WEBVTT - ‘Up a Crick Without a Paddle’ with Tara VanDerveer and Muffet McGraw 0:00:00.880 --> 0:00:03.480 Welcome to a very special episode of Good Game with 0:00:03.480 --> 0:00:06.960 Sarah Spain. Proudly sponsored by Nissan, The all new Nissan 0:00:07.080 --> 0:00:10.120 Armada is the most powerful suv Nissan has ever made. 0:00:10.240 --> 0:00:14.000 Rugged and gritty, but also luxurious. It's a premium vehicle 0:00:14.040 --> 0:00:16.520 made for adventurers who are ready to conquer whatever's in 0:00:16.560 --> 0:00:18.919 front of them, just like the coaches and athletes that 0:00:19.000 --> 0:00:21.800 battle it out each year in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. 0:00:22.320 --> 0:00:24.959 Two of those coaches, all time greats of the game, 0:00:25.200 --> 0:00:28.120 will join me today. It's Thursday, April third, and on 0:00:28.160 --> 0:00:30.440 today's show, we'll be talking to former Stanford coach Tara 0:00:30.520 --> 0:00:33.680 Vanderveer and former Notre Dame coach Muffett McGraw, two of 0:00:33.680 --> 0:00:37.479 the winningest coaches in college basketball history. Over the last decade. 0:00:37.479 --> 0:00:39.320 They got to know each other pretty well in March, 0:00:39.440 --> 0:00:42.400 with their teams meeting four times in the NCAA Tournament, 0:00:42.720 --> 0:00:45.120 all in the span of five years. Notre Dame one 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:48.120 two of those matchups, in twenty fifteen and twenty nineteen, 0:00:48.400 --> 0:00:51.960 while Stanford won in twenty sixteen and twenty seventeen. We'll 0:00:51.960 --> 0:00:54.320 find out what they remember about their four face offs 0:00:54.320 --> 0:00:57.120 in the NCAA tournament brainstorm, how to get more women 0:00:57.120 --> 0:00:59.440 into coaching, and talk about the pros and cons of 0:00:59.520 --> 0:01:03.160 the changing women's game from increased investment to nil and. 0:01:03.120 --> 0:01:04.080 The transfer portal. 0:01:04.360 --> 0:01:06.319 I caught up with them earlier this week ahead of 0:01:06.319 --> 0:01:10.160 the Final four this weekend in Tampa, Plus a portal shakeup, 0:01:10.520 --> 0:01:13.280 more proof that knees should be banned, and Team Good 0:01:13.319 --> 0:01:15.800 Game looks to take a w from anel. It's all 0:01:15.840 --> 0:01:26.000 coming up right after this welcome back slices. Here's what 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:29.800 you need to know today. Let's start with some news 0:01:29.800 --> 0:01:32.800 that's shaking up both the college and pro hoops landscapes. 0:01:33.040 --> 0:01:35.800 Notre Dame's Olivia Miles, who was widely expected to be 0:01:35.840 --> 0:01:38.360 the number two pick in this year's WNBA draft, is 0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:41.720 instead holding off on turning pro and entering the transfer portal. 0:01:42.120 --> 0:01:44.399 ESPN's sham Sharani was the first to report the news 0:01:44.400 --> 0:01:47.760 on Monday. Miles has one year of college eligibility remaining, 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:49.520 as she sat out all of last year with a 0:01:49.600 --> 0:01:52.200 knee injury. After Notre Dames lost to TCU in the 0:01:52.200 --> 0:01:54.760 Sweet sixteen, Miles hinted that she had a lot on 0:01:54.800 --> 0:01:55.280 her mind. 0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:56.960 Quote, I love college. 0:01:57.120 --> 0:01:58.840 I think I've outgrown it a little bit, though, so 0:01:58.880 --> 0:02:01.600 that makes my decision tough for to stay. It's comfortable 0:02:01.640 --> 0:02:04.680 a place where you have security. The W the volatility 0:02:04.720 --> 0:02:05.360 is up and down. 0:02:05.600 --> 0:02:08.000 So I don't know. I'm deciding between a bunch of factors. 0:02:08.120 --> 0:02:08.720 End quote. 0:02:09.120 --> 0:02:11.040 So let me briefly add some context here that I 0:02:11.040 --> 0:02:14.200 think matters. One, the Irish stumbled down the stretch and 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:16.840 then they got bounced in the sweet sixteen, so Miles 0:02:16.840 --> 0:02:19.520 probably has a bad taste in her mouth about their finish. Two, 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:22.360 she wasn't healthy down the stretch, so her numbers suffered 0:02:22.560 --> 0:02:25.080 and she couldn't be herself out there. Her March stats 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:28.919 were frankly not good. So maybe she wants to pull 0:02:28.919 --> 0:02:31.520 a Haley van Lit, find somewhere she can thrive and 0:02:31.560 --> 0:02:33.760 go out feeling better both in terms of personal and 0:02:33.880 --> 0:02:39.800 team success. And or she's looking at the CBA negotiations 0:02:39.800 --> 0:02:42.520 going on in the W. Now this is important because 0:02:42.520 --> 0:02:44.720 she knows if she enters next year's draft, her rookie 0:02:44.720 --> 0:02:47.440 deal will be under a new CBA that's expected to 0:02:47.440 --> 0:02:50.000 pay players way more, and that's a three year deal 0:02:50.040 --> 0:02:52.440 for rookies with a fourth year option, so it would 0:02:52.440 --> 0:02:54.320 be at a much higher rookie salary than the one 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:56.919 players coming out this year are going to make. Now 0:02:56.919 --> 0:02:58.960 the transfer part of this is more surprising to me 0:02:59.040 --> 0:03:01.400 than the sticking around. But maybe there's more to the 0:03:01.440 --> 0:03:03.600 story about why Notre Dame faltered late in the season, 0:03:03.760 --> 0:03:06.360 or maybe more to know about miles relationship with the 0:03:06.360 --> 0:03:10.000 coaching staff or teammates or the school we might find out. 0:03:10.280 --> 0:03:12.440 Important to note as well, just because she's in the 0:03:12.440 --> 0:03:15.359 transfer portal, that doesn't mean she can't return to the Irish. 0:03:15.680 --> 0:03:17.560 Miles does retain the right to stick around if she 0:03:17.560 --> 0:03:20.880 doesn't like her options. More college hoops. The twenty twenty 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:23.919 four to twenty five Naysmith Award ceremony on Wednesday was 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:27.160 a West Side party, with USC star ju Ju Watkins 0:03:27.200 --> 0:03:30.400 taking home National Player of the Year honors, UCLA center 0:03:30.480 --> 0:03:33.560 Lauren Betts winning Defensive Player of the Year, and UCLA 0:03:33.639 --> 0:03:34.960 coach Corey Close. 0:03:34.720 --> 0:03:36.480 Earning Coach of the Year honors. 0:03:36.840 --> 0:03:39.560 The five finalists for the Wooden Award, given annually to 0:03:39.600 --> 0:03:42.440 the most outstanding college basketball player in the country, were 0:03:42.480 --> 0:03:46.040 also announced on Wednesday. There are some familiar names, USC's 0:03:46.080 --> 0:03:49.880 ju Ju Watkins, UCLA's Lauren Betts, plus Yukon's page. Beckers 0:03:49.920 --> 0:03:53.080 Texas is Madison Booker and Notre Dames Hanna Hidalgo. The 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:56.680 award will be handed out on April eleventh. Becker's previously 0:03:56.720 --> 0:03:59.240 won in twenty twenty one, becoming the first freshman to 0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:03.200 receive the honor to the NWSL. Gotham FC announced on 0:04:03.240 --> 0:04:06.600 Wednesday that Tyrna Davidson sustained an ACL tear in her 0:04:06.680 --> 0:04:09.320 left knee in last Friday's game against the Houston Dash. 0:04:09.520 --> 0:04:12.480 She's been placed on the season ending injury list. It's 0:04:12.480 --> 0:04:16.280 devastating news to hear, especially since Davidson previously tore her 0:04:16.360 --> 0:04:19.600 right ACL in twenty twenty two, an injury that sidelined 0:04:19.600 --> 0:04:21.440 her for a year and kept her out of contention 0:04:21.520 --> 0:04:24.240 for the twenty twenty three World Cup. Tyrna posted on 0:04:24.279 --> 0:04:29.279 social in part quote in matching scars out my left 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:33.960 ACL and quote the beauty of life is its unpredictable nature. 0:04:34.279 --> 0:04:37.320 While I've found myself on the adverse side of this unpredictability, 0:04:37.360 --> 0:04:39.559 at the moment, I know this experience will be another 0:04:39.600 --> 0:04:42.160 colorful chapter of my journey. I have no doubt this 0:04:42.240 --> 0:04:45.719 year will bring me unexpected joys despite this setback, end 0:04:45.800 --> 0:04:50.440 quote typical Tyrna handling things with grace, intelligence and perspective. 0:04:50.720 --> 0:04:53.480 We're sending you our best and hoping for a smooth recovery. Tea. 0:04:54.320 --> 0:04:57.040 More injury news, this one in women's basketball. The New 0:04:57.120 --> 0:04:59.880 York Liberty announced that guard Benijel Lany Hamilton had surgery 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:02.400 in March to repair an acute meniscus injury in her 0:05:02.440 --> 0:05:05.960 left knee. Landey Hamilton played two games in Unrivaled before 0:05:06.000 --> 0:05:09.000 sustaining the injury for the Liberty. She's expected to be 0:05:09.040 --> 0:05:11.279 out for five to six months, which will keep her 0:05:11.320 --> 0:05:13.280 out of most, if not all, of the twenty twenty 0:05:13.279 --> 0:05:14.480 five WNBA season. 0:05:15.000 --> 0:05:15.760 This is a real. 0:05:15.600 --> 0:05:18.280 Bummer for Benijo, who missed six weeks last season to 0:05:18.320 --> 0:05:21.120 a knee injury and also missed time in twenty sixteen 0:05:21.360 --> 0:05:24.920 when she tore her ACL playing for the Chicago Sky. Obviously, 0:05:25.200 --> 0:05:28.000 anytime you play basketball, you're at risk for injury, and 0:05:28.120 --> 0:05:30.840 Unrivaled is no different. Something players certainly have to think 0:05:30.880 --> 0:05:32.760 about when they sign on to playoff season ball. 0:05:33.960 --> 0:05:34.760 More hoops news. 0:05:34.760 --> 0:05:37.680 Longtime coach now Fortner announced on Monday that she's retiring, 0:05:37.720 --> 0:05:40.760 effective immediately. Fortner spent the last six years as head 0:05:40.760 --> 0:05:43.560 coach of Georgia Tech, following stops at Purdue and Auburn. 0:05:43.800 --> 0:05:46.440 Fortner also previously served as the Indiana Fevers head coach 0:05:46.440 --> 0:05:48.479 from two thousand and one till two thousand and three. 0:05:48.680 --> 0:05:50.640 She also led Team USA to a gold medal at 0:05:50.680 --> 0:05:53.440 the two thousand Sydney Olympics. In a statement, Fortner said 0:05:53.440 --> 0:05:55.920 it wasn't an easy decision to step away. Quote Georgia 0:05:55.920 --> 0:05:58.280 Tech is a gold mine as an institution and an 0:05:58.320 --> 0:06:01.359 athletics department, and is well position to compete for acc 0:06:01.480 --> 0:06:04.599 and national championships in women's basketball. That makes it very 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:07.040 hard to step away. But for me, after spending much 0:06:07.040 --> 0:06:09.080 of the last thirty plus years on the sideline, I 0:06:09.200 --> 0:06:09.800 just feel. 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:10.600 That it's time end. 0:06:10.640 --> 0:06:11.240 Quote. 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:14.680 Finally, we're sending congratulations to Alex Morgan and her husband 0:06:14.680 --> 0:06:17.640 Servando Carrasco on the birth of their baby boy, Enzo. 0:06:18.000 --> 0:06:21.120 Morgan announced her pregnancy and retirement from professional soccer last 0:06:21.120 --> 0:06:24.520 September and played her final game days later. Too early 0:06:24.560 --> 0:06:27.480 to get that kid in some cleats, speaking of actually 0:06:27.480 --> 0:06:30.159 has their daughter Charlie been signed by an NWSL club yet? 0:06:32.360 --> 0:06:34.279 We're going to take a quick break when we come back. 0:06:34.360 --> 0:06:44.120 Hall of famers, Tara Vanderveer and Muffett McGraw. Welcome back 0:06:44.120 --> 0:06:46.599 to this very special episode of Good Game with Sarah Spain, 0:06:46.680 --> 0:06:50.520 presented by Nissan and the all new Nissan Armada and SCUV. 0:06:50.640 --> 0:06:52.279 That's luxurious and tough. 0:06:52.760 --> 0:06:54.800 Speaking a tough, Let's get to my conversation with two 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:57.799 of the toughest coaches in women's college basketball history, Muffett 0:06:57.839 --> 0:06:59.880 McGraw and Tara Vanderveer. 0:07:01.360 --> 0:07:02.200 Joining us now. 0:07:02.240 --> 0:07:04.480 She was the head women's basketball coach at Stanford from 0:07:04.520 --> 0:07:07.080 nineteen eighty five until her retirement in twenty twenty four. 0:07:07.120 --> 0:07:09.440 A three time Naysmith Coach of the Year and eighteen 0:07:09.520 --> 0:07:11.320 time Pack twelve Coach of the Year, she led the 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:14.480 Cardinal to fourteen final fours and three NCAA Championship wins 0:07:14.680 --> 0:07:16.960 in ninety, ninety two and twenty twenty one. She's one 0:07:17.000 --> 0:07:19.520 of only nine NCAA women's basketball coaches to win over 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:22.360 nine hundred games, one of ten NCAA Division One coaches 0:07:22.400 --> 0:07:24.960 women or men to win a thousand games. Her twelve 0:07:25.000 --> 0:07:27.000 hundred and sixteen wins make her the second winning as 0:07:27.000 --> 0:07:29.720 head coach and men's or women's college basketball history, behind 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:32.760 only Gino Oriama, Who's snuck by this year. She coached 0:07:32.760 --> 0:07:34.480 Team USA to a gold medal at the ninety six 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:36.640 Olympics and was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of 0:07:36.680 --> 0:07:38.960 Fame in O two and the Naysmith Basketball Hall of 0:07:38.960 --> 0:07:42.200 Fame in twenty eleven. The court at Stanford's Maples Pavilion 0:07:42.440 --> 0:07:43.480 was named in her honor. 0:07:43.560 --> 0:07:44.760 It's Tara Vanderveer. 0:07:44.920 --> 0:07:49.280 Thanks for joining us, Tara, my pleasure, Shara joining us again. 0:07:49.600 --> 0:07:52.120 She's a basketball analyst for ESPN and the ACC Network 0:07:52.120 --> 0:07:54.040 and was the head women's basketball coach at Notre Dame 0:07:54.080 --> 0:07:56.720 from nineteen eighty seven until her retirement in twenty twenty. 0:07:56.880 --> 0:07:59.160 A three time Naysmith Coach of the Year, she led 0:07:59.160 --> 0:08:02.400 her team to nine Final four, seven championship game appearances 0:08:02.440 --> 0:08:05.840 and two national Championship wins in twenty one and twenty eighteen. 0:08:05.880 --> 0:08:07.800 She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:10.200 in twenty eleven and the Naysmith Basketball Hall of Fame 0:08:10.200 --> 0:08:12.760 in twenty seventeen. She's the first female coach at Notre 0:08:12.840 --> 0:08:14.560 Dame to have a statue in her honor. 0:08:14.600 --> 0:08:17.720 It's Muffett McGraw. Welcome back, Muffett thiks. 0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:20.280 Sarah, those numbers kind of pale in comparison to one 0:08:20.360 --> 0:08:21.200 Tara Vanderverer. 0:08:21.560 --> 0:08:25.080 They are both far too long for me to say 0:08:25.080 --> 0:08:26.720 the full bio. I had to do a lot of 0:08:26.800 --> 0:08:29.840 editing to just get to the very best up. I 0:08:29.840 --> 0:08:31.800 am so excited to have you both here. I am 0:08:31.840 --> 0:08:34.840 so excited to talk about your memories from your tournament battles, 0:08:35.160 --> 0:08:37.240 how we can get more women into college coaching, and 0:08:37.320 --> 0:08:39.760 so much more. But I want to start with those 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:42.120 meetings in March, because I think it's so rare and 0:08:42.200 --> 0:08:45.120 unique to have two Hall of Fame incredible coaches on 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:48.440 to share what their perspective was during those meetings, And 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:51.199 I want to start with the first one. Twenty fourteen, 0:08:51.240 --> 0:08:56.000 twenty fifteen season Sweet sixteen matchup. Muffett, your Notre Dame 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:58.360 team was thirty six and three overall, fifteen and one 0:08:58.360 --> 0:09:02.360 in the ACC, won the ACC Tournament, Jewel Lloyd, Brionna Turner, 0:09:02.480 --> 0:09:06.040 Lindsay Allen, Tara your Stanford team twenty six and ten 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:08.480 overall thirteen and five, and PAC twelve play winners of 0:09:08.520 --> 0:09:12.240 the PAC twelve Tournament, Amber Orange, Lily Thompson, Bonnie Samuelson, 0:09:12.320 --> 0:09:15.120 Kaylee Johnson leading the way on that roster. Notre Dame 0:09:15.200 --> 0:09:18.160 is a number one seed. They win over number four 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:21.559 Stanford eighty one to sixty. Muffett, what do you remember 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:22.760 about that game plan? 0:09:23.120 --> 0:09:25.400 You know, I love playing against Tar because she is 0:09:25.600 --> 0:09:29.679 just such a terrific strategist in the game. And I 0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:32.319 don't remember exactly what our game plan was. When you 0:09:32.360 --> 0:09:34.520 have players like Jewel Lloyd, you expected they're going to 0:09:34.559 --> 0:09:36.200 just step up and play really well. I know she's 0:09:36.280 --> 0:09:38.640 really far to guard, but Lindsay Allen came out was 0:09:38.880 --> 0:09:42.320 a fantastic game that night also, so Lindsay and Jewel. 0:09:42.880 --> 0:09:44.800 You know, Tar, you gotta win with guards in the 0:09:44.880 --> 0:09:48.280 NCAA tournament, and I had some pretty good guards that year. 0:09:48.640 --> 0:09:51.320 Yeah, Jewelloyd seventeen of her twenty one points in the 0:09:51.360 --> 0:09:54.040 second half of that game. Do you remember being on 0:09:54.080 --> 0:09:56.840 the sideline and trying different things to stop her or 0:09:56.880 --> 0:09:59.000 figuring out how you could try to make somebody else 0:09:59.040 --> 0:09:59.959 beat you down the stretch? 0:10:00.320 --> 0:10:03.520 I can. I can picture some of the misery of 0:10:03.559 --> 0:10:06.440 that game. But they were just that good. They were 0:10:06.520 --> 0:10:09.920 They were just that good. And you know, Joe Lloyd, 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:13.480 it wouldn't matter who you were putting honor, and you know, 0:10:13.559 --> 0:10:17.000 our team was you know, I think that our team 0:10:17.040 --> 0:10:20.120 was still a young team at that point and we 0:10:20.120 --> 0:10:22.280 were It's kind of weird that we were in Notre 0:10:22.360 --> 0:10:25.720 Dame's bracket like so many times, yeah, in the beginning 0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:28.839 of my career, but way at the end and uh 0:10:28.880 --> 0:10:31.400 they again, Muffett does a great job with their team. 0:10:31.480 --> 0:10:35.800 They had really talented team, and you know, there there 0:10:35.880 --> 0:10:37.360 was just no beating him that year. 0:10:37.800 --> 0:10:38.280 Muffett. 0:10:38.360 --> 0:10:40.720 You mentioned Tara being a great strategist. When you're entering 0:10:40.720 --> 0:10:42.480 a game against a coach that you've had a good 0:10:42.480 --> 0:10:44.079 look at, they've been at it for a while, even 0:10:44.120 --> 0:10:46.079 if you haven't faced each other in the tournament before, 0:10:46.960 --> 0:10:49.360 do you try to get ahead of what you think 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:52.360 they're gonna do. Usually this is what Tara does here, 0:10:52.480 --> 0:10:55.240 or usually this is how they counteract here. Does it 0:10:55.320 --> 0:10:57.840 make it any easier to have some proof of concept 0:10:57.840 --> 0:10:58.400 from a coach? 0:10:59.240 --> 0:11:03.120 You know, I think coaches like Tara they change things frequently. 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:05.040 I think there's some coaches out there like, we're a 0:11:05.080 --> 0:11:06.840 Manda man team and we're only gonna do this and 0:11:06.840 --> 0:11:08.680 this is what we do on offense. I think with 0:11:08.720 --> 0:11:11.000 Tara is like I want to win, and here's how 0:11:11.080 --> 0:11:13.240 best to guard the seams, so you get a good 0:11:13.240 --> 0:11:16.079 look at how you should be guarded. And I wish 0:11:16.160 --> 0:11:17.920 we've played earlier in the years so I could learn, 0:11:18.040 --> 0:11:19.480 you know, throughout the year, like I got to fix 0:11:19.520 --> 0:11:22.199 all these things instead of waiting for the NCAA tournament. 0:11:22.240 --> 0:11:25.679 But just you never really knew exactly what to expect. 0:11:25.679 --> 0:11:27.360 But you just knew that they were gonna be a 0:11:27.400 --> 0:11:29.800 great rebounding team, they were going to be a great 0:11:29.960 --> 0:11:32.040 defensive team. And we've run a lot of the same 0:11:32.040 --> 0:11:34.959 stuff on offense, you know, variations of the Princeton offense, 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:36.839 so a lot of similarities. 0:11:37.760 --> 0:11:39.800 Tara, you mentioned you had a young team that year. 0:11:39.880 --> 0:11:42.800 If you think just looking at the talent matchup that 0:11:42.880 --> 0:11:46.160 your squad doesn't probably match up as well, do you 0:11:46.240 --> 0:11:49.240 try to get more creative, maybe a little gimmicky and 0:11:49.360 --> 0:11:52.959 some things to see if you can change the odds. 0:11:53.960 --> 0:11:56.360 Well, I don't think the NCAA tournament's are time to 0:11:56.360 --> 0:11:59.080 try to new things. You got to kind of go 0:11:59.240 --> 0:12:01.920 what's been working for for you. You're not gonna You're 0:12:01.920 --> 0:12:04.760 not gonna do gimmicky things. You're gonna do what's work, 0:12:04.840 --> 0:12:07.320 what works for you, And I would say what we 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:09.880 would try to do is I will say play scouting, 0:12:09.920 --> 0:12:12.679 report defense, So we will you know, look at the numbers. 0:12:12.720 --> 0:12:15.760 You can watch energy, you know, and you have to 0:12:15.840 --> 0:12:17.880 kind of pick your poison. You you know, you have 0:12:17.960 --> 0:12:20.120 to know kind of who to guard and who to guard, 0:12:20.320 --> 0:12:22.760 how you have to double, you know, depending upon their 0:12:22.800 --> 0:12:25.520 inside game. And but when you have the combination of 0:12:25.559 --> 0:12:28.440 great players and great coaching, you're you're up a crick 0:12:28.520 --> 0:12:31.520 without a paddle. That was that, That was what was 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:32.360 in that situation. 0:12:33.120 --> 0:12:35.600 So you meet in the very next season in the 0:12:35.640 --> 0:12:39.199 sweet sixteen again, twenty fifteen sixteen muff. At this time 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:41.920 your team's thirty three and two overall sixteen and ozer 0:12:41.960 --> 0:12:44.839 one ACC Play winners of the ACC Tournament. This roster 0:12:44.920 --> 0:12:48.599 Breonna Turner, Lindsay Allen, Madison Cable, and you add some youngsters. 0:12:48.240 --> 0:12:50.840 In Ari Gay Gumbawalle and Marina maybriy Tar. 0:12:51.000 --> 0:12:53.600 Your Stanford team twenty seven and eight, fourteen and four 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:55.640 and PAC twelve play. You finished it at tie for third, 0:12:55.679 --> 0:12:57.560 but you got an at large bid to the tournament. 0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:00.000 You're led again by Lilly Bonnie and Kayley, but also 0:13:00.080 --> 0:13:04.000 so Erica McCall. You as a number four seed, upset 0:13:04.080 --> 0:13:06.560 number one Notre Dame ninety to eighty four and lexingting. 0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:09.160 That ends a twenty six game winning streak for the 0:13:09.200 --> 0:13:10.320 Irish Tara. 0:13:10.360 --> 0:13:11.640 What do you remember about that day? 0:13:12.520 --> 0:13:14.640 I probably should have done my homework, and I know 0:13:14.679 --> 0:13:18.520 we're gonna go back through all the game. You know, again, 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:21.679 sometimes you just you have a good game and different 0:13:21.720 --> 0:13:24.640 people step up. And when you're a number four, and 0:13:25.080 --> 0:13:27.680 maybe you played a team the last year, I don't 0:13:27.679 --> 0:13:30.120 remember anything specific about that game. 0:13:29.960 --> 0:13:32.240 But let me jog your memory because I can almost 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:35.840 guess that Muffett might remember these two numbers. Your team 0:13:35.880 --> 0:13:39.080 shot fifty five point nine percent overall and fifty five 0:13:39.120 --> 0:13:42.120 percent from three. You mentioned sometimes you just have a 0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:45.360 good game. That's a pretty good game, Uh, Muffett, What 0:13:45.360 --> 0:13:47.080 do you remember about trying to stop them when they're 0:13:47.080 --> 0:13:47.480 shooting that? 0:13:47.520 --> 0:13:47.760 Well? 0:13:48.000 --> 0:13:49.160 You know, I think we had the lead for a 0:13:49.200 --> 0:13:50.920 lot of the time during that game, and we just 0:13:51.120 --> 0:13:54.520 could not defensively figure out a way to guardment where 0:13:54.600 --> 0:13:56.640 we were a zone team back then, we of course 0:13:56.679 --> 0:13:58.760 had to go Amanda man I had a couple of 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:01.280 really weak defenders of him, specifically, I don't want to 0:14:01.280 --> 0:14:04.800 mention any names we show. We're getting out on this 0:14:04.960 --> 0:14:07.080 get out of the three point shooters, and you know, 0:14:07.120 --> 0:14:08.600 it came right down to the wire. I think we 0:14:08.640 --> 0:14:11.280 had a shot to win it right at the end. Yeah, 0:14:11.679 --> 0:14:12.559 the suck up. 0:14:12.520 --> 0:14:15.480 Blocked well to your point, you actually were down by 0:14:15.480 --> 0:14:17.199 as many as fifteen points, but then you got it 0:14:17.240 --> 0:14:19.640 to a three point game with two minutes left, and 0:14:20.240 --> 0:14:22.640 you really had an opportunity to undo what had been 0:14:22.640 --> 0:14:24.880 a tough game for your team for most of it. 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:29.360 But then, man, just Erica McCall twenty seven points, tart. 0:14:29.400 --> 0:14:32.360 What's it like to watch someone have their career high 0:14:32.480 --> 0:14:33.160 in a game. 0:14:33.000 --> 0:14:34.200 That's that important? 0:14:34.960 --> 0:14:39.600 You know, what's what's really fun and for someone like 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:42.400 Erica McCall is for her to have a great game 0:14:42.480 --> 0:14:45.280 because she is just a great person. When you have 0:14:45.320 --> 0:14:48.720 a player on your team that is so special as 0:14:48.760 --> 0:14:52.440 a person, as a teammate, you you know, it's doubly 0:14:52.520 --> 0:14:56.240 rewarding as a coach when you see them perform, especially 0:14:56.240 --> 0:14:59.440 at a big stage. There could be no one that 0:14:59.760 --> 0:15:04.440 is happier or you know, a better teammate than Erica. 0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:07.600 So I was just really thrilled for her, and she 0:15:07.680 --> 0:15:11.000 struggled like making the adjustment to college basketball and kind 0:15:11.040 --> 0:15:13.840 of find her way. And you know, obviously she had 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:15.720 a good game that particular game. 0:15:16.560 --> 0:15:19.920 She said that the team was calling themselves party crashers 0:15:20.080 --> 0:15:22.720 beforehand because they knew what a great team Notre Dame 0:15:22.720 --> 0:15:25.960 had Muffett. You'd won twenty seven straight games that had 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:29.360 been decided in single digits or overtime, hadn't lost a 0:15:29.360 --> 0:15:31.840 single digit margin since twenty twelve. 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:35.600 That's pretty wild. That's a long stretch to go of 0:15:35.640 --> 0:15:36.280 being clutch. 0:15:37.360 --> 0:15:39.720 You know, I wonder why I accepted the invitation to 0:15:39.800 --> 0:15:44.840 join this little podcast right now. Oh my gosh, like 0:15:44.920 --> 0:15:48.240 bringing up those memories, like I clearly remember the end 0:15:48.240 --> 0:15:50.120 of that game, and you know, it's interesting about the 0:15:50.200 --> 0:15:52.480 end of that game. We went to a rique Ogu Muwalian. 0:15:52.560 --> 0:15:54.400 She was young, she was a young player, and she 0:15:54.480 --> 0:15:55.960 was the one I had confidence in to take that 0:15:56.040 --> 0:15:58.760 last shot. And you know, we ran and played it. 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:00.800 We'd run quite a few times, and Erica McCall just 0:16:00.800 --> 0:16:03.480 made a great plight block in the shot. But it 0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:05.880 was it was it was a shame that we had 0:16:05.880 --> 0:16:08.120 to play them back to back and then again, you know, 0:16:08.160 --> 0:16:09.280 a couple of years later. 0:16:10.280 --> 0:16:12.000 Well, I hate to move on to the next year 0:16:12.040 --> 0:16:14.480 and rub it in some more, but this is really good. 0:16:14.560 --> 0:16:15.800 It's good to talk to very. 0:16:15.640 --> 0:16:18.560 Successful people about times when things didn't work out. We're 0:16:18.600 --> 0:16:20.600 so used to talking about the wins, but you can't 0:16:20.640 --> 0:16:23.560 win every time. The next year, twenty sixteen, twenty seventeen, 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:25.520 you meet again, this time in the Elite eight. 0:16:26.120 --> 0:16:28.120 Buffett thirty three and four, fifteen and. 0:16:28.080 --> 0:16:30.240 One in the ACC won the regular season and the 0:16:30.240 --> 0:16:32.120 ACC tournament for the four straight year. You got a 0:16:32.160 --> 0:16:36.880 Rique Marina, Brianna Lindsay and a freshman Jackie Young. Tara's 0:16:36.920 --> 0:16:39.320 Stanford team thirty two and six, fifteen and three in 0:16:39.360 --> 0:16:42.760 the PAC twelve won the PAC twelve tournament. You got McCall, Samuelson, 0:16:43.280 --> 0:16:46.400 Brittany McPhee on that roster. Youngsters Alana Smith and dj 0:16:46.520 --> 0:16:49.640 A Carrington joined the party for that one. Number two 0:16:49.720 --> 0:16:53.760 Stanford wins a nail bier seventy six, seventy five. This 0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:55.800 was number one seed, Notre Dame's first loss, and that 0:16:55.880 --> 0:16:57.400 lead eight with you at the hell Muffet. 0:16:57.400 --> 0:16:58.800 This was a tough one. What stands out to you 0:16:58.880 --> 0:17:00.360 about that one? That one's real type. 0:17:01.360 --> 0:17:03.800 Yeah, I've obviously put that one right out of my mind. 0:17:04.320 --> 0:17:06.120 We you know, I think we were nine and one 0:17:06.160 --> 0:17:09.520 in games to go to the fun of four and yeah, 0:17:09.600 --> 0:17:12.680 I really I've forgotten about that one. I've I've tried 0:17:12.680 --> 0:17:15.040 to forget about it, and I think I was successful 0:17:15.080 --> 0:17:16.280 in doing so successful. 0:17:16.800 --> 0:17:19.960 Tara might remember that they were down by sixteen points. 0:17:20.240 --> 0:17:25.080 They had an absolutely disastrous second where you did switch 0:17:25.080 --> 0:17:28.120 from zone to man and they were really having trouble scoring. 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:31.040 But then the Cardinal outscored you twenty four to twelve 0:17:31.040 --> 0:17:32.639 in the third, which set it up to be a 0:17:32.680 --> 0:17:36.399 real game. Brittany McFee had nine in the fourth, twenty 0:17:36.400 --> 0:17:39.320 seven overall. What do you remember about Brittany McFee in 0:17:39.359 --> 0:17:39.840 that one, Tara? 0:17:41.240 --> 0:17:44.879 You know what I remember is Erique being a tremendous 0:17:44.920 --> 0:17:48.840 talent and no garter. And you know, I think that 0:17:48.960 --> 0:17:51.159 when you have when you're in the locker room at 0:17:51.240 --> 0:17:54.080 halftime and you're getting beat like a drum, you know, 0:17:54.200 --> 0:17:57.280 when someone says i'll garter, you know you're just like, okay, 0:17:57.359 --> 0:17:59.800 that you respect someone that will give it a try. 0:18:00.119 --> 0:18:03.560 And again, I think that it was really unfortunate that 0:18:03.760 --> 0:18:06.240 you have teams that have the equal ability to go 0:18:06.240 --> 0:18:08.480 to the final four, and we again end up in 0:18:08.520 --> 0:18:12.640 the same bracket, and that game was the one that 0:18:13.560 --> 0:18:16.040 you know, we were down, we got some momentum, we 0:18:16.080 --> 0:18:20.600 started hitting some shots people. You know, I just we 0:18:20.600 --> 0:18:22.680 we ran some a couple of plays here and there. 0:18:22.720 --> 0:18:25.880