Well, I don't know Shea Ralph, but I did know Pat Summitt, who was the head coach at UT when Shea Ralph was being recruited and, I can guarantee you if Ms. Ralph was suggesting by that comment that Pat did not tell her she would have to earn playing time then she was sadly mistaken or she misheard. Also, the exact quote, (if USA Today has an accurate history) was "Coach Auriemma was the only coach that told me if I was really good I'd play a lot, and if I sucked I wasn't playing.", which can be read a number of ways. (And, to my mind is significantly different from "...if she didn't practice she wouldn't play.") Particularly since the fact that she was the National Player of the Year would suggest that she was "really good".
On another point, I wouldn't necessarily rely on any coach's public declarations as definitive when it comes to what is said in private to a prized recruit. You would hardly expect a coach to come out and publicly declare, "I guaranteed her that she could come to [our school] and be the starting player at her position on a national championship team."
Jim