March 7, 2011
SAN DIEGO - Head Coach Beth Burns
Opening Statement:
"This has been a really unique season. In the five years prior that I have been here, the MWC have been so competitive. To have six of our nine teams have losing records, it's almost unbelievable. The good news is, when you are about to do what we are going to do, it puts you in a pretty good position because everybody can just about beat anybody and probably can. I don't know if I am more nervous that we have beaten them twice or if we haven't beaten them. It's going to be very close, a great matchup. Everybody has a clean slate, I wouldn't be surprised if any light shirts lost to a dark shirt. It's been that kind of a season, but we are at that point where you have to be relaxed and confident and take it one game at a time. We've had real good consistency on the interior, in both games against them. As a matter of fact, we have had a combined 102 rebounds against them in two games. I mean that has been the difference, we have guarded them well, rebounded well. We have struggled offensively but that has been common for us this season, so if we can go in with that mind set, then we have an opportunity to survive and advance, move on and take on Wyoming the next night."
On coaching philosophy for tournament games:
"I wouldn't really say your philosophy, I think coaching. You have to constantly change to put yourself in the best position to be successful. You don't always have to be comfortable with what you are doing, you have to do what's best for any given team, and I think we have done that all season long. Our strengths (last year) were different and I think our challenge (this year) was it's hard to come off the success we have had and change everything. That's not really logical psychologically, but if you don't have the parts you don't have the parts. So I think we have really tried to morph into to an interior, high-low kind of team. We have gotten better and better at that, I think JB and Paris inside have been really consistent. Our challenge has been to have success around them. So does your philosophy change? I don't know, I wish I had a stomach ache because we were on the bubble, but we're not. So I guess you've just got to play the waiting game. You just got to play your best to win that given game, you don't worry about anything but that immediate game."
On missing some parts:
"When you graduate two seniors, that were such an integral part of that run, you have new kinds but they have different strengths. So you have to change what you do because you have different strengths. The two we graduated were pretty good, and really have made a dramatic difference in how we have had to do things and that's what we wrestled with early. How much do you change? You kind of want to trick them into thinking that we are going to keep rolling forward, but as we advance through the season we really felt we couldn't do that."
On using momentum as a motivation for players:
"Well, it is what it is. Let's beat New Mexico. Let's beat Wyoming. I think we have, we have struggled finishing. So we don't want to look forward, we have to stay with the 40 minutes we have in front of us. But, we are a little bit fragile in that respect. So to have beaten them twice with our team, I think is helpful it think that does go in to give us a little more confidence."
On preparing for the loss of seniors:
"This year you have those three returning seniors in Coco, Paris and JB, and what two really fit the best with that. They are going to move on, both Paris and JB have had numerous opportunities. They have both been invited to a pro camp already so their futures are lined up. It's going to be open season, we have two redshirts, we are going to be much faster top to bottom, but we are going to miss those two ladies inside. We're going to have to run around a bit, so that they don't know they're not there anymore. The class that we signed was reaping the dividends of the success we had from going to the Sweet 16. That enabled us to get into living rooms we haven't in the past and that enabled us to upgrade from where we were as a true freshman standpoint. We will be a different team."
Closing Statement:
I also would be remised if I didn't congratulate Courtney Clements, back-to-back for us, Newcomer of the Year. Which is exciting, she was named the Newcomer of the Year for the MWC, sophomore starting combo for us. She has learned a lot this year and looking forward to building on that success next year.
Senior Center Paris Johnson:
On how the MWC teams stack up:
"The conference has been up and down so far. Rankings have been moved around. Each team can lose any given night. It can be anybody's game this week. We have to make it all the way to Saturday."
On if their prior experience in postseason will give them the advantage this year:
"It is an advantage, but it's just like any other team. They can be pumped up just as well as us even though we're experienced in terms of going into tournament play. We're going to continue to play hard throughout the tournament. Really only a few of the players have experienced being on the court in a game situation like that. I think our team is ready; we're going to play as hard as we can."
On if this season is a disappointment compared to the success she's had in her prior years with SDSU:
"It's not disappointing. Things won't go our way every time, just like life. Life is not going to be fair. We're not giving up yet. We can still get into the tournament and win a couple games. I'm not disappointed at all."
Senior Guard Coco Davis:
On if there are any teams in the MWC that are expected to win:
"Anybody can beat anyone on any given night. Especially how conference has been going this year, I think we have a chance of going all the way. As seniors, Paris and I are going to do all that we can to stay in Vegas all the way until Saturday."
On their expectations for postseason:
"I can't say that we expect anything because of how this season has been going. I would say that we want it. It's in the back of my head, since my freshman year we've gone to the tournament and made it to the championship game. The first couple of years we slipped, but we got it last year. It's fresh in my mind, and everyone else's, so I think everyone's going to work hard to get there."