Weekly Teleconference

Coach Summitt addresses upcoming game against Duke

Dec. 1, 2004

On the fast paced beginning to the season:

"First of all, it has been a little jammed-packed. I think the biggest problem that we have faced has been a lack of practice time. Certainly, we are glad to be in a situation where we are back home. We have Monday and Wednesday to prepare (for the Duke game), and we haven't always had the time to prepare and we managed to get a day of rest as well. All in all, I am happy with the way they have handled the game preparation."

On the team:

"Certainly we are a work in progress. We are not where I thought we would be at this point in the season. Going into the season, anticipating having six freshmen, I thought it would be very challenging to get any type of consistency. But with only three freshmen playing, it has been a little more difficult than I had anticipated."

"I think this team has learned a lot. We have learned as a coaching staff that there is a need for us to improve our half court defense and our rebounding, particularly when we are playing on the road. We need to be much more solid and consistent in those areas."

On the offense:

"Certainly, offensively, we have had our share of problems. We are not as strong in transition as we wanted to be and have had to score a lot of points in the half court. It is no secret that we have not shot the basketball as well as we wanted to, and that starts with a lack of consistency from our inside game."

On Duke:

"We are excited about Duke, and speaking of inside game, they have size with Alison Bales inside and Monique Currie on the wing. To me she is one of the most powerful three players out there and certainly one of the best we have faced. It is going to be a big challenge for us."

On Vivian Stringer:

"Well, obviously, I admire what Vivian has been able to accomplish. First of all, look at the success she has had at every program where she has been. To me that speaks to her ability to take a program and establish it by recruiting and obviously, with the consistency she has had every place she has been, she has done it with players but also with her system. Everyone knows that their kids are always tough on the defensive end. I respect the job she has done and I am excited for her. She has done a lot at Rutgers, and the team she has put out on the court this year is impressive. It was a situation where she went there and said 'we are going to win' and she went out there and got players. She has been active on the recruiting end just like she was at Iowa."

On memories of Stringer:

"My memories are working with her at USA Basketball. We have spent a lot of time together and have become good friends. In the coaching profession, you can typically count on one hand the people you can compete against and still have a friendship with. Vivian is certainly an individual that I consider a dear friend. We have been able to talk throughout the season, some seasons more than others, depending upon how we are doing. We have even done some shopping together."

On what it takes to be a successful coach:

"It takes a leader that understands what you need to do to be successful and have consistency in your success. It is not about being there one year; it is about recruiting student athletes that can keep you competitive year in and year out. The staff has been with Vivian and has been incredibly loyal. When I look at her success, it is the staff, the players and the system that she has implemented. If you look, year in and year out, at the make-up of her team, you know they are going to be competitive and aggressive, and it is her defensive system has stood out and been a staple in her program."

On parity in women's college basketball:

"I think there are a number of reasons for the parity in women's college basketball. The success of women's basketball has had a tremendous impact on exposure. With the increase in exposure, these young kids aspire to play the game. It is like they have dreams now of wanting to earn a college scholarship and of wanting to play at the professional level. Thencombine that with more girls playing basketball and going to camps from the time they are six, seven and nine-year-olds. It is amazing. Also, we now have better coaching; the kids are playing year round and are developing their skills at a much earlier age. The competition has increased, even in high school. Look at the number of teams in our state that are competing for a state championship. It is close and competitive; it is great basketball. The West Coast used to be all about volley ball, but now you look at the number of great basketball players over the last 10-15 years that have come form California."

On the difference between facing Duke this year and the last few years:

"Watching them (Duke), they do have a different look. First of all, I've never known them to play this much zone defense. Obviously, they've got size and they're keeping Alison Bales closer to the basket, both offensively and defensively. They're playing a lot of zone defense, and they're trapping a lot. I'm accustomed to seeing them pick you up full court or in the backcourt and play more man-to-man. That's a different look for them. I think personnel sometimes dictates what we do. We're not running as much as a team ourselves. I think our personnel has created more of a half court situation for us. Watching them in the half court game, they are a little bit more high and low. Obviously, you lose a player like (Alana) Beard and other players have to step up. (Monique) Currie and (Jessica) Foley are stepping up for them, and I think Mistie Williams has stepped up her game, and it's more inside oriented than it is guard oriented for this Duke team."

On not having names on the back of the jerseys this season:

"It's just the fact that we had six freshmen coming in. Over the years, I contemplated that because I think the more talent you have the more emphasis that needs to be placed on the team. It goes back to a lot of football teams. Bear Bryant - his promoting team all the time. And that's what I wanted to do, particularly with this recruiting class. I thought it was a good time for a change."

On the exam break and its significance to the team:

"I can't wait to have some time to go and teach, practice and get quality reps in. Right now, it's almost like we're fast forwarding everything in practice, and we don't have time to go back and rewind and have repetitive drill work, which would ultimately really make a difference for our team. So, that really excites the coaches - I don't know how the players feel about that. Certainly, I think they would benefit more than anything."

On the challenging non-conference schedule that still remains:

"I pick up the paper and see that TCU beats Georgia and I am thinking, 'Oh, great.' TCU is obviously playing great basketball, and just look at the numbers DePaul is putting up. Playing at Louisiana Tech and against Stanford - looking at the success they're having early - it is just a situation where we knew we had a very tough schedule in place. As these teams start to play games and to win games against quality opponents, it looks even more challenging than we may have anticipated when we put it together."

On changing the starting lineup for the Duke game:

"We will not have the same lineup (as the Temple game). We will make that decision but maybe not until as late as tomorrow afternoon. I have seen enough of Duke to assess matchup situations, but I just want to see a little bit more and visit with the staff before we make a final decision."

On the loss of the seniors from last season:

"It has definitely affected our defensive intensity, and that has made us not as explosive in the transition. We are not generating turnovers on top of the floor and getting out and running the basketball. We are getting rebounds, but it is much more difficult to run off the rebound than it is when steals come at the top of the floor. Just the athleticism of (Tasha ) Butts, (LaToya) Davis and (Ashley) Robinson - it was huge. Ashley was an intimidator inside, so a lot of people did not even bring it in there. It has really affected our running game and hurt our defense. We are not nearly as explosive as we were a year ago, and that is something we have to look at. We need to think about how we can do a better job at the defensive end to get our break going and get quicker transition opportunities."

On Kellie Jolly Harper's leadership and coaching potential:

"Kellie, in high school, was a smart player, and her dad is a coach. Her mom played, her brother played. It was just a family of knowledgeable basketball people. Just being in her home for the recruiting visit and talking Xs and Os, I just thought she was going to be a very smart player. You could see not only her knowledge of the game but her love for the game. She was a dream to coach and it was a dream come true to have a point guard with her mentality in terms of knowing the game and providing the competitive drive and the leadership skills. She just had coach written all over her. She was a coach on the floor while she was here."