Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk and forward Skylar Vann meet the press after the Sooners' 60-55 win over Kansas.
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00:00 - I think this is one of those games that just shows how tough our league
00:04 is and just the versatility of our league and how many
00:08 different teams play in different ways. I'm really
00:12 proud of the way that we stuck in it and
00:16 not necessarily the energy we started and not necessarily obviously our offensive production
00:20 but I felt like when we, when push came to shove in the fourth quarter we had to make some
00:24 plays and I feel like we were able to do that and we weren't doing that a month ago so I'm really
00:28 proud of that. I'm really proud of our players for being able to do that.
00:32 We'll take this one. We're going to enjoy this one, especially on Sky's birthday.
00:36 If you didn't know it's her birthday, it's her birthday. And then we're all
00:40 just going to go to bed probably soon, get some rest and be ready to go to the next game.
00:44 - You said in our media op the other day
00:48 you were right on. You said
00:52 you were talking about the Texas game and you said the Kansas game is going to be different. They play different.
00:56 It's a different style. You were right on. It changed the whole game. - It did.
01:00 It did. And it's interesting because we've hit our
01:04 rock bottom and we've crawled our way and then 30
01:08 days later you have this great one on the road and then
01:12 you don't know what. A lot has happened
01:16 to an inexperienced team in a 30 day period.
01:20 That's a lot of emotion. That's a lot of
01:24 grit. That's a lot of just stuff.
01:28 I knew that today, and we talked about it, can you handle the high?
01:32 Can you handle coming back the next day and what do you actually play for?
01:36 Because you've got to be able to not just play for the win, you've got to play
01:40 for the win because you love the game. We're learning that. We're learning that.
01:44 - What does this say about your team that you could win a game where you score
01:48 90 points and you win a game where you score 60?
01:52 Finding different ways to win. - I think that's exactly right. I think
01:56 there's different ways that you've got to be able to win
02:00 and I think we're navigating that and we're understanding that
02:04 and I felt like we were a little tight offensively and I don't know if we were
02:08 missing the 91 again or if it was just, you could tell
02:12 we looked tired today. Now I also feel like Kansas did an amazing job of
02:16 controlling the pace and the tempo. We started in
02:20 the pace that we wanted but they controlled it the rest of the game.
02:24 That's something that was in their favor more than ours
02:28 but I think the biggest thing is in crunch time
02:32 a month ago we went the opposite direction.
02:36 Now whether or not the ball goes in or whether or not you get the stop we're in position
02:40 to do it. Yes it's about finding different ways to do it but also
02:44 I'm really proud of the growth that this team is having
02:48 and that's what we want to continue to do is just be addicted to growing.
02:52 Then we just need to have a little bit more fun instead of getting a little too tight.
02:56 - Skyler how does it feel to have zeroes across the board?
03:00 Unfortunately on side standpoints, fast breaks
03:04 and also the mid play is not scoring those games. How does it feel
03:08 also? You're saying essentially not a thin kind of play but
03:12 - Yeah I mean that's amazing
03:16 and I think lately we have been taking a lot more pride in our defense than we have in the past
03:20 and we've been saying our defense creates our offense so if our defense
03:24 is a little slow our offense will probably slow up. I think those numbers are great but like
03:28 Jenny said I think we can still improve and get better. We kind of allowed Kansas
03:32 which is a great team and they were controlling the pace and I think that made it
03:36 easier for them to get buckets and stuff so I think us controlling the pace on defense
03:40 and then we'll probably get more steals and get more action on offense.
03:44 - Skyler how do you keep kind of calm and confident
03:48 down the stretch when you guys maybe aren't having your best shooting night?
03:52 - Yeah. I mean
03:56 Jenny did have to like check me a few times today. I'm not
04:00 going to lie. I did get it in my head a little bit. - She's 22 now.
04:04 - Now I can get over it. I think also my
04:08 teammates did a really good job of holding me accountable in that too where I mean
04:12 Samaya Nichols was doing great defense on me and I kind of have to adjust to that being in the new
04:16 position I am in. So I think just really being confident in my team
04:20 and knowing your team can also do everything that
04:24 you can do and I think we just put each other in good positions and I think that makes it easier
04:28 on me to where I don't have to freak out because I have teammates that can do everything.
04:32 - Did you feel like you needed to take over the game a little
04:36 bit more? I mean your whole life you've been a player
04:40 that can do that. Your team's not shooting the ball well but you
04:44 actually had a pretty good offensive day. - No.
04:48 I think the special thing about our team is one person doesn't
04:52 have to take over the game to like make a win because I think
04:56 first half I had really good shooting but then second half P hit two threes back to back.
05:00 I think that's the special thing about our team is yeah some people might not be
05:04 scoring right away but if you leave them open you never know. They might get a bucket so
05:08 I think there's never a situation where one person feels like they need to get theirs or like to save the team.
05:12 We don't have that. - You guys hit the two three pointers
05:16 coach coming out of halftime and Nevaeh had two big rebounds right
05:20 before that and was the assister on that play. What about those two plays
05:24 surprised you and what does she kind of bring as far as an
05:28 energizer for you guys into the second half? - I think Nevaeh
05:32 has really transformed this season into
05:36 she's almost been a basketball player turned into a manager
05:40 and you can see her start to oversee things. I don't think she understood her
05:44 responsibility at the beginning of the season and I don't mean that in any kind of
05:48 a negative way but it's hard to understand what that feels like. Stepping on the free throw line
05:52 we have Lexi Keyes in that position that had to do that tonight. You're up two,
05:56 you got two free throws, you got to make them. And she was able to step
06:00 up. Nevaeh was in the last game and she didn't necessarily hit the ones that she
06:04 wanted to but then the one she had to she did. So she
06:08 is... She's become more... She's our only returning
06:12 starter but she played with such experience that they kind of knew and
06:16 so as much as she kind of managed she wasn't the one that literally
06:20 had to put people in positions. And now she has to put people
06:24 in the right positions and they're looking at her and they're looking at me and she's understanding
06:28 that responsibility of when it doesn't go well that's on us.
06:32 That's not on anybody else. And so I think she's turned more to a manager and so I
06:36 think that's where... Because she was tired. That's hard to
06:40 sleep after that night. She was tired. She came the next day and you know what? She worked.
06:44 That's been harder for her to be able to do in the past where now she
06:48 understands that role and that responsibility. So that's... You can see
06:52 her just continuing to get better. So then it translates into a game in terms of
06:56 energy or who you need to set up. She's still going to test the water. She got her shot blocked
07:00 but then she's also making the next read the next time.
07:04 So I love her ability to continue to learn, to grow, and now she's really
07:08 managing. I mean she managed that last couple minutes of that game.
07:12 - You guys have 14 offensive rebounds, 11 second chance points. On a night when the first shot of possession
07:16 isn't falling, just how encouraging is it to see your players hustling to get those extra
07:20 opportunities? - Well I love the offensive rebounds and that's I think
07:24 actually our next step is to convert a little bit more on some of those second chances because I think we're
07:28 getting some of them and now we've got to convert a little bit more. Our ball movement out of it,
07:32 it gets a little stuck. I love obviously the automatic put backs, yes.
07:36 But when we don't have that we've got to flow a little bit better.
07:40 But when our team plays really hard we're so fun to
07:44 watch because it's what she talked about.
07:48 There isn't one person that you come to watch. You watch the
07:52 team. So you saw at the end of a game, you saw
07:56 team defense. You didn't see somebody lock somebody down. You didn't see
08:00 anybody be like oh my bad again. We're getting better as a
08:04 team. That's what we want to do here. That's what people
08:08 want to see here. I mean that's Oklahoma. So that's what my...
08:12 Yes I love that and the coach in me still wants more
08:16 because we can do more. But I do love that there's also
08:20 balance in that. We don't have one person that's getting all of them. We have multiple people that
08:24 are getting in there.
08:28 [unclear]
08:32 [unclear]
08:36 [unclear]
08:40 Well I think a big part of that is
08:44 some of them we're going to take over and over Aubrey Jones. I don't care that she goes
08:48 over for her. I need her to still shoot those. She's going away from it. She needs to just keep shooting it.
08:52 The ones I feel that we kind of
08:56 settled for are the ones where we could maybe get a little bit more
09:00 movement beforehand. They sat in the paint on us. So it's a little different
09:04 than the last game and that's kind of what we talked about. So we have to find different ways.
09:08 We had to attack a little bit more from a mid post area. We had to attack a little bit more from where
09:12 they had to guard us. I thought we did more of that in the second half which then led to
09:16 more two point shots than it does to three point shots. We're never going to live and die by
09:20 anything. We want to have versatility in that. Some of it I don't think that we took
09:24 some of the ones we could have. But I also feel like that was probably
09:28 part of our adjustment just to make them at least have to guard a little bit.
09:32 [unclear]
09:36 [unclear]
09:40 [unclear]
09:44 [unclear]
09:48 For sure.
09:52 At 22, at 22 I know. I knew that and that's why I missed it.
09:56 Yeah.
10:00 I mean it does make it sweet.
10:04 Having to celebrate this moment with my teammates. That's always the best part.
10:08 I think the special thing about this team is I feel like I'm never
10:12 by myself. You're never on an island. I was losing confidence in myself a little bit in this game.
10:16 Especially that second half where I kind of went through a little drought. People were always just feeding into you
10:20 saying I'm going to give you this ball on a timeout. We came in
10:24 we set up a play for me to make a layup. Everybody was like we're giving it to you
10:28 you just go up. Don't even think about it. So I think that's the special
10:32 part about this team. I think it's just really special to me that I celebrate my
10:36 birthday but I also celebrate this win.
10:40 Every year. Every year on my birthday I have.
10:44 We were second in Iowa last year on my birthday too. Fun fact.
10:48 [unclear]
10:52 [unclear]
10:56 [unclear]
11:00 I thought again KJ continues to get better and better.
11:04 She continues to build that confidence. She's still
11:08 young you can tell. Some of those block shots were
11:12 obviously the block three point shot was huge. Some of those she's going to
11:16 learn to not foul. She's just a little too thirsty to really
11:20 make it slam home where she just kind of maybe stays up and
11:24 they maybe aren't fouls. I love her
11:28 confidence. I love her ability right now to reset herself
11:32 when it doesn't go well. She was not able to do that before. So you can see that
11:36 mental part of her game continuing to grow that she comes in
11:40 when she can just read it. She had big baskets at
11:44 Texas. She's had that in multiple games but in the last two games
11:48 you've been able to see her kind of come in. Not necessarily where she wants to go
11:52 but then still be able to come back and be able to really impact the game.
11:56 She's got a big presence. She's impacting the game whether it's on offense or defense or both.
12:00 You guys
12:04 thanks for being here. Appreciate you all.
12:08 Thank you. We appreciate it.