BIG EAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 8, 2024

Darnell Henry

Kelsey Ransom

Mohegan Sun Arena

Georgetown Hoyas

Postgame Media Conference

Georgetown 62, Xavier 40

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Georgetown head coach Darnell Haney, student-athlete Kelsey Ransom. Coach.

DARNELL HANEY: Hello, everybody. Excuse my voice. I was going off a little bit especially in the first quarter, right? We went 1 for 13, and I had to call a timeout because we were a little anxious. We were missing some chippies down there, and we needed to make sure we just calmed down and got it under control.

I needed to make sure we did that. But kudos to our group. They persevered and came out the second quarter and played Georgetown basketball. Then when we came out the third quarter -- we kind of had to get on them at halftime a little bit about doing that. Then we came out the third quarter and, again, played Georgetown basketball.

We have to do a better job of starting and finishing better than we started, and I think we're ready to do that. We have a good St. John's team tomorrow, but we'll be ready.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Kelsey.

Q. Your team had a lot of success under the rim in the paint this evening. Can you kind of walk through and tell me how you had that success?

KELSEY RANSOM: We have some of the best post players in the country, and they know that. When they play like that, they're unstoppable. We knew that our advantage and our advantage for most games is down in the post.

So just making sure that they feel confident going in, making easy shots. I think in the first quarter we gave up a lot of layups. Guards too. But once we settled in, we realized just grab more layups, backboard, net, that's how we can be a successful team. As easy as that.

Q. Congrats on the First Team honor. Just wanted to hear your reflection on what that honor meant for you and how you feel your game has grown this season?

KELSEY RANSOM: I mean, it's a fantastic feeling. It's a fantastic feeling to know I represented Georgetown in that way and represented the team in that way. It wasn't like just a me thing. This team has made me feel confident, and they've given me the utmost respect and put me in positions of leadership. And they've really brought me to where I am right now, and my growth comes from the coaches getting on me in practice, getting extra shots up.

Coach Kelly has been fantastic working with me. It's really just a team growth. One of us grows, one of us is successful, the entire team is successful.

Q. I call you a stat line stuffer. You did it again today, but I wanted to ask about the balance. And your frontline was dominant today. Four in double figures. Your team contributed 37 points off the bench. What kind of confidence do you have in the balance that the Hoyas can put on the floor?

KELSEY RANSOM: It's right there on paper. We're deep. We are a deep team. Everyone who comes in, like, they know they've prepared and we prepare 1 through 13 in practice. And everyone knows when their name is called, it's time to step up. I think as teammates we do a good job in instilling confidence in each other. I know when my teammates touch the ball, I know what they do well and they know what I do well, and we're trying to make each other look as best as possible.

THE MODERATOR: Kelsey, thank you. Questions for Coach.

Q. Can you elaborate more on what you told your team after that first quarter giving them that motivation to turn the tide more in your favor? Then can you elaborate what you feel made the difference in the second half?

DARNELL HANEY: We got in the huddle -- after that timeout I called in the first quarter, we got in the huddle, and I told them we just have to calm down. We just have to play Georgetown basketball, get everything through our defense, make sure we're getting stops. When we get an opportunity to finish a play, we have to finish it, be it with a rebound, defensively, or be it with a background layup offensively or be it a kickout shot and making baskets or a free-throw.

I think one of the biggest things that goes on in tournaments and in situations like this, we have to understand that they're young people, man, and young people they get a little anxious. Georgetown women's basketball hasn't been in a situation kind of like this in a minute, right? It's been a long time since they've been in this situation. So it's a little bit of pressure on these young people.

I told them, give me all the pressure. I'll take all of it. You don't have no pressure. You go out there and act like you're playing when you were home when you were a little girl. You just have to go out there and have fun with this, man, and just do it. Have fun with it, and the chips will fall where they may.

But we have to rely on our principles. We have to rely on the things that we do every single day. We have to rely on what we know we're about. We have to rely on our standards, and we'll be just fine.

Q. Two-part question. The first part you spoke about coaching young people and the challenges. You've navigated really difficult situations this year with the loss of Coach Butts. And I remember talking with you at MSG and just the journey that your team has been on, I think, just curious kind of how you've been able to lead through those emotional periods and bring a team together strongly. And then the second part, tomorrow we honor Big East Legends. Kris Witfill is your legend. I wonder if you can say something about Kris and why she was selected as the choice.

DARNELL HANEY: First and foremost, I want to give all glory to God and what he's been able to do through these young women, what he has been able to do through my staff, what he has been able to do through just me in handling the situation like this.

It's tough on them. It was tough on them early. But again, when you have a foundation and a standard is set, right? You know, like the biggest things you have to understand with young people, especially young people who have been through some things, you have to be able to manage them emotionally. I think the emotional piece, people start to forget they're not just basketball players. They're not just students. They're humans. Human beings have a feel. It's a part of it.

They're going to feel a certain type of way, and we have to make them feel confident. I told my staff, we have to make them feel confident. We have to make them feel like they are good enough, especially with females. Especially with young females. I have two daughters, man, so I know it.

We have to make them feel like they are good enough. We have to make them feel like they are worthy. We have to make them feel like my team knows you're with royalty if you're with me. So if you rock with me and you roll with me, you are royalty. You have to act like it. You have to walk like it. You have to talk like it. You have to feel it.

When you do that and you do everything you should do on that floor, you do everything that you do in that classroom, and you do everything that you do in the Georgetown community and outside, you understand that when you are doing that and you are doing it through love, you know you're just continuing to pour seeds and put seeds down, and your harvest is going to come.

Right now we're on a journey. We're trying to just make sure we're doing one possession and one game and one practice and one shoot-around at a time, man, and we're just trying to do everything we do through love.

When you coach these young women and when you coach young people through love, they respect it. They respect it. They have a sense that you care for them, and they have a sense that they can do anything.

These young women have done a lot. They're on a journey, and they're trying to be the best team to ever do it here at Georgetown. And in order to do that, we told them we're going to need everybody. We're going to need everybody through adversity and how you get back up when you get knocked down. How do you deal with all the shots not falling? How do you deal with going 1 for 13 in the first quarter?

Well, you rely on your principles. You rely on your standards, and you do everything that you are doing through love, and you'll be fine.

Q. If you are able to speak on Kris Witfill as well and why Kris was selected as your legend.

DARNELL HANEY: I didn't have anything to do with it, but I know Kris Witfill was great for our Georgetown community. We just honored another Georgetown legend, Rebekkah Brunson, right? We just honored her. She's in our Hall of Fame now.

We wanted to make sure that we spread the wealth. Kris Witfill was a big part of the Georgetown build-up in the beginning. One of the teams that she was on was one of the best teams to ever do it here.

Kudos to her. She needed to be recognized, and I'm proud of her even though she's a little older than me.