March 25, 2005
Arizona State Head Coach Charli Turner Thorne:
(Opening Statement)
"I'm thrilled to be in Tempe. We're obviously thrilled to be playing in this event. We're excited about the teams that are here. All three are all great teams who have had tremendous seasons already. We're excited to be here and excited for tomorrow night."
Q: Are you going to play an up-tempo game against UNC?
"We don't want them to run whether we run or not. We can play either way. We'll see how good their transition defense is and if we can get some easy buckets, we'll take them and if we can't we will be okay with that. We have been successful both ways, but we absolutely have to limit their transition game."
Q: Are you nervous playing against a team with the tradition and history of North Carolina?
"We certainly don't have tradition yet like North Carolina or some of the other teams in this tournament. We are a team that has played in a lot of big games and we have won big games and we have beat top teams. We have done it this year and in past years. I think there are going to be nerves all the way around. Any team playing in this point is going to have that. I know playing in front of 9,000 fans against UConn that pumped us up. I really think it is going to be a positive having the crowd."
Q . Do you feel like you have two jobs, coaching the team and selling tickets, because you are at home?
"Honestly I haven't done much. Since we've gotten back from Fresno, the phone has been ringing off the hook, and this community is really excited. There is a lot of buzz not for just our program but to bring the Sweet 16 and the Elite 8 to Tempe. We have been able to grow the women's basketball mentality in the greater Phoenix area since I came her nine years ago. We have the regional this year and we had the outdoor game a couple of years ago and we had the first and second round games last year. We are going to continue to bring these events to this city and every time we do these things the city responds. We obviously haven't had to do a whole lot, but we have had a lot of ticket requests."
Q: How much different is North Carolina from Notre Dame and will Kylan wear her mask?
"North Carolina, they have some similar strengths, they are both great rebounding teams. They both have tremendous point guards that are critical to the team's success. They are very big teams with big perimeter players. Notre Dame has a good transition game, but I think North Carolina's is much better. I think both teams don't go real deep into their bench; they tend to play only seven or eight. Some similarities on the offensive sets they run to. Overall, North Carolina is much more aggressive defensively; they are not going to sit back in their zone. They are going to pressure us and press us and they are going to use their half court trap. We have been working on those things all week and I think we are prepared.
"In regards to Kylan, she may wear it, she has played really well in it in practice and if it is not bothering her she might as well wear it. She signed a waiver to be allowed to not wear it if she chooses not to use it."
Q: How close is Emily Westerberg to superstar status?
"Emily has had an amazing year, especially as a sophomore to be All-Pac 10, that says a lot and as a freshmen she was on the all freshmen team. Emily Westerberg is about as versatile and as talented of a player as I have had the honor to coach. But we have Aubree Johnson who has emerged huge, we have a lot of really good young players, Kristen Kovesdy, Amy Denson. When everybody watches the class we have coming in next year, that will be a situation where we have more stars than one. Maybe right now people think we are a team of no names, I don't really think that. Half our roster has been in Nike All American Camps and had plenty of honors coming out of high school. I think we are a team that is very unselfish and sacrifices a lot of individual glory, but I also think they are very talented and are great players."
Arizona State Players Kylan Loney, Betsy Boardman and Emily Westerberg
Q: What is it like to be playing in the Sweet Sixteen at home? Is it great or is there just more pressure involved?
Loney: "There's pressure on the team no matter where we play. We like to play off our home crowd, but we'll do whatever it takes to get a win tomorrow night. This is really exciting for both women's basketball and for ASU. Hopefully this will start something for the future and that people will like what they see when they come out and support women's basketball more, whether that's by coming to Monday night's game or to next season's games. We hope it'll be an exciting game for the fans and we're hoping to come out and execute our game plan and play a solid game."
Westerberg: "I don't think the pressure is as high as it was in our other games, since we really felt the pressure to get back here and play. Now, I think we're going to try and enjoy ourselves more since we are playing at home with the support of our fans. There are people now who are supporting us that haven't before that are coming out to see our game, so we're pumped to be playing at home and we're going play like we know we can and enjoy ourselves."
Q: What does getting to the Sweet Sixteen feel like? What are you expecting from North Carolina?
Loney: "I had this thought that getting to the Sweet Sixteen would give me some sort of peace, but it's actually the exact opposite, because I feel we have the ability to go even further. We not only have the talent, but we also play so well together that we're not satisfied with just the Sweet Sixteen now. I'm sure I'll look back and think it was an amazing experience, but as of now, we're hungry for more. We're not taking a break to enjoy it now. We'll have plenty of time to do that later. Right now, we just have our eye on the goal."
Westerberg: "I think after we got home, it still felt unreal to us. We contacted each other all day about how amazing it was to be in the Sweet Sixteen. We enjoyed the feeling for that moment, for that day, but now we realize what our goal is and what we need to do, so now we're more focused on what's at hand."
Boardman: "To answer your second question, North Carolina is a versatile, fast team and obviously they have been very successful in what their coaches have done with them, and as a team. Every team in the Sweet Sixteen is going to be a solid team, but all of them have their strengths and their weaknesses. Our biggest goal for this game is to stay with our defensive mentality, and rebounding is going to be huge. Rebounding is a highlight for North Carolina's team and so our biggest goal is we get those rebounds and box out and clear out the lane. We need to stress the importance of that this game."
Q: Can you talk about the guard match-up, especially against a player like Ivory Latta?
Loney: "The great thing about playing on the Arizona State Basketball Team is that not all the responsibility falls just on me. Ivory is a great player. Just watching her on tape, I can see that she brings a lot to her team. She runs the floor well, gets shots off the dribble, finds the open player, the list goes on and on. I'm glad I have my team behind me. Hopefully, we can slow her down and tire her a bit with our pressure defense. But there is nothing but good things I can say about her and her teammates. I really think we are the better team and we hope to show a lot of people that tomorrow night."
Q: Will the face-mask be worn during the game tomorrow night?
Loney: "I think I will start the game with the mask on. I have the option of taking it off. I don't think it will bother me. I think once you are playing in the game, you don't think about things like that. I definitely will start the game wearing it. I don't need to get hurt early and get taken out of the game."
Q: Explain the offensive production of the last two games with defense being emphasized throughout the year.
Westerberg: "I think it is the fact we can find anyway to win. The last couple games it has been crunch time. We really wanted to win for the seniors on the team. I think everyone has played well together at the right time and we will do anything we have to do to win."
Loney: "I think we are running the floor very well right now. Not only pushing the ball up the floor, we are attacking the hoop as well."
Boardman: "We realize that our defense throughout the year has been tremendous for us. We know how important it is to pick it up offensively. In the postseason, you have to find a way to win. You have to play the inside as well as the outside and hit those big shots we need to hit. We know how important each side of the score is."
Q: How is the late tip-off going to affect the team?
Boardman: "Regardless of the start time, we really don't care. We're going to be excited and we're going to be pumped up. Some of us are going to try and stay up later and get into a routine of being awake at that time. When tomorrow comes, we are going to be so pumped up and excited for our game regardless of what start time. We will be energized and ready to play tomorrow night."