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MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 8, 2006

DENVER, COLORADO

THE MODERATOR: Now joined by Colorado State University head coach Jen Warden, Sara Hunter and Vanessa Espinoza.
Coach, do you want to begin with some opening remarks.
COACH JEN WARDEN: I thought we played -- it was funny because we didn't feel like we played the greatest first 20 minutes of the game and yet we still went into the locker room down 3. Obviously we were very optimistic about our ability to cut down on our turnovers. We knew we had to being more physical with the ball offensively if we were to be efficient offensively. And I think we got overpowered and we got a little manhandled. Our turnovers ended up being our demise.
I felt like those first 20 minutes, even though we don't feel we played as well as we have played or can play, we definitely battled. I'm proud of this team. I'm proud of what we've done this year.
THE MODERATOR: For the next few minutes, questions directed to the student athletes.
Q. Sara, can you talk about the difference between this game and Fort Collins, what BYU did to you defensively and tonight?
SARA HUNTER: Really there was no difference. They stayed tight. It was just a matter of, you know, first half, I was kind of feeling it and second half got a little cold. But, I mean, I think we all came out and played hard both games really. We didn't get a lot of, you know, balls to fall our way or calls, so it happens.
Q. Vanessa, if you could try to step back and look at this year, there were obviously some games where you guys were right there and then certain games that did not shake out right. Could you put your fingers on a couple of the reasons why there was just some inconsistency in how things played out this year?
VANESSA ESPINOZA: Oh that's a tough question.
Q. Sorry.
VANESSA ESPINOZA: You know at times we played really hard, at times we would have lapses. I don't know really know what it was. I thought we came together as a team very well each game. We improved every game. We just couldn't put the finishing touch on things, whether it was defensive stops, you know, rebounding or whatever. But I felt like this team improved every game, and I'm very proud of this team.
Q. For either of the players. As Jen said, you didn't feel like you maybe played the greatest first 20 minutes, but nonetheless you were down by 3 coming out of the locker room. Did things kind of snowball there in the first 6 minutes of the second half?
SARA HUNTER: The worst thing was just our turnovers. They came off really hot right at the beginning, and we didn't respond well. So, I think when you get down like that, it's hard to pick yourself back up. That was our biggest fault I think.
VANESSA ESPINOZA: We couldn't get stops. They were on a run. I think that was the biggest thing. Defensively we couldn't get a stop.
Q. Vanessa, Coach Judkins talked to you quite a bit after the game. Was that kind of a thing where that's your last game and he's respecting you for your years?
VANESSA ESPINOZA: You know, we don't really know each other, just from playing against each other. He was asking me about my dad. His dad passed away last year. And he just said, thoughts and prayers are with you, and just congratulating the team and myself on our year. Just very nice.
THE MODERATOR: Anything else for Sara or Vanessa.
Q. One more for Sara. Just going into next year, obviously losing three seniors. There's some leaderships voids to fill in obviously. How do you view this year personally from your standpoint? And then looking ahead to next year, what are you expecting?
SARA HUNTER: I know looking on paper, everyone thinks this year was a failure. The three seniors brought so much heart to this team. It was such a pleasure to play with them, and just to learn from Vanessa. She plays every game like it's her last. And you know, every -- Melissa and Lindsay are the same way.
Like you said, it's going to definitely be, you know, a spot that's hard to fill. But I think we have a good class coming in. And, you know, we're just hoping to keep building. I think every year is just going to get better here. And coach said in the locker room, it starts with what these three seniors did this year. I'm so sad. We'll miss you. But we're excited.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, ladies. I'll let you two go. Questions for Coach Warden.
Q. Jen, the fact that you guys had some foul trouble issues starting that second half, I'm just wondering was it difficult to come out and maybe defend as hard and be as aggressive as you had to be against a team like because everybody knows the bench is short and it causes so much foul trouble causes so much trouble. I was wondering if you thought that kind of set things into a negative direction?
COACH JEN WARDEN: Yes (laughter). That is difficult. I think in two phases that's difficult for our team. One, obviously your best players have to be thinking about their personal foul trouble because they have to be playing. Second, you don't want to think about what might happen if those players can't play anymore.
It's no secret that depth has been an issue for us, and you never want a player to feel like they can't make a play because they've got to stay in a game. You're going to start to unravel at that point. And when you've got two starters, Lindsay and Molly, that obviously have to be thinking that way already in the first half, that doesn't mean good things.
Q. Could you talk about the impact of Ambrosia Anderson for them and what they did to Sara to not let happen what happened in Fort Collins?
COACH JEN WARDEN: Ambrosia is a terrific player, and I really respect Coach Judkins' way with her. It's almost an N BA style of coaching that he has with her because not every shot is the most -- she's a terrific player, but she has a lot of freedom. And because she has that freedom, she's become the player that she is.
Ambrosia wouldn't be nearly as effective if she clearly had to understand what's right and what's wrong for 40 minutes. She just plays the game. It comes to her. She feels it. And there's so much momentum that comes out of her play I think because of that.
And honestly, from her coming from where she was as a junior to where she is as a senior, I think in large part the credit belongs to Coach Judkins and his ability to give her so much freedom and confidence. That's really what's made her the player that she is.
Sara Hunter, we saw a lot more zone tonight. The zone we saw was an extremely physical zone we were knocked off our tracks on our penetration. And when you're knocked off your tracks on penetration, rarely do you have to draw two defenders, and you have your teammate open. And I think the physicality of their zone and the size of their zone left it a little more difficult than it was in Fort Collins to free Sara up on screening situations. I thought that was a good coaching move by Jeff again, and their ability to stay with that while we had a -- you know, it's really ironic because that zone essentially opened our middle, and it wasn't necessarily the most high-octane offense that we had in the middle of the court at the time. But it silenced Vanessa, it silenced Sara, and silenced Molly. And those players off of quick hits were the ones that really gave us momentum in the first half.
Q. When you look back three or four years from now, when you look back at the season, what are you going to think about? How are you going to assess the season, your first one?
COACH JEN WARDEN: That's a great question. And the first thing that pops into my head is what I told the players in the locker room. We will be a top 25 program. And it started with this year and it started with these seniors. And everything that this program does is going to find its roots with LT and with Diesel and with Vanessa. I know those seniors came into a program that was highly ranked and, you know, dissipated through their years, but I want them to feel that they're going to be part of something again that's going to rise up in the conference and rise up in this part of the country as something they're going to be extremely proud of because as a team we're extremely proud of them.
Q. With that in mind, going into next year, I know this team in its first year obviously instituting a new system and a lot of new things to learn was looking to kind of try and improve after each game. Going into next year, what do you feel like this team needs to accomplish to get to that goal of eventually being again a top 25 program?
COACH JEN WARDEN: You know, I think the whole thing is recruiting and development. And when you look at what Utah as done and what BYU has done and what New Mexico has done, it's recruiting and development. It's ironic that we played BYU because they're a very good example of a lot of things. He coaches an extremely physical game and he recruits extremely physical players. And it takes about three or four years for your personal style to be reflected in the players that are recruited into the program and to build from that.
Every time I see one of the top 25 teams in the conference, and the way they move offensively and the way they screen and the way they defend, I look at them and say that's a player that's been doing the same thing for three years. I think in our case it's a Catch-22 in the ESPN world, you want everything right away, and you want to go from a franchise program to the Super Bowl in the first year. But in the college world, it takes recruitment, it takes development, it takes patience, it takes a lot of love. And we're going to cultivate this program and I think this year was the first part of it.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Jen.
COACH JEN WARDEN: Thanks, you guys. I appreciate you being here.

End of FastScripts...

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