Louisville vs. UCF
January 15, 2014 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2014
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | USATSI Gallery 
Louisville Head Coach Jeff Walz
(On taking out the five players and putting in the three) "No. I told five new players to go in. I've only got 10 out there playing so I told the other five to go in and two of them weren't real quick to get up to the table. So the official wouldn't allow them to go in and I wasn't going to put any of the other five back in."
(On if playing with three instead of five kind of got you guys motivated a little bit) "Yea, I think we closed the half on a 17-3 run. We have a long way to go. Unfortunately, we're not playing really well. We're winning basketball games, but part of it is because we're just more talented. If you want to compete with the UConns and the Dukes and Notre Dames, you can't play the way we're doing right now and expect to do that. It's nice to win, but we're just not really sharp with the ball at the offensive end. We're not boxing out. And right now our problem is, it's one person. And it's not the same person. It's one possession, one person doesn't box out. Then the next time down the floor, that person will box out but somebody else doesn't box out. We're just not at the point right now where they'll challenge each other. They're great young ladies. They really like each other. It's probably the best team chemistry I've been a part of in a long time. But at the same time, we don't have that person on the floor that's challenging each other. Saying `It's unacceptable to not box out. We need you to box out. You've got to defend.' And that's what you've got to get to. You can't always get to a huddle at a dead ball and say, `Hey, it's okay.' No, it's not okay. You've been beat three straight times, it's not good. And that's what we're really trying to find right now."
(On who can step up and challenge the other players) "It is not just one person, because they all have their faults. Asia (Taylor), Sara (Hammond), Shoni (Schimmel), and Bria (Smith) they all can step up. All of them have a weakness. If I am getting exposed on my weakness I need someone on my team to say that it's not acceptable, you can give us more. I know you have more in you. You can use that as motivational tool and not just someone who is killing me. I am hoping we can figure it out."
(On the status of Jude Schimmel going forward) "She shot some today. She said she felt better. She was sore tonight but I thought she would be because she did more on it. We are hoping she can be back for Sunday. I am not going to guarantee that. We really need her to get back on the floor. We miss her and what she can do. How she can steady the ship. The way she can attack and dish the basketball. She has definitely been missed but we are at least finding some way to win basketball games."
(On the team's defense tonight) "I don't think it was very good. We let a kid score 28 that we knew coming into this game that they had two scorers, number 5 and number 20. You have to defend them. Djassi wants to go right every time and she went right every time. She gets 28 and Lewis gets 14 so we did a poor job. It is the first time in a long time that we have gone into a game knowing who their best players were, and actually allowed them to score that well. We have a long way to go at that end."
(On the team's attitude pregame, did you get a feeling they were not ready) "No, we were excited like we have to get going and we have to make something happen. Then on the first possession where we win the tip and we have a lay-up, and we miss the lay-up. It is a set play off the jump ball where we are gambling and you have to get the tip, and if you don't, it is a lay-up for them. I wasn't worried about the tip, but then we miss a give me lay-up. Then all of a sudden they come down the floor and they miss a shot and get the offensive rebound. It started right there where we give up an opportunity to get things going and get the crowd behind us, then we just got killed on the offensive glass the first four minutes of the game. "
Senior G Shoni Schimmel
(On Sara Djassi having the game she had)"To be honest with you we knew that she was their best player. We knew she and number 5 were their best players. We knew it and we just took them lightly which came to bite us in the back. But for us to do that we just need to learn from it."
(On her being aggressive with her play tonight) "I didn't really feel it, I just felt like I was open so I would shoot the ball. I was a little too aggressive at some parts but you know it's something to learn from."
(On the last 5 minutes of the first half) "It was kind of a reality check for us. Coach put three people in there at one time and three against five doesn't usually work. But for us to come together as a team and to go out there and finish the half strong was our main goal and that's what we ended up doing."
(Have you ever played 3 on 5 before) "No."
(On what goes through his mind) "I think it's all for good reason. He just trying to get to us by doing something, he has a reason for what he does and we just have to learn from them."
(On missing Jude on the court) "Not being able to have her out hurt us. She can usually play good defense, lock them down, and do whatever it is we need her to do. She can handle the one and for us to not have her right now is a little different. We are playing a lot of different people, so we are trying to get the right chemistry."
Junior G Bria Smith
(On her free throw shooting) "Yes, I have been getting a lot of reps in practice to get better."
Junior F Sara Hammond
(On what coach said after the game) "This team has plenty of potential, I mean for us to return four out of our five starters, we have some nagging injuries but we have people that can step up at any given moment. So to come out and not play our best game and win by 19 you know that's good but we don't want to be good. Coach keeps telling us that if we want to be in that elite level we have got to learn how to handle teams like Connecticut does, and Connecticut is a team that everyone is trying to get at just like Baylor was last year. I mean we are trying to get on that level. Each day we have to get better and learn from our mistakes tonight but its good to get a win the way we played tonight."
(Do you feel like your becoming more consistent in the middle) "I think I'm finally getting more comfortable and confident with the shots that I'm taking. I worked a lot this summer and last summer on getting more of a perimeter game and just being threat outside the paint because it draws defenders out and opens up space for our guards to drive and get other post players touches. I am getting more comfortable with the shoots that I'm taking but I'm still working on getting more consistent."
