SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TIPOFF MEDIA DAYS

October 13, 2026

Pauline Love

Alabama Crimson Tide

Women's Media Day Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Bringing to the dais Coach Pauline Love.

PAULINE LOVE: Hope y'all are good. That statement about the Call of Duty is absolutely true, and I'm serious about it. I get on there. I go up against some cheaters, I get real, real, real mad, and I adjust my PC a little bit and I figure out a way to get them again. Thank you for having me today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Ace Austin, what have you seen from her going from the sixth person on the team and now being one of the main starters, the girl you're probably looking to for a bucket? What have you seen from her this offseason?

PAULINE LOVE: She's been great. She's worked out. She's a little nervous about the uncertainty of what the system is going to look like. I explained to her it will be the best basketball she's ever played. Just because of where we're going to play and playing fast with pace, with a lot of pace and free flow.

So she's been -- I mean, she's in the gym two, three times a day. Just want to make her coaches happy and want to be able to win some games.

Q. You spent seven years at Arkansas as an assistant. Now you have two of the best players in program history there on your staff in Chelsea and Amy. I guess, first of all, what did those years at Arkansas mean to you, and what did those two add to your staff?

PAULINE LOVE: Yeah, being that I am from there, it meant a lot when Mike Neighbors brought me back home. I thought Coach literally had to kick me out, because I didn't want to leave Mississippi and didn't want to leave her. But I'm grateful that Mike Neighbors gave me the opportunity to go back home and represent the state.

It was fun. We had a fun seven years there. I wouldn't change it for the world. I learned a lot there, and with Chelsea, she's probably one of the best of the best to do it. Honestly, I figured they need to figure out a way to retire her jersey, because I don't know if there's anybody that is going to come through there and do what she did.

With Amy and the experience that she had as part of a Final Four team, I'm just excited the plethora of knowledge that they both have and bring to our program.

Q. What did you look for in the talent that you tried to acquire and bring to your roster?

PAULINE LOVE: Being that the portal busted wide open and it was April 1st when I got the job, I immediately went for players that want to represent Alabama and talked to them about the brand and not make it about money. But I hit the ground running.

With saying that, I needed to get my staff here quickly just because I had to move at a fast pace. So that's when I first reached out to Tyus Hooks from Oklahoma and Cal. They've been great, and we went to work. There were times where we would bring kids on a Monday. They would leave on a Monday night, and we'd bring somebody else in on a Tuesday morning. It was like that for a month straight.

I mean, I think what we put together is pretty good. This first year I'm just looking to develop and establish our culture of the program, and I think we did a pretty good job with that.

Q. When you talked about Ace Austin you talked about her playing fast and with the system. If you could describe what your system is going to look like, obviously to Alabama fans, we're used to seeing one basketball system, what would you describe your offense and defensive system to be this season?

PAULINE LOVE: Let's play with a fast pace, and I got this from Mike Neighbors. I've been blessed enough to be around some really great coaches. The one thing he would always say to me and to our team at Arkansas is to be able to function fast and have organization.

So we want to be able to score in the first 7 seconds of the shot clock. I think it's a fun way of doing it, but our first practice in the summer, oh, I'm going to be honest with you, it was a little hectic. I was, like, okay, I think I need to start over.

But with the friends I have in this business, I was able to talk to Tara VanDerveer, because I wanted to add some Princeton concepts in it. The first thing she said to me was, Well, I wouldn't do Princeton at all. So I still kept the concepts of it, but also added a little bit of -- I used my international plug that the kids would say now, and I added a European motion offense with it.

It's just all about making the defense wrong. That's it.

Q. What's something with this group in terms of newcomers that you feel have an intangible that you can say, hey, we have this, we can build on this, as we lay the foundation going into the season?

PAULINE LOVE: I have the three pillars of our program is toughness, togetherness and trust. The one thing the group has is togetherness. No matter what it looks like, they stick together. We're hard on them, and it's all "I got you," "you're good," "I got your back."

That's one thing about this group. I don't know what it's going to look like on the court, but I can say they're going to do it together.

Q. How hopeful has it been playing in the new renovated practice facility for both your players and for recruiting efforts?

PAULINE LOVE: Some of you might know, but I was here two years ago when we were in Foster. It's a big difference to go in the gym and have full access whenever we want. Especially for the expectations we have for this team because we hold them at a high standard.

We are about the numbers, so they have to get a certain amount of shots in before practice and after practice. It's just good to be able to have that access. All I got to do is scan, and we'll be able to track it. I just think it's just elevated just the university and our women's basketball program.

Q. You were at Alabama two years ago as a recruiting coordinator. How did that benefit you being the head coach this year with that recruiting experience?

PAULINE LOVE: I have to give Kristy a lot of respect because she put me in uncomfortable situations, and the things that I didn't want to do or didn't feel comfortable with, she made me do it, right? I think just working with her for that year and I've been knowing her since I was in college, the Southern Miss days. She's the best manager of people.

Just by her putting me in those uncomfortable situations, I was, like, hey, maybe I can do that. So I just have to give her credit for that, for sure.

Q. How did Greg Byrne sell you on the vision for taking the torch because Coach Curry did a great job of re-establishing the program as an NCAA program. Then to piggyback, Ace Austin, she's obviously going to have a bigger role this year. How has she grown as a leader, and what do you see as her role with this program?

PAULINE LOVE: Absolutely. Greg, it was me selling myself to him, honestly. I think Greg believed in me. He looked me in my face and told me, I don't care about your age. He just wanted to be able to have good people around and surrounded by this university.

The one thing he's always said, if I can trust my daughter with this person, then I can feel good about it. So big kudos to him for giving me that opportunity.

With Ace, I've put her in uncomfortable situations, because right now I force her to be the leader, and she accepted that. She knows what comes with that. You're not going to be everybody's friend. You're going to have to be a little bit more vocal. That's a thing that we're still working through with her is being a little bit more vocal and without having feelings involved.

She stepped up to the plate, and she's been great at it.

Q. You mentioned wanting to play a faster-paced offense. You're in the same building with a practice facility with Nate Oats now. I'm curious if he has given you any tips with him having one of the faster-paced offenses?

PAULINE LOVE: Nate has an open-door policy with me. There's sometimes I give them that respect because there were a couple of times I walked over and he was getting after them. Anything I need, I can walk over and talk to him. Even from the Buffalo days, how did you start, how did you structure it? Then pretty much I liked what he does with his team is everything is a competition. Whether that be a free-throw competition or somebody is always running sprints, but they know how to compete over there.

Anything I need, he's been a big open-door policy from him for sure.

Q. Ace Austin, she's a sophomore, but yet, you chose to bring her here, an event that usually juniors and seniors get to go to. Can you talk about that decision?

PAULINE LOVE: Yeah, age doesn't define what Ace can do for our program. I think she's mature enough to handle what this is all about, and she's been great at it. I think she deserves it, right? She works hard from the summer. Like I said, I've put her in uncomfortable situations, and she rose to the top.

Thank you. Roll Tide.