Teleconference Transcript

Lady Vols host George Washington Thursday before breaking for exams

Dec. 6, 2006

Opening comments...
"Overall I think our team has had valuable experiences with our schedule, in particular at North Carolina with a challenging but good environment and against a team who was very impressive. That's why we play that schedule. Last night, UT-Martin was not the same caliber of team that we played against at North Carolina, Arizona State or versus Stanford. It was more about us. I thought we did a good job of maintaining our intensity. We got to work on some aspects of the game that we haven't spent a lot of time on and really concentrate in that area. Looking ahead to George Washington; they present a different look. They extend their defense and are very aggressive due to their high-level action. Their guards are very capable of running the ball up our backs, so we have to be ready for some baseline-to-baseline action."

On George Washington being the fifth ranked team UT has played this season...
"I think we get more than just the benefit of playing teams that are well-coached and that challenge us throughout the regular season. It allows our basketball team to understand that they have to be ready to play every night. Our schedule is tough enough that on any given night if we aren't ready to play, it could be really costly for us. It's all about the postseason for me, understanding that you can have a near-perfect regular season, but if you're not ready for postseason, then anything is possible in that situation."

On preparing for George Washington and Texas during final exams...
"It only gives us one day of preparation, and that's today. Our staff has been watching tape on them. I think with our team and some of the things we'll see, we have obviously seen that before this season. The preparation time is not on our side, but we are familiar with them having played them on other occasions. That gives us a little more knowledge of what we will face."

On the series with George Washington...
"I like playing teams in different conferences because you see teams with different styles. The SEC gives us one style of play, so the opportunity to play other schools in other conferences, it has allowed us to prepare for a lot of different looks. George Washington does a good job of varying its action defensively to give you different looks. I think it has been good for us, and also I have a lot of respect for them. We have a lot of fans and alumni in that area which is good for them to have a chance to see us. We're going to extend the series."

On watching tape of George Washington...
"I have watched tape and there are a lot of similarities to what we saw last year. I think their man-defense gave us some problems when we played them in the NCAA playoffs, so we have to be in tune with that. Their perimeter players are very aggressive, and they can break you down off the dribble. That definitely will challenge us. It depends on whether they want to run with us or not. Some people come in and like to run up and down. George Washington does a good job of keeping you off balance."

On the friendship with George Washington head coach Joe McKeown...
"When I was working with the Mystics I got to visit with him and we got to sit together and talk basketball. He's a great father and family man and a very sincere but competitive individual. I've enjoyed getting to know him. He is someone in the profession that I feel like if I needed someone, I could call him. Come game time, however, we are extremely competitive."

On the pregnancy of Summitt's dog Sally Sue...
"She is hanging in there. She is probably going to have eight puppies this weekend, so thank goodness I will have basketball behind me for a break. With the ultrasound they said eight, but you can always expect one or two more, so we will have a house full of puppies. I have several people who have been through this, so they are going to help me."