CHARLOTTE, N.C. – It didn't take long for folks in Charlotte to recognize greatness.
"They say, 'Save the best for last,'" said Angel Gray, who moderated the ACC Tipoff press conference, "but I feel like in this case, we're going to start right off the top."
The Hokies, who are the highest-ranked team in the ACC (No. 8 in AP's preseason Top 25), were the first team to conduct a press conference at the Hilton Charlotte Hotel, and expectations are high in Blacksburg.
The squad returns three starters from its Final Four team a year ago, including two preseason All-Americans in Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore, as well as the school's all-time leader in triples in a game (Cayla King, 9).
But a good amount of the questions fielded Tuesday were about the newcomers. Who is standing out? Who will start in place of the two that were drafted in the WNBA? Kenny Brooks didn't keep his cards to himself.
"Well, I think we mentioned Matilda Ekh a few times," Brooks said. "She really fits who we are and what we do. Very, very smart player, understands the system … passes the ball well, shoots the ball well, learning how to defend in our system. Rose Micheaux is the missing piece that we needed when we lost Taylor Soule. She's strong, athletic, understands our system now and is getting better and better. Then we have quite a few freshmen that are doing a wonderful job of just trying to find their place."
Following the press conference, Amoore, King and Kitley headed over to the ACC Network set and answered questions from the ACCN crew.
Amoore touched on the love of her teammates and how she would do anything for them. There is an internal motivation that the team has for delivering another unforgettable season.
After the trio got off the set, they went through radio row, fielding more questions from media, and participated in various video and photo shoots for ESPN, CW, ACCN and more.
Want to be there to see both the ACC Championship and Final Four banners unveiled? Purchase tickets to the season opener against High Point on Monday, Nov. 6 at 5 p.m. ET. The first 1,500 fans will also receive a Final Four bucket hat.
Gallery: (10-24-2023) WBB: ACC Tipoff
