NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - FLORIDA GULF COAST VS VILLANOVA

March 20, 2023

Karl Smesko

Tishara Morehouse

Sha Carter

Finneran Pavilion

Florida Gulf Coast Eagles

Media Conference

Villanova - 76, Florida Gulf Coast - 57

THE MODERATOR: We're now joined by Florida Gulf Coast head coach Karl Smesko and student-athletes Tishara Morehouse and Sha Carter.

KARL SMESKO: Obviously a tough way to go out. We played a great team. For us to beat them, we would have had to play a great game, and I don't think we did that. We got a little frazzled by the situation early, but I was really proud how we made a run to close the gap at halftime, and I think we needed to come out in the second half and make a big run early.

Give Villanova credit. At the beginning of the game, they put a run on us. The beginning of the second half, they put a run on us. And it had us a little out of sorts. We were pressing and taking some shots we normally don't take. To me, Villanova is a Final Four level team. That's how good I think they are. I wouldn't be surprised if they get there.

Really proud of what our team accomplished this year. They've been a joy to coach. We've had so much fun this year. We just enjoy being around each other. We're glad that we got to have the experience we did at the NCAA Tournament.

Q. T.K., this is your final game in blue and green. When you look back on your career here at FGCU, a lot of wins, including two NCAA Tournament victories. When you look back at your career, what do you see and what do you remember, or what will you remember?

TISHARA MOREHOUSE: This team is probably the best I've played with. I would just say I had a great, great career here.

Coach was just talking to me and a couple of my friends and all. Man, I'm going to miss it for sure.

Q. When you transferred to FGCU, did you ever expect this much success?

TISHARA MOREHOUSE: Yes. (Laughter).

Q. I'll take that. Sha, you just transferred in this year coming from the Division II level. Now you've had so much success as the Division I level. How great has this experience been now that the final period is on that?

SHA CARTER: It's been phenomenal. I've had an amazing time. My teammates were excellent. I love them to pieces. I'm just grateful Coach took a chance on me, trusted me, instilled in me to be the best version of myself, and I feel like I lived up to it.

We did a great job this year, and I have no regrets on my decisions. Everything we've done is phenomenal.

Q. Going from Division II to Division I is going to be difficult. How have you seen yourself grow as a basketball player and as a human this year?

SHA CARTER: Life is all about leveling up, but more so about challenging yourself. This was definitely a mental level up in things, and Coach definitely challenged me to see things a different way, push myself, like I said, to be the best version of myself.

But more importantly, he just wanted me to evolve my basketball IQ. I think I did my best. He helped me, but more importantly, him challenging me was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Like I evolved and became a better person, better player, and a better teammate.

Q. Specifically tonight, it was loud in there. It was a raucous environment. How do you think that played into the game?

SHA CARTER: We were a little rattled, but we play in environments like that all the time. I wouldn't say it played too much into it besides kind of trying to hear each other on the court.

Other than that, these are the moments you live for. Hearing everybody talking, trash talking just means you're a good team. If anything, I don't think it made us any worse or any better. I just think we needed to do a little bit better today.

Q. 33 wins ties your program record at the Division I level. When you look back on this year, how will you remember this year?

KARL SMESKO: I'll just remember how close this team was, how much they truly enjoyed being around each other. They made everything fun. They made it enjoyable to come to practice every day, come to film sessions, travel to the games. They're just a great group.

I'm really proud that I got a chance to coach them. They're going to be very successful in life. They've got great work ethics. They've got great attitudes. And they're willing to work for whatever they want to get to.

So I'm looking forward to them staying a part of the program for many years to come.

Q. Building on that, what was that post-game locker room like, and what was said in there, if you are willing to share that?

KARL SMESKO: It was obviously some people ended their careers, everybody ended their season, and we thought we had a team that could advance. We knew that it would be a difficult challenge, but we believed in one another.

So there was some disappointment that we didn't play as well as we think we're capable of, but at the same time, I didn't want them dwelling on that. This season has been too special. This group has been too special.

I wanted to make sure that -- you know, it's going to hurt for a day or two and maybe longer, but when you look back at this, this is just going to be just a great year to remember all the great moments that we shared this year.

Q. Can you offer your thoughts on Maddy Siegrist? Is she comparable to anybody you played against this year?

KARL SMESKO: No, not this year. She's the best player. She's fantastic. She was fantastic tonight.

We had -- I mean, to game plan for her in one day is extraordinarily difficult. For us, we wanted just to -- she makes tough shots, and we were going to live with her making tough shots, but we didn't want to give her anything easy.

We went over some things about when she likes to go backdoor and that, but she still got it on us. I feel like, if we had a couple more days to get ready, we probably wouldn't have made quite as many game plan mistakes with her.

But even if you can eliminate the easy stuff and just make her work for everything, I think that's really the best you can hope to do against her. She's just so versatile, scores in so many ways. I haven't seen many players hit as many tough shots as she's able to hit. She was fantastic today.

I mean, Olsen was fantastic today. Step-back threes on us, really being smart off the ball screens. Those two just played fantastic.

When we did make a run, both of those two picked it up and would get a basket and another basket, and suddenly six becomes ten again, and we start pressing. Not sharing the ball, not working our offense as much. Not being used to being behind, I thought that rattled us, and we're not really used to that situation too often throughout the year.

But this is a great team. We would have needed to play great. We have a lot of respect for Villanova. As I said, I think they have the potential to go very far.

Q. Coach, I know you're not obviously advancing to the regional, but there's a new format this year with the regionals of the tournament this year. Do you think that it's a good thing for the tournament and like college women's basketball that they've changed it and altered the way the tournament is this year?

KARL SMESKO: I'd like to be there to find out how it played out. When I started -- I have family in Seattle, so I was really hoping to get to Seattle. But then we got put in a different region. I didn't tell her that that we were in a different region. She still thought, if we were winning, we were going to be in Seattle.

I like that they're willing to try something different and see what kind of energy comes out of it. Let's see what happens with this and see if it can catch on.

I know that I would have loved to have a team there, and I know our players would have loved to see what that experience would be like.