March 28, 2011
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Postgame Quotes
AN INTERVIEW WITH:
COACH Kelly Graves
Courtney Vandersloot
Katelan Redmon
Janelle Bekkering
THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead with an opening statement from coach.
COACH Kelly Graves: First of all, I do want to congratulate Stanford and wish them the very best of luck at the Final Four. We would love that a championship comes back to the west coast.
They're just a great basketball team and they played well. And that's tough. We tonight I thought had a pretty good game plan going in and executed for the most part, but boy, when they're knocking down shots you got to give them if they're hitting from the threes and doing what they do inside, they're just obviously a very tough team to beat.
I'm really proud of my team, we battled hard and it was adjust a phenomenal season and you can see by the support that we had that this team is loved and this team will always be remembered. I'm really proud of them.
THE MODERATOR: Take questions for the student athletes.
Q. For any of you, did you feel good about where you were at halftime and then it just looked like shots weren't falling and they were falling in and falling out, it was, it looked like a pretty rough go there for a long time.
Courtney Vandersloot: Yeah, we felt good about where we were at halftime. We had been in at that position two out of the three games that of this tournament and we weren't giving up by any means, we felt that we were still in the basketball game and in the second half it felt like we had some shots that were in and out. We weren't getting the shots that we were in the first half and things started going Stanford's way.
Janelle Bekkering: Just what Courtney said. We felt pretty good about halftime, we knew that we're a team that can make come back, we showed that in the previous two games and I think just in the second half our shots just weren't falling and just with their ability to score the basketball, I mean I think it just, they, we kind of dug ourselves a hole and we needed we just couldn't bring it back up.
Q. Courtney, I'm sure you've seen every defense thrown at you throughout your career, was, when they went to the zone, did it do anything to disrupt you or was it just simply the rebounding and the missed shots that hurt?
Courtney Vandersloot: Well I wasn't getting the shot attempts, the looks that I was in the first half and they're long in there and usually we have such a dynamic offense, players that are on the wings and inside that can score the basketball, so it hasn't been a struggle for us. But our shots weren't dropping, they're able to cover a lot of ground with that zone. It's a tough defense.
Q. For any of the players, after playing the Ogwumike sisters, how do you size them up? Was it tougher than you anticipated or exactly how was it challenging them underneath?
Katelan Redmon: The Ogwumike sisters, they're very good basketball players. They're really tough down there, they rebound extremely well, and they're extremely strong. So it's very hard to defend them in the first place. And then we let them get too many offensive rebounds and second chance points.
Q. You battled them even the first time you played them on the boards, this time they doubled you up. Did they do something different going to the boards or what? Can you explain how that happened?
Courtney Vandersloot: I think rebounding it's tough, because it's a lot about effort and not to say that we weren't putting the effort in, but that's a big job for our post players to have to not only block out one of them, but two of them. And then let's not forget about the rest of them out there.
They were just better than us, they were tougher than us, they were stronger than us today.
Janelle Bekkering: They're just, just their inside game, their rebounding ability is just phenomenal. You think you got them blocked out, but they somehow manage to get the ball and it is a tough job for our posts down there. And just their ability, I mean it's, I haven't seen that kind of rebounding ability, especially two on the same team. I mean it's pretty awesome.
Q. For anybody that wants to answer, obviously this is not way you want to end your season, but all seasons do come to an end. Can you reflect on what you have done?
Janelle Bekkering: Definitely right now it doesn't feel good losing, but I mean everyone except one team finishes their last game with a loss. So I bet when we look back on what we have accomplished, being able to play at home for the whole tournament and getting to the Elite 8 is something that Gonzaga women's basketball has never ever done, I think we'll be, we'll look back and we'll be proud what have we accomplished.
Courtney Vandersloot: It is tough right now, but when we look back and I think every team sets goals at the beginning of the year and this team achieved the goals that we set. That's, this is where exactly where we wanted to be and we believed that we were going to win the game today, yeah, but we're going to reflect back and this is something that nobody's ever done and we're excited about it, and we're all proud of each other, we're happy with what we were able to accomplish this year.
THE MODERATOR: We'll excuse the student athletes and take questions for Coach Graves.
Q. What was the difference for the first half and the second half with you guys offensively?
COACH Kelly Graves: Well, I thought what they, with that zone we just didn't have as many driving lanes and if you're not knocking down shots, you saw the shots that we were getting, those are makeable baskets and we're going into the game the leading field goal percentage team in the nation and we just didn't make shots. And honestly it looked like at times some of our players didn't want to shoot.
With a zone, you try to pick it and those kind of things the best you can, but it's difficult to get a point guard to be able to get inside of it and try to penetrate. So it just kind of all snowballed together and a lot of it too was we couldn't make any stops at the other end and when we're not out in transition, you take a bit away from us. That's what happened. So I give them credit, they did a great job in that zone.
Q. Why do you think some of the players didn't want to shoot?
COACH Kelly Graves: Oh, it's a funny game, this game. And a lot of it is confidence. If you're not seeing the basketball go through, then sometimes you tighten up. It just happens. I'm not saying that they did, just as coach you look at that you know wonder, because typically we are a good shooting basketball team. We're not a 3 point shooting team, but we're a good shooting team and they just didn't go. But I was proud of the way, you know what, six turnovers, that's really what it came down to. They didn't force many turnovers, it was the shooting in the second half.
Q. You half jokingly say you're running out of adjectives on Courtney, but now she's done, her career is over, just a final, if somebody hadn't seen her, could you describe what she plays like, what she meant to your program?
COACH Kelly Graves: Listen, we have a great basketball team, we had a phenomenal season. You saw all the people that were here and the people that have been following us, make no mistake about it, they're Gonzaga fans. But Courtney Vandersloot brought these people here and she deserves just a ton of credit for that. She has, she has made Gonzaga women's basketball cool. And something that people notice and love.
Those fans love this team. And Courtney's really the one that has spear headed all of that. I'm just so proud of her. She is a phenomenal basketball player. And, yeah, and equally as good a human being. And we're going to miss her, but her legacy will live on.
She is, she's transcended the game in these parts. There's no question about it. There's nobody up here that does not know Courtney Vandersloot and who she is. So I'm going to really miss her, but I think she would be the first to say that she just hopes that what she's done will lead to a lot more success in the future. And I think it will. But I love that young woman with all my heart.
Q. We asked you yesterday what you do with Neka and Chiney, what's the answer tonight?
COACH Kelly Graves: I can tell you what we didn't do.
(Laughter.)
You know what? I thought they said it pretty well, they're adjust a unique combination of strength, obviously skill, but the quickness with which they attack the ball on the boards is just phenomenal. We just, honestly, we just, we're not there yet to be able to matchup with these kind of teams that just have that kind of strength and athleticism inside.
We're just not there yet. We can beat, we can do it, but it takes a perfect game and we didn't obviously do it tonight, but they are unique players. And I wish them well. Boy, I hope they go back there and just knock the Final Four dead. They're nice people too.
You know, we have gotten a chance to play them now a couple of times, last year too, we're going to continue to play them in the future, home and. I don't know if that's a good thing, come to think of it. No, absolutely it's a good thing.
(Laughter.) It's a good thing.
THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you, coach.
COACH Kelly Graves: Thank you.
