Duke & UConn Post Game Press Conference

[drweo]

As I post this, they haven't started yet.

Loved the salute to Gabby, as well as the compliments to Z. Glad to see Coach JPM moving into positive territory.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

I just want to point out that the Duke coach in this press conference is a very different coach from four years ago.

JPM is a favorite punching bag on this site, but after the 'investigation' and the transfers, and her stated intention of refocusing and changing, this press conference showed a gentler more gracious person. I do not know if this is an outlier from other public appearances this year, but I am impressed.

I have often echoed your observation over the past two years since she was correctly called out about her behavior and think she has learned or is learning her lessons but would be curious about what those closer to the Duke program have to say.
Hopefully Tri and Cam can or will give their perspective as they are always very informative.

The Chronicle writer (and sports editor) is Hank Tucker. Mr. Tucker conducted an extensive interview with Coach P in the summer of 2016.

Coach P made those statements, but both Mr. Tucker and Coach Geno Auriemma both have stated they believe the comments were made to highlight the issue of transfers -- and how certain schools who never took transfer or who only took a few have now taken more -- not to disparage or attack UConn.

It is one thing to say that the comments were taken out of context. That certainly is plausible.

But what Coach P said was:

"I did not make those remarks. That's what the media wrote," McCallie responded, adding that she was "completely" misquoted when pressed on the subject.

That is very different. She most certainly made the comments -- and The Chronicle has the audio recording where she made the comments (link to the audio recording is available in the article).

But as Jeff Jacobs reported, Coach P was asked about it one more time, to which she said:

Yet when told Saturday that The Chronicle posted the audio and the quotes were consistent with what was printed, and given a chance to clarify her statements, McCallie blew it again:

“No, again, it’s all out of context, and I don’t think this is the time for that,” she said. After praising Stevens, she said, “It would have to take too long to understand what the points were there and I’m not going to go into it … I can’t go back to that stuff. I don’t appreciate it, so I won’t.”

Actually, it was the perfect time to clarify her error. Instead she threw a student journalist under the bus in a p-poor fashion. And journalists don’t appreciate it. She owes The Chronicle an apology.