NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - PRINCETON VS NC STATE

March 16, 2023

Wes Moore

Camille Hobby

Aziaha James

Jon M. Huntsman Center

NC State Wolfpack

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions for the student-athletes.

Q. Camille, this is your fourth straight tournament. You're starting this year at the center spot. This will be your fourth, coming on maybe your fifth, Sweet 16. Tell me how you are approaching it.

CAMILLE HOBBY: I think that we're just really excited. We know this is going to be a team effort and every team that's made the tournament deserves to be here and is extremely talented.

So we're just trying to go into it with a positive mindset and just be really excited that we are here.

Q. When you look at kind of the path getting here to the NCAA tournament, getting here to Salt Lake, what's really been kind of the defining characteristic of this team that's allowed you guys to have the success you've had this season?

AZIAHA JAMES: We had some downfalls during the season, but just building chemistry with each other and the bond and being positive and encourage each other in practice and stuff, just help us get that positive mindset, like she said, to do great in the NCAA tournament.

Q. This is your second tournament, but you're starting at the point guard position. How are you going to be approaching this? This is your second tournament. You went to the Final 8 last year and we are here. Tell me what your mindset is going into this tournament.

AZIAHA JAMES: Basically just being here for my teammates, for myself, as well. Just playing how coach wants us to play, but just having fun with it. So, yeah, just attacking it every day, every step of it, just one step at a time.

Q. Aziaha, I wanted to get your thoughts on your journey through this season as you've seen an increased role and how your role has grown throughout the year, what your mindset is.

AZIAHA JAMES: At the beginning of the season, I really wasn't really playing that much, but just keep practicing and working hard and stuff like that, just to get to the role that I am right now, just helping my teammates. And, yeah.

Q. Do you have a name for your patented fake pass?

AZIAHA JAMES: Well, coach calls it the wizard of Zaza.

Q. I was just thinking, can we call it the Zaza?

AZIAHA JAMES: Yeah.

Q. I know the ACC tournament didn't end how you wanted it to, but I was wondering how that extended period of time, those two weeks, kind of helped you all regroup and refocus for the tournament.

CAMILLE HOBBY: I think it just gave us some time to just think about the things that we want to do better. Obviously the ACC tournament is in the past and we just got to keep moving on from that. We learned a lot about ourselves and the team, even from the coaches. So we just kind of go forward from how we feel as players and just keep going. It's the only option we have at this point so, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you, guys. We'll bring up coach next.

(Pause.)

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions for Coach Wes Moore. Coach, if you would like to begin with an opening statement, and then we will take questions for from those in person and also media that is joining us via Zoom.

WES MOORE: Okay. Well, it's great to be here in Utah, a little bit of March gladness. We're excited about the opportunity. Obviously, a lot of good teams here, starting with Princeton and, obviously, Gardner-Webb. We could have flown out here with them, I guess. And Utah obviously has had a great year. So we're excited and looking forward to playing against Princeton.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. When you look at that first-round matchup with Princeton, Princeton has a history of success as a double-digit seed, what kind of stands out about that team and what makes them a dangerous matchup?

WES MOORE: Well, first of all, they have won 15 straight, so they have got a lot of momentum and they're playing really well right now. You're right, they have got a lot of post-season experience. So they're well coached, well prepared. I guess you start with the point guard, Chen, obviously had a great year, averaging 16 points a game and scores at all three levels. So you got to be concerned with that.

But I think their balance too. Just all their starters just about are nine or 10 points a game behind her, and so they're all a threat. So you can't just focus on her too much and let other people get going.

Then Mitchell, unbelievable on the offensive boards. I think 116 offensive rebounds this year is scary. So we'll have to try to limit their second shots.

But, yeah, I mean, again, we have -- we've been a little inconsistent this year, up-and-down, and so when that happens, you're going to play a really good team in the first round. So Princeton definitely fits that description.

Q. Flipping to the other side of the ball for Princeton, just curious what's most challenging preparing to play against the Princeton defense?

WES MOORE: Yeah, you know, our information that we use, Synergy Info and things like that, I think Princeton's defense is like 16th best in the country. They just do a great job of helping, getting in the gaps. They try -- for the most part they don't foul. They make you have to hit the shot. Again, great job on the defensive boards as well limiting you to one shot. But probably the biggest thing is just the help. I mean they're really aggressive helping from the weak side. So sometimes it's hard to see that person over there. So we're going to have to be very aware of that weak side help. And the pick on the ball, they will switch quite a bit, sometimes 1 through 4, sometimes 1 through 5. Will show big some with the 5. So again they keep you off balance, keep mixing up what they do and giving you different looks. So, yeah, very impressive defensive team.

Q. When you look at your back court and James and how she's progressed this year, what's kind of been the key to her evolution and her progression as the season's gone on?

WES MOORE: Yeah, you know, I'm old school, as you can tell. I'm used to you recruit high school kids and they come in and may take 'em a little while to make that jump from high school to this level of power 5 basketball. But I like seeing 'em develop and grow and then continue to expand their roles. Aziaha has done that partly because of her just pure talent, athleticism and ability to score the ball. She's done a lot of good things and obviously we're right now a little short handed and so really everyone on our roster is going to play a part and going to be important to our success ahead. So but, yeah, Aziaha's, her assist to turnover ratio is good. She scored at all three levels as well, being able to go off the bounce, the pull-up and also knock down the three. But, yeah, exciting to see her progression, even just this season from early in the year to where we are now.

Q. Two quick questions. I wanted to ask if there was any update on Diamond's availability for tomorrow.

WES MOORE: Yeah, not looking good. I think she's still experiencing pain. We'll see. But not progressing as quickly as we would like. So we may not have her available. So obviously our leading scorer, second team all ACC, definitely someone that makes a difference. But again, still experiencing some pain, I believe.

Q. You have three players on your team that have been to Sweet 16s and a Final 8. How is that experience going to help you in tomorrow's game against Princeton?

WES MOORE: Yeah, you hope that that does. Obviously having been here before, our seniors have been to the Sweet 16, or as you mentioned the Elite 8 the last three years. So they have had quite a bit of experience there. Most of the players that were here a year ago were with that Elite 8 team. Now, again, they're in different roles and have a lot more say in playing time and our performance out there. But I think it's a combination, that experience and then also our schedule. I mean, I think last time I checked we had the No. 2 strength of schedule in the country. So we have gone out and played some great teams. You hope that that helps you as well. But this is a new season. So in some ways you toss all that out and it's who comes with the passion and the energy and competes. Because it's win or go home. So it's a different level. But, yes, hopefully that experience helps our whole team maybe feel a little more comfortable.

Q. After the Syracuse game you said you really liked the team's energy. Then the next game you said maybe not so much. How has the team's energy been recently in the practices leading up to this week?

WES MOORE: I think our practices have been good. After going back and looking at the film from the Syracuse game, I mean from the Notre Dame game, you know, I might have been a little bit hard. I mean, I do think it was obviously a disappointing day for us. I felt like the Syracuse game we came out and played really well and then for whatever reason -- but part of that is we just didn't shoot the ball as well in the Notre Dame game. Obviously we let one of their players have a big game and that always disappoints you. You got to be able to play good enough team defense that one player doesn't dominate the game. So, but, yeah, our practices have been good. We gave 'em a little bit of time off. We came back in and shot and lifted and things like that a day or two. Then we had a couple of practices where we could really focus on us before the bracket came out. We knew who we were playing and now we've had a couple of days to focus on Princeton. So, yeah, I think it's been good. I think the energy's been good. We're excited about being here. Like I said, you only get so many of these opportunities. You can say, well, we didn't have the year we wanted, especially in conference play, again, we were on a little bit with a roller coaster, but at the end of the day we are here and we're still playing and there's probably, you know, 275, 280 teams that would love to be in our situation. So we're excited about playing.

THE MODERATOR: All right, thank you.