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NCAA WOMEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: WACO

March 22, 2019

Waco, Texas

THE MODERATOR: Open the floor to questions.

Q. Asha and Kristine, talk about the familiarity of not only being back in the NCAA tournament, but being in a spot where you have played these games and just what it's like to be back here?
ASHA THOMAS: Definitely a blessing just to be in the NCAA tournament once again. Like you said, we've been here before. I guess you could say we know these rims a little bit more. We'll get used to it again.

Again, we're just glad to be here again.

KRISTINE ANIGWE: I don't know. I'm really grateful. Waco was really good to us when we played my sophomore year, two years ago. We beat LSU. (Indiscernible) had like sic 3s. Then we like got a Waco call to Baylor, and that kind of prepped us for the next season.

I just think that like not everyone gets this opportunity, and I'm really grateful to be here playing a really good team. North Carolina is really good. Should be a really good game.

Q. Kristine, can you tell me how this is different from when we saw you two years ago?
KRISTINE ANIGWE: Well, me and Asha are seniors and we got Recee as a grad transfer, so it's a little bit different vibe, a different feel, and it's more family based. I think we all really, really love and care for each other. We all have each other's backs.

All the seniors are really, really close, so it's really cool having that, growing together, learning from each other. I guess like the underclassmen are really looking up to us, so this game is just going to show our true potential and what we're about.

Q. Recee, talk about getting a chance to play in an NCAA tournament, and you get to do it in your home state to start it off. What's that like being back in Texas?
RECEE CALDWELL: It's a little bit surreal for me being in my first NCAA tournament and coming back to Baylor. I've played here multiple times being in the big 12 before. Brings a lot of familiarity for me. Just a great vibe all around. I love that I get to do it with this group, with Coach Gottlieb as our leader, and my sisters as I guess my teammates.

I just couldn't pick a better group to be a part of.

Q. How many family do you anticipate being here?
RECEE CALDWELL: 30 plus, 30 plus people. Not just even family. My dad's club team are based in San Antonio, so they'll make that three-hour drive. Really grateful that I get to play in front of family and friends.

Q. Asha, I've got to ask. We all know about your North Carolina connections. Talk about that a little bit and the irony of playing against a team you have a connection with because of your brother. I know you worked out there before. How different and strange is it going to be playing them in an NCAA tournament, and how many of those girls do you know?
ASHA THOMAS: I think this is probably one of the best days I'll have just because just our families are connecting, the program's families are connecting. I don't know. It's definitely a blessing. I don't know too many girls on the team, but just being the North Carolina connection, I don't know, I think it's fun for me.

I'm excited. I know my brother, he's going to cheer for us for sure. (Laughter.) I think it's probably going to be one of the best days of my life.

Q. When you first saw that bracket and saw what was going to happen, what was the initial thought? Was what kind of what it was, or take a minute to go, Wow?
ASHA THOMAS: No, I just started seizing once I heard it and I saw it on TV. I called my brother after that and he was just like, It's go time. Don't hold anything back. Play your game. Just do what have to do.

Q. Did you ever think about going North Carolina?
RECEE CALDWELL: No.

Q. Okay.
RECEE CALDWELL: No.

Q. So you like where you're at?
RECEE CALDWELL: Yeah.

Q. Asha, what do you remember about two years ago here? You obviously had a tremendous game against LSU; what do you remember? What do you hope it build on?
ASHA THOMAS: That was our first time, my first time, myself and Kristine's first time in a tournament. Never knew what it was like, the feel, the vibe. First game was a battle, which we expected.

Of course being a freshman, you don't know exactly what the first round is in the tournament. Shots started falling for myself, got going. Won the first round. Second round was Baylor. Touch team, tough players. Kristy Wallace, Alexis Jones, like that's a team right there.

And they gave it to us. We battled. But just the overall experience of the first two rounds was something that I probably never thought I would be in, but I'm glad I could play.

Q. Kristine, we look the a your numbers and see all the double-doubles. What is it you really appreciate about your game, and what is it that drives you to continue to do that? What does that streak mean to you?
KRISTINE ANIGWE: I don't know. Like, I mean, this time last year I wouldn't expect -- I didn't expect any of this. I was just trying to figure out what basketball itself meant to me.

I think this year kind of showed me that it's like bigger than me. Staying present, taking everything in. Just honestly being present is just so key. That's why the streak, when it was happening I wasn't really aware of it. I wasn't really trying to manifest that, because I wanted to stay present, take every game, every second playing with the Cal jersey, I wanted to appreciate that moment.

Again, like I said, I couldn't have been here without literally my teammates. I know a lot of people say that, but my teammates -- like part of my team are going to be my life for like ever, you know.

The connections we made this year with Recee, Asha, McKenzie, has impacted my life. I've never had teammates like them. This year is for everyone that believed in me, like truly, like my family, my friends that are part of my family, my coaches, everyone like literally. All the Cal family. So, yeah.

Q. Was there a point where you realized there was a streak? Somebody say something or just kind of keep playing?
ASHA THOMAS: Everyone is tweeting about it. I'm like, Okay, that's really cool. At the end everyone was like, You averaged 16 rebounds. I was like, What the hell? Sorry. I was like, I've never just -- like in the previous years I was just like, Okay. I'm 6'4". Everyone expects me to be on the glass, to rebound.

That means a lot to me. Just shows how much work I've put in and sometimes I don't give myself enough credit. I tend to overwork because I don't think I'm working enough. I think a lot of people on our team do that. Seeing the numbers show the effort that I put in in the summertime and my teammates helped me put in is a reflection of everyone that had my back.

It's bigger than me. I could not have done that without the people that I have in my life right now.

Q. Recee, you were talking a minute ago about your sisters in this group. Talk about engraining yourself in an established team knowing it's going to be a one-year thing and how that process has been and could it have gone any better than it has? Seems like it's gone pretty well for you.
RECEE CALDWELL: Yeah, I've had a relationship with a lot of my teammates. We were freshman playing in the Battle in the Boro. Really hot gym and she was giving us work. I've just known a lot of my teammates for a long time. I knew Kristine through USA Basketball for forever.

So coming in I wasn't new. It didn't feel new. Felt like I've had a connection with my teammates for a while now. The transition off the court seemed to be less. It wasn't any like gap time that I needed.

I would say on the court was more of a little bit of a transition for me. Off the court, I mean, it was all love.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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NCAA WOMEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: WACO

March 22, 2019

Recee Caldwell

Kristine Anigwe

Asha Thomas