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NCAA WOMEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS AND FINALS: ALBANYMarch 25, 2018Geno AuremmiaKatie Lou SamuelsonNapheesa CollierGabby WilliamsChrystal DangerfieldKia NurseAlbany, New York COACH GENO AURIEMMA: There's really not much to say at this time of the year. After today, you know, there will be two teams already going to the Final Four and two teams tomorrow, and we're one of them. So we're in a great spot. We're in the spot where we wanted to be when the season started. But it's not, obviously not easy. It's never easy when you get this far because there are no easy games and there are no easy teams. So I think every team that plays this weekend understands that, and I think we have a team that has enough experience and has been through these a number of times and I feel good about where we are right now. Q. Gabby, I just want to know, you guys are No. 1 undefeated but they are the reigning champions. Which team do you feel has the most pressure going into tomorrow's game? GABBY WILLIAMS: I think we do. Obviously there's pressure both ways but for us, if we come short of it, it's a disappointing season. I think that just goes with the 30 years of history that this program has that we've built up; that we've set such high expectations every single year. Q. What did you do in the last game against South Carolina against A'ja Wilson that worked so well, and maybe what are some things that you maybe didn't do so well that you'd like to accomplish this time? NAPHEESA COLLIER: I think we just really tried to play team defense. Gabby actually guarded her for a lot of the game. But like I said, really just trying to limit their post touches and limit how many shots they get, like second chance shots and their rebounds and things like that. GABBY WILLIAMS: Yeah, I mean, it's always a difficult thing guarding A'Ja, especially with the height difference. But I have the advantage of being quicker than her, so as long as I just keep her out of the paint, easier to handle her. Q. How much do you lean on your seniors before a game like this as far as advice? KATIE LOU SAMUELSON: I think it's really big for us to have our two seniors out here really leading us every game. I think we're at the point in the season where, you know, before the game, I won't necessarily go ask one of them what to do, but during the game, I look to them and you just see, when they are calm and they kind of are controlling the pace and everything, we all kind of follow suit after that. CHRYSTAL DANGERFIELD: I do think they do a great job of being our emotional leaders and when things do get out of control, they get us together and make sure that we're on same page. Q. You guys beat them by 25 earlier this year. Why should people think anything would be different tomorrow night? KIA NURSE: One thing that was brought up yesterday is we like to think that we are not the same team that played in February, just as any team that plays in this tournament is not the same team that was playing in February. So every game that we go into, every practice that we go into, every session, it's a matter of what do we have to do for the game in front of us; try not to think back on what happened last time and understanding that everybody gets better as the season goes on and it should be a good game either way. Q. Seeing how USC has turned the ball over a lot recently, is that a key point going into this matchup? KATIE LOU SAMUELSON: Yeah, definitely. I think we want to take advantage of every opportunity we get, if we can turn them over, and we're pretty good in transition off of turnovers, and that's what we aim to do every single game. Clearly we expect them to be on top of their game, but if we can get out in passing lanes and disrupt their offense, that's beneficial for us and we'll definitely take advantage of it. Q. You've never lost to South Carolina and seems like they have been chasing you as a program for years now. How much confidence do you have coming into a game like this when almost every single game with South Carolina hasn't even been close? GABBY WILLIAMS: I don't think any previous games really matters to us right now. We're just looking ahead to, you know, the game tomorrow, what we have to do. Focus on our scout and everything like that. Yeah, I mean, they are hungry. They want to win. I don't think we are going to look at it as, oh, we beat them before so of course we are going to beat them again. That's not how it is at all. We have our game at hand and we are just going to focus on that. Q. There's a lot of hype around this game. Does it feel like a National Championship almost? KIA NURSE: I would say in a sense, when you get to this point in the season, every game you play is a do-or-die situation and your season is on the line. With that understanding, the tournament itself and understanding that there's an elimination at hand, you have to come in with a certain focus, a certain intensity and a certain energy in order to give yourself a chance to have an extended season. Obviously there's a lot of noise around what's happening in our game and we kind of have to go into it and execute it the same way we would execute any other game and any other game plan. Q. What specific challenges does South Carolina present to you guys? You've seen them each of the last two years. What are some of the things that when you're looking at game tape, that you think are the things that are a big challenge for you guys? KIA NURSE: I think they do a good job of pressure within the full court. They get out. They use their length and their athleticism to their advantage, and as well, they try to use their inside game as much as possible. Obviously they have a talented front court and they try to work very well together, but we have a lot of faith in our front court to help that out. Q. The way the game played out February 1 and the way you guys kind of met that moment so emphatically, I'm wondering, was that a point in time in the season where you kind of realized the potential of your team even further? Was that a major step forward for what you thought your team was capable of this season? COACH GENO AURIEMMA: Yeah, I don't think there's any one game that defines your season for either good or bad. I think it's one game. We were in a really good frame of mind and we knew exactly what we needed to do, and we made a lot of shots. You know, I mean, that makes everything look great when you knock down shots, and, you know, we're the same team that played yesterday and missed a lot of shots. I know how good we are and I know how good we've been, and that was a game, but so was the game at UCLA and so was the game against Louisville, and you know, we've had, some moments this year where you look and you say, wow, I think that we have a really, really good team. But again, like these guys just said, this is March, and things are different in March. We proved at their place that we are really, really good. The problem with where we are and where this tournament is, is you have to prove it again. And if South Carolina beats us tomorrow night, nobody is going to write a headline in a paper, "South Carolina goes to a Final Four, but don't forget they lost in February at home." Nobody is going to give a damn about that game. It's all about tomorrow night. Q. They have five players who have played in championship games. How important is it on both sides to have two teams that have players who have been there and done that at this time of year? COACH GENO AURIEMMA: Obviously experience is huge when it comes to being able to perform in a big moment on a big stage. It truly does help to have been there, and the team we're playing tomorrow night has been there. They won a National Championship last year, so they know how to win. They know how to win tomorrow's game and they know how to win the next two games. We're not playing a team -- like last year, we played UCLA and Oregon, two teams that have never been in that situation. It is a unique scenario that you're playing against a team that has been where you've been. So I don't know that there's an advantage either way. Q. I think I've asked you this question, ten of the last 11 years you've made the final four. You always say this game someone on your team steps up to help carry you there. COACH GENO AURIEMMA: Correct. Q. Do you have a thought in your head, hey, I think this person might be the one to have that game to get us there? COACH GENO AURIEMMA: I don't know. That's a good question. This time, as opposed to the other times, there's been so many instances where I've sat here and everybody sitting in front of me knew pretty much, 90 percent of the time, where the ball is going to go and who is going to do what. But we do have a somewhat of a balanced team, and we have players that are capable of carrying us for stretches. I don't know that we have anyone that is going to be asked to do it the whole game and carry a bigger load than anybody else. Most of the games that we've won, really good games this year, have been team efforts. There hasn't been, you know, one player -- maybe that's why nobody is talking about any of our players being national Player of the Year, you know. We've relied more on our team than any particular individual. Q. Can you just talk about the challenges that South Carolina presents, and is it more than just their front court? COACH GENO AURIEMMA: Yeah, I don't think you win that many games and get to this point by being somewhat one-dimensional or limited. Yeah, I mean, you can go in there and say, well, you know, we'll do a great job on their front court. They have got other good players. They make shots from a lot of different places on the floor. And when they miss shots, they offensive rebound as well as anybody in the country. I think it would be foolish to think, okay, if we -- if we take this away from them, then we're definitely going to win. It still comes down to, you know, you have to score, and you have to come -- it comes down to you have to score. I mean, I could be wrong, but most of the times, our defense gives us a chance to win the game. I don't know the last time our defense let us down -- actually, I do remember when our defense let us down. We were at Stanford a couple years ago when we scored 80-some points and lost. That might be the last time where defensively, we just played the way that -- we should lose. You should lose that game no matter what. But since then, our defense has been really, really good and it's just a matter of, can you make enough shots to win the game, that night. And as anybody who has played in these games will tell you, it's not easy to make shots at this time of the year. Every kid starts to -- if you're not careful, starts to think -- you know, this isn't January or February where if I go to 0-for-10, I go to practice tomorrow and work on my shot. You go 0-for-10 tomorrow, you work on your shot the next five months. Q. Over the years, you've seen Dawn, built Temple, South Carolina, worked alongside you on the last Olympic staff. Can you talk about just watching her through the years and what you thought she really possesses or any special qualities? COACH GENO AURIEMMA: It's one of those stories, I think Felisha was talking about it yesterday, about young coaches who need an opportunity to coach and need an opportunity to show what they can do. Dawn was start enough to do it at a place where your mistakes aren't going to be to be scrutinized every day, so she was able to learn how to coach at Temple. She was probably learning to coach the whole time she played, you know, when you play a lot of basketball. And that doesn't mean you've played a lot of basketball, you're going to be a great coach. Although, every kid that I've ever coached on the Olympic Team thinks they can coach better than me, but that's just the way those people think. But she did it the right way. You know, she went to a place and learned how to coach, and then when the opportunity came to coach at a place when you could win the National Championship, she's made the most of it, taken advantage of it. You know, if it was easy to win a National Championship, there would be a lot of coaches in America that have done that, and there weren't. So it's hard. She's had a pretty good balance of, you know, how to put her team together recruiting-wise and their style of play. I think if you look at the last ten years, whatever, be pretty hard-pressed to find anyone that's come as far as they have since she took over at South Carolina. You know, she's done it the right way. She didn't fall into this. She's earned it. Q. Two things. One is, if you go all the way to the last game, you will have played Duke, South Carolina, maybe Notre Dame, maybe Oregon, maybe Mississippi State. That's a lot of teams with a lot of caché. Do you just pull out the one-game-at-a-time philosophy at this point? Because looking at the big picture, that's kind of a lot. And also, what were you talking to Chrystal about? COACH GENO AURIEMMA: What was I talking to Chrystal about? I just reminded her that if she gets ten steals tomorrow, she'll move up to fourth in our starting lineup, and she was arcing with me, but I know I'm right. It's my daily dose of getting on someone's nerves. I can't go for more than an hour without doing that. Some roads are not as challenging as others, at times; it seems that way in the NCAA Tournament. Other times, it seems very, very daunting. You look back, and they are all difficult. What's going to be happening in the future is the really good teams are still going to be really good, but there's going to be a lot more surprise teams, like what you saw in Buffalo, Central Michigan and teams like that, because Oregon State showed up a couple years ago and they are back again, you know. So what seems like, well, they don't have a lot of pedigree; well, any more, it's not going to matter because all you have to do is win, get hot for six games. But there's been times when I've looked back on our NCAA Tournament run, and I think to myself, if we had to do this over again, I don't think we could do it. It's kind of -- I mean, our first National Championship in '95, our last four games, we beat Louisiana Tech, Virginia, Stanford and Tennessee. And you look back and say, well, do you think you could do that again? Probably not. But you don't realize it at the time because you're just trying to beat that one team, and that's kind of where it is today. I mean, we can't worry about who may be around next week. I mean, our world begins and ends tomorrow. Q. Gabby just sat up there and said, "Hey, the pressure is on us." There's a lot of athletes that sit there and come up with a lot of compromised answers. Do you like hearing one of your athletes just go, "Hey, the pressure is on us." COACH GENO AURIEMMA: Because she's telling the truth. I mean, what are you going to sit up here and make something up and pretend? There's no games you ever play at Connecticut where the pressure is not on you. To me, those teams that sit up here and those players that sit up here and go, there's no pressure on us, we have nothing to lose. Yeah, you do, you're going to lose the game tomorrow, if you talk like that. And most really good coaches and really good players, they don't try to avoid the pressure. They don't pretend it's not there. It's not there. And it's especially there at Connecticut. It's there the day you sign your letter of intent. It's there the day you show up on campus. It's there every day in practice, and every game you play. There's no getting around that. So when you get to a game like tomorrow, you know, this idea in people's mind: We're playing the defending national champions. Yeah, we won 12 of those. So everywhere we go, when people play us, it's, "We're playing Connecticut." That's what our kids live with every day, and the interesting part about it is they manage to be great in that environment. It's remarkable, I think. When you come to Connecticut and you realize there's nothing that you could do in your four years that hasn't already been done, I mean, unless you go undefeated all four years. Q. You had mentioned before, the comments yesterday that got a lot of play. I'm sure you've seen them now. COACH GENO AURIEMMA: Yeah, I recruited her when she was in high school. I'm old, huh. She played for Barb at Syracuse. She's a great kid. Q. Jamelle Elliott, a former African American who was let go, having success at Temple so far, do you think it's not fair for African American coaches to not have a chance to get hired if they don't succeed the first time and get fired; that want a chance to do well and if they don't, they may not get another shot? COACH GENO AURIEMMA: Yeah, I have a lot of thoughts on that, that may or may not be the right time, I don't know. I've been through a lot in my coaching career, you know, in the 30-some years. The way it goes, I think, is things go in cycles, and athletic directors and presidents, they look for the flavor of the month, you know. So what's popular these days: What can I do that's going to make me look good in my athletic department; or what does my president want me to do. I've had athletic directors call me and say, "Can you recommend five people for the job?" And I'll give them maybe some names and I'll go, "Well, my president told me I have to hire this." Like even before going in, they have already made a decision: This is what I have to hire, not I want to hire the best coach; I want to hire someone who can help us win. I want to hire someone who can build a program. I almost never get that. So a lot of kids like Jamelle and Felisha, and Barb will tell you this, as a former coach, a lot of kids get jobs they are not prepared for. Why? Because it looks good. So they are put in situations where they can't win. And then five years later they are fired, and go, see, I told you. Well, they had no chance right from the beginning, so nobody wants to give them a second chance. It's stupid. That's why I was talking about Dawn. You have to go to a place where if you screw up, it's not going to kill you. And, you have to be in a place where they support you and they will give you the opportunity, and then you've got to perform. But even if you do all that, there's no guarantees. And if you're good, you will get another opportunity. No question about that. And Jamelle will get another opportunity. Just like Felisha got another opportunity. Unfortunately too many young assistant coaches, doesn't matter what gender they are, what color they are, it doesn't matter. They take jobs where they can't win, just to be a head coach. You're not going to like them any more after you take the job. "But I need a job." "Well, okay, then take the job." And it doesn't ever work out. So, it's -- you know, I was lucky, when I got the job at the Connecticut in '85, one, they just wanted to make sure I have five guys on the court, and that was going to be a W for us. So if you take a job today in a big, like BCS school, the demands are huge in some places, and you've got to perform. And at other places, you take a job at a place like that, they don't care. They just want to go, like, listen, I've got a head football coach who is a pain in my ass; I've got a head men's basketball coach who is a pain in my ass. I don't need another one, so don't bother me. I'm not giving you anything more than what I have; just leave me alone. Am I right, Barb? Right. I'm lucky that I've been at a place where -- well, even at Connecticut, after we won the BIG EAST regular season championship, I said, "Can we get cheerleaders at our game"? "No." "How about five guys that play the flute?" "No." "This is New England. Can we get a guy with a drum?" (Laughter). "No." You need to be at a place where they are going to give you what you need and as you get better, they will give you a little more to be successful. But I think sometimes coaches are so anxious to be head coaches, and athletic directors are so anxious to hire what it going to look good, that too many mistakes are made on both ends. Q. When Dawn was on your staff with the Olympics, is the conversations with her or any of the other assistant coaches, specifically on your team and how to win or do guys get philosophical and talk about basketball in general? And if so, are the things that you helped her with and like maybe Apollo Creed in Rocky, did you tell her not quite everything? COACH GENO AURIEMMA: Well, I think every coach is somewhat suspicious. To me, I couldn't care less. You could ask me any question and I'll tell you what I think. And most coaches are kind of set in their ways. So with the Olympic Team, with my staff, I was fortunate the last time around. I know exactly how Doug thinks and he knows exactly how I think. Obviously I've known Cheryl for a long time and her success speaks for itself at the pro level. I was as much picking her brain as anything else. And with Dawn, I think it's more of a -- her style is more by, she wants to watch and she wants to see and she wants to take things in and study it. There isn't a lot of, hey, how do you do this. She wants to see how you do it, and then learn from that. And to me, you know, I'm trying to study everybody. That's just the way I am. Q. When the subject of pressure came up, she finished by saying, "If not, you know, our season's this or that." Given you are the State of Connecticut, things get cumulative. So it won't be just a question of the way one season, the way last year ended. Does it add to it or is all that in the past? COACH GENO AURIEMMA: Yeah, two years without winning a National Championship, I'll probably have to move from my house. Too many people know where I live, and we'll be like 70-2, and somebody will be out to get me; I'll have to change where I go to the store, all that stuff. Yeah, Connecticut -- well, first of all, if we don't win tomorrow night, there's not even any going back to Connecticut. The expectation level is so high, so high. But we created it, so I'm not -- you know, believe me, I'm far from complaining. I'd rather have that than some of the scenarios I described earlier where nobody cares. But it's unlike any place you've ever been. I want to go down and sit down with Nick Saban and say, how the hell do you do this. It's a different world. It's a different world. Q. A lot has changed since that first meeting. Specifically, A'ja Wilson's play. When you see her, what's special about her, and do you believe your team is going to be facing probably the best player in the country right now? COACH GENO AURIEMMA: I mean, I've been fortunate enough to coach a bunch of those players, so I knew what the other teams were up against when they were trying to figure out how to play against, you know, whether it was Stewy or Maya or any of those people. When you're getting ready to play somebody like A'Ja, I've been batting it back and forth. There's no easy answer. You can't say, well, let's not let her do this. I remember back in the day, people said, Bob Cousy could only dribble with his right hand. Yeah, but he's going to go wherever he wants to go and there's nothing you can do about it. There's thing things that A'ja Wilson does that you could say, "Well, we need to do something about that." Well, you can talk about it all you want. You still have to be able to stop it. Each year she's gotten a little bit better at figuring out what you're trying to do and has an answer for it, you know, with each time that we've played them, I've been able to see a difference. But it's still going to come down to her supporting cast, too. I don't think you're going to go into any tournament and play against us and think that one player by themselves is going to win the game. So for us, we've got to do a great job on her, but their supporting cast is pretty good. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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