University of Tennessee Athletics
Coach Summitt's Press Conference Quotes
January 17, 2001 | Women's Basketball
General comments on Tamika Catchings' status and her surgery situation, the game with Georgia at Thomson-Boling Arena (Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m. on Fox Sports) and the road game versus Kentucky (Sunday at 2 p.m.).
"I just spoke with (Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Medicine) Jenny Moshak, and she said Dr. Youmans re-evaluated Tamika this morning. Tamika is still undergoing the pre-surgery rehab phase in an attempt to reduce the swelling, increase her range of motion, and to try and strengthen her quad muscle before surgery. This is a tremendous loss for our team. I feel for Tamika, she was a great leader by example, and obviously was a factor in our success over the past three and a half years. However, we have to move on and get ready for Georgia."
"You might say I would rather be playing someone else, but the team is focused on the task at hand coming off a great practice yesterday. Georgia runs up and down the court better than anyone we have faced all year."
"The Kentucky game is a reasonable turnaround for us with the Thursday and Sunday format. This the first road test for the team without Tamika, and we need to see how people will step up on the road. We normally draw big crowds in Lexington and the games are typically hard-fought. Kentucky will try and control the tempo, but we need to push the tempo and at times we have struggled doing that."
How much does losing Tamika Catchings change the game plan?
"We go into tomorrow night's game without too many changes except that Kristen "Ace" Clement will start for us at point guard versus Georgia. We aim to continue the way we've been playing and are counting on the big-game experience of Ace and Kyra Elzy, both of whom have won national championships but not played a lot of minutes this year. Freshman Tasha Butts has the all-around game that can help offset some of the loss. I fully expect our perimeter players to step up production."
Have you ever been in a situation in which you didn't have a go-to player?
"We've been in situations where we had to establish go-to players - Bridgette Gordon is a classic example. On this team, we have enough talent to go to certain people at the right time. In the post, Michelle Snow, Ashley Robinson and Gwen Jackson have all come through at certain times for us. On the perimeter, Kara Lawson and Semeka Randall will be the two likely choices to step up. I am pleased with April McDivitt's overall play and progress. I am hoping that Semeka will respond to the challenge that awaits her. Clearly, Tamika was a player who would respond with the basketball whenever we made a call."
Does the loss of Tamika Catchings take away the revenge factor against Georgia?
"We've all been in mourning about Tamika. You feel for her both as a player and as a person. More than anything, I think people will rally around this team and they are anxious to see this team play. The fact that tomorrow's game is against fourth-ranked Georgia creates even more excitement."
What do the Miller twins bring to the Bulldogs?
"You are looking at two players who bring it at you constantly. Coco and Kelly can create open looks in the half court, are hard to defend and have the ability to cut and move without the ball. I told the team they had better be ready because the Miller duo plays with so much energy that they could probably dribble to Knoxville and still not be fatigued."
Do you remember what buttons you had to push with Gordon?
"I remember we were playing Texas in '89 and late in that game they went to Clarissa Davis and we went to Bridgette and I told her that she needed to make plays for us. Even as a senior, I had to remind her not to hide in the big games and that she would have to be willing to step up and make plays. It was then that she became the player we could count on."
"For now, we will work by committee, as different individuals will have to accept new responsibilities. However, it's an overall team project to overcome Tamika's absence. In certain games I will need to talk to certain players about specific roles."
How will you offset the rebounding loss of Catchings?
"I have challenged Michelle (Snow), Ashley (Robinson) and the rest of our post players to step up. Over the past couple of days, they have realized that perhaps they've been standing around and watching Tamika to do the bulk of the work on the boards. We've always been known as a strong rebounding team, and I thought this team had the potential to be dominant on the glass."
Is there a lack of attitude with Michelle Snow when it comes to rebounding?
"Michelle has just had a lack of positioning under the boards; she has been playing on her heels instead of her toes. Great rebounders want the ball and pursue it, and sometimes Michelle is not as aggressive as she could be. She has improved so much over the past two years and her potential is unlimited. She can run the floor, rebound and has a great shooting touch, but needs to work a little harder on the defensive end."
Georgia used a bunch of different zone looks against LSU on Sunday, how do you think they will defend you?
"We have seen some zone this year, but I am surprised that we haven't seen more. I guess it will just depend on how the game plays out, I know I don't go into games trying to plan how much man-to-man defense I will use versus zone defense. Georgia is the type of team that can give us many different looks though."
How will sophomore Gwen Jackson's role change?
"Overall, I am pleased with her progress so far. She has been a work-horse in practice and her intensity level has risen. She is playing well, but we want her to be more aggressive offensively. She did a terrific job defensively against All-SEC performer LaToya Thomas of Mississippi State."
Can you talk about the high profile women's athletes suffering torn ACL's and how these can be prevented?
"Structurally, women are different than men due to our ability to bear children. This causes our legs to hyperextend more. There has been more emphasis on strengthening hamstrings and we are currently doing other preventive exercises with our team. Our trainer, Jenny Moshak, has been attending seminars learning about other ways of preventing the injuries. The country is well aware that women's hoops has had many injuries. Its just the pace of the game, and Tamika plays hard every possession. It's happened in many situations to various players, all we can do is learn from research."
Do you remember what went through your mind when you injured your knee at the University of Tennessee-Martin?
"I came down with the rebound and made the turn to pivot when a defensive player clipped my left side. It was a terrible feeling. I knew I did some serious damage because I had heard it pop automatically. I believe my ACL injury could have been prevented because the night before I had felt my legs trembling after lifting weights. You are thinking what lies ahead, but now we are much more advanced medically. Tamika will be back, maybe in record time. It's a lot of work, I will tell you that."
What was your reaction to the Notre Dame/Connecticut game (92-76 Irish win)?
"I only saw the last eight minutes since I was visiting with Dr. Youmans and my staff. There was a great crowd in South Bend and Notre Dame played terrific. Ruth Riley was very imposing and their guards were able to handle the UConn press. A lot of people didn't anticpate that outcome, but it is an opportunity for UConn to learn from it. It's a situation that you bring out the best in your opponents, even when you are expected to win every game."
