University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn-Marquette Postgame Quotes
2/23/2022 10:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma
On winning the BIG EAST regular season:
"Yeah, I just talked about it briefly with the team. For people who have played any sport, or have been in any kind of competition, winning is a difficult thing. Sometimes, here at Connecticut, we've made it look like it's easy. Now, people get the impression that winning is easy. Winning is not, it's never easy. Winning all the time is never easy. We've won so much, that there's a perception that we just come out and win. It's not like that. If you're a freshman and this is the first time you've ever won a championship and you're proud of it, you should be. If you're a senior and this is the first time you've done it, then you should feel proud of that as well. It takes a lot to win, and nobody sees the amount of practice time that goes in and the amount of actual time spent on the game. I'm proud of our team."
On the seniors' impact:
"They don't get real high on things and they don't get real low on things. So I think them being like that has made it a lot easier on everyone else to look at them and go, 'They're not worried.'Â They might have been, but they didn't show it. Their disposition and their demeanor without even saying anything has probably made a difference for the younger guys."
Redshirt Senior Guard Evina Westbrook
On what she liked about her game the past two weeks"
"I think defensively and being more aggressive offensively. I think just being ready when my name gets called. Sometimes I go in as the 4, and sometimes I go in as the 1, 2 or 3. Just being prepared and giving my team what they need at that time."
On changing roles on the team during the challenges the team faced with injuries"
"I think it has been difficult, for sure, and for everyone. Not only for us, but we have seen different grade levels step up. Like Liv said there is stuff that we can't even make up, like our bus breaking down. Crazy things you can't even imagine. I think that everyone has handled this really well, especially the senior class with us being older. We knew we had a big responsibility, way bigger than normal. Just us having that title we all knew we had to step up on and off the court."
Senior Forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa
On being a senior during a season that the team faced adversity:
"I definitely think it means more this season. There has been more adversity than we have seen in the past four years. I think that the adversity that we faced, the challenges, the injuries, just trying to grind out every single game. It means a lot more now."
On overcoming obstacles this past season and what they learned about themselves:
"I would say the biggest challenge is my mentality. Realizing that, look, this is an uncharacteristic season. You don't know what is going to happen this game or the next game or how many games are away. I think just being prepared for anything and having to be prepared for things on the fly or adjusting to things. It all comes into it. That has played a huge part, not only in our leadership as seniors but our overall growth as a team."
Sophomore Forward Aaliyah Edwards
On overcoming obstacles this past season and what they learned about themselves
"For me it is about going into every game with a relentless mindset. Because there are going to be so many challenges, someone is hurt, or we may not have enough people. Going into every game, we have to win this game, and not think about the next or the game last time. Just focusing on this game."
On being a sophomore and having teammates both older and younger:
"The seniors play a big role in our player development and just getting accumulated with the team. As a freshman, first year in college and college basketball it is a huge and different atmosphere. And to look up to them is great and comforting. Being a sophomore, now and having freshmen beneath us, we still look up to the seniors especially with all the challenges and adversities that they have never seen before, they handled it perfectly."
