NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - MIAMI HURRICANES VS OKLAHOMA STATE

March 17, 2023

Destiny Harden

Haley Cavinder

Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall

Miami Hurricanes

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by senior Haley Cavinder and graduate student, Destiny Harden. We will take questions in the room first and then followed by questions on Zoom. If you are joining us on Zoom, please use the hand raise feature and we will get to you.

Q. What's this journey been like the season leading up to this point and just how is it hearing your name called on Selection Sunday and getting in the bracket? How does it all come to be?

HALEY CAVINDER: It's been real exciting. Obviously I transferred here and just started this journey with this team and this coaching staff. It's been so exciting and so fun along the way and just blending with the team.

We have had a really successful season and being able to hear our names on Selection Sunday, this is the first time in March Madness tournament, so I'm really looking forward to it.

DESTINY HARDEN: Yeah. Just to piggyback of what Haley said, I think it's been fun. It has been fun learning from each other, a lot of new faces on the team. It has just been fun on and off the court and doing a lot of bonding things. And to hear our name called on Selection Sunday was exciting as you guys can see from watching ESPN. But we just are excited to be here, ready to play and ready to get some wins.

Q. What would you guys attribute to your team's success this year? What are the things that you think as a team you do well and what are the things you guys need to continue to build on to have success in the tournament?

HALEY CAVINDER: I think something that we bring is we are really well balanced. We have a lot of people that could step up. That's hard to scout. So just a very well-balanced team play and play really well together. I think we play really hard on the defensive end, and I think that we can just bring that into the tournament and just play good team basketball.

DESTINY HARDEN: She took my answer. I was going to say the same thing. Our bench is important to us. I think that's something that stands out with Miami basketball as anybody could have a night here. We are a very balanced team. We are very efficient on the defensive end. And if we bring that to the tournament, we will be a very hard team to beat.

Q. For both of you, Destiny, why don't you start. 15 days between games, what has this team focused on? What's been the mentality of this team leading up to not only Selection Sunday, but now being here at the site?

DESTINY HARDEN: Staying connected. It was a lot of off the court things, you know, just our chemistry that we have, a lot of practice that we had, just keeping our offensive efficient as we off for 15 days and just making sure we are still bonding and staying connected is the most important thing.

HALEY CAVINDER: Like Dez said, I think just taking the things we need to learn from the ACC Tournament and improving on them. Shifting our focus to the March Madness tournament and staying together and showing up every day in the last 15 days and just working on the things that need to be done is what we have been focusing on.

Q. There haven't been a lot of different starting line ups for you guys, but there have been a lot of different contributors. March Madness inherently is a place where the unsung hero usually helps you advance on.

Is there anyone specific person on the team that you could point out that's been that person all year that's kind of seemed to come up when you needed them or is there anybody else on the team you think deserves to get a little more credit than they do currently?

DESTINY HARDEN: The bench is -- you look at all of the people on the bench and all of them had a surprise game every single game in our ACC conference. So I don't want to just say one name because everybody had a surprise game every single game. That's why I said we are efficient off the bench. I don't want to just point to one person because anybody could have a night on our team, starters or the bench.

Q. Have you been able to take a moment to take everything in and just enjoy the experience or has it been kind of like a rush of -- even though you had the layoff between the end of the conference tournament and now, but have you been able to kind of take in the moment or kind of still a rush and getting ready for games and preparing for your next opponent?

HALEY CAVINDER: I think it's a little bit of both. Yesterday we got to go to the Monmouth game. That's when I was like, okay, it's March Madness time. But I think being present, being where my feet are, and just experience this all as a team I think is super exciting. But yeah, a lot bit of both I would say.

DESTINY HARDEN: I say a little bit of both, but more enjoy the moment right now. This being my last year, last dance, personally I have been taking it all in being with my team, being able to be around the coaches for the last dance and stuff like that.

But also knowing that it is my last and knowing that we can get a couple wins, you know, being in the number one seed, we kind of got that advantage about this, and so we are feeling kind of good.

Q. You are two of the more veteran players on this roster. It seems as if it's a graduate and a senior or a freshman and a sophomore. How have -- how have the older players on the roster been able to help the younger players maybe navigate some of the ups and downs of the season that you have seen so far?

DESTINY HARDEN: I would say not being too high, not being too low as a freshman or sophomore. They have a big game, they get a little big headed. You try to humble them down and say good job, and we have to keep pushing.

As being a veteran on the team, like I said, a lot of people that can do great stuff for us. So just keeping them high when they have to and not too low, but just definitely just stand together with them and lead them on the way.

HALEY CAVINDER: Yeah. I think I'm new here too, but I just tried to stay calm as a point guard, I think. That's what the team needs is staying together through the high and lows of the game and keeping everybody on the same page.

THE MODERATOR: Ladies, thank you for joining us.