Nov. 28, 2000
Head coach Tara VanDerveer:
"When I look out there, Nicole (Powell) makes things happen, and they're usually good things. She ties the ball up, she gets steals, she's taking the ball to the basket, she's gets an assist, then she gets an offensive board and that's what we need. That's why she's so valuable out there ? she really makes a lot of good things happen. I think she's an incredibly poised player. Freshman, sophomore, she plays the game of basketball. She really is very competitive, sometimes I think she's too unselfish. She's really looking to make the pass and I think she's working hard on her defense and we need that."
"Blowouts are just a lot more comfortable and we've definitely been in some nail biters the last couple of games. It's not so much about how much we beat teams by, it's about doing the things we're supposed to do. I think we did more of that tonight. We've definitely been focusing on defense and that's one of the things we improved on tonight.
"Our goal is always to play our game. Tara always says, 'We're not playing the opponent, we're playing against ourselves.' We're trying to be the best Stanford team that we can be. We're still not that, by any means. I think we're headed in the right direction, but we're not there yet.
"I just want to be out there. I don't care where I'm playing ? as a forward or a five. I just want to play and help our team, and wherever I can help our team, that's where I'll play. I don't feel any more comfortable at the post or wherever."
"We just start what we think maybe will be our defensive lineup. I don't think we have a lineup, per se. Carolyn might be back in our lineup. I think Bethany has really established herself this year where she is a go-to post player and we are depending on her. We're really counting on her to be consistent for us and she has been.
"Tonight was an example of Chelsea Trotter coming in and helping us inside and we really played, what I call, a bigger lineup with our post players -- Chelsea and Carolyn (Moos) -- a little more than we had in the last couple games. We might go in that direction. Some teams we match up better small. We've just made some adjustments, and I think we're going to see Carolyn and Cori (Enghusen) really step up and help us. They were rushing a little bit tonight. Bethany (Donaphin) is playing really, really well. We need her to continue doing that, and I'm glad that she's getting some help from some other people -- Enjoli playing well or Lindsey playing well.
On Nicole Powell:
"Tonight, if it had been closer, she might have gone in at the one. Nicole, I think, does agreat job at the one. I love to see her get that ball and push it and I think I see her more at it than she does. I saw her in the summer and thought she'd be a great point guard. I love her vision and how she pushes it and how she can be more vocal for us at point guard. She'd have to work on her defense to defend some other point guards a little bit. I think that Nicole, whatever we need her to do, she's willing to step up and do it."
On changing from center to point guard:
"It was a little bit of a transition, but I knew at the college level thatI'd be on the perimeter. So during the summer, I worked on my perimeter skills and putting the ball on the floor, and I knew it was coming. When you have good teammates, when you have someone like Bethany(Donaphin) posting up, you just have to give her the ball, and that makes you look good.