March 25, 2005

Arizona State Quotes

North Carolina Head Coach Sylvia Hatchell:

On being part of the Sweet 16:
"Being a part of the Sweet 16 is a thrill for us. We came out here [Tempe] on Wednesday night and are adjusting to the time. We will be ready to play Saturday night. We are getting ready to practice today. We know ASU has a great team. We have watched them quite a bit. They are very similar to us. They play press defense like we do and they are very balanced with a strong inside and outside game. It should be a great match-up. We know they have played some great teams, winning at Georgia and beating Connecticut. We played Connecticut as well. Anytime you can beat a team like Connecticut, you are a pretty good team. We know it should be a great game Saturday evening. We are just excited to be here."

Q: Talk about Ivory Latta's impact on this team:
"She is a very passionate player, very skilled, athletic and she can shoot the three. All of that comes in a very small package. She is listed at 5'6", she wants to be 5'6" but I am 5'6" and I am taller than she is. I won't say how tall she really is, but she is not 5'6". She is all that wrapped up into a small package. Ivory has so much passion for the game and so much respect for her opponents, teammates, referees and everybody around her. She is a tremendous role model for young girls now. All the little kids love her because she is their size. She is a bright leader and a super student-athlete. It is good for the women's game right now because she plays with so much heart."

Q: How has Camille [Little] developed as a player?
"Even from last year when she was a freshman and won Rookie of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, one of the greatest things about Camille is her defensive abilities. Many times this season we put her on the best offensive player of our opponents. She really is an outstanding defensive player and really focuses on that a lot. She came out of a real great high school program. Not a lot of high school kids know a lot about weak-side defense and help and rotation. She had all that when she came to [UNC]. I am not going to take any of the credit for that because she learned all that in high school. She takes a lot of pride in her defense and has done an incredible job this year. That is a part of her whole package."

Q: What do you expect from ASU defensively?
"I have watched them a lot. Our teams are very similar on defense. They like to get out there and get after it and we do too. They put a lot of pressure on the ball. They are in the passing lanes and they create a lot of offense off their defense. We have to do an excellent job of protecting and taking care of the ball. Overall they have an excellent team defense; they have an excellent weak-side defense. I would say they are one of the best defensive teams in the country without a doubt."

Q: Talk about going to the Final Four on other peoples courts:
"About being here, I have coached a long time and been in a lot of different situations. When you go to the NCAA, you are given a slot and sometimes you play at neutral sites and sometimes you play on somebody else's court. There are a lot of different factors that play into being in the NCAA. When you are in the NCAA, it means you are a championship-level team. A big part of being there is an aspect of the game. We have won big games on the road and I am sure that the other teams that are here have done the same, or else they wouldn't be here. You just go play the games and, whatever you face, that is a part of what you deal with being a championship team. I have heard they have great fans here. I'm sure there will be a large crowd there. It is just great for women's basketball. As far as playing here at ASU, they are a great team and have great fans. This will be a tremendous experience. Home court is good and sometimes it's not good. We just went through this. The first two rounds were in Chapel Hill. You get to sleep in your own bed and you get a few advantages like that. When you have a big crowd there, they put a lot of pressure on you to win. They are there supporting you but they are putting pressure on you to win too. We just went through that in Chapel Hill. The kids were very nervous to play George Washington at our home court. We are excited to be here. I have heard nothing but good things about the fans and the environment here. One of my biggest things in coaching my 30th year is promoting the game. People talk to me about game time and all that, but hey, we have done a lot of things to get games on television. We have played in a lot of weird places at odd times to play on television. As a head coach, [we do] pretty much whatever it takes to get exposure. I don't think the time will bother us. We will be ready to play. In the place we live, basketball is a way of life and whenever a game is on, people are going to watch. That is just life in the Chapel Hill, Durham area. We have North Carolina, Duke and [N.C.] State right there and we are just happy to be still playing. We look forward to the challenge of playing a great ASU team."

Q: Talk about Ivory Latta's confidence:
"Ivory is a bundle of enthusiasm, passion and joy for basketball. She spreads that to her teammates, to the fans and to everyone that watches her play. I have known Ivory since she was in middle school and even through high school. Her high school team won a few state championships and even her last year when her team was so-so, Ivory told those kids, 'Trust me, follow me, and we will play for another state championship,' and they did. They didn't win it, but they were playing for it her senior year. She has that kind of attitude and love for the game. She is a true competitor out on the court. She does so much for the game of basketball."

Q: Talk about the team ASU is and your strategy for this game:
"Championships are not won by individual players, they are won by teams that blend well together and have chemistry. They don't care who gets the credit and that is when you win championships. Our thing for the NCAA tournament this year is that you have things you can accomplish and you can't care who gets the credit. If you look at our stats, we are pretty balanced and we have a lot of kids that are scoring the same number of points. ASU is a lot like that. They don't have a go-to player to carry them and their strength is their balance as well. I think that is what championship teams are made of and that is why they are in the Sweet 16. I watched that game against Notre Dame and they won because of their team element. That has been their strength all year."

North Carolina Players: Nikita Bell and Ivory Latta:

Q: What do you think of Camille Little's defense this season?
Bell: "I think she's doing a great job. Lately she has been showing signs of being a better defender in the post. I'm really pleased with that. Earlier in the season, she was having trouble with teams' (low) post game, but she has picked it up a lot."

Q: Do you like to play in front of opposing crowds? How do you feel about playing this important of a game on your opponent's home court?
Latta: "I like to play in front of crowds whether they are for or against me, but I'm not going to let that affect me while I'm down here. I'm playing a great team and I know the crowd isn't going to be with me one hundred percent, but my main focus is doing what my teammates and coaches want me to do."

Q: What do you expect defensively from ASU guards Carrie Buckner and Kylan Loney and what kind of looks do you think they will give you in the backcourt?
Latta: "I think they are going to play hard nosed, in your face defense. I'm expecting a little zone. I'm not going to try to figure out what they are going to do. I'm going to do what I have to do for my teammates."

Q: [Ivory] has your impact on this program exceeded your initial expectations?
Latta: "I think I have had a big impact, but I don't want to give myself all the credit. I give everything to my teammates for putting their trust in me and the coaches for having faith in me to go out there and get the job done. I think I have made a great impact, but I think everyone else on the floor, and not on the floor, has a great impact too."

Q. With all that you have accomplished what do you guys feel about having to play what's basically a road game at this point in the tournament?
Latta: "I think it's great to experience it. I just know it's going to be crazy, [because] their fans are going to be behind them and we'll have a little bit of fans, but we just got to keep our focus and go out there and play with a lot of intensity and give it all we got."

Q. What have you learned from Nikita Bell from how she plays on the court and off the court?
Latta: "I learned a lot about this girl. I just love her so much. When she is on the court, her intensity and the way she just plays carries on to me. And I know whenever she leaves, I am going to miss her so much because just her defense and pressure. I tell myself one day I'm going to be just like Nikita Bell and play pressure and defense but also off the court she's a cool girl. She's funny. Some people would never see that because on the court she is all intensity. But just her presence out there and her presence on the team is great."

Q. Nikita, can you brag on Ivory a little bit now?
Bell: "Ivory is our little butterfly. She is one person that I swear is always happy, which I great. It's good to be around somebody who is like that. At times when you're down, Ivory is always cracking a joke or saying something silly, just full of life and full of energy and I love having her on my team and, like I always tell her and everybody else, it's tough to guard her. They always wonder how hard it is to guard her. It's tough. I'm just glad that she's on my team and I don't have to play against her. I am really happy that she ended up choosing to come to North Carolina. I'm glad she's my teammate and I am going to miss her. But I am going to keep up with my girl."

Q. What do you know about Arizona State team inside players, what are you expecting against that squad?
Bell: "You watch them and you watch them play other teams and you say hey they're big, they're good and they seem like they can keep up with you, but you never really know until you get on the court with them and they're more physical and quicker than you think. When they see us on film and they see how athletic and quick we are, you really never know until you get on he court. I don't know really what to expect, but I am expecting a battle."