On Women's Basketball

You want answers? Here are Jolette Law's

Posted by: Tony Bleill

Friday, January 29, 2010 12:19 AM

I'm not sure how much insight I can provide to the surprising happenings Thursday at the Assembly Hall. I'm guessing Illini fans want some answers as to why the seniors were benched, so the best way to provide them is to go straight to the horse's mouth. Here is the postgame transcript from Thursday night. I've left out the questions (not many) that didn't pertain to the benchings. First, Law. Then, Jenna Smith.

Law's opening statement: "It was very obvious that Michigan came out being the aggressor and they played extremely hard down the stretch, and they got the win."

Q: Can you talk about the decision not to start Jenna and Lacey today and what went into that?

Law: Just wanted to go ... Tried to shake things up, tried to wake my seniors up, tried to get them a little more of a sense of urgency. So I went with people that were working hard in practice, and that's the decision I made.

Q: So what did you see from Lana and Kersten in practice this week, and what did you see from them today?

Law: I think they played extremely well. Lana was (going against) a girl who is 6-6. We tried to push her off the block, and she's big. Right now, she did the best she could. In practice these past couple days, Kersten and Lana have been playing extremely well, bringing a lot of energy and decided to give them a start.

Q: When did you decide on the lineup?

Law: Um, yesterday.

Q: Did you talk to Lacey and Jenna?

Law: They were aware, yes.

Q: You played Jenna in the first half, and you sat Lacey the whole first half. Talk about what went into each decision.

Law: I decided when I decided ... when to put Lacey in. And in the first half I didn't feel I needed to put her in. So I didn't put her in.

Q: Did you know before the game you were going to sit her for the entire half?

Law: Actually, before the game, I almost wasn't going to play her. It was almost to that. I didn't know if I was going to play my seniors or not.

Q: Any specific reason?

Law: We're trying to get them to act like this is their last go-around. This is it. Try to lead and play to their best of their abiliities.

Q: Did you feel like your seniors made any progress today?

Law: I just think that when they got in there, they played. We dug a hole early on. But there's more that they can do, and I'm going to continue to push them and push them. Because, at the end of the day, this is your senior year and this is it. This is the year you're going to remember the most. It's my job and my duty to continue to push them and continue to try to find any kind of way to motivate them to not have any regrets.

Q: Was it tempting to put them in after that 10-0 start (with Illinois trailing)?

Law: Nope. Right now, for me, I'm not going to win at all costs. That's one thing about me. I'm not going to win at all costs. We've been losing with them, and we lost tonight (without) them. I trust the other players on my team. Give them the opportunity to play and gain some confidence. Right now, I'm preparing for the future. If my seniors aren't ready, and don't want to be a part, I've got to go with these kids who are going to be here for the next two or three years. I hope they will wake up and get a sense of urgency. But if not, we're going to keep plugging away and getting 1 percent better each and every day.

Q: Will you use a deeper rotation for your last eight games?

Law: Just try to get as many people playing ... because I see every day in practice they're working hard, and I might as well go ahead and give them an opportunity to get some experience and play, because they've given it all up every day at practice. So I'm going by who gives it up at practice and what I see in practice.

JENNA SMITH

Q: Did it wake you guys up?

Smith: I had all the confidence in Lana and everybody that started. They practice every day hard. The seniors, we know it's our last go-around and we're trying everything in our power to pick it up. There's not much to say about it. Our team steps up whether we're out there or not. Lana and Kersten, everybody, they all go hard.

Q: What did you think when Coach Law told you that you wouldn't be starting?

Smith: I couldn't take it personal. You can't take it personal. It's about the team, not about who starts or why I'm not starting. I had all the confidence in Lana. I knew it was for a reason, and I had to pick myself up. Us seniors have to step it up.

Q: What do you feel you need to do going forward? What do you need to change?

Smith: We need to play the way we can. We're not playing like it's our last season. We're not playing like we have eight games left. We need to step it up and be the leaders we can be. We need to play like we're seniors.

 

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