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BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEDIA DAYS

October 18, 2006

Kristy Curry

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA

PETER IRWIN: Welcome back to everyone for the afternoon session of the Big 12 Women's Basketball Media Days.
We would like to welcome Kristy Curry from Texas Tech University. If you would like to make opening comments.
COACH CURRY: We are very excited to be part of Texas Tech and the Big 12 and look forward to continuing the tradition that we have in place.
PETER IRWIN: With that opening comment.

Q. What is the return of Chesley meant to the team? She is back pretty much full strength. If you will talk about your freshman with Jordan Murphree?
COACH CURRY: The return of Chesley is unbelievable. She is a vocal leader, an action leader. I can't put into words to describe what the young lady has been through. She is the epitome of what a student athlete is about. Her perseverance of what she has to overcome to get to this point. Her presence makes our team better as a person and player. I am proud to have her as a senior on our team.
We have four great seniors with Alesha Robertson and Brooke Baughman and Patrice Edwards and Chesley, it makes your job as coaches much easier. Jordan Murphree has the potential to be as good as anyone that has ever played at Texas Tech. She is strong and physical. She has a presence about her. Recruited her at Purdue, so I understand who she is and what she is about.

Q. Could you talk about the biggest challenge that is have followed of Coach Sharp and what are the biggest benefits of stepping into a program that has been established?
COACH CURRY: I feel very honored and very blessed to have the opportunity to follow Coach Sharp. When the negotiations and talks first began, we were very secure we had a top-ten team coming back. Why would you leave Purdue. [Marsha|Marcia] Sharp has done so much for the game of women's basketball and for someone that's my age, I have a great appreciation for all of those that have come before us. It is the opportunity to get backs to Texas and raise my family. The opportunity to follow her, I take much pride in following the tradition. How can you say no to someone that has done so much for the game.
I am not sure I answered your question, but that's pretty much how I feel about it. As far as a program that has been established I inherited that at Purdue. I think the two situations mirror one another. Purdue had won the national championship. I am not bothered, not intimidated. Success before me doesn't bother me. I think you embrace the past and you build on the future. Whether the past was good or bad, happy or sad, you just try every day to make it better.

Q. Kristy, do you think -- are your style and Coach Sharp's style similar enough there will be a fairly smooth transition early on this season for the players?
COACH CURRY: I certainly am not a brain surgeon. I understand if it is not broke, you don't try to fix it. There is more than one right way to do something. Some of the things Coach Sharp has in place we have kept and some we have changed. We make adjustments, as far as the daily running of the business, some things we are going to change, but it doesn't make one way right or one way wrong. We have tried to embrace the past. She has been more than open. We have daily -- conversations on a regular basis. We go to lunch. She has had me over for dinner. She has been unbelievable to help bridge the transition.
I think one thing I have to really say is our kids have been open to change and understand that we are not trying to turn the page and close the book and write a completely different book. We are just writing another chapter to add to the book. That's been big.

Q. Also people used to talk about the difference in styles of play between one conference and the other. I think the big 10 was known as a physical conference. Is that still true? From what you can tell, has there been -- is there a difference in style played between the Big 10 and the Big 12?
COACH CURRY: I think after my first year I can answer that question a little better. Over seven years I became one of the oldest Big 10 coaches because of all the change. I saw different styles. Our success was that we had big and strong. We also had quickness and athleticism. We felt like the blend together would put us in a position to have success in the league, as it did with the Penn State. I didn't always just like being big. I like to have quickness and athleticism. That will make the transition to the Big 12 for us as a staff easier.
Having Bill Block (ph) on the staff, that was the biggest find for us thus far, hiring him away from Baylor. He understands the Big 12 in recruiting in this area and scouting better than anyone. So I am smart enough to listen to him and I think he has been huge with our transition and the understanding of what we need to get and what we have and how to utilize that.

Q. Coach, can you talk about the post position for your team, maybe some concerns there or players who you think might step up this season.
COACH CURRY: I have all the confidence and I am really excited about Patrice and Darrice and Erin. I think those three are as good as anybody in our league. Certainly after that, you look at a depth factor. I like Tawanna Flowers and her work ethic and all the little things she does. You have four right there that have the ability to get it done.
Will we go small? We might. We will do what we have to do to be successful night in, night out. There is a lot that we have looked at and how we need to be successful utilizing those four. We have all the faith and confidence in those four. If those four stay healthy, we are okay. If we have an injury, it will hurt us there.
We certainly need to get bigger. We need to get better. Signing 11 players in two years gives us the opportunity. Right now I believe in who we have and I am excited to coach them.

Q. Kristy, when you have a player like Erin, who has anchored a point guard spot and been a team leader for a long time, when that player leaves, there is a little bit of a void. Who right now to you seems to be the player that will do that for you?
COACH CURRY: I don't think there is any question that right now Brooke Baughman will be our point guard and who is very experienced. There is no one more fundamentally that has a better mind for the game at the one. And I love coaching her every day. She has a great command of her team and has a presence about her. They believe in her and she believes with her.
And you also have two senior perimeter players on either side of her with Alicia and Chesley. Those kids understand the game. Coach Sharp has done a wonderful job of teaching, and I expect Jordan Murphee, Tiny Henderson, Raquel Christian, everyone in the world knows who that is. She is a great little player out of Midland, Texas. We will interchange some things at the one, but it will come by committee, but I see Brooke taking the reins with that right now.

Q. Is it kind of nice being in a part of country where people don't talk funny the way they do in Indiana, just talking about being in Texas?
COACH CURRY: It is wonderful. My husband is an Aggie, we're on staff together, and it is just great to be back in Texas. My accent fits. There is no better place for my accent than Lubbock. It is great to be back in Texas and eat Mexican food. I am as happy as I can be. I am happy to raise my two little girls in Lubbock.

Q. Kristy, what were your impressions of the Big 12? As you were in the Big 10 for so long, what were your impressions of the Big 12?
COACH CURRY: I have to give Coach Blair all the credit in the world because he helped me get my start. When I became an Aggie, obviously Kim and I worked together at Louisiana Tech for three years. I was a huge fan of hers and always supported her and we talked on the phone a lot. Both of us were having some success at the same time and going through new jobs and just taking our first head coaching jobs. So between Kim and Coach Blair, I kept a lot up with the Big 12 and what was happening. You know, when you are a women's basketball fan, you keep up with all leagues.

Q. Obviously you got to view the Big 12 and what OU did last season from the outside. What are your thoughts on that program specifically and facing them this season.
COACH CURRY: You just have to have a lot of respect for Sherri and what she has done and I have a lot of respect for Norma. She has always been an inspiration to me as a mom, as a coach. So I think our situations mirror each other.
We have obviously come into a little bit of a rebuilding situation, although I see our team being better than people think we are going to be. I have a lot of respect for her and think the world of her as a mom and a coach. I look forward to seeing them and not have to play them, but we will play them when we have to play them.
PETER IRWIN: Coach, we wish you the best of the luck for the season.
COACH CURRY: Thank you.

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