March 9, 1999
HEAD COACH BERNADETTE MATTOX QUOTES
On the team’s status:
“With the last seven days of individual instruction, we’re going to LosAngeles a better basketball team. The players have worked tremendouslyhard. I’ve been very pleased with our last couple of days of practice. Whenyou’re off seven or eight days, you’re away from the game. But now we’restarting to get some kinks out and last night’s practice was very good.”
On whether she is concerned with the break between the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament:
“If I had a veteran team, obviously I’d want to go right into tournamentplay. But we have a lot of young people, so the eight days were tremendousfor us. We utilized the individual instruction and it has really helped ourplayers to get better.”
On how to focus:
“You’ve got to keep your players away from all the hoopla and excitement.We talked about that yesterday. We’ve celebrated and now it’s time torefocus. We need to focus on the next task and that’s Nebraska. We’ve gotto forget about all the outside things that go on with the tournament andjust really stay focused on what we need to do to win this game.”
“One of our goals was to do well in the SEC Tournament. But when we gotthere, our focus was to take it one game at a time, not to look at thewhole, but to stay focused on that particular game. That’s the sameapproach we’ve got to take going into the NCAA. We need to stay focused onwhat we need to do at that particular time and to leave everything else outof it. It’ll be hard because it’s the first time these players have beenthere. As a coaching staff, we’ll have to work doubly hard to help themmaintain and stay focused on the reason that we are there, and that is towin.”
On how the season has helped prepare the team for the tournament:
“We’ve played on the road a lot, we’ve played some tough basketball teams,and we’ve played some Top 25 teams. We’ve won some of them, some we’ve onlylost by a couple of points. A whole season of experiencing that type ofplay, going against those types of teams, is really going to help up duringthis tournament.”
On UK’s chances:
“If the opportunities are there and we take advantage of thoseopportunities throughout the game, and we capitalize on the things thatwe’re capable of capitalizing on, I think anything can happen.”
On forward Tiffany Wait:
“Tiffany has really stepped up and been a tremendous leader for this team.The SEC Tournament gave her a lot of confidence. I can’t say enough aboutwhat she’s done for this basketball team. That tournament helped her maturebeyond any point she has in her career. Ever since we came back from theSEC Tournament, she’s done things in practice that have amazed me.”
On point guard Erica Jackson:
“Erica is the quarterback for our basketball team, and when you have atremendous quarterback, you’re going to go places. She makes everybody elseon the court look good. A lot of times I want her to score more, but hermain objective is to make everybody else look good, and that’s her role asa point guard. She keeps the team at bay, and everyone has so muchconfidence when she’s on the floor, that they’re at ease. They know goodthings are going to happen.”
On how going to the tournament will help recruiting:
“As you advance, more young women have the opportunity to watch you playbecause the games are televised nationally. Your name gets out there andyoung people have the opportunity to watch your style. That’s happened forour basketball team, and recruiting has picked up.”
