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NCAA WOMEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS: IOWA CITYMarch 23, 2013Katie MeierMorgan StromanStafanie YdestromIOWA CITY, IOWA COACH MEIER: Everything that's been done in the history of the sport, really neat for our players to understand the halfcourt, how it started, so we are really embracing that. Very, very thrilled to be at such a classy site, so I want to thank the university of Iowa and the NCAA committee for the bracket. Unfortunately we are a little bit used to playing on someone's home court and it's not anything that is, you know, detriment. We love crowds. We love playing in big moments, big games, and we have done it all year in the ACC. So we are ready for this. And we really feel, of all the teams, I think in the nation, we have had a long time since we have played a game, but it's been great for us. And sometimes I haven't felt that way in this position, waiting so long to play an NCAA game. But this particular team, and my entire coaching career, I've not had a team that wanted to get better so much. And every opportunity they wanted to get better, they embraced, every practice: Coach, let's watch film; Coach can I have time; Coach, give me something to work on; Coach, what can I do differently in the NCAA Tournament that I wasn't doing all year. That's my team. They missed a lot of their spring break, spent a lot of time together, spent it in the gym and they have been happy. And so for me, I know that we have done our job in terms of we are ready to play our best basketball of the year, and we know we have got a great opponent ahead of us in the University of Iowa. Q. Morgan, what have you seen in Iowa's post play, specifically, Morgan Johnson? MORGAN STROMAN: They have really nice size and they are versatile. They can just come out and shoot a 16‑, 17‑foot jumper, and that's really all I've seen on film. But we are just going to use our quickness to beat that. Q. How do you excel playing a low game in the tournament? STEFANIE YDERSTROM: I feel great about it. Like Coach says, playing in front of a big crowd, and I'm just excited. I've never been to Iowa before, and it's something different and that's what the NCAA Tournament is about. So, I'm excited. MORGAN STROMAN: Same, as well. Just excited to be back playing. It probably didn't really matter where we were playing. Just ready to play. No more practice. I love practice, though, but, you know, just being out there on the court and just my teammates, it's exciting to be back out there. Q. Coach Bluder has been pretty adamant the last few years about not liking the time away between the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA. Seems like a lot of the big conferences, including the ACC, do play that same weekend. You seem to be embracing it; how come? MORGAN STROMAN: It's just time to get better. We have so much time off where we can have our team chemistry and get better individually and just enjoy the moment before we get in the game, but then you have that anxiety where you are just so ready to play again. It has its ups and downs but it's time to get better as a player and as a team. STEFANIE YDERSTROM: I agree, just embrace that opportunity to get better in the tournament. Anything can happen so you have to get ready. You can't really change it, so you might as well just make the best out of it. Q. Coach, Iowa has been a little streaky. In what you've seen, what is the key when they are playing well? COACH MEIER: I can't tell you everything‑‑ Samantha Logic is critically important. That Purdue game, they are unbeatable when she plays that way. I thought that was one of the best responses by a women's basketball team the entire season where they had their backs against the wall, coming off a five‑game losing streak, and just their demeanor, their mentality. They were so determined to win that game, and that's what kind of launched them I think into the postseason. I look for stuff like that. I have a ton of admiration for a coach and coaching staff that can get their kids off the mat like that and get that response, at Purdue. But that was by far her most incredible game of the year. I think that's the first thing that jumps out at me is her play. Q. You've beaten Duke and Penn State; when you're playing well, what in particular are you doing well? COACH MEIER: You know, details, communication and toughness, that's it. So we have a young backcourt. We've been spoiled the four years prior; I knew who had the ball and I didn't have to call many plays, or they made it on the fly. This year, it's been in the details and communication. Those things go hand in hand, the communication, a quiet team is a certain is team, a loud team is a certain team, and that's where we fluctuate and that's when we don't play well versus we do play well. And then our toughness is just something that I think, you know, there's no question in those particular games and games where we really, you know, let's just say out before my ranking or something like that, we were tough as nails. Q. I think you have some ties to the University of Iowa, some siblings. Can you explain that? COACH MEIER: I don't know if you want to know this‑‑ I wanted to come here. My high school coach, he had to bring me in‑‑ I have two sisters‑‑ well, anyway, I could give you a whole bio. But, Brady Bunch: Widow and widower got married, eight of us, and two of them matched up as twins and they went through school. I had two sisters that graduated that both came here and then I had a brother that's two years older than me that came here. I spent a lot of time here. I did all the trips in the Van with mom and dad. True story, my high school coach said: I think you're kind of good, because some schools are looking at you, where do you want to go and I said, University of Iowa, because I was so close with my family and I had so many siblings. I was great at the time but probably wasn't good enough‑‑ I'm not bitter‑‑ (laughter). Q. Who happened to be the coach at Iowa? COACH MEIER: Coach Stringer. I still have the letter‑‑ no, just kidding, I don't. (Laughing). FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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