2010 ACC Women's Basketball Coaches Teleconference
3/2/2010 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 2, 2010
Maryland Head Coach Brenda Frese
Opening statement:
"We're really looking forward to the ACC tournament. Every year we go down [to Greensboro], it has great energy. It is one of the best tournaments you could possibly play in. I'm excited about wiping the slate clean. We're coming in as defending ACC champions. I really like our match-up, being able to go against North Carolina, a familiar team that we faced during the season. We're excited about playing them on a neutral court."
On playing North Carolina in the first round of the ACC tournament:
"It is going to be great energy in the coliseum. It obviously speaks volume of the parity that we have going on in the league. That's what makes this tournament so exciting. Any team that comes through the tournament this year is going to be ready to play and it is going to be full of surprises."
On North Carolina:
"North Carolina has gotten back to their bread and butter. They're rebounding the ball extremely hard. Their players have really developed throughout the season and they seem to be clicking on all cylinders. I think on our end, we've faced a difficult stretch to end when you finish up with at Duke, at Boston College and Florida State. Those games have all prepared us for the intensity of the game we're going to face with North Carolina."
On Maryland's improvement:
"What I like is our young team. I feel like they've really started to improve together. Diandra Tchatchouang has really come into her own. She is playing at an all-time high with a lot of confidence. Our players, every time they step out they try to improve to get better."
On preparing for the tournament:
"I would say every since we took the road and went to Wake Forest, this team has had great practices and great preparation. To see them come into their own late in the season has been very rewarding. With the exception of the Florida State game, with the talent they have, you're ready to move on and prepare yourself for the ACC tournament. I couldn't be more proud of the fact of just how hard this young team has been working and staying competitive and battling every single day."
On freshman guard Dara Taylor:
"I think the exciting thing with Dara is she is staying hungry, very motivated and constantly getting into the gym very early and wanting to improve in areas that she feels are weaknesses. It is really promising for us and for Dara for when you work that hard to be able to get in the gym and continue to improve. As she gets better, obviously the team does, and we'll need her to stay confident and to continue to work hard."
On sophomore forward Lynetta Kizer:
"Lynetta has been our go-to post player inside and brings an extremely strong post presence for us. She is a banger. She rebounds hard. She has taken major steps in trying to put this team on her back. I think it is very promising for our team as she continues to keep staying hungry and motivated, she continues to make our team better."
On the pace of the ACC tournament:
"It is a delicate balance. I guess if you had the depth of North Carolina, maybe you could pace yourself a little bit. I think you have to win to advance so your mindset from our end, coming in on the first day, is all about winning so you can move on to play the next day."
On playing in the ACC tournament:
"We're excited for the match-up. The ACC tournament is post-season play. This is why you work so hard in the regular conference season. We're thrilled and excited to get down in Greensboro. Everyone comes in there just ready to advance. We're really looking forward to the tournament."
On the importance of winning in the ACC tournament:
"There are a lot of teams that have to put some wins together to get to post-season play. I think, like I've told the team, you control your own destiny, and we've had that all season long. As winners and as competitors, we want to go out and win every game that we can. I think the NCAA will have a difficult job this season. When you look at the rest of the country and a lot of teams within every conference beating each other up, I think they have a difficult task at hand in deciding how many major teams in major conferences and mid-major teams to put in the tournament."
On the value of Maryland's out-of-conference schedule:
"When you look at our conference play, when you see the number of wins, 17,18 and 19 wins that teams have when you're a 10 or 12 seed, I think that speaks volumes of the parity that we have going on. I look back to our two Duke games; we were right within a possession. I think we've shown in our conference how many teams can be competitive out there on a national scale."
