Press Conference vs George Washington
Head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, Camryn Taylor and Sam Brunelle
VIRGINIA HEAD COACH AMAKA AGUGUA-HAMILTON
Opening Statement:
“First of all, thank you to all our fans that came to the game. That was a really good crowd and we hope to continue to build on that, but there was definitely energy in the building and we fed off of that. I’m just proud of our group. I think especially in the second half, we came together, played together, really dialed into the game plan and had each other’s back. [We] put a little bit more energy and effort into what we were doing, and we were able to turn the game around and create a big gap. So, I’m happy about how we played in the second half. [In the] first half we had to weather the storm, there was some adversity, but I mean, it’s [the] first game, there’s first game jitters and we just had to get a rhythm and I’m happy we did.”
On the feeling of looking at the arena after the first win:
“I was just proud. I was really proud of our players. Like I said we had foul trouble early, we were a little out of rhythm, and for them to continue to believe in me, in themselves, and each other was just something that I was proud of. So, I just wanted to go down and tell everybody good job. The energy in the building was really cool. Fans were standing up cheering. I think we all had some chills. It was just a great atmosphere.”
On Taylor Valladay and Sam Brunelle plays in the third quarter:
“What was going through my mind was that we finally took the lid off the basket. We have some great shooters, Sam being one of them, Cam being one of them too, both of them can really shoot it, but we have a lot of players on the team that can shoot it. We just have been in some woes I guess, some shooting woes. So, just to see a couple go through I think it took the lid off. Everybody relaxed a little bit, and we were able to hit more threes. Because then all of a sudden K.D. [Kaydan Lawson] started hitting threes, and everybody was dropping them in there. So I was just happy to see that happen.”
On coming back to win the rebound battle in the second half:
“It’s [about] heart. It’s about who wants it. When a rebound comes off, it’s a loose ball. So, who wants it? Who’s going to box out, and who’s going to go pursue it? They know when we’re not rebounding I’m not very happy. So, that was one of the things in the first half I thought we weren’t doing well. They had too many o-boards [offensive rebounds]. They had 10 o-boards in the first half and that’s not good, but they only had two in the second, so we made the adjustment. We have physical players, we got athletic players, we got big guards, we got big post players, we got everything we need to be a great rebounding team. So, I just think that our minds were going 100 miles per hour just trying to adjust, it’s the first game, and then when the game slowed down, our players locked in and they were able to get boards.”
GRADUATE STUDENT FORWARD SAM BRUNELLE:
On the future of the season:
“It’s pretty awesome to play with these girls and to have Coach Hamilton. We compete and work hard every single day together. Honestly, we have not even reached where we can be yet because we have so much potential and talent. The ceiling is high and I’m excited to see what happens as the season goes on. We’re going to get more comfortable with each other and know each other’s tendencies better as we play more. Our defense is going to get better. Everything is going to get better; and that is the exciting thing. We have so much to improve on and we we’re not even near the ceiling yet.”
On playing in front of family and friends:
“It’s awesome and kind of crazy. In warmups, I will look to the right or left and probably see someone I’m related to which is pretty cool. I haven’t done that since high school or my freshman year when we played here when I was at Notre Dame. It’s surreal though, I would have never imagined that I would have the opportunity to be able to come back home and play in front of these people. I’m just really blessed and honored, especially doing it with my teammates because they are amazing. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now.”
On George Washington’s performance in the fourth:
“Yes, absolutely. I said in the first timeout we had in the fourth that they were clearly getting tired, and they’re ‘shook’ right now; so, this is the time where we need to put the foot on the pedal and extend the lead. They were definitely getting worn down and that speaks to us and how hard we have been working too. Every practice is really hard and competitive, and we want it to be that way. That is what is going to make us better in the long run.”
The feeling before the game:
“I wouldn’t say that I had jitters from the people around me or the fans. I think being able to the play college basketball now for three or four years I’ve settled in from the aspect of playing in front of a crowd. I think my thing right now is just having confidence in myself with coming back. I think sometimes I can be a little frustrated with myself internally. That was probably seen in the first half but in the second half, I opened up. I fed off my teammates because they were super encouraging and hyping me up, which is super helpful to me. Kudos to them for being in my corner always.”
On ditching her knee braces:
“I threw those things off, but you got to do what you got to do sometimes. It got to the point where mentally I just didn’t like them. They were not helping me, so I took them off and threw them away and didn’t think about them anymore.”
SENIOR FORWARD CAMRYN TAYLOR:
On the future of the season:
“Sam hit it; it’s just getting better every single day. This is a great indicator for everybody that we can be a really good team. There is a lot that comes with this season; it’s a long and taxing season but we’re ready and prepared for it. We’re going to recover going back to practice and keep fine tuning everything. We’re excited.”