Ahead of the ACC Tournament, the No. 10 NC State women’s basketball team met with the media. Here are some key quotes from head coach Wes Moore and the players.
Wes Moore
On his team’s struggles to end the season:
“We went through a little stretch there where we struggled, and the last couple of games we’ve played better, got a little momentum. I worked with them on their 3-point shooting before the Virginia game, and I think I got them straightened out. I feel good about where we’re at right now. I think it was big for our psyche; hit some shots, get some wins, and get a little momentum going into the tournament, I think was huge.”
“We didn’t shoot the ball well — we’re still turning it over too much — but we also played some pretty good teams. Louisville is pretty good. Georgia Tech beat Florida State twice; they’re pretty good. Duke, they’ve been pretty hot. So it’s a combination. This league is pretty unforgiving if you’re not knocking down shots. If you make any mistakes at all, you’re in trouble. So they made us pay.”
On whether he has depth heading into postseason play:
“I think so. The seniors showed me a lot in the Syracuse game, so I feel comfortable going there, maybe keeping people a little fresher. This time of year, you usually shorten your rotation. You look at a lot of teams, and they’re only playing six or seven, but I’m comfortable going nine or 10. So we’ll continue to try and rotate them and keep them going. It’s kind of different for me; we’ll see if I can handle it or not.”
On how his team prepares for up to three games in three days
“It’s a quick turnaround. I always say, the players would rather play a game than practice; they don’t mind it. As soon as we know who we’re playing, we’ll already have a scout prepared, and we’ll add a film that night. The next morning, we’ll walk through it and be ready to roll. That’s basketball. That’s the way it is.”
On Jakia Brown-Turner and Jada Boyd being named to All-ACC Freshman Team
“It’s exciting. I’ve said before, Jada Boyd is going to be a great player. She’s already a great player. She had a little further to come from a high school preparation standpoint, and I think a lot of this stuff is new to her, but she’s done a great job trying to pick it up. Jakia obviously has made a big impact for us. It’s exciting to have those two freshmen and also Elissa being All-ACC as a sophomore. We’ve got a good young nucleus. Still got to add some pieces, but it’s exciting to have those three for sure.”
Aislinn Konig
On the pressure of the big games
“They are big games with high stakes, and it’s important to remember that it is just like the game we’ve played before. You can’t let that pressure get to you mentally, and you have to be even-keeled. We’re going to celebrate hard, and we’re going to fight hard, but we’re not going to let that distract us from what our goal is, and that’s to win the ACC Tournament.”
On being named second team All-ACC
“It is really exciting. It’s an honor. This is a great conference. A lot of my success is attributed to the amazing teammates and staff that are around me. So I am very happy with that, but I’ll allow myself to be more content with that after we get through these games, because those really have my attention right now.”
On the team’s postseason ceiling
“I don’t see us as having a limit. We are so talented and so driven that to limit us in our thoughts is really a disservice to the things we can accomplish and the potential we have. I really, truly believe that we have an opportunity to go all the way, as long as we do the things that are expected of us: the small things, the rebounding, the defense. I think we’re limitless.”
Elissa Cunane
On being named first team All-ACC
“It has been really cool. I think that it’s a testament to how hard I’ve worked throughout this year and just the good job that my teammates have done of helping me out to get to that point.”
On how her body will hold up
“On the court, I’m just giving it my all. It’s the end of the season, so I’ve got to give everything that’s left in the tank, and I don’t want to save anything. As far as the three games go, we do a great job of recovery at the hotels … I’m going to play my hardest, every single game like it’s the last, and then recover through sports training and get back out there.”
On how the team prepares for an unknown opponent
“We just [scout] everyone equally. We’re going to take each game at a time, and you never really know who you’re playing until a couple of hours before the day ends, and you play the next day, so we really just want to focus on us for the majority of the time. One thing to take away is that everyone’s going to be playing their best basketball this time of year, and you kind of lose track of that. Nobody is going to be the same team in March that they were in the past couple of months, and so I think that we are finally at that level where we are playing an elevated game. We really just have to go in there and know that nobody is going to take a day off in the tournament.”
Jakia Brown-Turner
On All-ACC Freshman Team
“It was a wonderful accomplishment. Me and Jada Boyd also are both freshman, so for us to be on the freshman team was great. We want to help the team get better.”
On what she learned as the season progressed
“As the season went on, paying attention to details and leaving it all out on the floor, because as the games got harder, we had to play harder, and rebounding and playing defense was very, very important to us at the end of the season.”
Sophomore center Elissa Cunane celebrates after drawing a foul during the game versus UNC on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020 in Reynolds Coliseum. Cunane had a double-double against UNC with 22 points and 17 rebounds. The Wolfpack beat the Tar Heels 76-68.
