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NCAA WOMEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS: BATON ROUGEMarch 23, 2013Lydia BauerKevin BorsethSarah EichlerAdrian RitchieBATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome Green Bay. We are joined by Coach Borseth, Lydia Bauer, Sarah Eichler and Adrian Ritchie. COACH BORSETH: We're excited to be here, nice, warm weather. Inside your buildings are a little bit cold, you might want to turn the heat up. Excited to be here, worked hard obviously to get our opportunity to compete at this level, and we're ready for the games to begin. Q. Obviously, you guys have been around these teams making the NCAA Tournament experiences. What has the mood been like, and what is it like preparing for this? LYDIA BAUER: We're excited. As seniors, this is our fourth time here. We want to make our last run, a good one. Just the excitement has been fun to see and bringing the younger girls, seeing them as well. We're just excited to be here. SARAH EICHLER: Obviously, there is a lot of excitement that goes around this tournament as we've matured, us and the senior class. It has been more excitement than nerves this year, so that's nice to see, and all the energy that the younger girls bring to our team. We get along so well and it's nice to be able to spend some time with them away from Green Bay in an exciting time like where there is no pressure from school. We're on spring break, so we can hang out and have fun. It's a special time of year for us. ADRIAN RITCHIE: Also, just being here is something we don't take for granted, and we put in the work all season and now we're here. We can just now take this moment to prepare for LSU. Q. Adrian, for those of us who haven't had a chance to watch your team play this year, you shoot a lot of 3‑point shots, and I think you are the leader in that category. What kind of a weapon is that for your offense, and is it the trademark of what you do? ADRIAN RITCHIE: Trademark is strong. It's definitely a good thing for us that we're balanced, and literally 1 through 5 on our starting 5 can shoot the three, and that makes it hard for other teams to guard us, and match‑up problems, and we have that one more pass. If they close up on one person, we can one pass, one pass, so no matter who it is, we believe that girl can knock down the shot. That's a reason why we got here this year and basically our whole careers here and the fact that we can all shoot is one of our strengths for sure. Q. Adrian, they mentioned when they came up here about their size and that being an advantage, but they talked about your speed and having to match that. Do you think that can be an advantage for you guys going into this game and what you do? ADRIAN RITCHIE: Yeah, we hope that our defense turns into offensive transition and we can beat teams down the floor. We take pride in being in better condition and we play forty minutes. I think a lot of teams can hang with us for a certain amount of time and in most cases we outplay them or we can last longer. We hope to use that against LSU and we hope to push them in transition. They're a fast, athletic team and we look to make sure we can control that aspect of their game and use it in our game to benefit us. Q. Sarah, what can you and the other post players do on Theresa Plaisance? What do you see out of her as a player? SARAH EICHLER: Obviously, when you look at LSU‑‑ yeah, I got it. We deal in numbers more than names, making sure I knew what number she was. Obviously, she is a big presence and we don't play many 6'5" people in our conference, and that's definitely going to be a challenge for us, being a smaller lineup. But that physicality is going to be a big part of this game, and if we can match that and play at their level inside, and she'll be our point of focus. But we will do an okay job of balancing out. Q. Sarah, if I read Justin's notes right, this is your 132nd game, more than any player in program history. Did you anticipate playing right away when you came here? What have you thought of that run? SARAH EICHLER: Obviously, it's a huge thing to play in the most games in the history. It's a really cool thing to be a part of, and I think coming in my freshman year you kinda come in and you just do what you have to do at that point. There were some injuries that ended up leading to me starting in the first place and playing in my freshman year and that kind of built the confidence in my team around me that I was able to play in those games. Hannah came back after she broke her finger, and she got her starting spot back. But staying in the lineup as one of the top 6, players was huge for me and my confidence. I think playing with these girls for those four years has built our team chemistry. For playing that long together, us three know each other very well and it's beneficial going into games, knowing where Lydia is going to cut; and Adrian likes the catch the ball when she is ready to shoot. Those little things that some teams don't have because there aren't as many seniors or people that haven't been playing together as long as us. So I think that gives us an advantage. Q. Talk about the challenge coming here and playing on their home court, such a big game from across country to do that? ADRIAN RITCHIE: Last year we played Iowa State on Iowa State's floor, so that experience is something we can build off of, and we won't be as nervous coming into tomorrow's game, playing LSU on their home floor. So it's something we have done before, so we can eliminate those nerves and focus on just playing and playing hard for forty minutes. Q. Adrian, you guys lost a close game last year, something that serves as motivation going into this year? ADRIAN RITCHIE: Absolutely, I saw a picture where me and Megan Lukan, our point guard, were looking off, and in the distance behind us you can see Kentucky celebrating. That's motivation for me because I can see how close we were to that upset and to the Sweet 16. It's definitely in the back of our minds and we're competitors, Green Bay. We're used to winning and we like to win. It's the tradition of excellence and the culture that we can't get enough of. It's definitely something when everybody is on the line, especially for us three seniors. And now there are two other teammates who are seniors; we're going to put everything on the line, and we're ready to play against LSU for sure. Q. I wanted to ask about the long winning streak you had. Not in the context of‑‑ obviously doesn't mean anything if you don't continue to win, but what does it mean in the context of what does it symbolize in terms of the culture of your program, growth, culture, chemistry? LYDIA BAUER: Coming in as freshman, that's something that you learn quickly about the tradition and the culture of winning, and it's something that is built into you over time. I think it's something we continue to pass on to the younger girls. The winning streak isn't so much our priority. Our priority is to focus on the next game to keep winning and to put Green Bay on the road map in these tournaments. Q. Adrian, with having seven freshmen on this team and going back to your freshman year, how important is this experience to keep that culture going after you five seniors are gone? ADRIAN RITCHIE: Very important. Seems like every year we have been here someone graduates, and you say, how can you fill that position and that void? So while you're here with your freshmen, as long as our career lasts you pass on those values and you show them by examples and you hustle forty minutes for every single time and not just show up to practice sometimes mentally. You are there every single day and those are the morals and the intangibles that not everyone against you see. But the girls who share your locker with, those are the ones who know who you are, and if she can see you fighting every day, especially the freshmen look at the juniors and the seniors, that's why we need the program that we have at Green Bay, and that's why we keep it going. Q. You look at the past five or six years, even before Coach Borseth, how close do you all feel about changing the perception as not one of the best mid‑major, but a program that should be in the top‑20 mentioned every year. Do you feel like you're close? What do you feel you have to do to change that? ADRIAN RITCHIE: I definitely feel that we're close. In our minds, we don't think we're a mid‑major. We strive to be our best. According to the national rankings right now, we're near 20th; and in the past we've been up to 9, 11, things like that. It's not so much for us to reach for a number, to define success as far as our season goes or something like that. But we see the progress that we've made freshmen year getting an at‑large bid after we were upset in our conference tournament to now we're seniors and expected to be here. At least from our standpoint, we expect to win that Horizon Tournament and expect to make a deep run in the tournament. I think we've come somewhere. We feel we have put our impact on it moving forward and we just hope that the country can see that from their point of view as well. Q. Adrian, can you talk about No. 10 and No. 5? And the challenges they present on the perimeter from the outside? ADRIAN RITCHIE: Sure, No. 10 is a very good player. Coach made apoint that he notices how other teams pay attention to No. 10, and I think that says a lot about the player she is. Their opponents don't want to see her get going. She is a senior leader on that team and we know that she can do damage. We're going to have to pay attention to her on that weak side and make sure we are closing out on her hard so she can't get open three's. No. 5 is the point guard; everything runs through her. She as a nice pull‑up. She is a lefty and those two‑‑ how we can play defense on those two will sort of dictate how their offensive possessions go and the rhythm that they can find. They're two very important pieces of why they are a good team. THE MODERATOR: Ladies, thank you for your time. Questions for Coach? Q. Kevin, I know defensively everything you guys have done this year. How big of a test will you be for LSU defensively? COACH BORSETH: They provide elements that we haven't seen before. When you dissect a team you see kids around the basket that are big, that can play both offensively and defensively. We haven't seen that size yet this year. You look at the perimeter and you see the quickness and the strength of the quickness that they have, you know, we haven't seen a lot of that either. They pose problems inside and out for us, both offensively and defensively. The key for us is to do what we do and see how we shake out. Q. You play LSU every once in a while in the NCAA Tournament. Talk about going back to Green Bay after spending a few seasons away. COACH BORSETH: I was in Green Bay for 9 years and spent five years at the University of Michigan. Green Bay was home. My children were born there; family is close to there. Being at LSU, being at Green Bay are two different animals. They really are. Things on the upper stage in the BCS level are really‑‑ it's all‑‑ I felt it was all about the job, not about your life. I thought from my perspective that living was important and I get a better chance to live my life at Green Bay than on the higher stage, and it didn't have anything to do particularly with University of Michigan. LSU put me in the same feeling, but I feel at home in Green Bay and I'm able to live and my life just feels better. Q. Kevin, taking a Green Bay team back to the NCAA Tournament, first time since Natalie and Nicole, what did that mean to you to prepare for a tournament again not only as a coach, but being in Green Bay? COACH BORSETH: It's funny, I don't know that I'm the guy that prepared them, I feel like Matt should be up here, because these are the kids that he's groomed over the last three years. He had the luxury of having the players that I had for the last four or five years, and now I've got the luxury of having the players that he's got and these kids are special. We were inspecting film today and I said, I wonder how we're going to cover this one situation, and they said, well, we talked about it and this is what we're going to do; and I said, really, you ought to tell me how you're going to do it, too, because that might not be a bad idea! They've got a lot of plans. They've been really well taught over the last three years of their career. In some regards, I've injected some of my believes; a lot of things have been instilled over the course of time that they have had here, so in some regards I'm along for the ride. Q. Coach, I look across the seeding lines and Marist is playing and they have had success in this tournament. They're stuck in the 12 line. This program has made a Sweet 16 run; they've pushed Kentucky. What does it take to maybe change the perception this time of year where a seeding line can matter‑‑ COACH BORSETH: That's really a good question. I think in the men's field in particular you can see what the Butler men have done, they've got to a Final Four. I think for a mid‑major to be recognized as someone who deserves a higher seed you're going to have to play against really good competition, the LSUs and the big‑time schools, and you're going to have to beat them; and, two, somebody is going to have to make a run to the Final Four to get there. Before anything like that happens, I think we're all probably going to be in the same category. Doesn't change how we feel about our program. I'm quite certain Gonzaga and Marist and Green Bay feel good about our programs. We want to have more respect, but I think our kids are blue‑collar kids who work hard, really proud of what we accomplished. I think when we play against teams, they have a great deal of respect for us and they have to prepare for us. But until one of us makes a Final Four run and beats teams in preseason‑‑ Green Bay did that the year they got the at‑large bid, ironically they pushed Michigan out. It was a bittersweet moment for me. But that year they had beaten Penn State and some bigger schools in the process which had gotten the credibility up high, so preseason beating good teams is pretty important. Q. Coach, you've got a very experienced lineup, several seniors in the starting lineup and Green Bay 5 straight NCAA Tournament experiences. How does that experience help you coming into the situation? COACH BORSETH: It means a lot. It doesn't guarantee you're going to win or lose a game, but when the players step on the floor they're not going to be on a foreign planet. They've been in hostile environments before, been successful doing that. They've been in the game when the‑‑ has been around their in the case. They've seen some of this stuff before. It can potentially end your season. I think they're wise enough in that regard to savor the moment, play as good as you can during that period of time. Doesn't guarantee you win or lose a game, but it does guarantee that you play well; and I think that's what you want to do at this time of year is to play your best. Q. You're going to do some things to contain Theresa Plaisance. How difficult is she to defend in? She can pop out any, the perimeter, bring the ball up, play the post‑‑ COACH BORSETH: She is not the only one you got, either, that's the bad news. A bunch of 'em have the ability to score, but she presents a challenge because of her‑‑ she is so multifaceted. If you guard her with someone small, they take her down low and throw it over the top. If you play behind her she reels around and scores. If you don't cover her properly on a ball screen, she picks and pops and buries a three. We do what we do. I don't think you're going to see any smoke and mirrors from Green Bay. Our kids are going to sell everything they have and do what we do. Interesting, at the beginning of the year one of the games we were playing I said to the players, we're going to‑‑ the key is to dance with who brought you, and one of the players looked at me like, what generation did you come from? But in all reality, that's what we're going to do. I don't know that you get to this stage and try to pull a rabbit out of your hat or magic up your sleeve. You have to do what you do and do it really well. I think all the teams in the tournament have to be able to do that. So while we're focusing on Theresa and the players on their team which are very good and very well‑coached. On the other side of the ball, we got to make sure we do things to make them have to guard us equally as well. Q. Coach, you were talking about strength of schedule. You probably didn't help schedule this year's games, but is that something you might talk to Nikki about after of the game and ask to schedule them preconference? COACH BORSETH: This is probably a decision for a different day with the conferences starting to expand now and all the TV revenue. My opinion, all the revenue that's involved now there is a potential for your conferences to get so bid they might add more conference games which might limit the number of games we can get. We're feeling the squeeze in our area Big 10 with the Wisconsin's and the schools there. They're not sure how big that's going to get or nonconference games they will be able to schedule. The key for us is to be able to play nonconference games like that on our home floor for two reasons. One, it gives us a chance to be able to compete on the big stage to build our resume down the road; and, two, to play on our court to allow our fans to be able to see good teams come up, because we've got great basketball fans in Green Bay. Just like in Baton Rouge, they want to see the teams come to town. If LSU would be one of those teams that would be willing to trek north to Green Bay we would serve 'em some nice, warm snow. It is as warm outside as it is inside. It would certainly be nice to do that at some point down the road because good competition is fun for our players and fun for our fans to be able to watch. Q. I can tell just from the short time that those three were up there, they're smart and you mentioned they come up with a game plan of how to fix a situation. Is your team a heady team, smart? Do they win games that way, or are they as talented as these mid‑major programs? COACH BORSETH:  They're gritty. They're really gritty. They literally sell the farm with every play. They're a determined bunch of young ladies. I don't know that they're overathletic. They're relatively skilled, but they're driven, smart, they understand‑‑ kinda funny because I'll come in at halftime and I'll ask one of the assistant coaches what is that play they're calling, and one of those guys will yell, they're playing No. 2; and they're listening when they're on the court. So they are smart, and they're gritty and that gives them a chance in every game they play. Q. Nikki talked about the size and talked about matching up with your speed. Do you see that as an advantage? COACH BORSETH: I don't know who has more speed. You try to get in a running match with 10 and 32 and find out how fast you are. Those kids are pretty athletic. I don't know where our advantages lie, I'm not sure. Our advantages lie, from our perspective in our grit. We're gritty and driven. Our kids are pretty smart. I think that's the area that have to play off. I don't know that we're bigger or stronger than them or faster than them, I don't know that. When we get on that floor that whole thing is going to come into play. The good news is there is only one ball, only one person can have it at one time. So our key is to guard that ball, and on the offensive court we have to share it to create an advantage and make shots because you can't hold teams to zero. This isn't soccer and it's not hockey. Points are going to go on the board, so we're going to play well on both ends of the court. Q. How much of that grit is naturally there when they get on campus? Past couple of years under Matt there was a red shirt policy in place there, these girls come from the similar size high school programs in the area. They obviously see each other. They come in with grit when you get them? COACH BORSETH: I think some of it is grit, but a lot of it is a learned‑‑ it's a trained response. It really is. We're going to roll the ball on the floor and you have to get three in a row and you stay out there until you get three in a row. So you figure out quickly that's what you have to do. They're well trained, highly intelligent people, very good communicators, very easy to work with. They weren't recruited by big schools and not that they came in with a chip on their shoulder, but they were young ladies who desired to compete at the college level, and so when they get a chance to play against bigger schools they strap up and play a little harder because they want to be like those players. They're a fun group to be around and it's‑‑ the drive that comes with it, again, part of it is training and part of it is burning desire inside, too. Q. What are your thoughts on the kind of winning that this team has done and what that signifies, understanding that it doesn't matter tomorrow. COACH BORSETH: It's been amazing. I remember the first year‑‑ second year I was in Green Bay we went to Old Dominion and they had won five or six championship in a row and Wendy Larry was coaching out there, and I thought that was amazing! At whatever level, that's amazing and for us to be able to do it for 15 years is unthinkable, it really is. We have been challenged the entire while, different programs have challenged us, but our kids have done a great job of rising to that challenge. For the players leaving here now it's a feather in their cap. Tiffany Moore was a gal that played at Green Bay for me, and probably one of the best players I had, sent me a note after we graduated four of our best players, all seniors, and she said, I don't know, you don't know how we're going to do, but, Coach, for whatever reason the players in this program know what's expected of them and somebody will rise to that challenge. I think that's happened every year there, players underneath the underscored kids‑‑ somebody made reference to the seven freshmen are watching and waiting and learning in the process. It's been a fun ride so far. But like you said, it's past now for the most part. We have to build for the future as time presses forward. Q. Can you recall the first NCAA Tournament game against LSU inEugene. They were number one seed. Did that game in any way help your program? I don't know you didn't win, but does that help your program that you gave them a tough game? COACH BORSETH: That was the team that I was referring to that was probably our best team, the little guard was tough and Elizabeth picked her, first time down the court. I said, what are you doing guarding her so close? Boom, she picks her pocket. Then she threw the ball back to that girl. She went to the length of the floor and rammed it to the rim in a hurry. I said, we probably shouldn't do that. But it was a close game. I don't know if this was 7 or 10 points, but we played 'em close. Our kids were gritty at that time. If you draw a comparison, I think the comparison with the amount of grit is similar to the kids that you see right now. You know what you're going to get when they step on the court. From a coaching perspective, I think you learn that you can turn up the volume and listen because the kids kind of go. They can't hear a lot they're just in a zone. So for me going through that period of time in that game against LSU, tomorrow's game will draw some similarities, in some regards. Q. Do you hope the awareness will give you a little more notoriety? COACH BORSETH: I don't know. That's the thing, I don't know. I think we beat Washington that year out there. We haven't played in any neutral sites. That's probably the bad part. Every time we played in a neutral site I think we won. But I think that was the year that was probably our best team and it's the first NCAA game we'd won, so maybe turned a few heads. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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