FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – It has been a busy five months for Northern Arizona women's basketball head coach Loree Payne. Taking over a program without a winning season in 10 years and with just six returning players, the task is not easy but Payne appears to be more than ready. With the team's first official preseason practice looming on Sunday and the energy within the program at the highest it has been in years, Payne took some time to look back on her first five months on the job with the NAU Athletics Communications office.

Athletics Communications (AC): How would you sum up the first five months on the job overall?

Loree Payne (LP): The first five months have been incredibly busy, but amazing. There have been a lot of moving parts with getting our staff in place, team workouts and recruiting.  All three have gone smoothly thus far and every day seems more and more like home. NAU is a phenomenal place with incredible people. The support that we have already seen within the department and the community has been astounding. People are ready for NAU women's basketball to become successful once again.   

AC: What have been some of the biggest challenges you've faced so far?

LP: Anytime there is change of leadership within a program, it takes time to adjust. One of the challenges this year will be our youth. With nine new players, we are not only teaching an entirely new system but for the majority of the team, NAU as a university is also brand new. Our leadership from our six returners has been solid. Changing a program's culture just takes a little time, so patience will definitely be a virtue for us this year.

AC: What has been the most exciting part of the job since you've been hired?

LP: The most exciting part is how much the team has embraced the change of culture. Every day we are making huge strides individually and as a team. Even though our court time has been limited, the improvement from workout to workout has been significant.

AC: Through the individual and team workouts you've had since April, where have you seen the biggest improvements?

LP: The team culture, energy and communication has continued to grow and develop every workout. We are also starting to implement some of our offensive and defensive systems. Our system really fits our personnel and we are confident that it will put our players in positions to be successful.

AC: You've been on the recruiting trail a lot since being hired, how has that experience been representing NAU?

LP: It has been a honor to be out on the road representing NAU. One of our goals with the program is visibility. We want to promote the NAU brand and have recruits, coaches and people in the different communities constantly seeing us.

AC: With the first official practice approaching in a few days, what are your main goals as the season is about to get underway?

LP: Continuous improvement is one of our many goals for this season. We talk about communication a lot within our program and we have set the standard for positive energy and consistent communication. I believe we have some incredible talent and we are excited about starting to put all the pieces together.