Marquette University Athletics
MARQUETTE HEAD COACH TERRI MITCHELL
3/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 25, 2009
MARQUETTE HEAD COACH TERRI MITCHELL: "The challenge is being on the road in front of a great crowd. They're a team that's extremely disappointed they weren't in the NCAA Tournament. They've had a fantastic season. I watched them last night and they really played well together. For us, this time of year is about focusing our strengths. Kristi Cirone is a great point guard and we have to contain her and have everyone be on the same page.
"We have to not get swept away by the crowd, quite honestly, and if we're on the same page and play our kind of game - if they let us play physical - I think we'll be in good shape. We'll read that in the first couple of minutes of the game. But if we keep Cirone in front and don't let her go off. Obviously Nicolle Lewis, a local product, is playing just great basketball for them inside. Paint on out, so rebounding, I think any coach this time of year would tell you if you control the boards you're going to have a better chance of winning the ball game.
"I don't think anyone right now is looking at us and being intimidated [because of last season's WNIT title]. Their radio people were saying last night that they think their team is the one that's going to win it all. We're just excited about playing in March. We're still playing and we've said this before, this is not how we've scripted it from last year. Nor did we plan all the injuries, nor did we plan on being where we are. We're excited that we're playing right now when a lot of teams aren't. I get extra practice, I get the young kids more experience, and we know the foundation is being built.
"That's all the players keep talking about. This is what we did last year, they know what it takes to win, they don't mind going on the road because we know that we won three on the row to win the championship. There are only three people that weren't part of that experience last year, Lauren [Thomas-Johnson], Georgie [Jones] and Jess [Pachko]. The rest of them, they're excited, they think it's great because they know that we're playing. We keep looking and the banner and saying, 'Let's add another one' and you do that one game at a time.
"It just feels different because you know that if you're not on your 'A' game, there's no tomorrow. I think you really have identified what are your best plays by now. You're not searching. In the middle of the year you might pull out this play or that play, now we really know who the go-to people are and we really know what our 'A' plays are. I keep talking to our players - it's about us. Things we do in practice, if we would just go out there and do them in the games, we're going to be highly successful and scoring a lot. We put in new things defensively. When you talk about this time of year, they've been doing the same old, same old. We added a different press, we added different defensive schemes so their focus can be sharper and it makes it fun for them because we're looser, we don't have as many rules, we're not uptight - we're just letting them play.
"Our point guards need to lead us. Angel, this time of year, Krystal, whoever has the ball in their hands needs to be that leader. You talk postseason, and I'm a basketball junkie - I can't get enough of it - you need a big to show up. Jess Pachko has been showing up strong. You need your point guard to be that vocal leader. And then I think you need the X factor, and I think Lauren Thomas-Johnson in our first game back was our X factor for us, hit some big shots. So if you have that, where everybody's going to be focused on Angel and Krystal, and you have that X factor on the perimeter, I think you're going to be in good shape.
"Look at the conference we played in - we lost seven games under six points. We were in all those games. Connecticut took it to us, we learned some lessons, but they're doing that to everyone so I don't feel too bad. We are battle tested. The BIG EAST prepares you for anything you're going to see. There isn't anything Illinois State is presenting that we haven't seen in the BIG EAST in athleticism, in size, in scoring - we've seen it all. So if you look at the four BIG EAST teams that are in the Sweet Sixteen, you look what we did last year, that's because we're playing in one of the best conferences in the nation. We're prepared, we're ready to go, and I want to coach them another week-and-a-half if I get the opportunity.
"I actually will see plays [in the postseason]. I just put a play in now that I saw on television that we're going to add to the game. I think those type of things make it special this time of year. When you see what someone's done successful at the end of the game and you want to keep your players sharp, I just add a play. If we score on it, I'll tell you guys first. That's what it's about, I can't get enough of it, and I don't think there's anything more special than March basketball."
