THEIR FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP SINCE
1992.
>> THIS MORNING, WE ARE SO VERY
EXCITED TO WELCOME HEAD COACH OF
THE STANFORD CARDINAL FOR 35
SEASONS, TARA VANDERVEER, AND
SOPHOMORE GUARD, NAMED
OUTSTANDING PLAYER OF THE 2021
NCAA TOURNAMENT, HALEY JONES.
LADIES, GOOD MORNING TO BOTH OF
YOU.
CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH OF YOU.
FIRST OF ALL, COACH VANDERVEER,
YOU KNOW, HERE'S THE THING, THE
MOST WINNING COACH IN THE
HISTORY OF WOMEN'S COLLEGE
BASKETBALL.
NO ONE HAS WON MORE GAMES THAN
YOU.
WE ALSO HAVE TO GIVE IT TO
ARIZONA.
THEY HAD ONE HECK OF A SEASON,
AS WELL.
COACH, ONE SECOND ON THE CLOCK.
UP BY ONE.
ARIZONA HAS THE BALL.
BEFORE THE FINAL PLAY, WHAT'D
YOU TELL YOUR TEAM?
>> FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR
HAVING US.
IN
McDONALD.
I SAID, THE BALL IS GOING TO
ARI.
GUARD HER.
>> THAT'S IT?
>> THAT WAS IT.
>> HALEY, YOU SCORED 17 POINTS,
8 REBOUNDS AGAINST ARIZONA.
NOT BAD FOR YOUR FIRST NCAA
TOURNAMENT.
WHEN YOU SAY ARI McDONALD, AS
MENTIONED, RELEASE THE SHOT,
WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR
HEAD?
>> HONESTLY, MY MIND KIND OF
BLANKED.
SHE'D BEEN HOT ALL GAME, SO YOU
NEVER KNOW.
WE DEFENDED AS BEST WE COULD
AGAINST HER, AND LUCKILY, THE
SHOT DIDN'T GO IN.
>> COACH, CRAIG MENTIONED IT.
YOU DO HOLD THE TITLE FOR THE
ALL-TIME WINNINGEST COACH IN
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY.
JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, YOU WERE
NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR.
YOU LED THIS TEAM TO THREE
NATIONAL TITLES.
YOUR LAST CHAMPIONSHIP WAS 29
YEARS AGO.
YEARS, WHAT DID
LAST NIGHT AND THIS PARTICULAR
CHAMPIONSHIP MEAN FOR YOU?
>> WELL, THIS WAS, I THINK,
ESPECIALLY REWARDING BECAUSE OF
THE COVID SITUATION AND ALL THE
ADVERSITY THIS TEAM HAS FACED.
I THINK OUR TEAM REALLY STUCK
TOGETHER.
YOU KNOW, WE REALLY HAD TO DIG
DOWN DEEP.
I'M REALLY PROUD OF OUR TEAM FOR
DOING THAT.
VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS
CHAMPIONSHIP.
IT MIGHT COME WITH A LITTLE BIT
OF AN ASTERISK, A COVID
CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT WE'RE HAPPY TO
TAKE IT.
>> TO THAT POINT, HALEY, GOING
OFF OF WHAT COACH TARA TALKED
ABOUT, YOU GUYS HAD THIS REALLY
TOUGH SEASON.
YOU WERE FORCED TO LIVE ON THE
ROAD FOR NINE WEEKS BECAUSE OF
COVID RESTRICTIONS IN
CALIFORNIA.
YOU HAD ALL THIS
UNPREDICTABILITY.
HOW DID THAT PREPARE YOU FOR THE
TOURNAMENT?
>> YEAH, I THINK OUR TWO MONTHS
ON THE ROAD JUST MADE US
EXTREMELY RESILIENT AND TOUGH
AND GRITTY.
WE KNEW THE TOURNAMENT WAS GOING
TO BE FILLED WITH GREAT
COMPETITION, SO, I MEAN, THE
TOURNAMENT, WE KNEW WE HAD TO
KEEP THE SAME MENTALITY OF BEING
RESILIENT, BEING GRITTY.
I THINK THAT IT JUST BROUGHT US
CLOSER TOGETHER.
IT HELPED US COME OUT WITH THE
CHAMPIONSHIP.
>> COACH, YOU'RE NOT JUST ONE OF
THE MOST IMPRESSIVE IN THE
HISTORY OF SPORTS, YOU'VE ALSO
BEEN QUITE THE ADVOCATE FOR
WOMEN'S ATHLETICS THIS YEAR,
ESPECIALLY REALLY PUTTING A
SPOTLIGHT ON THE DISPARITIES
BETWEEN THE MEN'S AND WOMEN'S
COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS
AND PROGRAMS IN GENERAL IN THIS
COUNTRY.
WHERE DO YOU THINK THE SPORT
GOES FROM HERE?
DO YOU THINK THAT THIS SEASON
WAS A TURNING POINT OF SORTS?
>> YOU KNOW, CRAIG, I CERTAINLY
HOPE SO.
I THINK OUR WHOLE COUNTRY IS
GOING THROUGH SOME REAL
EVALUATION OF WHAT IS FAIR AND
WHAT IS RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, SPORT IS A MICROCOSM
OF OUR CULTURE AND OUR SOCIETY.
I THINK THAT LOOKING AT HOW
WOMEN ARE TREATED IN SPORTS IS
REALLY IMPORTANT.
THIS IS -- I THINK THIS IS A
WATERSHED MOMENT.
>> WE HOPE YOU'RE RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
BY THE WAY, COACH, I NOTICED
YOU'RE STRUGGLING WITH YOUR
VOICE.
YOU MUST HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT
OF SCREAMING.
>> SCREAMING.
>> HALEY, I'M GUESSING YOU WERE
UP ALL NIGHT.
>> ALL NIGHT.
>> AS IT SHOULD BE.
>> YES.
>> KEEP CELEBRATING.
WE'RE CELEBRATING WITH YOU,
LADIES.
COACH VANDERVEER.
>> THANK YOU.
>> REALLY QUICKLY, WHO DO YOU
HAVE TONIGHT, GONZAGA OR --
>> BAYLOR?
>> GONZAGA.
>> THANK YOU, LADIES.
>> THAT'S WHO I'VE GOT.
>> REALLY?
>> YOU HAVE GONZAGA,