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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTMarch 1, 2017Kenny BrooksSamantha HillRegan MagarityConway, South Carolina Clemson - 67, Virginia Tech - 66 KENNY BROOKS: We're very disappointed, disappointed for these two young ladies and the rest of the group because I felt like they played hard enough to win a basketball game. They left everything out on the floor. Some things just didn't go our way, and as a result, Clemson comes away with a one-point win. But very proud of my group. I felt they fought through a lot of adversity, especially in the last couple weeks. We've been very shorthanded, but no one has made any excuses. They've gone out and they've played and they've played extremely hard. I'm really excited about where they are, where they've come, but obviously we're very disappointed today. Q. After playing so many minutes on Sunday and not having Sidney again today, how much was fatigue a factor or not today? SAMANTHA HILL: I don't think it was necessarily a factor. It's obviously hard going without Sidney two games in a row, but there's always five people on the court, and we all need to step up and do our jobs. Q. Coach, this is a game that you all had control in the first quarter. What were they doing differently to get back in this thing? KENNY BROOKS: I think a lot of things factor into it. They made some adjustments, we made some adjustments. We got in the one stretch, I think we got up by 14, and then we did some things that were uncharacteristic, and I don't know if it's fatigue or whatever the situation. We got in foul trouble. Sammy got three fouls late into the second quarter. We had some people out there that are not accustomed to playing the minutes. But regardless, you have to give them credit. You know, we made our run. They made their run. It came down to a one-possession game. Q. The last play of the game, did she wait too long or did you talk about what happened at the end of the game there? KENNY BROOKS: She didn't get it off so she did wait too long. Obviously she's pushing it. She knew how much time was left. I think she just took one too many dribbles, and no, I have not talked to her yet, because the game is just over and I want could began lat /THAEUT tear /THAOERZ ACC careers and what they've done for Virginia Tech ^ check. It's a learning tool. We'll use it as a learning cool. She has to understand, okay, hey, I've got to find someone or I've got to get it up quick to get a shot off. But she's only a sophomore, and she played hard tonight, and we'll adjust and we'll make some adjustments to her, and she'll figure it out from that. Q. What did you think of you guys' defense today and did their defense do some things to make it a tough shooting day for you? KENNY BROOKS: No, I'm not discrediting anything that Clemson did. Very proud of our kids. We played shorthanded. Sammy Hill, I think she is a natural 2 guard, right, and she's down there and battling for 40 minutes in the post. Again, you give credit to Clemson. They won the basketball game, but I don't know if it's something without watching the film that they did to us. The kids played their hearts out the last couple weeks. And when you take someone of Sid's significance basically out of our lineup for the last three games, it's going to take its toll on you in more ways than one. Yeah, you can look at it and you can say, well, her 14 points and nine rebounds, but it also puts a lot more pressure on the other kids like Kendyl. Kendyl is not accustomed to playing this many minutes nor should she be playing this many minutes. Sammy shouldn't be playing this many minutes. And Regan, what she's done in the last few games, it's unbelievable because I don't know if she's gotten a sub, and she's still putting up monster numbers in the last couple games. Sidney's absence has an effect on us in more than one way and I think it puts a lot of pressure on these kids, and then it's going to affect our continuity, it's going to affect the way we execute. Q. Just talk about Regan and Samantha and what they've meant to this team and their career here. KENNY BROOKS: Well, what they've meant to this team is unbelievable. I talked to them about the seniors, their contributions, and just how much it's meant for Virginia Tech basketball. But you look at their contributions outside of the actual court, and they are tremendous representatives of Virginia Tech. And then you can add one element, one more element to it, what they mean to me. This is me coming in, my transition year, and I remember when I first got hired, I said it. They asked me what's a Hokie. I said, I am. I really didn't know what a Hokie was until these young ladies taught me what it's like to be a Hokie, and I'm really proud of their efforts. They didn't win as many games as they would have won, Sammy and her crew, but the mark that they've left on Virginia Tech and their character is going to live for a long time. And we're just fortunate enough that we have Regan for two more years. I think she'll continue to make even more strides, and she's done a tremendous job of becoming a leader and being more vocal, and I think that's going to bode well for us in the future. Q. Regan, what was helping you get your points today? What was your strategy for getting your work done? REGAN MAGARITY: I think just playing hard. I knew that I had an advantage on the perimeter, so just attacking, just playing hard and being aggressive. Q. When she drove on you at the end of the game there, did you think, all right, I don't want to make her get an easy bucket here, or what was going through your mind at that point? REGAN MAGARITY: Yeah, I think I just wanted to challenge her shot, and obviously the call didn't go our way. But I just didn't want her to have like an easy lay-up. Q. Kenny, without Sidney today, obviously they hurt you on the boards and got a lot of second-chance points. How much of a factor was that today? KENNY BROOKS: It was tremendous. I thought we did a really good job in the first quarter, but we kept challenging them, but there's only so much you can do. And again, you have kids playing out of position. When you lose Sid and she's your second leading rebounder, you put a lot of pressure on Regan. Regan had 14 rebounds and Sammy came through, but she was in foul trouble. Everyone stepped up, and you can only do so much. But I'm proud of the kids' effort. We didn't always execute, and yes, we know that that was an issue, and we got out-rebounded by 15. They had 20 offensive rebounds. But it's only so much you can do when you basically have seven players out there. But all you can do is be proud of the kids' effort and what they did, and I'm very proud of that, and I think that's going to help us set a foundation here for years to come. I'm just proud. They could have hung their heads, they could have given up. They didn't, they kept fighting, and as a result we had a chance to win the game at the end. Q. Regan, you guys were down eight points in the fourth quarter and fatigue could have been a factor at that point, but you climbed back in the game and tied it up. What helped you in those final minutes get back in this thing? REGAN MAGARITY: I think just getting defensive rebounds and limiting them to one possession, and then pushing the ball on offense. Q. With the season, what are your takeaways for next year, what you need to do to get stronger and better out there? KENNY BROOKS: Well, we're always thinking about next year, but right now we really want to celebrate this year and these kids. I think we owe it to Sammy and Vanessa and Sid and Tara to continue this ride before we start talking about next year. I've learned a lot. I've learned a lot about this league, and I think it's something that you have to go through it so that you can understand what you have to do to be successful. Obviously it was a great year for me. It's a lot of great basketball in this league, and I think we know now what you have to do, the mentality, the type of team you have to put together in order to compete in this league because there's a lot of great teams, a lot of great players, a lot of great coaches, and it's been a really good ride for me and this group as we try to form our identity on this league. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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