NCAA WOMEN'S FINAL FOUR

March 27, 1998

Leon Barmore

Monica Maxwell

LaQuan Stallworth

Amanda Wilson

COACH LEON BARMORE: I'm certainly very pleased of our basketball team. North Carolina State was coming in after beating two of the best teams in America, Old Dominion and Connecticut. We had the respect to get ready today. I thought, once again, everybody on our basketball team contributed. We've been on our bench a lot of times, but I thought Jamie did a nice job. But I can tell you, Louisiana Tech is proud to be in the final game.

LaQUAN STALLWORTH: Basically, me and Tamicha want to get into a running, transition game, because that's what we're good at and that's what we do.

MONICA MAXWELL: I think absolutely. I think at this point in time, especially in this tournament, the Final Four, that we're running off adrenaline. You can't get tired out there. You're running off batteries, almost. But I think when we're playing 35 plus minutes a game, we've been doing it all year, and this is no different.

AMANDA WILSON: I think Tennessee is a good team. And it doesn't make a difference about respect. We're trying to play our best and trying to just finish the rest of our goals that we set this year. I think we're looking forward to a great game on Sunday.

MONICA MAXWELL: I think definitely our transition game got us the lead. Whenever they got in the half court and got set and got the ball to Melvin, she was virtually unstoppable. I think our running the transition game gave us the lead we had.

LaQUAN STALLWORTH: Tennessee is a great team. They like to run, we like to run. But it's going to be a great game. Whoever gets the baskets in transition or half court set up, that's going to win the game, and rebound.

COACH LEON BARMORE: I would like to give Arkansas an opportunity to play the game. So I really don't think our players need to comment on that. And I don't want to comment either. I respect the two teams that are playing. And when the time comes, who we might play, let's address that then, please.

AMANDA WILSON: I think Melvin is a great player. And we didn't try to stop her, we just tried to contain her. She made her points and did whatever. I think the only reason we made the switch is because I had two fouls and Alisa only had one.

LaQUAN STALLWORTH: If we were tired, we knew they were tired. But we had to keep on running, because that's our game, and that's how we get most of our baskets. And coach just told us keep running with the ball.

MONICA MAXWELL: I think I speak for the whole team, when we came to Louisiana Tech, all we wanted was the opportunity. Sunday we'll have the opportunity not only to hang a Final Four banner, but a championship banner.

AMANDA WILSON: I think the bench was outstanding. I think that Jamie stepped up when she was supposed to.

LaQUAN STALLWORTH: Basically, coach -- before we went out there, coach told us to pressure the ball, so it would be hard for them to get it inside. That's what we did, was pressure the ball. And we got easy baskets off that.

COACH LEON BARMORE: I think that the reason we are, those starting five, they're outstanding players. And they all contribute in various ways. And they really do. I thought, for instance, tonight the first part of the game, I really thought it was going to come back to haunt us, because they kept giving us opportunities and we didn't capitalize. Alisa got off to a bad start, but she came up. I thought Maxwell at least really got us going with some offensive points on the board. If your starting five is good enough, then - which I think ours are - certainly you're going to get a lot of production out of them, and a lot of wins. But they also have that trait of being able, like the centers, to run the floor. Burras and Wilson can run the floor for post people. And they're not carrying. In other words, a lot of weight to tire out and wear out. But they've done it all year, we'll just have to try it again.

COACH LEON BARMORE: Well, Pam Thomas and Kendra Neal in '94 was very quick. But when you say just speed and quickness, these are probably two of the best we've had. And Tamicha is getting better. She's only a sophomore. She's really getting herself under control. She's still getting too fast. But she's learned to settle down at the right time. And I want the ball in Stallworth's hands. She has really amazed me this year. I'll be honest with you, she's had some kind of special year and far exceeded anything I thought she'd do.

COACH LEON BARMORE: I'd like to answer the next question. You have to respect the game that's going on now. I don't think I need to comment again. I asked you to do that. I'm trying to help you people, but it's not fair for me to comment and the other team wins.

COACH LEON BARMORE: It surprised me. I thought we were going to have to deal with their size. But I think when you rely on one player, they did so much, it doesn't allow the others to score. And that was fine with us. I think that Melvin is a great basketball player. But we thought Lewis would hurt us a little more. We thought Erb would. I thought we played a very good defensive game at the right time. I thought we did a very good job defensively tonight.

COACH LEON BARMORE: I want to see the person that asked that question. I thought it would probably come up even before now. Let me tell you something, that was the most hurtful thing that happened to me in my coaching career. And I would appreciate if I didn't have to relive that again. It took me a long time to get over it. I will concentrate on the winner of this next game, and what happened in '94 will not be a factor with me one bit. I hope it's not with you.