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NCAA WOMEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS AND FINALS: BRIDGEPORTMarch 25, 2016Karen AstonImani BoyetteAriel AtkinsCelina RodrigoBridgeport, Connecticut THE MODERATOR: We'll start with a opening comment from coach and then take questions. COACH ASTON: First of all, we're tremendously excited to be back in the Sweet 16 again. It was a great experience for our team last year. A learning experience and a humbling experience. And a motivating experience. I think that this entire year has been built on trying to get back to this place again. I think along the way I'm not sure I expected our team to be this competitive this year. I knew we would be good, I wasn't sure how good we would be. But some pieces have fallen into place. Our leadership has been terrific, needless to say, and our young players have really responded after their initial years last year. So I'm really pleased with where our team and our program is at. Really proud and excited to be in Connecticut and play in the Sweet 16. THE MODERATOR: Questions? Q. After losing to Baylor and coming back and winning convincingly against Missouri and Alabama State, what did you find out the DNA of your team? COACH ASTON: It's a great question. Because the losses have really told me more about our young women and our team and our staff than the wins have. Because not just that loss in the Big-12 tournament, but the losses at the end of the year, at the end of conference season in Waco was a real telling testament to our team's character. Because those were disappointing losses and I really thought the loss in Waco was the more telling of the two. Because I didn't know if our team wanted to try to make a run in the tournament and play them again. And challenge themselves at the level that we need to be challenged at and I told our team that before we got ready to go into the Big-12 tournament, I said, we'll see, we'll see if we want to go through the rigors of the tournament again and try to get to the championship. And they did that. So, the way they reacted after the loss in the tournament didn't really surprise me, because they have responded really well to I guess what people would perceive as failures. Definitely challenges. And when you get to the level that you're trying to play for a championship, then you do get your weaknesses exposed. And we were able in the break between the Big-12 tournament and the NCAAs, I really thought we were able to go to work on some things that we really weren't doing very well. Q. Kind of along the same lines, your program has improved each and every year since you've been here. How do you take what happened last year in the Sweet 16 and use that if you do at all for motivation this year to get even further this year? COACH ASTON: Well, as I said, I think it was a humbling experience. It was an experience in general, just because that particular group of women had not ever been in that situation before. We had not been to the Sweet 16, we had not advance add couple of rounds. So it was all a learning experience. Just going West and then turning around and a day or so later going East. Everything was learning. And I would say that the one thing that we gathered from that was the motivation all year long to try to host. Because we did have to go West and then go East. So I think that there was a better understanding and a better education for our players about the tournament and what all goes into being successful in the tournament. The loss, it was just, it was definitely humbling, but it was also, this is what this looks like. And if we're trying to get to that level, these are some things that we have to do a lot better than what we were doing and one of those was shooting the basketball. So we addressed that I thought a lot in the summer and we came back this year with a better mindset as far as shooting was concerned. Q. Sweet 16 is very big, each time you go up a ladder kids confidence wavers back and forth, because they're emotional beings. What have you done differently to keep everybody's emotion in check? COACH ASTON: Well, I think that is important to be able to handle the highs and the lows and move on to the next thing, which this team has been much more mature about and I think maturity is the best word I can use for it. This particular group of seniors started as freshmen kind of getting their heads beat in a little bit. Each year they have learned a little bit more about what it takes to compete at the highest level. And now we have four seniors that absolutely know the day-to-day work that it takes. And they know the pitfalls. So I think they have really helped our young kids in understanding what's next and the one thing I can say about this team, even though we have had set back, they have never been afraid to come back the next day and go to work. Their preparation every day on a daily basis from day one has been very consistent and I think that's what has enabled us to get some of the highs and the lows. We have had some great highs, really good. Q. It's pretty normal for anyone that comes to a regional where UConn's on the other side of the thing to say, UConn's over there, blah, blah, blah, and I know there was a little bit of that when the on Selection Monday when the bracket came out. How has everybody been in terms of dialing in on UCLA and as a second question, how different or similar is UCLA to the team you played at Pauley Pavilion last year? COACH ASTON: Well I definitely think there was a little buzz when the seedings came out and I think that if anything it wasn't so much about the initial reaction wasn't so much about playing Connecticut or thinking down the road that you would some day. I think it was more that we were a little surprised about our seed. Because we thought we had a pretty good body of work and we were, I think we were initially right off the bat surprised. But then the lock in was really quick. It was really quick, not even about UCLA, not even looking ahead to who would be in the regional or anything like that, it was, we were very locked in to playing Alabama state. And then the next one was Missouri. And that's the way this team has been. They have taken one day at a time, the entire year, they have never looked ahead and thought oh what's going to happen if we have to do this and this. This is just not the way this team is built. And again, it's a lot of it is the leadership from our coaching staff, but it's also the leadership from our older players. UCLA's really good. The second step of that, they are a much better basketball team and I would say it's very comparable to the way we have grown also. They're more mature. They understand the daily routine. They know what it takes. They had a run to the WNIT championship, so they really know how to play in post-season play. And I just think they're not necessarily different as far as personnel, but they're much different as far as their maturity and understanding of this level. Q. Two-part question. Something you said about the surprised of the seed. You thought you guys should have been seeded higher than you were, based on that? COACH ASTON: I think we knew we would be a 2 seed. I think we thought we would land in a different region, probably. So and I think all of our fans did also. I think that was a bit of an initial surprise. But again, once we figured it out, you just go to work. First things first. Q. The other part was just, if you could expand on UCLA, what you've seen on them on film the last week of so, what their strengths are and what challenges they're going to presents for you guys? COACH ASTON: They present a lot of challenges. And I'll start with their guard play. It's absolutely terrific. Canada and Fields and company are really, really good. They can score the basketball in a lot of different ways. They challenge you, because they go down hill so much. So they're constantly challenging your ability to guard the basketball. Second, it really sort of is a lead in, after that, which is that their transition game is so terrific. And that's because their rebounding is good. So you connect all of those dots and they just present themselves very actively, they're terrific on the boards and again they get out in transition, they turn you over and everything leads into what they do best, which is transition. So it's a challenge to stay locked in mentally to get back every possession and make sure that you're taking care of transition, taking care of the basketball. Their guards are very active and they create a lot of deflections and it creates opportunities for them to do what they do best. Q. Last year in Albany you faced a very hostile crowd in the Sweet 16, obviously UConn travels well. This year you're in the other game. Is it less pressure on the team to be in a game where the crowd is not against you, it's a neutral crowd at worst? COACH ASTON: Well, I think when you get to this point you're just trying to win another game. You're trying to advance. One of the goals that our team set forward, it's sort of been the seniors that have understood the process of becoming a good program and a good basketball team. And one of those is to take steps every year. So, I think what our team is extremely locked into is that we fell short in this round last year and for us to feel like we have improved, and it would be hard to say that we haven't improved, but to them, improvement means taking another step. And the other step is to get past this round. So I really, I think that's the only thing they're really focused on. THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you. We'll take questions for the student-athletes in a moment. (Pause.) THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions for the student-athletes. Q. Ariel, can you talk about what the difference is this year Sweet 16 versus last year in this team and what is it, has it been your goal to get that extra step this year? IMANI BOYETTE: I think that the difference between this year's team and last year's team is one, experience, we know a what it feels like to be on this stage, which is very helpful. So we have been able to bring the younger kids along without them having to feel that pressure and understanding what this means. Also, I think we have a lot more firepower this year. Everyone's settled into their role, they know what they need to do, they know that they can score from any position and we're very balanced and have a lot of depth. ARIEL ATKINS: I think we're mentally more mature. I feel look we understand each other better and we're just ready to go out there and do what we need to do. Q. First and foremost, congratulations on the shot block title. IMANI BOYETTE: Thank you. Q. Now this week is very big. What do you think personally, for you, you have to do to keep UCLA off the boards to be successful? IMANI BOYETTE: I think that Monique Billings is a greet rebounder and they're a great rebounding team on the offensive end as a unit. That's where I kind of take my pride in is rebounding and playing great defense, so I just have to make sure that if -- I'm sure Monique's going to get her rebounds, but I can make them as hard as possible and make sure that I'm boxing out and doing little things and we're just rebounding as a team. Because it's not going to be one person to beat them on the boards tomorrow. They're a great rebounding team and we just have to make sure that everyone's in there boxing out and we're all in there fighting for it. Q. Since you're both seniors, at what point down the road has it come to the point where you've kind of looked on the list and said there's only X number of practices left, X number of games left, X number of news conferences left. Are you trying to soak up the moment a little bit more? CELINA RODRIGO: Yeah, I think we definitely want to stay in the moment. It is coming down to an end but I think for us the main thing is just like I said stage in the moment and not looking ahead and just trying to prepare our best and hopefully keep playing as long as we can. IMANI BOYETTE: I think we have done a great job as a team this year of just staying in the moment and being where we need to be and focused on what we need to focus on. So in terms of how many practices I have left or these events, I don't know, because I'm focused on today and trying to be as present and available for my team as possible. Q. Celina, can you talk about the trajectory of this program, you guys have improved every year since Karen's been here, what has led to that and how do you see the trajectory of this program going forward? CELINA RODRIGO: I think it's just our resilience as a team. Every year after the season we evaluate our season and I think we just kind of use that as motivation for the next season. So, we work that much harder every summer and every pre-season and I think just the work that we put in it's showing right now. I'm really proud of our whole team and how far we have come so far. Q. The last couple of games you've been playing lights out. Is there a time or period in a game that a mental clock goes off and you say I'm just going to have to step it up for my teammates? ARIEL ATKINS: I think my teammates do a good job of us talking to each other and basically telling each other when we have an opportunity to do something. I think certain games we have different players that show up every night. I don't think it's the same person with our team every night. So, I think we do a good job of communicating to each other of when the opportunity's there. Q. For the seniors, how great is it to know, Texas is obviously known for football, how great is it to know that Texas is also known for putting out a great band of basketball as well? CELINA RODRIGO: I think it's definitely good, just to know that especially our senior class where we have come from, our freshman year to where we are now it's been a great accomplishment and even in this year alone we have accomplished so many of our goals and we're still not done. So I think just knowing how far we have come from has been a great benefit and something that we're very proud of. IMANI BOYETTE: I came for -- well Texas is obviously a football school, I came to Texas because of the tradition, because of Jody Conradt, because of Big G, all the wonderful people that came through here, so I was aware of what Texas basketball meant in the past and I wanted to be a part of bringing it back. So it's awesome to know that we're setting the stage for Texas to be here for awhile. Q. Can you refresh our memory the relationship you have with is it a couple of the UCLA players, how well you know them going back to high school with them and things of that nature. IMANI BOYETTE: I went to high school with Jordin Canada. We played together for two years. Kacy Swain I played travel ball with her, I known her since like 7th grade. Kari Korver, played against her in travel ball. Pretty much everybody -- Lajahna, played against her in high school, the whole team, for the most part, all grew up around L.A. for the most part, so we have all played each other. It's going to be fun because you play, you grow up playing against each other and get to play against them, it's going to be a really fun competition. Q. Last year you were UConn's regional and had to play them in the Sweet 16, how different is it coming back East this year and having a neutral court at least for the first game and how much easier is it this year coming east, having had that experience last year? IMANI BOYETTE: I think last year we had to fly to both sides of the coast because we didn't really take care of our work during the regular season. So I think this year we stayed consistent all week and tried to put ourselves in a better position to succeed and we did that by being able to play at home. So our legs are a lot fresher from flying this far. Like this is our first trip as opposed to other people who had to take two or three trips to get here. I think we just were able to focus more kind of relax, take care of school work before we came out here so we could focus on basketball. So it's definitely, it definitely helped that we were able to get a high seed. Q. Both of you ladies are seniors. This is a big stage, for some of the underclassmen, what are some of the things that you guys spoke to the underclassmen to keep them focused? CELINA RODRIGO: I think just letting them know that we're still playing our same kind of basketball. It's just in a different location. Just knowing that it's still basketball. There's nothing different and just to stay poised and stay calm, I think, is the main thing. Like I said previously, just staying in the moment and just playing together and just being therefore each other I think is one of the main things we need to focus on, not getting too fluttered or looking at games ahead, just taking care of business and staying in the moment is something that we're going to focus on. IMANI BOYETTE: I think this year it's easier for the freshmen to kind of fall in line because like we asked a lot of our freshmen last year, like you can see, Ariel and Brooke are our leading scorers this year, but they had to do that last year, too. But this year our depth is what comes into play because the freshmen, them coming on, is a bonus, but they don't have to come in and worry about getting 20 or 10, they can just kind of play their game and if it ends up being that, that's great, but they don't have to worry about the pressure they can just kind of fit in where they fit in. THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you for joining us. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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