Kelly Graves Mallory Mcgwire Ruthy Hebard Sabrina Ionescu

NCAA Women's Regional Semifinals and Finals: Bridgeport Friday, March 24, 2017 Bridgeport, Connecticut Kelly Graves Q. Was there a moment in the season where you saw the freshmen coming together or a game Mallory McGwire where you kind of said, okay, they're starting to get this, and this could be a special group? KELLY GRAVES: Well, I think early on, we had a game Ruthy Hebard against Michigan State where we just kind of put it all together, won by 30-something points. And in that Sabrina Ionescu game I think the freshmen really shined. But that was Oregon early, so we didn't really at that time even know what we had. Q. Just talk for a second about the freshmen in this tournament. You have your own, Sabrina is I thought it kind of started to come together when unbelievable, Maryland has one in Destiny. Sabrina came back from an injury. She missed about a KELLY GRAVES: Agreed. Yeah, no doubt about it. I month. We lost four games during that stretch, and we don't know all of them. Destiny, of course, very familiar made kind of a miracle comeback at Cal. They were with, because over the last three or four days, I've seen ranked at the time. Ruthy made a tremendous a lot of film on her. Very, very impressive, plus she's a defensive play that led to a basket, which gave us a West Coast kid, so I had a chance to watch her in high chance then to have Sabrina's basket at the end. school, as well. Mallory played really well that weekend. I can mainly just speak to these three. It's incredible So I think that was kind of the weekend that we figured, what they've done. Not too many teams are going to hey, you know, we can do this. I know we're young, but go this far relying so much on freshmen, and we really we can play, and I think from then on, we actually didn't have much experience with the rest of the team. played really, really well the rest of Pac-12 play. I I think coming into the season, we had six years of would say maybe the Cal game. Duck experience, so it's not like we had a Walker- Kimbrough and a Jones who can help those two Q. Can you talk a little bit about coming out of the freshmen that they have. We kind of went into this Pac-12 Conference and what you think that has thing sight unseen. done for your young team coming into the NCAA Tournament? But been very impressed with their professionalism, KELLY GRAVES: Well, they had to grow up fast each and every day, their coachability, and just their because it's such a competitive league, as is evident by effort. They play really hard. five teams in the Sweet 16. You know, we were joking, I don't think there's a -- in fact, I know there's not a Q. Kelly, how has the team responded the last team in the tournament that has played more teams in couple days to all the travel and finals being done the 1 and 2 seed lines. We've played seven games and really focused in on Maryland and what they against teams on those seed lines, and so, you know, do? we've kind of seen a little bit of everything. We've seen KELLY GRAVES: Well, they've handled it, I think, a lot teams in our conference that have athleticism, others better than their coach. I've got a cold. And that's a lot that have size, others that have quickness, some really of travel. But they're 18- to 21-year-olds, and I think offensive-oriented teams, and some great defensive they've handled it well. Two cross-country trips in a teams, so we've seen a little bit of everything when you matter of five or six days, I think, would take its toll on run that gauntlet. So they had to grow up fast. anybody. Add to that two days of finals in between, and it's understandable that they might be tired. But You know, and I think playing in the Pac-12 has, I think, we're certainly not going to use that as an excuse by prepared us for this moment, no doubt. any means, and I think that come tomorrow at tip-off, we're going to be ready. Q. You were saying kind of in Eugene how Rev #1 by #166 at 2017-03-24 17:00:00 GMT page 1 of 6 Maryland has kind of played with a little bit of a well are things that Maryland does well. Ruthy and chip on their shoulder. Have you seen that on film Bri have similar offensive games, Sabrina matches over the last couple games you've broken down? up pretty well with Destiny, and in terms of the Could you describe how that chip has come to three-point shooting of Lexi and Shatori, do you fruition? see it that way? Do you see the two as parallel KELLY GRAVES: Well, chip or no chip, they're really teams, and if so, do you think that helps you or good. Whatever they need to be motivated, I think only hurts you going into tomorrow? adds to what they already have. I mean, they are a KELLY GRAVES: Well, I don't know if it'll help or hurt. great team. You know, I'm -- not baffled, but you We'll find that out soon enough. Yeah, I guess we do wonder why they were a 3 seed with their résumé. It's mirror ourselves. We just don't play at the fast pace incredible, who they've played, who they've beaten. they do. We don't push it as much as they do in The only two teams they lost to are still playing, one of transition. I think we're capable, but I think early in the whom is considered the best team in the country. year we tried to do that, and we had basketballs going off walls and into our poor fans' faces and hands. We They're just really good, and the more you watch them, just weren't able to play at that pace, so we've kind of the more you realize that we've got our work cut out for dialed it back a little bit, become a little bit more half- us. They really don't have many holes. Certainly court oriented. But I think potentially, yeah, this is a offensively they have no holes. We've still got to play team that can get out and go. the game. We're going to find them. We're going to do what we can to counteract where they're good, and so I just think what's important in this game, we've got to we're up and ready for the challenge, no doubt. somehow limit the number of possessions. If we play this game in the 90s tomorrow, we're probably in Q. I know you left Gonzaga because you wanted to trouble. If we can keep it between 75 and 80, okay, be at the football school that Oregon has, but it now, that's a different story. But yeah, I guess when seems like you and the men's program have turned you look at it that way, we do mirror each other in a lot it into a basketball school the way you're both of different ways. We're just not as experienced. advancing in the NCAA Tournament. Any thoughts on how this might be a basketball school as Jones, watching her on film, is very impressive. I'm not opposed to the football school it's been for so sure we've seen a better post player all year. It's many years? incredible. Her positioning, her patience, balance, KELLY GRAVES: Well, I might make people angry if I strength. I mean, she's the whole package in there. say it's a basketball school because football is a big I'm assuming she's going to have a heck of a pro deal there. It's incredible the success that our men career. have had. They're great -- I love the staff. They're so open to helping my staff and us and working with us. Q. When you're game planning against a team like The young men they have on their team are incredible, Maryland that has such strong senior leadership, is good friends with our team. I think there's really good there anything you can do to counteract that synergy between the two programs, and you know, because they've see it all, been to Final Fours. Is we've had some of our biggest thrills on this trip. there anything you can do to counteract that Actually one of our biggest thrills -- okay, our two experience? games were better, but the third-best part of the last KELLY GRAVES: Not really. This moment obviously is trip was we all got a chance to go to a sports bar not going to be too big. I'm hoping it's not too big for together, have dinner and watch our men win. So these guys. I'm hoping it won't be because they don't pretty neat. know any better. They've only been to one NCAA and they've won two games.

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