NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL SEMIFINAL - NORTH CAROLINA VS SOUTH CAROLINA

March 24, 2022

Aliyah Boston

Zia Cooke

Greensboro Coliseum

South Carolina Gamecocks

Sweet 16 Media Conference

Q. Hello, Zia and Aliyah. Your defense these first couple of -- your defense all year has been great. These first couple of tournament games it's been at a different level. Dawn said earlier, hey, you know, the bottom line is if you don't learn how to play defense the way she wants, you probably are not going to see a lot of time on the court. Did you guys come here knowing that, and how have you kind of dealt with the idea of upping your defense year after year after year?

ALIYAH BOSTON: I think coming into college you know that defense is a big part of the game, and learning Coach Staley's defensive system is pretty simple. It just takes a lot of communication, so just being able to do that.

Then every year you just have to continue to talk and make sure that you are able to direct newcomers that are just coming into the system. In the tournament you know that defense is a big part. You need to be able to stop the other team in scoring, so we take pride in that making sure we're getting defensive stops.

ZIA COOKE: I agree. I think coming into college I knew defense was something we were going to have to be real good at, but I definitely think communication is key to when it comes to good defensive teams.

Just knowing where you need to go, knowing when you need to get in help, knowing when you have to go over screens, go under. Knowing those things is what makes great defensive teams, and I think since we're older now, we know what it's all about to play defense, and it's just all coming together at this point.

Q. Zia, Aliyah, both of you had tournament experience last year. Got to experience the tournament last year. I wanted to ask what were some of the things you guys learned from that experience, and then with the younger players on the team, what are some things you were telling them as far as staying engaged and staying locked in and maybe even ramping up play as we get deeper in the tournament?

ZIA COOKE: I think, number one for me is just the recovery part. I think it was last year I know for sure my body was really, really tired, so this year I just try to make sure I'm getting that recovery part in, just doing all the little things to keep my body prepared, and then as far as just being on the court, just going out there and playing like it's your last every single time you step on the floor because it is your last.

It could either be your last or you could keep going, but just to continue to stay motivated because we have been before, so we know what it's like to get there. That's definitely my motivation to know that we are a good enough team to get there, and we have added way more pieces to this team, so I think we have a pretty good advantage at it.

Definitely for me I'm definitely motivated from last year's season to know that we are capable of doing it, but just making sure we knock it all the way out this time.

ALIYAH BOSTON: And also just knowing the margin of error in games just gets smaller as you continue to move up, so just being able to take care of the ball and execute on offense.

Q. Against Miami, as you mentioned, they kind of packed the paint and were able to deny those entry passes. Do you think you're going to see something similar from a UNC, and can you just kind of generally compare and contrast the talent on both teams?

ALIYAH BOSTON: I think both teams were pretty talented. I think UNC is just going to be really physical; Miami packed the paint. I'm not sure if UNC will do that, but if they do, we're still going to attack and we're going to knock down our outside shots.

So I think our offensive execution is continuing to get better, and we're going to be able to do that tomorrow.

ZIA COOKE: For me I've just been emphasizing on sharing the ball. I think that's going to be super important for us, and that's a tangible for us to make sure we're sharing the ball, seeing our teammates, seeing the weak side of the floor. Just making it easier for ourselves when it comes to scoring and not making it hard.

Q. For each athlete, there's a big banner behind you that says March Madness and that's a big change for this tournament. What have either of you noticed to this point in the tournament that is different in how the women's tournament athletes are being treated?

ALIYAH BOSTON: Yeah, just thinking back to last year because that was really our first tournament. At first it was like NCAA Women's Basketball, but now all the gear that we've gotten says March Madness, so that's definitely a plus.

Haven't really seen too much on social media about anything that the men have gotten that we haven't, and so I definitely think that that's better.

ZIA COOKE: Well said. I agree.

Q. Good morning, ladies. This is for both of you. You've been number one all season long. Tell us a little bit about the pride that comes with that, but also the pressure and the burden. As you get deeper in this tournament, does that pressure, the burden, does that become heavier?

ZIA COOKE: For me, I think I say this a lot. I really don't think about us being number one. Like, of course, we are number one, but it's not something that stays on my mind. The only thing I care about is winning, and as long as you continue to win, you will be number one, but the rankings is something that I don't pay too much attention to.

I just try to pay attention to our team and do everything we need to do to win.

ALIYAH BOSTON: I agree with that. And just being number one, I don't think it comes as a burden. I think that's just something special that we're blessed with the entire season. And so it's just like Zia said, we're just really focused on making sure we continue to get better as a team and continue to play.

Q. In this regional, two of the top four seeds didn't make it. What does that say about the parity in the women's game, the parity in the NCAA Tournament that you have to bring it every night, or else you might be on the outside instead of inside?

ZIA COOKE: You got it. Go ahead.

ALIYAH BOSTON: I think that just says what March is all about. I mean, every team is coming to play, and you just have to be ready. You can't take any team for granted.

And so you just go into the game with your game plan and just making sure that you're focused because no one is just coming to get walked on.

ZIA COOKE: Agreed. (Laughing).

Q. For both of you, I wanted to ask about the Slam cover and what it felt like to be on the cover of that magazine.

ZIA COOKE: For me personally that was a great experience. We were able to get in that girly side, you know, get our makeup done, and I think that was real nice for us, so I really appreciate Slam for giving us the opportunity. Especially during March Madness for us to be on the cover, I think that was awesome.

I definitely enjoyed that moment, and it was a lot of fun.

ALIYAH BOSTON: I second that. (Laughing).

Q. Kind of a random question, but obviously, in this era you are able to make money, NIL, things like that. Destanni has her clothing line. Just curious your thoughts on her clothing line and kind of seeing that and her starting that and whether she's hooked you up with some merch or if you guys are promoting for her?

ALIYAH BOSTON: I'm really proud of Henny for what she's done starting a company in college, a clothing company at that. I mean, it's pretty hard and she's done a great job. You see people around town wearing her clothes and you see her going to FedEx to ship the clothes off.

It's just exciting because she's able to -- she's making money off of something that she enjoys and something that she's passionate about, so I'm just really happy for her.

ZIA COOKE: I think Henny is super, super dope. A fun fact for me about her process is that she started it before NIL. Not getting paid for it. She was just doing that foundation for herself because she knew at some point she will be able to sell her clothes.

I think that's just -- that's a Wonder Woman move right there, to be able to start your business just because you know one day you will be able to attack it and go ahead and sell your clothes.

So I think watching her continue to come up with these nice clothes and sell them, I done seen them all over the world. I've seen them on TikTok. People DM'ing me about how can they get her clothes. I think that's going to be an everlasting brand for her.

Q. What does your fan support mean to you, and what's the relationship like for this team with its fan base?

ALIYAH BOSTON: Yeah, the fans are really special. No matter where we travel we have Gamecock fans in the crowd, and it just means a lot because they will fight for us no matter what. It's just really special to be able to hear them every other night. Well, every night.

ZIA COOKE: I agree. I definitely appreciate all our fans. Since my freshman year they've always been there for us. I have even created some relationships with some of our fans. Even some of our fans, like I can look in the stands and I know exactly who they are.

So it shows that they're committed to us. They want the best for us. It's a beautiful thing for us.

Q. This is for both of you. Zia, you spoke about how physically taxing this tournament can be, but I know so much that be talked about mental health in sports, and just how mentally taxing can this event be when the entire country is watching and what do you do to take care of your minds during this event?

ZIA COOKE: I think, honestly, at this point it's all mental because physically you're going to be tired. Of course, you can do everything you can do game by game to keep your body together, but I think mentally you have to be there at all times, because at any time -- even in the game, it's times where we could be down, but we have to stay mentally strong to know that we can get back up and vice versa.

I definitely think the mental part is the most important part when it comes to this because you're getting towards the end of the season, so your body might want to say I don't want to do it, but you have to be mentally strong and know that you have to continue to push through.

ALIYAH BOSTON: I think also mentally strong when things aren't going your way in the game for you personally. Zia said like we could be down and maybe you are trying to score, but you are not hitting your shots. Just trying not to put that much pressure on yourself as well would be important.

Q. Speaking of the NIL, how has it been for you both to kind of navigate that this season? Coach said she sat you down at the beginning of the year and kind of helped connect you with agents if that was something you were interested in, and kind of hoped that they would take care of that. I wondered what have you been looking for for brands and for relationships, and how hard has it been to navigate the first year of this?

ZIA COOKE: Go ahead.

ALIYAH BOSTON: For me, I signed with an agent, and so she's been doing a really great job of helping me navigate through this process. She talks to me about different brands she's reached out to us, and she kind of handles all that. My focus is just trying to make sure that we're continuing to play, because Coach told us at the beginning of the season, Don't let anything come in between us and winning a National Championship.

And that includes NIL, because my mindset is if you are just continuing to kill on the court, then you won't have any issues off the court.

ZIA COOKE: I agree. I also signed with an agent. She's been doing a good job just handling everything for me. The only time I really deal with NIL is on off days. For anything else I'm always worried about the court, and that's why I think it's super important that you create and you have people around you that know what your responsibilities are and they handle anything else besides every besides that.

So definitely having my agent and my parents around to help me with NIL so I can just focus on basketball.

Q. What stands out to you guys about North Carolina and what challenges do you expect from them tomorrow night?

ZIA COOKE: For me, I think they're going to be super, super physical. That's definitely what I think. So we definitely have to be able to get to our be spots to where we know they'll play us.

Just be ready for physical play. Don't foul them. Don't bail them out, and just attack them. Just be physical with them the same way they'll be with us.

ALIYAH BOSTON: I agree. I think physicality is going to be something they're going to try to do. We're going to do the same thing back.