NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL FOUR: UCONN VS SOUTH CAROLINA

April 2, 2022

Aaliyah Edwards

Target Center

UConn Huskies

Finals Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Go ahead and start.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Oh, my gosh, it's unreal to be in a championship game. But a collegiate championship game... . It's what I've been training for since coming to college. It's amazing to be in this moment.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: It took a lot. My inner circle, my family. Going back to my impact team, my first competitive team. It took from that start all the way to the people who I've been around who have helped me, supported me, believed in me, also just believing in myself.

I think family is my motivator, my inspiration. But I'm glad to be here with my team.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: It's definitely not giving her second chances. Double-double threat. She's going to get her points. Also trying to get her rebounds.

I think just the mindset of us is just boxing her out, limiting her touches down low, limiting second-shot opportunities.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Yes. Oh, it was just amazing just to have her because we know we're a full team again. We've been through a lot of ups and downs this season.

I think her just being able to be on the bench with us, cheering us on, supporting us in person is just amazing. We love to have her back.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Yeah, I'm super stoked that Danielle would come. We sent her a little video surprising her. That was nice. She was very excited. She screamed a little bit.

But, no, I think my favorite memory of her, she always had a lot of energy, high motor. I think she just brightens up our team, just brings a lot of positive energy that we love.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: It's amazing. I think that as a team we're not only just playing for ourselves, but we're playing for, like, our alums. Those people who have been in this position or those who haven't been in the championship game, but we're part of the program. I think it's bigger than ourselves. We want this as bad as we want it.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: There's too many to choose from. I would maybe say like a Drake song or a Big Sean song, yeah.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Oh, no, I think that we were just excited to move forward from the Final Four and actually have a chance to win the national title.

At the same time job's not done yet. We still have one more game to go. I think last night we were happy, living in the moment. But today we got to get the work done and be prepared for tomorrow.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: That's out of my era (laughter). Purple rain. My favorite color is purple so I'll go with Purple Rain (smiling).

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Yeah, no, she's been a great addition to the program this year. I think she focuses on the little things, our footwork, how we move, how agile we are, linear, also side to side.

I think on pre-season we focused a lot on our stance, just being very solid so that we could prepare ourselves to be in this championship game. So I think she's done a great job with us this season. She brings a lot of energy in the weight room, which we all love, and we feed off of her.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Yeah, this season, you know, we had a lot of adversity. We faced a lot of adversities. Individually I wasn't perfect. It was up and down. But neither is any other student-athlete.

But I think that my mindset throughout the whole season was just being relentless, knowing that when the time comes I know that I can step up and do what my coach and my teammates need me to.

Q. How satisfying is it to see everybody pick their spots to step up?

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Amazing. Basketball is a team sport. As our motto is, everybody eats. I think our team is very deep. What's so special about our team is that everyone is contributing something at some point of the game.

I think that's crucial for us tomorrow, and what we've been doing defensively and offensively.

Q. How excited were you to see finally Olivia get going?

AALIYAH EDWARDS: It was great. She was a big body down there. She grinded it out. I'm just proud of what she was able to do to help us be successful yesterday.

Q. Is there nervousness or pressure or are you excited for the challenge?

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I'm excited for the challenge. Me and Aliyah have been playing against from each other, being with the national team. I think just going into the game, mindset of being prepared, just being ready for tomorrow.

Q. What has the team learned, what you've picked up throughout the time sense playing them, and in the post what makes you more prepared to take this on?

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I think our focus is just limiting second shots, second-chance opportunities. Rebounding is going to be a big factor. Also just playing smart down low in the paint.

A lot of their touches, a lot of their offense goes through inside-out game. I think just limiting their touches in there.

We faced a lot of adversities. I'm sure it's going to be a grind-out game tomorrow. Just being able to, you know, be smart.

Q. Do you feel more prepared to take this on?

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Oh, yeah. It's a big game, for the title. Laying it all out on the court.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: It's been great. Paige brings a lot of different energy, leadership to this team. When she was injured, she was still bringing that from a distance.

To have her back on the court is great because our whole team is basically together minus D and Aubrey. It just shows how resilient we are as a team.

Q. Do you feel you'll have a home-crowd advantage?

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I mean, she's bringing a lot of fans because this is her home court or her hometown. It's great to just be here. I've never been here before. It's amazing.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I think it's maybe nothing that we haven't seen before this season. A lot of different teams have thrown a lot of different defenses at us. It's just about being prepared for what they're going to throw at us and executing it offensively.

Q. You've played a lot of physical games lately. Has that prepared you for playing against them?

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Yes. I think since the UCF game we can handle anything at this point. It also shows, like, the resilience, as I was mentioning, of our team. We're going down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter, but it's just about execution, who is going to be able to pull through.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Well, you know, it's definitely the double-double threat. She's aggressive on the boards, aggressive inside. It's just about limiting her touches inside and also not giving them second-shot opportunities.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I think that we've grown in just how together we are towards the end of the season. The start of the season, that was maybe our fourth game or so. We've got a feel for each other. We kind of know what complements who, who likes to play off this or this. I think that just by knowing each other individually and personnel, we can play that to our strengths.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Absolutely. Mental toughness is always there because of everything we've been through. I think that we're still proving that we can handle any challenge.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Coach, we always say a lot of tough love. I think that's a key factor for him and how the UConn program is. We're able to attack any challenge and overcome any challenge and be kind of that relentless player that I am. Just attack mentality. Being a smart pro athlete.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Like individually?

Q. (No microphone.).

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Yeah. I think it was, like, maybe a couple games before the Big East tournament, knowing how crucial my team needs me and how crucial coach needs me to be impactful on the court both offensively and defensively.

We had the Big East playoffs, then the NCAA tournament. We were trying to achieve a goal going into the championship game today.

I think I just really need to step up and I changed my mindset.

Q. Did he talk to you?

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Yeah, we've had many conversations. As I said, he wants me to be impactful on the court, so...

Q. You're going to be practicing in front of fans.

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Open practice is going to be different. I think this whole experience for me is kind of like my first NCAA tournament in a sense because last year we were in the bubble, so no fans. Everything we're doing off the court has been a bit different, the hotel, the practice schedule.

You know, it's fun. I love the fans. Bring a lot of energy, a lot of Husky Nation have come to support us. You can feel the love on the court.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Yeah, I think Paige has gotten a lot of opportunities, taking advantage of it. I think also at the same time I think as a team the focus has just been basketball and UConn and how we can do everything we can do to achieve our goal this season.

I think that's definitely in the back of our mind, being that community-oriented player. But at the same time I think we're trying to achieve the goal.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I think what's going to be similar to tomorrow from the last time we played South Carolina is just, you know, they have that same kind of mentality. They're resilient. You can see that on the boards. You can see that on their defense. You can see that when they pressured us as well.

I think us just playing smart, executing the things we need to do offensively. Then defensively locking down on D.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I think it's been a bit quiet now. I think we're both competitive, both love the sport. It's going to be fun to play against each other instead of on the same team, the national team.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I know how crucial it is for me to be on the court rather than be on the bench with fouls. I know that coach needs me to be in the game, not in foul trouble.

I think that going into the second half, I was just playing smarter, hands up, not giving the ref an opportunity to even make a call.

I think I was just playing smarter. The movements I was doing, but also being aggressive.

Q. Have you felt yourself growing as the game goes on? You play your best basketball at the end.

AALIYAH EDWARDS: You know, Kobe is my favorite player. Grew up watching Kobe. He's a clutch player. Fourth quarters were when he thrived. That's just how I look at myself as a player. I'm relentless. When the time comes, when you need me to make a big play, I'll make a big play.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Oh, absolutely, from many years ago, yeah (smiling). Grew up watching, so...

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: It would be amazing. I think I've worked so hard off the court, with my teammates, but not even like with my family and my inner circle, we've worked so hard in the gym, grinding it out. My work ethic has been so high that, you know, I think that I deserve this, our team deserves this. We're going to do everything we can to go win it tomorrow.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: It was a bit hard. I knew I needed it so we could come we freshed today with a game plan, be prepared for tomorrow.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I'd say limit second-chance opportunities. They thrive on that. Aliyah being a threat with the double-doubles that she's done so great throughout the whole season. Just limiting her with her rebounds and also touches down low.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I think that it just shows that we're built for this and we're built for this moment. Any challenge that you throw at us, we're going to find a way.

At the same time I think that it comes from the inner team. We're locked in. We are resilient. We're really built for this.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Yeah, I always tell her all the time that she's a big guard. Even though she may be undersized, she does play very physical. She plays with heart. She gets it done.

I think on that block we were all hyped, kind of like a momentum shift for us. It was great that we can make those little plays to in the end win the game.

Can you repeat your other question?

Q. (No microphone.).

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Oh, absolutely. Right, yeah. I think when she went down, we all felt something because she's the one who would get right back up when she falls down. We all felt sorry for her because she's a crucial part of this team.

When we actually saw she was with the team, we felt whole again. It just made the energy and kind of the vibes on the team even much more better.

Q. How did you get through the tough start of the season?

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Me as a player, you know, I don't tend to dwell on what happened in the past. Looking more into the future and seeing what I need to get done, having that relentless mindset.

No matter what happened at the start of the season, I knew that my teammates needed more from me. Especially coach, had a lot of conversations with him. I needed to be more impactful both offensively and defensively. Crucially he needs me to step up.

I just had a mindset shift and came when crucial parts of the season mattered.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Maybe like the Tennessee game or, like, a couple games before the Big East tournament. It was around that time, playoff time.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Not really. I would say that I had a great experience with the Olympic team, Olympic Canadian team. I was with them from June all the way till, like, mid August. I had about two weeks before I had to come to campus.

It was a long summer, but I learned a lot. It was just a lot of basketball. I think that it plays into this season. I'm just used to playing through some stuff and all the challenges that we're facing.

Q. (Question about practices.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I just remember the practices were just intense. We focused on effective and efficient we were doing things, maybe like footwork, defense, harped on defense a lot.

Other than that I think the focus on the coaches were just to kind of make sure that we're, like, resilient mindset so that that situation could happen again throughout the season.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Right.

Q. What do you guys like to do for fun? What kind of games do you play?

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I would say off the court we just like hang out. We like to hang out. Might go like out to dinner, do TikToks together, play games like Uno. We just like to be around each other. We all live together, so it's great.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I think definitely when we had a lot of injuries, we had to kind of shift, like, how we practice because we were limited bodies, shift how we played in games. We kind of went through a couple weeks where, you know, we had to really start over when we were two months into the season. I think that was really the hardest part for our team.

In the end that really made us, like, have a stronger core, I believe.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I think everyone every day tried to, like, motivate each other. We're going through it right now, but it will get better. Just got to tough it out, grind it out, live in the moment, not dwell on the past, not think too much into the future, just be present.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I think just everyone played their part in that. Obviously the upperclassmen saying we can get back to it. I think the sophomore class, as well. We were grinding it out.

We had a COVID season last year, we can get through it this season.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I mean, coach is obviously passionate.

I think just really remember it was just being very strategic on, like, our defense, how we're moving, footwork-wise, positioning. A lot of breakdown stuff.

As I said, it was just more to make sure that situation doesn't happen and kind of built that resilient mindset.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I think that every game we go into since, like, we've been through all those adversities and challenges with the injuries, we just take every game and we be prepared and present in the moment. We're not thinking we're better than this team, we're going to blow this team by 40.

I think this year especially showed throughout all of the teams in the NCAA, that anyone's beatable or anyone could come up big and be a hot hand this game.

I don't think we took any game lightly. I think this season, what's different from us is we're just attacking it better.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I mean, I love our upperclassmen. It's going to be sad to see them go. I'd rather have them go out with a national championship than with nothing.

So I'm going to play my hardest for them. I think that everyone on the team is going to play for them, also play for ourselves, because we've been grinding this out for the whole season, all the practices, everything we've faced, it's all for this moment. I think that's our mindset going into the game.

We're trying to make history because UConn hasn't been in this position like, what, six years, so we're excited.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: Coach, a lot of tough love. I love challenges. I think that it makes you a better player. It turns you into a pro. At the end of the day I want to become a pro at the end of my senior year.

I believe in him, that he can turn me into a pro. What he does for the program is, you know, preparing us for that big stage after a college career.

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: I don't think so. He's always very passionate in how he coaches. I think that in practice is where he prepares you the most so that in big games you already know how to deal with it, how to deal with pressure, how to deal with the fans, how to deal with the big moment, like the storm. I think that's what helps us become the team that we are, so...

Q. (No microphone.)

AALIYAH EDWARDS: It prepared us so much. You always need to go through lows to gain those highs. I think from those lows, we learned a lot about ourselves individually but also collectively as a team, and showed how bigger and greater we could be come everyone was back.

I think once we all got back, we were all on the same page.