THE MODERATOR: We're joined by coach Lee Cummard and student-athletes Brinley Cannon and Delaney Gibb.
LEE CUMMARD: Grateful to be here in Wichita. Grateful for this tournament. Grateful for the quality of the tournament and the quality of the teams that have been in. It's been a great experience for our group, and we're looking forward to playing a very quality Kansas team that we're familiar with tomorrow evening here in this arena. Just looking forward to it.
Q. Just the obvious commitment to rebounding that's helped you guys get to this point, what has that done for your team? And can you credit any players who have kind of been challenged in that area who have kind of stepped up?
LEE CUMMARD: For me, philosophically, I think rebounding is one of a few pillars it takes to be a successful team. And I think the team might get tired of us talking about it being important in every game that we play, where we have keys to a game or something that we want to achieve.
I don't know how they feel, but it seems like it's every game we play, that's one of the keys that we want to achieve going into the game.
We've done a great job so far in this tournament and for the year, I would say.
We've got some pretty good rebounders that have tendency to see the ball come off the rim pretty well. Lara and Bola, it starts with them, who play the big position for us. But Kambree Barber and some of our other guard like players do a great job.
But it's been a point of emphasis all year and it's going to be important in our game tomorrow versus Kansas.
Q. You've got two good rebounders up here with you?
LEE CUMMARD: Yeah, fantastic rebounders.
Q. How do they play off of each other well at both ends of the floor?
LEE CUMMARD: They're just good players. I think, we're a younger team, so as the season's gone on, the chemistry and continuity has built. They are fantastic rebounders for their position and do a great job in that area.
But I think the chemistry has been building all year with the group that's starting and playing the most minutes. And I think that's starting to show at least in this tournament very well.
Q. I'm looking at your team this season, and the Big 12 was really competitive. Tough competition. I know you only faced Kansas once, and it didn't come out the way you wanted it to. But you went on a pretty big win streak not too long after that. What was really starting to click before you got into the Big 12 Tournament and now kind of going on this run?
LEE CUMMARD: I think it's one of the things that I'd like to take away from year is when we faced some adversity, we didn't go away from each other, kind of turn our backs in any way. We kind of got tighter as a group.
We lost two in a row on the Kansas swing, and we didn't play well. We kind of had a little bit of a flu going through the team at the time. And it didn't have anything to do with the outcome of the game. And then we lost two more in a row with Colorado and Cincinnati at home.
And really proud of the way the resiliency and the grit of the group came together and turned inward and doubled down on each other as a group.
From there, we've been playing really good basketball. We've been aggressive. I think the confidence level has increased drastically with the group.
And, again, I'll point out to that chemistry, it's been really apparent over the last -- I think eight of our last nine, and it's against real high-quality opponents. Seems people are very assertive and decisive in what they're doing on both sides of the basketball.
It's been about as fun a nine games as you can have, with some setbacks in there against TCU. But it's been a good couple of weeks for this group.
Q. Delaney, would you like to talk about the team and rebounding?
DELANEY GIBB: Sure, I would. I think Coach Lee did a great job of just giving credit to everyone on our team and just the hard work that they put into each and every game in practice.
The start of the season we focused a ton on rebounding and limiting offensive rebounds for our opponents. I think that's just really being shown now in this postseason.
But just a credit to all my teammates. I think there's times where even you may box out and you don't necessarily get the rebound. I think that's something that's not necessarily shown on the stat sheet.
But really just every single one of us does a great job of just doing their role and making sure that they're doing the little things that's going to help us be successful.
Q. Brinley, we'll give you the same opportunity.
BRINLEY CANNON: I think they touched it both right on the head. I think, like Coach said, that things are just starting to click for us right now and down the stretch of the season.
And I think a lot of that, obviously, rebounding, just kind of having a sense of urgency. I mean, the games that we've struggled is just losing that sense of urgency. So I think, just as the season goes down we want to win these games and finish our season strong. With that urgency, it just helps us rebound and just execute what we're trying to do.
Q. You're in your sophomore seasons and coaching change, sort of. I know Coach was with you as an associate head and as an assistant. But talk about, you chose to stay. You chose to play for Coach's system, and this team's obviously put together some great chemistry, even though you've only got a couple starters back from a season ago. But talk about some of the things you did as a group and just kind of the leadership, who kind of steps in, your vocal leaders, that sort of thing that brings everybody together?
DELANEY GIBB: Yeah, I'll start us off. So when the coaching switch happened obviously it's tough and not knowing what's going to happen. And I struggled with just, there was an unknown factor to it.
Obviously I really love my teammates. I loved being at BYU. And I've known Coach Lee for a very long time. So when he was named head coach, I knew I wanted to stay. And he's someone who just knows when I'm at my best and the potential and the expectations that I can meet and that I need to be held accountable to.
So I was super excited to play for a coach who gets to know his players on and off the court and is just someone who is going to push someone to be the very best that they can be.
As far as our team goes and our leadership, I want to shout out Brinley and Hattie Ogden. They've been huge leaders for our team. And it's been really helpful for me.
I struggled with some injuries this season and that was hard because one of my main goals for this season was to be a bigger leader for this team and someone who's more vocal. So when you're injured and you're on the sideline, that's kind of a tough situation and it's a harder dynamic to try and find a leadership role.
But Brinley and Hattie have been two people that are constantly looking outside of themselves and looking to help everyone else on the team, whether it be on the basketball court or even outside of basketball. They're just two girls that are amazing human beings and have been just such great leaders for this team.
BRINLEY CANNON: I would just add, with what Delaney said, I think when Coach got the position last year, we were all super excited because we know what BYU means to him, and just kind of the environment that he's fostered here has been incredible.
And then with that, I think just us kind of having our freshman year and coming to be sophomores, like Delaney said, I was just trying to always kind of up that leadership role and just kind of do whatever it takes to kind of keep our team together.
And I think Delaney has -- she's the face of this team. Obviously she scores a lot of points, but she also has a really big role of just keeping us connected and tied together because she is such a great player. And I think she's held that role and position with a lot of grace and in a really selfless way.
So I think when you have really good players doing that, then it's contagious for the rest of the team. So I think that it's just been a really fun year for us to grow both on and off the court and in that leadership role. Yeah, I don't really know, but it's been really fun.
Q. Wanted to ask you about the pros and cons of playing on the Sabbath. There's three other teams practicing, but for you guys, that's different. What's good and what's challenging about it, should I say?
DELANEY GIBB: I think when you say "what's challenging," it's obviously we don't have that day to prepare and to be able to improve and get better.
So when you're looking at it from that standpoint, it might seem unfair or just a bit more challenging, but I think when you step back and look at it from a perspective of our team and the culture that we've built and the faith that we have, it's a day that we get to have a different perspective on life.
And there's things that are bigger than basketball. Jesus Christ and having faith in him is something that's bigger than basketball.
So for us, it's an opportunity to step away from kind of the worldly things and focus on the relationship that we are building with our Lord and Savior.
Whether that be whatever you believe in, it's just a day to be able to represent that and just focus on things that might be a little more important than the game that we play and we love.
BRINLEY CANNON: I'll just add to that. Personally, Sabbath day worship is really important to me, as it is for a lot of -- obviously we're a religious school. I think that there's a lot of pros that come from taking that day a week to focus on, like what Delaney said, things that are bigger than basketball.
I think for me, personally, it's just a day to rest and reflect and just recenter my life on Jesus Christ and what he's done for me and for all of us.
And I think that our team -- honestly, I think it really helps to have that day for us to come back Monday, everyone's rejuvenated, everyone's kind of had their break and rested and recentered and ready to focus.
Honestly, for me -- that's kind of the way I've lived my whole life. So honestly, I don't think that there's a ton of cons that come with that.
Obviously if you look at it from a preparing/scout standpoint, obviously, but, yeah, so that's just what I would say about that.
LEE CUMMARD: I think that what you've heard today from these players kind of shows their maturity in who they are as women and what's important to them.
We're a program of faith. It's not just our faith -- there's several faiths represented within our program, and we have that Sabbath day for everybody to kind of reflect and have the day off, have it to themselves to do what they want.
I've been at BYU for a long time, and I can't think of maybe two times on the road where we've actually done anything that had anything to do with preparing for a game. So it's something that I really value that I know every Sabbath day or Sunday a week I'm going to be at home with my wife and kids and be able to worship the way that I choose.
But these are two of the best in the country at the sport but also at leadership and just in a surety of who they are as people, and I'm lucky enough to be around them every day.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports