Dec. 30, 2000
Head coach Tara VanDerveer
How big was this game:
I try not to put too much stock into one game, but I think for people'sconfidence, this was really important. I think Utah is an excellent teamand the type of team that you need to play well to beat. I saw this asan opportunity - coming off a very tough road trip, a very tough loss toOklahoma, tough loss to Tennessee.
We really played five excellent halves of basketball on our road tripand one horrible half. But we had chances down the stretch to beat bothTennessee and Oklahoma. In light of the situation with Susan (King), itwas really important for our team to just believe that they have aleader out there and I think Nicole (Powell) really stepped up.
How does Susan King's injury affect the team:
Obviously this affects us tremendously. Here's someone that was ourthird leading scorer. She had tremendous assist to turnover ratio. She'sa fabulous athlete, a great defender, someone that has really playedpoint all of her life and has stepped up at the college game and justhad an incredible first eight and a half games.
But I really believe in Nicole. I told our team if they had ever heardof a team called the Rams. They had their quarterback go out early andthey brought out Kurt Warner. I asked our team if anybody had heard ofTrent Green, they said no, then I asked if anybody had heard of KurtWarner, they said yes. I said, 'Well, this is what we got.'
I believe in Nicole. I think point guard is her true position and Ithought she made great decisions today, she showed great poise, and shehas a feel for the game that you can't teach. As sad as I am, as upsetas I am about the situation with Susan, obviously with Susan and Jamie(Carey) together, you wonder why. But then there's Nicole, and I thinkshe's fabulous. I really have tremendous confidence in her as our floorleader.
Will you try and keep Nicole from contact situations in practice:We try to do that anyway. I walk on eggshells the whole year. You haveto let people play. She needs reps and she needs to be playing. I willtry to rest her more just because I know she'll be playing 40 minutes agame if we need her to and she can. With the TV timeouts, I thinkconditioning is less and less of a factor. She is in great shape, but Idon't want her to wear down, so we're not going to wear her out inpractice for sure. I think that both Katie (Denny) and Enji (Izidor)need more reps anyway. She'll (Nicole) probably be on the side shootinga lot of threes and watching a lot of video but she needs time out theretoo.
On Lindsey Yamasaki:
We've really changed her position. She's really playing more at a 4 thana 3, which allows her to have the ball in the middle of the floor, be apasser for us, be a shooter. She needs to really help us on the glass.She's been working very hard for us and really wants to be out there.She also plays with confidence and she helps other people and she's madea big difference for us just in terms of kind of running our offense,having her be a passer, and she sets good screens and we really want herto step up defensively for us. She's been more effective there andLindsey wants to play.
On defense:
In the first half, we actually mixed up our defense a little bit. Wezoned a couple times, we trapped a couple times, and really the shotclock was running down. We're counting on everyone to play good defense.The best thing was that we didn't get into foul trouble. As the secondhalf came on, no one was in foul trouble so we could step it up. I thinkit's a real credit to Utah, they're an excellent offensive team. Wecouldn't get the ball from them, they don't make mistakes, and theydon't beat themselves.
We need everyone playing defense, but we did do it in spurts, but Iguess that's basketball. We made a great run at the end of the firsthalf, and then we come out and get a little lead and then kind of took abreak and then we got it going again. Honestly, I think our offensehelps our defense. When we score, then we play better defense. BeckyBonner hits that three and we're playing better defense. Bethany(Donaphin) comes in and scores and we're playing better defense. I likeit when it's the other way around - when our defense fuels your offense- but for us, it's the other way around.
On rebounding:
I think we should outrebound them. I look at our team versus Utah, andthat's a team we should outrebound - we're bigger than them, we're moreaggressive than them. That's another thing Nicole really helps us with -she's almost a triple-double.
Lindsey Yamasaki
How big was this game:
This was huge. We just found out about Susan (King) over the last dayand a half and that's huge for us. I think we realize as much as Susanis a huge part of our team and we are so disappointed and sad that thishappened, we knew we couldn't dwell on it. Nicole (Powell) had to stepin and play point guard and we couldn't think twice about it and worryabout it. Watching today, obviously, Nicole did awesome. She can step upand play the point guard.
The travelling - it took us two days every time we had to fly somewhere.It was just a tedious trip, but I think it built character and for ourteam, it's just going to make us stronger. The games, the losses and thetravelling, I think we're going to be a better team because of it.
Nicole Powell
On starting at point guard:
To tell you the truth, I was really nervous about it. I knew that thiswas a very big game for our team to win, and we really needed it comingoff the road trip and getting ready to go into Pac-10s. My teammatescame out there and helped a lot. Everyone stepped it up, especially inthe second half. Bethany (Donaphin) came through, Enji (Enjoli Izidor)was just awesome, Lindsey (Yamasaki) was hitting big shots, I gotconfidence out there. It was just a huge win for us.
How much of an adjustment is it:
Before I had played backup point guard to Susan. But now, that's myposition and I'm going to have to do it the whole game and I'll need tomake good decisions out there. I think I'll need to grow up really quickright now and not do stupid "freshman" things. I've heard that so much,it's driving me up the wall. I really can't do that. I'm ready to workhard and do it for the team.