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BIG 12 CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 11, 2010Raeshara BrownAmanda HannemanCindy SteinKANSAS CITY, MISSOURI Texas Longhorns – 64 THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Coach Cindy Stein and her two student athletes, Amanda Hanneman and RaeShara Brown. Coach your comments about this afternoon's game? COACH STEIN: I think that the physicality and size of Texas A&M wore us down, I thought our kids played a good game, took care of the ball, all those things you wanted to do, their second-chance points hurt us in the long run and their size and physicality, they're a terrific team, but their size is a lot to handle, and I think that was something we couldn't overcome today. THE MODERATOR: Questions for our student athletes first? Can you guys talk about emotions today going into the game and finishing the game? RAESHARA BROWN: We were excited to get a second chance, Big 12 tournament everybody is in the same boat, getting a second chance you wanted to take the first game and go as far as we could and unfortunately we fell short. After the game a loss is never good, you know, you never want to end a season on anything like that so I think everybody is taking it hard for our seniors, I hate it for them and but like I say, even though it's her last game she went out with a heck of a game and I commend her on that. AMANDA HANNEMAN: I agree with Rae, we came off the win and were trying to give it all we got and we had nothing to lose and we gave it our all and we just couldn't finish. Q. Amanda, you were on fire today. Can you talk about when that first one goes down? Just talk about your day. AMANDA HANNEMAN: I don't know, when you're a shooter like me, when the first one goes down it's always a good thing. I just kept telling myself you're going to make 'em today. I just got told by the Texas A&M coach that he was 0 for 25 on road games, so today I just wanted it to be like a home game. Q. It was a home game for ya? AMANDA HANNEMAN: Basically, yes. Q. Amanda, just such a great game but going off the floor, walking off the final time what are the emotions going through your head? Is it hard to believe? AMANDA HANNEMAN: Walking off the court you can't help but think this is the last time I'm going to be walking off the basketball court. I wish it would have been a win at the time, but no regrets, I came out in this game with no regrets and that's what I wanted to do, just give my all and that's what happened. Q. Amanda, I can't think of too many players that have battled back from every possible physical ailment the way that you have. Can you talk about what you feel like you've shown to your teammates about being resilient like that? AMANDA HANNEMAN: Resilient is such a good word, me and my mom love that word and it's being able to bounce back from anything, expect the unexpected, what Coach Stein has always told me and even my trainers told me "I think you're going to make it" your body you don't know if you're going to hold up and sometimes you have to play with pain and it's how bad you want it and I love this game and I'm going to get through things no matter what is going on with my body. Q. Rae, you're going to be in a transition now with the coaching change. I wanted to know your thoughts on your last game for Coach Stein and how you see the future and Amanda, reflect on -- I know you guys wanted to play hard today. RAESHARA BROWN: We thank Coach Stein for everything she's done for us, she has taught us a lot, she has gotten us individuals through our battles. You never know what to expect when you're going to get a new coach, you've got to go out in the off season and for myself, improve myself first and in that transition focus on improving my team, you know? It's going to be new but we're going to have to embrace it and hopefully we come in and we have a great, great year next year. AMANDA HANNEMAN: Coach Stein gave us a speech, don't do it for her, and we did it for her and ourselves at the same time. But it's one of those things like it's hard when you're losing seniors and a coach at the same time, so I wish the best of will you be for all the girls next year and I know they will do so great. Just one of those things. Q. Amanda, are you excited to get back on the golf course? AMANDA HANNEMAN: I'm looking forward to playing golf and it's one of those things that you can never stop playing. So yes, I will still play, probably with Coach Stein. THE MODERATOR: Ladies, thank you very much. Coach Stein, first question? COACH STEIN: I thought I was going to get out easy. THE MODERATOR: No, doesn't work that way! Q. Okay, now, has it sunk in, just your thoughts on walkin' off that court? COACH STEIN: I guess I don't look at it like that. It's hard because I love 'em, but I guess I don't feel like it's something like I'm never going to have contact with them again. Obviously there is going to be a new coach and you've got to have your distance, but they know I care about every single one of 'em. I know our Mississippi staff knows that I care about every single one of 'em and I don't think it's going to be the last time I talked to them because I love everybody to death, they're great. We've got very good relationships and it's just one of those things. I feel like sometimes you've got to go on a different journey, but I think our paths will always cross. I think there are so many tremendous people -- I don't look at it that all of the sudden it's ending where it's like I don't have any contact. I know the professional part of you've got to let somebody else have the team and obviously that will be the hardest part, but at the same time I want everybody to succeed. And that's my strongest thing is I want them to succeed. Nothing else really matters from that. Q. Did this feel like a game that could go either way, did your players kind of check out early or they could have played inspired and how do you feel it played out? COACH STEIN: I felt like the last couple of days I think have been tough days, motivating and the internal process of getting everybody ready to go, being technical and detailed and doing what you need to do. It's easy is not to be pumped up, it's easy to be down. I think you have a group of people that were down and it was a mixture and there are all these -- you've got 14 girls, I mean it's a whole range of emotions. On a different day it could be different with all of them. We've kind of fought through that and really didn't know exactly how we would respond as a unit but in the last two days we've talked about the things that it takes to be successful and you've got to stay on the positive side and you've got to stay together and all those things and sometimes life kicks you in the teeth and we've got to keep standin' up and going after things and not giving up. I thought they fought extremely hard today. I'm extremely proud of them. I didn't think we always did everything right but I thought they fought extremely hard. Texas A&M is a good team, you know? They did all the things they needed to win. It came down to those last possessions, we've got to score, we've got to score and we struggled all year on that. Q. You said a couple weeks ago you had to quit looking at e-mails because of the well-wishers and all that. In the two weeks in between, did you get back to that, or did you want to put that off until the season was done? COACH STEIN: Well, it's tough because everyone wants to know what you're going to do and you want to finish out the season. You know what I try to do is obviously people that send you e-mails you want to respond and say "thank you" but you don't get wrapped into that emotion because you're still in game mode. I'm sure this stuff is going to hit me sometime, but the love that I have for the University of Missouri and those kids outweigh anything, and I still have that. I may not have this job, but I still have that. Q. Cindy, there was some certainty about the situations, some of these situations end up where you don't know the last game of the season what's going to happen. Do you feel like it ended differently because everybody knew? COACH STEIN: I'm not sure. I don't think there is ever a good time to announce it. It may have been weighing on everybody's mind because we were losing but it's the finality of saying it and that's what hits your team. They may have thought of that but they were having so many people ask them and like I said before the matter of announcing it at that time was I wanted the kids to hear it from me. I don't want them to read it in the paper or some reporter to be the one to break the story. They're going to hear it from me. Nothing against y'all, but that's the way I wanted it. So it was gettin' too close to that point, and like I said I wanted to have that communication come from me. At that time, it was the best time. Q. Cindy, now I guess can you talk about what you think comes next? Also how do you feel like you grew and changed as a coach in the decade plus that you've been at Missouri? COACH STEIN: What comes next for myself? Honestly, I don't know. Everyone has asked me that. I love coaching, you know, and I've talked about maybe it's the time if I want to go administration wise. I have such a passion for sports and that's where I go, I have a great passion for sports, I love athletics, so it's -- I don't know if it's anything I could ever get out of or do something else but my thought process in this period I'm going to listen, I've had people make calls and want to know if I would be interested in this or that, and honestly I've told everybody that I want to take time, see what comes across, take time and obviously, you know. I feel like I've been so focused on this year I need to take a step back and see where my next journey needs to be. Q. We've talked about all of the struggles that Amanda has gone through, the physical stuff, the crazy stuff that was going on this season. How good is it even though it wasn't a victory to see Amanda finish up with a good strong game scoring points today and hitting her shots? COACH STEIN: Well, it's awesome and the thing with Amanda was and I just told her this week, she's fightin' off a stress fracture, she's been battling that probably for the last two and a half weeks, and so I've talked to her about it. She's been hitting, so maybe she plays better hurt, but to see her come out like that, being from blue springs, especially in Kansas City, and she brings so much to the team with her energy and positive attitude and she's a great role model for these guys and when you have a senior go out like that that's an excellent way to do it. Q. Cindy, what was the scene afterwards in the locker room? Was it less emotional than you would have thought, more emotional? And what did you tell the team, don't cry for me or what did you tell the team? (Laughter.) COACH STEIN: No, what I told the team was the fact that I'll always be there for them, I love 'em to death. It's the end of their season so it's not just about me, you've got four kids in there that have now played the last of their collegiate career, but it's more of they know I'll do anything to help them and we talked about what it takes obviously from here on out for all of them individually. Just what they've learned from this long season of constant losses and real close and then close again, sometimes that's life and life isn't always fair but you've got to keep gettin' up and getting dressed every day and try and have a positive spirit because negativity is for losers. If they want to be successful and offensively them are capable of it, that's what they've got to do. We try to end on a positive, hugged all of them. They're going to be heading back to Kansas City. I'm going to go grab a beer and we'll go from there. THE MODERATOR: Coach, thanks very much. We appreciate it. Good luck to you. End of FastScripts |
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