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BIG 12 CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 7, 2006Jasmina IlicKathy McConnell-MillerJackie McFarlandDALLAS, TEXAS COACH McCONNELL-MILLER: I just have to say how proud I am of these girls. You know, we just spent quite a bit of time in the locker room just talking about the progression of this season, and just how far we've come. I don't think that the record reflects the heart, the desire and the improvement of this particular young group of young women. And I think it starts with Whitney Law, our senior. Obviously she's got a lot of heart, she's got a lot of energy. The two players I thought really stepped up tonight, Jackie McFarlund and Jasmina Ilic did everything they can to carry this team. We don't have great depth. Foul trouble, if any game this year was a concern, this was the night. Nebraska is easily the deepest team in the conference, and we just could not put ourselves in a situation where we were coming up with three or four players with foul trouble. We just were not very effective on the defensive end, particular in the post when Jackie or Jasmina has got to play within foul trouble. Q. They had an 11-point lead and you guys came back and tied the game, and actually took a lead, rather, did you feel at that point that you really had something going, and what changed the momentum right there? What made it kind of get away from you? JASMINA ILIC: We always get ourselves in those situations to fall behind and then try to catch up. I think we did a very good job today executing and getting stops on defenses and then scoring. We came down and once again we got the score even and then we lost the lead. But I think that we learned how to play and how to come back and keep fighting and stay together all the time. JACKIE McFARLUND: At that point whenever we took the lead, you know, I definitely thought we had the momentum. It was our turn to make a run. I thought we had taken our best shot. I think they came down and hit a three on that next play and that kind of hurt us, but we were still in it that whole time. I think towards the end, it really was just that depth issue that really came into play. Q. With the way the first half ended, can you talk about how that took away some of the momentum from you? JACKIE McFARLUND: I definitely think, you know, it was a very poor ending to that first half. They didn't take it from us; I think we gave it to them, and I think it was more just us knowing that it was stupid decisions, stupid plays, and we had a letdown, we can get that right back. We can keep ourselves from doing that. It's not like they were beating us; we gave that to them. Q. Did you feel like you got double-teamed more than you were accustomed to, and did that frustrate you? JACKIE McFARLUND: I don't think I got double-teamed any more than I'm used to. I think I had more trouble telling where the double-team was coming from. Q. When you did take the lead, you were scoreless for almost the rest of the game, was it tough to get the right shot that you wanted or needed? JASMINA ILIC: I don't think so. I think within the offense, we got everything we wanted. It was just a matter of time of executing the plays and getting those put backs. Then we startled fumbling the ball, we didn't put it in people's hands. The play was run very good and we got the open shots, however either the pass was kind of a little bit off or somebody flipped a ball. But I think we executed our offense very good and we found open players in the paint from the double-team, as Jackie said. JACKIE McFARLUND: I thought we had some good looks and open shots, and a few turnovers in that session, too, and they were unforced turnovers, really. Q. How do you feel about the promise for next year? JASMINA ILIC: Well, I think everybody has had a great learning experience this year. From the beginning, we had a lot of ups and downs, but I think in each game everybody grew a lot, and we start like -- everybody was getting accustomed to a new style of play to each other, what everybody got to do. And I think you saw in this game everything we can do great, and so many things we can do even better. So I think the whole team is looking forward to next year. We're going to work hard in the summer getting ready for next year and I think it's going to be a very, very good year for all of us. JACKIE McFARLUND: I am excited because we are going to have 16 players, and that is going to make a tremendous difference just in practice and workouts alone. Just with numbers, the more people you have, the more you're going to push yourself, the more they are going to push you. You cannot take a day off when there's other players waiting to step up into your position. It's going to make the whole team better, competition-wise, it's going to be great. Q. Do you think the depth was really a huge factor, and after you did take the lead and they were able to outscore you 14-5 or something like that down the stretch? COACH McCONNELL-MILLER: I think depth has been an issue for us all year. However, when it got down to that particular possession where we were up one with the ball, I thought we had the ball in the wrong players hands. And I thought we made a poor decision on the shot selection. And to me, at that point, you know, I needed somebody to step up, get the ball, take control and make the most of that opportunity. And we didn't do that. We left the ball in Caley's hands and it was almost like a prayer. It was almost like, I'm going to get this shot off; where when Caley is at her best is when she's setting screens and moving and making things happen. I just thought that particular possession, we made probably the poorest decision of the night on what to execute and how to finish that. Depth has always been an issue. But to get back to your original question, I think we just made poor decisions down the stretch. Whether it was fatigue, whether it was inexperience, whether it was who had the ball in their hands, I can't really answer that. I think it was different almost every possession. But we made poor decisions down the stretch. Q. Can you talk about Caley's intensity on rebounding really helped you get back in the game? COACH McCONNELL-MILLER: I do. I think it's really hard to keep Caley off the floor. I take a look at her progression versus Hannah's progression. Hannah went into it due to injury. She was thrown into it; she's been up and down. Caley has probably been the most steady of all of the players because of the way she has progressed in her control. If I were to sit down and talk basketball to any of my players, Caley is one of the smartest basketball, as far as basketball knowledge, she gets it, she understands it, she reads it, she studies it. I thought she did make some key plays. I think she knew time, I think she knew tempo, but I think there were some freshman mistakes. Q. Can you talk about what was the most challenging part of the season for and you also what was the most rewarding? COACH McCONNELL-MILLER: I think the season was more challenging than I anticipated. I would readily admit that, and to my teammates -- to my coaches and my team. I think about the Big 12, I think about the competitive nature, I think about the recruiting, I think about the whole picture. The most challenging was game by game, learning the players, their temperaments, their abilities, their deficiencies and how to get them to play. The one thing that I didn't have to -- really wasn't challenged with was finding roles and working people in. I didn't really have any options. So that was the easy part. I knew this is the hand I was dealt, this is my team and this is where we're going. The most rewarding was the improvement from day one. They have always given me everything they have had. They have always given -- they have got heart, they have got energy, they have got desire, I love them. But, there are times where we went here and up and down. I would love to go back and I know I've told you this several times, I would love to go back and play our non-conference schedule. Again, knowing how much farther they have come game by game and it's the result of playing in the Big 12; it's a result of playing Texas to a four- or six-point game; it's a result of playing Missouri; it's a result of getting beat at Baylor. This team has learned a great deal, and I know they are walking out of that locker room and getting on that bus feeling proud, and this record just doesn't reflect the things that they have learned. I did enforce to them in the locker room that, you know, this summer is so key. And it starts in the weight room, it starts with our speed, strength and conditioning coach to get our bodies to the point where we are strong and we can absorb the physical nature of the Big 12, and they have got to recommit themselves now. Q. Can you talk about how Jasmina and in this game has competed? COACH McCONNELL-MILLER: Jasmina had a great game against Nebraska the first time, she had 36. It's just a good matchup for them. Their 3 player they put on her is typically more of a 4. She has the ability, they are afraid to come out on her, because they know she has got the ability to go by them. They sometimes leave her open to get her shot. I think she has confidence playing against Nebraska. I think Jasmina has had some wonderful games, and some games where we really needed her a lot more than she's been able to perform. I would say this is one of her best all-around games, northern Colorado was one. If you were going to look at the Big 12, I would say she's had the most success against Nebraska. I think she understands that we need more of a complete game from her, not just scoring, and we're better when she's giving us her complete game.
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