Dec. 20, 2004
USC Head Coach Susan Walvius
Opening Comments: “It was a really ugly first half and we have to do a better job of taking care of the basketball. In the second half we did a better job of rebounding and playing defense. Angela Hunter really stepped up and our two newcomers (Hunter and Melanie Johnson) did a good job of getting baskets and playing defense.”
About playing four games in seven days: “I’m not worried about the fatigue as much as getting the opportunity to get better. There are things that drill work can correct but there’s no time to work on that because we are practicing to get ready for the next game. If you look at our play we are tentative and not playing as well as we were to start the season. We’re not thinking, we’re hesitating and we are not as confident. We don`t have time to practice the drill offense and different passes is a big issue for us.”
About Carolina post players: “I think we sent a message to Iva with very little playing time in her last game. She can be more aggressive and play with passion. Tonight, she did that and had a very good game.”
About Melanie Johnson: “She is a joy to coach. She tries to take in all the information that she can. She is a tremendous athlete. She is getting so much better and her confidence is growing every game. I look for her to continue to improve as we play games.”
Sophomore Forward Melanie Johnson
About playing better offense in the past couple of games: “I sat out all last season. Our offense is set up for good post play.”
About having chemistry with Iva Sliskovic: “Our offense is set up for the posts to look good.”
About Carolina’s 24 turnovers: “We talked about our unforced errors and we really need to start taking better care of the basketball.”
About playing four games in seven days: “We have very good rotation in our lineup. We have a lot of parity and different players step up. I really believe that fatigue is not a question right now.”
