NCAA WOMEN'S FINAL FOUR

March 31, 2001

Kristy Curry

COACH KRISTY CURRY: I don't think there's any question that you really have to respect all five starters, because they are all averaging double figures. When you try to shut Ruth down, someone from the outside will step up. And they have just a great inside-outside combination. It's going to be a total team defensive effort. We'll have to take a few chances here and there, and not help at all -- and where the double-team will come from, and hopefully we are prepared and hopefully it will look like we are prepared.

COACH KRISTY CURRY: There's no question that really, nationally, it really gives you a lot of exposure and certainly any time you can get to the Final Four, it's going to help you in your recruiting. I learned that in Louisiana Tech and also at Purdue. So I've had two experiences where that pays dividends. I think the thing about it is we're fortunate; we've already got two junior commitments, and we feel good that we were heading in the right direction before now. So hopefully with this, it will certainly be good for us.

COACH KRISTY CURRY: I don't think there's any question, in no particular order, because they all flash up at once, is rebounding. I mean, I think you look at two teams last night that were very dominating on both -- on the boards. So we're going to have to do a nice job of rebounding. Secondly, I think is the transition game, who will win the transition game. Thirdly, we are going to have to do a nice job of recognizing tendencies and really understanding our team defensive concept tomorrow night. When we defend, we've been at our best and understanding what we want.

COACH KRISTY CURRY: I think there's no question that seems like an eternity ago. The thing about it is we had five freshman, five seniors, a junior; we are still trying to figure one another out. We are in different places, in every aspect of our worlds. I think we've had more time. We feel like our pre-season schedule prepared us for the Big-10 and the BIG-10 would prepare us for the post-season, and it took some time for us to gel and mold all that together. You have to give the kids credit because they have really come together and they are recognizing where one another will be, the strengths of one another. So, I feel like we are a better basketball team because we understand one another, not having played together that much.

COACH KRISTY CURRY: There's no question that there are certain lineups that will go with Katie at the 1, and it certainly does, more responsibility of handling the basketball. You know, the trapping that we saw last night does tend you to wear you down more. But Katie is such a soldier; whatever you throw at her, she's going to handle. But you'll see her at the 1 at certain times. We have to now, with losing Valek.

COACH KRISTY CURRY: I would say that it is something that in the future we hope we don't have as large a gap. We've inherited a little bit of a number situation, because of the change, which isn't a bad thing against anybody. And you certainly want to balance out your classes, and that's our goal right now, is to get those classes balanced out so we are never in this situation, and maybe we're not in the situation where we are going to be throwing so many freshman into the fire. Although, it has been a very good thing for us. We try to do so much off the floor, from spending time, eating a meal together once a week, every week. We always spend time -- we have a meal once a month at my house. We've had etiquette class. We've spent time with chaps (ph), we've gone to Girl Scouts, we've gone and done as much as we positively could together. And I really think it has been a very good thing for us, because they are in different places socially, emotionally. They like different things. They like to wear different things. It's just amazing when you get 13 girls together and there's that much age difference. But our staff, I have to give my assistant coaches, No. 1 of all, is just the quality and the character of those individuals to put their own agendas aside and say we just want to win. You know, I had them list, each one of them list what separates us from the other four teams at the Final Four, just like we did at Birmingham. And if your reason changed, that's fine. And the No. 1 reason on there was we love each other, and I think you've got to have a tremendous amount of love and respect for one another, and this team does.

COACH KRISTY CURRY: You know, just because she's offensively at the 1 doesn't mean we'll her up defensively at the 1. I think certainly we would love to keep Katie on a forward more so and really try and have more pressure on the ball and not wear Katie down doing that.

COACH KRISTY CURRY: I think there's no question it benefits us. Not only we've played this past year, but the entire came that Katie and Camille have been at Purdue we've played. The thing about it is we are very familiar with one another. We've had a chance to see them and watch them have a great season. We've seen them on film a lot. The kids, really, when you are an in-state Indiana girl, even though you might be from out of state you want everybody in your state to do well because it is a proud basketball state. We feel like they are a better team. Again, that was an eternity ago. Certainly, anytime you have the experience, and the experience at the 1 that they do, they are very hard to prepare for. But we are just going to roll up our sleeves and just try to use what got us here.

COACH KRISTY CURRY: Oh, wow, I think probably neither one I feel like was -- I just knew that if you work hard and you are just yourself, hopefully good things will come your way, because that's all you can do is be yourself and work hard. So, I didn't look at one as a hard thing, a drudgery. This is what I love doing. And I don't feel like I have a job; I have the best fun every day. So I really didn't think that it was that hard of a thing. Although, there are days when you, you know, if I've heard, "how can you do any better than what's been done," well, I just feel like what we've tried to do in maintain is going to be good enough.

COACH KRISTY CURRY: I think, you know, a lot of the things we were trying to do last night was leave certain people open at certain times. Some of those shots, I mean, I think we had trouble basically, because their 4 was such a great three-point shooter. And had a little trouble coming out; we didn't come out as quick as we wanted on Deer. I think our kids understand and respect and know those kids' tendencies so well; that we know we don't need to leave. So if we leave them, don't think I told them to leave them.

COACH KRISTY CURRY: I think you have a sense of urgency about our five seniors. You know, the last moment that you remember in your basketball career is your last one, and I know those kids want to remember it on a win.

COACH KRISTY CURRY: I do. I think we had Michigan at home and Katie was out, and I just saw Shereka Wright say, you know, "It's time that we grow up and get this done," and I thought she really rose to the table. Shalicia Hurns is really understanding. You know, she played so much -- remember in high school -- and we stuck a little thing in the pain, and they are starting to understand, and I just saw these kids say, hey, let's take it from here. You know, one of our seniors has fallen and really started to come together about that time.

COACH KRISTY CURRY: I think it's really important No. 1, that she come out, not only she, but Shalicia and the other two kids off the bench, be very poised calm and understand that, you know, we need to commit smart fouls and not bad fouls. First of all, we don't want them to foul, but I thought last night we were not as poised as we needed to be to start. So it's very important that they come out and be poised play smart.

COACH KRISTY CURRY: Oh, definitely. Caroline and Nell have been such great mentors for me. They are just only a phone call away. Both of them have been so supportive. You know, the thing about it is, both of them -- "just be yourself, girl, that's going to be good enough." And it's hard because those are still their kids, and I always want them to feel like they are a part of our family. So we have always shared this, and I'm sharing this tomorrow. I'm sharing this with them, and I want to do well for them, as well. I think as far as when we first came in, you know, we had absolutely no depth. We had a walk-on that was our first perimeter last year. So we just kind of -- one thing I learned from Leon, you might have to change your style and your system a little bit, but you've got to take your personnel and work to their strengths. This year, we were able to go out and recruit some athleticism and gave us some quality depth, and just -- so we've tried to mold all that together. And I think one thing that's very similar is that , you know, Nell came from Leon, Caroline worked for Nell. So there are a lot of similarities and style in the system, just day-to-day activities in the way you run your program. So that was a very easy transition for our kids and I think that was important to Purdue.

COACH KRISTY CURRY: She's just the ultimate team player. That's just a perfect way to put that. I think when Mary Jo Noon went down, which was a huge blow to our team -- I think everyone thinks about Valek, but boy, we wish we had Noon at full speed tomorrow night. She was just playing tremendous for us at the time. When she went down, we really felt like our rotation, our only choice was to put Candi at the 5. And, absolutely, Hurns was playing well. And so, it was a smooth transition. But what made it a smooth transition is Candi just said, "Hey, whatever is best for this team, I am willing to do." And she has just been a delight to coach day-in and day-out. And whatever this team needs, she will continue to do.