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Chat Reel: Lauren Rice
Duke senior point guard looks back at 1999 Final Four
Posted: Wednesday March 15, 2000 06:09 PM
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Lauren Rice predicts Duke fans won't see a repeat of her infamous faked-ankle injury play. |
Duke senior point guard Lauren Rice took time from preparing for the NCAA tournament to chat with CNNSI.com users about the Big Dance. A transcript of the chat follows:
CNNSI Host: Hello and welcome to today's NCAA basketball chat with Duke senior point guard Lauren Rice. Hi Lauren, thanks for joining us.
Lauren Rice: Hi. How are you doing?
From Brian Williams: Do you think Duke will go to the finals this year like last year. What is the difference between this year's team and the 1999 NCAA runner-ups?
Lauren Rice: This team is much different than last year's team. This year we are a much more perimeter oriented team. We have good shooters and passers. As far as getting to the Final Four, you never know come tournament time. It will be interesting to see who makes it that far.
From Guest: Does the experience of making it to the Final Four help you in going back to the NCAA tournament?
Lauren Rice: I think definitely. We have a lot of confidence and a lot of experience from our returning players. We got to play in front of a lot of big crowds,
and had a lot of intensity.
From Steve: Lauren, You had a great regular season. Way to go in the ACC Tourney. There is almost two weeks between the end of the ACC tourney and the NCAA Tourney. What is the team doing during that time to get ready for the first round game?
Lauren Rice: The week after the ACC Tournament we took a lot of time off. Coach let us get our injuries healed and get away from basketball. This week we've been getting refocused and trying to get ready for the first round.
From Guest: Will you run the secret play again where you fake the ankle injury, then hit the three-pointer?
Lauren Rice: Hopefully we won't have to run that again. My ankle did hurt after that, but hopefully we won't have to run it again. But it seemed to work. It really wasn't a trick play.
From Emily: Congratulations on the great season! What has been the biggest adjustment for you personally and your teammates after losing the starters that you did after last season? Good luck in the NCAA tournament.
Lauren Rice: We lost a lot of leadership. Basically the heart and soul of our team last year. I think we returned a good defensive unit. From our defense, we have produced a lot of our offense. The players returning have not received the same kind of attention of the players we lost. They were very well known throughout the nation.
From Guest: Was it fun to come out and surprise everyone this year?
Lauren Rice: Definitely. When we started the season we weren't even in the top 25. We took that personally, and tried to prove to everyone that those of us returning could really play.
From Guest: You surprised people just like your men's team did. What is going on there. And what is like sharing the spotlight with Coach K's team?
Lauren Rice: We have surprised a lot of because we lost a lot of players. The players returning on both teams have done a good job meshing together. We have to give Coach K and Coach G a lot of credit. They have both done a good job with what they had.
From Alissa Perine: Hi Lauren. First, wanted to say congratulations on a great season. You have truly been a pleasure to watch play. What were YOUR expectations when the season began, and how have they changed?
Lauren Rice: I was very confident coming in the season. The returners we had are such hard workers. The freshmen have done a great job meshing into the team and producing.
From Guest: Women's basketball has seemed to grow in popularity. What do you think still needs to be done to get it the sport's popularity on par with the men's program?
Lauren Rice: I think I would like to see more televised games. I think you have to reach out to the community. At Duke we do a pretty good job of that. I think that's what you need to do.
From Guest: As a senior looking back over your career, what really sticks out in your mind both on and off the court?
Lauren Rice: I think just how much I've learned about myself and how much you can be pushed and challenged everyday. I'll definitely never forget playing for the national championship, but the Tennessee game last year is probably the game that I will never forget.
From Guest: What did you think about your No. 2 seed?
Lauren Rice: I think we got a very good see. I think after we won the ACC Tournament, they rewarded us with the No. 2 seed in the East. The ACC Tournament was a tough tournament to win. The seed really doesn't matter to us. We're just ready to play again.
From Guest: What do you know about Campbell? And aren't you looking ahead to LSU even little?
Lauren Rice: We definitely take it one game at a time. I know some of the Campbell players pretty well. Some of them worked at our camp last year. I've actually seen Campbell play a couple times this year and have a pretty good feel for their style of play. Personally I would.
From Guest: In regards to that, wouldn't you like a rematch with Purdue in the Great Eight?
Lauren Rice: I think the returners would definitely like another chance at playing Purdue. I've never watched last year's national championship game. I think we took that loss harder than we've ever taken a loss. I think it has inspired us this year to be at our best at all times.
From Guest: How do you feel to be seeded in the same region with UCONN?
Lauren Rice: I'm excited about it. This year I think UConn is going into the tournament like Tennessee last year as the team to beat. We got a chance to play them. Hopefully we'll get a chance to play UConn. I'd like to go through the tournament and battle the best teams. I'd like that chance.
CNNSI Host: Thanks a lot for joining us today, Lauren. Good luck this weekend against Campbell.
Lauren Rice: Thank you very much.
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