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Penn State caoch Coquese Washington News Conference
2012 NCAA FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS
PENN STATE HEAD COACH COQUESE WASHINGTON
On her relationship with Nikki Caldwell ...
“We’ve
played against each other, we’ve coached against each other, we know
each other. She’s a new mother. Yesterday we were talking about babies
and newborns and nursing. It’s always good to be around your friends,
and in this business you become friends. We’re both competitors, and
we’ll prepare our teams for the game tomorrow. Afterwards, we’ll wish
each other well.”
On coaching during pregnancy ...
“It’s
tough but it’s certainly a joyous time. When you have a newborn, and
it’s her first two or three weeks of life, it’s a different world.
That’s one of the things [Nikki Caldwell and I] talked about.
Especially the birth of your first child, that is so impactful on your
life. It really changes your world. We weren’t talking basketball at
all. We were sharing new mother stories. I just wish her the best
because it’s a special time in her life right now.”
On difficulty changing pace with opponents ...
“I
don’t think it’s difficult at all. Nikki’s (Caldwell) right, it’s going
to be about each team trying to play its pace. We want to play a fast
pace, so we have to make sure that we’re taking advantage of
opportunities to run and that we’re getting out and pushing the pace.
If we can do that, I think that definitely will work to our favor. That
works to our advantage. We have to make sure that we do that every time
that we have those opportunities.”
On facing a coach on a parallel track ...
“I
don’t think about that at all. I think about how she gets her team to
play tough. They defend well, they rebound well and they’re big. I
spend a lot more time thinking about that than anything else. She’s a
fantastic coach with a wonderful pedigree. She’s done a fantastic job
as a head coach and she’s doing a great job with LSU. I know that she’s
going to continue to put LSU in positions like this where they’re in
the NCAA Tournament and playing to go deep into the tournament. I have
a tremendous amount of respect for Nikki as a coach and what she’s done
with this program.”
On whether experience of tournament game is helpful ...
“There’s
nothing like playing the game. You can scrimmage in practice, you can
do all the things you want in practice but it’s really difficult to
simulate in practice with the crowd, the time and score, and TV and the
fans. Getting the game experience under our belt, I think it’s good for
us and I think it will help us get ready for tomorrow night.”
On playing hostile road games ...
“It’s
one of the things we’ve talked about all year, from the very beginning
of the season. We talked about the fact that when you get in the NCAA
Tournament, you’re probably going to have to play on somebody else’s
home courts. If we’re going to be spooked about going on the road, then
we might as well just send a note to the NCAA Tournament in November
saying we don’t want to play. We’ve been preparing for this moment for
a long time, all season. Our kids have responded to the challenge all
season long. We’ve been a pretty good road team. I know this is going
to be a tough game. LSU has great fan support, and it is going to be a
good atmosphere and a great environment. Our kids love playing in those
kinds of environments. Whether we’re at home or on the road, we’d
rather play in front of a bunch of people than play in front of empty
seats. It should be a fun game tomorrow night, and I think it will be a
great game for the fans to watch and everybody at home watching on TV.
We look forward to it.”
On having coaching experience in the NCAA Tournament ...
“In
some ways, it’s different. Last year, we played at home. We got to be
in a rhythm at home. There are certain things that you do at home. This
year was a little different for everybody, going on the road. I
actually think our kids feel more this year like we’re in the NCAA
Tournament because we’re on the road, as opposed to being at home.
Certainly, we’re a little bit more familiar with how to manage practice
and timing and keeping your team fresh, and going over game plans as a
staff this time around.”
SOPHOMORE GUARD MAGGIE LUCAS
On win over UTEP in first round…
“I
thought we pushed the ball well. I think our strength is our
transition, and I thought throughout the game we did a good job. Alex
(Bentley) was pushing the ball up the court with the pass. I think
that’s one thing we did well. We’re just going to have to put together
a good game, 40 minutes.”
On approach to LSU matchup…
“We’re
just going to be playing to our strengths. They have a big lineup, so
we’re going to do what we do, and that’s push the ball. When we get
one-on-one’s in the post, look for that. We like to push, so if we’re
able to cause turnovers, we’re going to look to get going off that.”
JUNIOR GUARD ALEX BENTLEY
On impressions of LSU…
“We
got to watch them a little bit. They’re big. They have a lot of post
players. We watched some film on them today and, I mean, they’re
strong. We’re going to need to box out.”
On playing on the road ...
“I
love our team on the road. I love playing on the road. Obviously they
do have their crowd behind them, and they’re playing on their home
court, and it’s a home court advantage. At the same time, we’ve been
pretty successful on the road throughout the season, so I’m pretty
confident in our team.”
On playing in hostile environments…
“In
hostile crowds, all you have to do is stick together as a team. We’ve
been really, really good at staying together on the road. The crowd’s
fired up and everything, and the opposing team has [the crowd] behind
them. Me and Maggie (Lucas), the starters, our bench, everybody, we
just stay together, keep each other up, and encourage each other.
That’s what keeps us together and keeps us focused on our goal.”
On style of play of both teams…
“They
like to play a slower game. We like to play a fast, up-tempo game. I’m
definitely going to be pushing the pace and I’m pretty sure my
teammates are going to be right there with me running the floor. So,
they’re just, basically, going to have to pick their poison.”
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