Coach Neighbors Media Availability Quotes
On how to reinvest emotionally into a team after an emotional win over Auburn in another bubble game:
Neighbors: I think they’ve managed it well all year long. If it was the first time, we had been doing it, I would have been more concerned, but we have been win one, lose one, win two, lose one. I just think we have kind of gotten used to it, even though you don’t want that to be the case, but I do think that we understand playing in the SEC. We have Makayla Daniels telling all the kids that it’s a marathon, and you must treat it like it is. I don’t worry about them with that aspect. They have learned to compartmentalize things well and take each game, literally coach speak, one game at a time, and that is what we need to survive in this league.
On readjusting and getting back up to speed on offense with Taliah Scott back in lineup after six games out:
Neighbors: You can practice it all you want, but you can’t simulate 4,000-4,500 people in the stands, you can’t simulate the opponents intensities and things like that. We knew there would be a period of adjustment, that’s why I wanted to slowly work her back in during that Alabama game. She had the three extra days to practice and not to mention the times when she came in to shoot on her own. Yeah, you’ve got to give it time, and even more time, you can’t expect that level of success, even for her that she had there in that third quarter. I think we can still give her time, as well as ourselves, to make that adjustment.
On the matchup with Florida:
Neighbors: Pretty good, position by position. I like it. There isn’t a tremendous size advantage one way or the other. There isn’t a tremendous speed advantage either. We both are very transition oriented, and we play through our guards and our big kids compliment that very well. I do think that Florida has a depth advantage. I am not sure of the health of Aliyah Matharu, but of course if she is healthy, that gives them a little bit of a depth advantage and of course they are at home. I like the personnel matchup. Our styles of play always produce a fun game, so I wouldn’t anticipate anything less than that.
On Leilani [Correa] leading SEC play in scoring and what makes her tough:
Size, speed, confidence [and] ability to score in multiple different ways,. You can’t keep her from getting shots, she’s going to be able to create shots no matter what you decide to do. You just need to really affect the quality of shots that she takes. You can’t pinpoint one action of the floor or one motion they use to get her there. I think the most important thing is that she is playing loose and free. She reminded me of watching [Chelsea] Dungee, just some of the ways that she gets to the foul line. The way that you can think you are in good defensive position but still draws fouls, can shoot the three [and] can drive it. I think she’s shooting like 59 percent from three in her last five games, and you can’t even do that in an empty gym most times. The thing that is concerning is that there isn’t just one thing or just one person, you can’t just say okay Mak [Daniels], you got her. You can’t just take away her left hand. She can hurt you in many ways, and if you start spending too much time focusing just on her, Matharu has a big game or [Alberte] Rimdal, [Kenza] Salgues or [Faith] Dut comes in there and next thing you know, you’ve done a good job on her, but you are losing the battle. You can win the battle but not win the war. I don’t think their record is a good indicator of how good a team they are or how dangerous they are.
