Here is the transcript of today’s UConn Huskies women’s basketball press conference at the Final Four in St. Louis in anticipation of tomorrow night’s NCAA Women’s Championship Game between against the Louisville Cardinals.
AMY YAKOLA: I’m pleased to be joined on the podium today by Connecticut head coach Gene Auriemma, as well as student athletes Maya Moore, Tiffany Hayes, Tina Charles, Renee Montgomery, and Kalana Greene.
Coach, an opening statement.
COACH AURIEMMA: I don’t know, we’re saying the same things every day seems like. If I was you guys, I’d get tired of listening to it. We’re tired of saying it. But I know we have to say it because you have to write it.
But nothing has changed in the three days that we’ve been here. Today we’ll do the same thing we did the day before yesterday. Tomorrow hopefully we’ll prepare the same way we did yesterday.
We have a great opportunity here in front of us. We’re playing a team that obviously has an awful lot going for them right now. And we’re playing a team that, from what I heard, really wanted to play us, wants to play us, which I admire their camaraderie that they want it to be an all Big East final. I’m sure that’s what they meant.
So all I can say is we’ve done 38 times what I hope we can do one more time.
AMY YAKOLA: Questions for the student athletes.
Q. Renee, could you just talk about Angel McCoughtry not just as a player but as a leader of the team and what you’re most impressed about her?
RENEE MONTGOMERY: I’m just impressed about how she really puts herself aside. I think this last month a lot of the other players on her team have been stepping up and she’s allowed them to do it. I know a couple times in the game she drove ball to the basket and dished it off to one of her teammates, and just to have enough trust and faith in her teammates to make a big play, or when it was going down the line, I think there was a few seconds on the shot clock and she let one of her teammates shoot the ball.
You can just see she trusts her teammates, and I think that’s big when you have a player that is always used to having the ball and always used to making the big play to put herself aside and let her teammates make that play because she trusts them enough.
Q. Kalana and Maya, I’m sure if you were on Louisville you would be feeling the same they are, the underdog, it’s a great role, nothing to lose. And I’m wondering where you think the fantasy ends and the reality begins.
KALANA GREENE: I think when the ball’s thrown up in the air, that’s when it begins and when the clock ends is when it ends. It’s going to be a good game for the fans. I don’t think they’re looking at it as they’re any less than us. At this point in the tournament everyone’s 5 0. And they’re looking to get a win just like we are.
MAYA MOORE: I agree, the game has to be played. And all talk stops. Like Kalana said, when the ball is thrown up you have to go out and play, and at the end of the game hopefully our reality will be where we want it to be.
Q. Renee and Maya, have you guys played with a refuse to lose attitude all year? And have you allowed yourselves to think about what’s at stake tomorrow, not only a national championship but an undefeated season?
RENEE MONTGOMERY: I think we all played with that mentality, because every year before this we’ve lost. And I think everyone came with the mindset that it takes one game at a time, and we’ve made it really simple. And we haven’t really looked too far in the future. Each game we’re just worried about the next game, and not necessarily two games in that advance. So right now we’re worried about the national championship game and not really what it’s going to mean to be undefeated but just to get one more win and end our season the right way.
MAYA MOORE: Definitely, I think that’s the key to our success all year, is staying focused on what’s ahead or the next game ahead and not getting too wrapped up in being afraid of what if we lose or what if we do this, but just getting excited and showing up and playing UConn basketball for 40 minutes. And all the things, the records whatever comes with it, it’s something we can look at afterwards.
But we’re definitely not going to get caught up in the what ifs; we’re just going to come in and get prepared for the game.
