10 Preseason Questions For ... China Crosby

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Freshman point guard and native New Yorker China Crosby recently checked in with VirginiaSports.com to discuss preseason practice, her comeback from a season-ending knee injury last year and her New York sports team preferences.

Question: How is your rehabilitation from your knee injury coming along?
Crosby: First and foremost, my knee is doing very well. Our last preseason conditioning test is something called The Beep Test, and at the end of preseason last year I scored an 18.2. At the end of preseason this year, I got an 18.1. That was a little surprising to me, and honestly my knee is not bothering me at all. I would like to say I’m 100 percent, but since I’m not doing defensive drills yet in practice I’ll say I’m at 90 percent.

Question: So just to clarify, are you saying you’ve actually gained a step in a year despite your injury?
Crosby: [Laughs] Yeah basically.

Question: The season starts Nov. 12 in your home state of New York. Are you excited to play at Hofstra (in Hempstead on Long Island, N.Y.)?
Crosby: The first game is in the New York City area and I am so excited about that. There will be tons of people there that have always supported me at home.

Question: It’s Major League Baseball playoff time. Being a New Yorker – Yankees or Mets?
Crosby: Yankees. Come on Bronx Bombers! I’m from the Bronx.

Question: Giants or Jets? Islanders or Rangers?
Crosby: Giants and Rangers!

Question: What did you work on the most this off-season?
Crosby: The thing I worked on the most was mental preparation. I need to be mentally ready for anything that comes my way as far as with my knee, with people doubting me, with people having trust in me. There are lot of challenges that you have to face throughout the course of a season so that is something I really tried to work on. Physically, I worked on my mid-range jumpshot.

Question: If you could take any two attributes from any two of your teammates and make them your own, what would you take and from who?
Crosby: Jayna Hartig – I would take her intelligence and her ability to know the game very well on the court. I would also have to take Paulisha Kellum’s toughness.

Question: If you were the eighth dwarf, what would your name be?
Crosby: I don’t even know all seven dwarves, this is tough. How about you help me out?
[Editor’s note: At this point in the Q & A, VirginiaSports.com suggested “Sassy Dwarf.”]
Crosby: Yes. I would say Sassy. We’ll go with that one.

Question: Who is your favorite athlete at UVa?
Crosby: Perry Jones (football).

Question: How do you get pumped up for competition?
Crosby: I listen to soft country music and soft R&B music to get pumped up. Not a lot of people expect me to say that, but it’s true. Going back to being Sassy Dwarf, I know I look kind of sassy and mean on the basketball court, but I have two sides and one of them is a soft side.