Western Oregon Journal

(U-WIRE) CORVALLIS, Ore. -- New Oregon State women's basketball LaVonda
Wagner didn't waste any time making her presence felt at Monday's press
conference.

Wagner is bringing a championship mentality to OSU and is looking to turn
the Beavers into a contender in the near future.

OSU was fortunate to get a coach of Wagner's quality, as she turned down
multiple offers before accepting the job at OSU.

"I was looking for a situation where I could come in and I could be
successful, but also had the support and the vision of the people at the top
who understood what it took and really wanted to take this journey with me,"
Wagner said.

Prior to arriving in Corvallis, Ore., Wagner was an assistant coach at Duke
University, where a big part of her job was recruiting players to the
national powerhouse.

Wagner shared her plans for bringing athletes into OSU's program. She's
determined to keep in-state talent at home.

"The first thing that myself and my staff have to do is get out into the
state of Oregon and really meet the right people and get in touch with the
players that are here and really try to own the state," Wagner said.

OSU Director of Athletics Bob De Carolis did a little recruiting himself
when it came to Wagner.

"She jumped to the top of the pile [of candidates] real quick and we were
still early in the process and she stayed our No. 1 candidate all the way
through," De Carolis said. "We said this is going to have to be a recruiting
job; this is not an interview anymore."

Wagner, who is replacing Judy Spoelstra, let go after 10 seasons with OSU,
said all of Spoelstra's incoming recruits will remain Beavers and enroll
this fall.

After last year's disappointing season in which the Beavers finished 6-23,
including a 1-17 mark in Pac-10 play, Wagner realizes her job will be
difficult.

"We're starting this from scratch, and we're building a strong foundation
that will last for years and years to come," Wagner said.

Junior Ebony Young agreed with her new coach's assessment.

"You can't build greatness overnight," Young said. "We can't go anywhere but
up -- 1-17, I know we're going to win way more than one game."

Young stressed that it will be up to the players to step up in practice to
see change.

"In order to beat people you do it off the court," Young said. "Like
[Wagner] said, 'Champions are made when no one's watching.'"

The team has already noticed differences between Wagner and Spoelstra.

"There's going to be a set structure and it's going to be a little more
disciplined," said junior forward Kim Butler. "The expectations are going to
be very, very high."

"You can just tell that she's motivated and intense and you want to play for
her. We're definitely not going to be 1-17 in the Pac-10."

And Wagner isn't limiting her goals and expectations to athletics -- she
expects great things from her players in the classroom as well.

"Oregon State University, right now, is a program, academically and
athletically. That is on the rise," Wagner said.

De Carolis said Wagner's hiring means the bar has been risen for the
program,

"Today, with this announcement, we're showing our commitment to meeting our
goal and that is to vie for championships in the conference of champions;
the Pac-10," De Carolis said. "By doing that, we'll be competitive
nationally and we're very excited about the person that's going to lead us
in that."

Wagner is equally thrilled by the prospect of helping OSU accomplish those
lofty goals.

"I'm extremely excited to be at a university that is a high academic
university and to be in the Pac-10," Wagner said. "Nothing but great things
are going to happen."

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