Video, Transcripts: Iowa-Colorado Sweet 16
LISA BLUDER: Yeah, like everybody, we're just thrilled to be still playing basketball this time of the year. I feel like our team is in a really good spot. We got here yesterday. We're healthy. I know some people are wondering about Hannah. We're healthy. We're feeling good.
We know that Colorado is going to be a really tough challenge. Their defense is very, very good. 58 and a half points that they hold people to. So a tremendous defensive team. I just think RJ has done a great job with her team. They were in Iowa City last year for the tournament, the NCAA tournament. I think she's done a tremendous job with her team.
THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll throw it up for some questions.
Q. What about Colorado's defense really sticks out? What make it's so difficult? And are there any similarities to the defense you faced against Georgia or is it just a completely new way that they go about playing?
LISA BLUDER: It's a different style of defense because they play mostly player where Georgia was all about zone. I think what is so good about it is they just have really good ball pressure, they're very active. I mean, Sherrod is so fast. They have depth off the bench, so they can keep coming at you. I think that's really what makes them very, very good defensively.
Q. I know you mentioned Hannah, but what is the status of Hannah and Molly Davis going into tomorrow?
LISA BLUDER: Both, I feel is close to a hundred percent as you can be this time of year.
Q. Just off topic a little bit. The eight teams that are here, I think Colorado's the closest and they're still 1,300 miles away. We talked a little bit about the two-site deal with the NCAA. Just your thoughts on that, with those numbers?
LISA BLUDER: Yeah, I mean, with two sites obviously we're a long ways from Iowa City. I really believe that if this site would have been five hours from Iowa City, we would have 10,000 Hawkeye fans here. And it's just unfortunate that our fans won't be able to support us live. I know they will be watching on television, but there's something special about a real electric arena, with great atmosphere. I think if this was played in the Midwest, we would have had that. I really do.
So that's unfortunate, but at the same time, we're glad we are here. We think Seattle's going to be a great host site. The city seems really nice, our hotel's great, everything's been wonderful. But, yeah, I wish it was closer to home.
Q. You mentioned the ball pressure that Colorado presents on defense. Is there a team that you played this year that's kind of similar to that? I know that you played some pretty good teams that forced a lot of turnovers.
LISA BLUDER: Yeah, I mean, I guess Indiana would be the closest Big Ten school. Not Maryland because they switch all screens. So I would say Indiana would probably be the closest.
Q. Generally in this Sweet 16 right now, you look at it, Angel Reese was a transfer, Alissa Pili, Quay Miller. There's a number of key transfers who subsequently made the Sweet 16. For you personally and then also generally around the sport, how do you look at the transfer portal impacting roster construction for you and then kind of more broadly?
LISA BLUDER: Yeah, we didn't use it a lot this year. We did get Molly Davis and we needed Molly because she provides us as a backup 1, 2. So that's an important position for us, and so that was tremendous for us. But, like, we haven't used it like other people maybe have. Will we in the future? I think it is the future of women's basketball and men's basketball. I don't think you can be successful without using it. It's the new brand of basketball and people are going to be hopping from roster to roster. Do I like it personally? Probably not, philosophically, but as far as what it is and you have to buy in.
Q. With Colorado having been at your site last year, can you use any of the pre-game scout that you prepared for Colorado or have they changed too much?
LISA BLUDER: Oh, that's a great question, and absolutely. I mean, we had a complete scout done for them last year and they haven't changed a whole lot. There's a few fresh faces, a few that exited the program as well. But they're very similar style-wise and we absolutely started our report with that.
Q. A lot of opposing coaches have talked about how difficult it's been to game plan Caitlin's passing this year. I'm curious how you as a coaching staff have worked with her on that or is that more just Caitlin-driven?
LISA BLUDER: It's pretty innate. She is a fabulous passer, but has been most of her life. But I think when she came to college, it really opened up even more because she had people that could catch her passes. Sometimes in high school, honestly, they came in so fast, so hard, people weren't expecting them, that they weren't ready for them. AAU was better for her, and USA basketball, of course, was better for her.
But when she came to Iowa, and I think the first time she met Monika and scrimmaged with Monika, it opened up her eyes that I can really have an opportunity to pass the ball like she's capable of, which is incredible.
Q. Two-part question to follow-up on that question before about location. I don't know if Des Moines or anyone in Iowa bid for a regional and that's obviously how teams get regionals. Would you encourage someone in Iowa to probably bid down the road for a regional? And the second question is you've been around for a few years, Colorado has not been in the Sweet 16 since 2003, and I think you were a young coach back then. Do you remember anything about those teams with Ceal from the early 2000s?
LISA BLUDER: Yeah, I do. I've known Ceal for a long, long time. I mean, I remember when I was at Drake, and Ceal came to play in a Sweet 16 at Drake University. Shelley Sheetz, she took Shelley Sheetz away from Iowa, who turned out being a -- I think it was Kodak back then, a Kodak All-American, still.
Ceal was a tremendous coach. You know, Linda Lappe from Iowa also played there and then was a coach there. So I absolutely remember the Colorado teams, and I remember them being really tall. I mean, they had some really tall and then obviously good guards, like Shelley Sheetz.
But I would hope that Des Moines would bid for this because -- you look at Iowa, Iowa State, and Drake, three of the four schools from Iowa, the Division I schools, were invited to the NCAA tournament or won. They each won their tournaments. So they were both automatic bids. And how well Iowa State and us draw, it would just make sense that Des Moines should be trying for this.
Now they hosted a site for men this year, but I'm hoping that in the future, that would be really nice thing, I think. I think we would -- I think it would sellout. I really do. I know Pat Summitt was there for the last time I think they hosted. Baylor was there. Tennessee. They had good crowds then.
Q. You have Monika who comes back for a fifth year, and obviously now is having this run that hopefully continues. What does she mean to this program? And where do you think this team this year might be without Monika on the roster?
LISA BLUDER: Oh, Monika's incredibly important to our success. I mean, she's a region All-American, along with Caitlin. She was a finalist for the Lisa Leslie award, top 5 centers in America. I think she's fourth right now in field goal percentage shooting in the country, which is low for her. The last two years she's been No. 1 in the country. Monika is phenomenal, a phenomenal post player. She's so efficient. Her footwork is so good. Her hands are incredible.
Yeah, I mean, I don't want to even think of where we would be, and I'm thankful I didn't have to think about where we would be without her. So that's down the road.
Q. Multiple players on the team have talked this year about how much they watch college basketball, women's college basketball, outside of the game film and things like that. Stanford loses in your region, Duke loses, Texas loses. All had home region games. Is that kind of one thing where the team could possibly -- you know, just weighing what -- potentially looking ahead, like look how much this region has opened up for us or is it more of a lesson of, hey, if we don't bring our best game, this region has had a lot of upsets, so we could be the next one?
LISA BLUDER: I think it's more the latter. I think you're seeing parity in women's basketball right now, and I think that's tremendous for our game and it makes it so much more fun to watch for everyone, maybe even the casual fan, right, not just Iowa Hawkeye fan, not just the South Carolina fan. But the casual fan, I think enjoys it a little bit more when there's more parity in women's basketball.
But when those people go down -- like you say, they were hosting, well, it wasn't that long ago we felt what that's like. So my heart aches for those people. I know exactly what they're going through, and it just shows you where women's basketball is right now. But did we think about it any differently as far as our steps? No. It's the same steps as we were before. Certainly we all watched the Duke-Colorado game the other night. We had a text thread going from our whole group of our players. It's just the next step. The next step is Colorado.
Q. It doesn't help in terms of bringing your fan base any closer, but is it useful that you as a team made a similar trip out to the Northwest for the Phil Knight tournament last fall?
LISA BLUDER: Yeah, I think it is. We've talked about destiny a lot in our journey this year. There's been so many things that have been like, yeah, that was part of the plan when we didn't even know it was part of the plan, right?
But certainly coming out here and, again, facing that competition in a pro arena like this, I think gives us good experience.
Q. Going back to the parity thing, how has this evolved? How has women's basketball become more than just Connecticut and everybody else? Is there just a deeper talent pool at the high school level? What has taken place the last 10 or 15 years?
LISA BLUDER: My opinion is that it is a deeper talent pool. I think television exposure has helped. Like, for instance, the Big Ten, with our network, when that came on the scene, it allowed us to be known more outside of just Iowa. So I think the Big Ten network certainly helped us.
But I do think there's just a lot more parity, and I think in the last couple of years with the transfer portal, it has also changed things because of that. So I think those -- that's not 10 or 15 years, but certainly in the last couple years.
Q. Last week you faced a Georgia team that liked to run out, two centers. Colorado kind of does the same thing. What comparisons are there between those two -- or those four, I guess, together? And was it kind of nice to see Georgia last week and then have that same personnel this week?
LISA BLUDER: Yeah, I mean, two games in a row we're going to be facing a double-post offense. Again, destiny helps, right? I mean, it's just a situation of we haven't seen that hardly at all this year, the entire year, and now we're seeing it two games in a row. So I think last week will help prepare us.
I know Quay Miller is a fabulous player, All PAC 12 player. And I don't know, Aaronette, is that how you say it? If somebody from Colorado can help me. I don't know. You know, she is very -- I mean, as a sophomore, her field goal percentage the last five games is almost 70 percent. That's like Monika numbers. That's impressive. That's a very, very impressive thing.
Q. Was there a particular game this year that was kind of served as a spark for this team maybe to come from behind or pulling one out on the road where you weren't necessarily favored to win one that kind of serves as a spark for this group?
LISA BLUDER: You know, I mean, I think we've had a lot of little sparks along the way, but certainly beating Indiana at home in our last game to a sold out arena was really good. So I almost think the spark was actually our Maryland loss rather than a win. So coming off that game, we beat Indiana at home, like I said, in a sold-out arena, and then we go into the Big Ten tournament and play -- we played four top -- in eight days, we played four games and two against top 3 -- no three against top 10 opponents in the country. That's hard to do. I think that really has been good for us.
Q. How was the Maryland lost a spark?
LISA BLUDER: It just kind of -- it didn't bring us back to reality because my team was never cocky or anything like that. But it sure like gave us a focus. It just felt so bad that we didn't want to feel that way again for a long, long time, hopefully. It was more that. It was more just -- putting the old cliche, the nose to the grindstone. But it really was. It brought us a little bit closer together, for some reason.
Our chemistry is something that we really believe in, that we really -- we absolutely believe that our chemistry is one of the parts of our success, and I think it even brought us even tighter.
Q. It looked like the team had some fun in Seattle yesterday exploring. Is there anything else that you're hoping that the team will be able to do while you're here or are you now fully locked down into game mode?
LISA BLUDER: Last night they went to the bubble gum wall, which sounds completely disgusting. I'm sorry, Seattle, but it does to me. I did not go. They did. They went to the public market, I believe. So they had a really nice time. It was good for them to get out and walk around and see Seattle. It really is a beautiful city.
This morning, I went for a walk along the waterfront there. It's a beautiful city, and we're glad to be here. But they enjoyed it. We needed that after a four-hour flight here, to get out and stretch the legs. The one thing that they have talked about wanting to do is the Ferris wheel. I don't -- would you recommend that?
Q. I would.
LISA BLUDER: You would? I'm sure you would. Especially at $17 a ticket, I'm sure you would. (Laughing.) They told me that already.
THE MODERATOR: All right. Coach, thank you so much.
And thank you so much for your questions.
(Pause.)
THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with questions for the student-athletes. How about a quick comment from you ladies?
CAITLIN CLARK: Questions.
THE MODERATOR: Okay. Who has the first question?
Q. Caitlin, a lot of opposing coaches have talked about your passing a lot recently. I'm curious, it seems pretty obvious you can work on shooting individually, but how do you work on becoming a better passer?
CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, I think it's not really something you can just go into the gym and work on. I think I'm lucky enough to play at a school where we go into practice every day and we compete. We play a lot of live basketball, and I think that's the best way to get better at a lot of things.
Even working on lowering my turnover numbers, I think that was a huge thing is just playing basketball. We always play pickup in the summer when you can't work out with your coaches as much. So I think that's the biggest thing.
But honestly, I played soccer from a very young age and I think understanding angles and reading angles is something that helps your passing. I'm able to anticipate a lot of things and know where I need to get my teammates the ball and on time. So I think understanding angles and anticipation is just like the biggest two things that help me be a good passer.
Q. Gabbie, you and the other two starters, other than Monika and Caitlin, have really taken on big roles this season and over the last couple seasons, they have grown. How have you been able to grow into that role to help kind of elevate this team?
GABBIE MARSHALL: I think, obviously, people are going to focus on Monika and Caitlin, as they should, and I think, really, it's harder for teams to guard us when we have bigger roles and we know that. I think especially after that Maryland game at Maryland, we knew that we had to step up and we had to knock down shots. They were focusing on Monika and Caitlin, and the supporting cast had to step up.
So I think we've done a great job at it, and Monika and Caitlin are great at finding us and giving us the confidence to knock down the shots when we're open.
Q. I know coach was talking about how Georgia and Colorado play different types of defense, but is there anything that you can take from that Georgia game and playing a team that really prides itself defensively into the game tomorrow?
MONIKA CZINANO: Yeah, I think we all talk about kind of how lucky we are to have this path in the NCAA tournament. I think defensively they all do a great job. Obviously I'm a little bit more focused on post play, but Georgia plays with two bigs, so does Colorado. That's not something we normally see in the Big Ten very often.
So having that aspect, just having a lot of height down there in the paint kind of clogging it up, I think we're really lucky to have played Georgia and have that experience under our belt for Colorado. But it's just going to be a physical game. They're going to try to speed us up a lot. Just kind of playing how we know we can play is going to be huge for us.
Q. You just talked about how you faced Georgia last week. They played two centers. Colorado does the same thing. What similarities do you see from those two? And how does the matchup just all together kind of be similar to last week?
MONIKA CZINANO: I think it is super similar. I think that for me and Mckenna having that under our belts, just the physicality of it more than anything. When you play with two centers, we both have to box out harder, crash harder, all these different things, and it kind of adjusts our game a little bit, adjusts our shots a little bit. So having that under our belt, just kind of having a sense for the physicality of it, is really helpful for us.
Q. Someone asked Coach Bluder what game was kind of a trigger for you, a turning point, what win, and she said it was the Maryland loss just before the Indiana game and all that. How was that a turning point and how were you able to get things rolling again after that?
CAITLIN CLARK: I would totally agree with Coach Bluder. I think that loss kind of stung a bit. We understood a lot of people are going to go back and watch that film and have a blueprint of how to beat Iowa. We knew we needed to change some things to be able to not let teams guard us like that.
We were happy we got another shot at Maryland to show you can't just take two players out of the game and beat us. I think Gabbie and McKenna, Kate, even our bench play Hannah, Sydney, Molly, I think they have all stepped up in big ways and I think we all understand too that if we want to win two games here, we're going to need everybody. It can't just be a couple people. It's got to be all five players on the floor at one time.
Whether that shows up in the box score or not, you need to be dialed in and do your role. But would I totally agree with Coach. I think it was the Maryland loss. Everybody knew that we had to elevate our games to a different level. And understanding people are going to watch that film and think they have a way to beat us, and I think we understand it now that -- we have seen about every defense you can throw at us, jump, zone, man-to-man, pressure, full court, every press. So I think finding confidence, and we've been successful versus basically every defense. It's just executing who we are.
Q. Caitlin, I know you're probably not focused on the scoring record right now, but since we are in Seattle, I'm curious if you have met Kelsey Plum, if you have a friendship with her, and the similarities that you see between the two of your games.
CAITLIN CLARK: No, I've never Kelsey Plum, but I'm a huge fan. Obviously, an amazing college player and more amazing pro and NCAA all-time leading scorer, led Washington to the Final Four. So somebody I really admire. But I did not make that connection. But she is tremendous. I love watching her play. I think she plays with a fire, a passion, that I try to play with and emulate.
So definitely somebody I love having on the TV and obviously I feel like she's taken her game to the next level every single year. So she's been fun to watch and kind of one of my idols.
Q. For Caitlin or Gabbie, how does their guard, Sherrod, impact their play on both ends?
GABBIE MARSHALL: Yeah, she's really fast and quick. She loves defense. She's going to get up in your shorts. She's going to pressure the ball. She's going to try to get in your head. She's going to run through passing lanes. But I feel like we -- it's nothing we haven't seen before. She plays with a lot of energy and passion, and she is that leader for their team. She's going to drive in the paint hard and she's going to find her posts, but I think if we just really lock down on defense and play hard, we'll be fine.
Q. Curious about your soccer comment. What position did you play and what was kind of your style?
CAITLIN CLARK: Definitely not defense. I was the forward. I scored the goals. But soccer was the first ever sport I played and I actually played all the way through my sophomore year of high school. It was really hard to give up, but in Iowa, soccer is in the spring, which was when AAU basketball was, so I had to make a decision.
I honestly probably could have gone on and played DI soccer too, but decided basketball's probably going to be a better route for me and it worked out well, but I definitely miss it. I had a lot of fun watching the World Cup and stuff. But do I give it a lot of credit for foot quickness, reading passing angles, things like that. So I loved getting to play it, and it was the first-ever sport I played.
Q. Monika, how will having Hannah back help with that double-post defense?
MONIKA CZINANO: Oh, it will be such a tremendous help. I just think that -- I've said it so many times today, but it's so true, that Hannah having the ability to come in at the 5 just throws a type of offense at the defense that they're probably not used to seeing. I'm such a traditional back to the basket post. I never dribble, really, if I can help it, and Hannah dribbles. It's so dynamic. Such a great rebounder.
So I think it just gives the defense two completely different looks that they have to be ready for. So having her back is so, so helpful in that regard.
Q. Caitlin, you guys are focused on March Madness, but there's always a lot of conversation around you and Aliyah Boston and the debate for Player of the Year. I was curious if you knew Aliyah at all and what you kind of think of the conversations that go on around that award.
CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, I do know Aliyah. She was my teammate on USA Basketball. I think the debate is really good for women's basketball. But I think I'm focused on winning games and really -- I understand the people that vote for those awards, those are just their opinions and things like that, it's not all of America casting their votes on who they think should win National Player of the Year. And really the only opinions I care about are my teammates and my coaches and what I have of myself and the confidence I have in myself. But like I said, I think Dawn Staley said it really well last year, we need these conversations for our game. That's what grows it. It shouldn't just be one person, end all, be all. It should be, there should be conversations. Because that's what hence the game grow. You see it on men's side all the time. You never know who is going to win Player of the Year, things like that. So more than anything I think it's really good for our game, but at the same time I'm just focused on getting my team to Dallas.
Q. Caitlin, you're really introspective on stuff like this. Colorado's the closest team here. They still had to come 1,300 miles. With the two sites, nobody's close to Seattle, just your thought on what maybe could be done to make this format a little bit better?
CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, I mean, obviously this is really new, so I think it's a learning experience for all of us. I liked Seattle so far. I get to play in the arena that Sue Bird gets to play in or played in. I think that's pretty cool. But I don't know, I think there's going to be a ton of women's basketball fans here in general, I think. This is a city that supports women's basketball. Sure, would I love to be closer to the Midwest where it was a drivable distance for Iowa fans? Absolutely. But say if Washington was here right now I'm sure they would say the opposite. So I'm not going to complain about being in the Sweet 16, I'm honestly just really happy to be here. But would I love it if it was in Iowa City? Yeah. But it's not. But I'm just here, I'm ready to play basketball, doesn't really matter where it's at.
Q. Your -- in your region, there's been upset. Duke lost, Stanford lost, Texas lost. All on their home court. Instead of taking that as, hey, look at the way our region just opened up for us to make a run at the Final Four, is it more kind of a maybe kind of another thing to get you focused on, hey, if we don't bring our best game, this region has already had a lot of upsets and we could be the next one?
CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, I think, absolutely. And I think we understand that really well. We lived that last year when we lost in our home court. So it's sometimes hard to watch other teams go through that, but I think that's what makes March Madness the best season or the best post-season tournament in all of sports. There are those upsets, there's Cinderella teams, there's teams going into 1-seeds and knocking 'em off. That's just going to draw more people to the game. That's what's going to have people talking about the game. I think more than anything it gives us an understanding if you don't come ready to play you're going to go home and I think that's what makes this tournament so fun.
Q. You teased it already, but you landed, you had a little bit of fun in Seattle and you just came off of practice. So two-parter question: How did it feel to walk into the arena and onto the court for this practice and then what's it been like for you in Seattle so far?
GABBIE MARSHALL: I think it's a special feeling. Obviously there's 16 teams left and we're one of the 16 teams that gets to still be playing basketball. So I think, honestly, we're just excited for Friday and just blessed to be here and just happy to be here, honestly.
MONIKA CZINANO: It's a beautiful city. We got to go to the gum wall last night which was kind of fun. This is the furthest West -- or we went to Portland, but second time furthest west I've ever been. I think a lot of people on our team are similar to that. So we're having a lot of fun. It's a really special trip. It's definitely a business trip, but it's cool. Our coaching staff does a good job of kind of letting us see the culture of the places we go to a little bit. So it's really fun and we're really looking forward to the game.
CAITLIN CLARK: I think the arena is awesome too. It's built down into the ground, right, like Carver Hawkeye Arena. It's got good vibes then.
Q. When you were talking about the Maryland loss being that turning point. Was that something where it was like a spoken thing, like the team had a get together and really just discussed how you move forward, or are you all just so kind of connected that it was almost unspoken where you just knew what you needed to do to move forward. How do you specifically come together after that?
MONIKA CZINANO: I think it was a little bit of both. I think it was honestly embarrassing what happened to us at Maryland and we all knew. When you get 30 pieced on the road it's not fun. So I think it was kind of a group thing. Obviously we had meetings with Coach Bluder and stuff and our coaching staff does such a good job of kind of routing our focus. And we had Indiana coming up, which is another big matchup. So I think it was just, we talked about it, yeah, but all of us knew we needed to change if we wanted to make it further than we've ever been before. So, yeah, a mix of both.
CAITLIN CLARK: And Maryland's a tremendous team, let me add.
MONIKA CZINANO: Yes, yes.
CAITLIN CLARK: You know, it's always fun getting to compete against them and they're a very hard team to play on the road. I think we understood that and I think we just understood that wasn't an accurate representation of what our team is. I think wanting to change that -- and I believe our season could have gone one of two ways when we played Indiana at home. We weren't playing for a Big-10 regular season title anymore, but the game still meant the same to us. We were coming in there to win for our seniors on Senior Day in front of a sold-out Carver, our fans still showed up for us. And we won on a buzzer-beating shot but we felt like we played a dominating game against them the whole time. I think we've been able to ride that momentum throughout the Big-10 tournament, the first two games of the NCAA tournament and we're bringing that here too.
JR PAYNE: Yeah, just excited to be here. I think our team's worked really hard to earn the right to be in a position where we can be in a regional, play great team like Iowa, and we're just very, very excited to be here and get going.
THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll take some questions.
Q. I think you were just starting as assistant coach the last time Colorado made the Sweet 16. I think you were at Gonzaga with Kelly, if I remember correctly. What does it mean to be write history for this program? I don't know if any of the players were more than two or three years old last time that happened. What does it mean to be here and have a chance to get this program back to where it was 20 years ago?
JR PAYNE: It means everything. We've been really fortunate, Toriano and myself, to have been able to take over a couple of programs that were struggling and be able to build them into a high-caliber team, and we were really excited for the opportunity to do that at Colorado.
We have such a storied tradition of success, you know, when Ceal Barry was our coach and many Sweet 16s, several Elite 8s, and things like that. So we knew that the potential was here, although it had been a long time since we had been on this stage. But we believed in our ability to recruit the right type of players that could thrive at Colorado and it's been definitely a challenge in seven years to recruit and work and grind and it's just been a long road. But we knew that the potential was there, so we're incredibly proud to have been able to build it into this type of team.
Q. I read a story where you said the first time that you recruited Aaronette over Zoom, she said maybe three words. What has it been like for you to watch her transformation from then until now?
JR PAYNE: Incredible. Truly the greatest gift in being a coach is watching these young women develop as young women. I always say the basketball's just the fun part. But being able to see Aaronette blossom and thrive -- you know, on the court certainly we can all see that, but to see her grow in just a confident young woman that can do anything has been truly awesome. I always say, I think her best basketball is still ahead of her.
Q. When you're talking about the path and the effort it took to get the program back to this kind of level, what about this group that you have specifically allowed you guys to break through and return to something like the Sweet 16?
JR PAYNE: Yeah, I think -- Jaylyn Sherrod is our senior point guard and she is sort of -- I think most of her life sort of had this mindset of will over skill. It's just in her DNA. I think as a group it's in our DNA. I think we just ultimately have a ton of belief in ourselves, in each other, in what we're capable of being on -- when people don't believe in us, we believe even more in ourselves and things like that.
So part of it is that, that mindset. I think the other part of it is just we have a really unselfish group. Truly no one cares who gets the glory, who gets to take the last shot, who comes up with the big rebound, and I think when you have a group that is willing to work and you have a group that doesn't really care who gets the glory, I think you can do really great things.
Q. The first few years you were here Ceal was working in the athletic department. She's retired now, but she's not around as much. But what kind of impact did she have on you as a newer coach at Colorado and kind of helping you get comfortable with Boulder and CU?
JR PAYNE: Yeah, Ceal had a huge impact, almost as big an impact as anyone at the University of Colorado, especially when we first arrived. She did a really great job of balancing, I'm here to help, I'm here to support, I want you to be great, but I also don't want to step on anybody's toes and sort of getting in your way. So she's phenomenal. She's one of the first people that texted me when we beat Duke and saying how great we played and she watches every game and things like that.
So Ceal did a nice job of helping me to really understand our history. I could read the stats and read the record books, but she helped us understand who we were when we were great. Fortunately, that kind of lined up with who I wanted to be, really tough, really gritty, and things like that. So I still appreciate Ceal as a wonderful mentor and supporter.
Q. (No audio) -- what she has meant to your program? Her postgame interview was really emotional the other night when you guys reached the Sweet 16. Can you expound on what she's meant to the program and how fulfilling you think it is for her to be in this spot?
JR PAYNE: Yeah. I don't think I heard the first part of your question, but I get the gist of it, what has Jaylyn meant to the program.
Jay came to Colorado -- as she told everyone, we were only Power 5 offer -- she had other offers, but her only Power 5 offer and she wanted to go somewhere and not just be a good player, not just play a lot of minutes, but she wanted to go somewhere and help establish a culture of excellence.
And for anyone that knows Jaylyn, that is who she is, whether that's in the classroom, on the court, as a teammate, in the community. She's helped us establish a culture of toughness, of fearlessness, of overcoming any obstacle that's put in your path. I mean, she's everything you could want in a player. She works hard. She's an avid listener, avid learner, and really wants to be great. She's willing to do anything. So I think she's -- yeah, she's put her heart and soul into this program for four years and truly has helped us get to where we are today.
Q. On the topic of mentorship that you mentioned, who else are some of the other mentors that you look at in this moment or as you reflect on your journey that helped you get here and have some of those people reached out, what has these past couple days been like in the prep?
JR PAYNE: Yeah, well, definitely Ceal, as we talked about. Two people that have had a big impact on my coaching are Gordy Presnell at Boise State, who was the head coach when T and I were both assistants for him. And then Kelly Graves is like my second dad. We talk every single week. He helped me understand very early that you can be a great coach as well as a great mom as well as a great mentor and leader. As a young woman in the profession, you want to be a wife, you want to be a mother, you know, and I think he established that early.
He also helped me remember that no matter how high the stakes are, this is supposed to be fun, to have joy and to laugh. And we play music in practice and we laugh and we tease each other, and I think he's helped me through that. When things are hard, he's the one I talk to. When things are great, he's also the one I talk to. So definitely Kelly Graves would be someone that I have leaned on for a lot of things in my coaching career.
Q. When it comes to scouting Iowa, is there anything that's surprised you the deeper you've gone into their film?
JR PAYNE: No, not really. Ironically, we played Iowa my first year at Colorado in the Sweet 16 of the NIT, at their place, and they've always been a team that I've greatly admired. They're a team that when I'm looking for something, oh, we need a new -- I don't know, zone attack or zone defense, whatever, they're someone that I would pull their film because I've always greatly admired what they run, how they run it. Sort of the nature of their ball club is really disciplined, really organized, very efficient. So nothing new, but it's always a great challenge to play a team like that.
Q. You guys were at Iowa City last year and probably presumed you would play Iowa. Is that scouting report of any use at all since Iowa's lineup really hasn't changed at all?
JR PAYNE: Yeah, I definitely think they're a similar team. They're just a more experienced version of who they were last year, and they were really good last year as well. So, yeah, I think it's always great to be able to rely on past information. We do pour a ton of effort into our scouting reports. We feel like if there's just one or two little things that we could glean from watching one more game or one more round of defense or things like that, we try to be pretty intense in our scouting. So definitely we've re-looked at those scouts, we've re-watched film, and then of course have a new scout for this year as well.
Q. Two part question: Just what was this week like for you? I mean, you guys played in Durham on Monday night and then now you're here a few days later, and I think you went home first. The other part is just, there's been a lot made of upsets in this tournament, in this bracket. Three of the four lower seeds are here. But you guys are a Power 5 school, you're not like a Cinderella. You've played some really good teams in the PAC 12 that are good. So playing in Iowa I would think is not shell shock, so to speak?
JR PAYNE: Yeah, well, this week has definitely been a whirlwind. We played such a late game. I think we tipped off at 9 p.m. in Durham. We were up really late, of course, that night and then flew back the next day. It was maybe about 24 hours later we were already back on the plane to come West.
So for me, I was doing laundry, trying to help kids with homework, getting my children organized, and things like that. The team had a day off where they could kind of rest and recover for at least 12 of those hours, and then film and practice and we're just kind of back at it again.
To the question of playing in Iowa or being a PAC 12 school, I think our conference top to bottom does an incredible job of preparing us for a quick turnaround against a really good team. We saw that when we played Middle Tennessee, who I thought was such a great team, and then the very next day had to be prepared emotionally, mentally, physically for a great team like Duke. We see that in the PAC 12 a lot. When you play an Oregon, then you got to play an Oregon State or Cal Stanford, whoever it might be.
So this kind of feels the same. It's a quick turnaround from a really great team in Duke to a really great team in Iowa. A different style, of course, but again, I think our conference prepares us for that.
Q. Since you said that when others don't believe in your team, you guys believe in yourself even more. Just curious if that mindset has been specifically really strong as you guys go into a game against Iowa where maybe the outside world might think, you know, Iowa's going to do X, Y, Z, but you guys probably believe in yourselves. How has that played out so far?
JR PAYNE: Honestly, I think we could play anyone and we would feel that way, just because it's so in our DNA to just really focus on what we need to do to be successful. We do that in our pre-season training. We do it throughout our pre-season games. We're really big on identifying our roles, how can I help us be successful, and kind of lock into those. We revisit those throughout the year.
So, yes, definitely, as we prepare for a great team like Iowa, but I honestly think we would have the exact same sort of conversations and mindset no matter who we were playing.
Q. To your note about having fun, you guys just got here landed, settled in. Is there anything that you're hoping that you can enjoy about Seattle or that your team is able to see or do other than win some games?
JR PAYNE: I don't know. I think our main focus is to focus on basketball and winning games. My dad and my step mom live in Seattle, so I'm going to get to see them a little bit. Quaya Miller on our team is from Seattle, so that's going to be really awesome for her to be able to spend time with her family here. I think she's most excited to see her dog who lives here. But, yeah, I mean, it's just, we love Seattle. We play in Seattle every year when we come to UW. So I think we're all pretty comfortable here. But definitely more focused on basketball than anything.
THE MODERATOR: All right. Coach, thank you. We'll have a couple players up here momentarily. Thank you.
(Pause.)
THE MODERATOR: All right. We're joined by the student-athletes from the Colorado. We'll start with an opening statement from the student-athletes.
FRIDA FORMANN: Not much to say. I'm just happy to be here. So thank you all for coming.
THE MODERATOR: All right. Questions, please.
Q. For both of you, what has this week been like because I think you were in Durham Monday night late, winning that game. Coach said you didn't have much time back in Colorado and now you're here. What has the week been like for you two?
FRIDA FORMANN: It's been fun. Of course winning is fun, but it's definitely been a lot of traveling and just trying to figure out what the schedule is. But when it's this time of the year and these games and, I mean, you can manage having a couple flights and not so much down time.
AARONETTE VONLEH: Yeah, I mean, it was definitely just a quick turnaround. We got home Tuesday morning and we're gone the next afternoon. So it was just go home, do laundry, pack your suitcase, and leave kind thing. So it's definitely a lot, especially with school and everything, trying to make sure you're getting your assignments done. But it's just an exciting time, so we're just making it work.
Q. Frida, obviously growing up in Denmark, I know you watched college basketball, but how big of a deal was the NCAA tournament and Sweet 16 and Final Four? Were those things that you actually dreamed of when you were over there?
FRIDA FORMANN: Oh, yeah, for sure. I watched everything. My dad got like ESPN Player so I could watch it. Yeah, it's always been a dream of mine to be part of it. I think when you leave your country to go play over here, you don't really know what's going to happen and how it's going to end up. You just kind of take a chance on a program. I'm just really happy to be here with this program today.
Q. Coach was saying that y'all have this mindset of will over skill and Jaylyn in particular embodies that. Curious how you all feel like that's become the DNA of your team, if that's something that was with the program before you got here, has it developed over time, and how that applies also to facing a team like Iowa.
FRIDA FORMANN: Okay. Yeah, I think that what this program is built on is just getting players who really want to work hard. Coach always tells us we don't get the No. 1 recruits or whatever and we don't need that either because we have that mentality of will over skill and we're going to work hard and we're going to stay together, and I think that's very, very valuable. Basketball's a team sport, so you need to build a great team, and I think that's what we've done.
AARONETTE VONLEH: I was just going to say, yeah, this being my first year here, like I quickly learned that that is their identity. Just like our whole team works so hard that if you aren't working as hard as people around you, you're going to get left behind. So they kind of just raise the bar and make everybody better.
Q. For both the players, what are the keys do you think to stopping Iowa's attack? They score a ton of points. What are the things you guys have to do? And what is sort of your base defense? I know you played both against Duke.
FRIDA FORMANN: I think we've just talked a lot about our identity as being aggressive on defense, being disruptive. So whatever way we can do that against Iowa. We've talked about it already. But yeah, always being aggressive, being disruptive, that's what we do on defense.
AARONETTE VONLEH: Yeah, just like Frida said, we do pride ourselves on defense and that's a big focus point for us. We just have to be locked in on personnel, make players do things that they're not comfortable doing, and just be disruptive in general.
Q. Is there any benefit -- you haven't played in this arena, necessarily, but Seattle is a familiar stop for you in the PAC 12. Does that help you at all with this trip?
AARONETTE VONLEH: I think anywhere we go we're going to be ready to play, but it is nice to be in Seattle just because, like you guys know, Quay is from here, so she's going to have a lot of family here. I'm from Portland, which is not too far. So it's definitely easier for us to get supporters out here, but anywhere we go it's going to be the same thing.
Q. Are the two of you getting into an activate Sweet 16 mode or anything like that? Are you treating this game tomorrow differently or is this like any other, same playlist, same mindset, all of that?
FRIDA FORMANN: I would say both, kind of. It's just a basketball game, so you have to prepare the same way you would, but of course the stakes are a little bit higher than the regular season game. We all know that it's win or go home, so you have to treat it like that and really lock in and you just have extra focus and extra urgency, I think, in games like these.
AARONETTE VONLEH: Yeah, I would say the preparation's definitely the same, but -- I don't know, we just had like such high energy over this past week, like the practices, everybody's super locked in because I think we're all just so excited to have this opportunity in front of us, we want to take advantage of it.
Q. For both of you, can you talk about what Jaylyn Sherrod means to this team on the court and off?
FRIDA FORMANN: Yeah, Jaylyn is, I would say, just the heart of our team. She works super hard, as you can tell. She's just always chasing down loose balls, always playing with super high energy. She is one of those players that can really make you want to go the extra mile. So I think that that's what she means to this program. She makes us all work hard. She always holds us accountable if we're not. So, yeah, she's just keeps it at a really high standard.
AARONETTE VONLEH: Yeah, Jaylyn is one of the hardest workers. She's also like the leader of our team on and off the court. She just brings a ton of energy and passion to the game. Like, she wants to win so badly. I think that we're able to feed off of that and kind of just like match that level of intensity and it helps all of us.
Q. I know you guys weren't on campus long, but was there a buzz when you got back from advancing to the Sweet 16? And the second half is just, there isn't in the past 20 years that much history for Colorado women's basketball before that they were under Coach Barry, really successful making Sweet 16s and Elite 8s. Are you guys aware of the history of Colorado and how you've now made your own by reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003?
FRIDA FORMANN: I mean, we were received really well when we came back with the bus to the arena. We were all tired, but it was great to see people there cheering for us. Every time I've e-mailed my professors, they always are really excited e-mailing me back. And, yeah, I think there's definitely a buzz around women's basketball right now and it's really nice to see because it's been a long while of not really -- just building the program after Ceal Barry stopped coaching. So, yeah, it's really exciting to be back in this place for everyone.
AARONETTE VONLEH: Yeah, I didn't know much about the history until recently, just like seeing things in articles and on Twitter about how it's been since I think 2003 since they made it to the Sweet 16, which is like crazy to think about because I probably wasn't even born yet. So it's just cool to be a part of history being rewritten in a way.
Q. You were a senior recruit, you were signed with Arizona when they made their Final Four or their championship game run two years ago. Did you get a chance to go to any of those games and experience them in person?
AARONETTE VONLEH: I didn't, but I definitely was watching all of them on TV. It was just so cool to see them go that far and knowing that I was going to be part of a championship program the next year. It was during COVID, so it was a little tough to get out there, but, yeah, I was able to watch it.
Q. How weird is it that you're in the Sweet 16, but not with Arizona? I mean, two years ago I would imagine you didn't think you would be here with somebody other than Arizona?
AARONETTE VONLEH: Yeah, I mean, it's definitely a little weird just thinking about it. But I am so grateful that I chose to come here and how it's worked out and that we're in a really good position and I was able to contribute to that.
THE MODERATOR: Is there an X factor with this particular team? You've got the talent, you've got depth, you've got experience, you've been in big games. Is there an intangible that has helped this team get this far?
FRIDA FORMANN: I just think that we're a team that has really good chemistry and as we've said, our identity is just, I mean, we're never going to wilt, we're never going to back down from anything. So I think that's our X factor, just having no fear and just going out there and playing hard.
Q. A lot is made of you guys playing an upset over Duke, but you play in a really good conference, you've beaten some really good teams. Does that help you playing in the PAC 12 that you're playing a PAC 12 team that's another Power 5 that I'm sure you've played players close to the level of Caitlin and teams as good as Iowa in your on conference?
AARONETTE VONLEH: I would say the PAC 12 is just, like, I think it's the best conference, because there's no drop off. There's no day off. Every team is so good and has such a high level of talent. So you're constantly playing against great players, great teams, great competition. I think that really helps us prepare for the post-season. Because we're not just stepping into March, like on our heels, like surprised when we play against good competition. We prepared all season for this.
FRIDA FORMANN: Yeah, I would say the same. Every game we've gone into here in March Madness has just been like it's nothing we haven't seen before. I think we've really used that to just have some confidence going into it saying that we have seen really good defense that we saw from Duke and from other teams in the PAC 12. And the offense Iowa has, we have seen that too in the PAC 12. So there's nothing new to us in that way.
