, kind of.”

On the importance of team chemistry…
“Team chemistry is very important for us. It shows out there on the court that we enjoy playing with each other and we enjoy spending time with each other off the court. We’re an unselfish team, and we enjoy seeing others have success as well.”

Brianna Turner
On the intensity of the team…
“I love the competitiveness of basketball, just going out there and knowing it’s one team against another and everyone just wants to win. The other day in practice, we went against each other, and I thought blood would be drawn. We were just talking so much smack, and everyone was so intense.”

On-Deck for Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish open their regular season at 7 p.m. ET on November 11, when they host Central Michigan at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.

Follow Notre Dame (@ndwbb) on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat for a complete behind-the-scenes look at the team.

–ND–

Megan Golden, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since August of 2016. In her role, she coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse and cross country/track and field programs. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Golden is a 2014 graduate of Saint Mary’s College and former Irish women’s basketball manager. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, she worked in public relations with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.