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The University of Utah Athletics
Lynne Roberts Weekly Press Conference: 12-11-18
12/11/2018 3:36 PM | Women's Basketball
Opening Statement…
"We are coming off a good weekend. We beat BYU at home, broke the attendance record on Saturday for my four years, so we appreciate everyone coming out. We are doing well and we just have to keep getting better. I know that is 'coach speak' and pretty predictable, but that is really the truth. We have three non-conference games left and then we get into really tough Pac-12 play. As of yesterday, there are five Pac-12 teams in the Top 25 in women's basketball and several of us others getting votes. So, the league just continues to be really tough, so we have to get better and continue to push."
On not getting complacent after starting 8-0…
"I think that comes from our staff. Our goal was not to start 8-0 and win some Pac-12 awards, our goal was to win some games in the Pac-12 that we haven't won in the past few years. We have to win a couple more that we haven't been able to in the past. We know it is going to be really hard because I mentioned all the good team, so how do we not relax, we continue to remind them that this wasn't our goal coming into the year. We never talk about winning at this point, we talk about how to get better, our identity and how we stick to that. It starts with us as a staff. We aren't relaxing because I do think we have the potential to be a great team, but that will be proven when it is all said and done in March."
On Utah being ranked first in the Pac-12 in steals and if they are putting a big emphasis on that in practice…
"It is a huge part of it. Steals are a live ball turnover by the other team so you are able to get it and go and it is going to create an advantage break going for us. We are really pretty good in those transition situations. Coming into the year, I thought we would have two traditional centers. We lost Maurane Corbin to an ACL in September and then the freshman post player from Spain that we signed didn't get into school yet, so that was 6-5 and 6-4, so we when we lost those guys we kind of had to regroup to see what we should do defensively. When we get into Pac-12 play, we aren't going to be as big as some of those teams, but I do think we have the ability to score and I think we have length and athleticism. So, when you have those two things, it makes sense to try and defensively turn up the pressure. We call it 'disruption pressure.' We just want them to be disruptive where you don't have to necessarily come up with a steal, but you disrupt. I think we have been able to get a lot of live ball steals which has resulted in us beating teams pretty convincingly because of that."
On what she sees as Utah's strengths and some areas for improvement…
"I am very happy with our shot selection right now. We aren't perfect, but I do think that sometimes you have to give up a good shot to create an even better one and I think this team is pretty unselfish. There is nobody out there trying to get theirs or try to score for themselves. I think their objective is to get great shots and if its 'me' then great, if its 'you' then great. Players when they have success in that kind of system it is a big snow ball effect with it and you just keep getting better and better about it. I think we need to get better with our half court execution. It is a slippery slope with being that up-tempo, fast-paced team that takes advantage of those advantage breaks, but then we need to know when to hit the breaks, pull it out and look for the great shot. I thought we were pretty good against BYU, that was improvement, but we still need to get better. I thought BYU played very well. They were ready to play. Jeff Judkins is a good coach and he had them ready to roll. It was a good back and forth game, so it was a good test for our execution."
On if the development of the freshmen this season surprised her…
"Coming into the year, I knew they were all talented, obviously we wouldn't recruit them if we didn't think that. They were all highly recruited, so we knew they would be impact players here, I just wasn't sure when. You never really know until they get into this level of day-in and day-out mentality that they haven't experience yet. I wasn't sure if they would be ready to roll this season in terms of impact, but thank heavens they are because five freshmen out of 10 are playing. I am really proud of them. It is fun to see their growth and mental toughness to be able to just step in and be ready to go. It will be interesting to see if we can sustain that through Pac-12 play, because that will come with some adversity. As of now though, I think they are doing fantastic."
On Megan Huff's leadership this year…
"She has done a really good job. She is such a talent and anyone who watches us play can see that. I was telling someone yesterday that last year she was Robin to Batman and this year she is Batman. There is an adjustment that comes with that and it takes a while to get used to that, but she has done a good job with it. She isn't trying to do too much, which is a positive. She started off the game against BYU a little shaky, I think she started 0-for-6 to start the game but then went 10-for-13 in the second half, so that is just a testament to her toughness and talent. She is not a grab you by the shirt type of leader that is going to mandate that you fall in line, but she is going to work her tail off and compete and lead in that way."
On coaching in 500 career games…
"I have been really blessed to be given opportunities to be a head coach. I was 25 when I got my first head job. I have learned by doing, being thrown into the deep end and by messing up and learning from those mistakes. I am pretty sure it wasn't my 500th win, but we will get there. I am so fortunate to be able to do this for the living. It is the best job in the world. It is challenging with pressure and it can get hard with a lot of time away from home, but there is nothing better. I am happy to be here and I love it. Here is to 500 more."
On Weber State…
"They are competitive. The former assistant from here, Velaida Harris, is their new head coach there. Anytime a new coach comes in, teams come in and play with more energy and play really well in kind of that honeymoon period. They play really, really hard. Their guards make them go, so they are going to want to get out and run as well. It will be a competitive game. All of these in-state schools when they come and play us or we go play them, they are ready to play and are ready to compete. So I anticipate a competitive game at 2 p.m. Saturday. So hopefully a lot of fans that came out will come and check us out again."
"We are coming off a good weekend. We beat BYU at home, broke the attendance record on Saturday for my four years, so we appreciate everyone coming out. We are doing well and we just have to keep getting better. I know that is 'coach speak' and pretty predictable, but that is really the truth. We have three non-conference games left and then we get into really tough Pac-12 play. As of yesterday, there are five Pac-12 teams in the Top 25 in women's basketball and several of us others getting votes. So, the league just continues to be really tough, so we have to get better and continue to push."
On not getting complacent after starting 8-0…
"I think that comes from our staff. Our goal was not to start 8-0 and win some Pac-12 awards, our goal was to win some games in the Pac-12 that we haven't won in the past few years. We have to win a couple more that we haven't been able to in the past. We know it is going to be really hard because I mentioned all the good team, so how do we not relax, we continue to remind them that this wasn't our goal coming into the year. We never talk about winning at this point, we talk about how to get better, our identity and how we stick to that. It starts with us as a staff. We aren't relaxing because I do think we have the potential to be a great team, but that will be proven when it is all said and done in March."
On Utah being ranked first in the Pac-12 in steals and if they are putting a big emphasis on that in practice…
"It is a huge part of it. Steals are a live ball turnover by the other team so you are able to get it and go and it is going to create an advantage break going for us. We are really pretty good in those transition situations. Coming into the year, I thought we would have two traditional centers. We lost Maurane Corbin to an ACL in September and then the freshman post player from Spain that we signed didn't get into school yet, so that was 6-5 and 6-4, so we when we lost those guys we kind of had to regroup to see what we should do defensively. When we get into Pac-12 play, we aren't going to be as big as some of those teams, but I do think we have the ability to score and I think we have length and athleticism. So, when you have those two things, it makes sense to try and defensively turn up the pressure. We call it 'disruption pressure.' We just want them to be disruptive where you don't have to necessarily come up with a steal, but you disrupt. I think we have been able to get a lot of live ball steals which has resulted in us beating teams pretty convincingly because of that."
On what she sees as Utah's strengths and some areas for improvement…
"I am very happy with our shot selection right now. We aren't perfect, but I do think that sometimes you have to give up a good shot to create an even better one and I think this team is pretty unselfish. There is nobody out there trying to get theirs or try to score for themselves. I think their objective is to get great shots and if its 'me' then great, if its 'you' then great. Players when they have success in that kind of system it is a big snow ball effect with it and you just keep getting better and better about it. I think we need to get better with our half court execution. It is a slippery slope with being that up-tempo, fast-paced team that takes advantage of those advantage breaks, but then we need to know when to hit the breaks, pull it out and look for the great shot. I thought we were pretty good against BYU, that was improvement, but we still need to get better. I thought BYU played very well. They were ready to play. Jeff Judkins is a good coach and he had them ready to roll. It was a good back and forth game, so it was a good test for our execution."
On if the development of the freshmen this season surprised her…
"Coming into the year, I knew they were all talented, obviously we wouldn't recruit them if we didn't think that. They were all highly recruited, so we knew they would be impact players here, I just wasn't sure when. You never really know until they get into this level of day-in and day-out mentality that they haven't experience yet. I wasn't sure if they would be ready to roll this season in terms of impact, but thank heavens they are because five freshmen out of 10 are playing. I am really proud of them. It is fun to see their growth and mental toughness to be able to just step in and be ready to go. It will be interesting to see if we can sustain that through Pac-12 play, because that will come with some adversity. As of now though, I think they are doing fantastic."
On Megan Huff's leadership this year…
"She has done a really good job. She is such a talent and anyone who watches us play can see that. I was telling someone yesterday that last year she was Robin to Batman and this year she is Batman. There is an adjustment that comes with that and it takes a while to get used to that, but she has done a good job with it. She isn't trying to do too much, which is a positive. She started off the game against BYU a little shaky, I think she started 0-for-6 to start the game but then went 10-for-13 in the second half, so that is just a testament to her toughness and talent. She is not a grab you by the shirt type of leader that is going to mandate that you fall in line, but she is going to work her tail off and compete and lead in that way."
On coaching in 500 career games…
"I have been really blessed to be given opportunities to be a head coach. I was 25 when I got my first head job. I have learned by doing, being thrown into the deep end and by messing up and learning from those mistakes. I am pretty sure it wasn't my 500th win, but we will get there. I am so fortunate to be able to do this for the living. It is the best job in the world. It is challenging with pressure and it can get hard with a lot of time away from home, but there is nothing better. I am happy to be here and I love it. Here is to 500 more."
On Weber State…
"They are competitive. The former assistant from here, Velaida Harris, is their new head coach there. Anytime a new coach comes in, teams come in and play with more energy and play really well in kind of that honeymoon period. They play really, really hard. Their guards make them go, so they are going to want to get out and run as well. It will be a competitive game. All of these in-state schools when they come and play us or we go play them, they are ready to play and are ready to compete. So I anticipate a competitive game at 2 p.m. Saturday. So hopefully a lot of fans that came out will come and check us out again."
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
F
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