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BIG 12 CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 10, 2007Sherri CoaleCourtney ParisJenna PlumleyLeah RushOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA MODERATOR: We're joined by the victorious Sooners from Oklahoma. Coach, congratulations, not only on a big win tonight but on the big tournament. COACH COALE: Thank you. I'm so proud of the State of Oklahoma right now. It just would have almost seemed wrong to not win this for the people, for all sports association, for the mayor, for everybody who was involved with building the excitement that revolved around this entire tournament. I'm just so proud of our city and proud of our state and I'm pretty proud of this basketball team I coach. Q. Sherri, I want to talk about two moves that you made. One on Amanda Thompson, great freshman for them, slowed her down the second half. The move to put Kendra Moore in, you told her she's got to be ready and she can win games for you and helped you tonight. COACH COALE: Kendra was terrific. Obviously toward the end of the first half, they were aware that Erin Higgins' legs are 96 years old. So they were just isolating her. We were afraid to help out the shooters for obvious reasons that you saw all night along. It was one-on-one in the paint there. Lacey is tough. She's a good little player and she's going to make a great hand for him. So we made some changes there. And I felt Jenna and Kendra, because all of their guys can step out and shoot the 3s, and our lack of size there wasn't such a factor because we weren't defending in the post, we were defending on the three-point line. I felt like Kendra's aggression could make a difference. And the offense was going to be a bonus. I put her in to help defend the 3-point line. She did some great things offensively, obviously the big shot she had. But getting organized and getting the ball to the right place at the right time, huge minutes. I thought both the seniors, Kendra and Leah, were both just terrific. Q. Sherri, to get where you all want to go, could this game tonight be the best thing that could happen for y'all? COACH COALE: How do you mean? Oh, to come from behind? Q. With the crowd and everything in your favor, to fight back. COACH COALE: I don't know. I just think that you gotta figure out a lot of different ways to win games. That's what we've had to do throughout the entire month of February. I said this immediately following the game. The Big 12 conference has put us in a position to be prepared for just about anything the NCAA tournament could throw at us. And I don't think we'd come back tonight, even with the big crowd, if we have not been tested the way we were tested throughout the month of February. We've been behind before. We've been behind a couple of times when the game's over and the scoreboard's finished. So there's a poise that you develop after going through that. So I think the month of February prepared us for tonight and hopefully tonight, coupled with the month of February, gets us ready for anything we might see next. Q. Coach, how proud are you of Courtney? She hardly didn't have any fouls, maybe one foul in like the last few minutes. You pulled her out. You knew they were going to make their run and you put her back in. What kind of adjustments did you have to make on that? COACH COALE: Well, I was really proud of Courtney. I think she got a little frustrated in the first half. They were just bringing the house when she caught the ball and had trouble finishing. It was 4 of 13 at half or something. And then missed a couple early in the second half. And then gathered herself. And it's all about balance with her. She wasn't in a hurry in the second half. She caught the ball in the vice. Looked, who's coming, when are the coming, where are they coming from, and looked at her options and when it was single coverage, she was able to use her skill and athleticism to get to the rim. All she needed to do was get one or two rhythm shots, and we knew it was over. That's one of the reasons that nobody panicked. We're in that situation. And Courtney really hadn't gotten going yet. Courtney is going to get going. They just know that at some point. And once she did, then everybody just relaxed and everything was obviously much better. Q. Sherri, did we see the Leah Rush of old in this tournament, and especially tonight? COACH COALE: Oh, I think so. The way she started each game for us was just huge, sort of set the tone for everything. And that's just sort of the way Leah Rush plays in post-season. We've become accustomed to that, so that's a good sign for us. Q. This goes back to the frustration question and it goes to Courtney and to Jenna because I don't know that Leah was frustrated too much tonight. But you certainly were. Courtney would you describe your frustration level and what you had to do to work around that, and Jenna, yours as well, because you had a lot of that tonight. COURTNEY PARIS: Well, I think -- I was frustrated because you want to make big shots in a big game. And I wasn't. But at the same time I had teammates saying, "Court, don't worry about it, you got the next one." And I'd miss it. "Don't worry you got the next shot." I've got great teammates that don't quit on me and stop throwing me the ball if I miss shots. So that helps a lot. JENNA PLUMLEY: I felt like I kind of rushed myself coming in I had an easy transition back to the basket at the very beginning of the game coming in. And I saw the 3 and sometimes the first shot tells you how you feel, builds your confidence, and I think I kind of let my confidence go with that first shot. And then when I talked to Coach Coale in the second half and she came up to me and told me to get her 3, that just built my confidence back up. And (inaudible) made a wonderful pass to the top of the key to the corner of me when I hit my first 3. And all I could think about was Coach Coale because I felt she gave me the assist. But other than that I just felt like I rushed myself. That's pretty much all it was was me, within myself, and trying to keep up with what I have to do. Q. Leah, would you talk about your play here at the tournament this week and do you feel like you're playing as well as you have maybe all season? LEAH RUSH: I think so, maybe. Tournament play is fun. I love tournament play. And it's kind of weird being the last time we'll probably play in Oklahoma in front of our home crowd. I know they'll travel with us, but it's kind of different when it's right here at home. I don't know. I love tournament play. I think it's fun. Either play and win or go home. And I love to play so I want to keep playing. Q. Leah, will you talk about just the craziness of the game. You guys going to 15 run, looks like they're going to run out of gas but it seems like they never do? LEAH RUSH: Yes, Iowa State is one you can never -- with the way they're shooting the three ball, no lead is a safe lead with those guys. We knew they would make runs, and we knew that was coming. And I'm just proud of the way the team responded and was able to make our own runs and send off theirs. Q. Sherri, your team came up with nine steals. Jenna got six. You only turned them over 15 times. But nine of those stole the ball. Talk about your defensive effort especially just to come up with the ball on key plays. COACH COALE: Jenna, just has a knack for it. I don't think you teach any of that. It's just instinct. She catches guys with their back turned and she's so quick she comes from behind and knocks it loose. Several of those in transition. Obviously the one late was huge, I thought. But she just has it and smells it. And we look down we were just talking in the holding room. We had nine steals and we only had 13 turnovers. We may have a serious party on the bus. Finally got it under 15. Woo-hoo. (Laughter) Q. Coach, can you talk about just emotionally how maybe this is different than last year? You guys almost seemed a little more subdued. COACH COALE: Which one seemed more subdued to you? Q. (Off microphone) COACH COALE: I don't know about that. They all feel great for me. But I think for a lot of us, I speak just obviously from my own point of view. It was one of those things where you know the game didn't go down to the wire. You knew we saw it for, 30 seconds or so there that we had it. But there were a lot of emotions, honestly, because of the crowd that we had, the way we had been embraced this week and this tournament. And for me personally, the reward in women's basketball and the respect that people have gained for our sport and the way they've just embraced our players, it was sort of a surreal moment. If you felt any sense of it being subdued, I think it comes from that, maybe just soaking it all in. Q. (Off microphone) COACH COALE: I don't think so. Because I don't think you can ever take a championship for granted. I told our guys in the locker room, I went 5-22 once and I made a decision. Every time we win, I'm celebrating it until the sun comes up the next day, no matter what. I told them we're not talking about the NCAA tournament we'll talk about it tomorrow. Tonight we won the Big 12 tournament championship and we're going to celebrate until the sun rises. Q. Sherri, you talked about how the Big 12 prepares you for moments like these and for the tournament. Are you glad, though, now not to be facing a Big 12 team at least for a while? COACH COALE: Heavens, yes. But you never know, when the committee puts the bracket together, we might be right back with somebody in another week. But I do appreciate the challenge and the coaching in our league, because I do think we go into the tournament. And our record in the NCAA tournament has been very, very strong. And I think a lot of that is a reflection of the competition we play night in, night out. Q. Courtney, can you brag on Leah? Seemed like when you were struggling, it sort of kept you guys scoring and kept you going. COURTNEY PARIS: We were down by 8. Her and Kendra both just making big plays and making big shots, being vocal and being leaders, that's big time. That's what kept us in the game is watching them be so confident. Kind of helped motivate us all. Q. Courtney, after winning the Big 12, Big 12 tournament, is this team ready to win more games? COURTNEY PARIS: Yes, that's the plan. (Laughter) I mean Coach said after the game that you do everything all season long. I know I guess I'm speaking for myself, but like you play your whole season and preseason and all that stuff you want to win the big thing. So we definitely have a lot more to learn and a lot more things to get done. But that's what we're playing for coming up later in March. Q. Leah, you and Kendra played basketball at OU for a long time. When she came in, I saw you say something to her. You guys know each other really well. Did it surprise you she got on that kind of role for that little stretch and what she did? And I don't know if you can share word-for-word what you said to her but could you give us an idea? LEAH RUSH: Honestly, I don't even remember the specific moment. But Kendra has a knack for making big plays at big times, I think. She's a competitor and she's quick and she's a good ball player. And she knows what she's capable of. When the opponent gives her something that she can take, she's going to take it. And she did that tonight. And Kendra's just a fun kid. I think when we play together we enjoy. COACH COALE: We've been here for four years together. So I think there's kind of a special connection on the court with anybody in your own class. Q. Coach and Courtney, I was really impressed with your sister, Ashley. She made some moves tonight and I want to know, how important is her confidence when she comes off that bench? COURTNEY PARIS: I think it's so important and I think Leah did a great job the way Iowa State plays with those shooters, and I think Leah a lot more tonight over Ashley. But her confidence, that's the big thing. When she goes in, even when she misses the shots, she doesn't care. She's aggressive. A year ago you couldn't make her go score. Ashley you can score. She's like give me the post, I'm open. I think her confidence has (inaudible). And when she's playing great -- I thought she had a great tournament. And when she's playing great, being that confident and aggressive, it makes what I do -- and I think I speak for Leah, what she does in the post makes it a lot easier with another threat in there. Q. Sherri, it seems like -- or I do not remember Kendra and Jenna playing on the court together for anywhere near that long this season. And do you think you found something that you might use a little more, both of them together, and what did you think when you put them in tonight? COACH COALE: I put them in for defense. I felt like their speed and their quickness to get out to shooters quickly and we would be able to maybe control that 3-point line a little bit. Is it something that we think is a weapon, a new game plan? We have all kinds of combinations, all kinds of combinations, and I think that's one of our strengths is we're able to be sort of chameleon-like and become what we need to be depending on who we're playing. And that's a real strength of the depth of our bench and the amount of quality experience that these young guys ever see over the course of the season. Because of the (inaudible) earlier in the year, she ran into a situation, confidence is strong and she's ready to effect the game, which she did tonight. You could say the same about Amanda and Chelsi and Nyeshia. In certain situations we were close to sticking her in for a point or two tonight to try to change the flavor of things. That's the versatility of our team. Q. Coach, the way you guys ended the season, ending the Big 12 championship, where do you think you'll be seeded in the NCAA tournament? COACH COALE: That's a good question. I didn't even look at any of the proposed reports until yesterday. In the paper I scanned a couple. I don't know how we wouldn't be 2 because we shared the regular season and won the tournament outright. But stranger things have happened, and I'm just one of those people that thinks you've got to beat everybody who is really good if you want to win a championship anyway. So send us where you need to send us and place us where you place us and we'll be ready to play. End of FastScripts |
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