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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

January 25, 2016

Bobbie Kelsey

Madison, Wisconsin

THE MODERATOR: The Women's Basketball Head Coach, Bobbie Kelsey is here. We'll have some opening comments, then take questions.

COACH KELSEY: We obviously dropped our last two games, playing a tough Maryland team. I think they were ranked fifth in the country at the time. They're really tough. We came out really well but being the juggernaut that they are and the Final Four-type team, they wore us down in certain areas as far as rebounding and some transition buckets, but proud of the group, they kept playing. Same thing in our last game against Minnesota. Obviously the border battle, we wanted to get that, but was down and came back as well.

I'm proud of the fight. Badgers, we always fight to the end; we don't every give up, I think we were down in 23 in that game, and came back and got it to within 7 and ended it at 4.

I like the fight. Some teams would, you know, pack it in and that's it, and the game is over but our kids never did that. They kept executing and we watched some tape to figure out where the trouble spots were and trying to correct those things. We missed a lot of assist opportunities where we could pass the ball and get it to an open player, and some of those were open shots; we just didn't make 'em.

So we're encouraging them to get in the gym, work on stuff, get your shots up, and not just being in there to be in there, but get some production going on in there, and they'll see the results and the fruit of their labor if they do that. I know Nicole has done that, and you see what she can do, Chelle Marble has hit some big shots for us, so we had some bright spots in both of those games, so I'm proud of their efforts.

Q. Can you talk about Sunday's "Think Pink" game? Last year you had over 11,000 people, and what it means to the team and the community?
COACH KELSEY: "Think Pink" is always a big game initiative in women's basketball. We're playing the 31st, obviously, but that was the best game for us. Last year we did have a spectacular crowd, for a great cause. Obviously, cancer touches -- breast cancer touches all of our lives, men and women, and so we want to do our part to make sure we're supporting the Kay Yow Fund to eliminate breast cancer in any way we can. It's an important initiative, and one we are proud to be a part of.

This year we expect a big crowd. I heard it's a lot of folks coming. I don't know if it's sold out yet, but come on, come on Badgers; we gotta do this! I'm looking at you! Where are you?

We want to make sure we come out and give a good showing in that game. We expect to win every game, and Michigan State is a tough opponent, but we played them to 10, and we didn't have Tessa up there, so we're going to come out and do what we supposed to do, and we want our fans to be proud and come out and support us, and always giving that game special attention just because of the cause.

Q. You went small the other day and kind of referenced that's a lineup that you would be looking at. Is that something you think you can do regularly or kinda points to your center was the one who was pushed out, is she going to get back in? How do you see that playing out?
COACH KELSEY: The lineup that, the one we had at the end that really played the last quarter, really showed a lot of fight in there in getting us back into the game. We had a lot of shooters in, so that zone that they were in, it got distorted in a lot of places. It almost looked like player-to-player defense. I don't know if we could do it all of the time, but it's certainly one we know now that can come in and do some different things than a bigger lineup.

Because some teams have these post players that can shoot three's. So if your post is kinda not used to being out on the perimeter, it hurts you, but then you want to bring their big out and make them guard you and go to the basket. So us getting to the free-throw line, that's very important.

Also, shooting a really good percentage from the three, not just shooting them but making them. I know Nicole was 7 for 8, so she, again, was right up there. The one she missed I said, "Nicole, you gotta make your shots, come on." We want to be greedy, and it was halfway in the basket and came out, so we really wanted her to get that nine so she can get the record again, but we need more than Nicole shooting the ball; we need everybody making 'em. We had some open looks, just didn't get knock 'em down.

Q. Nebraska has one of the best freshman in the country, and she is a big girl. What challenges does she pose for you?
COACH KELSEY: Yeah, just her size, her ability, her skill. She is very skilled. She doesn't shoot three's as much as maybe a "Hooper" that was that size, Jordan Hooper, a couple of years ago, but she doesn't even know what she is doing yet and she's killing people, you know, she's making these baskets and getting all these rebounds, so the biggest thing I think you've gotta make her run, if you can get them running.

And they like to run, too, but, you know, your big's gotta run, and get up and down the floor and make her maybe chase you down a little bit. Then you've got to double-team her, and hopefully the others are not hitting, because if you double-team that means you've got a disadvantage somewhere else.

So we just gotta make sure we try to get the ball out of her hands and make her guard on the other end, maybe get her in foul trouble, but she is pretty smart. She had a monster game this last game, so we are going to definitely make sure we don't let her do what she wants and be comfortable, but she is a tough cover, because she is 6-5 and has guard skills.

Q. How important is it for the younger players to watch somebody like Nicole, who isn't afraid to shoot and is pretty consistent doing that, just following her lead by example?
COACH KELSEY: Yeah, I mean, Nicole doesn't say a whole lot, but she does lead by example. She is in the gym every day after practice getting her shots up, and you keep constantly reminding them, players like Chelle Marble or Cayla, the younger ones, get in the gym, and not just what we sayin' it to you.

We can't threaten, negotiate, barter with you; you gotta want to do it. You gotta be passionate about it. When you love the game, you don't have to be negotiated with to work hard; you're going to do it. But sometimes you do need to see that example of what it looks like, and Nicole has been showing that, obviously the last two years. She did not come in shooting like she is now, but if she's on a roll, you cannot leave her, but we need others to open it up as well. Now you can't leave two or three people as opposed to one. But she does draw a lot of attention, and she is going to continue to do that in the guaranteed games she has left, all the seniors.

Q. You talked about running against Nebraska. Saturday's game against Minnesota was kind of a track meet. Is that something that you can see your team doing especially with a smaller lineup out there?
COACH KELSEY: Right. We should be able to. We had three point guards out there. Nicole can play point, obviously Chelle is a point and Dakota, and Tessa has brought it down a time or two, so you don't have to outlet it. Whoever gets the rebound, go, and that's kinda nice.

We did have -- Mich had a layup she missed going down the middle, so if you can get everybody running, no matter who is in that post position, it draws in the guards and you kick it out for the three's, and that's maybe why Nicole was a little bit open, because the posts were running hard, trying to get down the floor.

But you definitely want to -- we don't want to walk it up and play slow ball; nobody wants to see that. I don't even want to see that, so we're going to push it, even half-court, push it, put pressure on the defense and get back.

Q. I'm not sure if you can comment on this but can you just explain the process of getting Ashley Kelsick to transfer here?
COACH KELSEY: Um, well, she -- with transfers, you don't know who -- you can't talk to anyone unless you get a release anyway, even if you -- but you never know what kids are thinking. And we know the transfer situation in both men's and women's basketball is way more than we've ever seen it in my years of coaching. I've never seen as many.

But in her situation, when we look at transfers, anybody that wants to join our program, we really try to do our homework and make sure we're not bringing in somebody that's going to just be a cancer, because they're coming in not as freshman; they're coming in as college -- so they're situation is a lot different.

Academically, obviously, you have to be able to get into Wisconsin, and she had stellar grades in high school, all A's and B's - I don't think I saw a C on her transcript, and obviously getting into a school like Boston College she was capable, and the difference from home wasn't going to be an issue, because She is from California but she went all the way to Boston, so that wasn't going to be an issue.

She is just a very mature person. I talked to her for about four hours on the phone. We didn't mean to, but it just kinda happened that way. She just has in mind, a bigger picture, understanding of what she wants to do with her personal life, her academics, her career after school and her basketball, and she brings a different gear.

She led the nation in scoring in high school, 40 points a game. I don't think I had 40 points in one game in high school, but I was close, but I didn't get it! She just knows -- she has a knack for scoring, she is a point guard, so we need that. So it's kind of a blessing, this kind of devine -- He just dropped her in our laps, but she pursued Wisconsin because of the academics; that's exactly what she said.

She knows the programs, and the growth, and what we're trying to do, and she wasn't afraid to join this situation, and people in her ear saying all kinds of things. That's what people do in recruiting, they kinda talk against you; I'm sure y'all know that, people talk against you and try to scare kids into not coming, but she is mature enough to see past that and really believe in what we see here. So we're happy to have her. She has been a great addition in practice, and you will see the impact she is going to make next year, really good impact.

THE MODERATOR: Anything else for Coach? Thanks, Bobbie.

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