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MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 8, 2006

DENVER, COLORADO

THE MODERATOR: Joined now by Air Force Academy head coach Ardie McInelly, Alecia Steele, Ellen Jaeschke.
We'll open it up with general comments from the coach on the game.
COACH ARDIE McINELLY: Well, we just got beat by a really good team. I'm extremely proud of our players. I'm proud of what we've done this year, how far we've come. We're certainly not satisfied. We think that with the youth we have on our team, we can hopefully do better next year.
But it's a great start for us. University of Utah has an awesome group of young women that play for them. Kim Smith was just outstanding today. I mean, we tried to switch on every screen. We would just fall asleep just for a second and she'd be behind us and already scored a basket. She's just an incredible player.
Shona Thorburn, the same. She does a very good job of distributing the ball. I thought one of the key plays today, I thought Jessica Perry stepped up and had a nice game for them. Elaine Elliott, she's a woman who I admire greatly, and I want to wish her and her team the best of luck. Hopefully we can, you know, keep our players together and continue to grow and become a team like University of Utah or a team like New Mexico. I mean, those people at the top of the conference, that's what our players are striving to do. I think that we can do that.
THE MODERATOR: Questions directed to either of the student-athletes.
Q. Can you talk a little bit about how far you think you've come this season and just the fact that you got everybody coming back next year.
ALECIA STEELE: I think we've come a very long way this season. We've improved. We have more confidence. We've worked together to build our program. We're looking forward to next season so that we can do more, we can achieve more.
ELLEN JAESCHKE: I'm happy. I'm not happy that we lost, but I'm happy because we know we have everyone coming back. We just have so much potential. We're going to really come out and show everyone what's up next year. I'm really excited.
Q. Elaine was in here and really gave you a lot of praise, said that this is not an Air Force team that you can just put that W on the schedule. It has to really feel good to accomplish what you've accomplished this year, but also you have to be thinking that you can be better. Could you talk about that.
ELLEN JAESCHKE: Yeah, like I said before, I'm real excited for next year. We have everyone coming back. We're just all coming together right now, we're starting to click. It's just going to be a great year next year. Teams can think we're the underdogs and come out and kick their butts (smiling).
Q. Ellen, you had your high game of your career today. Seemed like you were able to get inside against Utah, who is one of the better teams. Talk about that.
ELLEN JAESCHKE: Well, the last two games against Utah, I did absolutely nothing probably. But this game, I think the guards did a great job of getting us the ball inside. It was just overall good. I was seeing the basket. Coach has been yelling at me all season, and finally was just making my layups and putting them in, so...
THE MODERATOR: Anything else for the student-athletes? Ladies, we'll let you go. At this point, questions directed for Ardie.
Q. A couple years ago I remember Joe Legerski sitting in that same seat. They were going through about the same thing as you. Could you make any analogies between their program and your program? Seems like you're on the same sort of path as they were three or four years ago.
COACH ARDIE McINELLY: I just wish we had as good shooters as Joe has at Wyoming. His players can shoot the lights out. We kind of struggle from there.
I just think, you know, whenever you recruit, you're in a program, especially at the academy, you have to start from the bottom up. I've said this many times before, we can't get a quick fix. We can't get a foreigner. We have to start with freshmen. That means no junior colleges and no one from out of the United States. So, we have to start with freshmen. We have to try to go out and convince young women to come to the Air Force academy, the ones that maybe someone overlooked or maybe there was something about that player that just didn't make it, you know, was recruited by someone else.
You have to have a vision when you recruit. Hopefully you can then develop those players. That's what we're doing. We're finally developing the players that we've recruited. That's why we're so young. We have lots of freshmen, sophomores and juniors. We have no seniors. That's been all because of the recruiting.
It is going to take us longer. I think that we have a great start. Like you said, Joe was that way a couple years ago. He's watched his players develop and become a very good shooting team. We've got some pieces of the puzzle still to put together, but I think that we're on our way.
As I said before, the important thing for us is for our players to stay together. Again, I don't mean to say woe is me, but at the academy they can leave their freshman and sophomore year and there is no penalty. You have to continue to recruit them. You not only recruit them to get there, once they're there, you continue to recruit them. It's not until they become a junior that you can finally relax on that person.
It's a very difficult place to go to school academically. It's very challenging. Militarily, there are so many things they have to do. Our job is extremely difficult. So, with all that in mind, I'm hoping and praying that we can continue to keep this group of people. I know that both Ellen and Alecia are key members of that. I feel very confident in them. If we can keep the key people, I don't know, I guess I shouldn't say this, but you know what, I wouldn't know if it's next year or the year after that, we could win this thing. That's our goal. We tell our players, "You better have a goal." I think as a coach, I have to have a goal as well.
So, sorry about the soapbox.
Q. Could you talk about five or six years ago, there was a feeling, there's no way the Air Force men's basketball program could ever compete in this conference, win a conference title, go to the NCAAs. Has that helped, the fact they've come up and established themselves as a contender in this conference?
COACH ARDIE McINELLY: Well, I think it does. I think it helps all programs because the cadets at the academy see firsthand someone being successful, someone doing something that can't be done. You know, you have a young man named Antoine Hood that leads the way, the charge. He not only leads the men's basketball program, but he leads the cheers at the football. He started a section, what is it, Section 8.
The guy is unbelievable. He's contagious. His enthusiasm is contagious. I think our players, Letricia Castillo, she's the same way for us. It's a very close-knit family group at the academy. I think because of the success our men have had, thanks to Joe Scott and Chris, all those people, it makes it easier for our players to see that, yes, it can happen.
Now we have Jeff Bzdelik leading the charge in the men's program. Who knows what will happen.
THE MODERATOR: Any other questions? Thank you.

End of FastScripts...

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