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

March 22, 2019

Sylvia Hatchell

Waco, Texas

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by North Carolina head coach Sylvia Hatchell.

COACH HATCHELL: We're just glad to be here. Heard a lot about Baylor over the years. Known a lot of people who went to school here. Actually had a distant cousin that was in the registrar's office for many years. Everything I know about Baylor is all good up until now and I'm hoping it continues. I'm sure it will.

But we're just glad to be here. And I've known Kim a long time. I was actually on the staff at the Olympics when she was on the team. I've known her a long time. It's an honor and privilege to be here.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Just talk about bringing a group of players, first-time experience for all of them playing in this tournament, how do you prepare them for that?
COACH HATCHELL: Well, I think our conference prepares us well because our conference is pretty brutal. We've got No. 1 seeds in our conference, and we were fortunate to beat Notre Dame this year. But our conferences are really, really tough.

But just anyone can win in the NCAA. It's been proven time and time again. And these kids, they haven't been to an NCAA, but yet they are excited to be here. And like I said, I told them, I said, "Your competition in the NCAA will be like it has been in the conference." So I do think our conference has prepared us for what we're going to face.

Q. When you look at Cal and you look at Kristine and what she's done, 31 double-doubles in 31 games this year, I'm not asking for secrets, but how do you approach defending someone like that?
COACH HATCHELL: You pray a lot. She's tough, she's really tough. But she's one player. The game is played by five. But she's very, very good. Around the basket, you've got to try to box her out and keep her from getting all the rebounds she's used to getting. She's so good when she gets the ball down low.

But again we'll try different things defensively at her. And hopefully -- you're not going to stop a player like that. That reminds me of Turner when we played Notre Dame this year. She got, I think, 20 and 18, but that was a little bit less than her average.

So you're not going to stop a player like that. But you just try to control them a little bit and outscore them.

Q. You had those wins against Notre Dame and NC State in a pretty short time, close together. I know you've played other games since then, but how much confidence did that give this team and how much can you compare back on that at this point?
COACH HATCHELL: It gave them confidence because all year long I'd been telling them they were very good, even though wins and losses and didn't show that, because we had had a really, really tough schedule. I think it ended up being like fifth or sixth in the country and one time it was two and three.

But we had played some really good teams and a lot of them on the road. And we didn't have all the wins early on to show that. And then the conference schedule, four of our first six were on the road against -- at Louisville, Florida State, gosh. But then once, there in the middle of January, we won those games and we had some close games we pulled out.

But we've had some injuries that have cost us also. But I do think that once we got over the hump with those games that our kids gained a lot of confidence.

Q. You mentioned Kim. You've known her a long time, since she was a player. As you watched her as a coach, winning championship as a player and assistant, what she's built here at Baylor in nine years, what you might have seen in her as a player that might have seen this coming?
COACH HATCHELL: It's simple to say. She took her tenacity as a player, as a point guard in control, running the show out there, she just carried that into her coaching career. She coaches like she played -- relentless, fearless. I mean that's the way she was as a player. And she just carried her playing personality and tenacity and all that into her coaching. And I mean it's really simple.

Q. Is it harder said than done?
COACH HATCHELL: Well, yeah, because there's a lot of times great players don't always make great coaches. You've seen that lots of times. In fact, I think over history a lot of the kids that set on the bench -- we hear about Dean Smith all the time at North Carolina sitting on the bench at Kansas, and I could name several others, you know, that ended up being great coaches, but weren't necessarily the great players.

But Kim's done that. There have been several that have been the really great players that have gone into coaching. So she's done some great things for our game, no doubt about that.

Q. Shayla Bennett has been playing some of her best ball here down the stretch here. What have you seen from her growth and development just throughout the season really?
COACH HATCHELL: You're right. She's gotten better as we've moved along. And Shayla, she is -- I mean, she can do a lot of things out there, but she doesn't have to be in the limelight. And lots of times I've told her, Shayla, we need to you take over a little bit more. Shoot the open shot. Take the ball to the basket. Because she's very good at doing those things.

But she sort of at times let other people have the limelight. But we've needed her. And as I've challenged her to step up, she has done that. And it's just gotten better and better as we've moved along. And I think defensively she's really helped us a lot.

Q. It seems as the year's gone along, more players have stepped up as vocal leaders for this team. Who are some of those players and how have you seen leadership increase from within?
COACH HATCHELL: You're right. And you've experienced it in our film session before we came over today. Different ones are stepping up and speaking out. Because Paris is our only senior out there eligibility-wise, but we've had other ones that have stepped up.

And I think, they realize, I think, they sort of sit back, they don't want to take somebody else's limelight, but now I think as they sense that, especially as we move along and get in postseason play, they're stepping up more.

And it's not necessarily the ones that play that much, but other kids, more than anything else, just trying to be a great teammate and to motivate their teammates. And I've been really pleased with that. Like I said, we saw some of that in our film session before we came over here today.

We're just glad to be here, thanks to Baylor and all their hospitality and we look forward to playing.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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