Postgame Quotes

Nov. 6, 2012

Head Coach Sherri Coale

Opening statement:
"I was really proud of our effort. These kids are fun to coach and they're easy to coach because they listen. You could tell in the first three to five minutes of the second half that what we talked about at halftime they were really trying to do. We got out in transition, we fed the post, we blocked out, our help defense was better, and recovery was better and more urgent. They just listen and they really want to do things right. I thought the guys who finished the game were great and disciplined the last 15 minutes of the game. They really played a lot of minutes consecutively; we didn't give them much of a rest and they pushed through and kept playing hard and gave great effort. I'm really proud of them."

On what to come away with after game:
"Every time we step out on the floor, practice or a game, I walk away feeling a little bit better about them than I did the day before. They're just like that. They learn and they keep progressing. It's fun; there's more and more things every day that I can't wait to show them this, I can't wait to put this in. They're just like that, they absorb and get better."

On forward Portia Durrett:
"They were all good shots; they were tough shots. She's one of the strongest finishers in the lane that I have ever had. She just has that uncanny ability to finish with contact and that's kind of something you have or you don't, and she has it. She showed her versatility, stepped out and made a three, made a couple jumpers. She just has a great basketball IQ. She has a great feel for the game and she's aggressive, plays hard and she cares. That's a great combination."

On maintaining focus with a large lead:
"That's where the character of the kids comes in. These are kids to whom excellence is important. They know this is not the measuring stick. The measuring stick is way down the road and we've got a huge contest on Saturday. So it's pretty easy to remind them what's on the horizon and how much better we have to get every possession."

Senior Guard Whitney Hand

On how she felt about the second half:
"Just to reiterate what Coach [Coale] said, you don't lose anything. I think in the past maybe these kind of games are just really ugly and it's turnover after turnover and three after three, you know? With Jasmine [Hartman] leading them, I felt like she was putting on a clinic defensively and then you have Maddie [Manning] and Portia [Durrett], and it's just really cool. It's not about the score, it was totally about us getting better and that's really nice and comfortable when you're sitting over there and not cringing. You're proud of those girls and what they're putting forth."

On the character of this year's team to last year:
"I don't know that you really compare because every team is so completely different. Even if there are still the same players the dynamics are completely different, so I don't really want to compare it, but with this team there's a lightness. The laughing and stuff is not just when we're up by 50, we are always laughing through practice, not in a joking or a distraction, but we really enjoy each other. We say that a lot up here but we really feel like that's a mark on our team. We enjoy each other and we enjoy when Maddie [Manning] makes an awesome pass or Portia [Durrett] hits a three; that's really special. There's not a selfishness there. Obviously all of us want minutes and all of us want to play, but there's a love there that I think comes out when we play."

Junior Forward Portia Durrett

On her adjustment from playing at Walters State to OU:
"Coming from the point guard position to getting the ball to me and going down and posting up, it's kind of different from junior college because you really don't have players who are willing to work against you or posting up to make you do anything. But here if you want it you have to work to get it."

Players Mentioned

Portia Durrett

Whitney Hand

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Postgame Quotes

Related News

Players Mentioned

Portia Durrett

Whitney Hand

Related Videos

Sponsors