Post Game Press Conference vs Richmond: Thompson and Toi
Head Coach Tina Thompson
Opening Statement:
“Another tough one for us. Consistency is our kryptonite right now. We have these moments where we’re playing at a high level but it’s going to require us, in order to get wins, to play at that level from start to finish. We have these lulls, in a sense, they’re backbreaking. We’re digging these holes for ourselves and it’s been really tough for us to get out of. The conversation is consistently being consistent, and that’s where we have to be. When you have the talent that we have, and we’re playing against teams that are cohesive and work really hard. You have to match that level of work, and now we’re having a little trouble doing that right now. So the theme is going to continue to be moving forward, that we have to work at a high level and we have to be consistent in that work.”
On how the team looks to fix their mistakes:
“We have to believe that they’re correctable. That is what competition breeds and especially if you want to win games and you want to show up and compete every single day then that has to be your goal. A lot of them are mental mistakes. Us not meeting the ball on passes, us reversing the ball and not looking at a teammate, us forgetting schemes or just kind of how we defend. Those are definitely correctable mistakes, but we have to decide in order to correct those and make them a habit, you have to work that way every single day so that it becomes second nature. We’re not going to change what we’re preaching and what we’re asking of them. It’s something that we require, and we’re going to continue to do that until we get there.”
On what she was telling her players entering the fourth quarter:
“The same thing just a little louder. But it is that we have to work, we have to be consistent, we have to stick to the schemes, we have to know the personnel and react based on that. It’s really difficult to stop teams from doing the things that they do well if you don’t make the effort to take those things away. Knowing that they [Richmond] are an active team and they’re moving and they do kind of specific things, drive to draw and kick; us not having a second effort or just having lapses in moments based on skill set, those things can be back-breaking at times. So the conversation was that we can’t fold, we have to continue to work and we have time to be able to work ourselves back into this game.”
Guard Amandine Toi
On her biggest takeaways on the team:
“I think we need to work harder on being consistent. I think we should be more cohesive and learn from each other as a team. I think we have a lot of new personnel in this team. Playing together as a whole I think is going to come. It’s coming along now, I think we’re getting better each game. But now we have to put four quarters together and play as a whole. So I think that’s how I see this team in the future. We’re going to need to play more together and learn each other and build something from that.”
Virginia Player Quotes
Guard Kaydan Lawson
On her contributions coming off of the bench:
“Coming off the bench I definitely saw that offensively we needed to have more composure and slow down and see what USC was presenting defensively. Defensively, for us, I know just being in the gaps, helping our teammates, especially down in the post and knowing the schemes of our defense, that’s what we needed to do. That’s what I tried to contribute coming off of the bench.”
Forward London Clarkson
On how she looks to lead the team going forward:
“For me that means coming into practice tomorrow with a good attitude and good energy. I think we can learn a lot from this game. Watching film, going over our plays, being ready, and being better for tomorrow. Like she [Head coach Tina Thompson] said, she’s giving us this time to really think about it. Tomorrow we’ve got to be ready. We’ve got to be better. I have got to be leading by example.”