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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 4, 2015MaChelle JosephRoddreka RogersAaliyah WhitesideGREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA Georgia Tech – 80 Postgame Interview With: COACH MACHELLE JOSEPH RODDREKA ROGERS AALIYAH WHITESIDE COACH JOSEPH: Obviously I'm really proud of this young team. We've been on a journey all year long trying to figure out how to win and be successful in this tough conference. I think over the last month, we've really grown up. We've started to understand each other. We've started to trust each other, and we've really developed an understanding of our roles. And I thought today you saw that in certain situations with Kaela Davis only scoring three points and us being able to score 80, I think it says a lot about our team and the other players, how they've stepped up, and with the majority of freshmen on our team. We have nine players and seven of them are freshmen and sophomores, so that says a lot about their growth and their development throughout the course of the season. Q. Your team looked like you were shot out of a cannon. Had you referenced or even noticed the other two higher seeds had lost today and did you mention that to your team? And also do you think if you have a good run this year and don't win the tournament that you could play your way into the NCAA this week? COACH JOSEPH: I'd like to answer your last question first. That's our goal. That's what we're here to do. We feel like we lost a couple games early. We had a couple one‑point losses. We wish we could have those back because we would be sitting here right now in the NCAA Tournament, but we know this is our last opportunity to play ourselves into it. We feel like we've been playing really good basketball for over a month. We lost some tough games to Miami and at home with Notre Dame, but we feel like we were right in the mix with those two teams. So we definitely feel like we're playing really good basketball right now, and we're looking forward to the opportunity we have tomorrow. As far as‑‑ we didn't talk about any other team except for Clemson. I think I've talked about Clemson so much for three days that I think that these guys are tired of hearing about it. I really felt like we were focused. We came out with a focus and a purpose, and I felt we were able to make plays on both ends. Q. You're working hard there inside in the first half, but can you talk about also when you get the inside‑outside game going, you knock down six threes there, how that helps you guys out and opens things up for you, too? RODDREKA ROGERS: Just for us, throwing the ball inside, it just helps us open up the outside, because once they start helping in on us, the outside is open so all we have to do is just kick out for the three, and it's just a momentum builder, just being able to throw the ball out. AALIYAH WHITESIDE: I would say it definitely feels good when everybody steps up and hits their three, the open shots, and I think it opens up the inside and Dreke's able to get the rebounds, too, if we don't hit the shots. I think it has the defense kind of on their heels and don't know what to expect. Q. Coach, how did you settle your team after Clemson came back and cut the lead to 10 after going to 22 at halftime? COACH JOSEPH: I think it's really tough when you get a lead like that in the first half in this kind of environment, it's hard not to relax, and with a young team it's really hard not to relax. I think one of the things we did, we were all a little panicky and trying to make up the difference in one possession, so what we talked about was taking our time and getting stops on the defensive end. We felt like if we could get stops on the defensive end and get rebounds, then we would get right back in it where we needed to be. One of the things we did was we adjusted and started pressing again and slowing the ball down because we felt like they were getting the ball in quick and just running it down our throats. We just started pressing and slowing the ball down a little bit. Q. Roddreka, what's the keys to your rebounding success? RODDREKA ROGERS: The keys to my‑‑ I can't even tell you the secret. Just knowing where the ball is. It's just a feeling I get, like, Oh, it's going to come off this side. So usually I just go weak side and more than likely it's coming to me. I work my butt off to get it. COACH JOSEPH: It's interesting, in practice today I mentioned to other players, I stopped practice and I said, you know what, if you guys wonder why Roddreka can rebound the basketball, it's because when the ball goes up she's moving and the rest of you are standing there watching. And we're 5 on 0, and she's moving to go get the rebound, and we're working on plays 5 on 0, the shot is in the air and she's already underneath the basket. Where a lot of players stand and watch the ball come off the rim, she's moving for position while the ball is in the air. Q. Playing North Carolina tomorrow, what are your thoughts on that? COACH JOSEPH: Well, any time you play North Carolina it's a battle, especially when you play them in Greensboro in the ACC Tournament.  I enjoy playing North Carolina. I think we play a very similar style. I think that throughout the years we've had some great battles and some great match‑ups with North Carolina, and it's one of the things that since we played them the first game, we weren't at full strength and we really didn't play well. And we were just still getting our bearings and figuring out our roles and trying to figure out what to do without Sydney Wallace. I think now we're a totally different team and we understand our roles. We've played obviously some of the best teams in the country in this league. We're excited to have that opportunity now because we played North Carolina so early. We're looking forward to the match‑up. Obviously have tremendous respect for Sylvia Hatchell and the program at North Carolina, but we feel like over the years we've had some great battles, and we're looking forward to this opportunity because, like you mentioned, we're trying to play our way into postseason. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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