Kim Mulkey Kalani Brown Nalyssa Smith
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Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Championship Saturday, March 9, 2019 Kim Mulkey with them the first time they cut the lead and we didn't hear the end of it that time, so we had to make sure we Kalani Brown maintained that lead and make sure they didn't cut into it. NaLyssa Smith Q. NaLyssa, talk about you're a freshman here on Baylor Lady Bears the team. What have you learned from Kalani during the season? Is she your big sister? Talk to Baylor 100, Texas Tech 61 me about the chemistry between you guys. NALYSSA SMITH: I've learned a lot from Kalani. She THE MODERATOR: We're now joined by our Baylor is my mom on the team. She makes sure I'm doing Bears, head coach, Kim Mulkey and her student everything right on and off the court. You see how far athletes, NaLyssa Smith and Kalani Brown. Coach, she is getting so I just want to walk in her footsteps, your thoughts about the game? and do what she has done. KIM MULKEY: Yeah. Q. For either of the players, can you try to describe what it's like, the feeling when you get on one of THE MODERATOR: I thought so. those runs that just -- like a tidal wave of points off turnovers or whatever. What's that feel like on the Q. Kalani, seven players in double figures for you court? guys. I think it was a Big 12 Tournament record. KALANI BROWN: To me, it just feels like you're having What does that say about your team? fun when everybody is scoring and everybody is KALANI BROWN: Our bench is really deep. We have getting to play. You don't lose no energy. We come out numbers and we can put different combinations in with a lot of energy. You just want to come out and players for different styles of play which I think will help have fun. When you stop having fun you stop playing. us in the NCAA Tourney going forward. Today our bench did it for us and was able to get the starters off NALYSSA SMITH: It's just very fun everybody getting to rest and as long as we can keep playing like that we to score and everybody doing what they love. can go really far. Q. Kalani, in a tournament like this where you have Q. NaLyssa, going on what Kalani said about the three games in three days. How beneficial would it bench you outscored them 52-0. You guys be for you to sit out the fourth quarter and only outscored them on the bench. Talk about the play 17 minutes? performance of you guys because whenever KALANI BROWN: It's definitely beneficial for me to sit somebody from the bench comes in and a starter out and all the starters. The fact that our bench took goes out, you guys don't lose any rhythm or care of business today shows a lot about them and us anything at all. as a team and I'm very proud of our bench today, NALYSSA SMITH: It just shows that we're always especially the younger ones. ready on the bench, so when our name is called it just shows that when we go in we gotta do what we can do Q. Kalani, Tech scored 104 yesterday and Brewer and we've got to rest our starters for bigger and better had 40 and you guys were able to shut 'em down things down the road and we have to handle business and shut her down. Obviously, that defense is so they don't cut the lead. something that Kim stresses all the time. But is that something you guys will point to as well? Q. NaLyssa, relaying off that, the fact the starters KALANI BROWN: Absolutely. We have the two-time didn't play at all in the fourth quarter and you guys Defensive Player of the Year. We take pride in our still outscored them, 28-17 was that a pride thing, defense. Coach rides us about it all the time. Just not to let them cut into the lead? performing, basically. NALYSSA SMITH: For sure, because when we played Rev #1 by #189 at 2019-03-09 21:44:00 GMT page 1 of 3 our best two defense players and we need to make THE MODERATOR: Ladies, congratulations. sure they're on our best office players. Q. Kim, I guess the bench, what they were able to Q. You were named Coach of the Year for the Big do today and particularly in that fourth quarter like 12 seven times. Congratulations. Talk to me about NaLyssa talked about. They kind of came back on your coaching style and how important it is for you you in the fourth quarter there, what the bench was to be out there to have that chemistry with your able to do today? players to make it this far? KIM MULKEY: I hate using the word "bench" because KIM MULKEY: Well, I'm very mild. I'm very meek. I'm those kids could start for us. They're all that good. It's very passive, and they want to play for a coach that's just y'all don't get to see them. They're freshmen and like that. No, I don't know. (Laughter.) April fool, huh? when you saw today is the future here. I'm so happy Listen, I put those tennis shoes on many years ago and for NaLyssa Smith and those kids that finally just could played for some of the most intense coaches, Pat relax and play a lot of minutes and valuable minutes Summitt and Leon Barmore. They know that every and didn't look at the scoreboard, not mop up minutes. ounce of energy I have during a game they're going to When you play this many games and you're trying to get out of me and I want it out of them. They know that play for bigger things down the road as much rest as behind the scenes, Coach is real, Coach is funny, you can give the ones who get the most minutes it's quick-witted, say things in timeouts that makes them beneficial. want to bust out laughing. But that's not what the public needs to see and not what the public does see. It wasn't that they just relieved them of playing time. I really don't care. All I care about are those kids in It's what they did when they got that playing time. They that locker room. I care about my family and I care were so productive. about my kids and I care about my coaches and that I represent Baylor in a way that makes them proud. I Q. Kim, DiDi is mostly known for her defense and hate losing and I want them to hate losing. I don't want being the all-stopper. But 7 assists today and I to coach a kid where losing is okay. They don't come think you had a tournament record, 32, for the to Baylor to win individual awards. They come to game. Just her passing, is that something that's Baylor to win championships. All those kids are excited underrated? right now because they all have a Big 12 KIM MULKEY: I think all our kids are underrated, if you Championship ring. That's what they come to Baylor want to know the truth. But we have an hell of a team, for, to play for bigger things than just an individual don't we? When you have seven kids scoring double award. figures and really I guess I could have given Queen a few more minutes and a couple more shots and we Q. A little take-off on that. You said that you would have had eight. That's what wins thought some of your players were underrated. Is championships, your defense first and then sharing the it just because you spread is out so much that it's basketball. We lead the country and if we don't we're virtually impossible if someone's not going to play there at the top in assist-to-turnover ratio. We're going 20 minutes, for example, that you're going to lose to share the wealth and guard you on both ends of the an MVP, for example? floor. KIM MULKEY: Rick, it's a good question and I'm going to try to explain this in a way -- first of all, all the kids I'm not surprised, DiDi pretty much can do it all. She who won individual awards, congratulations to them. can defend you. She has length on the perimeter. She It's just hard for me to accept that an individual award a can play point and has on some sets that we have. kid that shoots 15 and 20 times a game for her team, She never gets tired. she needs to do that. I can't fault any kid that does that. But if you're playing on a team, the team that Q. Coach, what was your defense game plan spreads the wealth the most is usually the team that's knowing that Brewer scored 40 last night and Carr going to win championships. So why do we not reward was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year? those great players that could go to those other KIM MULKEY: Nothing any different.