NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - OLE MISS VS STANFORD

March 18, 2023

Yolett McPhee-McCuin

Madison Scott

Marquesha Davis

Maples Pavilion

Ole Miss Rebels

Media Conference

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

Q. Madison, when you guys are able to rebound like you did yesterday, I'm sure that you guys are happy. I know Coach was extremely excited about it. But how much of a challenge will this Stanford team present in trying to replicate the type of rebounding numbers that you guys typically get?

MADISON SCOTT: Well, we know that they rebound. When we get a stop and then we rebound, it fuels our offense, it fuels our transition game. We want to run and share the ball. That's how we play. So tomorrow we're just going to do our best to rebound and do what we've been doing all season long.

Q. For both of you guys, just how are you going to be able to stay as physical against a team like Stanford? They're a bigger team than Gonzaga. Just what's your takeaway from their physicality and size as a team?

MADISON SCOTT: Definitely, you know, they're big. But we play in the a SEC, and I can honestly say that the SEC prepares us for big moments, for big games. This is March, so we're going to play as tough as we can and do what we came here to do. We're going to play together and try to get a win tomorrow.

Q. Madison, you come into this program with 0-16 in SEC play, last year make the first round, now the second round. Can you speak to the growth of the program and also where you feel like you fit into that development.

MADISON SCOTT: Definitely. The growth has been tremendous. We get better every year. It's been amazing to be a part of something that's bigger than myself. We're not done. We're still growing each and every day, each and every practice, and there's still a lot more for us to do and a lot more for us to accomplish.

So I'm excited to be a part of it. I thank God, I thank Coach, for all the opportunity, and I thank my teammates. Like I said, we have a lot more to do. There's still a lot more in store for us, so I'm just excited to be a part of it and looking forward to what the future holds.

Q. When you made the choice to transfer here from Arkansas to be at this stage, I know you guys at Arkansas had success when were you there, but what does it mean to be at this stage with this group right now?

MARQUESHA DAVIS: It means a lot because I've never won a first-round game in the NCAA tournament, and I'm just blessed to be here.

Q. For either of you: What would it mean to your program and your team to come in here at Maples and beat one of the true blue blood teams, one of the teams that has done it for decades? What would that mean to you guys and for the future of your program?

MARQUESHA DAVIS: I think that it would mean a lot because all year long we've been waiting to get to this point. I just feel like that if we all play together and stay tough that we can do it.

Q. How does having played South Carolina twice prepare you for this game?

MADISON SCOTT: Like I said before, we play in the SEC, so there's a lot of girls that are bigger, stronger, faster. The physicality level is extremely high. So I think that has prepared us and will help us tomorrow against Stanford, just knowing that we've been in a lot of physical games. And, hey, it's March, you know, we want to win, we want to do what it takes to win, so we're going to play together, we're going to be tough, and we're going to do everything in our power to do well tomorrow.

Q. Which games have you watched of film from theirs? I'm sure maybe some of the recent ones, but have you looked at opponents that you guys have both played? Because I think it's South Carolina, obviously Gonzaga, Tennessee, Utah. Have you guys watched any of those games specifically?

MADISON SCOTT: Yeah, definitely. We watched a lot of games, a lot of different clips. So we're -- our coaches are making sure that we're prepared. We're watching everything that we need to watch and, yeah.

Q. Madison, after the SEC tournament loss, you said to me as well as your teammates, like, we didn't play Ole Miss women's basketball. Can you speak about the fire that you guys came into in the last game, and then the mentality going into this game against a No. 1 seed.

MADISON SCOTT: Definitely. We don't want to have any regrets. That's the biggest thing for us. We truly love each other and we truly believe in all the hard work that we've put in. We believe in ourselves. So to play in the SEC tournament and not play to the standard, to not play with great pride, with Ole Miss across our chest, we felt like not only did we let ourselves down, but we let a lot of people down.

So that's what our motive has been coming in. We want to do this for ourselves, but also for everyone who supported us, everyone who is done so much for us, who's been there since day one. So that's our goal. We're going to play hard, we're going to play Ole Miss women's basketball. That's a nonnegotiable because it's March, and we're not ready to go home.

Q. In your film of Stanford, what have you seen in them, what do they do best?

MARQUESHA DAVIS: What they do best is they want to shoot -- wait, I think they want to shoot 3s, get to the free throw line, push in transition. So, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you.

(Pause.)

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with questions for Coach, please.

Q. Obviously you've talked about South Carolina a lot in what you guys believe, but as you watched Stanford in the film coming in, is there similarities, you think, kind of with how the approach is as you've now dissected that film?

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: Yeah, I don't think there are. I mean, they're two different teams, two different styles. That's what make it's fun. Our approach for Stanford is going to be tailor made for Stanford, whereas South Carolina our approach was tailor made for them. So at the end of the day, we'll stick to our defensive system and hope that that works out for us.

Q. With a team like Stanford, with how much depth they have coming off the bench, how much size they have coming off the bench, how do you prepare for a team that just continues to bring in weapons? And playing and coaching in the SEC, does that help prepare you for other Power 5 matchups outside the SEC?

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: Yeah, I mean, last night our bench scored 33 points, so I think we have some firepower coming off the bench as well. One of the things that we're going to focus on is staying true to who we are. I do believe that us playing in the Southeastern Conference has prepared us for an opportunity like the one that's in front of us. There are a lot of teams in the Southeastern Conference that have depth and we've had to manage it, and hopefully, I put together a good enough game plan to give us a chance.

Q. Obviously it's your -- just on an emotional level, it's your first NCAA tournament win as a head coach. Did you hear from anybody, like, that felt most meaningful kind of in congratulating you in the last so amount of time? I'm sure there was a lot of people that you heard from.

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: Well, my family is here, so they were able to celebrate with me, and then my dad giving me a hug after the game, that meant a lot. My dad is a Hall of Fame coach in the Bahamas, so I know there's a lot of pride. Now that I'm a parent, I understand probably how he feels because when I go to my daughter's soccer game, I'm an emotional wreck. So I can only imagine him watching me do my thing.

As far as everybody else, anybody that reaches out to me, whether they're someone I know personally or on social media, there's a level of gratitude that I have just because I share so much with the basketball community, my family, who I am, and so they have watched me go from being 0-16 to being here now.

So any time someone reaches out or Tweets at me, it's pretty cool.

Q. I know you said last night you guys are preparing as if Brink is going to be available for them. Whether she plays or not, though, how much is the rebounding game? It's key to what you guys do so much, but how much will that, I guess, really determine this matchup between two teams who can rebound the ball really well?

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: Yeah, I mean, I think that's going to be something important. It's our identity. We want to rebound, run, and share the ball. Everybody that has talked to us knows that. That's not a secret, so I'm not giving anything away. It's our philosophy. So obviously, whether we're playing Gonzaga or now Stanford, we're going to want to rebound, run, and share the ball.

Q. You talked up here last night about just being kind of emotionally and physically spent from the way that you run up and down the sidelines. Were you able to get any sleep? Did you go straight to film? What was sort of the night like?

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: I think I got about four hours in last night, and then this morning our athletic trainer hooked me up with some NormaTec boots. So I'm feeling fresh now. I'm ready to go and rejuvenated. I don't have my voice yet, but I'm talking. So I'm not going to -- it's not going to heal right now. But I will continue to work on it for tomorrow.

Q. What kind of boots? Are those the healing boots?

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: Yeah. Yeah, our players use it. I just borrowed it for 20 minutes.

Q. So do you go on your back?

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: No, it's like boots. You just put 'em on and you're sitting down. So as I was watching film this morning, I was being worked on.

Q. Do you feel a hundred percent better?

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: No. I don't think anybody feels a hundred percent in March. We're just kind of going on adrenaline. But I bet it will die off once in the conclusion of this tour that we're on. Hopefully not tomorrow night.

Q. Do you typically lose your voice in these, you know, times, like March and conference tournament and big games like that?

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: Yeah, I think -- I feel like I did something to my lungs or something like that when we had three games in one week and we played Kentucky at home, and then we went to the PMAC and they had like 9,000 fans, and then we came back and played -- we played LSU, and then we came back and we had like 7,000 fans, and my voice was shot.

So any time I scream since then, it does this. So I think I'm just going to need like the off-season to rest my voice. So I think anytime -- any type of shouting, of course, this is what happens. So like I'm stressed because Stanford -- like I just love the way the gym is set up because it feels like everyone's right on top of you. So even if it's 4,000 people, it should be pretty loud. So I don't know how I'm going to do this tomorrow, but I'll figure it out.

Q. In terms of impact and importance to you and your team now, you're playing a storied legendary team tomorrow on their home court, one of the great coaches of all time. What would it mean to you to win tomorrow?

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: I mean, when I took this program over, we were in bad shape. The bones were good, but we needed to build. I've always thought that we would be in this position at some point. We're here now, and to go up against a legendary coach like Tara and to give our best and hopefully for us to beat 'em, it would mean the world. The reason why it would mean a lot is not really for me, it's for the people that's going to come behind me because I believe that I'm the future of women's basketball. Being 40 years old, I'm pretty young, and I just think you can't be what you can't see.

So when I was coming up, I was able to see Vivian Stringer and then more recently Dawn Staley, but also Pat Summitt, Tara, and Geno. But obviously there's a connection I have with C. Viv and Dawn Staley. So I hope what I'm doing and to me, to be able to -- us to be able to win and beat a blue blood, like you mentioned, is a great story. Aren't we in the Bay? That's why everyone loves Steph Curry, because when you see LeBron -- like, you really can't be LeBron. But you can be Steph. I mean, what is he, 6-2, you know? So, whatever. So he's more like doable.

But you when you see Tara, and she's on the mountain top, sometimes you don't feel like maybe you can reach that. But then you have Yo, who migrated from the Bahamas and had a dollar and a dream and someone gave her an opportunity and she made the most of it. I think that's a relatable story.

So tomorrow I'm not only coaching for myself and the program, but the ones that hopefully will get an opportunity after me.

Q. Would you want players on your team then to be part of that group in the future, to be the ones after you in terms of their development into post-playing career as a coach?

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: Absolutely. But there are other coaches that are right on my heels that, hey, look, I don't think I'm better than anybody, I'm just talking about like steps, you know. I think there are tons of really good coaches that they got their teams in the tournament right now that are waiting for an opportunity to coach at the Power 5 level. Hopefully we could continue to normalize giving coaches like myself who started at the Atlantic Sun Conference and made this move more opportunities. Like I watched a guy from Farleigh Dickinson, like how could you not root for him, you know? There are tons of really good coaches out here and they just need an opportunity. So for the people that need some type of motivation, they can just stop and look at me. Doesn't matter their gender or their race, just the journey in itself. So, for sure.

Q. You spoke the other day about your team's commitment to the community and all of those things. Where does that stem from for you? I mean, you spoke about your father, where did that example come from or is that something that just was dear to your heart from childhood?

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: No. My mom was an educator for 30 years. Both of my parents. So my dad was my high school coach. My mom initially was a typewriting teacher and then moved up to be a vice principal and then the principal for 20 years. So all my life I've known how to be a part of any type of philanthropic work because my parents embody community service and servanthood. My dad next month is going to have a street named after him. He has a park named after him. Like my mom is a Hall of Famer. So I come from a legendary group. All I know is excellence. And when I talk about excellence I'm talking about from a servanthood mindset.

So I just vividly remember watching my mom bring in pregnant teens that got kicked out. My dad bringing in young boys that didn't have a place to stay, but was on his team. I guess that's what I learned, you know. Without them really teaching me that I was able to watch and learn. So that's why I try to be an example for my daughters and my players so that they could just want to do that when they get an opportunity.

So what we're building at Ole Miss is just a bunch of great young people that are going to impact whatever community they're a part of because it's become a way of life for them. And I just don't ever want them to always take -- see athletes can always take, because athletes get a lot. And athletes are not always taught to give. I know because I was an elite athlete. And so one of the things that we challenge and we focus on at Ole Miss with our program is that we will receive, but we will also give back. Thrive is trust, help others, rise to the occasion, identify when you need to make a change, vacate any type of negative energy, and earn everything that we get. So the help is the part of the community service and something that I take pride in.

Q. How many siblings do you have?

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: Well, I was -- my mom and dad, I'm the only child. But my dad was a rolling stone. So I got, I have brothers and sisters, but I didn't get to grow up with them.

Q. But your parents had people in the house?

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: All the time.

Q. So you always had somebody staying there?

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: Always. Whether it's a male basketball player or, like I said, my mom was a principal and so, shoot, people were always in and out. So I have a lot of people back home in the Bahamas that are rooting for me and that are messaging me. They don't realize it's a time change. So I started getting hit up at 4 this morning, just people that are incredibly proud.

Q. Coach Mannetti said up here last night after her team's great run and said she didn't tell her players that Cameron Brink was out until just before tip off, but she also didn't tell them that Cam's replacement was a six-seven freshman. So, I mean, what do you make of the depth of that Stanford team and just, they're big. They're bigger than your team, probably.

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: Yeah, yeah. Listen, Stanford is an incredible team. Luckily for us we're blessed to be a part of the Southeastern Conference where size is something that we're used to, like I stated with South Carolina. So it's not going to be something that's foreign to us. I bet it will present some challenges. We'll do our best to try to manage that and we're just really excited about the opportunity.

Q. Would you be the type that would want -- your players might figure it out if they look across during warmups, but would you be the type that would tell them at some point or just kind of let them figure it out if she's not on the floor, if Brink doesn't play.

YOLETT MCPHEE-MCCUIN: We don't care who plays and who doesn't play. Like seriously. They can bring two people we've never heard of -- it's March. We're ready to ball. So that's not going to change our game plan. I don't think -- I think we need to give Stanford some credit, right. They're a really good team. So whether she's gone or she's there, we expect a fight. We're going to fight. So either way someone's going to get knocked out tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, coach.