March 24, 2004

WACO, Texas - Head coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson answers questions about facing Tennessee and playing in the Sweet 16.

How do you feel now that it's sunk in that you're going to be playing Tennessee?
"It sunk in right after the game. It doesn't take long for it to sink in that you're next opponent's probably got the greatest tradition in women's basketball and probably the greatest coach that's ever coached the women's game. You better get ready or you'll get embarrassed."

What are your thoughts on Tennessee?
"They're good, they're really balanced. When I look at their team this year, there's not a Tamika or a Chameka or any of those great, great players. They have McDonalds All-Americans at every position and they play very well together and it's indicative from the balanced scoring they have. What's really impressive to me is they're playing without a true point guard. Those girls are filling it in and different people are bringing it up the floor and they haven't missed a beat and that's what great programs are all about."

"When you face a Pat Summit coached team, you're facing one of the best defensive teams and you're facing a team that's very aggressive at rebounding. You're going to be guarded and you're going to be guarded hard and you know they're going to go to the boards."

On having played for Coach Summitt:
"Pat coached me in 1984 (U.S. Olympic team) and I have the utmost respect for her. Having played for Pat Summitt, a lot of what I do is Pat Summitt. I think that our personalities are very similar in that she's very competitive and she's married and has a child. I have children and you have to have a perfect balance. But, when I think of her I think of two things. One, about six weeks before the Olympics I woke up and couldn't walk and I had a stress fracture on the top of my foot. Well, you're six weeks away from opening ceremonies and she could have picked up an alternate. I'll never forget when I had my meeting with her, she said 'absolutely not, you made this team and you will be ready.' It took me three weeks and I was back to full speed. I won't ever forget that.

And, the second thing is, when I was pregnant with my first child (Makenzie). That's very traumatic, I mean, your body's going through changes and you're making a very big commitment and nothing anybody can tell you makes you feel better unless you talk to someone who's similar to you and has the same goals and aspirations careerwise. She visited with me at great length before one of her practices when she came to Louisiana Tech to play and then I was okay. I could ask her about things that were bothering me about my pregnancy that she had gone through with her child. So, those two things will always stand out to me about Pat Summitt, far more important than what she taught me as a player.

Obviously it's been a rough year here at Baylor, what has this team making the Sweet 16 done for Baylor and the community?
"When Baylor was going through all it went through this past summer, these players were challenged in our first team meeting to be the shining light this winter for the athletic department and I think we've done that. The Sweet 16 has never been done here and I was looking at something interesting. Pat Summitt's been to 23 Sweet 16s and this is our first. Getting to a Sweet 16 for them is expected, it would be traumatic if they didn't make it. For us it's exciting. Our community is excited, the school's excited. It's within driving distance for our fans so there's no excuse for Baylor people not to be there. It's just one more step that we needed to take as a program. Now, saying all of that, we've got some competitors on that floor, they're not going to be just glad to be in the Sweet 16 and go and let Tennessee, the powerful tradition, embarrass us. We're going to approach this game no different than any game we play. We're going to compete and fight as hard as we can. There are so many things that happen when you get to a one game, do-or-die situation."