NCAA SWEET SIXTEEN - PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES - University of Tennessee Athletics

March 25, 2006

PRESS CONFERENCE / PRACTICE PHOTO GALLERY

Tennessee Press Conference

Head Coach Pat Summit

On the quality of the Cleveland Region - - I think all the regions are going to be very tough. Obviously, this one is a tough, tough bracket. Whenever you get into a bracket and you think it's the toughest one, if you're going to win the national championship, you're going to have to beat the best teams along the way. Sometimes you have to do that in a regional instead of a Final Four. No question, this is a great regional which represents proven coaches and players who have elevated their programs to this level.
On qualifying for 25 consecutive regional championships - I don't pay a lot of attention to stats. I did hit me last weekend when I realized that this team has taken this program to its 25th consecutive regional championship. It's a time to reflect and think about the great players and think about the University of Tennessee. It never gets old. I was as anxious about last weekend as any tournament in previous years. It (reaching the regional championship) is expected, and it will always be expected.
On the future of the game of women's basketball - Each university has the support at home, but what is happening right now is that we don't have true women's basketball fans that are going to be in the stands regardless of if their team is playing or not. Hopefully as we get more exposure for our game and better players, it becomes more and more competitive, and we will start to see women's basketball fans, regardless of if their team is in the tournament or not. It is a slow process, and we are not where we need to be, but it is something we need to talk about. We need to market and promote our game every time we have a window of opportunity to do so.
On Senior Shanna Zolman - Shanna Zolman has just been outstanding in so many ways. I think first of all, she's been a great role model for our program, an example every day of how hard you have to work, how much you have to love the game and in the off-season what you have to do to elevate your game from one season to the next. We have not had a better example in the last four years. She has been terrific. She is a winner on and off the court. She just does things the right way, so her example has certainly been an inspiration to a lot of the people in our program. I'm sure the kids that watch her play every day understand how important basketball is to her and yet what a great person she is. She is a great example of a self-made basketball player who can play on the big stage now.
On Freshman Candace Parker dunking and the growth of her game - I think it's good for the women's game. A lot of people think it's going to hurt the women's game like the men's game. In men's basketball there are tons of guys who can dunk, and the theory there is that they quit working on their skills. I don't think that's going to happen with Candace Parker. She can still play all five positions, she is strong enough as an individual and as a competitor and confident enough in her game to not let this be a pressure issue. If it happens again, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. She is about winning and doing everything she can to help this team be successful. - more -
On her friendship with Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer - We have a mutual respect for this game and working with young people, not just on the basketball court but to see these young women become confident and successful in career opportunities beyond basketball. Like myself, she is extremely competitive, but we have been able to become good enough friends that we can compete knowing that when you play, there is a winner and a loser, but the friendship goes beyond basketball. We have had some personal difficulties in our lives, like when she lost her husband and when I lost my father. I knew I would be there for her, and she would be there for me. That's more than just basketball, that's having a friend in this profession.
On defending Rutgers Guard Cappie Pondexter - Cappie presents a lot of challenges. I think our basketball team knows individually what she brings to the team. To me, she is the heartbeat of her team. She is going to dictate the tempo, make the big shots, get others involved. Defensively, she is just tenacious. She is a player when you just look at this Rutgers team, that gets it done for them and inspires others to play at her level. That's a big challenge for us.
On the recent play of Sidney Spencer - She has taken a lot of the pressure off of Shanna, I feel. There was a time when everybody keyed on Shanna, and we had some games where Sidney stepped up and you picked up the stat sheet and said Spencer was a difference maker. I think now people have to respect our perimeter game more than ever. She has made us a better offensive team from the perimeter and obviously our inside game is much better than a year ago. I feel a lot better coming into the tournament with our inside game. Sidney has taken a lot of pressure off of our offense. I am really pleased with how she is playing.

Guard Shanna Zolman

On her last tournament experience - The feel isn't necessarily different. It is much more of an emphasis knowing that this could be my last game in a Tennessee uniform. That driving force is definitely a thought in my mind. Every single tournament game is relatively the same for me, except for my freshman year because I didn't know what to expect. It can end the season, regardless. Whether or not it is going to be my career can be a difference maker, but I still don't want to leave here without a ring. Even though I've been to three Final Fours, I still have not been able to get a ring. That is still within my mindset. I know it's my goal and a team goal.
On the Cleveland Regional - I have never played with this much talent in a regional. For example, last year we had Rutgers as our Elite Eight game trying to get to the Final Four. Rutgers is very similar to last year. They have improved on a lot of things. We know the defensive pressure will definitely be there. I don't really know how we're going to use this Rutgers game to be different from last year. Hopefully the outcome is in our favor.
On getting a number-two seed - From the beginning we felt insulted and disrespected. We definitely thought a number-one seed would be given to us. When that didn't happen we had to channel every emotion in the right direction to benefit not hurt us.
On the back-court match-up - Their quickness is something that we'll definitely take into account. We know that it is going to be difficult for us to handle, because of the pressure, whether it's trapping, full-court or half-court. Our main focus is to get the ball inside. We know that we have one of the most dominant post games in the country. When you have that on your side, you are going to keep feeding that. I think that's the main part of why we're so successful, because we can keep the ball inside. When they're getting all of the attention that they do, they can kick it back out to us on the perimeter. We have to take care of the ball and pass the ball inside to start any success in there.
On her role as a senior leader - It's been difficult because this year has been such a roller coaster. We started off really strong and after Christmas we hit a bump in the road. That's what makes us the team that we are now. Going through the hard times and the losses that we have and not playing Tennessee-style basketball the last part of the regular season was very tough on everybody and also from the leadership standpoint because this is your team. It's your team that is struggling right now, what are you going to do to fix it. We have made a lot of adjustments and I think that we're playing our best basketball and peaking at the right time. Everyone on the team has confidence in one another.

Guard/Forward/Center Candace Parker

On the defense she'll face - I have no idea what looks I'll see. We had a variety of different looks over the season and we're going to have to attack this as a team. We just think what they're going to take away, because we have so many different weapons.
On feeling pressure on dunking again - No, I don't feel any pressure. I don't go into games thinking about dunking. I did it for energy and excitement and to get our team going. I think that it did that. I'm not going to say that I'm not going to do it again, but I'm not going to say that I am.
On the reaction to the dunk - In this day and age women's basketball is growing and I'm happy to be a part of it. I think with the different players leaving for the WNBA like the two sitting next to me (Shanna Zolman and Tye'sha Fluker) and just the parity of women's basketball, the game is really growing. A dunk, a behind-the-back pass or even a simple lay-up, whatever it takes to grow the game. I'm just excited to have the opportunities that we do to be on Sports Center.

Center Tye'sha Fluker

Thoughts on the Cleveland Regional - Coach Stringer said it best when she was interviewed after our side of the bracket was announced. She said, 'whoever comes out of this regional is going to be ready to win a national championship, because of how tough it is.'
On the physical match-up with Rutgers - It's going to be which team doesn't get frustrated by the physical play. I love playing against anyone who can get inside and play physical and aggressive. I like that play and I'm looking forward to it tomorrow.
On Rutgers Freshman Center Kia Vaughn - She has nice post moves inside. Her footwork is good. They have just one 6-foot-4 player and one body that they're going to throw at our whole post game. I think our coaching staff will do a good job of rotating our post players in and out of the game and hopefully that will wear on them. Anytime I get the opportunity to play against somebody your size inside it's fun because you can get away with more aggressive play.
Comparing this year's Rutgers team with last year's - They're still a good team. Last year they had a good threat in Chelsea Newton and the offense coming from her. The difference is that their defense is extremely good. I think we'll be pressed a lot more than we were last year.

Rutgers Press Conference

Head Coach C. Vivian Stringer

On how to beat Tennessee - We're going to have to control the rebounds, they're a great offensive rebounding team in the country. We've got to make sure we aren't taking a bunch of time against their press, we need to get into our offense with less than 10 seconds so that we can do a lot of things that involve switching and changing up of defenses so we need to recognize that quicker and make sure we stay in a flow. You've got to get out to that great shooter (Zolman and Spencer) and yet control the extremely tall and very physical players to the inside and last but not least I think the declaring stat is free throws. So we have to stay out of foul trouble as has been the case in the past.
On your relationship with Pat Summitt - Pat and I have known each other a long time. In fact in the first Final Four sponsored by the NCAA featured Maryland, Tennessee, Cheney State and Louisiana Tech. We came into each others presence then and over the years we've done a lot of things with USA Basketball and the like, so I've been around a long time.
On your conversations this season with Pat Summitt regarding key players injuries - She and I are personal friends but as it relates to the game itself, she can see like I can see. She can tell what our strengths and weaknesses are just like I can with them but I'm not necessarily worried about that, we just have to go out and play.
On if you are concerned about them as a whole does Candace Parker present a whole different level of concern - She takes it to another level, she really is on another plane. I haven't seen us develop an athlete that has it all. When you talk about 6-5, handles the ball as well as she does, one of the questions one of my players has was, yes she handle the ball, yes she can crossover, she can do this, she can do that, but can she handle the ball under pressure and I think she can. Couple that with some real fine shooting, she's an unselfish player, which is real special, and aside from that she always represents the potential for a dunk, so you've got to know if she weren't dunking you do have to know how high she can get up on the rebounding side. I think one of the things Tennessee has been known for over the years has been a really strong, powerful player to the inside, lots of them and this is no different but this one is in that special, real special category and she's just extremely mature. We'll have match-up problems anyway as you'll imagine but we've got to turn what appears to be our disadvantage into an advantage.
On if you can imagine a regional being as stacked as the one in Cleveland this year - I don't know what anyone was thinking about when they decided to do this, I thought we were trying to spread the talent so the four best teams could arrive at the one spot, Boston. Tennessee is considered one of the best defensive teams in the country, North Carolina is the considered the best offensive team in the country, we're considered a pretty good defensive team. I think there have been something the NCAA decided it was going to do and we're all here we happen to all be personal friends. You have to work hard to get this far so now that we're here you can look at it on the positive. Guess what? You're getting ready to play the mighty Tennessee. You know they are steeped in tradition and all these other great things and great players. Who's been more advertised than (Ivory) Latta at North Carolina. I am excited to be here. I am a great competitor my team looks forward to it. It would have been nice to have been somewhere else, but now that we're here we embrace it.
On your reaction to Candace Parker's dunks - I'm glad that she did it and I'm glad she did it when she did it because I think you can talk about dunking in practices and the like, but it is like any barrier, the mile barrier, or anything else in life as human beings as a whole tend to follow what has been done before. It is the exceptional that breaks the barrier and others follow. First off all, she is a very attractive young lady. She is everything, she is smart, she's attractive, she's highly skilled, so it allows every female that has great skills and opens the door and let's her know `why don't you work on this' and it is embraced. It's not that the rest of the game has to have that but that's going to be seen many times. No team wants to be dunked on but I think it's great. I was very excited for Candace personally but more excited for women's basketball and I mentioned to you we have a young lady that has dunked before in practice. She's got to take a big step to get it off but she has dunked and that is Tootie Reed and she's only 5-11. Her hands are obviously big enough to cup the ball. Essence Carson, for anybody who saw that game, that girl turned around and grabbed that rim and with two hands pulled the rim down and I was upset. I was stunned first because I couldn't believe that I had seen that, but she too is capable of that. Not in the same way as Parker but she's going to be coming up with a lot of other things and I don't know if Pat is excited about that or not but you had to smile. I think it is a glimpse of what is going to happen in the future and it is going to allow a lot more women to go and try it.
On the difference between this year's team and the one that face Tennessee last season - I think we understand what happened to us and we're a lot more aware of what we have to do. There is a big difference in the game we played the first time and the game we played in Philadelphia. Then again, Tennessee is a different team. They're extremely versatile and they're big now along with the versatility but I think we're a lot more calm and have a sense of what we can do and what we must do and we realize we went away from our strengths and in our inexperience we did some fouling in some situations which were just uncalled for and of course pressure makes a lot of things happen you don't anticipate. I think we're a little more mature although some of you will note we're a team which has been up and down but I don't think we have a problem getting up for Tennessee. If you can't get up for Tennessee you won't get up for anybody's

Rutgers' Players Press Conference

Guard Cappie Pondexter

On Level of competition at the Cleveland Regional - It definitely feels like a Final Four. The level of competitiveness in this bracket makes it feel like a Final Four. It is great for the women's game and the fans.
On the road to the Championship - We are here ultimately to win and whoever we play we have to take on the challenge. It doesn't matter if we play, the one, two and three team in the country or the fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen; we want to win a national title.
Reaction to Candace Parker dunking -The ability to do it is great. It is good for the fans and women's basketball and it will inspire young women to do it. I know for a fact there are young women out here who can but have never displayed it in a game. She just gives them the confidence to do it.
On last season's Elite Eight loss to Tennessee (March 29, 2005, 59-49) -We lost it in the last two minutes. I think with a minute to go we were down two and ended up fouling and had a couple bad offensive possessions. We just have to trust each other and play together the entire forty-minutes.
On Tennessee's Junior Forward Sidney Spencer shooting ability - She is a great shooter. She played the four position last year and is now a two or three. As a trail, you for get about the fact that she has that weapon. It's great for Tennessee. Now she is playing the two and Candace Parker is playing the three. She is just a great player that brings a lot for them.

Forward Michelle Campbell

On Level of competition at the Cleveland Regional - There are four teams that could be in the Final Four. It's great competition.

University of Tennessee Athletics

NCAA SWEET SIXTEEN - PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

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