Closing out 2001 with a 31-5 season and a Top 10 national ranking at tournament time, the Lady Techsters of Louisiana Tech surprised a lot of naysayers last year. Not only had the team lost all its seniors to graduation, but a key returning player sat out all year with a torn ACL, and the team was working with a whole new set of assistant coaches.

Undeterred, the Lady Techsters marched on to their ninth straight Sun Belt Conference title and a visit to the 2001 NCAA tournament's Elite Eight, due in large part to the year-long stellar performance by 6'3" forward Ayana Walker.

One of the nation's top defensive players, Walker averaged 16.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game in 2000-2001, shot 69 percent from the free-throw line, led Tech in scoring 20 times, and ranked eighth in the nation in blocked shots. She also earned recognition as the Sun Belt Conference's Defensive Player of the Year and was named the team's Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year.

She begins the 2001-2002 season as a Naismith Player of the Year preseason candidate (along with fellow Tech teammates Catrina Frierson and Takeisha Lewis), and is poised to help her team repeat, if not exceed, last year's successes. In this interview, Walker talks about the team's outlook, her best moments from 2000-01, and her thoughts on what Louisiana Tech's switch to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) will mean for the team this year.

Gball: Last year, there was a lot of skepticism about Louisiana Tech's ability given that there were no seniors on the team. As the only remaining starter that season, was there a lot of pressure to step up into the leadership role?
Walker: Not really. But when we lost a good player like Catrina Frierson to injury, someone had to step up and be that leader, and I decided to step up.

How do you avoid letting the media get to you? Do you avoid reading polls, rankings, etc.?
It doesn't get to us at all. The coach always says: "Don't worry about the papers or the polls. Those are just numbers. In the end, all that matters is where you end up."

The Techsters also started last season with an almost entirely new coaching staff. Has the team adjusted to the new blood?
Things are good. We're familiar with them now. We've become closer with them this year, and they're real cool.

What most contributed to last season's immense success?
Good chemistry. The team got along really well, and everyone knew their role. It was just a great team to be around. And the coaches played a big part in getting us prepared for every game.

One of your personal highlights last season was a game against the University of Tennessee. Although Tech didn't win, you scored a career high 26 points and held All-American Tamika Catchings to only 2 points. What do you remember most about that game?
How intense it was. I also knew that I was guarding a good player. And when we go against good players, our coach will test and challenge us by telling us to try to hold our player to a certain number of points and prevent her from getting her average.

So what was your strategy with Catchings?
I limited her touches. I tried to make her hit tough shots. And my goal was to contain her, to see what her other teammates could do.

Did you have any idea you were going to be so hot that evening?
No. I didn't know. After the first few buckets, I knew my team needed me to score, but the intensity of that game was great. And I guess it just contributed to my game.

This summer you were one of 12 collegiate athletes to compete in China with the USA Basketball Women's National Team. What was that experience like?
It's totally different than American ball. The lanes are wider, and their players play kind of different. Also, although their game was physical, it wasn't as physical as it would be here. But there was a great atmosphere at those games. Every game we went to, no matter who was playing, there were at least 4,000 or more people at it.

Were you given much time to adjust to this new team, new teammates, new coach?
No. We went up to Colorado for about a week to train. I guess that was our little time to get to know each other. And then we went a week early to China to get familiar with the game. But I think going over there that week early helped us out.

Did being on a different team, among different talent, affect how you approach the game? Your style of play?
No. Not really. The good thing was everyone knew her role. For instance, there were times Kara Lawson, point guard at Tennessee, would be hollering at us to exert control on the game. But when she did that, we understood. Nobody was like: ³She can't talk to me like that, I'm from another college." Instead, everybody did their part.

Was this your first trip overseas?
No. I went overseas with the USA team to play in Madrid. Being involved in teams like that is a good opportunity, because I get to meet people from other colleges, as well as players from overseas who I probably wouldn't meet or play against otherwise.

For three years, you've competed in the Sun Belt Conference, but this year, Louisiana Tech has switched to the WAC. How will that change things for the team?
The only thing that will change for me is that in the Sun Belt, you knew who the special players were or what kind of team you were facing. Now, moving to the WAC, we don't know too much about the teams, and we'll be traveling distances we don't usually travel. That's going to be a big thing for us. But once we adapt to that, I think we'll be alright.

It's going to be new to the coaches too, because now they have to look at more films. They can't just go back and get old films from previous years. They now have to learn about a whole new set of opposing coaches.

What teams are you most looking forward to facing.
I have no idea. But if I had to guess, I'd say Hawaii, Fresno State, and SMU. I think it's going to be more competitive than the Sun Belt in that the WAC has more teams that are a threat and that we'll have to be ready to play.

What are this team's strengths?
First, we have new players coming in this year. We also have Catrina Frierson back [at forward this season]. And both she and Takeisha Lewis are looking out for us to have a good year. Also, there are more perimeter players this season, which is something that we didn't have last year. So I think that's a big deal.

Coach Barmore's impressive record (.870 winning percentage) has made him a bit of a coaching icon. What is it like playing for him?
Playing for him is just wonderful. I love his competitiveness, his love of the game, how demanding he is in practice, and that he is a father-figure on and off the court.

What do you consider your playing strengths to be?
My strengths are leading the team, scoring, rebounding, and specialty defense.

Have those skills always come naturally to you, or have you had to make a special effort to develop them?
The rebounding and defense comes naturally. But as for scoring, that ability has changed a lot in the years I've been here. And that is a continued area of emphasis for me each offseason.

Given your many achievements, what has been the highlight of your basketball career so far?
I think the highlight was the second game of the NCAA tournament last year. I was held to two points during the first game, and coming into the second game, I think people, including my teammates, were left wondering if I was going to be held to two again. But I came out playing well, and played well the whole game. [Walker recorded a double double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.] And I think that was a big breakthrough. Because players can sometimes have a mental breakdown if they have a particularly weak performance, like I did that first match.

What prevented a negative mentality from hindering your game?
My teammates. They were behind me 100 percent. Often you have a team that doesn't say too much, but my team was behind me saying: ³You're going to be alright. Hang in there big girl!" And all the coaches were behind me. So they made me feel good and made me remember that there was somebody there who cared.

Many of your teammates list winning the NCAA title as their goal this season. In your opinion, what is it going to take?
Chemistry, leadership, and just having fun out there.

Interview conducted by Gball Assistant Editor Shelly Wilson.

Check out last year's q&a's by clicking here