TheHoop-La.com goes one on one with former St. Mary's star Micayla Drysdale of NCAA D1 Canisius College.

How was your experience touring Italy with your Canisius team this past summer?

Italy was absolutely amazing! We prepared all summer for our games and put in a great summer as a squad. The food was unbelievable and the places we visited were gorgeous. I definitely cannot wait to go back and venture through Italy.

You are entering your Jr. season as the program’s all-time leader in career 3-point FG percentage and you led the MAAC in 3-point FG percentage last season. How have you come to be such a threat from behind the arc?

Practice makes perfect. I came in as a freshman who was recruited for passing and playing the point, but Brittane was already running the point, so I had to adapt and add different dimensions to my game. I was never really a shooter in high school, I didn’t have to be. I worked on my shot a ton in the summer going into freshman year and continued to work on it with the coaches before and after practices. Just getting up reps really helped me get into the flow of things.

The 2008-09 season is being heralded as one of the best seasons ever in Canisius program history (24-9 record – NIT appearance), what made last season so special?

We were such a Veteran team last year. Marie Warner, Amanda Cavo and JJ Williams, our three seniors were extremely smart and talented, and lead our team with great tenacity. They were obviously key components to our success last year. We came to practice and we WORKED, that’s what we do. I absolutely believe that teams play how they practice, and we definitely practiced hard and it reflected in our games.

After last season, expectations are high for this upcoming season. What are the team goals for this season?

We recently got together as a squad and wrote up some of the goals we have for this year. I would say the most crucial goals for us this year as a smaller team will be to take care of the ball, utilize our quickness on defense, and get rebounds. We had a pretty solid list of long term, short term, academic and social goals set for this 2009-2010 season.

What does Canisius have to do to win the conference this year?

We will have to take care of the ball and utilize our main strength of size, speed and smarts. We are going to have to come to practice every single day with a positive mindset and the willingness to compete and get better.

Canisius just extended coach Zeh’s contract through the 2012-2013 season. How important has coach Zeh been to your development as a player?

Coach Zeh is an unbelievable coach. His knowledge of the game is incredible. He has probably forgotten more basketball than I will ever know! He has been such an influence on the team’s success as well as my own personal successes since I have been here. I am grateful I will have the opportunity to play for coach Zeh for the next two years.

Canisius has been picked third in the MAAC coaches preseason poll. What are your thoughts on that?

I think third is a great spot to be picked; however, that spot is just an assumption. We need to get after it and PROVE to everyone and ourselves that we not only deserve to be in the top 3 in the conference, but we have the ability to win the entire conference!

Personally what are your goals this season?

Personally, my goals this year are a little different than they were last year. I am hoping to lead our team on and off the court and lead by example. I think being mentally tough is one major aspect of my game that needs to improve this season.

Last season you were named to the MAAC All-Academic team. What’s your secret to successfully juggling academics and being a Division I athlete?

Being a DI student-athlete is not easy. It is definitely challenging to juggle and balance out the academics, basketball and also the social aspects of College. I am very organized with my school work and schedule and our coaching staff and school are VERY accommodating. There is always tutoring and extra help available, especially for the athletes. I am not going to lie, freshman wear was tough learning how to properly balance everything but as I matured and realized my priorities, everything just fell into place.