NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - CALIFORNIA BAPTIST VS UCLA

March 20, 2026

Jarron Olson

Filipa Barros

Emma Johansson

Pauley Pavilion

California Baptist Lancers

Media Conference

Q. It's just been a few short years since CBU went to Division I level and already you guys have the women's team in the tournament, the men's team in the tournament. Just wondering if you could talk a little bit about being part of kind of a little bit of historic era of the program where you are not only getting to Division I but you're actually making March Madness.

FILIPA BARROS: Yeah, it's been pretty cool these last couple days because the men's team made the tournament and did something that never happened at CBU. We went to the tournament two years ago, but that was the first time that the men went to the tournament.

I think it's pretty cool we all can celebrate together, and it's good for the school.

EMMA JOHANSSON: I also think it was one of our goals, and we want won both the regular season and the tournament, so we were very happy for that. Especially the men's team, too, it's very cool and I'm very happy that we made it as well as the men's team.

Q. How does your preparation look for the NCAA Tournament compared to the regular season?

FILIPA BARROS: At this time of the year I think there's not a lot of things to change, it's just like work on some details because we've been playing in a way for five months, so there's nothing changing for this game. We're just trying to work on the things we're not that good, like those little details.

EMMA JOHANSSON: I think we also know that, like, this is going to be our toughest challenge that we're going to face. The only thing we can do is to play our best basketball and focus on ourselves. We know this is going to be very tough, but we're ready, and I know we're all very excited.

Q. Obviously UCLA has had a very good year, only one loss, and you guys are in the area, so have you followed them at all or do you feel like you have a familiarity with them rather than playing some team from an area that you don't hear about or don't know?

FILIPA BARROS: Yeah, we've all been watching UCLA games. We all love the way that they play. Even like playing against -- my teammates played against them two years ago, so they kind of play the same way.

I've followed them the whole season and they're a really good team, so we're just happy that we get a chance to play against them.

Q. Are you guys just happy to be here, or are you guys trying to get a win?

EMMA JOHANSSON: No, we're trying to get a win for sure. We know, as I said, this is going to be our tough he's challenge. It's one of the top teams in the country, but we're here for it, and we can just -- we're very underdog but still a dog.

FILIPA BARROS: For sure. We go into every game thinking we can win, so this game is not going to be different.

JARROD OLSON: Really appreciate you guys being here. We're happy to be here. It's a tough task ahead of us, but we're pretty excited, just the opportunity to play, just to be a part of the tournament. It's the second time we've been here in the last three years. Honestly, I probably sat in this exact same seat a couple years ago.

Just to say I'm really thankful for the team I get to coach. We've had kind of an interesting season, but we've definitely built up some good resiliency along the way, and I'm really proud of them. They've given me an opportunity to actually coach them, most of the time, which has been great, and they've really worked hard. Just really have been proud to coach them this year and just have a lot of fun with them.

Q. It's just been a few really quick years, it seems like, since CBU stepped up to Division I and already you've got the women in here for the second time. A lot of schools maybe don't have that sort of achievement that early when they're stepping up so highly in competition. Can you just kind of talk about what you think has led to this success the last couple years?

JARROD OLSON: I think the biggest thing has just been a commitment from the school, the president, Dr. Ellis, is a really big sports fan. He's on the court after games congratulating people and just really behind us all the way.

Then just getting the right people in place, and that goes from everywhere from the president to the AD to the coaches, all the way down to the players.

I think it's the people that drive the bus, and at CBU we have great people.

When I first started working there, we were transitioning from NAIA to Division II, so my first team there we actually won our conference in Division II and weren't able to play in the tournament, and then we did it again in Division I where we weren't eligible to play in the tournament.

So just being here, I think sometimes I need to step back and just kind of really appreciate the fact that we're able to play because it's happened before where we've won and we haven't been able to play.

To do it on the biggest stage is pretty awesome and says a lot about the commitment that the school has, and just kind of the people that we have behind us.

Q. One of your players mentioned that we may be -- her statement was we may be underdogs but we're still dogs. I thought that was pretty impressive of a statement. I'd like to talk to you about your team culture. How do you build this roster out? Do you go out looking for the type of dogs or do you build dogs up, if you will?

JARROD OLSON: I mean, in terms of what we look for in players, I just usually look for people that I'd want to play with in pickup basketball games. I know that doesn't sound too complicated. I love to play. If my body would hold up, I'd probably play every day, so I just kind of look for people I'd want to play with.

I don't know if it was Filipa or Emma that said that. Emma? I was actually telling Emma yesterday at practice how much I would really enjoy playing with her, and I was like, I would have given you a lot of buckets. I would have gotten you the ball a lot.

I think it just kind of -- just getting the right people. We have some values on our team that we really buy into, commitment, humility, resiliency, integrity, selflessness and trust, and I think it really starts there, just the people that are on board for those things, and it's got to be bigger than just the game because you're going to be part of a team. Anytime you're part of a team, you have to give up some of yourself and kind of stand for something more than just on your own.

I think when people buy into that, great things can happen.

Q. When you look at Chloe, winning Sixth Player of the Year this year, bouncing back from the injury last year, where have you seen the most overall growth from her, and how important has she been towards establishing that culture that you have here?

JARROD OLSON: You know, Chloe is a really, like, kind of talented person, and I think the biggest area of growth for her has just been just kind of like maturing and just kind of growing in ways where you can see her kind of -- when it wasn't going perfect for her, being a great teammate. Like you said, she was Sixth Person of the Year, but she started last year, I think was our leading scorer, and when she was a freshman, she was a big contributor for us.

She's had some big games for us this year, but there's been some games where she didn't get to play as much. Just having the attitude that you're going to put the team first has really gone a long ways to kind of setting a good example for other people, and the other thing about Chloe, I mean, she is just one of those people that just is like -- just emits energy out, and she's just kind of like -- I can't really explain that. She's got a lot of charisma to her. She just brings a lot of swag to our team, I guess.

Q. What does it mean to you to be back in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last few seasons? What does that say about your team and the team culture?

JARROD OLSON: You know, I think it just says, like, how important -- I guess maybe the commitment that CBU has. Kind of what I said before in terms of the school is behind you. Specifically what it means to me is it's just, like, I'm really happy for the girls because we only have really one person that played in the game last time we played here. Grace and Filipa, who are two of our better players, they were injured and weren't able to play.

It just really means a lot to me that we're able to get back here and give them the opportunity to play because I know they've worked so hard. Filipa in particular was out the entire season last year having an injury, and just to see her get back out on the court and just crush it like she did all season and then down the stretch, she was the MVP of the conference tournament. We had a huge game to clinch the regular season where she just took over the game at the end, and just to see someone like that overcome such a devastating injury and then be able to come back and just be even better is just really kind of awesome to see as a coach.

I'm just so proud of her and everybody else on the team, just because it's not easy to get here.

I think one of the things that -- as you do this long enough, you realize how hard it is to win, and I think a lot of times we take it for granted, and I know I'm guilty of that. But winning is really hard, and there's so many good players and so many good teams that don't have a chance to be here. Sometimes I forget that, but when you get here, you start to realize, hey, this is something really special, and we're really appreciative.