I think if you win, you have fun either way. Competitors want to win. It's what you take pride in. If we were still playing that style, we might be 16-0. We don't know. I think this team's personality is more of a high-strung, perfectionist personality. |
Our last two wins [over McDaniel and Hopkins] were good for us psychologically. Even when we were 10-1, there was a little bit of looking over our shoulder. Beating McDaniel shows we're as good as anybody in the league. The truth is, we're not as good offensively [as in years past], so we can't trade baskets as often. |
She was more happy about that than I think anything else. |
She's going to be a good coach someday. I just hope she doesn't take my job. |
She's my security blanket. When she's out there I just feel like we are going to be OK. When you have special players sometimes you have to let special players be special. The team is so relaxed when she's out there. |
She's one of those kids that will always be in my heart. She is one of those players that made me as a coach want to come to practice every day and give her my very best. I told her, by the time the season was over, I was totally exhausted because I felt she had, in a good way, sucked everything out that I could give her as a person and as a player. |
Somebody needs to check her birth certificate, but she is a very mature young lady. It's not just basketball. She had a 4.0 grade point average in her first semester. Most freshmen don't do that. She's very even keel. She doesn't get too high or too low. |
Sometimes I worry about what we should run, and if I don't say anything, Kristen will call the right play. |
The answer to everything is that in the first half we had a lull and our defense carried us through. In the second half, they started making some shots. We weren't playing that bad a defense but they were making shots. |
We've been very lucky, but some of that is kids fighting hard and battling and being in the right place at the right time. We emphasize defense and rebounding, and that was the difference in the game. |
When she got here out of high school she was somewhat unsure in her own mind how good she was and if she could compete at this level. She's one of those players where confidence was an issue because she's very tough and demanding on herself and nothing was ever good enough for her. That also motivated her to keep getting better. |
When they went on that run, everybody tried too hard. Everybody tried a little harder to make that defensive steal or make that shot, even if they weren't in the best position. We tried to tell them to calm down and play their game, but once we got in the hole it was difficult. They almost tried too hard. And we got away from what makes us good, staying fundamental on offense and defense. |
You want to know the value on Kristen, 22 wins. Point guards win. It's sort of like a pitcher. You can't put a value on her. There are so many things she does well. She takes pressure off everybody. |