March 3, 2007
Vanderbilt 105 Florida 77
2007 Women’s Basketball SEC Tournament – Duluth, Ga.
VANDERBILT POSTGAME QUOTES
THE MODERATOR: Joining us from Vanderbilt, Coach Melanie Balcomb, players Christina Wirth and Caroline Williams.
COACH BALCOMB: I think when you score a lot of points people are impressed. I think one of the things we were disappointed with tonight was our defense, cutting off the drive and checking out. Two of the things we better bring tomorrow.
But overall, I liked our effort and I liked our unselfishness. Obviously, I like when we shoot the ball that well.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for coach or the players.
Q. That’s not the first time you’ve shot 70%. That’s kind of becoming more routine than the unusual. Talk about that.
COACH BALCOMB: Well, you know, when we take good shots, we do a lot of shooting, we’re confident. I think tonight we’re just excited to play and we’re confident. I think we know our offenses really well. When we execute them, we know the ball’s going in.
These two people sitting next to me obviously shot it very, very well from three. Our three point percentage was as good as it’s ever been. I think that was the most impressive part: We shot better from three than we did from the field.
Q. Can both players talk about getting your confidence back after the last regular season game, shooting it well and confidently.
THE MODERATOR: Christina.
Christina Wirth: After the Tennessee game, we were disappointed. Obviously we went in there confident we would win and we didn’t. We’re the kind of team, though, that I never doubt we’re going to come back. We know that everyone’s going to come to practice ready to play, come to this tournament ready to play. So that wasn’t really a problem.
I knew we were going to get it back. Like coach said, we do do a lot of shooting. We’re shooters. That’s what we do. We’re just going to do what we do.
Caroline Williams: I agree with Tina. I think the way we practice, the way we focus a lot on offense and practice, it makes us confident in the game. When we hit a couple of shots, I think it gets contagious with all of us. I think you see it.
It happened tonight. We hit a couple of threes. Tina hit some threes. Everyone starts feeling it. I think we’re confident. We attribute that to practicing hard and shooting a lot in practice.
Q. Coach, what are some of your concerns about Georgia?
COACH BALCOMB: Obviously their high low game is very good. I think that’s going to be a huge key. Tasha Humphrey is playing really well, but so is everybody else. I think they’re executing as well as everybody I’ve seen. They’re running a lot of stuff and executing it well on offense. I think we’re going to have to do a much better job defensively and take them out of what they want to do. We’re going to have to dictate more on defense.
I think Ashley Houts is playing really well for them, too, in setting up the offense, running the offense with confidence as a freshman. But, you know, they’ve got so many kids to go to and Andy subbing a lot. You got to be ready to play and know the personnel, knowing who does what and taking their strength away.
Q. How important was it to get off to a good start, considering you know they were going to be emotional with Coach Peck’s situation? Caroline, can you address that?
Caroline Williams: I think one of the main things that we’ve been doing a really good job this last part of the season is we set a goal before we start the game. We try to jump out on teams and make ’em call a timeout before the first four minutes. I think we all knew they would be emotional. It’s her last game. A couple of seniors. All of them want to play hard for her.
But I think that was our most important thing, was we jump out quick. We want to get a 10 0 lead if we can, make them call a timeout. If you do that, it immediately can take some confidence away. I think we did a good job of that tonight.
Q. Tina, obviously the seniors get a lot of the pub on this team. Your form showed how deep this roster is. Talk about opponents can’t key on one, two or even three people in your roster, players like you, the depth in this club.
Christina Wirth: I know I’ve said this before, but our three seniors are just great players and they’re great leaders. Other teams know they’re our go to’s. The rest of us, I’m not saying the rest of us aren’t good players, because we are, that’s what is so great about our team.
But it helps with other teams have to worry about Carla inside, and Dee just running everything, Caroline lighting it up. That gives you opportunities.
Tonight, you know, a lot of people stepped up. We are a deep team, and that’s going to really help us down the road. I think right now our freshmen are playing really, really well. It’s a team effort every game.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.
FLORIDA POSTGAME QUOTES
THE MODERATOR: Now joined by Florida head coach Carolyn Peck, players Kim Dye and Briana Phillips.
Coach Peck, if you could make an opening comment.
COACH PECK: Well, you know, it’s been a privilege and an honor to work with these young women, Briana and Kim Dye. Seems like the newspapers have forgotten that Tasha Moorehead was also in the recruiting class that we signed with this group.
These two young women have stayed committed and loyal and shown a great deal of determination, because you can tell a lot of character about people, not just when times are good, but when times are bad. And these two have shined in those times. Both of them have had injuries that have caused them to sit out for a whole entire season. And for them to get themselves in the position, be able to do the things that they have done, I’m extremely proud of them.
Today was a war and a battle. There are things I can say and things I can’t. But I think that, you know, Vanderbilt, they played hard. They’ve got a deep bench. You know, it was a tough battle. But the Gators, this team, they never quit, and they won’t. These two young women up here, you know what, they’re going to be successful in real life because they don’t quit.
And the returning players, they’ve got quite a core group now because we cleaned up a lot of good stuff, and there’s a lot of good stuff that’s gonna be there at Florida when I leave. And so a lot of you may measure wins and losses by the points at the end of the game, but I think my group had a lot of victories and a lot of wins because of the things that they’re doing as people, and I’m proud of ’em.
And, like I said, it’s been a real privilege to coach this team.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach Peck or the players.
Q. You drew a technical late in the first half. Did you say something? Can you tell us what you said, I guess?
COACH PECK: No, my mom’s here.
You know, I had some confusion of how things were being called. I was trying to get some clarification.
Q. Can you talk about Vanderbilt’s shooting. Not surprising they shoot that well. How tough is it to defend somebody that shoots like that?
COACH PECK: They are tremendous shooters and started out with their post players shooting the ball with down screen from the guards, then went there to Caroline Williams, then Marsh got hot. Vanderbilt is a very good team.
Christina Wirth is five for five from the three point line. Caroline Williams is four of five. You know, that’s been their MO. Vanderbilt’s always been a team that has had high field goal percentage.
Q. Your career is not over obviously, you’re very young, I’m sure you have plans. If you don’t mind, tell us if you know any gigs you might be pursuing, something you’d like to do now. Also, if you could, in your mind for whatever reason, why your team, unlike, say, Purdue back in the day, why you couldn’t take this team and compete for a national championship.
COACH PECK: Well, I think it’s two completely different situations. When I took over at Purdue, the team that had been to the Final Four before. They were perennially, you know, in it year after year. That’s something that the University of Florida hadn’t been to yet.
And so, you know, there were some things that we had to take care of all across the board. And, like I said, I think now there’s a core group that can help springboard that to happen.
You know, the thing about it is, these two women that are sitting here, the ones that are in that locker room, are quality people, and they have just demonstrated, as in yesterday, the kind of heart that you got to have to compete.
And so now there will be seven. Now you can add two. Got five good ones coming in next year. So I think that it’s now in a position to where it can grow. But there are a lot of things that have to go into that. It’s not just players. You got to have other things to help get players. Kids nowadays want to play in front of a crowd. They do. They want to be on television. So I think that now’s a great springboard for that to happen at Florida.
As far as where I’m going, I’m going back to Gainesville with my team.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.
