Additional Quotes >> USA 87, Jamaica 41

Oct. 24, 2011 • Guadalajara, Mexico

Ceal Barry
USA head coach
On tonight's game:
We were a little flat to start, but they regained their focus and got the job done. I think they had a healthy respect for Jamaica, and they executed our offense and took care of the ball.

On the growth of this team throughout the tournament:
It's amazing how familiar they became with one another and how well they united in a matter of 11 days. From total strangers, fifteen people who didn't know each other came together and became a productive team. It was very gratifying to see that.

What did this experience mean for you as a coach?
This experience was energizing for me. I loved being around the players, and these players had great energy. They were very resilient. We lost our first two games, but they didn't get down on each other. They didn't get negative or cynical, they just had big eyes and big ears and really listened. That's very impressive.

Do you think this experience with help these players?
This experience definitely will help them in their upcoming seasons. Playing four games of international basketball is going to make all the difference in the world for themselves and their teams. It will be a positive impact on their team. The college coaches that allowed their players to play on this team, it was an unselfish move on their part. I know USA Basketball and myself personally are very appreciative of that.

Shante Evans
(Hofstra/West Chester, Pa.)
On tonight's game:
It was good. We came out strong; we finished strong the whole entire game. Our game plan was to play USA Basketball, run the ball and don't slow up and play to our opponents ability.

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Christine Flores
(Missouri/San Antonio, Texas)
On tonight's game:
I thought that we had a good intensity level. We knew we were bigger and stronger than our opponent, but we didn't lose our focus. Of course, we wish we had been competing for a medal, but it was a great experience. We all got to play and contribute, and we finished strong with two wins.

Tavelyn James
(Eastern Michigan/Detroit, Mich.)
What was the game plan against Jamaica, and do you feel like you guys accomplished that?
The game plan was to go out and play as hard as we can and to represent the United States and don't play to our opponent's ability I would say.

Did you feel like this team put together forty minutes of good basketball?
Yeah, it was forty minutes of focus I believe. We hit shots today, and we made good passes, made a lot of layups. It was good basketball.

Kayla Standish
(Gonzaga/Ellensburg, Wash.)
What was it like to finish with a win like that?
It felt really good to get two wins under our belt. Coming in and losing two games was rough, but we fought back and came out with two wins, so it's nice.

Did you feel like you guys used your size and strength advantage against Jamaica the way you wanted to?
Yeah, absolutely. The middle it was open, obviously, just over height reasons, but we really pounded it inside and finished, so that was good.