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MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 12, 2008Sara HunterEmily NealAmaka UzomahJen WardenLAS VEGAS, NEVADA THE MODERATOR: Coach, begin with your thoughts on the game. COACH WARDEN: I think this the really began with our defense. I think again we ran a combination of different defensive looks. I think Coach Elliott is one of the best coaches in the country. Whatever we did, she countered. We had to come back ready to look at something else, see the shape she was in, counter it again. Next to Coach Elliott, I think our kids were just amazing. I mean they followed our every move, where one slip or one miscoverage against this team, as you know, is a three. Mitchell and Warburton and Whipple I think are three of the most dangerous wings in the conference together, not to mention in the west. And I think we're all really going to be proud of that team as they represent us in the NCAA tournament as a conference. I know we're proud of our accomplishment. And if I didn't coach against Elaine Elliott today, you sure know that I was going be behind her bench watching her every move because I think that program is first class. And I really appreciate the chance to be able to compete with them. THE MODERATOR: Thanks, coach. Q. What was going -- at what point did you realize that you guys could win this game. SARA HUNTER: I don't know. I think from tipoff. We went in just all out. We didn't have anything to lose really. We were in a great position and we all played hard. But when it came down to it, I don't think we even thought about that. We just were concentrating on making our free throws. And, you know, like Coach Warden said, Utah had something coming back at us all the time. So we had to be on our toes. It was a ball game till the very end of the buzzer. Q. Any truth to a rumor I heard that some of the players had travel plans and had to change them after this outcome for spring break? SARA HUNTER: No. I don't think so. We still got to go home and take tests supposedly, but not any more. So that's all right. Q. For all three of the players, can you tell me how a team that lost 27 regular-season games out-hustled, out-muscled a team that had won 27? I mean fans that were watching wouldn't have known which team was, you know, 27 wins, 27 losses? COACH WARDEN: Because that's how they practice. AMAKA UZOMAH: We've had a rough season. Like Sara said, we have nothing to lose. You know, later on as the year went on or the season went on, we started to gel with each other, and just start communicating and believing in one another and saying the will will come. It will fall. It will happen. People have doubts, you know, but we don't. We'll keep believing in ourselves. SARA HUNTER: I think when it comes down to it too, every single girl on this team would fight till the end for each other. And I mean you can't ask for anything more, no matter the outcome. EMILY NEAL: Just the same thing they said. You know we stay together. This whole season, you know, it wasn't -- it was a hard one to have so many losses, but we stayed together as a team. And, you know, we picked the right time to win today and yesterday. And it just shows how much, you know, your heart and just going out there and playing hard can do. I mean, it's not always statistical or any of that, it's always just, you know, who is going to come out and play harder. Q. Emily, could you talk about the upcoming match-up with New Mexico? You guys won two in a row here at the tournament after going through the conference winless. Just talk about continuing that momentum in your match-up against New Mexico? EMILY NEAL: That's exactly what we do, is just keep going. We know we can compete with anybody in this conference. I mean Utah is a very good team, very well-coached. And New Mexico is kind of the same way. They've got a great coach, some great players. We just have to come out the same way and play them hard and play them straight up. Q. Amaka, you had three rebounds in the first half. When did you realize you could dominate like you did in that second half? AMAKA UZOMAH: When I got into the locker room and I looked at my stats or was told to me what my stats were on my rebounds, I was like I had to come out and rebound. Plus I had two fouls, and I had to sit for a little bit because I had two foul troubles. But come second half I said to myself, Don't get in foul trouble, just go up to the boards hard and rebound the heck out of it like you know how. I was hoping to get 18, but a couple of them slipped. But I'm just a rebounding queen. Q. Talking about Utah representing Mountain West Conference in the NCAAs, but do you realize yet you are 80 minutes from the NCAAs yet, 80 minutes, has that dawned on you? SARA HUNTER: It's a dream come true, but we got to take one game at a time. Right now we're just going to enjoy the win, have fun tonight, practice tomorrow, watch our men play and get ready for the next game. Q. Sara, we were talking the other day and I was telling you how I think you had lost 83 games in your CSU career. How does this feel? Just can you put into words your emotions at this point, and, you know, just what was so cool about this? SARA HUNTER: I don't know. I'm not very good with words and that's a pretty special thing to -- um, I don't know where to begin. I wouldn't first of all pick a better group to share it with. And like we said all along, we've worked hard no matter what. And good things are coming our way. So we just got to keep having fun. You know, that's when we all play our best, relaxed and having fun. Q. Sara, winning three games in a season, how do you continue to believe? How have you been able to believe still? SARA HUNTER: Well, I don't mean to be redundant but it's really, like I said, I mean, we come into practice every single day. And, I mean, there's not a better group of girls really. I don't even -- that's what it comes down to. We will fight till the end for each other, like I said. I'm sorry for being redundant but that's what it's about. I mean, that's the best thing you can ask in sports I think. Q. What was it like when you guys hit that locker room and could just celebrate without the rest of us watching, without the fans, when it was just the team behind those doors? EMILY NEAL: We were pretty ecstatic to be honest. We were having a little dance party (laughing). SARA HUNTER: Some good dance moves. AMAKA UZOMAH: Some good dance moves. EMILY NEAL: I mean, this is a dream come true for everyone. It's unimaginable for us, especially considering our circumstances this year. So everyone was just really happy that, you know, we got the win tonight. THE MODERATOR: Thanks guys. We'll let you guys go. Congratulations. Questions for coach. Q. You're up 6 with two minutes left and maybe some of us know-it-alls here would have thought that Hunter shouldn't have taken such an early shot there on the shot clock, then she comes back and gets her own rebound. Can you describe that moment and maybe Sara's personality that goes along with that moment? COACH WARDEN: That's when and I don't have this luxury with nine new players. But coaching Sara for three years, you know what she's thinking, you know where she's going. I will tell what you I liked about that shot. It showed our team that we are not going to win this game unless we continue to look to score. You're not going to dribble the shot clock out with two minutes left with six points, even though that's not something we're real familiar with. I think what that showed our team is we got to attack the basket, we got to attack the basket, we got to attack the basket. The fact it missed nobody likes. And from the outset, you are right, it looks like kind of an emotional release, kind of a door-or-die deal where we should be more patient with the shot clock. But I think the statement that it made was powerful to our team. That we are not -- you know, we're not going to sit on a six-point lead and go, Oh, my gosh, I can't believe we're up six points, nobody else shoot the ball. You got to continue to be on the attack. I think with a 30-second shot clock there's a real balance there on how do you protect it and how do you make sure that you've got a quality attack as we're going 10, 9, 8, 7. That's a really good question. Q. Jen, you talked about mixing up different defenses and stuff like that. Obviously, I think at one point they were shooting roughly 20% in the second half. How many different defenses did you use? Was it really a lot of different ones or just the same one with some modifications? COACH WARDEN: It was different. Our staple defense -- I don't know do I want to give this away. I haven't played Elaine Elliott in a long time. Our staple defense in the first half, and I told my players in the locker room, I said, Look, there are going be decisions made to change defenses that don't make a lot of sense at the moment. But you got to understand in order for our best look to stay our best look, we've got to get the team, the rhythm out of the offense, and you can't get them use to attacking that same look. So we'd have success in it, and we would call a different look for one or two possessions in order to just get them out of rhythm and stop remembering what they were trying to do against that initial look. So, you know, it's different style for me. I think my assistant coach has really kind of mentored me in that style defensively and I think it really has bridged the gap a little bit talent wise. Tim Miles even spent time with our team this season and taught us the triangle and two. It's the first time I've ever had another coach coach my team in practice. We probably used I'd be safe to say six different defenses today. The theory behind them was the same but the shape of them had to absorb what Utah was doing on the attack. Q. Could you just talk about playing New Mexico? COACH WARDEN: We made a pact in the locker room we were weren't going to talk about that till breakfast. But New Mexico is a tremendously talented team. Dionne Marsh and Brandi Kimble I think are athletes, are leaders, are scholars. You got two seniors you are going to send off to medical school that you are leading through the tournament. And obviously, you know, put yourself in Don Flanagan's shoes. What's the average margin in both of our games? 25? 76-48, 74-47. So that's probably a happy guy right now. He might have sent me flowers to my hotel room by the time I get back. But I think that's a very talented team that we're going have to really not only work off the court but it's going to be a battle on the court to contain some of the players we've had trouble containing in the past. Dionne Marsh has been a real, real kind of a quandary for us, how to get our arms around that. You know, her build and Amaka's defense style, we don't always end up on the winning edge on that one. I've guarded her with a freshman the last two games, and you don't want to guard a player of the year with a freshman. Q. Where does this rank among your greatest coaching moments? COACH WARDEN: It's -- I'm really proud of the kids. You know, the kids own this. I think as a coach I feel probably the most like a parent now as I've ever felt as a coach. Might be because I have my own kids, but you start to recognize the more they squeeze you out and the more they take over, that's a good thing. And when you hear them talking about each other and fighting for each other, all they need is a structure for you. But the motivation and the will comes from them. We didn't give a big pep speech today. And I think the most satisfying thing about it is just seeing the kids grow into adults and know they're not going to get what they deserve, they're going to get what they earn. And those life lessons in basketball when you can watch them evolve are real special. So the win kind of encapsulates those things and you almost need the win to validate it, but I think the real victory is seeing what's going on in those young guys and they see, they sit in front of you 3-27. But you know what, they did it. They believed and they never quit. THE MODERATOR: Thanks, coach. Congratulations. End of FastScripts |
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