Hillsman Postgame Notre Dame
Syracuse versus Notre Dame
January 30, 2010
Opening Statement:
“The biggest challenge in games like this is getting your players to really believe that they can win these games. We all thought that we could win this basketball game. We were not intimidated or scared. We knew what we had to do. We got in the paint and we wanted to win that war and we did. Our points in the paint were 38 they had 20. That was the whole game. Except for missed free-throws and some of our turnovers we had the key to the game.
We stand up here everyday and we applaud the efforts of these girls. They play very hard and put a lot of effort into their play, but at some point these efforts have to turn into big wins. Right now our efforts are not turning into big wins. A few plays here, a few plays there do matter. When we play top teams in the country, we can not let these opportunities get away. They are a tough team and there is a reason why they are the number three team in the country. There is a reason why they are 6-1 in the conference and there is a reason why they are where they are. They are a very good team, they are very efficient, and I said if they hit 14 or 15 three’s we can not win the game. Anything up to that point I’m ok with. I knew we had to protect the paint, I knew they couldn’t make enough three’s to really beat us. They made ten.
I think our free throws are what really impacted the game. If we had made seven more of those free throws it would have been a different ball game. We played a very good game, but at the end of the day, people will remember that we lost, not that we played well. We had a great opportunity that I thought we let get away, but I am very proud of my players. They played very hard. Look at the numbers, it hurts. We did everything we needed to do in order to win this basketball game except for a few missed free throws and about seven or eight turnovers. I give Notre Dame a lot of credit. They are a very tough team and they have a great Hall of Fame coach. Their kids played hard and they hung in there. It was just one of those games. Unfortunately, it was one of those big games that we let get away.”
Your team was down by 14pts at the half, what do you tell your team to do against the third ranked team in the country?
“I just told them it’s a toughness thing. It’s nothing big. It is strictly a toughness thing. I told them, either you are going to be tough and protect the weak side of that block and don’t allow passes, or you are going to get blown out. We talked about that, and I thought we did a good job of that in the second half and that’s why we were able to get back into the game.”
The energy level from your team was completely different in the second half. Was it because of the play changes you were making, or was something said coming out of the locker room?
“Honestly, I think it was our strength coach Ryan Cabiles. He does a great job with them. He does a lot of post-game stuff, next day stuff, and he makes sure that they get stronger and that they recover. We pride ourselves on being a very strong and physical team. We have to know who covered us so that we can do a better job in the second half. I think Ryan has to be given a lot of credit for that. I wish I could say that it is my great half time speeches, but it’s probably not. It is probably that they just come out during the second half and they compete. If they are strong then they will play strong, and I give Ryan a lot of credit for their ability to stay strong during the second half.”
During the first half while Notre Dame was on their run, you did not call a time out, instead you let your players play through that. What was the decision behind that?
“I wanted to make sure that I had time outs for the end of the game because at the last game we had possession and I didn’t have a time out. I went a little crazy today because I ended up with four of them. I knew we would be ok because getting down by 14 points really doesn’t scare me because our players always come back and respond and they always find a way to make improvements. I think it bothers the people in the stands more than it bothers me. I know we are a great second-half team and a great come back team.”
