Lady Vols freshman Marta Suarez met with the media to discuss her offseason, the upcoming season, her decision to join the Lady Vols, and what it’s been like to join the program.
Here’s what Suarez had to say courtesy of Tennessee Athletics Communication:
On finally getting to campus and what she anticipates her role to be on the team:
“The few months that I’ve been here in Tennessee have been way better than I could have ever imagined. Basketball wise, studies, my teammates – it’s all been great. So, it’s been a really good three months.
“As far as my role on the team, I’m really excited about the season. Of course, as a freshman, I don’t expect to have such a big role on the team right away. My biggest goal right now is to be a plus as much as I can, never a minus. Not just on the court, but off the court. On the court, I can use my size and abilities as a way to help the team, but I think off the court I have a big role in the way of trying to keep the team positive and competing and giving our best.”
On having to quarantine immediately after arriving in the United States for the first time:
“It got to a point where I thought I wasn’t even going to be here until December, so it was great news when they told me I could come here in August. But the first two weeks after I got here, I was stuck in a hotel room. I’m a really active person, so it was a little bit difficult, but I was still able to do Zoom calls with the team, and I started to get to know all of them. In some ways it actually helped me to get in before actually getting here. It was definitely a little bit difficult to adjust at first to the schedule because of the time difference in Spain as far as times we eat, different sleeping times, but my roommates and coaches were always there to make sure I was doing good with everything.”
On the difference between playing in Europe versus in the U.S.:
“There are some differences, but it’s not as much as I thought. The game here focuses way more on one-on-one players, while in Europe it focuses more on plays with screens, pick and rolls, et cetera. Obviously, the bodies are different here. There is way more contact here than in Spain. In Europe, the game tries to avoid contact more. But at the end of the day, it’s still basketball, and every team has its own different plays and different motion, so it’s not that big of a difference with that. It’s the physical point of view that is the biggest difference here.”
On the unusual recruiting process she experienced:
“My recruiting process was interesting because I didn’t get to visit or anything with any school. I was looking for a school with good basketball and good studies. When I commit to a school, I’m committing for four years; I never plan on changing schools or anything. The most important thing for me was to choose the right people, because I’m going to be here for four years and those people are going to be my family. Since the first Zoom call I had with the coaches here, they gave me a family and team feeling that I thought was right for me. I still believe that was the correct choice.”
