PAC-12 CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 4, 2021

Mark Trakh

USC Trojans

Postgame Press Conference

Stanford 92, USC 53

MARK TRAKH: Stanford is an outstanding team. That looks like a team that can vie for the National Championship. They did a heck of a job. They're deep. They're long. They can shoot. They've got everything on that team. Hats off to them. They did a heck of a job.

My team, I didn't feel that we quit at all today. We played hard. The ball just didn't go in the hole. It went in the hole yesterday. We couldn't make a basket today. But we might have been a little tired. It was a tough, physical game against Arizona State.

But I'm proud of my team. I'm proud of what they did this year. We won nine basketball games, had a ton of injuries; we had people coming in and out of the lineup. We could never really practice our full team. Started the season with seven players and intermittently added people to the roster, but that's difficult because you've got to integrate one player every two or three weeks is what we did.

Considering everything they've been through, I'm really proud of our kids. I'm proud of how disciplined they've been throughout this COVID and doing the COVID protocols and everything that they did. I'm really proud of my kids. I really love this team. I love what they're doing. I just think our future is good. We've got all this team coming back. We've got a good recruiting class coming in. I'm really looking forward to what this program can do in the next three years.

Q. Just what were some of the best examples of toughness that you saw from your team today?

MARK TRAKH: You know, the fact that they really -- we weren't making shots, but we didn't let that dictate our energy or our -- they made shots, and they're a great team, but even though we were missing a lot of shots, we stayed focused and we had energy and we fought.

That was a 39-point loss, but it wasn't -- I just think they might have been 39 points better than us today. It's not the fact that our kids stopped competing or stopped playing or stopped playing hard, and I think that really showed a growth in our team today.

Q. You had some big ups this season. What was the most impressive moment of the season for you?

MARK TRAKH: You know, I think the two Arizona State games and the two Washington State games. I thought we played really, really well. And the two wins. We lost to Arizona State. It's two really good teams, two very well-coached teams, and I love the way our kids executed in those four games against quality opponents.

I think those four games would be the highlight of our season right now.

Q. We saw you talking with Tara after. What was that conversation like with her?

MARK TRAKH: Oh, just told her she had a great team. I wished her luck and said, Go out and win the National Championship, because I really believe that they're that good. I've got a ton of respect for her. She's such a class act on and off the floor. I've learned a lot from her, watching her teams.

Just sincerely wanted her to go out and win the National Championship for the Pac-12 because that team is really, really good and it's really, really well-coached. Best of luck to them. I think they're going to do great.