NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - IOWA STATE VS UT ARLINGTON

March 17, 2022

Ashley Joens

Emily Ryan

Bill Fennelly

Iowa State Cyclones

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're now joined by sophomore Emily Ryan and senior Ashley Joens from Iowa State University. If you have a question, please raise your hand.

Q. This is for Ashley and Emily. I believe over the summer or the off-season, Coach Fennelly or maybe it was one of you guys put up the score of the Texas A&M game on the scoreboard and left it on at the practice facility. Is that right?

ASHLEY JOENS: Yeah, Coach Fennelly had the score up on the scoreboard during our practices, and on the back of our shirts, it said "Remember the Alamo," and had the score on it.

So just kind of a mental reminder of where we were last year and kind of what we don't want to do this year and just taking that next step forward and use it as motivation.

Q. That was during summer workouts?

ASHLEY JOENS: Yeah.

Q. How much did that motivate you guys? This is for both of you. To, I guess, like you had said, not have that happen again?

EMILY RYAN: Just knowing how close we were to winning that game last year and how it made us focus on how important the little things are. That's something we focused on a lot this summer, is that any little play or any little detail can change the outcome of the game.

So having that reminder just was something that was in the back of our mind all summer and kept us motivated.

Q. Ashley, do you have anything to add to that?

ASHLEY JOENS: Just kind of what Emily said, just knowing that you have to play till the very end and every little thing in the game matters. You just have to go out and play as hard as you can and really buy into the scouting report.

Q. Ashley, you talked a lot about what it means to host these first two rounds. You often talk, all of you guys, talk about not taking anything for granted. Just how special is that knowing that you not only have the fan support for you guys, but these are women's basketball fans that are going to show up for probably a lot of these games, for all of them?

ASHLEY JOENS: It's really great we get to host. We have some of the best fans in the country. Just to be able to play at Hilton again and get our fans in here. I know they're excited and we're excited. It will be a lot of fun, and we just have to focus in and get ready to play.

Q. Ashley, this is kind of more so for you. I know you guys draw a lot of motivation from that game in San Antonio last year. If you could kind of go back to 2019 when you guys hosted here and lost to Missouri State in the round of 32, does that kind of stay in your mind and keep the motivation of like nothing is guaranteed in this tournament, it's still a tournament at the end of the day?

ASHLEY JOENS: Yeah, for sure. You remember all the little plays and everything that happens, but you can't really dwell on it. You have to continue moving on and trying to get better. So just knowing that you can't take any team for granted. Every team is going to go out and give everything you have. You have to do the same, go out and compete. Like I said, focus on our scouting report and come ready to go.

Q. I pretty much know how you're going to answer this based on what you were just talking about, about not looking past anybody. It's impossible for everybody else not to see Greensboro lurking, a possible final showdown. Have you guys caught yourself at all or anybody else on the team like, hey let's make it and maybe see Iowa or anything like that?

EMILY RYAN: That's honestly not anything we're focused on at all. We're really focused on UT-Arlington and preparing the best we can for them and trying to win that game. That's our biggest focus right now.

ASHLEY JOENS: Yeah, like Emily said, we have UT-Arlington first. You can't overlook them. They're a good team. So we just have to focus on that right now and get ready to play for that one.

Q. For Emily and Ashley, what has the scout revealed about UT-Arlington and what they've got and kind of what you have to be concerned with?

EMILY RYAN: They're a really talented team. They're in the NCAA Tournament for a reason. They won their conference tournament easily. They didn't have any trouble. They have the conference Player of the Year on their team as well.

We're going to have to really focus and play our scout team and do what we can to limit what they do best and see what that takes us.

Q. This is for either of you guys. Have you looked at Starr Jacobs for UT-Arlington at all? I know your game plan kind of surrounds they've got a star player that produces a lot of scoring. We're going to let them get theirs and kind of focus on everyone around them. Have you guys looked at how you're going to approach that?

ASHLEY JOENS: We've scouted, and we know she's a really good player. So we just have to stay in front of her and kind of limit her shots, box out and rebound. I think that's the big thing. Also getting rebounds, helping us get some defensive rebounds to use in our offense as well.

EMILY RYAN: Starr Jacobs is obviously a great player. Like I mentioned, Player of the Year in their conference. We know we have to focus really hard on her. It's not just her either. They have a lot of solid pieces around her, too. So we really have to focus in on each individual person and try to take away their strengths.

Q. What's it like getting to play knowing that -- you guys are a top ten program. Everyone is watching you all season long, but this is the NCAA Tournament. It seems like the bright lights are really shining. As a competitor, does it add a little more juice to you, and what's this experience going to be like, do you think?

EMILY RYAN: Yeah, it's going to be really fun just to have the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament. That's something you dream of growing up. So having this opportunity is really special, and to be able to do it in front of Hilton makes it even more special. So just having this opportunity, I know as a team we're going to be focused on the task at hand, but we're going to enjoy the moment as well.

Q. Ashley, how has Emily's game changed from last year to this year, just in terms of -- on offense especially, just in terms of getting everyone the ball in the right spot because it's really fun to watch her passing.

ASHLEY JOENS: Emily has done a great job. She's always in the gym trying to get better, and you can really see that. Her confidence is really high right now. She does an amazing job of understanding the game and knowing when she needs to score, when to get someone the ball at the right time.

I think just watching her grow from last year to this year has been a lot of fun. It's a lot of fun playing with her.

Q. Is there any emotional hangover from Kansas City from the way you guys lost to Texas at all?

ASHLEY JOENS: Not necessarily. It's a new season really. You've got to learn from what happened in the Texas game and use that to help us as we move forward, knowing that, when you lose, you're done, and you just have to go into every game like it could be your last and give it everything you have.

THE MODERATOR: Let's get started. Coach, if you'd like to begin with an opening statement.

BILL FENNELLY: Beyond excited to be in this situation. It never gets old, certainly what we've all been through the last couple years, to be back to a normal NCAA setting. We have a lot of kids that haven't had this experience, so it's a great thing, honor to host it.

Certainly last thing is I just cannot thank the staff here enough. The amount of work they have put in and to also have the First Four game last night, no one does it better. No one does it better than Iowa State and the staff here. So I really appreciate their work. Hopefully, it will be a great weekend for all the teams that are here.

Q. Bill, we asked the student-athletes about keeping up that A&M score, I think in the summer. I know you intended that as motivation, not like, gosh, you guys messed up. How do you feel about that? I know signs have been a big thing for you throughout your career. How do you feel it was a nice way to kind of ease them into this season and get them focused on the long task at hand?

BILL FENNELLY: I think with the score and the T-shirts and the signs, some teams, that's a reminder of a negative. I think this group, it was more of a reminder of possibilities and opportunities that we didn't take advantage of, and I think our team understands that, and certainly the leadership of our team understands it.

So it was just one of those things that just literally we decided to try it. We asked them about it. They seemed very receptive. So we kind of went with it.

I got tired of looking at it, to be honest with you (laughter). It was there all year. I could look out my window and see it for I don't know how many months.

Q. That was just for the summer workouts and everything?

BILL FENNELLY: Yeah, we put it up there -- we made T-shirts, Remember the Alamo, and we put the score everywhere. It was just a reminder during the summer, there's no one around. It's just us. It's not any fun. We started June 13th, and you're sitting there going all this work that we're going to put in to hopefully be here today.

It's just something that just gave them a visual of why am I doing this every single day in June, in July, in August? To our kids' credit, we got to this point.

Q. I know a lot's been made about what type of matchup you may have with UT-Arlington now that you've gotten a chance to break down the film, what are you seeing, and how do you feel about the way they match up with you?

BILL FENNELLY: I think the two things right off the bat for me, they're very old, like a lot of teams in this tournament. Everyone's a senior except for Starr Jacobs, I think is a redshirt junior, so they're a very mature team. And then Jacobs is a handful, the kind of post player we see in our league. She can score it. I think she averages 21 points a game, shoots a ton of free throws.

Coach Wright has done an amazing job. I'm glad the coaches don't have to play each other. That would be a mismatch. I'd get killed.

But I think the way they play, they change defenses, switch a lot. Not a lot of the things that we've seen in the Big 12, but certainly their maturity, and when you have a star-caliber player -- no pun intended. Her name is Starr Jacobs -- you have a chance to do some big things.

Our kids are excited. It's fun to play someone different than what you've seen in the Big 12 twice a year and sometimes three times. Hopefully we'll have a good day at practice today and stay awake until 9:00 tomorrow night. I mean, it's 1:00, and I'm like are we ready to go yet? We still have eight hours to go. Yeah, that one's going to be hard.

Emily Ryan's in bed at 9:00. We've got to figure something out here (laughter).

Q. Speaking of Starr Jacobs, I know your game plan with dynamic scorers like that is you're going to let them get theirs and focus on those around her. Have you looked at anything like that that deviates from a normal game plan for you? I guess, how are you going to attack her?

BILL FENNELLY: No, we're not going to do a lot of stuff different. I think that sometimes as a coach, myself, you overthink things. There's a reason we're here and a reason we're 26-6. Let's not get too crazy here.

But we've got to be smart. I think there's a lot of things that are different. The number one thing is the officiating could be different. You could see people that you've never seen before.

So you've got to be smart, and the number one thing you look at is you've got to keep people off the free-throw line, especially a kid like Jacobs. We've done an amazing job over the years of not being a team that fouls people, and those are things that you have to really believe in and practice and focus on.

Yeah, that's the way we play, but you have to reinforce that with your team, I think, when you get into the postseason and really -- again, it goes back to our thing. Embrace who you are and don't apologize for what you're not. That's what we're going to try and do tomorrow night.

Q. You said you get tired of looking at that Texas A&M score from last year. I kind of wanted to draw on that Missouri State game from a couple years ago. Does it kind of serve those two things -- I know you're not going to overlook any team, and your team's not going to overlook any team, but does that serve as like a motivation or a constant reminder that anything can happen in this tournament?

BILL FENNELLY: I don't know so much about the Missouri State thing. I think anyone who follows college basketball or sport knows that anything can happen. That's the beauty of this event, and that's -- the March Madness part, the madness is what this is about. And whether it's the men's side, the women's side, we've all seen it. We've all been a part of it.

The thing that I tell our players every year when we get into this situation is you just want to play as hard as you can, play as well as you can so that when, obviously, at some point the season does end, you feel like you played the best you could play.

Everyone in this tournament is going to lose except for one team at the end. We all know that. So just don't walk out of -- I'm a big what if person. No what ifs. Avoid the what ifs in your life as much as you can. For us, that means show up, play hard, give our fans what they deserve, and we'll have a good crowd, and we appreciate that. That's basically what we're going to be about.

Q. What does it mean to you and your team to be playing these games in Hilton?

BILL FENNELLY: It's phenomenal. I think the chance to play at home is great, but I think for us it's a great way to showcase our university, our community, on a national stage. I think it says a lot about our fan base. I think it says a lot about our team. I think it says a lot about the commitment our university and our department's made to our program, not just this year, but forever.

I think, as I said at the beginning, that's why we run these events better than anyone else. We know how to do it. We have people that are committed to it. Our players, it's fun to -- and I think the other thing that's fun is to walk in and even though it's home, it's like you got some new furniture. Got some cute little signs everywhere, and there's all kinds of stuff in the locker room. It's like, when I leave town and I come home, my wife bought something else while I was out recruiting for a month.

But it's a combination of both. It's great to be here, but it's great that it's different. I don't know if I explained that right. It's really, damn, this is so cool. I just think this is like the greatest thing ever. Sorry. Yeah, you guys know me.

Q. I agree with you. It's fun to see. The food they're serving us is great.

BILL FENNELLY: See, exactly. See? Whatever we can do to make you guys happy.

Q. We appreciate it. Emily Ryan, 11 assists away from the school's all-time single season record. I didn't realize she was so close.

BILL FENNELLY: I didn't either.

Q. Looking at the game, though, since she already has the single-game record, how is she able to set her teammates up so well at such a young age, and also what does it do for the offense?

BILL FENNELLY: Emily Ryan is -- I've said this many times, I think if you defined, Googled, whatever, point guard, it's a picture of her. The way she cares about her teammates, the way she understands the way we need to play, the trust that she has from her teammates, from her coaches, is amazing. The kid just -- I don't want to say the hardest. That's not fair. There's never been a player that's worked harder to be a great player than Emily Ryan.

Every single morning she's in the gym, but she's the kind of kid that you want to -- you know, the whole coach on the court thing, she's pretty good. Pretty good.

Q. We saw you guys play a really physical game with Texas. Is there a happy medium that you would like that to translate over into the next game? Obviously, UTA plays a different style of basketball, but is there a happy medium how you'd like to see them, how that translates to the next game?

BILL FENNELLY: I think for us it's about playing the game with some flow, trying to learn to play through contact a little bit better. I thought we did it better in that game. The first two times we played Texas, we did not do it, and that was my fault. I didn't have them ready to do the things we needed to do. I thought we did in the tournament. Obviously disappointed in the outcome, but I thought we handled it better. I thought we helped each other better.

I thought -- when you play against pressure defensive teams, everyone's like, well, it's the quarterback's fault. Well, someone needs to block for the quarterback. Or it's the point guard's fault. Well, someone needs to get open. So I thought we did a better job of that.

And if we can do that tomorrow night, you're right, Arlington doesn't play that -- but it's still, you've still got to get into your offense better. You've got to have a little bit of flow, and I think that game hopefully, even though we lost, we lost the game, I think we learned a lot from it. I really do.

Q. Have you noticed the success that you guys have had this season having an impact when you've gone out and recruited throughout the year?

BILL FENNELLY: Yeah, I think it's helped some. I think, to be honest with you, our recruiting has benefited because of the longevity of our success. When you start talking about stability and the way our university embraces our program, the leadership of our university, our community, all those things go into it. But sure, this year has given us another boost.

And I think as a whole, as a university, it started in the fall with what Coach Campbell's team and with what T.J.'s doing and what wrestling's doing, and all of that stuff just adds to what we can say to a prospective student-athlete and their parents about this is an opportunity for you.

So we've gotten a little extra certainly this year, but I think it's been pretty consistent, hopefully.

Q. You've coached for a couple of years now.

BILL FENNELLY: Thank you. That's very nice (laughter).

Q. Is there a type of brand of basketball that you see that comes out of the Sun Belt where UTA, are they kind of unique at all? Are you used to playing teams from the Sun Belt at all and what type of basketball they play?

BILL FENNELLY: No, we haven't really played a lot of Sun Belt teams. I think what you see is they're very athletic. They like to pressure the ball. You might have a little bit of undersized post players, but usually very skilled point guard play.

The really good teams that come out of the Sun Belt is like Troy last year, like UTA this year, experienced, rebound the ball well. Even though undersized, their guards historically are guards that can rebound and invert their offense a little bit more. And usually they'll have like the Milton kid, a dynamic point guard that can get you off the bounce. That seems to be the kind of teams that we've seen over the years.

I know Troy had an amazing game against A&M last year, so I think that, even though we haven't played a lot of them, that's the style that seems to be more prevalent in that league.