George Washington University Athletics
Fordham Post-Game Quotes
3/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 1, 2008
No. 15/15 GW 66
Fordham 27
Post-Game Comments
GW Coach Joe McKeown
Opening statement
"It's about our seniors today. I'm really proud to have had the opportunity to recruit and coach four young ladies like that. Just to watch them grow and develop and graduate on time, or in Whitney's case, graduate early and earn a Master's. Sarah-Jo has been named to some Academic All-America teams. Everyday, Lora Mitchell brings something positive to practice. She doesn't get a lot of playing time, but never complained and was a tremendous role model for this team. And Kim Beck is an All-American, one of the premier point guards in the nation."
Was it easier to prepare for this game as opposed to last year's finale against undefeated Temple?
"The one thing this team understands is that the biggest challenge is ourselves. No matter who we play, it's just controlling things we can do and take care of our business...Fordham came out aggressive and made some shots early. I felt we had some senior moments and had a lot of emotions...We settled down a bit in the second half. I feel bad for Sarah-Jo; she didn't get too much time to show off. But there's still a lot of basketball left."
Although this was Senior Day, Jazmine Adair really stepped up.
"She can be a great weapon in March. She was last year...She's had some big nights. Her problem is injuries. Because of that, we haven't been able to get the consistency from her....I'm hoping she can play well down the stretch. She's starting to get healthy, and that's a good sign for us."
On Lora Mitchell's contribution to the team as a reserve.
"She's the `Rudy' of this team. Everyone on this team loves her. Everybody at this school she's come in contact with has tremendous respect for her....Earlier in the year against Western Kentucky, she came in and played well in what was a big game. You see our players erupt when she scores; they have that much respect for her. Whatever she decides to do, she'll do well."
Does it matter going into the A-10 Tournament as a No. 2 seed instead of No. 1?
"We're co-champions...we've had some hiccups along the way. But to be sitting here 24-5 and finish tied for first in our league and be ranked in the Top 20, that's a great year...I think these guys are getting healthy and starting to realize what we're capable of...Whoever we play, we'll have to play those guys anyway. If the seeds hold up, and we play Xavier in the semis, that'll be a great game. If we play Temple in the final, that'll be a great game."
On Kimberly Beck.
"Unless you coach her every day, it's hard to fathom how good Kim Beck is. She just takes everything in my head onto the floor. She sees things happen before they happen. She is so smart there. Stats are very irrelevant for her. She's just a great, great player. I'm really fortunate to coach her for four years, because I'm hard on point guards. But she's really handled that."
Do you empathize with Fordham Coach Kathy Andruzzi going 0-29?
"I do. When she took over the program last year, she came into a tough situation. She's one of those tireless workers. It's just a question of giving her some time, giving her a chance to build a program. I like what she's doing...The life-blood of our programs is recruiting. When she gets the opportunities over a two- or three-year cycle, you'll see the progress. I'm sure it's frustrating for her, but she's handled it very well. The team has stayed upbeat all year and have been competing and play hard, so that says a lot for her."
Senior guard Kimberly Beck
What have your four years at GW been like?
"It's been a roller-coaster ride. We've had some great wins and bad losses over our four years, but we've had a great run. It's not over. I think we're the only class that's stuck it out, so we know each other. It's a great day to come together and have our team cheer for us. It's a great feeling."
Were you nervous early?
"We weren't jittery....We were a little sloppy, but eventually we got it done, and that's what it's all about. Everyone got to play a lot of minutes...We really couldn't get our pace going. It's almost like we were too open, and we didn't know what to do. But we did what we're supposed to do?"
You said at the beginning of the season your goal was to make the NCAA Final Four. Is that still important?
"The goal hasn't changed. If anything, it's more important. But first, we have to win the A-10 championship. We've got to play it seriously and play GW basketball. After the A-10 tournament, we can think about the NCAA tournament. We're not going to stop early in March any more. I think that's everyone's goal and everyone's focus."
Does having had some conference losses this season make a difference compared to last year, when you were undefeated?
"Some of the losses this year--St. Bonaventure, Temple--were a hard lesson learned. We were undefeated last year, but we went home early; St. Joseph's snuck up on us. We're going to take the lessons from that game and apply them. On any given night, anybody can win. That's why we play the game. No matter who's on the court, we have to play hard...In order to get to the championship, we have to beat those teams."
Senior guard Sarah-Jo Lawrence
Knowing Fordham has struggled, was it difficult getting ready for this game?
"I wouldn't say it was difficult. We're always ready to play. It was just weird, for lack of a better word. But it was a victory, and now we can get ready for the tournament."
You're not the No. 1 seed in the A-10 tournament, which is unusual for GW. Do you feel like you have something to prove?
"We've always come in every year with the mentality that we're the number one team, and this year we had some letdowns. But that doesn't mean we're not still GW and the team to beat. We think we are. [Regardless of our seed], we're going to go in there and play hard and win a title. This is our senior year, and we haven't cut down the nets yet. That's what we want to do."
You didn't play a lot of minutes due to foul trouble. Was that frustrating for you?
"It's a little tough, but when you're in foul trouble, what can you do? You only have five of them. [laughs] It's still a great day and we had a lot of friends and family here to culminate our four years."
Senior forward Whitney Allen
You had your seventh career double-double today. What have you done to establish yourself this year?
"I was more aggressive, and I just wanted to be more of an offensive threat, whether it was me scoring or attacking and me kicking to my teammates. I just wanted to be an actual threat on the offensive end."
What are the keys for GW to win the A-10 title?
"The keys are for us to play the way we play, and just go out there and have fun as well. If we execute on offense, and play defense the way we can play it, and use our bench, we can do it."
Senior forward Lora Mitchell
What was it like to start and score the first few points?
"It was just like a regular basketball game. I just went out there. It was Senior Day, it was a special event. But other than that, I just went out and played basketball."
Is the team playing at its best right now?
"Every team can always make improvements, but we have good momentum going into the tournament starting off. We're definitely going to handle ourselves well."
