PAC-12 CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL MEDIA DAY

October 10, 2023

Tina Langley

Dalayah Daniels

Lauren Schwartz

Washington Huskies

Q. I think about last season and the step you took from year one to year two, you increased your win total by 12 wins, upset Stanford, go deep in the WNIT. What did last year's experience, how can you bring that momentum and let it propel you into year three?

TINA LANGLEY: Well, I think just thinking about that year brings back so many great memories, just being present with the young women each day, and grateful for each young woman that was on that team and how we came together. We'll be just trying to do the same thing, trying to learn one another and just appreciate each day that we have together to continue to learn and grow and try to get better.

Q. Tina, the commitment to academics and basketball comes ringing through, but to learn that you're the only Power Five program to be the WBCA Academic Honor Roll with a 3.6 overall GPA is just astounding. How do you do that?

TINA LANGLEY: Well, our young women and the support we have throughout our academic departments. It's an incredible university. The commitment to our student-athletes is tremendous, and their work ethic. The young people who choose Washington know they're committing to excellence in the classroom and on the court.

Q. It was the case with Arizona a few years ago, that that NIT experience was kind of a catapult. I think UCLA had a similar experience a couple years before that. How do you view the NIT experience, and what carries forward to this year?

TINA LANGLEY: Well, we're obviously incredibly grateful for the experience because it had been a few years since we'd been in postseason at Washington, and so to return to postseason and remember what it feels like to survive and advance and continue to fight through that time of the season is important.

We also just have lessons in playing the game. We get to continue to play against different programs and grow our skill sets individually and collectively.

Q. It was really important that because you hosted four home games and it felt like the whole energy in your program transformed over those weeks where Seattle got behind you guys again, and it was palpable that things had changed and how positive that is.

TINA LANGLEY: Thank you for saying that because it's an opportunity for us to really celebrate our fans. Our community showed up just in incredible ways to support those young women the way they did was beautiful.

It did, it gave us a confidence that we needed. There's been so many games if you look back through that season where we were right there, as well.

I think toward the end of the season you saw a team that continued to learn to win and believe in themselves and each other.

Q. I know you worked on putting in a new offense last year and it took some time for things come together, and then started to. How does it feel to be a year into that process, and how do you feel about the offensive pieces you have with this group?

TINA LANGLEY: Well, that's making me laugh a little bit because we're working on that again. We're putting in some more offense. They do a tremendous job. We'll go back to academics. We can do whatever we like because they are brilliant, but they're doing a wonderful job.

As we continue to add student-athletes to our program and develop the student-athletes that we have, we feel like we can play a really fun style of play, a very dynamic, up-tempo style of play.

It's been still a learning process, but we're keeping some of the old, as well, so that's been familiar.

Q. I know the win over Stanford was already brought up, but I know that was just like a seismic bomb throughout the conference and around the country that Washington beat Stanford, but the people I talked to said they could feel it coming, that you guys were stepping up and playing better and better. What came together in that moment in that game that you saw on the floor?

TINA LANGLEY: Well, first of all, isn't that the great respect for Stanford, an incredible program. The history is tremendous, Tara is amazing. It is difficult to beat them.

So proud of our young women for how we began to be process focused and really take one day at a time. In practice you could see every possession was about the possession.

I will say in that game, I did not feel a time in the game where we were thinking we might beat Stanford. It felt like what play are we running next and what are we doing this next possession. So that's the way we want to play the game.

Of course it was a beautiful thing to see and celebrate.

Q. You have a new boss in Seattle and a new athletic director just introduced a couple of hours ago in Troy Dannen. What can you tell us about the new athletic director at Washington?

TINA LANGLEY: I got a chance to be introduced to him. He seems incredibly passionate. I got an opportunity to see a little bit of his press conference as I was waiting just now, and I loved one of the things that he said is we're going to be a university who does all these amazing things, but we do them with integrity, and that's the University of Washington. We're values based. We are a university that strives to be one of integrity and hard work and excellence.

Very excited to take this next step with him.

Q. One of the things that I talked to Elise Woodward, one of our colleagues about because she does a lot of your games, is she's impressed day in and day out about your prep and how you think out of the box. How are we going to beat this team. There's not a formula. It's, let's get specific and get down to it. What goes into your game planning that elicits those kinds of results?

TINA LANGLEY: I think we have an incredible staff. This isn't a one-person decision ever. We get in a room and decide what is the best for each program that we go against, and each night is a monumental challenge. It's a great conference, so you treat every opponent and prepare for every opponent the same.

I think you just get into that mindset of, okay, these are the things that we have that are strengths and these are the things that they have that are strengths, so how do we take our best advantage in that game.

Q. You guys played such good defense last year. There are a lot of teams in this conference that can put up very big numbers on the offensive end. You said you're still putting in new offense. What are the upgrades you hope to see on the offensive end from your team?

TINA LANGLEY: The offensive end, yes. We just want to play a little bit faster. We didn't shoot the ball incredibly well from the three last year, and I think that that caused us to need to slow the game down at times and play a more efficient style.

There's a style I think that really fits who we're becoming. We're becoming more positionless. We're becoming more skilled and a little bit more consistent from the three.

We want to get up and down the floor and play a dynamic style. It should be fun.

Q. Four great freshmen come in. Tell us about what you expect from them and what kind of contribution you will get.

TINA LANGLEY: Yeah, so one of the values we have in our program is servant leadership, so we believe everyone can come in and we can all make an impact if we have an equal platform to do so, so everybody's opinion matters. We work the same.

I say the same thing from basketball. When you step on the floor, we all have the same things that we have to accomplish. I think they've done an incredible job of coming in and working very hard to learn the system, to learn each other.

But really the neat thing is how they have given to other people, as well, and just flowed right into the culture of the program.

I think that's been really neat to see because that's hard to do as a freshman because you need a lot as a freshman. We do. We just don't know a lot of what's in front of us.

But they have really -- arms wide open, come in, and while they've had to receive, they've also given a lot.

Q. This is the last go-around with the apple can you please. This time, WAZZU is the defending champion of the Pac-12 tournament. A little more juice on the table. What does that matchup mean to you this season?

TINA LANGLEY: Well, rivalries are so, so special. The history is beautiful.

I jokingly said when I first came, I definitely did not quite understand it until you've lived it. You hear rivalries everywhere. I grew up in a rivalry state.

But this one is really special. The history, the people, the communities. It was really neat -- we started there, my first experience was there, and so it was really neat to have those experiences where it means so much to your fan base, to your alumni, to your university, and you want to compete and do your best for your school.

Q. Two of the terrific young women that you brought with you today, Dalayah Daniels and Lauren Schwartz, two upperclassmen, forwards that have meant a lot to this program. Can you talk about each of them and what you expect from them and what they've worked on this off-season?

TINA LANGLEY: Yes, it's my favorite thing to talk about them. They're amazing young women leaders. They've done a wonderful job of really setting the tone as our season began in helping us understand kind of what it's going to take from a preparation standpoint, physical standpoint.

We have a theme this season called dogfight, and it's about the fight for the mind, the body, and the soul, and they fight in all those ways all the time. So they fight for the mind, the game, for the way we want to think through, the way we live our lives, the way we play, the way we work.

They fought for the body, nutrition, sleep, everything that they do. They work really hard to be the best at.

Then the soul for us is we over me. It's being selfless. These are two of the most unselfish people you will ever meet. They work really hard for other people, and they're very good at what they do.

But they will deflect to other people.

It's what I love about them, and so a great day to brag on them and who they are.

Q. How has the off-season been? We just heard from Coach about some of the different things she's putting in offensively and what you guys are looking to. Lauren, what was your focus this off-season?

LAUREN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, it's been amazing. I think just building that chemistry. We had that from last year. We have really great chemistry. But bringing that freshman class in and helping them and just getting everybody the experience that they need and just practicing hard, really.

DALAYAH DANIELS: Yeah, I would say the same thing. I think this year is going to be fun. Obviously last year was a foundational year for sure. I think we're just going to keep building on it, and I know we're both excited, especially because it's Lauren's last year, too.

Q. Speaking of that, Lauren, Coach Tina Langley has been a big part of your adult life until this point. How has she impacted who you are today off the floor and on?

LAUREN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, she has taught me so much. We're a values-based basketball team, and she has done so much, just understanding what's to come after basketball and what we need to do after basketball.

Then also just teaching me the game. I love the game. It's so fun to learn new things. She's been an amazing mentor, and I can't thank her enough.

Q. Dalayah, here's the deal. I'm a Naismith voter for all five positions, and I reached out to your coach, and I said, Coach, who do I need to have my eye on, and she said, Daniels; she's going to have a special year. When I tell you that, what goes through your mind?

DALAYAH DANIELS: I mean, obviously you love to hear good things. I think I'm just super excited. I know like last year again was a foundational year, and I think it's just a testimony to how much we've been working. We're a value-based program, so I think I just really want to be the best leader I can possibly be for my team, especially because we have a new freshman class in who are still learning our values, and I just want to be the best version of myself that I can be for them.

Q. You guys have talked a couple times about last year being a foundational year. What does that mean this year? That's my first question. The second question is what did you both get from the NIT experience?

DALAYAH DANIELS: Yeah, I think the WNIT definitely just gave us a lot more experience. Like who doesn't want to play longer, whatever it is. We just want to play, we want to hoop. At the end of the day we're hoopers. We don't want to be at home.

I think that was just a great experience for us to just get to know each other more.

I think just to get to know each other's weaknesses and strengths going into next year, and also just the crowd, like Kansas, we don't get to play in front of those type of crowds every night, so I think it was, again, a testimony to who we are because it's hard to stay yourself in environments that can kind of pull you away from your values.

I thought we handled it in a good way.

LAUREN SCHWARTZ: I think this year is still a building year. Every year is a building year. You're learning to grow. You come in with freshmen every year.

But it's just super exciting, how we ended last year. I can't wait to get back on the court with my teammates.

I just think it's going to be a really fun year, and we're super excited to get back into this.

Q. How did the building change during the WNIT? It felt more Plum-Like. It felt like, wow, it's back. Was it palpable when you took the floor?

LAUREN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, I could feel it from everyone, the fans, the staff, the players, everyone. We were so invested in it, everyone on our team, and it was just super exciting to see. It was so fun to play in.

I mean, it was game after game after game, survive and advance, like Coach said, so it was so incredible to have that feeling and have four home games back to back. That was amazing.

DALAYAH DANIELS: Yeah, I mean, I also think people tend to forget that in one season it's kind of three seasons. You have preseason, regular season and postseason. You have to kind of switch your gears every single time you're up against a new opponent. I think it kind of gets tiring in postseason play, too, so just having the fans behind us, it just gives us an extra push. We have some of the best fans in the country.

Q. I think there's a lot of excitement with another program going on up in Seattle in your Washington football team and they've got a big game coming up this weekend. Do you go to the games? What does the success of another Big Ten program on campus do for you guys?

LAUREN SCHWARTZ: It's amazing. You see the students get involved. They get involved with the whole athletic facility. But yeah, we're definitely going to that game. We'll be at College Gameday. That will be super exciting. We're so excited to cheer on the Huskies and beat the Ducks.

Q. Dalayah, I was watching Instagram and I saw a reel where your teammates start yelling, change the scout, change the scout, because you were out there drilling threes. How hard and how long have you worked on that, and should people change the scout?

DALAYAH DANIELS: I'm working pretty hard at it. Obviously I have a lot of good support, a huge support system. Like I said, like last year obviously was a foundational year for me personally, just having to like relearn a lot of fundamentals that I probably didn't learn earlier on.

I think just adding the three opens up a lot of space for our team, not just me. I think it's going to be a fun year, and it's exciting, so yeah.

Q. As the youngest of eight, you've got seven sisters --

DALAYAH DANIELS: Yes, I have six sisters and one brother.

Q. How was that a formative experience for you?

DALAYAH DANIELS: Honestly, my brother and I were closest in age, so I spent a lot of time with him. I'm close with all of them, but he roughed me up a lot more than they all did, so I guess I kind of get a lot of my competitive edge from him. Yeah, they're awesome. They're a huge, supportive family.

Q. Lauren, you have squeezed everything out of this college experience that you possibly could. You got your undergraduate degree, you're now working on a graduate degree in entrepreneurship. Going after it on the academic side as well as the basketball side, what's that life like?

LAUREN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, it's tough. It definitely challenges you, and I'm always up for a challenge.

I love being my best self in every aspect of life, and I think UW is such a great program for that, academically and athletically. They have all the staff that you need for that, and yeah, I'm just excited to continue this masters program and have a great season.

Q. I know you're so focused on the season at hand and obviously we've been talking a lot about academics. What do you think beyond basketball? I'm curious for both of you when you think about what life looks like and that your coach is really good about making sure that you're thinking about life after basketball. What does that look like?

LAUREN SCHWARTZ: Yeah, it's always great to come out of UW because you have so many options, and it's always great to have options.

I'm thinking a lot of things. I'm thinking coaching, sales, something in business, maybe broadcast -- I don't know, there's a lot that I could do. I'm just trying to be present and in the moment and take each day in, and then we'll see what happens.

DALAYAH DANIELS: Yeah, I was going to say -- I was kind of getting sad hearing you talk about all that because I want to stay in the moment, not even thinking about her leaving. But I think just being where our feet are. Obviously I have goals of playing pro, but again, I still have so much more college basketball left to play, so just want to be here and make more memories with our team.

Q. That February date against Stanford at home when you guys beat them, and it started at Cal so you understood that rivalry very, very well, what was it like as you could see the clock ticking down? Could it just not go fast enough? Were you absorbing it and believing it? What was surging through you guys as a team and individually?

DALAYAH DANIELS: Personally I just wanted water. I was just so tired. That was probably like a really tiring game for all of us.

But I was just telling them, just hold on. It's not done until -- I want to see zeros before we start cheering because anything can happen with one second left. We've seen it happen every single night, so you never really know what's going to happen.

LAUREN SCHWARTZ: It was just like, hard work pays off. That helped us get to the WNIT, and that helped us go so far in the WNIT. So every game is a lesson.

I was so excited to do it with that team. It was incredible, and I was so happy for the staff, too.

Q. Since we're in Vegas, I assume you guys are Aces fans and are on the Plum-Dog train, but if it's not Kelsey Plum, who are your favorite players in the WNBA?

DALAYAH DANIELS: I love A'ja Wilson, very versatile, a huge passionate player just for her teammates. It's what our program is around, as well.

LAUREN SCHWARTZ: Mine is probably Sabrina Ionescu. Have to back the Pac. But just the way she can shoot the ball, the way she can do all aspects on the offensive side and defensive side.