NCAA WOMEN'S FINAL FOUR

March 27, 1999

Camille Cooper

Katie Douglas

Michelle Duhart

Ukari Figgs

Carolyn Peck

Stephanie White

COACH CAROLYN PECK: We're excited about being here. We've worked really hard to get to this point; excited about this team and the things that they have accomplished thus far and their focus. Now, I'm going to ask a favor of you. These players on both teams have worked really hard to deserve the positions that they are in. And we will answer questions about the players that are on our team right now, okay? If we can keep the focus there. Because everything for both teams are moving very strongly in a very positive direction.

STEPHANIE WHITE-McCARTY: I think rebounding is always a key. We have to keep them off the guards. Michele VanGorp goes to the boards. Peppi Browne -- the guards rebound well also. I think that's going to be the key. And also communicate defensively, know where the 3-point shooters are. And also help down the post when we can. But also communicate defensively and box out.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: I think it's going to be an interesting challenge both ways. Both teams have extremely talented guards on the perimeter; so, the matchups will be extremely competitive. Both team seniors guards that can penetrate, that can shoot the 3, that can cut, that can rebound and that can run in transition. So it will be extremely interesting to watch that matchup. They are seniors. We have the sophomore, and she plays very experienced.

UKARI FIGGS: Like Coach Peck said, I think it's going to be a very interesting matchup. I think that any time you have people on both sides of the ball that do similar things, it makes the matchups unique. And I don't know if I can really compare it to any matchups we've had earlier this year. But it's definitely going to be a challenge to stop their three-point attack.

KATIE DOUGLAS: I don't think it hurts in any way. I'm flexible to whatever position, whether it be the one, two, three or four. I just come out and do any job defensively, and, you know, just try to do whatever it is that I can to help this team be successful.

UKARI FIGGS: I usually don't give post players advice on how to guard people. I don't know. I definitely think it's going to be a good matchup between Camille and Michele. And, you know, Peppi Browne and Michele Duhart are going to have a tough matchup inside; so I think the matchups all the way around the court are going to be very interesting.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: I think it will be a very good matchup. It will be a big challenge, because Michele VanGorp, as you saw yesterday, can shoot the 3 as well. It's -- she's got great sides, inside, good hand, a nice touch around the basket. So we're going to have to change up and do a couple of different things in guarding her.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: With Duke? Player to player? Yeah, we'll put our scouting report in the paper. Ukari will have Nicole Erickson. Steph will be on Howard. CT will be on Schweitzer. Michele will be on Browne. And Coop will be on Michele VanGorp.

STEPHANIE WHITE-McCARTY: It's a very special thing. I take great pride in my academics, as does everybody else on the team. It's nice for people to know that we do take pride in our academics. We are not just players, we are students as well.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: Cut her off.

CAMILLE COOPER: I think it was definitely going to be a challenge inside. She has really good sides. And she can run the court well. She has a good touch. So I have to mainly concentrate on defense and limiting her touches to the ball.

MICHELLE DUHART: Peppi plays the run on both ends of the court. She runs well. She penetrates, gives 150 percent defensively as well. She is going to take a strong effort by me and by everybody else on this team to try contain their team.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: I'm extremely blessed and extremely fortunate to be in the position that I am. I am most fortunate to have the team that I have. I can't say that it's because of the color of my skin that I am where I am. It's because of that team. And that's what it is about, getting here for the team. I hope they can be a good role model for all women, little girls, little boys, not gender specific. And so that everybody can -- see, if you just set your mind to something and you work together as a team, you can accomplish things.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: I think composure. I think rebounding. Again, I think rebounding was extremely important for us yesterday. And it will continue to be tomorrow.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: Other people have opinions on streaks and that kind of thing. We have got to play 40 minutes of basketball. That's what it's about. The record doesn't matter. It doesn't matter to this point. These two teams are stepping onto the floor. And as far as we are concerned, the score is 0-0. And we've got to step out and play the game for 40 or maybe even 40-plus minutes.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: I think that their leadership qualities and their characteristics, personality didn't come it from coming to Purdue, but from their home training, from their parents. They have phenomenal families. They both have very strong fathers that have challenged them starting at a young age, and mothers as well that have been completely supportive of everything that they have done. And I think that's brought the strongest characteristics that these two young women have exhibited in their four years as Purdue. It has carried over in the challenges that they have faced in Purdue and they will even be more of a success when they get out of college.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: Well, some people say that her name is in the same category as Bobby Knight, Larry Bird and God in Indiana. She has been a phenomenal player within the state. She came out the same year that Chamiquea (ph) did. Sometimes I think people forget that. And she was a player of the year some categories when she came out of high school. She has done a phenomenal job for the team not so much her talents on the court but what she's done in the classroom and also in the community.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: Absolutely. I think that she doesn't get the recognition that she deserves and kind of been a secret all year long. I haven't minded because some teams haven't been ready for her and then she comes out and plays like she did last night. I think a lot of people don't pay attention so much because she not always is the top scorer. They forget about the little things she does, the defense, the assists, just the emotional leadership that she shows on the court and like I've said before, Ukari might turn the ball over or might miss a shot but she's on the other of the ball and coming back. Her quickness. She is at the front of our defense, and I think she sets the tone for how the rest of this team plays defensively.

KATIE DOUGLAS: You want me to answer this truthfully? You can go to her when whatever you need her to talk about. She's a normal person like everybody else on the team you can't say enough as Steph and Ukari as leaders on this team. They are great people and we appreciate that they stuck around and stuck with it.

MICHELLE DUHART: I'm from Virginia. Before I actually heard about Purdue, I saw Steph's picture in the magazine for player of the year and when I came to Purdue I was terrified to play with Steph. She was player of the year coming out of high school. She was so helpful to me just getting involved in the game, she's been help foul to me my whole three years. She's been very involved, very caring and just an incredible all around person.

CAMILLE COOPER: I agree. They are incredible players but incredible people. I have grown up with Ukari in high school. She's always been a mentor and role model on and off the court; so it was great to come to college and both Steph and Ukari provide so much leadership. She set the tone for us and they are a good act to follow.

UKARI FIGGS: I think maybe one person would be (inaudible). I think she exhibits one of the best point guards probably the country has ever seen, and I just always thought should she was such a great player and a tough player and she seemed like she was a really good person.

STEPHANIE WHITE-McCARTY: I always used to watch Jennifer Azing (ph), just the way she plays. I went to a lot of Final Fours when I was young and just like to watch different types of people and the things that they do well on the floor.

STEPHANIE WHITE-McCARTY: I think it would be gratifying to cut down the nets no matter what, not just because we've been through a lot but because it's a great honor and we've done a lot on this team. We have stuck together all year long and played together and it's just a very special team to be around.

UKARI FIGGS: Ditto.

STEPHANIE WHITE-McCARTY: Well, I think just you know composure like Coach Peck said, it's going to be a battle. Both sides are going to come out and they are going to battle on the outside and on the inside, and I think it's just who takes care of the ball who does the little things it takes to win the boxing out the playing defense the communicating, and the little things it takes to win. And see we'll go out and execute and both team also come out and play hard for 40 minutes.

UKARI FIGGS: I think about the same thing as Steph was saying. I think that everybody's emotions are going to be hot early, and it's going to be key. I'm sure that one of the two teams might make a big run at the beginning, but like Steph said, composure is going to a key for both teams but whoever is going to come out winning the game. It's going to be whoever keeps their composure throughout the game.

MICHELLE DUHART: We play a lot of strong post players being in the Big-10, but I think Michele VanGorp is in a class all by herself. She has got a nice touch around the basket and she can step out and hit the 15-footer. I'm not sure we have played a team like Duke. Tremendous three-point shooters and it's just going be to be entirely new for us tomorrow.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: I think Michele answered that correctly. I think they are a combination of different types that we have played with their attack with their perimeter. But there are other teams with their attack from the post area. So it's a combination of the different teams. I can't say that there is one single team that is similar to Duke.

STEPHANIE WHITE-McCARTY: Yeah, things weren't going to well on the offensive end for me. That's why we've got teammates. Ukari just carried us and we played great defense and rebounded in the second half and that's what won us the game. As far as the physical play, it's been physical all along in the tournament and we knew it was going to be this way and we are just going to go out and battle do the little things that we can do to win.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: They can shoot the 3. They can penetrate. They have got phenomenal post players inside. I don't think it's one concern in particular. If you had to narrow is down to one, I think it's the versatility of the team.

UKARI FIGGS: I don't think we've ever really finished sentences for each other, but that would be kind of scary. Michelle said that. Every now and then we do make some of the same comments about something, but I think that happens when you're around somebody so much. Off the court, I think you know we have a lot of the similar interests. We like to watch movies and I don't know, just go to bowling or, you know, stuff like that. And I think that definitely for this whole team and Steph and I, I think the bond off the court has really just helped so much with our success on the court and knowing where we are on the court. And as far as I think this team, you know we're so close off the court that we just go out there and play as hard as we can for each other and whether or not, you know, things are going well someone on our team is going to pick us up and that's been the great thing about this team.

STEPHANIE WHITE-McCARTY: She said it very good.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: I'll take this one. I think that you know it would be great for the Big-10. I think that as the year has progressed a lot of recognition has come to the Big-10 conference and the talent within our conference. It has been extremely competitive all season long. We're not caring any additional pressure though for something to prove for the Big-10. We are coming to play a ball game, and really, it's between Purdue and Duke.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: The focus right now is we've got a ball game for 40 minutes. We take it one session at a time.

UKARI FIGGS: I think Kentucky is definitely one of the best places for basketball, period. I think the Indiana-Kentucky and Indiana All-Star Game is such a historical matchup basketball talent and our county is -- has great basketball tradition, both male and female. And we were able, you know, my senior year to go and get to the first Sweet 16 and win the first state championship. And you know after that I think the gods won two state championships and it's just a great basketball tradition and I've had a lot of fun playing with Camille and seeing her both through high school and all that stuff. And it's just great to be able to grow up with somebody and have a chance to get an opportunity to play in the national championship game with them.

CAMILLE COOPER: I think it helped. It wasn't my main reason, but I knew that she would be here and that would be a friend on and off the court. She is always someone I'll look up to and go to for advice.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: I have to compliment Gail Goestenkors on the job she has done with her team. It has been a battle all year long for other teams to be noticed outside of Tennessee and Connecticut. They have gotten a lot of media coverage. That has been very well deserved. I don't want to take anything away from those two programs, but the nation has come to learn that there are other good teams that are playing. And with Duke's men and women being in a Final Four, I think that that is causing people to talk about women's basketball in the same breath as men's basketball. It's a great thing. We are very excited to be here. We don't play a lot of attention to what other people think and other people's opinions of who can do what, because when it comes to game time both teams have to step out on the floor and play. I think you can defeat yourself if you go out and you put too much stock in what other people think you should do or where you should end up. The only thing that matters is what you believe and how you convert that on to the floor when you play the game.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: It has not been five players. It's been about 8 players. At different times different players have stepped up and done some good things for us. The best part about this bench, they are -- the best way to describe them, do what they need to do when called upon. You've got Kelly that started the year off in the Tennessee game and was a great spark for us. Where were times when Mackenzie has done good things gore us and candy Crawford and then you see Tiffany Young last night. They are just willing to do whatever it takes to make this team successful.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: Right now, I haven't gotten that far. I'm getting ready for practice. That's as far as I'm thinking right now.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: Well, when we first planned the trip to go to Europe, every coach that I talked about doing it said it's the best thing for bonding when you're going to try to make a run, when you feel like you've got the team to make a run; so, that's what that European trip was about. We got together for ten days. We worked on things, because I got everybody back this year that I had last year with the addition of Kelly. Unfortunately, Mary was not able to play this season because of stress fractures. So in the trip, we took what we had done last year. We fine tuned it and we were able to add a few new things for this year. That's what this trip was about.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: We never did. But I tell you, that was a great trip. We had a lot of fun together. I think that we have similar senses of humor and we had a good time.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: Well, we took the team, well I'm probably going to get slammed for this, but we took the team called to a place called Snake Alley in Taiwan. It was a very interesting place. It was very educational. It was fun. I really like Gail's coaching style and her demeanor with the players. I don't know if she realizes this, but I learned a lot from her. She's very specific on what she needs them to do. Not real complicated. And have fun with them.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: Well, absolutely. My ambition to win a national championship.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: That's as far as it goes.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: You think we walked it up last night? I can remember the Figgs save behind the back, push it up to Steph who missed the layup followed by Camille. That was not walking it up. But I think that we run smart and comes from a decision from our seniors. I think that's when we'll run when the opportunity is there. I don't think we'll try to force things. I think that we are similar with Duke, they do the same type thing. They run under control. They take the opportunities that are given this and I think it's going to be kind of like a chess match of our guards deciding this is a good opportunity to run or this is a time where we should shut up and really take advantage of having possession of the ball.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: Born with it.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: I think that growing up, I got a great family and you know my parents and my grandparents and the rest of my family around me have always really pushed -- be proud of who you are. It doesn't matter what size you are or what you look like. The only thing you've got to know is that you feel good about yourself. My grandmother always used to poke me in the back and tell me to stop slouching over and pull my shoulders back because: "God gave you the height, be proud of it. You can't change it and stand tall." I think that the thought of not worrying about other people's opinions has come from my family as well, that a lot of people will say you can't do something. Well, when growing up as a kid in swimming, softball, basketball, track or whatever, if somebody said Carolyn: You really probably can't win this one or you can't do that, that's when really -- I would set my mind to try to prove them wrong. So, then I think that that can work to an adverse condition to where you work too hard on trying to prove somebody else wrong and not take care of the matter at hand. And I think through the years we have all learned that it doesn't matter what everybody thinks. Everyone has opinions. What you've got to do is stay focused on the dreams that you have and then move forward from there.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: Except for right now because I've dog tired. I think that I never realized really that I was that much taller than anyone else because I've got two brothers that are 6'5 plus and then any dad is 6'4. My mom is 5'10; so in my house hold I was sometimes the runt in the family next to my mom. I really didn't realize until I was in college that I was taller than most people. I was looking at a video that my dad took at a Christmas program, and I am standing head and shoulders above everybody else. I think that all young girls that are growing up to be tall, be proud of it, to take it to heart. To walk into a place and people turn and look, be proud of the height that you have. I really -- I've had a lot of people ask me to talk to their young girls about the -- how do you handle being tall; and it's a good thing. Right now with their being different opportunities for women in sports in particular, height and size has its advantages. Also, a lot of models are tall. You look at Lisa Lesley: She's a beautiful, tall woman. There are a lot out there. Comments, you know, they go both ways you've got the ones of how is the weather up there. You have little kids that say: You're as big as my dad. That happens. Also, you have that say when you walk in a place, people notice. My team likes to walk behind me in the airport because they like to see people's expressions when they walk by. Another tall, striking beautiful figure is Camille Cooper on our team. She -- I look at her every day and I think she has the world in her hands because not only is she tall and beautiful, but she also has a 4.0 and she has a terrific personality.

COACH CAROLYN PECK: I don't know if I've been able to bring them around, but you know just to -- if they can see the opportunities and the things that you can do, it doesn't matter what size you are. It doesn't matter if you're five feet or 4'5 or six feet or 6'8. I remember Honey Gillingham that played at Vanderbilt and really had a tough time when she got to college with her height. When you start comparing yourself of how you look to other people that can really lower your opinion of yourself. It's not a matter of how you compare to somebody else. It's how you feel about yourself and I think that that has been helpful, that, was the advice given to me and extremely helpful.