Additional Quotes

March 9, 2006 • Starograd Gdanski, Poland
Story || Box Score

USA head coach ANNE DONOVAN, Seattle Storm
On tonight's game:
We kept the lead pretty much throughout the game with a nice 10-point cushion. But there were many times I thought we could have advanced it even further. Overall the things we had to do better tonight, we did. Defending was one of our primary goals and we kept that goal, holding them under 55 points. Offensive rebounds, we had very few last night and we came up with 21 tonight. Specific things like that we were looking to do tonight we did fairly well.

On tonight's game:
We kept the lead pretty much throughout the game with a nice 10-point cushion. But there were many times I thought we could have advanced it even further. Overall the things we had to do better tonight, defending was one of our primary goals and we kept that goal, holding them under 55 points. Offensive rebounds, we had very few last night and we came up with 21 tonight. Specific things like that we were looking to do tonight we did fairly well.

I think it would have looked different if Biba (Agnieszka Bibrzycka) had been playing for them. But I thought we played better tonight, defensively in particular. I thought we had a much better showing on the defensive end. Another thing we wanted to do was attack the offensive glass, we didn't shoot the ball well tonight, but we did get in there on the offensive boards.

The team's shooting woes continued. Why do you think that's happened over the last two days?
It might be Sopron versus Poland because we did not shoot the ball well here. We were under 40 percent again tonight, but the difference tonight was that you get offensive boards, you get yourself to the free throw line, whereas last night we didn't get second chances.

Are you pleased with what you've seen overall this week?
It's a great one-week training camp. We got some things put in, we played people a lot of minutes, we had the chance to evaluate and we've gotten the chance to simply start. But it's just a scratch to the surface. We've got a lot to do and a long way to go.

KARA BRAXTON, Detroit Shock
You had a great rebounding effort tonight, was that your focus?
Yeah, she told me to go out and get as many rebounds as I could, so that's what I tried to do.

What do you think the difference was between last night's game and tonight's?
I think we were more patient, we worked better together, we settled down and got with the flow of the game.

How do you feel about your play in the last week, whether it's making the 2006 USA World Championship Team or a future USA team?
There's a lot of good players out here that they have to pick from. I just hope I did as much as I could to make the selection. I did what I could, if they like what I did, that's great. If not, I still enjoyed myself, had a great time playing with all the girls. Even if it's not this year, the Olympics are in 2008 so I have two more years and I'm looking forward to it if it happens.

KARA LAWSON, Sacramento Monarchs
What were the biggest differences between last night's game and tonight's?
I think we were more committed on the defensive end. We had longer spurts where we played better on both ends. The coaches talked to us about having lulls and getting up six or eight points and being able to put a team away. That's something that we all concentrated on tonight, to stay consistent no matter what the score was. We had our defensive goals and we made them, so we're happy.

What do you think of the whole week overall?
It was great. For me, being a young player and a player that hasn't really had too much international experience at the National Team level, it's a great learning experience. I've tried to be a sponge and soak everything up, I tried to learn as much as I could from the veterans here and also from the coaching staff. I wish it was still going on because I feel that I still have a lot more to learn. I felt like I was starting to really get it and it's the end, it's over. I'm just trying to get what coach Donovan wants and what kind of strategy she's using and how she wants us to play. Overall for me it was a great time.

DELISHA MILTON-JONES, Washington Mystics
On tonight's game:
I wasn't here for the first game, but I knew coming into this game that coach Donovan was going to really emphasize defense. Tonight we set goals for ourselves defensively and goals for rebounding and we accomplished them. Overall I think that the past week that we've been together, I've seen a steady improvement with this team. It's a new group and it takes time for a team to come together, but I think everyone put in a good effort to try to make the most out of this opportunity.

It's always interesting when you can play against a team like Lotos. In the past they've had powerhouse teams. This year is a rebuilding year for them, they're starting young and trying to give those girls a lot of experience. So when you're going to play against a young team like that they're going to be full of energy like the game last night where we only won by five points. I'm assuming they were all over the court, they probably stymied us just a little bit on the offensive end. Tonight they were probably a little bit overwhelmed from the other game, and probably a little fatigued. But all in all I would have to say that I'm pleased with our performance in certain areas. When you think of a USA team, anytime you put a team together you think of dominance. I don't think we really dominated the way that we really should have and the way that we have done in the past. But this is a young group, we've only been together for a week and there are a lot of expectations. For the most part we've done a good job.

Have you seen improvements over the past week and if so, what does that say about the pool of players from which to choose for the 2006 USA World Championship Team?
This week we have seen improvements as a team and as individuals. I think that USA Basketball, the committee won't go wrong with whoever they choose to be on this team. Because, first of all, you have good people in this room. When you have good people who are good basketball players, that tends to make a good team and you have great chemistry when you're out on the floor. I don't see where they would have any problems putting a great team together.

Can you tell me about why you missed last night's game?
I was at the All-Star Game for the EuroLeague women. I must say it was a very interesting event. It was their first All-Star Game ever and of course they had some rough spots in the road. But overall I think they did a great job of showcasing the European talent against the rest of the world. Our team, the rest of the world, we kind of struggled with our shooting, but we gave a great effort. I think we were a little traumatized by the outfits that we had to wear. We are not known for wearing body suits while we're playing and trying to turn the men on at the same time. We normally just go out there and concentrate on basketball, but they had other things in mind and I think that caught a lot of us off guard. We were a little bashful and shy and didn't want to move the way we would move if we had on our usual yards of material around our waists! (laughs) But all in all it was a fun event. I look forward to the one next year, if my play is at the same level that it is right now. I'm hoping that it'll get better and be even more of an enjoyable experience for whomever is invited.

What did the uniforms look like for the EuroLeague All-Star Game? Was it a one-piece body suit?
It was a two-piece. The bottoms were tight (like compression shorts). The top wasn't really tight, but it was tight where they wanted it be, again, for the fans.

And up next for you?
I'll be going back to Brno, make sure you roll that R! I'm going back there to start preparing for the French team Valenciennes for the EuroLeague Final Four. It's going to be a tough task for us because right now they're playing well as a team. They have a lot of young talent mixed with some old talent and they're doing a great job of bringing it all together. They have a very smart coach who is known for winning. He's won a couple EuroLeague titles in his tenure, so we'll have our hands full.

KATIE SMITH, Detroit Shock
How do you feel about this past week and the way the team closed out with tonight's win?
I think these games went really well. Coming off a back-to-back, the energy definitely wasn't the same without the crowd they had last night, but we came out hard and we set ourselves a goal of (holding Lotos to) 55 points and we were able to get that. We still didn't shoot the ball really well, but I think that putting us together like this, a lot of us haven't played together, I think it's a nice effort and we saw some good things tonight and this week.

Coach Donovan was talking about the lack of defensive effort during the first game, have you seen that improve throughout the week?
I think it has. They have some big girls. We're not as big as they were, but I thought that we did a nice job, especially guarding the perimeter. It's a different style. I think we did a nice job, we kept them ... they got a couple easy buckets here and there, but for the most part our defense was pretty solid tonight. It's something we're going to have to hang our hat on as we go through these training camps and also at the World Championship.

DIANA TAURASI, Phoenix Mercury
On the difference between tonight's game over Lotos and last night's:
I think we did a better job of rebounding and getting stops tonight. We pushed the tempo a little bit better. Obviously having DeLisha back really helps, that was instrumental. I think we just played better together.

How has this helped the USA Women's Senior National Team Pool going forward?
Overall, I think everyone got a good feel for everyone else on the team. They looked at different people, different combinations to put out there so I think for coach Donovan and coach Thibault it was a successful trip. There's still two more to go on so they'll get a really good feel for who's they want to be on the team.

What's next for you?
I'm heading back to Russia tomorrow. We still have the Russian league to finish up. We have the playoffs in mid-April and then I'll probably be home around May 1.