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NCAA WOMEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS AND FINALS: BRIDGEPORTMarch 27, 2016Karen AstonEmpress DavenportCelina RodrigoAriel AtkinsImani BoyetteBridgeport, Connecticut THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with a opening statement from coach and then take questions for the student-athletes. COACH ASTON: Good morning. Absolute pleasure to be here and have the opportunity to play in a regional final here in Bridgeport. First thing is that I really appreciate the fan base and the people that stayed and watched our game yesterday afternoon. I thought that was a real tribute to the knowledge of women's basketball and the passion of the fans here with women's basketball. Because when you see some of the games across the country, when the teams that were local left the building, the fans left the building. So I really can appreciate as a coach, and a true fan myself, of the guys that stayed out yesterday. I really am looking forward to tomorrow. Extremely, extremely proud of our team and our program right now and where we're at. I think that when we started the year this year, one of the goals that we set forth was to get to this point. We fell short last year. I think it was a big step for us to get to the Sweet 16 last year, but our team fell short. And it was something that we repeatedly talked about, once we set the goal, we really never looked back on that being a true goal of our team, which was to take one more step and get to the Elite 8. And we have done that. And can't say enough about these guys, in particular our senior class, that has helped us build this program back to where it belongs. I'm extremely proud and it's been -- you almost get sentimental as a coach when you start to see the end wind down with the group of players that went through this process with you completely. And I really enjoyed coaching these guys and appreciate what they have done for our program. THE MODERATOR: Take questions for the student-athletes, please. Q. (No microphone.) What do you guys, any of you guys, remember about last year's game against UConn that you played in? That ended your season. IMANI BOYETTE: I remember losing. That's pretty much it. Q. Imani, there's been a lot of things said about Breanna Stewart. She's not a true five, she can play every position on the court. What are some of the things you have to do to be successful against her? IMANI BOYETTE: Breanna Stewart's a great player, she's been a great player for a very long time. I don't think there's anything I can do that's going to change her game. I think it's going to be a team effort on the defensive end. And it's just going to be great team defense making sure she's taking contested shots and not getting easy looks. But it's not going to be just me, it's going to be the entire team. Q. Celina, what -- why is your team better this year? What do you do better this year than you did last year at this point of the season? CELINA RODRIGO: I think for us, it's just knowing that we deserve to be here and that all of our hard work has put us in this position. And I think just being confident in ourselves and each other on the court. It really helps us out there when we're playing for each other, and we're confident that each other will make shots and if not, that we're there to get the rebound, small stuff like that. It really helps our team. So I think just being confident in each other. Q. Imani, as you watched last year's game with UConn, did you guys learn something about yourselves and how you could push yourselves to be better? Was it a good learning experience in the end? IMANI BOYETTE: Yes. I think playing UConn last year, any time you play one of the greatest teams you know what you measure up against. You see how far you have to go or where you're measuring up. Last year, I think they put the hammer on us because we gave up. We gave in when we kind of hit resistance. So I think we just figured out how to go through that wall, when you do -- the other team goes on a run, you know how to respond, and you know how to stay within each other and not get down on yourselves. Because when another -- when the player would score on us last year, we would be like, okay, my player scored, so I'm not going to play help defense this time. I'm not going to go help my teammate. I'm going to make sure my man doesn't score and that's when they go on the runs. That's when they dial in and put the foot down. You know what I mean? So we learned that we have to stay together when times get hard on the court and make sure we're locked into each other and helping each other, regardless of what's happening. Q. Empress, yesterday, 10 minutes separated you from the end of your team from the end of the season. What did you say to your team at that point in the game? EMPRESS DAVENPORT: Well, I think it was during a free throw, we come to a huddle and we just say, it's time to lock down. If we don't rebound, we don't win. So I think us coming together and saying like, we need to do better, we need to get every rebound, and we need to lock down on defense helped us dial in to the last 10 minutes or last quarter of the game. Q. Ariel, UConn has a tough defense. They extend their defense and their zone package. What are some of the things you have to do and be cognizant of to be successful shooting over that extended length? ARIEL ATKINS: I just think that I personally have to be patient and stick with the game plan that our coaches set in front of us. Q. Imani, talk about the relationship you have with Coach Thompson and what she's brought to the program this year for you guys. IMANI BOYETTE: I think Coach Thompson has been like really helpful for me, in particular, just in my offensive confidence. I think when have you a coach that's been -- that's done it at every level and done it successfully, especially since she just retired three years ago, it's helpful to get that player perspective. And -- because when coach is talking, she's saying it from a coach's perspective, but she can dumb it down for me, so I can understand it in terms of like, positioning and the simple things and the details. So she's helped me in terms of my offensive confidence and knowing that I can do it. Q. Empress, Moriah said that you guys go way back to fourth grade, and she remembers you when you used to just push the ball at the basket, rather than actually rise up and shoot. How great is your relationship with her and what do you like about her as a player and her competitiveness? EMPRESS DAVENPORT: Well, as you said before, we have been playing together since we were young. I started out as a post player, so. She's always been a point guard, she's always been able to handle the ball, and I think just her competitive spirit helps her through basketball, like, she's so competitive, and she has the Will to win. So tomorrow will be a great matchup, and I'll be happy to see her again. Q. Any of the players. Even though you didn't have success, is there anything you can take from playing Baylor three times this year that you can bring to this game to go against UConn? IMANI BOYETTE: I think that we would have, obviously, wanted to beat Baylor. But one thing I think we learned about Baylor is just kind of the same thing I was saying to the other reporter about not stopping when it gets hard. Baylor's a great team and the reason they're a really great team is because they keep going. And UConn does the same thing, they don't really stop when they're up, they don't stop if they ever get down, they play really hard. So I think we have done really well at learning how to lock in when things get hard and kind of overcome the adversity. Q. Brooke, what's your approach when you're playing swing for Karen? And then when you -- when Celina goes out of the game, is your approach different when you move to the point, and if so, how? BROOKE MCCARTY: I think I've had to learn how to play both, because last year it was kind of like when Celina goes out, I'm the point guard and when she comes in, I'm out. So this year, kind of learning how to be in attack mode on the wing and then learning how to facilitate and learn how to run the plays and get everybody where they need to be from the point guard position. So it's kind of a work in progress. But I feel like she's been a great leader and teaching me, so I'm learning a lot from her. Q. Ariel, UConn leads the country in offense and defense. Which impresses you more? ARIEL ATKINS: They're a good team just all around like you said. They're good. THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you very much. Take questions for coach. Q. The first question is, in covering the U.S. women's soccer team, I know opposing teams, when they see those players walk out of the locker room, opposing coaches have told me that they can see their players give up when they see what is coming at them. How do you guard against that with your players, especially how last season ended? The second part, you mentioned you're a fan of the game. You're, obviously, a coach. Where would you put Geno -- where would you rank him in his success? It's never been done before. When you look at it as a coach, and as a fan, how do you rate it? COACH ASTON: I think the experience from last year and trying not to have that deer in the headlights look that, obviously, everyone seems to have against them, hopefully will help us. That we have been in this environment and played them before. I think that when you look at teams that -- I don't want to say anybody's necessarily had success, but when you look at teams that have played them multiple times or have seen them before, then it is, I think, a little helpful than that first look at them. So, hopefully, we know a little bit more of what to expect and their pace, which is phenomenal. Their competitiveness, which is phenomenal. And, hopefully, we're more competitive. Because we weren't last year. You don't lose like we did and even move competitive in that category, but I do think that our team, as the players have said, they're more confident, they're more sure of their ability to overcome problems during a game, adversity. I think when you listen to the players, they're going to tell you a lot more about themselves than the coach is. So I do think that we're a little more prepared. As far as Geno is concerned, there's no denying that all of us in the coaching ranks have an enormous amount of respect for not only wins, but the way his teams play the game. I think when you're a coach, that's what you look at more than trying to pay attention to how many wins or championships he's had. You really appreciate how his teams play the game. I've been fortunate enough to coach under some of the greatest that have coached the game, Jody and I spent a year with Kim, and I mean, my first job was with Sonja Hogg, if anybody remembers her. So I've had some pretty great experiences as an assistant coach, and I see great, I've seen it, I know what it looks like, and he is absolutely a terrific coach. But I think as I've gotten older and get into other parts of coaching besides just what you do on the floor, I do appreciate the fact that as he has gone along in his career, he is beginning to, or has begun to, advocate for women. And I really appreciate that about him. Because I think there was a point in time maybe when he wasn't doing that, he was just on his fast track. But I appreciate the fact that he's donated money to the coaching center for excellence. I appreciate the fact that he has tried to grow our game. And that probably, for me, I notice those things more than I do, maybe, some of the other things. Q. I don't know if you heard about the first press conference today, but apparently Geno was asked, was reminded of a Boston Globe reporter, who wrote, apparently yesterday or today, that UConn basketball is bad for the sport. And he took off almost the entire press conference on that angle. You, as a coach, when you see the dominance and people saying it's a foregone conclusion that they're going to win, that it's not a good sport, what -- your reaction to that? COACH ASTON: I'm sure he has a better angle on that than I do. I think we all need to get more competitive. I think we all know that in women's basketball. We know that parity is a great thing. What happened on Friday is a great thing for our game. Players just have to continue, and I think I heard some coaches talk about this this year, players need to get in the gym, we all need to get better and continue to try to grow the game, period. So, I don't really -- I think he has a better take on that than I do. Q. Over the last 24 hours, since your win yesterday, I've seen probably 33 references to Texas having nothing to lose tomorrow. What's your response to people who say that your team walks on to the court tomorrow, and you have nothing to lose? COACH ASTON: Well, we absolutely have something to lose. We have only lost four times this year. So, our team, as much as I guess everyone thinks that it's not possible, I think our team is going to try to focus on the fact that if we lose, we're done. I mean, it doesn't matter who we're playing. And I understand it's a big mountain, but we have some seniors that, every time they walk out there, they know that it's over if they lose. I think that's a real motivational factor for our team, that they have such good chemistry. And I've coached teams that they -- you could tell that they -- when it was over, they were glad, and they were ready to go back to whatever it is they think they want to do. But this team has not done that at all. I really don't think they want it to be over. So, I see them focusing more on that than I do that, oh, we don't have anything to lose, let's just go try to win a game we're not supposed to win. We have goals. We're trying to do something, too. Q. Something you said before about teams that haven't really played them, have not had much success against them, I think in the last decade, a team that hasn't played them that year has never beaten them. I think you guys are playing them in the future, the next couple years in the regular season. Is that part of the reason behind the scheduling of them, is that to beat them, you have to play them and not have a deer in the headlights mentality? COACH ASTON: Well, I think when you look at scheduling across the country, different people have different philosophies. And when you play in the league that we do, and others play in the Power Five league, you have sort of teams that have one philosophy, and then you have teams that have another. And some -- they might play one competitive game, knowing that the league play is going to prepare them for NCAA Tournament, and they're going to get wins and build their resume like that. And then, you have some people that have the philosophy that players like to play in big games in non-conference play. And I have followed the lead of, really, my administration, who Jody and Pat had a long-standing home and home with Tennessee that we have continued that I mean, obviously, we didn't have to do. But I do understand that players like to play in big games. So, getting the home and home with Connecticut would put us in a situation where it was a big game in non-conference play. We play Stanford, we try to -- we play Tennessee every year, and I think that's just a philosophy of ours. I don't know, I'm not trying to say it's smart. I don't know the answer to that, but I do think that the players enjoy it. They circle the games, even though maybe we get tired somewhere along the way in non-conference play. But I do think and I thought our body of work was really good this year. We had -- we beat two teams that are in the Elite 8 right now in non-conference play. So I thought we had a pretty good body of work from our schedule. Q. In the mid '80's when Texas was bad for the game and these players weren't born yet, as you recruit to kind of get the program even up higher and back to those days, do they all understand what you're talking about since they didn't really get to witness it, as far as, the tradition that Texas has been? COACH ASTON: Oh, players, they don't know a whole lot, except what's going on in the moment. We do have to give them a little education in that. But it doesn't take but one Exes this weekend a year for our players to have an appreciation of the game and an appreciation of what we did in the '80s at Texas, because the Exes don't have a problem with letting us know. So it -- usually after ex's weekend, if you're a freshman, and you didn't know the tradition of our school, and you didn't know the history of our program, you do after Exes Weekend. So our players really appreciate the history of the game. Q. As you go over your game plan and put things in proper perspective, what is some of the things, especially the first five minutes, you have to do well against UConn to be very successful? COACH ASTON: Well, I think that there's a lot of things you have to do well. I do think that turnovers create them in the open floor, which is where they're deadly. So you want to try to get really quality possessions early in the game and as many as you possibly can. When you look at teams that have competed with them, then those are teams that get good looks at the basket, and then get some quality possessions. And again, our players, I think, said a lot when they talked about how fragmented we got last year and the fact that they do that to teams, they cause you to worry about your own man, and then you don't want to help each other, and they cause you to shoot quick. And so I think the fragmented comment that the players made is a good one. Teams that can stay together. But that's kind of the case at this level, period. They mentioned the Baylor game, because that's a level of play that is pretty high. So, when you start talking about being in the Elite 8 and having -- your one game away from a Final Four, then you're probably not going to see fragmented teams win. So, it all makes sense. Q. Can you just talk about Moriah Jefferson. What it is that makes her such a elite point guard? COACH ASTON: I think the thing that strikes me about Moriah as you watched her, her career, is just the difference in the way she shoots the basketball. Obviously, point guards are going to mature. You heard Brooke talk about the fact that last year she was overwhelmed, probably, with that position and this year she is getting better and each year she will continue to grow as a point guard. And I think that's what Moriah has done. She's evolved into a phenomenal point guard. But the other piece to that is there were times early in her career where you didn't necessarily guard her at the three-point line and then you look now and she's shooting almost 50 percent or right at it from the three. So I think that's gym time. That's all it is. It's time in the gym. Q. Any chance your players are going over look UConn because they want so badly to play Baylor again? COACH ASTON: Is it April Fools or something? (Laughter.) Oh, Rick. I was just wondering why we're up here talking about UConn every, every question. Ask me something about Texas. Q. Your favorite memory of the four seniors, they all graduate. That's a big deal I think in your eyes? COACH ASTON: My favorite memory will be if we were to win tomorrow night, for sure. It's hard to have one memory with a group like that. Along the way it's been some, there's been some love/hate with the senior class, there's no question. When we first started, the we were so intent on the culture changing and doing some things differently that I'm not sure they understood being in the moment the way they were, but I do appreciate the little things that they do now. Just making sure that we're walking in the gym correctly. That seems really little, but there are things that you do just from a discipline standpoint that carry over to everything else. I appreciate what they have done in the classroom. Really, really terrific student-athletes. I appreciate the fact that they really had a intent on helping Texas get to a different place. That's probably -- I can't pick a moment, because that's it. They have put Texas in a different place than when they got here. So, again, lots of recruiting work with my assistant coaches and all of that to get players here, but they took that challenge and they took it very seriously. Q. What are the things that impress you this year with Imani? COACH ASTON: Well, she got to play all year long. I think that's something that's sort of lost in the shuffle with Imani is that we just didn't ever have her for a full season. So just the fact that she got herself ready, prepared, she had to take some time off in the off season to do that, to give her body some rest, but mentally and physically she was ready to go from the get and I think that's been the most significant thing. The other part is the mental side. I think she mentioned that Tina had helped her in that. But I also think that's just, there's been a lot of people that have helped her. Along the way, she's helped herself. That's the biggest piece for her is the mental side, the confidence that she can -- you would think, no, that a six-seven player wouldn't be lacking in confidence, but she was. So, she's, she has a different mentality now than she had, obviously, when she got here. It's been fun to watch her grow. Q. The question I asked Imani which hopefully you can expand on just what Tina has brought to you guys as a coach, I mean obviously she's such a great career as a player but what she helped bring to the program this year in her first year as a coach. COACH ASTON: I think I said this the other day, someone asked me the same question and it would be interesting on the flip side to hear Tina's take on it, because I know the first year as a coach at this level is pretty mind blowing. It's almost like being a freshman and I'm sure there are days that she's come to work thinking, holy cow, what is this? Because you feel that way your first year of coaching. The thing that I can say for her is that it's really obvious that she is a competitor. And competitors go to work. And they figure out how to get to the next day and what -- and that's what strikes me the most about her, not just what she's done with Imani, because she's not afraid to take our point guard and say, you need to do this. And it just means that she's an ultra-competitor. That once she got her feet on the ground and realized, this is competition, whether it be in recruiting or whether it be with in practice or whether it be scouting with film, she has taken it very seriously. And that's what, that's a reflection of her personality. So, probably the even though I think she's helped us tremendously on the floor, I think the off the court stuff, her mentor ship and her ability to give them answers that they might have gotten the same answer from me, but it's kind of like mom telling you something over and over, especially for four years and then you hear it from someone else, it sometimes makes a significant difference. And she says the right things as do all my staff. I would say the same thing about Travis being a former NBA player and having the knowledge that he does, but also the mentor ship skills. I have a tremendous staff that's done a great job keeping these guys looking straight ahead. THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you very much for your time. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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