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NCAA WOMEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS AND FINALS: BRIDGEPORTMarch 24, 2017Kelly GravesMallory McGwireRuthy HebardSabrina IonescuBridgeport, Connecticut Q. Just talk for a second about the freshmen in this tournament. You have your own, Sabrina is unbelievable, Maryland has one in Destiny. KELLY GRAVES: Agreed. Yeah, no doubt about it. I don't know all of them. Destiny, of course, very familiar with, because over the last three or four days, I've seen a lot of film on her. Very, very impressive, plus she's a West Coast kid, so I had a chance to watch her in high school, as well. I can mainly just speak to these three. It's incredible what they've done. Not too many teams are going to go this far relying so much on freshmen, and we really didn't have much experience with the rest of the team. I think coming into the season, we had six years of Duck experience, so it's not like we had a Walker-Kimbrough and a Jones who can help those two freshmen that they have. We kind of went into this thing sight unseen. But been very impressed with their professionalism, each and every day, their coachability, and just their effort. They play really hard. Q. Kelly, how has the team responded the last couple days to all the travel and finals being done and really focused in on Maryland and what they do? KELLY GRAVES: Well, they've handled it, I think, a lot better than their coach. I've got a cold. And that's a lot of travel. But they're 18- to 21-year-olds, and I think they've handled it well. Two cross-country trips in a matter of five or six days, I think, would take its toll on anybody. Add to that two days of finals in between, and it's understandable that they might be tired. But we're certainly not going to use that as an excuse by any means, and I think that come tomorrow at tip-off, we're going to be ready. Q. Was there a moment in the season where you saw the freshmen coming together or a game where you kind of said, okay, they're starting to get this, and this could be a special group? KELLY GRAVES: Well, I think early on, we had a game against Michigan State where we just kind of put it all together, won by 30-something points. And in that game I think the freshmen really shined. But that was early, so we didn't really at that time even know what we had. I thought it kind of started to come together when Sabrina came back from an injury. She missed about a month. We lost four games during that stretch, and we made kind of a miracle comeback at Cal. They were ranked at the time. Ruthy made a tremendous defensive play that led to a basket, which gave us a chance then to have Sabrina's basket at the end. Mallory played really well that weekend. So I think that was kind of the weekend that we figured, hey, you know, we can do this. I know we're young, but we can play, and I think from then on, we actually played really, really well the rest of Pac-12 play. I would say maybe the Cal game. Q. Can you talk a little bit about coming out of the Pac-12 Conference and what you think that has done for your young team coming into the NCAA Tournament? KELLY GRAVES: Well, they had to grow up fast because it's such a competitive league, as is evident by five teams in the Sweet 16. You know, we were joking, I don't think there's a -- in fact, I know there's not a team in the tournament that has played more teams in the 1 and 2 seed lines. We've played seven games against teams on those seed lines, and so, you know, we've kind of seen a little bit of everything. We've seen teams in our conference that have athleticism, others that have size, others that have quickness, some really offensive-oriented teams, and some great defensive teams, so we've seen a little bit of everything when you run that gauntlet. So they had to grow up fast. You know, and I think playing in the Pac-12 has, I think, prepared us for this moment, no doubt. Q. You were saying kind of in Eugene how Maryland has kind of played with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder. Have you seen that on film over the last couple games you've broken down? Could you describe how that chip has come to fruition? KELLY GRAVES: Well, chip or no chip, they're really good. Whatever they need to be motivated, I think only adds to what they already have. I mean, they are a great team. You know, I'm -- not baffled, but you wonder why they were a 3 seed with their résumé. It's incredible, who they've played, who they've beaten. The only two teams they lost to are still playing, one of whom is considered the best team in the country. They're just really good, and the more you watch them, the more you realize that we've got our work cut out for us. They really don't have many holes. Certainly offensively they have no holes. We've still got to play the game. We're going to find them. We're going to do what we can to counteract where they're good, and so we're up and ready for the challenge, no doubt. Q. I know you left Gonzaga because you wanted to be at the football school that Oregon has, but it seems like you and the men's program have turned it into a basketball school the way you're both advancing in the NCAA Tournament. Any thoughts on how this might be a basketball school as opposed to the football school it's been for so many years? KELLY GRAVES: Well, I might make people angry if I say it's a basketball school because football is a big deal there. It's incredible the success that our men have had. They're great -- I love the staff. They're so open to helping my staff and us and working with us. The young men they have on their team are incredible, good friends with our team. I think there's really good synergy between the two programs, and you know, we've had some of our biggest thrills on this trip. Actually one of our biggest thrills -- okay, our two games were better, but the third-best part of the last trip was we all got a chance to go to a sports bar together, have dinner and watch our men win. So pretty neat. And then last night, of course, we sat around and watched that, too. We all cheer for each other. I think it just goes to show you the commitment that Oregon has to athletics. I mean, it's incredible. You look up and down, and I would say we're a track-and-field school if you want to know the truth, cross country. I mean, there is not a sport that we don't excel at, and I think as a student-athlete, it's pretty neat that they get to rub shoulders with some of the elite athletes in the country. Q. It seems like a lot of the things that you guys do well are things that Maryland does well. Ruthy and Bri have similar offensive games, Sabrina matches up pretty well with Destiny, and in terms of the three-point shooting of Lexi and Shatori, do you see it that way? Do you see the two as parallel teams, and if so, do you think that helps you or hurts you going into tomorrow? KELLY GRAVES: Well, I don't know if it'll help or hurt. We'll find that out soon enough. Yeah, I guess we do mirror ourselves. We just don't play at the fast pace they do. We don't push it as much as they do in transition. I think we're capable, but I think early in the year we tried to do that, and we had basketballs going off walls and into our poor fans' faces and hands. We just weren't able to play at that pace, so we've kind of dialed it back a little bit, become a little bit more half-court oriented. But I think potentially, yeah, this is a team that can get out and go. I just think what's important in this game, we've got to somehow limit the number of possessions. If we play this game in the 90s tomorrow, we're probably in trouble. If we can keep it between 75 and 80, okay, now, that's a different story. But yeah, I guess when you look at it that way, we do mirror each other in a lot of different ways. We're just not as experienced. Jones, watching her on film, is very impressive. I'm not sure we've seen a better post player all year. It's incredible. Her positioning, her patience, balance, strength. I mean, she's the whole package in there. I'm assuming she's going to have a heck of a pro career. Q. When you're game planning against a team like Maryland that has such strong senior leadership, is there anything you can do to counteract that because they've see it all, been to Final Fours. Is there anything you can do to counteract that experience? KELLY GRAVES: Not really. This moment obviously is not going to be too big. I'm hoping it's not too big for these guys. I'm hoping it won't be because they don't know any better. They've only been to one NCAA and they've won two games. They've never lost. But yeah, there's no substitute for experience, and to have two great leaders as well as great players as those two are, I think, can only be a benefit for them, plus they have a championship coach. You know, she's got that pedigree. So they have a lot going for them in that experience. Q. Just to jump off what you said in terms of pace, you guys did slow it down significantly, and it seemed to happen after you had the 0-3 start in Pac-12 play. Was that the key to finding it, and if not, what other factors did play a part in going from that team to the team you are now? KELLY GRAVES: Well, I think getting Sabrina back helped, just gave us another ball handler. We don't have a ton of play makers, so we have to do it kind of the old-fashioned way, through ball screens, through patience, through ball movement, through spacing, those kind of things, and I think it was just a natural progression. I think when you have and rely on so many young kids like we do, they always play faster than they should. I'm sure Brionna did not play the way she's playing now as a freshman. You try to do things too fast. And I encouraged Ruthy to watch her and learn from how she's playing the game because I think Ruthy is going to have that same kind of ability early on. Q. (No microphone) KELLY GRAVES: No. I think we're just slowing things down, just -- as the natural evolution of a basketball team, with young kids. You just play faster early, and they're just getting -- we're getting better. I say "they." We are just getting better offensively. Q. I know you're focused on tomorrow, but it came out yesterday that you might have a team in the 3-on-3 tournament for USA Basketball with some of your freshmen. I know you're a big USA Basketball guy. How neat is that that you could have three Ducks playing together for this tournament, and are you going to coach them as the Duck team for the USA Basketball Tournament? KELLY GRAVES: I am not going to coach the team. I'm probably going to go on a little vacation with my family for the weekend because I don't see them as often as I'd like this time of year. No, they'll be in good hands. Sabrina can coach them. She's fine. It's just a great opportunity, and I don't know where we're headed with 3-on-3. My guess is that the NCAA has added sand volleyball. Maybe there's a point here in the near future where we add 3-on-3 basketball as a sport. And I think we're headed that way in the Olympics, as well. I just think it's a great opportunity. There's, I think, six or seven Pac-12 schools that are sending teams there. I think we're the only conference that maybe USA Basketball reached out to carte blanche, saying anybody that wants to send a team. So hey, sign me up. Any chance they have to play more basketball and compete, I think the better. Q. Seems like Oti has had a big role for you guys in the tournament. What kind of element does she give you guys off the bench that just kind of helps to give you guys a little bit of a punch? KELLY GRAVES: Yeah, she's versatile. Oti is just a versatile player, can guard guards, she can guard big kids. She's excellent on the offensive boards. She's given us a little different game at the high post, so when we go with her at the high post instead of Mallory, Mallory has got nice mid-range jump shot, and Oti can attack the basket a little bit more from there, so it just gives us a different look, just energy. She's a fun-loving kid and she kind of keeps the team loose and works her butt off. There are a lot of different areas she's helping us. Q. With UConn buying up all the tickets for this event, if you guys are able to keep it close against Maryland later, are you kind of hoping the crowd will root for the 10 seed? KELLY GRAVES: Yeah, well, I know our fan base is really ticked off because they couldn't make the trip cross-country. I'm just kidding. Yeah, I don't know. I think generally we cheer for underdogs, and my guess is we're considered quite an underdog. You know, if that comes to fruition, maybe that happens. I don't know. And I don't think -- I think our team has shown with wins in some big places this year on the road, I don't think the crowd matters that much to them. Yeah, I don't think they really play to that or focus on it. But we could sure use the support. So if the UConn fans do want to cheer for green and yellow, that's fine, I'll take it. Q. Defensively was the Duke game one of your better games, and is it going to take that level of performance and maybe even above that to beat Maryland? KELLY GRAVES: Yeah, yeah. We, I thought, played here. We're going to need to play there defensively in this next game. Again, we talk about players evolving, a young team evolving, and defense is usually the thing that takes the longest. That's a program, that's a culture that you have to build to play great team defense, and we're just starting to get it a little better. We're playing to a scout better. Our fundamentals are better. The team concept, the understanding of how to play within the team defensively is getting better. Just the natural evolution of things. As good as we were there, though, we've got to be a lot better. This is a -- well, as a coach it's going to be fun to watch. These are two of the best offensive teams in the country that we have a chance to watch this weekend in UConn and Maryland. So I'll be taking some notes, as well. Q. Specific to your offensive attack and the role that Lexi has played, both the big shots she's had, but simply the fact that you talk about limited possessions and efficiency, how effective she's been from three-point range and how important that has been. KELLY GRAVES: Yeah. Well, she's a great shooter, no doubt about it, but she never takes a bad shot, you know. And she's got some kids around her that -- she's got a good inside attack that teams have to play for, so she's the beneficiary of maybe some extra help or some double-teams inside. We're a good passing team. We like to make the extra pass, and so that helps somebody like her. But she's actually become better at creating her own shots. She can actually now penetrate a little bit, so it keeps them a little more honest. So she's getting better in her own game. No, I think -- even when teams try to take her out, it spreads the floor a lot more for the other four to make things happen. So she's just -- just having her out there is always a benefit, whether she's making them or not, they have to play her for the shot. Q. Sabrina, how well do you know their point guard Destiny, and what challenges do their guards present you guys? SABRINA IONESCU: I played with Destiny Slocum and Kaila Charles, their post player, as well. We played together at the McDonald's game, and she's a great point guard. But I don't think it'll cause us too much trouble. We play against great guards in the Pac-12, and I think we're going to be ready tomorrow. Q. For all three of you, just talk about the run you guys have been on. Coach said you're playing with house money and you don't know any better, just keep on playing basketball. What's it been like to play in your first NCAA Tournament? SABRINA IONESCU: Yeah, I mean, we're the underdogs. I think we've been that all year, especially having six freshmen on the team, and we're playing with nothing to lose. I mean, I think we've been saying that. Our coach has been saying that all year, and a team with nothing to lose is a team that's going to be tough to beat. So I think we come out, we play every game like it's going to be our last, because we never do know when it's going to be our last game of the season, and that's definitely something that I tell the team all the time. You've got to do everything the best you can because you never know when the ball is going to stop bouncing. So we come in every day, we play hard, and I think we're peaking at the right time, so we're going to come out tomorrow and we're going to give it everything we have and see where that takes us. RUTHY HEBARD: It's been an amazing experience. Like Sabrina said, there's nothing to lose, so it's really fun to just go out and give your all and know at the end of the day when you give your all, you can't be disappointed in that. MALLORY MCGWIRE: I have to agree with both of what they said. We have to give it our all and we are the underdogs. But like Sabrina said, the underdogs are the ones that nobody expects to win. So we're the team that everybody fears a little bit more. Q. Ladies, a lot has been made of the six freshmen, the youth of your team, but if you had to describe Oregon women's basketball, what would you use to describe how your team has played this season? RUTHY HEBARD: I know we have a lot of freshmen, but I think it's just -- we play with a lot of heart. We play for each other, and that's definitely what's got us this far. SABRINA IONESCU: I think probably one word that would describe us is, like, relationships. I think, especially having six freshmen, we came in, we had to get to know each other quickly and get to know the upperclassmen quickly, and our coaches, you know, we had to get to know them through our recruiting process. So I think definitely the relationship aspect of this team outside of basketball has helped us mold together on the court and play for someone other than ourselves. MALLORY MCGWIRE: They both covered that one. Q. Ruthy, I'm wondering, Kelly Graves is saying that he's been telling you to look at Bri Jones a little bit and just kind of see as a player you might be able to play at her level maybe when you become an upperclassman. What is it like seeing her on film and is that kind of one of your goals to play at that level? RUTHY HEBARD: Yeah, she's definitely a great basketball player. Her composure and her ability to finish around the rim is really motivating, and I'm really excited to play against her tomorrow. Q. People like us make a big deal about the cross-country travel and the early start time tomorrow, but as Coach said, you're 18- to 21-year-old kids, it makes no difference, you just play basketball. Does it matter you're playing early and does it matter you've flown back and forth twice in a week? MALLORY MCGWIRE: Well, I mean, we did fly back home to Eugene for two days. But personally I don't think I got used to the -- back to the West Coast time because I was already adjusted to the East Coast time. Travel shouldn't really be a factor in the way that we play. I know it is difficult, but I think we'll be fine tomorrow morning getting up early and being able to play. RUTHY HEBARD: Yeah, like Mallory, I'm not really used to the West Coast time again, so I think we'll be ready to play. Q. Sabrina, it seems like you have relished taking the big shot. You've had a number of them, and I'm wondering how long that's been the case for you and whether you see the NCAA Tournament as an opportunity to do that once again in a big spot? SABRINA IONESCU: I've never really taken game-winning shots prior to my freshman year coming in here at Oregon. But I think just the competitiveness in me always wants the ball in my hands at that crunch time, and I think my teammates believe in me to make game-winning shots. I think that's what it is, because I've never really practiced game-winning shots prior to this. I mean, I dream about it all the time and whatnot, yeah. Q. As freshmen, was there a moment that you can point to where you guys felt like you were starting to come together and could be part of something special? RUTHY HEBARD: I always knew we were going to be something special, just with the recruiting class and everything. I think the four games in Spain really helped us out, and we kind of clicked from the start, and definitely just the preseason really helped us mesh together, and it went from there. SABRINA IONESCU: Yeah, I agree with Ruthy. I think that Spain trip really helped us as a young team. We had the 10 practices earlier than most people that weren't able to go on a trip. So I think that definitely helped us form relationships and start -- and, of course, the first few practices of the season weren't great for us. We weren't used to each other. It was pretty much a brand-new team. But Coach always told us to stick together and continue doing what we've been doing, so it pays off now. We know each other. We know each other really well on and off the court, so I think that helps us this late into March. MALLORY MCGWIRE: Agree with both of them. Just the Spain trip, I think that really was the building block in what made -- it's going to make this team so great. That was just a good experience overall, and we've just all come closer as a team. Q. For all three of you, obviously it's the first time that Oregon has been to the Sweet 16. How are you sort of balancing having fun during this experience and sort of taking that all in, but also realizing that you have a goal after this weekend to get to the Final Four? SABRINA IONESCU: You know, I think we're just enjoying the moment and living in the moment. This is never going to come -- we're never going to be able to relive this moment again as freshmen. But I definitely think it gives us a taste for the next years, the following years. We're excited for next year and the year after that, especially as a young team. But we definitely want to continue just coming out and giving it everything we have on the court and just enjoying the experience. RUTHY HEBARD: It's just really exciting. I think we're just going to keep playing hard and see how far that takes us, and whatever happens, I think we're going to be really proud of ourselves, and I think we should be. MALLORY MCGWIRE: The experience is amazing overall. It's just an honor to just make it this far in the Sweet 16, but I know we all have been working super hard to get here. Just all the hard work we've been putting in has paid off. Q. Sabrina and Ruthy, I know you're focused on tomorrow, but it came out yesterday that you guys are potentially playing in the USA Basketball 3-on-3 tournament in a couple of weeks. Coach said Sabrina, you'd be coaching the team. Talk about that, playing 3-on-3 is different than playing 5-on-5 and how you guys got involved in this and what you're looking forward to. SABRINA IONESCU: Yeah, I already was joking around that we're going to start having plays and play calls, whatever, yesterday. But we both -- we've both done USA and I think we got a taste of that. But I think we're definitely just focusing on tomorrow and where we're at now, but I definitely think it's going to be a great experience for us, and we practice 3-on-3, 4-on-4, 2-on-2 every day in practice here at Oregon, so I think we're kind of used to playing not 5-on-5. But I think we're excited just for the opportunity to represent our country in that. RUTHY HEBARD: Yeah, I think we're really excited, and it's going to be really fun. Q. Ruthy, just in terms of the comparison to Bri Jones, you guys do a lot of the same things, not just scoring around the basket, but efficient, not a lot of wasted movement. Do you see a lot of your game in her, and are there any other people that you have patterned your game after right around the post? RUTHY HEBARD: She's definitely a great player, and the way she finishes is something I'd like to continue to do as well. She's really composed and a strong player. We watched film on her, and her ability to move people is something I definitely want to get better on, and her offensive rebounding is great. So I'm definitely going to try to watch her and try to be a little more like her in those areas. Q. He talked about starting out and the building blocks. In terms of getting solidified, how much has the Pac-12 schedule helped you because, by comparison, you guys' non-conference schedule may be a little bit higher. RUTHY HEBARD: Definitely playing against really top teams like Washington, UCLA, I think, has helped us get here, too, and I think helped us just prepare for Temple and Duke as well, just because we got to play against top teams every day, I think. SABRINA IONESCU: Yeah, going off that, there's no days off, really. There's no games off in the Pac-12. There's no night where it's going to be easy to get a win. I mean, every win is a hard-fought win. So I think that definitely helps us coming in late into March. We're going to come play against top teams in the country, and we pretty much do that every night in the Pac-12 back at home. So I think having such a tough schedule in the conference is going to help us now. MALLORY MCGWIRE: Adding off of that, just the Pac-12 really prepares you for March and the NCAA Tournament. Like they both said, you never really take a night off, so it just prepares you really well. Q. I know you guys were only home for a couple days and exams were thrown in there, but I'm guessing there's a buzz around the campus with what you and the men have done in March. It's a football school, but becoming a basketball school pretty quickly with the success you guys have had. What's it been like around campus and watching the men play last night? MALLORY MCGWIRE: Just around campus, we have this academic center, and everybody in there talks about how well both the men and women have been playing, and it's really nice to see that the campus has been engaged in watching the games and just seeing how well basketball has been doing at Oregon. SABRINA IONESCU: Yeah, going off of that, the buzz around campus has been great. We always get told congratulations wherever we're going. I think that's something great to see, that people are paying attention and seeing how much growth we've been doing. And the men's team, they've been great to us as well. We get tweets after every game, congratulations, and that kind of goes both ways. We congratulate them as well. We see them every day in the training room and on the court, so I think it's great to see that relationship between men's basketball and women's basketball, and then, of course, the rest of the University. RUTHY HEBARD: Yeah, like they said, it's been great. It's really helpful for us to get congratulations from students and teachers, so it's really nice. Q. For both of you, Ruthy and Sabrina, between the numbers, Ruthy, that you've been putting up in March, and Sabrina, the numbers you're putting up, but also the poise you showed the other night when you were bumped during the Duke game, I'm curious whether you think that it's overstated how much veteran leadership matters compared to having teams where the freshmen are doing so much of the heavy lifting. Obviously your opponent, too, with Destiny, who runs the team, that some of you have been friends with. Do you think that's overstated or do you think there's an advantage perhaps in having youth on your side? RUTHY HEBARD: I think it's highlighted all year that we were freshmen, but Coach Graves always says, we're not freshmen anymore. After 10 games, 15 games in, we're just ballplayers. And I think focusing on that and knowing what we can do to help the team out is just what I try to focus on and not think about youth as much. SABRINA IONESCU: Yeah, I mean, the leadership definitely helps because, you know, we've never experienced anything like this just coming into freshman year. I know we were all kind of nervous, where do we go to classes, where do we -- when is practice, how early do we have to get to practice? So definitely that side of basketball and school has definitely helped us having some upperclassmen. But I think once the ball starts bouncing and once it's up in the air on that tipped ball, it's just basketball, regardless of if you're a senior or you're a freshman. No one is taking it easy on you because you are a freshman, and we're coming at everyone just as they're basketball players, we don't care what grade they're in. But I definitely think the experience helps. We have no idea what to expect coming into March. We had no idea. Definitely Pac-12, we didn't know it was going to be that difficult playing against all those teams every single night that we played. But I think that's just going to help us next year. I think we're going to be well-prepared for the Pac-12 and definitely late into March. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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