NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - SACRAMENTO STATE VS UCLA

March 17, 2023

Mark Campbell

Kahlaijah Dean

Isnelle Natabou

Pauley Pavilion

Sacramento State Hornets

Media Conference

Q. How does it feel to get here when two years ago, the program had three years, and now you're in the tournament for the first time?

ISNELLE NATABOU: It feels amazing. I feel blessed that I am part of Hornets family, Hornets Nation. It feels surreal but at the same time it feels like all the dreams that all the players have. I am very grateful for this opportunity to have a chance to fight alongside with the great schools and great players with my Hornets, my coaching staff and my great team. So it's wonderful.

KAHLAIJAH DEAN: I agree. It's very surreal, very exciting. Truly a blessing being able to make it this far and continue to build history with Sac State.

Q. You've known Cori for a long time. Just what's it going to be like going against her as a head coach?

MARK CAMPBELL: Cori is a mentor, a close friend. She's built one of the best programs in women's college basketball and excited to compete against her and her program. This is just a really neat opportunity. Like they said, we are very grateful to be here.

Q. How would you guys describe your style? I've heard kind of ball control, slow tempo and everything. Is that an apt description?

MARK CAMPBELL: Right now, we are fifth in the country in three-point percentage. We're 12th in the country in field goal percentage. We have led the country in pick-and-rolls. So we spread the court and play four-out. Give Izzy space and give her a chance to post up, and we give Kahlaijah a chance to be a playmaker. So that's how I describe it.

ISNELLE NATABOU: For me it all comes back to what Coach started teaching us during the summer. All players need to find what they feel most comfortable in, their identity in the game, and Coach inspired us to help us develop our game. From our confidence, from what we know, what we feel comfortable doing on the court, we just help each other carry the game.

KAHLAIJAH DEAN: It's an offense that allows you to play whatever the defense gives you. It's not really set in stone or you're just making reads on the court. Everybody gets a chance to, once you have the ball in your hand and yeah for the most part it's a really good offense.

Q. What's it like, Sac State in the past year, really the profile of the school athletically has grown. Football had a nice run and, now with you guys in the tournament, what's the whole run been like?

MARK CAMPBELL: This is what we came here for. We thought Sac State had an opportunity to be something special. It's a beautiful campus. 30,000 students; football had been winning; basketball had been winning, and it was a program that it needed to be fixed. It needed to be rejuvenated and it's why all three of us came here because we thought there was a lot of potential and it's happened quickly. Probably quicker than we all thought. But this is -- get to go play March Madness is why we came.