NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - UNLV VS ARIZONA

March 19, 2022

Essence Booker

Lindy LaRocque

Khayla Rooks

Desi-Rae Young

UNLV Lady Rebels

Media Conference

Arizona 72, UNLV 67

LINDY LA ROCQUE: First off, what a tremendous basketball game and atmosphere. This is March, and it was everything that you pay for in your ticket. Arizona is a fabulous team. I think Adia has done such a good job, and again, they played in the National Championship game for a reason.

I think they really came at us with everything that they had. Obviously they have a great crowd here.

But really proud of our team. I think we made them really nervous, and we left it all out there for them, too, and I know they felt that.

But more than anything, just extremely proud of our group. Obviously this one stings pretty bad. But we're going to use this as fuel to the fire because this is where we belong, and I think we showed a lot of people that, too.

I'm excited about the work that we're going to do now from here, but just reflecting on such a special season, it's been really special and a heck of a ride with a really, really fun group, and I wouldn't trade any one of them in the world for anyone else, taller, faster, whatever. I'd hand-pick this group just the way we did because we were able to do some really, really special things. Champions they are, in life, and we are on the court, and no one can take that away from us.

Q. Desi, you put in quite a shift today. You were out there flexing for the crowd, doing everything in the post. Did you feel like you had something to prove going into the game today?

DESI-RAE YOUNG: No, I don't. I just knew it was going to be high energy and I wanted to bring energy for my team and for our supporters that were there.

Q. Khayla, we saw you after you checked out hug Alyssa Durazo-Frescas and kind of watch the last minute go down. You've obviously had a fantastic career, but looking back on the season, how special has it been?

KHAYLA ROOKS: This was definitely my best and most favorite college year. This team is special. This coaching staff is special, supporting staff is amazing. I'm so blessed to be here. I'm so blessed to be a part of it, and I'm happy I got to finish my basketball career out with these amazing people in my life.

Q. Khayla, to follow up on that, again being able to end your career here, obviously you didn't want to end your career here, but just to be able to play in McKale Center again, did your family come here? Just your experience overall.

KHAYLA ROOKS: Yeah, my mom made it and my dad's sister, my aunt made it. It was definitely a really special game, very high emotions for me just being here and playing in my dad's house. Yeah, I would say it was definitely a special game most definitely. If I had to end my career anywhere, it's a special place to end it for sure.

Q. Khayla, what kind of legacy do you hope to have left with this program? I know it was short, but you seemed to clearly have had an impact on the other players on this roster.

KHAYLA ROOKS: Shoot, I just wanted to be the best teammate I could possibly be and help set the winning culture. I definitely came here to win, and I know that all the girls also came here to win, so just helping set the winning culture and having fun with them alongside me was kind of what I hoped to leave.

Q. When Lindy got there and recruited you to UNLV, could you have envisioned being here at this point two years from the point that you started with them, to be in March Madness and kind of where do you think you can continue to go from here?

DESI-RAE YOUNG: I think it's amazing just to be able to be coached by Coach Lindy, someone who was at Stanford, and they won many, many games, many, many National Championships, so Coach Lindy is definitely someone that I am proud to be under.

I think we're going to go further and further and we're going to win in one of these years, and I want to be a part of that.

Q. Essence, Arizona had that trap and it seemed like it really threw the guard play off a little bit. What was it they were doing in particular that made it hard just to bring the ball up the court?

ESSENCE BOOKER: Honestly I think we were prepared for the trap. I feel like the coaching staff emphasized how aggressive the trap was going to be beforehand, so honestly we expected it, and I felt like we did a great job taking care of the ball when it came to the trap. There's a few plays that I feel like we'd want back, but I don't think it was in regards to a trap, I just felt like as far as defense went, when we got a defensive board, pushing in transition. I mean, our team is really good at pushing in transition. I feel like every time I did try to push in transition or Kiara Jackson did, there was someone in our face, so just like zigzag up the court trying to take care of the ball every second of the game.

Q. Essence, what did you think about Alyssa's play today? She hit some big shots for you guys and she's been doing that all year but for her to do it on this stage as a freshman, what does it say about her?

ESSENCE BOOKER: She's tough and I feel like our coaching staff and players including myself emphasize that and try to push her every day. I felt like Lindy and I told her a few times to shoot the ball. We don't care if it goes in at this point. We all believe it's going in. I'm sure people in the stands believe it's going in, as well. After seeing her shoot tonight, who wouldn't.

Q. Essence and Khayla, since you've transferred into this program, can you compare anything that you guys have played in to the atmosphere here tonight, and does that have an impact on a player maybe as a good thing, as an opponent sometimes?

KHAYLA ROOKS: The atmosphere is definitely incredible. I think the Arizona community definitely comes and supports their team, and that's special. It was fun to play in an environment like that, especially going back and forth and silencing the crowd was definitely a good feeling.

Definitely a different experience from when I was playing at UW, so I definitely have appreciated this last time playing here.

ESSENCE BOOKER: The crowd was definitely high intensity. I don't think I've played in an environment like that besides maybe the state championship of high school. But it would be great for this to be a standard and hopefully at UNLV we can continue to build our fan base and one day it could be that high intensity, as well.

Q. There's a chance that a lot of people tuned in tonight that haven't seen you guys play before. What do you hope a national audience takes away from what this team is and who you guys are as players?

KHAYLA ROOKS: I hope they know who we are now. This team is special, and they're going to make big noise next year and years to come. I hope we're on everybody's radar now.

ESSENCE BOOKER: For me one of my personal goals was just to try to put Las Vegas on the map, wherever I go, whether it was at Spring Valley or UNLV, and I felt like being from Vegas, speaking for me and Desi, I feel like it's special, being on the national stage, playing on ESPN, and it's building women's basketball, and that's another goal of mine personally is just to get more crowd, fan base, as far as women's basketball goes.

DESI-RAE YOUNG: I'm just glad they know we're not the underdog no more.

Q. Essence, about three minutes left in the fourth quarter you and Kiara Jackson had a moment with Coach Lindy. What was her message to you? You had a couple turnovers prior to that. What was her message to you to settle you down?

ESSENCE BOOKER: I wasn't doing a very good job at helping with the ball. I felt like I was kind of drawing stuff up and preaching a message to my other guards but I wasn't doing it myself.

Lindy just reiterated that to me and I told Kiara I apologize, that's my bad, and it won't happen again, so that was our conversation.

Q. How do you use this, you and Desi are the face of Las Vegas, face of UNLV basketball right now. How do you use this as motivation to promote UNLV basketball to the city for the players to take it serious from now on?

ESSENCE BOOKER: Well, obviously with the season we had I feel like it's a standard now as Lindy mentioned before. I don't feel like there's a lot of pressure but I feel like it is what is expected. We need to win, so obviously we want to prove that it's not a fluke that we got here, so next year we've got to come out here and do the same thing. We've got to have another great season and we've got to try to get to the tournament, and we're definitely going to get past round one.

Q. Speaking of fan base and the crowd, you guys did have a lot of supporters out there. What does that mean to you that they came here to see you and support you?

ESSENCE BOOKER: I mean, I feel like I've been emphasizing a lot that our fan base has grown since the beginning of the season, and just to see them travel on the road, a big game, and I felt like we filled up a big part of the stands and knowing that they're there, we heard them tonight, and we're just grateful. If anything, we're grateful and we appreciate them coming, and they're definitely going to do some traveling next year.

Q. Lindy, when you have two players that are Vegas born, Vegas bred that give the message they just gave, what does that do you to you as a coach? What's the emotions and reaction to something like that?

LINDY LA ROCQUE: Well, I mean, even though we lost I'm just sitting here beaming with joy and pride for being able to coach these young women and see their growth and maturity. They're just such a joy to be around.

What they said, it speaks for itself. I'm right there with them, Las Vegas born and bred. Maybe they hear me say that a lot so they're just re-saying it. But it's true. It's true. It's not something that we just talk the talk. We walk the walk.

So we're really proud of our community and what we've been able to do, and I think the biggest thing, you felt it from them of we're just scratching the surface and we're taking that with us. We're taking the fuel from this loss with us, to work, to promote and be even better moving forward.

Q. When you played, you played in some pretty raucous environments. I was at the game at Maples when you guys ended UConn's streak back in the day. What does playing against that environment change? When you have that as a support, what's the difference when you have it in your favor versus when you're battling against it?

LINDY LA ROCQUE: Well, I just think, A, what an incredible experience for young women to be a part of, and then obviously when they're not cheering for you, I think that makes you feel some type of way, too, and be really motivated to keep them quiet or to play well. I think our team felt that.

I don't know if the crowd gave them any points tonight. I think they got loud a few times, and we felt that. They kind of make momentum swings more drastic. I think that's what a crowd does.

So we felt that, obviously, especially in the fourth quarter, and we had a little bit of trouble taking care of the ball and missed a couple shots that we normally do. But those are kind of a little bit more in our control, but just what a great crowd. Like you said, I've played in some good crowds. What they've been able to build and do here, it's really awesome.

Q. Nneka barely played in the second half. It looked like she was kind of -- that knee kind of seemed like it was bothering her. What happened, and how did that change your game plan for the second half?

LINDY LA ROCQUE: Yeah, I think she kind of got a knee to the quad, like a charley horse thing. It happened right in front of our bench. Those don't feel good.

Especially we got going there in the third quarter, and so not saving any minutes for the next game. Desi was playing well, Khayla was out there, so then just kind of some different rotation things happened. She came in and I think gave us some big buckets, so it wasn't really anything intentional. Her kind of getting gimpy there didn't help, but Desi was doing the job, so we just kind of rode with her until some of the foul stuff took over.

Q. Pretty much all season long this team has kind of battled first-quarter woes. Kind of the exact opposite tonight; the team was strong to start the game, fourth quarter kind of tailed off. What did you see early in the game and what was clicking for you and what switched in that fourth quarter?

LINDY LA ROCQUE: Well, we were really confident. I think I know better than anyone, this is a good shooter's gym, so I was like, man, it would be really nice to come out here and make our first couple shots, and defensively I think we really were solid. Proud of that. And then able to convert offensively. I think we had a good idea of what they were going to do defensively, so I think we were really prepared. I thought in general our team was really, really prepared.

Their size and strength and athleticism I do think kind of wore us down, just wore us down mentally, physically. Their guards are big, and for Essence and Kiara to have someone in your face 94 feet for 40 minutes, that's exhausting. I was kind of tired watching them, like ooh, I can't use all my time-outs.

So I think that kind of overwhelmed us there in the fourth quarter.

Then again, a ball bounce, a made shot here or there, it can kind of change the tide, and that's just kind of how it went.

Q. You just mentioned Kiara just a second ago, and Andy actually brought up Alyssa earlier. Considering the season did come to an end today, the third quarter was probably led by those two freshmen. Can you talk about how beneficial it is for them to get this opportunity at this moment considering the next three years that they have with you?

LINDY LA ROCQUE: You think about a national television audience and a lot of new faces probably watching us. I think they can tell that the future is bright for the Lady Rebels with Kiara and Alyssa obviously out there kind of leading that charge in the third quarter for sure. Just really proud of them. What a great environment for young players, and the best thing is when we're here again next year they're going to have this experience, and they're going to be even better.

Q. Lindy, what are you going to remember most about this season?

LINDY LA ROCQUE: Oh, wow. Trying to pull at my heart strings? You know, there's just times in your life when you get kind of a synergy of the right people around you that you just know something special is working and coming together.

I think I felt it all year with this group, even when some of the early games we were struggling. I just had this sense that this group is really special because they're great young women first. They have such honestly polarizing personalities, and I'm like, how do they get along, and they love each other. We got some of the most quiet people I've ever been around and then you've got someone like Desi that is like a bigger personality than the room.

Yet they will go to war and fight and just love on each other more than anyone.

I think it just -- obviously I'm really sad it's over. That's probably my overwhelming feeling.

Q. I hate to get all futuristic on you since the season just ended, but what is the next step for this program in your eyes?

LINDY LA ROCQUE: Well, Essence touched on it a little bit. This is our standard of expectation where we expect to be and I think we showed everyone that we deserved to be there today.

But there is some work involved of like this isn't a fluke. Again, to win a championship one time, is it hard? Yes. To win it multiple times? That's the true test of consistency and champions.

Going into next year we're probably going to have the biggest target on our back, and then you have to learn how to handle that, to work through that and play with that, too, and so our next step is we know we belong here, we have to continue to work to be here and take it even to the next level.

Q. How would you describe Desi's performance today?

LINDY LA ROCQUE: I mean, she's just a warrior. A warrior really. I think she drew like 10 fouls. She was making shots. She was getting banged. She just is relentless. She's relentless.

We talk a lot about doing whatever it takes, and Desi had that look in her eye of I'm going to do whatever it takes, rebounding, obviously scoring and just being physical. She was really good tonight.

Q. I know Khayla has only been here for one year, but what has she meant to this program and the culture that you're trying to build here?

LINDY LA ROCQUE: Man, you know, Khayla has been -- they nickname her The Grandma. But she's that -- everything of that and more. We don't do really anything that we've done this year without Khayla, and I think if you know basketball, if you watch a lot of basketball, you see that. Was she our highest rebounder, scorer? No. But her IQ out there, she just has such a calming presence, especially when Essence early on in the year was trying to figure out this whole point guard thing that I was pushing her to do. Khayla is kind of another point guard brain out there.

So just what a crucial, crucial piece to what we've got going, and she's left a heck of a legacy. Appreciate you asking those questions.

That's our job for next year. That's a really big void because it's not just about skill set. But it's leadership, and it's maturity, and the good thing is everyone on our team is going to be older, more experienced, have this experience, and so we are going to probably not just fill her role with one person and change them out like laundry. But it's going to be collectively everyone filling that role that she gave us this year.

Q. When you get hired here two years ago, could you envision leading in the fourth quarter in an NCAA Tournament game this quickly to be at this point when if you kind of look back at what you've been able to build here this quickly?

LINDY LA ROCQUE: Yes. Yes. I believe in this place, our team, our program, our university. Yes. I believed I was going to be here, we were going to be here. That was our goal. That's what we worked for. We were right there knocking on the door.