Lady Vols vs. USA Women's National Team Postgame Quotes

Tennessee Women's Basketball Head Coach Kellie Harper

Opening Statement
"That was a fun night for basketball. To able to showcase some of the best in the world on our court, and to be able to go out and compete at that elite level. It was a lot of fun for our team. I think our fans showed up and had a great night as well. We are obviously going to be pulling as hard as we can for this team once they get assembled and start representing us in the Olympics. It is going to be a little bit more memorable for us to watch them in this upcoming Olympics."

On if she conveyed the message to the team of the defense being better than last game…
"Yes, we did. I thought our focus was better and our effort. I thought with both we were a little bit more locked in on the defensive end. You like to think, 'rise to the occasion.' We do and we got better for this game. I talked to them about that. I told them I like what I saw. I love the fact that we were communicating better. Each possession just really dialed in."

On if Edie Darby's presence on the offense is something she's able to see this early in the season…
"Yeah, we will continue to evaluate each player on the team. We think Edie (Darby) does a really good job. I think she runs the team well. If she gets an open shot, we think it is going in. I think she got two. I will be honest with you; I thought both of them were going down. She is very smart, she understands her role and understands where the ball needs to go."

On what effect Rickea Jackson had on the team in the beginning of the game…
"Rickea (Jackson) being on the floor gives our entire team confidence. They look to her. They believe in her. I thought she played hard to start the game. I think that gave everybody a little bit more confidence when they are out there playing. I was really proud of her. I thought she looked good."

On how important it was for Rickea Jackson to play against the USA Women's National Team…
"Well, I think for our players that want to play at the next level, whether that's WNBA or overseas, I think the experience of visiting, talking to, listening to this team is important. I think they also kind of got a great lesson during the game. I mean we talked in the locker room about what they saw, what their impressions were as they left the court. Those are pros, pro make shots, pros make plays, and they are really good at what they do. I think that was great for all of our players to see that. Specifically asking about Rickea (Jackson), I think it was a great opportunity for her to compete against them but also listen to them and hear their stories."

On Tamari Key's block at the end of the game…
"She and I were talking, I was trying to get her matched up with Britney Griner, but couldn't get very many minutes until that fourth quarter. Then, I let her play a little longer than I had thought. She and I were laughing about it at the end of the game. We were just trying to find minutes for her and she made that block, made that shot there at the end, so it was good to see. We've seen those plays, but I think you're right, being able to make those plays in-game is good for her growth back."

On the ovation Britney Griner got during the starting lineups…
"I was very proud of the fans and the reception that they gave to all the players. Our players don't forget very much, so I know they knew where those players played in college. They understood, but our fan gave them all the reception they deserved. Britney (Griner) obviously got a big ovation and I think people know her story. I actually talked to people that said they were coming specifically to see her and to watch her play. They have become fans throughout her challenges in the last year or so. I was really happy for that team to feel that from our fans."

On Diana Taurasi's long basketball career inspiring female athletes…
"She's unbelievable. I'm doing the math and realizing that I'm not that many years older than her, but I couldn't do what she's doing. She's the ultimate pro, and it's impressive. She's savvy, she gets it, she's a great leader. She spoke to our team today and it was wise, so I'm so impressed with who she is, how she handles herself, how she carries herself. I'll be honest with you, she visited with us at practice, and it was great. It was cordial. She hugged me. Everything was great, and I walked out on the court before warmups, and I locked in on her with my eyes, and you could just see she was on go. I was like, 'oh, this could be interesting' because she just flipped that switch, and she was great at practice, cordial at practice, and I thought she was going to tear us apart in warmups, but that's how competitive she is. I have nothing but great things to say about her."

On the team's effort tonight…
"I was proud of our team, and I thought we competed. We were maybe outmatched, but we kept trying, and I thought we showed some good things. I thought they showed some physicality, our post players did. I thought we showed some aggressiveness and some versatility, so I like where they were in terms of what they did tonight, and hopefully we can build on that."

On if she thinks the team held their own tonight…
"I thought they did. I thought our team competed. That's the one thing I kept talking about with them: go out and compete, go out and compete, and I thought they did. I'm really proud of them for that. I thought the focus was good, I thought they were positive and I liked the demeanor. Obviously, it wasn't always pretty for us, but I think we're walking away from this feeling like it was a good night."

On their readiness for the regular season...
"In the fourth quarter, we started managing minutes a little bit. Obviously, this is a long stretch for us. We were actually off yesterday to shorten the stretch as much as possible. We will try to build off of this and will try to get better at some things. We now will have to start handling scouting reports, which we have not had yet. We will start handling the scouting reports, and we will have to be able to turn those around pretty quickly this week. I think our players are ready for games. Coaches, we always want more practices, but it is time to play and figure out where we are at."

On welcoming back LVFL and Florida A&M Head Coach Bridgette Gordon...
"I think it is going to be fun to have her back; she will also get a big ovation when she comes back to Food City Center. Not only was Bridgette (Gordon) a tremendous player, obviously she coached here, but she is just a big personality and such a likable person. It will be fun to welcome her home.

On how the speed of tonight's game will translate into the regular season...
"When I asked the players some of the things that they have learned and what they have taken away, and one of them was how fast they play the game, and that is not how fast they are. That is how fast they play the game, how fast they react, how fast they read the offense or the defense and know what to do. They are fun to watch."

On what they can take away from facing such a tenacious defense...
"It was high pressure, high intensity and it was consistent, it was solid. It did not let up. There were not a lot of pressure-release opportunities. I think we learned tonight that we have to be able to handle those moments better. As a staff, we will give them some things to work with that are going to give them some pressure releases in those situations moving forward, but for the most part, we had a few moments where we just had breakdowns. Second quarter and the third quarter there were some stretches that did not go well, but that was a lot of duress for our players that we just cannot simulate in practice. There is just no way we can simulate that, for them to go out there and really handle it and deal with it for about 40 minutes and do a pretty good job with it, I was proud of them."

On her early takeaways scouting Florida A&M…
"The first challenge, although I mentioned we have to turn around a scouting report, we will be a little bit limited on the scouting report because she is a new head coach. You do not know from what system she is going to pull, her offensive or defensive schemes. They have a lot of new players on their team, so in terms of being able to pull film for personnel purposes, we will be a little bit limited there. So, our team has to be really flexible, we have to be able to adjust on the fly and be prepared for anything on Tuesday. I think that alone is going to be one of the biggest challenges, and then you have that game sandwiched between Team USA and Florida State. You do not want to overlook somebody in the middle of that. I do not think we will; it is the first real game of the season so I do not think we will overlook somebody, but the way that it is built out, it falls right in the middle of those two big games. Sometimes it is human nature to do that, so I think one of the challenges we will have as a staff is to make sure we are locked in. I feel good about it, but we need to make sure."

Tennessee Junior Guard/Forward Tess Darby

On the mindset going into this game…
"Our mindset going in was what Coach Harper has preached to us all week of being tough and being competitive. We came out there fearless, we had nothing to lose. We embraced the opportunity to be able to compete with the best of the best. We held them a little bit closer than what we wanted to. Just being able to do that with the best of the best, we took away a lot, especially rebounding and how they played. We want to be able to play just like them (Team USA) this season."

On seeing Rickea Jackson play…
"It's awesome. I catch myself watching her a lot at practice and even in games. We pass the ball and I want to sit there and watch. She's an elite player, and she plays at an elite level all the time. Just her competitiveness, she's competitive all the time. She's going to find ways to win. Seeing her have so much success at college and being able to call her a teammate is special. Us being able to support her at the next level, and I think she's a first-round pick. We're so excited."

On going against some of the best basketball players in the world and Kellie Harper's message to them beforehand…
"Everything that she preached to us all week was having grit and toughness. She told us her stories about when she came out here and played against Team USA, so we knew what it was going to be like. Playing against the best of the best is an incredible opportunity. We're very fortunate that the brand of the Tennessee Lady Vols was able to put that out there."

Tennessee Fifth Year Forward Rickea Jackson

On the mindset going into this game…
"To be able to have this opportunity in front of us and play like we did, the competitive me did not want to lose that game at all. Looking at the score annoys me a little bit, but we're still learning each and every day. We are still working on our lineups and seeing what combinations work. We're just continuing to grow. This gave us a good burst of confidence."

On if the USA Women's National Team gave the team any advice to help them out this upcoming season…
"They all were just very positive and saying, 'Keep going. Keep working hard.' Me and my god sister, Betnijah Laney are going out to eat, so I'm sure she's going to give me so much advice, so I will ask many questions."

On being on the floor with many WNBA players…
"It was so valuable. When we were in the film room today before the game, Coach Harper was giving us our matchups. Before I was like, 'Oh we're playing Team USA.' But then she goes, 'Jewel (Spear), you're guarding Diana Taurasi.' My heart dropped. I was like, 'Oh, this is real.' We're really playing against the best players in the world. Being able to have this opportunity means a lot. Some people may look at the score and say that we got embarrassed, but it's not true. We took a lot away from this game. It built our confidence. They're the best players in the world. On paper, it was supposed to be like this. I feel like we took a lot of positive things from this game."

USA Women's National Team Head Coach Cheryl Reeve

Opening Statement…
"First, just want to thank Coach Harper and the Lady Vols for hosting us. This was super helpful to what we're trying to do and another step to prepare for Paris. That's the first thing. In terms of the team, we just had a couple days of work together. I just told them in the locker room, I just appreciated our approach, how hard we played, how meaningful what we were doing out there was to everyone. Playing team basketball, 29 assists on 39 field goals, 34 fast break points, just playing off our defense. Continuing what we started over in Sydney at the World Cup.

On what she saw from Tennessee to keep them in the game in the first half…
"They rebounded, really gave multiple attempts. I thought that was big. Once we cleaned that up, we got a little bit more momentum."

On her level of respect for Kellie Harper…
"I think about, you mention, the heavy lift or the ability to get a program that was led by such a legend and was women's basketball, defined women's basketball. It's hard to do. I think that Kellie (Harper) has worked really hard, obviously she knows the culture, she's been here for a long time. I've enjoyed seeing her kind of get her feet under her and kind of getting things going. That's a good basketball team. I think they're going to win a lot of games this season."

USA Women's National Team Guard Diana Taurasi

On the best Tennessee player she played against while at UConn…
"Gwen Jackson was so tough in college and in the WNBA. I think she was the first undersized four that could really stretch the floor, put you on the block, rebound. I have a very good memory of Gwen Jackson having big games against us. You can go down the line, but I think for the most part Gwen Jackson probably gave us the most problems."

On women's basketball growth and what fans can do to advocate for better player protection…
"The fans are what makes the game. Today's great crowd, buying merchandise. I think we need to see a little carry over into, we love our college basketball, how do we make sure those fans love the WNBA? It's the same players. We keep talking about Rickea Jackson, I hope the Lady Volunteer fanbase follows her to whichever team that she goes to. When you start building that pipeline of fandom from the beginning. It's a kind of complicated question, we talk about it all the time, there's so many layers to it. Hopefully one day a big organization that owns a basketball league steps up."

On how the defense adjusted to her shooting ability…
"We make a couple, they get a little bit tighter, so you try to do some other things to help the team. Like coach (Cheryl Reeve) said, when you wear the USA jersey it's whatever you have to do to make the team better. Different moments call for different things. They did a good job."

USA Women's National Team Guard/Forward Betnijah Laney

On what she saw from Tennessee to keep them in the game in the first half…
"I think just their confidence. They didn't come out and back down. They knew who they were going against, and they gave us their all. It took us a little bit of time to get adjusted, but we eventually found our way."

On what it meant to her to be able to play against Rickea Jackson…
"She's my god sister. I've known her for quite some time. To just see the growth that she's had since she's entered college and to this moment now. Having experience with USA Basketball, playing against us, going out and doing what she did tonight, it's really exciting to see."