The University of Mississippi Athletics
Regional Final Postgame Quotes
3/27/2007 | Women's Basketball
Ole Miss Head Coach Carol Ross
Opening Statement
"We're just going to try to get through this. We're a passionate, emotional bunch, so it's tough really to see this end. It's been very special, but the little train couldn't get up the mountain and the big train kept motoring up. You have to give Tennessee a ton of credit. They were outstanding. It just seemed like everything we did, they did it better. They had an answer. They were as good as people would expect them to be. We just didn't quite have it today. It's disappointing for us. Hopefully, we'll have the ability to step back and really appreciate what this team has done, and be able to remember all the good stuff."
On Tennessee
"They really came out aggressively and attacking, which is what a hungry, motivated team does. We recognized it; because that's been the team we've had in the locker room. But, they came out with a fire in their eyes, a pep in their step. They were quicker to every ball. They were crisp. They were just really good. Certainly, Candace Parker was really good, which we've all come to expect. Her supporting cast was tremendous. Pat's the best at getting her teams to postseason play. There's no question she had them ready to go. They looked every bit as good as any Tennessee championship team I've seen."
On Tennessee applauding Armintie Price toward the end of the game
"Anybody that enjoys women's basketball is going to appreciate Armintie Price and how she plays. I thought it was a class act. I wouldn't call it too unusual, because of the respect that people, especially coaches...you know, coaches would love to coach a player like Armintie Price. She plays so hard and gives so much, so it doesn't surprise me that they would acknowledge her career. It was a very nice gesture."
More on Armintie Price
"Armintie is just going to play. She's not playing the scoreboard; she's playing the game of basketball. She plays it well. She's plays it with a lot of energy and intensity, and she only knows one way to play. And, the scoreboard has never dictated her effort or her energy. Tonight was a great example of someone who just persevered, continued to play determined and gave great effort and had great individual stats. I can tell you Armintie would have rather scored three points and took home a win than to have put up the numbers she had."
On Candace Parker
"Candace is a player that is extremely hungry to win a championship. It's been well documented that she doesn't want to be compared with other great Tennessee players until she wins one. So, I think for Candace, as talented as she is, she has taken it up another notch with her intensity and her ability to push Tennessee forward. That is a sign of greatness. Her talent has always been there and it always probably will be. Her ability to really inspire her team and help put them in a position to play for a national championship is really just a credit to her desire to be champion."
Armintie Price
On when she thought the game was slipping away
"They (Tennessee) got the jump on us from the beginning. They were very aggressive and we were passive and came out slow."
On the play of Candace Parker
"She is a great player. There are not many players who can stop her. We tried to mix it up defensively but Tennessee was better than us tonight."
On how difference Tennessee played compared to their last matchup in Knoxville between the two teams
"They came out with the championship mindset from the beginning and had the will to win. They were very aggressive and we were passive. Our trapping wasn't working and we slipped up and became passive which is not normal for us. Tennessee just came out an attacked us."
Ashley Awkward
On when she thought the game was slipping away
"At halftime we wanted to come out and start to chip away at the lead. Every time we scored, Tennessee had an answer. Once they got the lead, they kept attacking us. We did our best tonight, but, our best wasn't good enough."
On how Tennessee was so effective against their press
"They were able to score against our matchup zone and after a while we had to go to man-to-man which got us out of our comfort level."
On the two three-pointers that Shannon Bobbitt hit early in the contest
"Those two three pointers she hit got them on a roll and they fed off the hype from that."
