Editor's note: Oklahoma's Stacey Dales, a Kodak All-American in 2000-01, will share a weekly diary with ESPN.com throughout the season.

Nov. 6, 2001

Well, what can I say? I am more than ready to get the regular season started this year. I took the summer off to relax, rejuvenate and spend time with my family, but I am ready to play and compete again. I have definitely missed it.

	Stacey Dales was the 2000-01 Big 12 Player of the Year.

Our preseason exhibition games have been important because they help us see what we need to work on in practice, and they help us get ready for our pre-conference schedule, which will be challenging. I am excited about playing Purdue this weekend. I think it's a great place for our team to start. Purdue lost almost its entire starting lineup from last year's team (that finished second in the NCAA), and it will be interesting to see how the team bounces back. Purdue has been a good program for years and the Boilermakers will find a way to be successful again, it's just a matter of how and when. I think the game will prepare us for our Big 12 Conference schedule, which is always tough.

I feel like our team has more athleticism and depth this year. We have six seniors this year; last year we only had two. We also have five new players, which has made practice different. It's taking a little longer to adapt to one another, but we have more diversity and versatility with our team. We have a lot of work to do, but when we find that time when we click, we're going to be tough. We're focusing a lot on defense this year and that wasn't our main focus in previous years.

Our goals for the season
This season, we're setting our sights on a national championship. That may be a hefty goal, but I think you have to set your sights high to achieve a high level. Obviously, we want to repeat as Big 12 champions, and I think we have a very good chance to achieve that goal. We also want to go undefeated on the road again.

I have several personal goals for myself this season. The way I look at personal goals, if they're supposed to happen, they will happen. If this team does what it's supposed to do on the floor, and if I take care of business on the court, I want to repeat as Big 12 Player of the Year and as a Kodak All-American. Hopefully, those two honors will help me to be named National Player of the Year. If the team does what it's supposed to do, and I am the leader that I am supposed to be, then those goals will fall into place.

I have experienced a lot of national exposure over the past few years. To me, it's a positive thing because only a few selected individuals are quoted in the paper and appear on television. I'm not going to have this experience 20 years down the road, so I'm just going to enjoy the interviews and media demands right now. Representing my team with a lot of dignity and integrity is very important to me. In addition, being a good role model is important.

Wish us luck this weekend. I hope that we come home with our first regular-season win over a top-10 team behind us, with many more to follow. I hope that you are as excited about this season as we are.

Go Sooners!

For more on Stacey Dales and the Sooners, visit Oklahoma's official athletic site.