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NCAA WOMEN'S REGIONALS SEMIFINALS & FINALS: SPOKANEMarch 30, 2008Jayne AppelRosalyn Gold-OnwudeJ.J. HonesKayla PedersenTara VanDerveerCandice WigginsSPOKANE, WASHINGTON THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with the media conference. Take questions for the student-athletes after an opening statement from the coach. COACH VANDERVEER: I thought our team played a much better second half. Made some good adjustments. We did a really good job of getting the ball inside to Jayne. I thought Kayla stepped up big. I was really for the most part our shot selection was good, and our defense especially on our double on Walker was really strong. I thought Candice really plays really well within herself when she didn't force things, she really made nice passes to other people. J.J. hit some big shots. Roz hitting some big shots. And I was really disappointed with the call against Candice having watched it, I saw it the first time, but when I saw it the second time, it really I thought it really put her at risk to get hurt and that was something that had me really upset. THE MODERATOR: Take questions for the student-athletes. Q. Coach, expanding on that, what's it like as a coach when you see your player on the ground like that taking a hard foul? COACH VANDERVEER: I think that hard fouls are part of the game. But a play should be made on the ball. I just think that when, there's a lot, people put a lot into it, this is a situation where in all games sometimes things happen that's very emotional, but as a coach it's really hard when you see someone go down like that. You watch your whole season kind of flash before your eyes. And with Candice having such a spectacular career at Stanford and we want to keep playing. And our team obviously depends on her a lot. So I was, you just, I think I just kind of had to kind of pull my heart off the floor for a minute and I ran out there. Q. Candice, you're going to play the team that is a number one seed that maybe you feel look you guys should have or could have gotten. How much mileage, how much motivation have you got from that throughout this tournament? CANDICE WIGGINS: I've been in this situation before where we have felt like we deserved a one seed my freshman year. And it really comes down to this game. We can't talk about it. We can't say we should be this or that. This is the game that's going to prove that. So I think that as a team we're really focused, we're excited about this and we're just going to play the best game we can and we're going to play tough and together like we have the whole year. Q. J.J. you also got knocked down, can you talk about the Pitt game and it was just a really tough battle for you guys and how that is going to translate into playing another team that's going to be tenacious. J.J. HONES: I feel like earlier in the season like especially in Pac-10 UCLA was an equally physical team. And yeah, we were on the ground a little bit more than normal in the game last night, but I felt like our team was prepared for it. We knew what was coming. We know that in tomorrow's game it could be equally physical. So I feel like I'm happy we're playing the game that we just did, because it definitely gets us prepared for anything that they can throw our way. Q. Jayne, what do you guys need to be prepared for in terms of Maryland and what they do? JAYNE APPEL: I think we really need to pay attention to our scouting report and to what our coaches are giving us. Really just be focused. I think more on what we need to do. I think that is, will be a very important thing for us. Taking the shots that we need to take and being patient and having the focus that we have had throughout the tournament. Q. For anybody who wants to tackle it, the Vanderbilt players said they thought that Maryland resembled Tennessee in terms of their style and their athleticism. From what you've seen in film or what you've heard about them, is there anybody on your schedule that Maryland reminds you of? CANDICE WIGGINS: Well I know the Maryland players very well, I played with three of them several years on teams and I think I have a pretty good feel of their game. They're incredible players. I think we played Tennessee this year, we played UCONN and they're right up there with those teams. We know that they're high caliber, they won a National Championship and we definitely know that they're a great team. Q. Candice, last night you guys were the team with all the experience that had gotten through that round, now you're going against a team where a lot of the players have passed the Elite 8 and gone to the Final Four and won a championship. How much of a difference does that make, the fact that they know how to get past this round and this is the round you guys have not gone past for awhile. CANDICE WIGGINS: I think it helps a lot having the experience and knowing what it feels like to get to the Final Four. But it's a game. You have to still play. Maryland's in the same position we were in last year, losing early, so they're motivated just as much as we are and I think that its just going to come down to who wants it more. It's really, you know, experience it means a lot, but I think that it's just going to be who is hungrier. Q. For anyone, your coach during this selection show alluded to the fact that maybe a lot of people don't get to see you play especially for those of us on the east coast, what are we missing out on not being able to see you guys play that much on TV? ROSALYN GOLD-ONWUDE: I think there's very quality basketball being played out on the west coast. I'm from the east coast, and I know that they're definitely is a lack of exposure. I didn't really know much about Stanford growing up in Queens and being in high school and I had to do the research to find out that there's a strong program there, a strong tradition, we have a lot of Pac-10 schools in the tournament. We're physical. More physical than you think. And I think that there's a lot to be said about finesse too. That's exciting to watch. And I know I've got -- I'm very lucky to play with a couple of All-American caliber players and I think that people who haven't seen Candice play and haven't seen Jayne play would be missing out on something is really special. Q. Kayla, Jayne was talking about the fact that she was at the Pan-American Games, she has seen Humphries, she's been around a lot of the great post players. You're going to see one of those great post players tomorrow, how are you preparing for that and what do you think about all that? KAYLA PEDERSEN: Well I think that the Pitt game really prepared us for the physicality of Maryland. I think doubling Cal and Pitt is really going to help us against Maryland. But just as long as we stay to our scouting report and we focus on ourselves I think we'll be fine. Q. Tara, how much benefit is it that Candice knows some is of these players really well we really well and that they have crossed paths frequently and might know each other's game? COACH VANDERVEER: I think it's going to -- I don't know, I think it's going to be irrelevant once we're out on the court. But our team listens to Candice. And I think that if Candice knows firsthand that she plays with Jayne every day, maybe she is played with Laura Harper, or played with Crystal Langhorne, played against Marissa, maybe those are the three, you know, if she is confident, then our team will maybe feel that confidence coming from her. And from what I've heard from Candice, Candice feels very confident and believes in her teammates, with Jayne and Kayla and Jill and Roz, J.J., and the rest of the people that will go in the game. So but the fact that they know them and they're friends, that's, that will -- I know from guarding Candice my two minutes in practice that won't matter, because she will go after anybody. Q. Tara, you guys were in this position two years ago, how is this group different from that group that wasn't able to get past LSU that year? COACH VANDERVEER: I think that our team, the last, the three years that we have been to the Elite 8 I'm very proud of all those teams and they have all done really, really well. I do feel that this team is very different and I feel really different today. I remember just as an example when after we beat Oklahoma we were not expected to beat Oklahoma and we were not expected to beat even though maybe we might have been seeded higher, people were very surprise that had we would beat Connecticut or beat Vanderbilt. We were a six seed and we beat a two seed. We really have been preparing for being in this position all season long. I think our team's win at Rutgers let our team know right away, hey, we're going to play with the big women. Our win against Tennessee, our win against Baylor, even though we lost some players to our ACLs, everyone else has really rallied and believed in themselves. We did have a bad weekend, but everyone came back and rededicated themselves and I think that that's where someone like Jayne just said hey, what do I need to do to help my team. Roz is in the gym more, Candice, J.J., everyone stepped up their game. So I feel like this team is ready to be in this position and I just -- we have watched more, we're way ahead of where we have been in past years in terms of preparation. We have been working for this day and I just have confidence that our team will come out and give their absolute best effort. THE MODERATOR: For the post players, Kayla or Jayne, both can answer if you like. Last night you had, you two individually and as a team had an outstanding rebounding night. Out rebounded Pitt 54-30. Now tomorrow night you take on a team that's known as fierce rebounders, I think the last couple seasons maybe the best rebounding team in the country. Just maybe just talk a little bit about how you go in and rebound with a team like Maryland. JAYNE APPEL: I think that's definitely a big, it will be a huge part of the game tomorrow night is who controls the boards. Just I think the first thing we talked about was rebounding. A lot of teams that play in women's basketball, they rebound the ball really very well. So it will be extremely important for us tomorrow to really make that a big focus point. KAYLA PEDERSEN: I feel the same way. I think rebounding is going to be a key part to this game and winning it. I think that if we all box out and don't rely on jumping out jumping people I think we'll win that margin. Q. Candice, do you have any soreness or after affects from the foul last night? CANDICE WIGGINS: Yeah, she kind of got my hand. So it's just my left hand but it is okay. It's nothing serious. Q. Jayne, can you talk about you've had 75 points in three tournament games and the offensively is sort of running through you. Can you just talk about the success you've had offensively he in the tournament so far and what you think it means going forward? JAYNE APPEL: It would be selfish of me to say that those are my points. But it's really my teammates points. They're forced to guard Candice on the outside otherwise she goes off for 44 points. They're forced to guard Roz. She showed last night she had hit that shot. J.J., you know, we have guards on the outside that are going to hit that shot. And teams are forced to stop me and Kayla inside before they can worry about the outside, I think. It's an easier shot to make a lay up than a 3-point shot. Well at least for me. Maybe not for Candice, but. (Laughter.) I think it's very important for me and Kayla to easily establish the inside and force them to guard us so that our guards have pressure taken off of them and can just really relax, shoot the ball and have fun. And I think that will be a big key for us tomorrow is just relaxing and playing ball. Q. I'm guessing this might be for Rosalyn, talk about Kristi Toliver a little bit of the she had a great game last night without scoring. What do you do to slow down her floor game? ROSALYN GOLD-ONWUDE: Kristi Toliver is an amazing player. We know that Maryland has a large group of players that are all very talented. We're going to scout them, we're going to watch video, we're going to try our hardest to learn what are their tendencies. Is she doing her crossover, or going behind her back before she usually steps back for that three. So that way you can help yourself and give yourself the best chance of trying to contain her, stop her, she's a good passer as well as a shooter. And I think that you just have to be focused and like Tara says, you also have to have amnesia almost too. So you can't let any one play get you down. Someone's going to hit shots, someone's going to make a big play. But know that you can do it on the other side of the floor and that next time down it's going to be a hard shot that someone's going to have to make on you. THE MODERATOR: All right. They will be going back to the break out room and in just a moment we'll resume the interview with coach. Take questions for coach. Q. Can you address Jayne's import to you offensively, how important she is to what you guys do offensively and what you guys do generally? COACH VANDERVEER: You've watched us play all season, and the thing about Jayne and Jayne in some ways can do what Kristi Toliver does. She doesn't have to score to be really important for our team. But she does score very well. We do run our offensively through Jayne. And we do come down and look for Jayne before we take other perimeter shots for the most part. She's a great passer, she's a very intelligent player, she scores well. She pretty much demands a double. And when teams do that, then she passes out as you've seen her get like seven assists in a game. I think some of it is her size, her hands, her court awareness. The fact that she's incredibly unselfish, she doesn't care about scoring but she just cares about winning. Q. Since 1990 nine schools have won championships but only three of them have won more than one and you're one of them. In your mind what are the components to winning more than one championship? COACH VANDERVEER: I think that when you win the first one, for us in 1990 it was incredibly exciting and then you just, when you have one, then you don't see it as being impossible. It kind of just looks like this really steep mountain to get to the top and when you get up there you're like, oh, the climb wasn't that hard. And, but then when you start all over again you're like, whoa, this is hard again. And I think that having been there as a coach and our whole coaching staff has been to the Final Four and won a National Championship. I think that our players kind of just realize it's not impossible and it's do able. So I think that having, when you do it once then you feel like well you can do it again. And it's something that obviously we hope to do another time, but it's a really special accomplishment and it just to go to the Final Four is really special. To win a National Championship once would be enough. But once you get it, I think you just, you want to do it again. Q. What do you think the pace of the game is going to be the tempo? Obviously both teams can score, they tend to just seem to run up-and-down the court. How do you think that's going to play out? COACH VANDERVEER: Well I think that I'm fine with really any tempo that happens. We're fine running up and down. We want to run. What I find a lot of times is that players I call it kind of uphill/downhill. People really run faster on offensively and kind of go slower on defense. And as long as we're running fast on defense, I'll be happy with that tempo. But that's going to be our focus is going to be our defense and our rebounding. Then if we can get out and get some easy baskets or get Jayne on the block before there's a lot of big crowd there then I'm happy with that. But we don't want it to be just a flat out kind of run and gun show. For our team we want to really make sure that we're playing with a purpose and that we have the shots that we want that we're taking the shots that we want. Q. Just curious, I saw a story you called Jayne the franchise and you have Candice Wiggins who is everybody's All-American. Could you elaborate on the franchise tag you put on her? COACH VANDERVEER: I might have happened when she first signed with Stanford or was first coming to Stanford. But just Candice obviously is an absolute phenom and I love coaching Candice. But Candice needs Jayne. As just as much as Jayne needs Candice. We need that inside presence. The big that can move some people out, can score on the block, that passes as well as she passes. And when you look at all the teams that are pretty much in it, at the end they always have some really big physical post players as Maryland has three of them. So we're really fortunate to have Jayne, because we can build a team around her. And as much as we're going to miss Candice next year, which we will miss her terribly, to have Jayne as a foundation of your team is a great starting point. She is -- I think she's in a lot of ways the rock to our team. We go to her and she delivers. THE MODERATOR: Looking back and I asked you a question similar to this on Friday about just coaching for as long as you have, but Coach Berenato of Pittsburgh talked both yesterday and the day before about just the growth of women's basketball and how important it is and thanked the writers and you started down south in Moscow, Idaho and now an at Stanford, just kind of curious from the AIAW tournament at Idaho to here today, just what you've seen in growth in the sport. COACH VANDERVEER: Well, I think that we have always had very talented female athletes and what we have now is more opportunity for them to play and improve and grow and do things that some of them never got a chance to do. With scholarships, with basketball camps, with so many summer teams and high school tournaments, I just think sports is just besides being so much fun, I think it's very valuable to the experience of both young men and young women. And we have seen a boom, but we also know that we have a very, very long way to go. We just -- I'm really thankful that I work at a university that values women, that values women's opportunity to play and we just -- I love my job and I just, I can't even, sometimes I'm just really thankful that I wake up every day as a basketball coach. Especially this morning. It felt really good. Q. Sort of dovetail off that, are there structural things that the game needs? One two or three things that this sport could use to sort of move it up, move it forward? COACH VANDERVEER: Tell me your first name again. Q. Milton Kent. COACH VANDERVEER: Milton, that's an excellent question. You know, I don't pretend to have the crystal ball for basketball, but I think that a lot of the leadership in the NCAA, women's basketball, that this is a great tournament and the NCAA puts on a first class tournament just like here and we talked last night about how the number of people coming out and watching is great and I hope we have a great tournament out tomorrow night. But I think that it's really important if there were things to do, I would say institutionally that each place, whether it's Stanford or universities to really value the experience for women as much as they do for men. To put the resources and put the focus and give the women the same opportunities to have great competition, to have great coaching, and to really grow the game. That would be I think institutionally we should do that. And I think that across the country you see different places, different pockets really promoting and really working hard to make women's basketball a big time sport. Which I think it should be. That would be my first kind of idea. I think another thing is that to get away from kind of east coast, west coast. I see it in so many things like we play east coast style and women's basketball is going to be better when everyone is included in the conversation. That in fact it's that women's basketball is great nationally. And not just this conference or that conference. And to get away from also the kind of a labeling of well this is the best player and this is a best program, but that there's more depth and breadth to the excellence of women's basketball. And then I just think that my third thing would be to really work on developing coaches that really make it a quality experience for student-athletes. That we don't get into just pressure, the pressure of coaches to win or not to lose their jobs, and that they don't make it a quality experience for the student-athletes. I think that their experience should be the number one thing. And, yes, I am proving, but, and yes, you want to win as a coach, but really the education and mentoring of young women and more women in women's basketball. Q. If I can follow-up the last part up particularly. Is it possible though as more money comes to the sport and more demands come to coaches, obviously there are more high six figure, more seven figure contracts coming, can a coach really afford to spend the time sort of making the experience better when the principal function seems to be now to win? COACH VANDERVEER: I don't think the salaries of coaches should dictate the experience of the student-athletes. I think that I do think that it would be great to see improving salaries across the country for coaches, women's coaches and not have the disparity between men's and women's coaches and that's a whole discussion about maybe separate discussion there, but I think that the experience for both men and women and the college and high school, we do set the, we do set the tone a little bit. People come and watch our practices and people watch games and see our behavior and I think that modeling good behavior and mentoring young women should be the focus of our job, not just winning games. That the, just the winning should not be everything. And I think it's do able. But I think that it will take, it takes, I don't know, some strong leadership, whether it's in the NCAA or institutionally, and people really saying that this is important. That the student-athlete's experience is the key ingredient in the whole. Q. To develop the game, women have 15 scholarships, men have 13. That probably plays a role in more Mid Majors or more upsets among the men. Is that something that the women should consider or is Title IX make that impossible? COACH VANDERVEER: You mean like having fewer scholarships? Q. Yeah, so the talent is spread out again farther so there's more interest. COACH VANDERVEER: I think that's a good question too. And in some ways in a lot of programs you don't use all 15 scholarships. And a lot of programs I think actually abuse kind of male practice players and the number of guys in practice and if you make a mistake on a recruit, they're not practicing, you're playing against guys every day. But we do have is a real high inches dense of ACL injuries that like on every team you can find I'm sure at least one and maybe two. And that's in women's basketball and not in men's basketball. So we could probably work it with 14. And like right now we only have really 11 healthy players, but I think that somewhat based on injury and if you didn't then you would have less opportunities for women and more male practice players. THE MODERATOR: All right, coach. Thank you. COACH VANDERVEER: We got into philosophy here. Dang, I got to just think about Maryland. (Laughter.) End of FastScripts |
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