RU-Tennessee Teleconference Quotes
Feb 08 | Women's Basketball
How would the game be a different game without Candace Parker in it?
"The Tennessee team, keep in mind that they are all All-Americans and sometimes that gets lost in the shuffle, have all national level players. We are glad when one of our players is All-State (with a smile). We have a few that have reached National levels but, every last one of the Tennessee players are National players. They have tremendous depth, and great size. They are probably remorseful but appreciative of the opportunity and are going to show Coach Summit that they are going to break their necks and get 25 rebounds. She has that way and when she is asking them to do all of that they can do it because they are capable. So I don't think there is a difference."
What does Candace Parker bring to the Tennessee lineup?
"She is the most versatile player in America, hands down. She is the most gifted athlete there has not been a player like her in the past 10 years or 20 years. She is a game changer there is no question about it. We should all be so fortunate to have somebody with that size and talent and that kind of competitiveness. She is a real sweetheart and I am happy for her. She represents women's basketball in a great competitive sense."
You're in a position to beat a #1 team, I know you don't like to look ahead but how would two wins of such magnitude impact a program?
"I don't know. I'm getting a little nervous, I'm not even going to think about beating back to back number one and number two, that would be nice. What I have to think about is the exact detail and breakdown of Tennessee. I did not even spend 30 seconds thinking about how great we played (versus UConn) when I came to practice the other day, I was excited when we played UConn as I should have been, but when I came to practice the next day I did not say one word about it. The next focus was Tennessee."
Talk about the 55 Defense. It was so crucial on Tuesday night versus UConn and you played it an extended period of time, and it worked.
"Yes, I think we were feeling it, and we feel confident. We are going to use it more because we are in better shape than we have been. We have to use it, but keep in mind that the guy that I worked with Bruce Pearl, who is now at Tennessee. I got that from Dr. Tom Davis, who is Pearl's father-in-law, and I added my own flavor to it. We all worked at the University of Iowa, and I do believe that Tennessee knows how to break the play and what's going on with it."
Kia Vaughn, Junior Center
What do you think about the Candace Parker news?
"As an athlete, I hope that she is really ok. I would never wish an injury on anyone because I would never want to be injured. But as a team player with her being out it would help our team. It's just more so that we want her to play so that it can be a more competitive game to the team that we lost to last year. With her there it gives us more competition, we would not want her to be out that game. I just hope that she is really ok. I herd she is not really injured too bad, and I know that with a little bit of pain strong players and great athletes push through it and you would never know."
Coach Stringer mentioned you as the Unsung Hero of the game against UConn, because you came with a swagger that had been missing. She said at times it was almost like you were embarrassed to hear your name called before the game. So what is she talking about?
"She actually spoke to me about that. People call it my "signature walk" when I come out after they call my name. So it was a little bit off because when the New Year came I actually switched it over because they were stressing that it was a new year and I said to myself that I did not want to relate to anything from last year so I actually took something from my game. It actually fires up my team. This year I walk high. Last year I would come out walking low. Coach Stringer called me a Canary, she said I look like a Canary now coming out like "Boo!" She told me that I am not scaring anyone. I did not notice that it made a big difference, but I guess it did."
Is it strange that how something like that, a lot of people say that athletics is 20% your body and 80% your mind, keeps you going?
'It's all mental. I believe it. It's also something that my teammates picked up and had Coach Stringer hyped, and when she sees me do it that's how she knows I'm ready. It was a big difference."
What do think is in store for you this time, especially knowing how you lost that game last year with rebounding and all that, how are you looking at this Tennessee game as a chance of redemption possibly?
"We just basically have to go out there and do what we did against UConn for a win. We have to play as a team, as a whole, and we have to rebound together. We know now that rebounding, not only defense, wins championships. That was a hurtful loss, and the way we loss was not good and it hurts. So we basically know that that was our weakness, after looking at the tape, and that was our weakness; second chance points and us not getting rebounds. We were not as calm as we should have been. Overall it was our rebounding. You could see that they wanted it more it was just that obvious."
What is it like to play next to Rah? Is it hard for you to slide to the forward?
"It's great. Last year, a lot of teams focused on me and because of that I would get double teamed on a box out. Now, you have to box Rah out and myself out because she is going to get an offensive rebound. I like the forward position because I get to see the rebounds, with my back to the basket and I am able to grab them."
Talk about talking this new look with you and Rah out to Tennessee. You are going out there with more body, is it a cool? Its something that they have not seen with you guys yet.
"Yes, but with that we don't want to surprise ourselves and not execute because it could be bad also. So we just have to stay focused and calm.
What do you think of this Tennessee team? They have ended every year for you since you have been in college, do you think of them as a nemesis?
"I have never really thought about that. It was the Elite 8, the Sweet 16, and then the championship, but I don't think about that, they are just one of our rivals"
What do you expect the atmosphere to be like at Tenn.?
"I have never played at Tennessee before but I did play at UConn, and I think it is kind of similar. I tend to block out the crowd, I block out Rutgers. I can't even hear our crowds. I just hear my teammates and my coach. It's weird, but it's just natural."
What do you think about the all pink uniforms? Have you seen them?
"No, I haven't seen uniforms yet but I think the sneakers are hot! Pink is my favorite color. I have never worn an all pink uniform. The colors are great and I am grateful to be able to wear it in honor of cancer. I own a lot of pink."
Essence Carson, Senior Forward
What do you remember about the last meeting with Tennessee?
"I remember we lost. I remember some of the things we did well and a lot of the things we didn't do so great. The biggest part I remember is the loss though, especially in the national championship. It hurt a lot, but this is the second go round and we'll look to improve on the things we were horrible at."
On Tennessee ending RU's run in the NCAA Tournament in each of Carson's three years?
"It gets to the point where you're like wow, again- over and over again. I remember when I was a freshman and we beat them here at the RAC, it was a good feeling. At the time as a freshman I looked at Tennessee and thought of them as one of the powerhouses in the country. At Rutgers we were still building ourselves as a national contender. I'm a senior now and I have a goal of winning a national championship."
On having the chance to beat back-to-back No. 1's
"I never thought about it like that. I thought of it just as the chance to play two great teams, who year after year are always in the race for a national championship. Right now we're just looking to go down there and play well, especially at their place where they have such a great fan base with all their orange."
