Head Coach Holly Warlick
(Opening Statement)
"They outworked us. They have more talent. They played harder. They have more heart. They're a team that's on a mission. They're focused. Obviously, we didn't have an answer for them today."
(On Tennessee's performance in the first five minutes)
"Well, we weren't very good if we're down 11-0. We didn't perform very good. We missed easy shots. We missed layups. We were taking bad shots and when you do those kind of things you get down. If you're not working to get better shots, you're going to be down. They took great shots. They didn't take bad shots. That just set the tone for the rest of the game."
(On the heart and effort of Tennessee today)
"It wasn't very hard to determine that. You would think that we would be a lot more focused. We had a week to get ready for this game and it looked like we played last night and we didn't have a clue what Baylor was going to do. Our goal was to not give them second-chance points, they had 24 rebounds, and limit our turnovers, we had 15. A great team has 24 offensive rebounds, 22 assists, eight turnovers and six steals. You're going to win a lot of games like that. We've got players that are underachieving. We're just underachieving and we're not playing as hard. Honestly, I don't have an answer. They looked a lot better prepared than the Lady Vols."
(On mentally regrouping this team)
"The great thing about basketball is you've only got a little bit of staying in the moment. Now, we've got to focus in on the next game. So, that's what we talk about. I don't know if it's so much about the next game as about us. We really prepared hard for Baylor and it didn't show. We've really got to focus in on us and not worry about our next opponent, meaning, we've got to take care of some things with our program and with our kids. It's part of the game. That's just part of the game. You get to refocus and you get to step up and get your next challenge and see how they step up. That's the one thing great about basketball: it's not a do-or-die game. This was a game about pride. I'm just extremely disappointed. I just didn't think we competed and I'm all about competing and playing hard. We didn't have those aspects in our game today."
(On the opening minutes)
"I'll have to go back and look. When you miss a layup, generally you're not focused. I can't get inside these kids' heads. I wish I could. I'd plant a couple seeds that say, `Do not turn over the ball and box out.' I don't know. I just have to watch the tape and see what they were doing to us to make us miss. We were missing free throws early. We just missed a lot of easy shot around the basket. Mercedes Russell played 35 minutes. She and Jaime Nared played hard. She demanded the basketball. If you look at who Mercedes was guarding, not too many of those kids scored. It was a lot of perimeter people letting the guards get inside the paint. I think Mercedes and Jaime were outstanding tonight."
(On Meme Jackson remaining in the starting line-up)
"I only know of two people who are going to be in the starting line-up, and that's Jamie Nared and Mercedes Russell. And from there, I don't know, to be honest with you. I know my choices are limited, but I think that'll be determined this week in practice."
(On Mercedes Russell)
"Well Mercedes I think she's healthy. When she got here as a freshman, everybody tended to be disappointed. Her feet were absolutely horrible. But bottom line, she got healthy, she got stronger, she got committed, she was committed to the game, but she worked on her game. She worked on her game this summer. So you're seeing the result of her just making a commitment to getting better. And that's what a kid has got to do. She's a great example for a young kids to follow. Because it's not about how many games you play in the summer. It's about what you're going to do with your game and how you're going to elevate it. Mercedes Russell has elevated her game. She's one of the most intelligent kids I know, who knows the game. She could be a great point guard if she wasn't 6'6". She's smart; she sees things happen, she sees the whole floor. I'm just really proud of her. She competed, she didn't back down. She's awesome. She's, I think, one of the best post players in the country and that's why we're going to continue to give her the basketball."
(On the cause of players underachieving)
"If I knew, I probably wouldn't be coaching. I'd be making a whole heck of a lot more money being some kind of psychologist working with sports teams. I don't know. But I'm going to try to put my finger on it because we're just underachieving. Maybe I think we're more talented than we are. Talented or not, you have to play hard. It has nothing to do with talent. It's respecting the game and right now, we are not respecting the game. It's not about Lady Vol basketball; it's about the game. This game is meant to be played as hard as you can. You have to be mentally tough and you have to compete. If you don't do that, then you're going to get beat by whatever we got beat by, thirty, twenty, whatever we got beat by. You can't just turn it on, that's not how it works. You have to respect this game. I should know. I was not even close to being as talented as these kids here. It's about heart. It's about thinking that you're better than you are. So these kids have to pick up my personality. They have to go down swinging. They have to carry a big stick, we're carrying a little twig right now and it isn't working. So talented? No, right now, we're not talented. Playing with a lot of heart? Right now, we're not playing with a lot of heart. We're getting out-worked, we're getting out-muscled and it's up to me to try to do something about it. I'm going to continue to work. I'm not going to give up on this team, I love this team. I'm just obviously disappointed in how they played. But we'll go back to work. It's a new day; the sun's going to come up. We're going to be off. I get to watch the team five or six times and continue to get madder and madder. But it's up to me to figure out how we're going to get this ship headed in the right direction. I promise you, I will figure it out. I'm not giving up on them, just have to go in at a little different direction."
