NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - GEORGIA VS FLORIDA STATE

March 16, 2023

Brooke Wyckoff

Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Florida State Seminoles

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, at this time we're joined by Florida State head Coach Brooke Wyckoff.

Questions.

Q. Wanted to ask about Ta'Niya. Was there something that was expected or is this something that kind of came out of nowhere? I don't think she competed in the ACC tournament as well.

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Uh-huh, yeah, it was something that kind of cropped up right before the ACC tournament. She was day to day. It was not a season-ending injury.

But at this point, you know, our medical team and our group as a whole, along with Ta'Niya, just decided that she wouldn't be ready for this tournament unfortunately.

So we're going to miss her, but still really excited about this matchup and this opportunity and ready to go.

Q. Coach, you played at Florida State. Served under Coach Sue Semrau. What sort of things have you taken from her and put through your program? What are the things that might look similar to us?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Wow, so much. You know, I played for Coach Sue. She's been one of my mentors, closest people in my life. I worked for her as an assistant coach for 11 years, so there are a lot of similarities in our program now.

Basically, you know, the foundation of our program is the same that it's been since I was a freshman a Florida State, which was Coach Sue's first year. That is that we are about people first. It's person first, student second, athlete third. That's how we've always been and that's what was important to Coach Sue. That's who we are today.

Basketball-wise, that's always something that's changed just based on timing and personnel and all those things. But Coach Sue always also was just adamant that defense and especially rebounding is what wins. (Smiling.)

That's definitely what I still believe today and where we put our emphasis as well every day on the court.

Q. How does the loss of Ta'Niya change your team and how that void be filled?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Yeah, well, it won't change anything that we do stylistically. Ta'Niya is obviously a huge piece of what we have done. She's a talented scorer.

She is a talented scorer and all around player, but stylistically in our approach to the game, which is to get out and run, attack the basket, find open shooters, of course that won't change in terms of what we do.

We have a lot of other amazing weapons on the team that can do just that, and have been doing it all season. And so we'll just have to continue to do that. And, again, for us and to be able to win an NCAA tournament it's going to be about the defensive end, defending Georgia, and finishing with a rebound so we can get out and run.

So that won't change either.

Q. Coach, does Georgia remind you of a team you've played or just are they just sort of an SEC-style bunch?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Yeah, both. We a have a lot of 1-2-2, or 3-2 zone throughout the season, especially even in our ACC play. So we have faced that defense before. But they are a big, strong, powerful, what you would call a typical SEC team in my mind. Two big posts, looking to pound the ball inside, looking to get the ball inside off penetration.

And so it is a mix of both. So in the ACC you don't see personnel-wise that type of team very often, but we have faced that defense, so we feel good about some of the experience we've had getting reps against a 3-2.

Q. Georgia has I think ten newcomers. Does that show on film or are they more cohesive than that?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: I think most of their newcomers came from the team they had at UCF, which is a very successful team under Coach Abe there, NCAA tournament team. Went deep in the tournament last year. These are really good players and they showed that in the SEC.

They are very cohesive, as you said. I think they're a great team that to me looks like a team that's been together for years and experienced and know who they are.

And so Coach Abe has done an amazing job taking that group of players and having success in the SEC. They have that NCAA tournament experience, so, again, they're dangerous.

Q. Another question about Ta'Niya. Is this something that's going to require surgery and is this like a lower leg injury or kind of a general area that you can describe?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: I can't speak to the injury at all. I'm sorry. We're just not at the point where we're going to talk about what kind of injury it is.

THE MODERATOR: Do we have anywhere additional questions?

Q. Does your philosophy in practice change when you have a pretty short bench with two fewer players against a very physical Georgia team?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Fortunately or unfortunately, we've been in this situation before throughout the season. We've been down to 8 players at certain times, so that's one of the things that I love about our group, is that we only have 10, but I feel that -- I've always felt we're deep. Any of those 10 are capable and ready to step in and play and give valuable minutes.

And so we're back to that again where we take who we have on any given day and go out and do what we do. So our philosophically hasn't changed at all as I said earlier. We have to be the best versions of us and understanding that, yes, it's going to be physical. This is NCAA tournament time.

So those 8 players are going to really need to be ready to give it their all and know it's going to be 40 minutes of physical basketball game.

Q. After not finishing the season in the ACC tournament like you would've hoped, what have you done the last week and a half to regroup and refocus to get ready for the NCAA tournament?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: We spent a lot of time getting rest, physically, mentally, emotionally, and also just focusing on what's in front of us, which is an amazing opportunity.

We are celebrating the fact that we've had an amazing season. We finished better than anyone expected us to and we accomplished a lot, and so this is the NCAA tournament. It's a new season, as they say. We've been focused on what's ahead and the opportunity that we have as a 7 seed here to see what we can do in the first and second rounds.

Q. Final question: Gordon started in place of Latson in the ACC tournament. What's the plan with both out?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Yeah, what I just said is that we've been in this situation before where different players have had to step in and play somewhat of a different role than they may have been playing recently.

Again, we always have risen to the challenge and we have plenty of personnel ready to step in and fill those roles.

THE MODERATOR: All right, thank you, Coach, for joining us today.