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NCAA WOMEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS: TEMPEMarch 20, 2015Kiera ClarkJoe FoleyTaylor GaultTEMPE, ARIZONA THE MODERATOR: We are joined by UALR student‑athletes Taylor Gault and Kiera Clark. Coach, an opening statement? COACH FOLEY: We're just proud to be here. We played a great tournament last week. Conference tournament was as well as we've played all year, so it's a good note to come in on and great place to be. Actually, I wouldn't mind living here. Q. Girls, for either one of you, I mean, you guys have beaten Oklahoma, you've beaten LSU. Those are two tournament teams. How much confidence does that give you coming into this match‑up against A&M tomorrow? KIERA CLARK: Well, we've played well especially during the tournament, so we're going to try to keep that edge and come out excited and ready to play for Texas A&M. TAYLOR GAULT: Oklahoma and LSU, that was like the beginning of the year, so we're probably (No Microphone) but just knowing what we can do defensively, we're just going to carry that over to tomorrow's game. Q. Keira, how do you guys overcome your height situation when you're obviously playing bigger teams? KIERA CLARK: How do we overcome them? Whatever defensive strategy our coach gives us is what we're going to follow by? Q.  Since you're a guard, studying the film of A&M, how do you think they've changed since Jordan Jones season‑ending injury? TAYLOR GAULT: I still think they're a well‑rounded team. The point is, she really doesn't try to score that much, she drives very well. I think it's an advantage for us, so we're just going to try to thrive off of that? Q. A lot of talk this morning was about A&M and all the tournaments they've been in. I know I talked to both of you earlier this week about it. But what do you draw on your first tournament as freshmen? You both played in that game, but does that help getting to this stage knowing that you've been here before or are they comparable at all? KIERA CLARK: We're coming in more experienced now. Our freshmen year we didn't know what to expect. So now that this will be our second time appearing at the tournament we know a little bit more what to expect. TAYLOR GAULT: Same thing what Kiera said. Just learning the game and the college experience, and knowing what to expect in the tournament. We didn't have a good tournament freshman year, so I think it gives us more drive and makes us more hungry to know what we can do with our seniors. Q. Just to kind of expand a little more on that hype question with Texas A&M, they've got 6'7" players, 6'3" player, and 6'5" player. So what is the challenge of trying to play against people with that kind of height or a team with that kind of height? KIERA CLARK: Keeping them off the boards, boxing out. That's basically what the expectation is right now. TAYLOR GAULT: It will be different for me or for us. We're playing against bigger guards, so that is pretty much a change‑up for us. So I just think as far as that, we have to crowd them and don't let them get the shot off. I know they're taller than us, but doesn't mean we can't defend them. Q. The NCAA tournament, you're playing a team from the SEC, a team that's won a National Championship four years ago. Does that mean more? Is that more of a challenge or is it a fact of it doesn't matter who you play in the NCAA? What about that thought? KIERA CLARK: We haven't really focused on that. So just trying to keep our game plan that we've prepared for and go with it. Q. Gary talked about your friendship and just the sort of relationship that you've had over the years. Can you talk about that a little bit and what it means to be playing against him in this game? COACH FOLEY: Sure. It's special. I mean, ever since he was at Arkansas for ten years and at Arkansas Tech we played golf, and I played in all his functions that he raises money for. We've done trips together, so it's a special relationship. You don't have that very many times in coaching where you're going to play against your best friend in an NCAA tournament. Now I've been fortunate. He's come to our place. We've been to his place. Just the regular season, non‑conference, he's good enough to play us. Played a mid‑major, and he's actually had some great teams. I think we played them the year or year after like the one NCAA tournament. But to play in the NCAA is a whole different level. I respect the guy. I think for women's basketball you talk about a spokesman for women's basketball, I think Gary is one of the best. He always promotes the game before he promotes himself or his team. And I think you won't find many individuals like him in the coaching career. Q. I was talking to Gary earlier this week, and I asked him when your friendship sparked. He said he was at Arkansas either first or second year, and he showed up to Arkansas Tech unannounced to watch practice. Do you remember that at all? What was your reaction to that? COACH FOLEY: I do. I'm surprised. You've got one of the better coaches in the country, and you just come to Arkansas, and we've had great success at Arkansas Tech. There is no doubt. But to have one of the better Division I coaches walk in the gym and say, hey, do you care if I watch practice? That's pretty special. I think that shows you how much Gary respects the game. He's always trying to learn. Even though he's one of the more well‑established coaches, that shows you how much enthusiasm he has for coaches. He loves to coach, he loves to talk, he loves the media. I know he's a great guy. But for women's basketball, he's one of the best. Q. What is your strategy for height, and how have you dealt with that? COACH FOLEY: There is no doubt that is a problem for us. We don't have the 6'3" kids, 6'2" kids even. It will be a major problem.  We're going to have to pressure the ball and try to give them good looks to get it inside. They're going to naturally score some in there. But the good thing is that's not their focal point on their offense. Their focal point is the two guards. They've got two great guards, and we've got to shut those down as well as we can. We're not going to shut them down, but we've got to at least limit what they can do. Naturally that will open up the inside probably a little bit more. So that is going to be the X‑factor of the game, I think is how much they go to their bigs. Q. Talk a little about your defense. Gary said you're basically a man to man defense guy. You get your post players to play hard when sometimes they don't even get the ball to score. Can you talk about your defensive philosophy? COACH FOLEY: Our defense is always‑‑ take away the strength of the other team, we play man. We'll try to pressure some, but not‑‑ it's not just all‑out pressure. We're not trying to steal the ball or make turnovers. We're just trying to take away what you do well. It's been a philosophy I've had my whole coaching career, and I think we're fifth in the country in scoring defense this year. I think we were taught two or three there for a long time. But the size that they've got will hurt our defense, there is no doubt. We'll just have to make up for it on the other end. We'll have to score a little bit more. In the conference tournament we scored really well. We shot the ball well and hit some threes, so that may be a little bit of a problem for their bigs to cover our small. Our advantage on offense is I've never had the big kids at a mid‑major or D‑II, so you learn to play with post players that can play out on the floor and cause the big kids problems. So they have a little bit of a mismatch problem too. Q. One more on you and Gary. I imagine you guys have had countless discussions about basketball over the years. But what have you taken from him that you've used in coaching over the years? COACH FOLEY: Probably recognize our position as coaches to help student‑athletes to make the game better, promote the game better. He really takes it serious. I've learned more in my career just about coaching. I think the relationships, enjoying the relationships more with the kids, being around somebody like him influences that, how much we should enjoy what we're doing and things like that. X's and O's, we're probably as far apart as you can get. He's extremely set offense. Defense doesn't matter a whole lot to him. We're just the opposite. We're going to run motion offense. Defense is the most important thing, so you couldn't get two coaches any farther apart as far as coaching philosophy. But as far as philosophy of life, I think we're right along the same lines. Q. Gary compared your coaching style to Bobby Knight. Is that intentional? COACH FOLEY: I studied Coach Knight. I've been to every clinic that I could go to, every film, that is my philosophy. I enjoy the way that the game is played. It's a team game. We're screening, cutting, we wear a lot of people down with their man defense and motion offense. I think it goes hand in hand. It's to wear the other team down. I think that's what we've done and that's why we've been successful. Most teams can't stay with the pressure that we put on them offensively and defensively and wearing down everybody in the game. We usually have a chance to take over. Q. If you guys win tomorrow it will be your 700th career win. What would that mean to get the milestone on this stage? COACH FOLEY: If we win tomorrow, it will be the biggest win of my life. It won't be because of the 700 either. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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