Northwestern University Athletics
Getting to Know: Maggie Lyon and Alex Olah
10/14/2015 11:44:00 AM | General, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
As the men's and women's basketball programs prepare for Big Ten Media Day, NUSports.com caught up with Alex Olah and Maggie Lyon for this week's edition of "Getting to Know."
NUSports.com: What area of your game has seen the most improvement since your freshman year?
Alex Olah: "Probably my shooting, especially from 3-point range. I feel like I'm quicker on defense, sliding my feet and staying in front of point guards. My rebounding has improved too, but I have to continue to work on that. I need to continue to work on everything, but I think those are the areas that I have improved the most."
Maggie Lyon: "I think my shooting has become more consistent. I was always known for and recruited for my shooting, but I think it has gotten a lot better because the defense gets better in college. But my overall shooting and playmaking has gotten better."
NU: How have the expectations for the program been raised since you first arrived at Northwestern?
AO: "As soon as Coach Collins came on campus, there has been an expectation, especially from him, that we have to win no matter what. That has gotten through to everybody; it became a part of us. Every time that we step on the court, every game, we have to win. We think that we have to win and give our best. There's no pressure on us. We just go out there and play."
ML: "They have been raised tremendously, especially last season and the offseason leading in to last year. We shifted our mentality and decided that we were not going to settle with mediocrity. It is exactly what I wanted to happen here at Northwestern. I wanted to build something and be part of that growth. Last year was such a great building block and we are excited to develop that this year."
NU: Tell us about your recruiting process and how you ultimately came to choose Northwestern?
AO: "I played in Romania for my club and one of the coaches over there really liked me. He was about to leave and he had a connection here in Chicago which was actually (former Northwestern assistant coach) Ivan Vujic. He asked me if I was interested in coming to the States and I said, 'Yeah, I'm interested.' I think he called Ivan and Ivan got in touch with me. There were a lot of back-and-forth communications and he eventually came and talked to me and my family as part of the recruitment process. I think he was at some European Championships watching me there too. Then I came to the States my junior year of high school. I continued getting recruited by Northwestern. Some other schools were interested too but I committed early in my junior year so they backed off. I'm glad I did that because this is the perfect place."
ML: "Academics was a huge importance for me throughout the recruiting process, but I looked at other schools as well. It came down to Vanderbilt or Northwestern. Vanderbilt had tradition and I wanted to be part of building a tradition. The program was on the rise and the coaching staff was so great. It was really important for my family to be able to see my games and the Big Ten is so central to Chicago."
NU: What do you like to do in your free time?
AO: "I have a hobby of DJing. Right now, though, I have a hoverboard so I'm rolling around on that. I'm still learning how to ride it. In my free time I like listening to music and creating playlists for games for myself. I actually have some stuff on SoundCloud too."
ML: "I like to watch TV shows and hang out with friends. I watch Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, but Nashville is my absolute favorite. I really like sitcom comedies – Friends is my all-time favorite."
NU: How often does your family get to see you play?
AO: "They actually see me a lot. My grandma over the past three seasons hasn't missed one game. They have to stay up until 3 or 4 a.m. to watch us play because there's a seven-hour difference. They found a website where they go on and watch me play every game and they're really excited. The next morning when they wake up again, I get texts from them and it's really encouraging knowing that they were watching me. Hopefully they're going to come here someday."
ML: "My family has only missed one game, and it was only because their flight got cancelled because of snow. They also went to Italy when we went my freshman year and watched all of our games over there. Both of my parents have basketball backgrounds, but they never pressure or add stress. It is so nice to be able to talk to them after the games, and they always give me honest advice."
NU: What's your favorite thing about the Chicagoland area?
AO: "Obviously, the campus. We have a really nice campus, especially the lakefill. Chicago is so close to us which is great. You can just hop on the L and go there. Everything is great."
ML: "I love the weather. I know people think it is crazy, but I love cold weather. That is another reason why I wanted to stay up here. I also love the lake and the fact that Chicago is the best of all worlds. New York City is just huge and there are so many people. Chicago has the big-city vibe, but you can escape it. I loved growing up in the suburbs."
NU: What are your plans after you graduate?
AO: "I will try to play professionally. I'll register for the (NBA) Draft. Hopefully I can make it. If I don't make it, I'll definitely go somewhere in Europe and play professional basketball."
ML: "I want to play professionally, so I hope I get drafted. I would love to play in Europe for as long as I can still play. I am a communications major with a history and marketing minor, and I would love to continue working in sports. I want to still be around sports. I love competition and the passion of the industry.
NUSports.com: What area of your game has seen the most improvement since your freshman year?
Alex Olah: "Probably my shooting, especially from 3-point range. I feel like I'm quicker on defense, sliding my feet and staying in front of point guards. My rebounding has improved too, but I have to continue to work on that. I need to continue to work on everything, but I think those are the areas that I have improved the most."
Maggie Lyon: "I think my shooting has become more consistent. I was always known for and recruited for my shooting, but I think it has gotten a lot better because the defense gets better in college. But my overall shooting and playmaking has gotten better."
NU: How have the expectations for the program been raised since you first arrived at Northwestern?
AO: "As soon as Coach Collins came on campus, there has been an expectation, especially from him, that we have to win no matter what. That has gotten through to everybody; it became a part of us. Every time that we step on the court, every game, we have to win. We think that we have to win and give our best. There's no pressure on us. We just go out there and play."
ML: "They have been raised tremendously, especially last season and the offseason leading in to last year. We shifted our mentality and decided that we were not going to settle with mediocrity. It is exactly what I wanted to happen here at Northwestern. I wanted to build something and be part of that growth. Last year was such a great building block and we are excited to develop that this year."
NU: Tell us about your recruiting process and how you ultimately came to choose Northwestern?
AO: "I played in Romania for my club and one of the coaches over there really liked me. He was about to leave and he had a connection here in Chicago which was actually (former Northwestern assistant coach) Ivan Vujic. He asked me if I was interested in coming to the States and I said, 'Yeah, I'm interested.' I think he called Ivan and Ivan got in touch with me. There were a lot of back-and-forth communications and he eventually came and talked to me and my family as part of the recruitment process. I think he was at some European Championships watching me there too. Then I came to the States my junior year of high school. I continued getting recruited by Northwestern. Some other schools were interested too but I committed early in my junior year so they backed off. I'm glad I did that because this is the perfect place."
ML: "Academics was a huge importance for me throughout the recruiting process, but I looked at other schools as well. It came down to Vanderbilt or Northwestern. Vanderbilt had tradition and I wanted to be part of building a tradition. The program was on the rise and the coaching staff was so great. It was really important for my family to be able to see my games and the Big Ten is so central to Chicago."
NU: What do you like to do in your free time?
AO: "I have a hobby of DJing. Right now, though, I have a hoverboard so I'm rolling around on that. I'm still learning how to ride it. In my free time I like listening to music and creating playlists for games for myself. I actually have some stuff on SoundCloud too."
ML: "I like to watch TV shows and hang out with friends. I watch Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, but Nashville is my absolute favorite. I really like sitcom comedies – Friends is my all-time favorite."
NU: How often does your family get to see you play?
AO: "They actually see me a lot. My grandma over the past three seasons hasn't missed one game. They have to stay up until 3 or 4 a.m. to watch us play because there's a seven-hour difference. They found a website where they go on and watch me play every game and they're really excited. The next morning when they wake up again, I get texts from them and it's really encouraging knowing that they were watching me. Hopefully they're going to come here someday."
ML: "My family has only missed one game, and it was only because their flight got cancelled because of snow. They also went to Italy when we went my freshman year and watched all of our games over there. Both of my parents have basketball backgrounds, but they never pressure or add stress. It is so nice to be able to talk to them after the games, and they always give me honest advice."
NU: What's your favorite thing about the Chicagoland area?
AO: "Obviously, the campus. We have a really nice campus, especially the lakefill. Chicago is so close to us which is great. You can just hop on the L and go there. Everything is great."
ML: "I love the weather. I know people think it is crazy, but I love cold weather. That is another reason why I wanted to stay up here. I also love the lake and the fact that Chicago is the best of all worlds. New York City is just huge and there are so many people. Chicago has the big-city vibe, but you can escape it. I loved growing up in the suburbs."
NU: What are your plans after you graduate?
AO: "I will try to play professionally. I'll register for the (NBA) Draft. Hopefully I can make it. If I don't make it, I'll definitely go somewhere in Europe and play professional basketball."
ML: "I want to play professionally, so I hope I get drafted. I would love to play in Europe for as long as I can still play. I am a communications major with a history and marketing minor, and I would love to continue working in sports. I want to still be around sports. I love competition and the passion of the industry.
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