Colorado-UC Irvine Quotes
November 15, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Colorado Head Coach Kathy McConnell-Miller
General
"I can say that wasn't the expectation, the performance we wanted in the first half. We have to give credit to UC-Irvine. They came in here with a mentality that they were going to win and they were going to play every possession as if it were their last. They were small and feisty. They ran players out. A lot of their buckets came in transition. We have to look in the mirror and ask, 'Was it jitters? Was it opening night?' There are a lot of things to consider. But, it was not the first half that we anticipated. However, the adjustments in the second half from coming out, not stealing through, and making them score up over top of us, were some of the keys. That gave us a heck of a lot more energy on the offensive end, as opposed to exerting ourselves completely on defense and then trying to execute an offense where there is a lot of movement. In the second half, we had a better performance. We fought back. I don't like that this team has had that personality in the past: where we are always fighting from behind. We want to be the type of team that gets off to a great start, that leads for the duration of the game, and that finishes games."
On Whitney Houston
"I think she is probably the one that surprised us the most. You never know what goes on inside of someone's head when they take a year off. Nobody can understand what that does to your game. And I think right now, she is really just trying to find herself, find her role, and figure out the expectations we have for her. We need more leadership, we need more control of the ball, and we need more control of the tempo from her. Eleven points might be satisfying for someone that has returned a 5 out of 10, but not three turnovers and no assists. I think she is better than that. She understands our offense better than she showed tonight. I have seen moments where I have been surprised how quickly and effectively she has come back, but we need a more consistent Whitney Houston. When the person who has the ball in their hand the majority of the time, has a tendency to disappear, it's a concern for us at this point."
On Positive Play
"I liked 50 rebounds. We don't normally rebound the ball that well. I like the fact that Spears hasn't missed a beat and she came up with a double-double. I would like to see her minutes go from 37 to 33; she doesn't however. I like the energy that Meghan Malcolm-Peck brought to the floor. If she is not on the floor, I don't think we win that game tonight. She got key rebounds and key put-backs. I like that we fought back and that they [the team] believed we could win that game. However, those mentalities where you fight back from behind, you don't want those to become a pattern."
On Changes in the Second Half
"I'm not in those huddles, but there was definitely more talking going on than there has been in the past, particularly from one of our captains [Bianca Smith]. That has been important for us. She doesn't say a lot, but when she says something, people listen. That is a good sign. When she says something, it's thought out and it's going to affect the team. I probably waited to sub for a little too long. They got off to such a great start, that I let them stay out there a little too long."
On Chucky Jeffery
"I think Chucky is a great player. I have told you before, I think her career can rival Britney Spears' career as far as what she can do for this program. She is offensive-minded. She likes to get to the rim. She is a phenomenal defender. She has great instincts, but I think there are a lot of adjustments at this level. She has probably never come off the bench in her life. How does she do that? How does she get pulled from the game and respond? She has never come off the floor in any sport she has played. That is an adjustment for her. As a freshman, I think she is going through what most freshmen go through them in a 40 minute period and not put your head down and not finish."
Colorado Players
Whitney Houston, Junior, Guard
On Scoring Go Ahead Basket After Missing a Year-"I guess I could say that we needed this. It was my responsibility as a point guard to get out there and start playing as a team and just hustling. I made those points, and it was a big deal because the game was on the line, but that's what got us the spark, I feel like."
On Conversation with Brittany Spears After the Game-"I just told her that we got through this and I told her that she has to show up every game because we need her, and she knows that, so that's what's I told her."
On Staying in the Game Mentally After Being Down Double Digits-"We had to slow down because I know in the first half we were going fast and I know I was out of control a lot. So in the second half we had to calm down a little bit and play more defense."
On Being Back After Missing Last Season-"First and foremost I just want to thank God, because without him, we would not have won this game, seriously. So every time I looked at the clock I prayed, but I just want to thank God. It feels great. Even though we came out and we didn't expect to get ran down like that. We were supposed to be the more conditioned team but it feels good to be out there, it does."
On Goals of the Season-"My goals are to be a good leader and a great teammate and a good point guard. I didn't feel like I did that tonight, I had zero assists and four turnovers. My goals are to be the best point guard in the Big 12 and just to be the best point guard period. I have to get myself more conditioned and be a leader out there."
On Cutting Down Turnovers-"If I get myself more conditioned and stay focused, I feel like I will be ready and I feel like I will be that point guard. It won't just be Brittany Spears by herself; she needs to have a person to help her out, and if I do that some more I can be a top notch player."
Brittany Spears, Junior, Forward
On Slow Start-"I think it was just first game jitters. We were really excited to play, you could tell by everybody's actions in the locker room, so I guess just the jitters and the excitement and all of that together."
Bianca Smith, Senior, Guard
On Staying in the Game Mentally After Being Down Double Digits-"I think in every huddle we kept telling ourselves that we were going to come back from this and to keep our heads up. We were going to take it one possession at a time. Anytime we could get a spark we just ran with it. Spears gets a lay-up and the and-one, Whitney get's a three and a lay-up. We told ourselves we weren't going to lose this game on our home floor."
Chucky Jeffery, Freshman, Guard
On First Collegiate Game-"I was real, real nervous. I was excited but I was nervous. I started out good, but once I made a mistake it got to me, and I couldn't get it back to me, unfortunately. But I'm trying to figure that all out, like coach [McConnell] said, and I'll be back. It was good and I loved it. I loved being on the floor with our team and watching them, watching all of us come back together and get this win that we really needed."
UC Irvine Head Coach Molly Goodenbour
On the First Half
"I was pleased with our effort. We need to be able to execute a little bit better and do things that give ourselves the opportunity to win down the stretch."
On Colorado's Play in the Second Half
"We have had a hard time coming out of second halves; that was actually something we talked about and we didn't do it. You don't want to start out the way we did, then come back and hold another lead and then give that lead up too. I am sure the Colorado locker room tried to make some adjustments [at the half] and came out a little more intense in the second half."
On Kim Barnes (Center) Fouling Out in Two Consecutive Games
"That definitely hurts us. She is an inside presence for us and we want to try to get the ball to her. She also helps us defensively, so it was unfortunate she fouled out."
