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NCAA WOMEN'S FINAL FOUR


April 7, 2008


Jayne Appel

Rosalyn Gold-Onwude

J.J. Hones

Kayla Pedersen

Tara VanDerveer

Candice Wiggins


TAMPA, FLORIDA

THE MODERATOR: So we're joined up here on the dais by Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer as well as student-athletes Candice Wiggins, Kayla Pedersen, Jayne Appel, JJ Hones and Rosalyn Gold-Onwude.
COACH VANDERVEER: Obviously, we're really just ecstatic to be here this morning. And we're really excited about how our team played last night. We felt it was a total team effort. Obviously, we were led by Candice with her 25 points and 13 rebounds. Our whole team really stepped up. Kayla making big plays, JJ, Ros, Jayne. I thought it was a great game for Jillian Harmon and Jeanette Pohlen came in and made some big plays for us.
But at this point we couldn't be happier and we know we have a lot of work to get ready to play tomorrow night. But we're really excited.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes.

Q. Candice, there's been a lot of sort of we want to play a few more games, there's one more game. How are you feeling?
CANDICE WIGGINS: You know, this is the biggest game of my entire life so far. So I'm just so excited I get to share this experience with my teammates and my coaches. And it is one game, and that's sad. But I think it's such a great game that I can't even tell you how much it means.

Q. This is for any of the players that want to answer. I hope a couple of them will. You've already played Tennessee and you've had this story line about being the underdog, being the underdog, we haven't beat Connecticut, we haven't beat this or that. You've beaten Tennessee. Is that going to be a disadvantage or an advantage?
CANDICE WIGGINS: Well, I would say at this point in the season it's the last game. We're playing for a national championship. And, of course, there is that sort of probably for them they want to avenge a loss. But at this point it's the national championship game. So I think that a lot is on the line there. And I think both teams are going to be playing hard because of that, and it's not really necessarily about -- it's not like middle of the season. This is it.
KAYLA PEDERSEN: Yeah, going along with what Candice said, once the ball is thrown up, it's just the championship game. Of course, they're going to be motivated that we beat them before. But I also think we know them and we know that we can beat them.
But I think both teams are just going to play their hardest and realize it's going to be for a championship.
JAYNE APPEL: I think we've gone off the thing where the pressure has been on the other team to perform the best, and we kind of just had a mentality of going out and relaxing, having fun.
And I think that still stands true for this game. I think the pressure is more on them again since they have to come out and try and defend their national title against a team that I think is playing very well.
JJ HONES: I agree with what Jayne said. I feel like people still look at us as the underdog, we're the 2 seed where they're the 1 seed. I mean, maybe that will give us a little extra motivation. But, I mean, we did beat them. And it's a national championship game. So I feel like everything is even.
ROSALYN GOLD-ONWUDE: Yeah, I agree with JJ and the rest of my teammates in that it is a championship game and we'll look for motivation. Everybody is going to be trying to find motivation wherever they can. Tennessee's been here before. They won a national championship last year. And they have theirs. There's going to be one game left. Why shouldn't we win? Just go for it. It's our turn.

Q. Candice, Tara has expressed over the last week how happy she is and she said she's in such a good place right now and that you've been a big part of that and she's happier than she's been in about a decade. Can you speak to that and maybe what you've seen from Tara and maybe a couple other players, talk about that also?
CANDICE WIGGINS: Tara has been great for us this season. She's believed in us from day one, and is really the force that has made us the team we are. Because she never accepted us being less than the best. And she's been our main supporter, and I think that to see her happy, see her proud of us, I think that makes us all proud because we worked really hard for her and I think this is a special team. And I think with a special team, special coaching staff. You can just tell. They're a tight-knit group, and we love all of them.

Q. Candice, you've had a long history with Candace Parker, do you find it appropriate that your careers are coming down to the last game against each other?
CANDICE WIGGINS: I mean, she's a great player and a great, great team. And I'm just excited to be able to play in a national championship game as my last game. And I'm sure she is, too.
The thing is, we both realize we've got great support around us, and I think that's really what it comes down to. And so it's not me versus her; it's Stanford versus Tennessee.

Q. Coach Auriemma made a point that he thinks your strong play during this tournament is a function of you guys becoming more of a team where every player has to be defended. Have you noticed a difference in how defenses approach you and handle you since maybe what they did in November or December?
CANDICE WIGGINS: Absolutely. I think, even Connecticut, they might have like went a box and 1 even in November. This time they can't do that. And I think a lot of teams are realizing we've had great talent. You can't count on one person on this team or not one player on a team at all. That's helped us. It's been great because we've all been at each other's backs, we've supported each other. It's not like the pressure is on one person.

Q. Candice, can you kind of reflect back on when you first met Candace Parker and how great players can sort of maintain a friendly respect for each other even though you guys are competing for the same thing, you still can be friends with somebody like that?
CANDICE WIGGINS: Well, the first time I guess I saw Candace, it was at -- we were in 13 and under AAU tournament in Florida, actually. And she was like six-two at 12. And our team -- and so I didn't get a chance, we didn't play against her because her team was like third place and we were playing the championship game. I remember being like just wow, because she was different then. Then I got a chance to play with her on a lot of teams, or the U.S.A. team, and kind of got to know her.
She's really a nice person. What can you say? There's nobody in the game like her. And I think she's carrying all the pressure and all of that really well and I really respect her for that.

Q. This is for any of the players. Because it's been such a while -- Stanford's tradition is there, but it's been a long time since they've been to a national championship game. Have you all heard from any of the alumnus and what have they said, what have they said to you all about getting Stanford back to this level?
ROSALYN GOLD-ONWUDE: Yeah, we've heard from them. We actually had an ice cream social with them the day before the UConn game, and it was -- we've seen a couple of them around. But to see maybe 10 or 12 of the past players from Stanford meeting with us to talk with us and give us words of wisdom and support and that was a really amazing feeling. We got some great words of advice.
I think I'll just talk on words of advice from Jennifer Azzi. She won a national championship here. These were some of the best players that Stanford ever had coming back talking to us. She said we're part of a Stanford family, Stanford tradition. It's not something that we have to feel that we have to -- like something looming over us, rather it's something that should be with us, beside us, and that we are all together. And they're just bringing that positive energy for us and have pride in our uniform and our jersey.
JJ HONES: Going along the same lines as Ros, talking about Jennifer Azzi, she told us, yeah, she may have been extremely nervous before some games, but then once she stepped out on the court, that was her home. She was comfortable there, felt like everyone on the team was comfortable.
I can take that to heart. I've been kind of extremely nervous before a game and then go onto the court, and I just know my teammates had my back, and kind of what all the alumni were talking about.
And it's very exciting to see their support and knowing like Jamila Wideman and Vanessa Nygaard are watching, from Portland Fire, and they're watching our game, I don't know, it's just kind of weird.
JAYNE APPEL: I was going to quote Jennifer Azzi but I think I'll move on.
We also, I think, read -- Heather gave us some good advice. We call her red. But she told us she's been watching us all year, told us how we've developed as a team and pointing out some good characteristics to us that we might not have known about or have been stated to us directly.
And we also had -- it was kind of a weird feeling but we had Charmin come back and having her coach against us, you know, I think we got some points from her, how tough we were on the court from the second we stepped out.
I think they really just gave us a lot more confidence and just really helped us relax before the game and they told us to go out there and have fun.
KAYLA PEDERSEN: I think the thing I remember from that meeting was Vanessa Nygaard saying sit back and take a couple minutes before the game, soak it all in. Study the whole gym. See all the people in the rafters. I did that before the UConn game. I think that really helped me loosen up.
CANDICE WIGGINS: I don't want to misquote anyone so I'm not going to say -- I forget who it was, but what I remembered most from what the alum told us was that just that you're going to remember more than anything, a lot of them, what they took from their Stanford experience wasn't necessarily the wins or the scores all that stuff, it was just about how they felt when they played with each other.
And I think I'm starting to realize like what they mean by that and how that is Stanford basketball. It's not winning the game, but it's how you win the game.
And I think hearing that from them is really what touched me the most, because I completely can understand where they're coming from.

Q. You guys have traveled the farthest of all the teams, obviously the schedule is different here at the tournament. Yet your energy seems very high. What have you guys done to maintain your endurance at this point?
CANDICE WIGGINS: Well, we've worked all season for this moment. So we're not letting a single day pass by. And I think preseason -- our conditioning has been great the whole entire year. But more than anything it's look where we are. We know the stage is the biggest. And we just give each other energy with how excited we are to play with each other.
JJ HONES: Going along those lines, how can we not be excited. We're playing in the Final Four. I feel like if anyone is tired, you just have to think like we're in Tampa Bay, we're in the Final Four. We might be a little tired from the game yesterday. We're playing in the national championship game; don't be tired yet. You can be tired on Wednesday.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, all of you.
Questions for Coach.

Q. What does it mean to you, Tara, to have all these former players coming back for this and to see these old faces coming together and what does that say about your program?
COACH VANDERVEER: Well, it's really fun to see everyone, and we did -- I think we'll actually do probably something again. But just listening to Jamila Wideman talk and the things like Jennifer said, all these different players, they're so happy for our team and our program. They're so proud of this group and it is very meaningful. And, I mean, it's just kind of -- it feels a little surreal.
I'm looking at people that I coached like 17, 18 years ago and 20 years ago, and they really appreciate and they really have great memories of playing at Stanford. And that's what I want them to have as a coach.

Q. There's been a lot of talk during this tournament about even from other coaches about how they've seen your personality change over the years and more mellow, smiling more. Do you think your personality has changed that much in recent years and if so why?
COACH VANDERVEER: Well, I think that we all probably change. We're affected by our experiences. I think that I probably have changed. But a lot of it may be also I maybe haven't changed as much as people might say because a lot of people maybe don't know me.
But I think for me personally I've always had a lot of interests, and, I mean, basketball has always been a passion of mine, but different -- and I think that different groups allow you to be certain ways with them. This particular team allows me to be very relaxed. There's not an undercurrent or drama about this team. Kind of what you see is what you get.
I can be very direct and I don't have to sugar coat things when I talk to the players. And we have -- I have great rapport with basically everyone on our team. And I love that. And it's a really great place to be.
And I think that any coach would really love to coach this team. It's that much fun.

Q. Just wanted to ask you about the scoring balance you have on your team now and how much that's helped just from a game planning standpoint. Have you had a team with this much scoring balance in recent years?
COACH VANDERVEER: You know, in the beginning of the year you wouldn't really be saying that about our team. We kind of had the big three and no one else. It was always about Jayne and Kayla and Candice. But probably the reason that we're here is because we do have that balance and the improvement of Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, the improvement of JJ Hones, the contributions that Jillian Harmon is able to make and Jeanette Pohlen.
So that is -- I think that has been really key to our team's improvement and development. We have had that in past years. That hasn't -- some of the things that we haven't had, we have had that. But we haven't had some other things that we have on this team.

Q. Could you talk about Parker and Wiggins beyond their playing ability, how they've led their teams here?
COACH VANDERVEER: Well, I can speak about Candice with an "i" because I really know Candice. Candice Wiggins really loves to play. I think she's a really humble person and she really -- she'll do anything for our team, whether like last night rebounding, there have been games where if we're up, she will sit. And she just will do anything for her team and she really as a player that just has total confidence in me as her coach.
And it's mutual. So I couldn't ask any more from our Candice. And obviously Candace Parker does great things for their team. But I think they do come from kind of different places, you know, in that a lot of this stuff is brand new for Candice Wiggins. And she almost acts so surprised about everything, to be U.S.A. Basketball player of the year. And if anyone saw her when she got her Wade, she was shocked. She just -- she really is just very real and down to earth and it's really fun to see someone with that kind of demeanor to have all these great things happen to them.

Q. Back in '90 and '92 in the early '90s your program was on such a roll and such a high. Can you think back then if at that time what your thoughts were about how this was going to continue, and then when it took so long to get back to this game, did you think it was going to take this long and was there ever a time where you thought, well, maybe this isn't going to happen for my program again?
COACH VANDERVEER: When I first went to Stanford, it was in a different time in women's basketball. And I felt really -- it was really fortunate to be able to build a program that like Jennifer Azzi, when she was a freshman, she was in the first recruiting class with Katy Steding. When Jennifer Azzi was a freshman, we were a .500 team. We won a national championship.
And when you are kind of in the Final Four and win a national championship, and we were able to recruit I think some really quality players, and since then a lot of other schools have made commitments to having great women's basketball teams.
And the competition is much different than it was in 1990 and 1992. Also I think that for our team, the three years we went to the Elite Eight, we could just as easily have been here as this year. Comes down to a couple of plays, a foul here or a basket here.
So I never felt that we were -- I didn't feel like we, like, dropped off the map. I felt we were right there.
But it did take some special things in terms of just little things that maybe really made a difference for us this year. I think some of it, too, I really felt fortunate to have gone to five Final Fours before. And Stanford I just felt we just would continue to work to recruit the type of player that could play at Stanford and that we would have a shot to be here.
And we have had to play very, very well to be here. And obviously once you get here you just have to enjoy it. You never know if you're ever coming back. I hope I do, but who knows.

Q. Can you talk about, you played Tennessee once already. We talked to the kids about sort of being in that underdog role. Do you feel like you guys sort of maybe -- the tables are turned a bit and how hard is it to beat Tennessee twice in a year when you beat them once in 11 years?
COACH VANDERVEER: Takes us 11 years to beat them, and now we have to play them again. They're a great team and a great program. Obviously, it was hard like last night. Who do you want to play? You're watching LSU and you're watching Tennessee. And I guess I like familiarity. I like the fact -- we had played LSU two years ago. But I like the fact that we kind of had -- I've seen our players against Tennessee. I've seen them matched up.
So I'm excited that we're playing Tennessee. And for us, honestly, I think the fact that we did beat them earlier is for our -- it's to our team's advantage in that confidence that our players know that that's possible. With the Connecticut situation, you know, things changed a lot for Connecticut, with their two players being hurt. They're a totally different team.
This is the same Tennessee team. And for our team, I think it works for us better that we have been successful, that it's not like, oh, God, we haven't beaten them in 11 or 12 years.
For them it might be to their advantage, also, that we beat them and this is a payback game. But I think as our players kind of said for the most part, once that ball goes up, we're going to give it our absolute best shot. They're going to give it their absolute best shot and let's just see what happens.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about the game, the strategy, the matchups, what you guys need to do to beat a team that you did get by in Maples but now you're on the national stage?
COACH VANDERVEER: There are certain things you have to do against Tennessee whether you're playing in Maples, Knoxville or Tampa. You have to rebound. They're a great rebounding team. You have to take care of the ball.
I asked Kate Paye, who scouts them, she scouts Connecticut, what do we have to do against Tennessee? She goes, it's the same stuff you have to do against Connecticut. To beat great teams, you have to execute offensively, you have to rebound and you have to defend. Those are things we'll have to do tomorrow night.
And they give you a challenge because they're big. They're athletic, they're very experienced, and they're confident coming into this game.

Q. Have you approached this weekend any differently than you did 15 years ago when you won a Final Four and is that because of your change and the way you want the kids to remember?
COACH VANDERVEER: We are doing some things different. Actually the last time I was coaching in Final Four you played back to back. Today would be the game. So that does change your strategy a little bit.
We're just trying to -- we're keeping kind of our group tight and we just -- we're not out doing a whole lot of stuff. We're just together and we watch video. We're just trying to make things fun and have it be great memories for them.
Coming into the Final Four, we also -- we just said, hey, we're in it to win it. We came here on a mission and we just want to keep it going.

Q. (Off microphone)?
COACH VANDERVEER: No, not here, just in Spokane.

Q. You talked a little bit about the other day about how some of these freshmen and sophomores aren't playing like freshmen and sophomores, they're a little fearless. Can you touch on that going into the national championship game and how they've stepped up into this tournament?
COACH VANDERVEER: We are a young team in a lot of ways. Candice is a senior, obviously, but in our starting lineup we have one freshman and three sophomores. And we bring in a junior. We bring in a freshman, basically, that's our top seven player rotation.
And these are just kids that have grown up playing basketball. And like Jeanette Pohlen comes in. She's played against Maya Moore in All-Star games or in AAU. They go playing against each other since they were 13 years old.
At this point it's not about the age of players, it's more about their maturity and their poise and their ability just to relax and play on the big stage. And that's so far -- I mean, I think like last night's game, I think you saw a team that was for the most part very poised.
We kind of got flustered for a little bit when we got pressed and we were throwing the ball in the popcorn stand. But for the most part I think we did show good poise and got the shots that we wanted and made the plays we needed to defensively and rebounded the ball well.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach.

End of FastScripts




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