On Georgia and the upcoming games against Mississippi State and Duke:
“I thought the Georgia game was a very physical basketball game. In the first half we were not as composed as we needed to be and didn’t handle some of the defensive schemes that we saw. In the second half we had a lot more composure, and it was good to see Alexis Hornbuckle and Nicky Anosike step up and make some plays for us.
“We are excited to be back home and are looking forward to playing Mississippi State in Thompson-Boling on Thursday. Hopefully now that we’ve put ourselves in a good position in the conference, we understand how important each and every game is going to be and we will be ready to play on Thursday night. We had good preparation on Tuesday and hope to have the same today.
“We have Duke next Monday. It is important for us to take it one game at a time, but because we have two games in five days, we are preparing for both during this week’s practices.”
On Duke guard Lindsey Harding:
“Lindsey Harding is a great player. She looks even stronger watching her play this year. She has great skills and can score in a variety of ways. She makes her team better. She plays off the dribble in transition and is just a great guard. I think she is one of the best guards in the country.”
On the challenge of guarding Duke center Alison Bales:
“She certainly presents a challenge for our team and I would think for any team that Duke faces. Not many people can match up against a player like Bales in terms of her size, overall presence and ability to block shots. She is a very skilled player, not only on the block, but she can face up and shoot the ball. Without question we’ll have to be mindful of our defensive schemes and at times try to limit Alison’s touches. Again, she has a great presence on the inside and is shooting well from the line and the field and will be a real challenge for us. Watching the Maryland game, she’s got great hands and great composure and a variety of skills, in particular with her back to the basket.”
On Middle Tennessee getting into the rankings and their potential threat in the post season this year:
“Absolutely, I think this is a team that is skilled, very athletic and well coached. They play hard and are very dangerous. You look what they did last year in the post season and how they played, they are dangerous. Coach Rick Insell is building the program into what could be a perennial contender. You look at the talent in the state of Tennessee and in the surrounding states, there is a big talent pool of very skilled players and a lot of talented Division I players.”
How and why did the University of Tennessee make such an investment in women’s basketball:
“I think it came from the administration. We have separate programs with Joan Cronan leading the women’s side and Mike Hamilton on the men’s side. Doug Dickey preceded Hamilton and was very instrumental in encouraging the women’s basketball team to move the games to Thompson-Boling Arena when it was first built. I was skeptical as to whether it would draw fans. We had good attendance in Stokely Athletics Center, but Dickey strongly encouraged the move. To me that was a great springboard for our program. The administration got behind marketing our program and promoting throughout Knoxville and East Tennessee. The administrative support came from the president’s office all the way down. Once the commitment was in place to allow the women the same opportunities in sports that the men enjoyed, it made it possible for us to start the recruiting process both regionally and nationally. It’s all about players and recruiting talent. The players we recruited and the excitement of winning triggered crowd support. I’m still amazed when we go on the road how many Tennessee fans are there to cheer for us. There is UT orange all over the place. We have built a fan base all over the country.”
On the SEC dominance in the history of women’s basketball:
“When you look at the SEC as a conference, there is obviously tremendous history: the strength of the schedule, the coaching, and the post season representation, etc. I don’t see that changing. I think this year we’ll be a little deeper and stronger across the board. When you look at the ACC, there are three teams at the top who have separated themselves from the rest of their conference and it looks like that will probably hold true the rest of the season. Our conference has more depth and I think is a very strong conference, if not the best from top to bottom.”
What does the dunk mean to women’s basketball:
“I think the dunk has brought about some excitement and I’m sure some new fans, from the standpoint that it’s something that has not happened that frequently in the women’s game. I know from our standpoint of having a few players (Michelle Snow and Candace Parker), it does add excitement for the fans and brings excitement to the game.”
Is the dunk the next step in the evolution of the women’s game:
“I don’t know that it was the next step. I know that some critics to the women’s game say that we don’t play above or around the rim, while a lot of women’s basketball fans like the fact that we play fundamental basketball and have to work to play a team game. We haven’t had the dominant players or the dunk, but all in all I think the dunk is a good thing for the women’s game.”
What is the next step for women’s basketball:
“One thing that has helped the game is the parity. There are a number of quality teams that make it more exciting. It is not one or two teams dominating. Right now the ACC obviously has the top three ranked teams in the country. The parity has helped elevate the game and the interest overall in the game.”
On the 20th anniversary of the three-pointer this year:
“At the time, I was in favor of the three-point shot. I think about when Cindy Brogdon played here, if we had had that, she’d have broken all kinds of records. For a long time, the three-point shot was like our dunk, a very exciting part of the game. It allowed us to have a better halfcourt attack in general. We had dominant post players early on in the game on a lot of the top teams in the country. Now you add the three-point shooting and you give other teams a chance to compete against the teams that had the strong inside play versus the three-point shot. I think it is great for the women’s game.”
Are there adverse effects of the three-pointer:
“To me the three-point shot has been great for the game. That goes back to coaching and your philosophy. There are a lot of teams that have great inside-outside play. For us, to have people like Sidney Spencer that can shoot the three-ball as well as she does and then have Candace Parker on the inside, there is room for both. When teams have both, you’re looking at some of the best teams in the country. Duke and Maryland are good examples of inside-outside games and balance on teams.”
On the distance of the three-point line:
“I am happy with the distance of the three-point line and I think it would be a huge mistake to move it. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I haven’t looked at the numbers of late, but I know for us I think the line is where it needs to be. The only reason I think we’d move the line back is to mirror what the men are doing; it’s a matter of having an extra line on the floor. The three-pointer is a great addition to our game and I hope we recognize that in the women’s game and not feel a need to change.”
On that first season of the three-pointer:
“It was new for us. I don’t think we placed a lot of emphasis on it. I had been conditioned to establish the inside game first. I think as a coach I had to make a commitment to look at working on the three-point shot and bringing in three-point shooters. It was a learning experience for me.”
What do you look for in a three-point shooter:
“I look for players that have the range and the ability to get the ball off against pressure defense. Now you look for players that can come down, play off the dribble and shoot, or step back or come off screens and shoot quickly. There are a lot of high school players that work to make three-point shooting their specialty because it’s worth a scholarship. Of the teams we’ve played this year, they all have players that can shoot the three, and it’s a challenge for the defense. We’ve seen it here at UT, Shanna Zolman and Sidney Spencer have helped us there. We have two coming in that can shoot the three-ball very well and we want to continue to make it a priority in recruiting.”
Is TV one of the reasons young girls want to play basketball:
“I think we have more role models and more opportunities for people to see women’s basketball because of TV. People want to emulate Candace Parker and go to that next level. Without question, as we see more and more basketball, it inspires young people. I think the pro game is good for college players and the college game is great incentive to younger kids. I’m amazed at how many younger players come to our camps and buy our players’ jerseys. It’s great to see. It gives the collegiate players goals and things to work towards.”
On the potential of more women using basketball to further their careers, like Kara Lawson has done:
“Absolutely. I think Kara Lawson has been a great example of a former player being able to make it in terms of broadcasting, being in studio and talking about the game. I’ve had little kids come up to me and say they want to be like Kara. Kara is still playing at the pro level, but they were speaking in terms of being on the set on ESPN. We are really proud of her, especially with her work last week in the NBA game.”
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