Texas head coach and three student-athletes talk about the win over TCU on Saturday and why they had to take an Uber ride to the game. Coach Schaefer also offered high praise for TCU head coach Mark Campbell.
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00:00 >> Sure, yeah.
00:03 Well, first, I'm just really proud of our kids' second half.
00:08 I thought they answered the bell.
00:09 We honestly didn't play very good the first half on offense.
00:11 That's all my fault.
00:13 And I thought defensively we were really good.
00:17 When you owe somebody 20 points, you should be further ahead than three.
00:20 But made some good adjustments the second half.
00:24 I thought our kids really answered the bell.
00:26 At third quarter, we went 10 for 12, two for three from three.
00:30 And this team is capable of that.
00:33 We had 42 points in the second half and we were just so much better on offense.
00:39 Defense didn't suffer any, held them to 23 in the second, 43 for the game.
00:45 They're averaging 66.
00:48 Now, coach is doing a great job with his team.
00:52 That team is, he's doing a great job with them.
00:55 They're playing really hard.
00:57 They have a really good scheme.
00:58 And both have been dealt some blows injury wise.
01:03 And it's no fun when you lose your point guard and you gotta adjust.
01:11 And this group, I'm so proud of my team cuz we've really been able to adjust.
01:15 And Booker's been so good for us.
01:18 And she wasn't, first half was a little bit of a struggle, but
01:22 she came back in the second half, ends up six for 12 from the field.
01:26 So we had some kids really play well.
01:29 And again, against a team that, quite frankly,
01:32 I've been concerned about for a week now.
01:36 Just because I know, I've seen enough film on them.
01:39 I know how hard they are to guard.
01:40 We had a knockdown drag out with them at our place.
01:43 And we're lucky to get out of there.
01:45 They had cut it to one in the fourth quarter before we figured it out.
01:49 So this is a really good win for us.
01:52 Again, proud of our kids, proud of this kid right here.
01:55 All she does is works and stays in the picture.
01:58 When you're not getting the play, when you're not doing what you've done your
02:04 whole career, and all of a sudden you're not playing, you can either go one of two
02:08 ways and this kid just stays in the picture.
02:11 And that's what you want.
02:12 When somebody's, when they're young, what do they do now?
02:15 They go jump in the portal, they hang their head, they mow.
02:21 Or you do what's right in college athletics like Shea Holley.
02:25 Shea Holley's been with me four years now.
02:27 She's the only kid left from that recruiting class that we inherited.
02:31 She's the only one in that class that potentially at the time when we had got
02:36 her could be where she is today, but she don't, but everybody's got potential.
02:42 It's what you do with it.
02:43 And Shea Holley, all we've done with her is win.
02:46 And she's worked her tail off and over the course of her career to be the player
02:51 that she is.
02:52 And again, she's what's right with college athletics.
02:55 She stayed the course.
02:57 She's tell me what I need to work on, and I'm gonna work on it.
03:01 And so proud of our kids, we had nine turnovers, only four in the second half.
03:08 And again, I thought the energy that Gisela brought to our team in
03:13 the second half was really infectious.
03:16 Played 13 minutes last month, she's played in a conference game, I believe.
03:20 And you're over there as a coach, you got assistants telling you,
03:25 hey, so and so's ready, so and so's ready.
03:27 I'm like, they can get ready all they want.
03:29 Gisela Morrow ain't coming out of the game.
03:32 She was doing too many things to help us win.
03:35 She was making winning plays.
03:37 She had five rebounds, three offensive.
03:40 She wasn't taking bad shots.
03:42 We got her a good look on an out of bounds play, she knocked it down.
03:46 She was making winning plays, and we've talked about that with our team.
03:51 We've gotta stop making losing plays, and we've gotta make winning plays.
03:54 And I thought our kids really meant a lot there in the second half, so
03:58 I'm awfully proud of them.
04:00 >> Coach, how hard was it to prepare for this TCU team?
04:03 Cuz they've totally changed their offense since the first time that y'all
04:06 placed them.
04:07 >> Yeah, they're way different, and yet they do some things that gave us problems.
04:12 And I thought today we made some adjustments, and
04:15 they didn't hurt us near as bad on some things.
04:18 And I give our kids a lot of credit.
04:21 Again, my staff, Alana, it was her scout, and we take everybody seriously.
04:28 And obviously, we paid attention to the last four games,
04:32 because that's the team they've had.
04:35 Those stats, let me tell y'all something.
04:37 When you look at their stats for the last four games,
04:39 have y'all looked at what they're shooting from three-point range?
04:43 Over half their shots come from three, and you got kids shooting 70, 60,
04:48 50-something, 50-something.
04:50 I mean, what poison would you like to drink?
04:53 >> [LAUGH] >> And so we've decided,
04:57 hell, maybe it'll be 21, but we really didn't wanna come off over that far.
05:01 She ends up going three for 11, so she only took one shot the second half.
05:04 She was three for ten at halftime.
05:07 But we just, they're a hard group to, if you don't guard them perfectly,
05:13 every possession, somebody's gonna get a horse shot.
05:16 You do not wanna play TCU in horse, I promise you.
05:20 You can't do it.
05:21 And so I thought our kids were, they might have got some open looks early that
05:27 we didn't handle, but I thought as the game went on, we defended a lot better.
05:30 But to answer your question, we paid attention to this most recent team,
05:36 as well as the team that we played at our place.
05:38 Cuz again, coach is really good.
05:40 People voted today, he's gotta be in the running for
05:43 coach of the year in our league, what he's doing here.
05:46 I mean, he's doing a great job with that group, and he's had his share of
05:50 unfortunate injuries just like the rest of us.
05:53 So, but yeah, we certainly, they had my attention.
05:59 Not real fired up about three practices we had this week.
06:02 My team knows that, but we had a really good shoot around this morning,
06:06 even though the bus broke down on the way here.
06:09 And we had to Uber here in the rain.
06:10 You adjust, and that's what we did.
06:14 I mean, between the bus breaking down, Ubering in the rain, getting here,
06:19 going back, no water pressure at the hotel when you're in there taking a shower.
06:25 Then coming here, and you gotta walk through the football stadium in the rain,
06:29 it's been a heck of a day.
06:30 >> [LAUGH] >> By the way,
06:32 we played a basketball game.
06:33 >> [LAUGH] >> Shay, coach talked about the second
06:36 half, you guys adjusted, obviously, you scored most of your points in the second.
06:39 What was the difference for you and the team in the second half of the year?
06:43 >> Yeah, I think we just weren't being very aggressive in the first half.
06:46 We had open looks that maybe we weren't taking, and
06:49 we also needed to focus on getting the ball inside more.
06:51 Especially when we're on the road and our shots aren't necessarily falling.
06:55 So that was definitely a big emphasis was getting it to our post players, and
06:58 I think we made a good adjustment.
07:00 And I think I just took more shots the second half, honestly.
07:03 I just needed to kinda let it fly as D was saying.
07:07 But yeah, I think my teammates got me really good looks, and
07:09 we definitely just made some adjustments offensively.
07:12 And yeah, I mean, we just gotta have confidence even when the ball's not
07:15 necessarily going in.
07:16 >> Well, Devon, talk about this journey the coach was just telling us about,
07:19 the Ubering and all that.
07:20 How many Ubers did you guys have to take?
07:22 >> I don't even know.
07:23 >> [LAUGH] >> Probably four.
07:25 >> Yeah.
07:26 >> Yeah, four.
07:27 >> Four there and then four or five back to the hotel.
07:30 So, I mean, it was a bit, but we got through it, just like you said.
07:34 There's always gonna be obstacles, so we just gotta get over them.
07:38 >> Were they five star Ubers?
07:39 >> Five. >> They weren't bad.
07:41 >> [LAUGH]
07:42 >> No complaints.
07:43 >> Except, so- >> Well,
07:45 when you got basketball players, you're looking for the XLs, right?
07:49 >> Yeah. >> Remember that?
07:50 I remember a lot of y'all, but
07:51 I'm pretty sure I can remember XL showing up on your Uber app.
07:55 So, yeah.
07:55 >> And 6ix9ine got fit, so.
07:57 >> Yeah.
07:58 >> [LAUGH] >> So,
07:58 how you getting back to Austin tonight?
08:00 >> Well, they did find us a bus.
08:02 So, we've got a brand new, actually a very nice bus.
08:07 And so, yeah, hopefully we'll get back just fine.
08:10 >> And it's not raining anymore.
08:12 >> Or is it raining?
08:13 >> [LAUGH]
08:14 >> Coach, you were talking about TC and
08:16 their ability to shoot the three, and they went eight at 29 tonight.
08:20 Were you guys trying to kind of clog the middle a little bit?
08:24 Cuz you talked about it's kind of think you're poisoned with the three point
08:26 shooting, so were you trying to get them to drive?
08:28 Or you want to see if they could beat you from the-
08:30 >> No, we want both.
08:31 We don't want them to drive, because when they drive it,
08:33 then you get caught in rotation.
08:35 And at the same time, though, we don't wanna come off shooters.
08:40 And so, then they can all shoot it.
08:46 That's what I'm saying, is that your defense has to be really on point
08:50 when you guard them.
08:51 And again, they're really hard to guard.
08:55 They've been scoring the ball at a really high clip.
08:58 And like I said, you go back and look at their stats.
09:01 I mean, you can't come off anybody.
09:04 And then Harris has been playing really good for them.
09:07 And we did a really good job on her today.
09:11 I thought her and two and five, Manuela and
09:17 then Javonovic, we did a really good job on those two.
09:22 And so all three of those kids, Harris has been playing really good.
09:26 She's leading, I mean, scoring the last four games, she's healthy.
09:29 I know Coach is glad to get her back.
09:31 If they can get the other one back to go with her, they'll have a chance.
09:38 Their year's not over.
09:39 They just gotta get her back and then keep the rest of them healthy.
09:43 So they're a tough out.
09:46 And again, I thought we played really good defensively.
09:49 I have to give our kids a lot of credit.
09:50 We played really well defensively against a really good offensive team.
09:55 >> If they do get Sedona and Madison back, is this a team that you're gonna be like,
09:59 man, come March in the Big 12 tournament?
10:03 >> I certainly think they can be a problem in the Big 12 tournament.
10:07 And so I've been doing this with Dee.
10:13 I mean, I just, between her and we lose Rory, I've had Dee hurt.
10:17 Aliyah Moore sprained her ankle in the Baylor game.
10:22 Madison had a hamstring issue and missed a game.
10:25 I'm just trying to get these kids healthy, cuz I think we're pretty good.
10:30 We can still be pretty good, even though we've lost Rory.
10:33 I think we can still be pretty good if I can just get them healthy.
10:36 And Dee's finally getting, now there's days when it jumps up and
10:40 hits her and she can't get through practice.
10:44 She still has a day every now and then where she can't get through practice.
10:48 But she's getting a little bit more and a little bit more.
10:51 And again, your trainer becomes your MVP, right?
10:55 And so I think they've discovered something that's working with her and
11:01 making her feel better.
11:02 And then obviously Madison's hamstring is way better.
11:06 And then Amos ankle is, our week off really did a lot for her.
11:11 After spraining her ankle in the Baylor game,
11:13 then getting through the K-State game.
11:15 That week really, this past week gave her some much needed healing.
11:19 So if I can get them healthy, y'all, and keep them healthy,
11:23 this team's got a chance.
11:24 I mean, y'all think about everything we've been through.
11:27 And they still just show up and they still find a way to win.
11:31 And the three losses we have have been one possession games.
11:34 And we've lost three one possession games.
11:36 So it's pretty amazing.
11:41 That's all I can tell you.
11:42 All this groups, they're pretty amazing to me.
11:45 I've been around a long time, seen a lot of things.
11:47 And this group continues to amaze me.
11:51 >> You said Gisela just remains in the picture.
11:54 Can you kind of expand what you mean by that?
11:56 >> Yeah, so typically kids aren't in your rotation.
12:01 You're going through things in practice.
12:03 They don't get a lot of reps.
12:04 You know, in that first group or second group.
12:07 So you either stand over there on the side or you can ask the coach,
12:10 hey coach, let me go with the scout team.
12:13 You know, let me do this with them.
12:16 Let me put on that jersey and go over there and be on the scout team.
12:20 And that's where I think Gisela has been a month ago.
12:25 She could have easily, once conference started and
12:27 your rotation shrinks a little bit, you can easily go over there and go,
12:31 well, I'll just stand over here.
12:33 It's a lot easier and I don't have to work as hard and I'm just a freshman.
12:37 And okay, I'll wait until my sophomore year.
12:40 Hey, he ain't gonna play me, I'll go somewhere else.
12:44 Or you stay in the picture.
12:45 You go play on the scout team.
12:47 Go play on the men's practice team.
12:49 You get reps that way.
12:51 That's how you get better.
12:52 And you come in, her and
12:55 Booker, the first two on the floor in pregame every night.
12:59 They're out there getting shots up.
13:01 And again, I think that's kids trying to be a pro.
13:06 We talk about just trying to be a pro, be a pro about how you go about your work.
13:09 And so again, her energy tonight was infectious.
13:17 And my bench got more excited about that than anything.
13:20 And that's great.
13:21 That's the way it needs to be.
13:22 That's the kind of teams I've had, y'all.
13:24 I've always had teams that played harder than other teams.
13:26 We didn't necessarily have the better talent, but
13:29 we always need the better talent cuz we had kids that played harder.
13:33 And we've got talent, and I want them to play hard.
13:35 I'm a little spoiled.
13:37 So I want them to play hard, and we've got some really talented kids.
13:40 So I thought Giselle was really good tonight.
13:44 Gotta ask her about her night.
13:45 >> [LAUGH] >> Yeah, Giselle,
13:49 just talking about you and your hearing coach, just praising you.
13:52 Just how much confidence that gave you and then knowing how you played tonight.
13:57 >> Yeah, like he said, I'm just trying to find ways to get better every single day.
14:03 So if that means being on the scout team,
14:05 going against my teammates every day, that's what I'm willing to do.
14:09 And I just wanna win, so I'm gonna do whatever it takes to win.
14:13 So making the hustle plays, anything.
14:15 And my teammates, honestly, I do it for them.
14:18 After everyone, they're all getting so high for me, and
14:21 that just makes me feel so good about myself.
14:23 And then, for sure, for giving me so much praise after the game.
14:28 It honestly, it just makes me wanna stay working and get better.
14:34 >> Shay, you were plus 27 today on the court.
14:37 How were you able to make those winning plays?
14:39 >> Yeah, I think it's just doing whatever the team needs from me in that moment.
14:46 Whether that's getting D the ball, like she was running from the short corner.
14:50 Or on defense, just trying to get stops, being in the ceiling,
14:54 being in the driving lane and stuff.
14:55 Or making an open look when they give you the ball.
14:58 I think it's just kind of being able to adjust.
15:00 And yeah, just playing for the team, I think just navigating the zone.
15:05 They were kind of switching up defenses, so
15:07 they're trying to help whoever was at point just kind of recognize that.
15:10 Just little things like that, yeah.
15:13 >> Before you all three, what was the message coming out of the locker room that
15:16 really kind of ignited that run there in the third quarter?
15:19 >> We had to play tough and harder and no more turnovers.
15:28 That was a big, it wasn't that bad in the first half, but-
15:34 >> It was a bad-
15:35 >> It was a bad, it just-
15:37 >> We talked about the guard.
15:38 We didn't feel like our guards were very aggressive.
15:41 We felt like we were settling and we weren't attacking at all.
15:44 We had eight paint points, I think, at halftime.
15:48 And so not to jump in here in front of them, but
15:51 that's what the conversation was, our guards were killing us.
15:54 They just weren't being very aggressive, you can tell me that.
15:57 >> Yeah, I think it was just mostly, I think, me and Slim,
16:01 we weren't taking shots that they were giving us.
16:04 They were kind of siding off of us in the zone.
16:06 And so for our teammates' sake, we need to take those shots.
16:10 And we know that our shot's gonna go in.
16:14 We just have to have the confidence and stuff like that.
16:16 So I think just being more aggressive, and not just from the three-point line, but
16:19 also driving against the zone, taking up two and then maybe kicking it out, or
16:24 just finding our post inside.
16:26 But yeah, it was definitely, we needed to be more aggressive, me and
16:29 Shayla both on the perimeter.
16:30 >> Coach, for you, you've seen a lot of women's college basketball over the years.
16:37 Can you just talk about the quality of the game now?
16:40 Here is, especially with Caitlin Clark about the break,
16:43 the all-time scoring record.
16:44 >> Do I look older?
16:46 >> [LAUGH] >> You look older than the three.
16:50 >> [LAUGH] >> Our game is, for me,
16:55 I got to ask this earlier in the week, hell, I've seen it all.
17:02 I've driven the van nine hours to Thibodeau, Louisiana, from Huntsville, Texas.
17:07 Got out, coached the game, got back in the van, stopped at McDonald's,
17:12 bought the kids something to eat, drove the next nine hours back to Huntsville,
17:16 hit a deer, and get in at 4.30 in the morning.
17:19 To where we are now, where we're chartering everywhere.
17:25 We obviously take a charter bus here, but our game has evolved and
17:31 just where it is today is such a special place, but it didn't just happen overnight.
17:39 It takes an investment from so many people, from your administrators,
17:45 your administration, the university, to people like ESPN, coaches.
17:53 And even then you go back to the high school level where now
17:58 the girls basketball coach, that's their primary sport and
18:02 not some defensive backs secondary sport.
18:06 And I can remember those days when the secondary coach in football,
18:11 his second sport was girls basketball, and treated it like that.
18:17 And so it's for me to see where these kids are today and
18:24 what they get, how they get treated, the opportunities that they have.
18:31 It's really special and it's warranted.
18:34 I mean, what you see right now is when you invest in something,
18:40 you're gonna get a return on it.
18:44 And I think every administrator across the country sees the return they get
18:49 from their investment in women's college basketball.
18:53 That there's a real value to it.
18:55 These kids are so special, man.
18:57 This is a great group that I've been blessed with this year.
19:01 And the price they pay, I said this, I'll come watch a practice.
19:08 Come watch my kids and watch them how hard they work.
19:11 Their investment level, their commitment to being good at their craft.
19:16 So it doesn't just happen cuz we show up and have kumbaya every day and
19:21 eat ice cream when we're done.
19:24 There's a real commitment on their part.
19:28 And then there's also an investment and commitment from a university standpoint.
19:32 I think you see that.
19:34 TCU has seen that over the years.
19:36 You've seen the success they've had in the back a few years ago.
19:40 And I know Coach Kelly's gonna get it done here.
19:44 But our game is in great shape.
19:48 I mean, we're on national TV night in and night out.
19:51 And again, you saw that crowd out there tonight.
19:55 They saw two great teams playing hard.
19:58 You got little girls and little boys in the stands.
20:01 You got mamas and daddies and grandmas and grandpas going,
20:04 hey, I want you to play like Alayah Roberson.
20:08 I want you to play hard like that Gisela Ma kid.
20:12 I don't know who she is, but she played really hard tonight.
20:16 I want you to develop a big time jump shot like that Booker kid.
20:24 That's what you get.
20:26 That's what you have to have tonight out there in that arena.
20:30 There's a lot of people in there.
20:31 I don't know if they've been drawn like that, but
20:32 there's a lot of people in there tonight.
20:34 And both those teams warrant that.
20:37 I think everybody in there walks out there going, man,
20:39 we saw a good basketball game.
20:41 Texas played well the second half.
20:43 The first half was pretty competitive.
20:46 And so I just think our game right now is in a great place.
20:50 But it's because of the investment level that people have put into our game.
20:56 And it's just like anything, when you invest in something,
21:00 if you invest in the right things, there's a good maturity on that.
21:03 >> All right, thank you.
21:07 >> All right, give them God the glory for number 22.
21:10 Praise the Lord, another four.
21:11 >> Yes.
21:11 (laughing)