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NCAA WOMEN'S FINAL FOURMarch 31, 2007Sylvia HatchellErlana LarkinsIvory LattaCLEVELAND, OHIO THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started with an opening statement from Coach Hatchell. COACH HATCHELL: We're glad to be here, like all the other teams. We have been on the road quite a bit the last few weeks, but we're glad we're still on the road. We're excited about our opportunity to play a great Tennessee team and -- but mainly just to be back in a Final Four. We were here in Cleveland last year and it was fun and exciting and we have seen a lot of the same people and even the doorman at the Marriott, he hugged my neck this morning and was glad to see us. So it's -- we're glad to be here and have an opportunity to play in another Final Four. THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes. Q. For Ivory, I'm sure you're frequently matched up with bigger guards that maybe try to post you up or whatever, but Tennessee, you're going to be playing against two small point guards. How does that impact the game for you? IVORY LATTA: I'm definitely going to use that to my advantage somewhat. Bobbitt, she's definitely a quick guard. So I'm going to have to control her penetration. But my size, which is not that much, over Bobbitt, I'm going to use that to my advantage. Q. Erlana, what do you think the things were that allowed you guys to beat Tennessee the first time, the first two times actually, and what are you hoping to carry over from those games? ERLANA LARKINS: I would have to say, number one, rebounding. We talked about it this morning and it's very important that we win the rebounding match because they're a great offensive rebounding team and Nicky Anosike and the taller guards like to rebound. And I think that just -- I guess starting I guess we jumped out of the cannon first, we usually tend to have a slow start in most games. But we got off to a great start and maintained that. So that and rebounding. Q. Ivory, I remember watching the Regional final and it looked like in the last five to seven minutes of that game you found another gear. It was obviously a hotly contested game and I'm sure folks were getting a little tired, but those last five, seven minutes you just were going right by people. What happened? Is that running drills since October or were you just on a adrenaline high? IVORY LATTA: Adrenaline high. I just know that Purdue started making a run and next thing I know in my head I just said I had to do what I had to do to get my team back into the lead or whatever. So I just had to go up to another gear. I don't know what was going on. But I definitely hope it's going to carry on to the game on Sunday. Q. Did you come off the court after the game thinking, wow, what just happened out there? Because it really did look like you found something there that just carried you right up to a whole another level. IVORY LATTA: When I came off the court I was pretty much tired. I pretty much wasn't thinking about anything. But I was just happy that my team got that win. Q. Ivory, how has your leadership on and off the court grown over your four years at North Carolina? IVORY LATTA: My leadership has definitely grown over the years. And that comes from the confidence that my Coach has in me. She tells me every day that I'm her best point guard, that I'm a great leader. So confidence in me definitely gives me the confidence to go out there and lead my team. And off the court I'm just trying to be like the coolest person, you know, I just try to crack jokes, make sure everybody is loose and things like that. And I'm just trying to do what it takes to help my team win the national championship. Q. For both girls, some of the Tennessee players were saying it's a little freaky being back here, same locker room, same building, same opponent. You guys had any déjà vu since you've been back? ERLANA LARKINS: No, not really. I didn't even notice. We know we played Tennessee last year and in the Regional finals in the same gym but I would have never thought same locker room and things like that. But that was last year. And we can't really focus on that. It's about this year and doing what we have to do to win. IVORY LATTA: No. Everything Miss Larkins said. That's all. Q. Ivory, you're in the Final Four a year ago as a junior, back now for your last run at it. Can you share a little bit, is there a greater sense of urgency, greater sense of expectation this year or can you still just go out and play the game? IVORY LATTA: It's definitely a sense of urgency for me since this is my last year. My main thing is I'm just trying to focus on what Coach Hatchell wants me to do and I'm trying to go out there and do it to the best of my ability. I'm just going to lay everything out there on the line, just any game now could be just my last game and I'm just trying to go out there and just keep my focus, keep my team up and make sure that everybody's loose and just go out there and have fun. That's the main thing is to have fun. THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you guys both for joining us. Take questions for Coach. Q. You said after the loss to Duke that you were encouraged just because you felt your team hadn't played its best yet this year and there weren't a lot of teams in the country that could say that. What do you think has allowed your team to play its best since that loss? COACH HATCHELL: I think that because we knew we had not played our best. And that we had more to give and we could do better than we were doing, even though we had only lost those two games, I guess, to Duke and we lost the one to State. But we knew that we had not played as good as we could play and so I don't think any of my players disagreed with that. And that we just had to keep pushing buttons and that we could elevate to a higher level for tournament time. That's what I challenged them to do for the ACC tournament. And I think it started there. Q. Candace Parker does everything well. In your mind what does she do best? COACH HATCHELL: Wow, I don't know if there's one thing that you would say. I think a quality or characteristic about her. The number one thing would be that she's so versatile. That she can score outside or score inside. And she's just such a tremendous athlete. But just I think she's so versatile. She can play about anywhere on the court you need her to and whatever assignments you give her, she can do those well. So I think just probably her being so versatile. Q. For about the last couple weeks on the network of record, TV network of record for this event, they have been playing a promotional commercial that prominently features you giving a -- it looks like a rather energetic immediately pregame address to your players. Is that something that you always do and have you heard much from people who maybe hadn't seen that side of you before? COACH HATCHELL: Well, I've done that every game as long as I've been at North Carolina, so. Q. I mean people from out in the rest of the country who don't follow you UNC basketball that close. COACH HATCHELL: I had a lot of people when I'm walking down the street and somebody will holler, Are you ready? A guy in the front of the hotel this morning is hollering at me, Are you ready? And actually I walked into the Kodak this morning and they had all the players in a holding room and they had the four coaches and we had -- signing some balls and different things in there, and when I walked in one of the players came up and she said, looked at me and said, Coach, are you ready? And I said yeah. She said, I just had to come talk to you. She said, I love that. That's my favorite part of all the commercials. When we got back, Ivory came up and said, The girls were talking about that, Coach. And I don't know, it's just something I've done for the 21 years I've been at North Carolina and it's the last thing out of the locker room and just to make sure that we are ready. And, again, to show as players my enthusiasm for the game and what we're getting ready to go out on the court and do. But again, it's just something that I've always done. I mean, it's nothing I did special or did it for the television, it was -- I didn't realize they were in the locker room, tell you the truth, when it happened, but I try to be calm on the side so the players will be. But I can get feisty if I need to. Q. Has that risen to the level -- I mean, is that just part of your coaching pregame or has it become kind of a superstition, that you won a whole lot of ballgames doing that before? COACH HATCHELL: No, it's not a superstition, but I've just always done it. The biggest thing is we do it in the locker room right before we come out. We have a huddle and it's very quiet and silent and we actually have a prayer. And then I bust out with, Are you ready? And I do it three times. And we actually we have had a lot of irate coaches and dignitaries and people like that that we're trying to influence and everything like that. We have them in our locker room lots of times. And when we do that, actually when I holler out, they jump. It scares them and they jump. They don't know what to expect, and they're like, What's going on, you know, what's gotten into her? Because it's sort of like a different personality I guess. But it's just something I've always done. And the players enjoy it, I guess. It's nothing that's special or anything like that. Q. Have you ever had a player perhaps with a well developed sense of humor when you did that say, you know, like flat-lined and say, Coach, you know we're ready. COACH HATCHELL: Well, we do it where I say, Are you ready? They say, Yeah. They holler out, Yeah. And I say, Are you ready? And they say, Yeah. And we do that three times. And then I, you know -- we come together and we huddle and we say, whatever the school is that we're playing, Beat so and so, and then the last thing is rebound. So that's just the way we always come out of the locker room, so it's nothing to make a big deal out of, trust me. Q. Could you talk about what Bob Starkey has done over at LSU kind of under a not so ideal situation, taking over the team and leading them here. COACH HATCHELL: Yes, I'll be very happy to say some things about that situation because, first of all, I think he's done a unbelievable job. I did not -- I knew Bob, but I didn't really know him. I've known about him I knew people that knew him. I knew he was a great X-and-O man. And behind the scenes did a lot of the scouting and those type of things. Not only is he a good basketball person, but just the things he's done with this team to keep them focused. And I've had a few conversations with him the last couple days and I'm extremely impressed. Very, very nice person, I saw him out in the hall a few minutes ago. I just can't believe he doesn't want to be the head coach there. If I was one of the people doing the hiring, I would do everything I could to try to get him to take that job, because he's just done a tremendous job. And he's a very -- as I've talked to people, I've learned that he is a well, well thought of person. And players really respect him. And I just -- I mean, I'm just -- I'm not surprised or amazed, but I'm very happy that he's done the job he has for the players, first of all, for the players, but then also that they have got such a quality person that's in charge of that team now. And I just can't say enough great things about how he's handled the situation and what he's done with that team. Q. Going on to the rematch from this year, you beat them last year in the Regional final and this year, how do you compare early in the year right now where you were playing, where you think they were playing, to where you are right now? COACH HATCHELL: Well, first of all, that was back December, what, 3rd, 4th? Somewhere along there. It's been awhile. We have both played a lot of games since then. I don't think you can look back at previous games really. Especially when it's been so long since you played another team. But when we played in December I know both teams played great defense. I thought. It was a little bit of a sloppy game. But again, I think that -- but we made each other look that way because both teams played excellent defense. And I think that offensively we have both played three or four games to start the season. So our -- it was sloppy. Our timing was not good. A lot of things were sort of out of synch. But I just remember that it was a great defensive game and that it was for a early season game, we had a sellout crowd, it was a national television, and I thought it was great for women's basketball. So I think both teams are better now. I think my players are younger players, and have really come around and that I think our players know their roles on their team. What we need them to do. I think that probably both teams know their roles a little better than back in the early December time. Q. I don't know if you would ever be upset if Duke lost its coach, but do you think Gail's going to stay in Durham? COACH HATCHELL: You got to ask Gail that. I saw her this morning I didn't get a chance to talk to her. I saw her across the way at the Kodak. She wished us good luck. You about you got to ask Gail that. I don't know. Q. Would you hate to see her go? I know you guys have become friends and good rivals. COACH HATCHELL: She's done a tremendous job at Duke. There's no doubt about that. And with Duke and NC State and Carolina, we're all right there together, I mean we share the same newspapers and television stations and we see each other at the mall and different things like that. So but -- and because we're right there in each other's backyards every day, we make each other better. Because it's sort of like when you grow up and you got brothers and sisters and you're always playing out in the yard and stuff, hey, if you want to compete, you got to work at it and you got to stay on the same level as everybody else. Or you get left behind. So again, we make each other better. There's no doubt about that. I think you can look at Duke's success, our success, NC State's success and we have all had a part in helping each other with the success because we got three great teams in the triangle area. So but I think -- I don't think Gail can go wrong with whatever she decides. She's done a tremendous job at Duke, but I think it's just whatever she feels like is best for her at this point in time in her professional and in her personal life. Q. Could you talk about how you're going to plan to guard Parker? Will Pringle be a big part of that and what does she have to do to limit her going off? COACH HATCHELL: Candace Parker, I mean, she gets my vote for Player of the Year in the country. I think she's just -- she does so many things. I mentioned how versatile she was. She does so many things so well. I think that we have got to -- I don't really mean throw, but we will throw different people at her as far as who defends her, different looks. Maybe different sets. As far as what we're doing defensively. But I think you just got to throw a lot of different things at her. And hopefully find something that works. And maybe keep her from getting in a rhythm and a flow and off balance a little bit. But because she's so, so dynamic and so good, especially when she gets down inside on the block. And but we'll -- we have got lots of good defensive players on our team, it could be Pringle, it could be Erlana, it could be Camille, it could be Rashanda. It could be two of them at one time. You just never know. But I think you got to throw a lot of different things at her. But also the Tennessee team is not just Candace Parker. They have got a lot of great players on that team. And so I think you've got to have a great game plan defensively for the whole team. THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you very much. COACH HATCHELL: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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