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NCAA WOMEN'S FINAL FOURApril 1, 2006Seimone AugustusPokey ChatmanSylvia FowlesScholanda HostonBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS DEBBIE BYRNE: We will let Coach make an opening statement and go to your questions. Please raise your hand so we can get a microphone to you. POKEY CHATMAN: Obviously we're extremely excited to be here and we have been asked a lot of questions about being the third trip and, no, it does not diminish it. It's just exciting and it's a credit to this team and what keeps you focused on everything is the fact that you have a formidable opponent in Duke waiting. The fact that they lead the nation in scoring, second in plus rebound margin. Presents several problems to you, inside attack, outside attack. I could go on and on. I was speaking to someone about game goals and that is to play a 40 full minutes of Lady Tiger basketball, because that's what's needed this time of year. Q. This is a two-part for Scholanda and Coach Chatman: Scholanda, how much of an advantage is it to having been here three consecutive years? And Coach, how much of an advantage is it to having a player like Seimone in this environment who can take over and kind of win a game for you if she has to? SEIMONE AUGUSTUS: I think it's a bit of an advantage, just in having some experience. That plays into being able to help our younger players along. Everybody except for Kristen Morris was here on the team last year but a lot of them didn't get the minutes as Seimone and myself did, and Sylvia too. And just being able to talk to them and kind of coach them through and settle them down a little bit, like Erica White playing a tough point guard position and really this being the first time that she's having to carry such a heavy load in such a big environment on such a big stage. Just being able to be her support and help her through that. POKEY CHATMAN: I'll start with the Seimone question, because that's the easiest one. Seimone, Seimone is Seimone and she's a joy to watch grow. Obviously on the court because that's the part that gets rewarded the most, but just as a person and how she's infected, affected, effected this team and not at the expense of the team, and part of the reason why we're back here, we all become better coaches, when we get players like Seimone Augustus. But just in terms of being here again, just to expand a little bit on what Scholanda said, I think it's huge in terms of the process of events that take place up until the game. We understand it's going to boil down to 40 minutes of action, it's going to take place in between 94 by 50 feet lines, but just in terms of getting everyone ready and enjoying all the moments, because it's so unlike anything else, but we enjoy it every time. Q. If there's one similar theme for all four of these teams it's they all seem to run well or at least play very good transition basketball. Is that the direction that the women's game seems to be going in general and is that a good thing? POKEY CHATMAN: It's a good thing because generally what starts that transition is a sound defensive effort in the half court. And that's a compliment to kids at this level buying into that end of the floor, because it's not often glorified. You credit them and you credit the coaches for making that a point of emphasis. But we're okay with it moving in that direction because it helps you utilize every facet of the game. It's no longer a half court game, it involves every inch of the court. Q. Coach, this is your third straight year in the Final Four, I'm sure there's a comfort zone, but in a way do you feel like an outsider to an ACC party? POKEY CHATMAN: The comfort zone, that's for you guys to write about. It sounds a lot better, it doesn't feel comfortable because of the field and that's just a compliment to Duke, Maryland and North Carolina. I think it's tremendous that a conference could put three schools in this event. And we can make jokes about it, I think I did last night, but that's just a compliment to what they have done. You don't feel like an outsider because at the end of the day it's the basketball game and everything you work for for so many years coming up to this point. Q. My question is for Coach Chatman, how do you and your players prepare for a big game? POKEY CHATMAN: Several things go into that preparation. The obvious is the basketball, we watch a lot of film -- I'll back up. We rest. We make sure we feed them well. We practice a lot. We watch a lot of film. We talk about those things. We emphasize everything that's gotten us to this point and most importantly we enjoy it. Q. Sylvia Hatchell spoke for a few minutes about her relationship with you over the last couple of years. Could you talk about that and also your thoughts on the other coaches in the Final Four here. POKEY CHATMAN: Yes, through Sue I always felt like I knew everyone because she knew everyone so I would hear all the stories from the Nike trips and how fun they were, but I always felt like I knew them and I had to remind myself that I really didn't; it was from a distance. But I remember when I was first named head coach in the Nike trip was in Tahoe and of course they all had the gist of it, so they were enjoying it, having a good time, golfing, on the yacht, and I was working trying to get my staff together and I had a little bit more on my mind. But I just remember every morning, every other morning just meeting up with her and having conversations with her. It was a definite comfort level. I remember having conversations with her husband and how welcoming she was just to talk basketball and share some Sue stories with me and it's just a lot of respect, you respect them from a distance and now to be up close and personal, I'm still kind of getting used to being mentioned in the same breath as some of these coaches and what they have done. I feel like I've been doing it for a couple of weeks and they have been doing it for a couple of decades. So it's a compliment to me and you talked about the other coach, I mean, you know, look at what Gail has done at Duke over the long haul and it keeps going in an upward swing direction. And the record speaks for itself. And everything Brenda's touched, she's turned to gold. And it's not a surprise to us that it worked with her. All summer we watched the effort and I guess that's part of the reason why they're all here. Q. For Coach, could you talk about Duke's rebounding prowess in the tournament. They have had numbers in the 50s and 60 performance. What have they changed from last year? POKEY CHATMAN: I don't think you change, I just think as a coach of Gail's caliber, you find an area that you want to improve upon and you have players that want to improve and want to get better and it's a mindset. And it's obviously something that they emphasize. They made a living off of it in terms of adding something else to their arsenal. And to me it's a mindset, because we all can emphasize it, but until they buy into it, it's not really good, it's just on paper. And it's a compliment to those players that want to participate in the not so glamorous portion of the game because they understand the significance of it. Q. For Seimone, I assume you came back to school this year for the chance to win the NCAA title, and would you feel complete if you did not win it? SCHOLANDA HOSTON: Yeah, I still would be feel complete. I'll be disappointed, but it wouldn't overshadow everything that's happened here at LSU through my years here. I would still feel good about the situation and the fact that I made the decision to come here and do the things that we have done as far as making history here. Q. Sylvia Fowles, I would like to ask you, it's not that often, I don't know how often I should say, that you play somebody in similar in height like tomorrow night with Alison Bales. What is that like with somebody who has at least an equal ability in size? SYLVIA FOWLES: Believe it or not I like competition like that. I like somebody who is taller than me, who I'm going and banging on. Alison Bales is just a perfect match for me and we have to go out there and do what we have to do. Q. Wanted to ask the players, the SEC for a long time has been the premier women's basketball conference and a lot of people are making a lot of the ACC getting three teams this year, do y'all feel any extra incentive being the lone representative from the SEC, a non-ACC school to try to win, and also being Seimone's last year here and Scholanda's, to try to get that victory in the first round? SEIMONE AUGUSTUS: We want to do this for us. It's about going out there and playing our best basketball. Laying out there what we're capable of. I think we have all the tools necessary. We have the players, we have the coaches, we have the game plan, we have Coach Starkey who stays up all night and breaks down film, and he's the best at it. We have everything we need. And I think that's the important thing. And that's the reason why we feel like we're extremely capable of going out there and doing it. All those other things, they're good story lines, and they will look nice on paper, but when it comes down to it, it's everybody that's within this circle we want to do it for everybody in there. Q. This is for Coach: Somebody said the other day that you would try to slow Duke down kind of sort of the way that Connecticut did. Gail said she didn't see you coming out of what got you here, that the transition game is what you're kind of about. Without giving away too many secrets, is it your plan to just play your game and just and let things fall as they may? POKEY CHATMAN: I don't think there are any secrets. I think we have 16 tapes on Duke. It's never by design to slow a game down, you just go back and evaluate how you've been effective. You can run in transition and not necessarily get a shot out of it, and then make seven or eight passes in the half court. It's not something that we're going to emphasize and say, don't take a shot until under 10. It's not one of those things. It's just we have been most effective when we have run half court offense and made the opposition defend us to get to the free throw line. And if that means the game ends up in the 50s or 60s, that's an area where we have been good, but it's not something that we're going to try to emphasize. Q. This is for Seimone and Pokey: A lot of the national media has kind of grasped on to the Katrina story with the men's team, and they have been showing that, I'm wondering how many of that do you actually get, have you gotten a lot of questions, comments considering that and is it something that you feel you're playing for? Scholanda just said you're playing for the school, do you also feel some state pride as well? SCHOLANDA HOSTON: Always. We want to represent our state as best as we can. And, yes, we do hear a lot about the Katrina thing. And I think that helps motivate us. We witnessed everything that happened firsthand and the way we had to, I guess, adjust and adapt to that situation, only helped us with our season as far as focusing in on what we have to do. Just those adverse situations, it was much easier for to us come out here and play for this extended period of time. The Katrina victims, they really helped inspire us. We were able to go out and speak with them, try to help as much as we can. So we feel like to some extent that we can give them two and a half, three hours out of the day just to enjoy a good basketball game, that's what we're going to do. Q. Coaches often talk about the first five minutes of each half being relatively crucial, in your mind what do you need to see in the first five minutes of each half in order for it to be a successful night tomorrow night? POKEY CHATMAN: Not to take away from your question, I think coaches are probably thinking of it more in terms of the first possession, because that sort of sets the stage. You play in five-minute increments, you're playing to be short. Compliment to the field and where we are, you know, we talk about trying to make every possession our masterpiece. That could be on offense or defense. And that's the approach we have to take. And that's the compliment. How we want to play against Duke. Q. Coach, Scholanda and Sylvia I'm wondering if you can all answer the question, is there something called the Seimone factor and can you describe what that is? POKEY CHATMAN: How long is this press conference? (Laughter.) You guys get to witness a very small portion of the Seimone factor. So much of what she's doing is signature Seimone and it's not that we don't appreciate it, it's just normal. In the locker room, at team functions, the star player being the biggest cheerleader or the silliest one on the team. There's several things. And I'll compliment Seimone how she's grown as a person, athlete, through this team, with this team, the community, and she's the child that Baton Rouge raised. And to see her on this stage, to continue to elevate her game is a compliment to her and we're all better people, including Seimone. And she's always throwing it back at us because certain times you get a player of her caliber and because of prior star players have maybe certain expectations, and she extinguished them immediately. And that's what separates her. SCHOLANDA HOSTON: Don't make me say good things about her in front of her. (Laughter.) Oh, I think that the biggest thing is outside of the basketball things, I said this before, that all the trophies and the awards and the accolades, I don't think that's what defines her. I think that the way she carries herself with all of that weight is what defines her, just being so humble and just not making you feel like she wears that all the time. I have told so many people we practice and play with her every day and you forget sometimes that she's the national Player of the Year and this trophy winner and that, because she just doesn't exude that every day and makes it this big, big deal. She doesn't have the huge ego that she could walk around with because of who she is. I think that's the biggest thing. SYLVIA FOWLES: I kind of agree with Scholanda and Coach Chatman. Just the person she is and all the weight she carries on her shoulders, you really wouldn't know that she's the national Player of the Year, once you're around her every day. But just her goofiness off the court and it just sets her aside from everything. Q. Seimone, how good is basketball in Baton Rouge? Youth basketball, high school. I know the men's team has some players, too. Does that city get enough respect, because I don't think people think of that as being a basketball hotbed. SCHOLANDA HOSTON: Oh, you have to put us on that. Let me see how I can put it. In past years we were on top, but now we have declined a little. But we can take on any Miami girl. We can beat anybody in Miami. But at the time when I was coming up it was a very big part, basketball was the key thing in Baton Rouge and we, I mean, that's mainly all we did. You see a lot of kids at the parks and rec centers, wherever we could get a game, that's where we would be. And I think like Coach said, that this helped me, the city of Baton Rouge raised me. Q. Question for Coach: How important will your bench players play in this game? Last year your bench players when you played Duke played a big part. How important will that be this year? POKEY CHATMAN: Huge. I think that one of those bench players is now on the starting five. I think Sylvia had 13 and 11 last time out. And we struggled and she was a difference maker in that game. I think it's huge. But I think every coach would say that, even more so for us because so often we have to hear about Sylvia and Seimone and I think we're a two-man roster sometimes, and that's early in the year. You get to this point, everyone understands that there's a reason why those kids are at the forefront of what you do offensively. But I think from Florence Williams, I mean everyone, you know, just in terms of how we need to play in order to be successful is why they're important. Q. For Scholanda, I guess, so often this year you played as the favorite, you're going into this game as the underdog, you said before you didn't need any extra motivation, but do you like that challenge at least? SCHOLANDA HOSTON: It's welcomed. We still have to go out there regardless and play good basketball. This time of year, I don't think there are any underdogs. These are four great teams that all want to walk away from here Tuesday night with a national championship. And that's what you have to go out there and fight for. You have to go out there believing that you're going to go out there and play your best basketball and that you're capable of doing that. When you put that on the floor, that's what has to be done. You're going to have two great teams going against each other, where no numbers are going to matter. DEBBIE BYRNE: Any final questions? If not, I'm going to let them go. Thank you very much, ladies.
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