|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NCAA WOMEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS: IOWA CITYMarch 23, 2013Skylar DigginsKayla McBrideMuffet McGrawIOWA CITY, IOWA MUFFET McGRAW: It's been a great season for us so far. We're thrilled with the No.1 seed. We had just so many great things happen for us this year, led by these two right here, Skylar and Kayla McBride have had fantastic seasons and now we're anxious for our second season to begin. Q. Skylar, first off, how are you feeling? SKYLAR DIGGINS: I'm fine. Q. Kayla, can you just talk a little bit about the challenge of playing against smaller guards? How successful have you guys been against that this year? KAYLA McBRIDE: I think we've come a long way for that. They're great guards. They can create a lot on offense, and we have to be able to contain them, the bigger guards, the post. Everybody is going to have to do their job. Q. Could you guys talk about being a 1 seed that may be playing farther away from home, in Iowa territory? SKYLAR DIGGINS: I mean, it doesn't really matter where we have to play. We're here, said and done, and I don't think you worry about that now. It's just about worrying about University of Tennessee Martin. KAYLA McBRIDE: Yeah, I have to agree with Sky. I think we've played in a lot of different environments coming out of the Big East and even the non‑conference schedule that we're pretty much ready for anything. Q. Kayla, can you talk a little bit about what you expect (inaudible)? KAYLA McBRIDE: Absolutely. I think their confidence has come a long way. If you look at Madison Cable, Markisha Wright, Michaela Mabrey, they've contributed in so many different ways, and I think we're going to need them a lot down the stretch. Q. Skylar, in terms of the 2,000, 500, 500, what area are you most pleased with with that accomplishment? SKYLAR DIGGINS: Probably the assists. It is great to create for people. To get 500 assists, and 500 made baskets, you've got to credit the teammates for that. Over the years I've had the luxury of playing with people that just moved so well without the basketball. Natalie Novosel, Becca Bruszewski, Brittany Mallory, Kayla McBride, Natalie Achonwa, the players I've been able to play with over the years, Lindsay Schrader, just been great players, just to name a few. It's movement without the ball, and I think that's what ultimately matters, not just finding them but then being able to catch and finish. Q. Can you just talk about the mindset you have to have, the lessons you've learned from playing six games each the last two seasons in the tournament? SKYLAR DIGGINS: Well I think we understand what it takes to get there, and I think, like Kay‑Mac said, just the conference schedule that we play is so tough, and I've said this before, you're playing elite level Final Four through 16 games all the time, and I think ultimately that's what really prepared us for the tournament, coming in with such a tough conference. Eight, nine teams go every year the past couple years, and it's just been a great conference to play in and help prepare us. And then Coach McGraw does a great job of making sure we're prepared one game at a time, and I think that mindset is important because you don't look too far into it. Last year we could have gotten anxious and looked to the championship with the expectations on our team, but we kept that one‑game‑at‑a‑time mindset, and I think that's helpful going into the tournament. Q. (Inaudible.) SKYLAR DIGGINS: Absolutely, and I think with our team, players like Kayla and Natalie, Ariel, who have been to the championship every game, they can help the younger kids out, and myself and Kaila Turner, also. But the upperclassmen experience that we've had in the tournaments and our success kind of helps the freshmen because they feel like they have people that have been there and done that, and it kind of eases their mind. Q. Can you talk about this team's mental toughness, just the ability to keep your composure and all those comebacks you've had this season? KAYLA McBRIDE: Yeah, I mean, I think at the beginning of the year a lot of people looked at us as a young team, not as experienced as most teams, even though we have a lot of upperclassmen who have experience. But I think the confidence and belief that we can win every single game, I think it's carried over to the younger kids, and I think that their confidence has grown a lot, and they can go out in different situations and be ready for anything, and that's what mental toughness is. We've come a long way. Q. Can you talk about the challenges of Tennessee Martin and the two guards, Butler and Newsome? MUFFET McGRAW: Two of the best guards in the country, both in the top 10 in scoring. They can shoot the three, they can put it on the floor, they can attack the basket. Their assist‑to‑turnover ratio is good. They're as good a guards as we've seen all year long, and it's going to be a challenge for us trying to contain them. Q. Is this the kind of game where you try to get to their bench? Is that pretty much where the battle lies? MUFFET McGRAW: You know, I think at this point I think most people are shortening their bench and playing probably six or seven people, so I don't know that that's as much a factor right now. I think everybody wants the best players on the floor as long as they can keep them there. Q. How would you characterize the play of Markisha Wright this year? MUFFET McGRAW: She was thrilled. She was the most excited person in the room when she saw we were coming back to Iowa. I know the ticket requests are going to be unbelievable for her. She's had a great year for us. She has played a big role in recently the Big East Tournament, the last game against UConn with Natalie Achonwa in foul trouble, she came off the bench and did a great job, is good at defending. She's a physical post player, like what she's doing on defense. She's a really smart player, picks things up really quickly, really pleased with her progress this year. Q. Can you talk about Jewell Lloyd's development? I know she's a freshman, but it seems like she's already been tourney tested, so to speak. MUFFET McGRAW: Yeah, she really has. She's been in some big games and she's played well, had a career high against Baylor. She played well on the road in a lot of games we've had. I love her attitude. She wants to get better every game. Every day at practice she wants to get better. She keeps asking what she can do to get better. She is an incredibly talented player who has unlimited potential and definitely a bright future at Notre Dame. Q. Did some of the men's upsets Thursday and Friday help get this team's attention? MUFFET McGRAW: I think it's always good to see that. Of course we're cheering for all the No.1 seeds. But I think it's good because I think it's a realization that that can happen to you, and I think it puts you on guard a little bit more. Q. Can you talk about the development of your inside players and also about Carol Owens, just what gifts she has as a teacher? MUFFET McGRAW: Carol is the best post coach in the country. She's a phenomenal teacher. She played the position, she knows exactly what they need to do, and she is great about delivering her message. She challenges them, and they know she cares about them but she can get on them pretty hard, and they respond really well. Natalie Achonwa having the best year of her career, regional all‑American. She is going to be just a force for us on the block. Ariel Braker, I don't think you can say enough about the progress she's made this year, definitely our team's most improved player, kind of the unsung hero of the group doing what she does best, defending and rebounding and never trying to step out of her role, just trying to do whatever she can to help the team. But her progress has been phenomenal this year. And Markisha Wright, same thing, I think great growth as a player, has gotten better almost every day and has given us really quality minutes this year. Really pleased with our post game overall this year. Q. On this 26‑game winning streak with some tough competition, what have you learned about your team or what's the most exciting thing for you about that winning streak? MUFFET McGRAW: I think the resilience. They're an amazing group. They come in after a win and we're going to watch what we did wrong. We don't really look at what we're doing well so much as how we can get better, and this is a team that relishes that. They love to be challenged. They want to get better. So I love their attitude coming back to practice every day with an eye on the goal and never wavering from it. I don't think we've looked past anyone all year long. We've risen to the challenge in all of our big games and have just had some amazing wins because of the confidence, I think, of the group, certainly led by Skylar. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|