USA head coach Dori Oldaker

What were your thoughts on the game?

We were so excited to get started and see what the competition was like. I thought Argentina played really, really well against us. I thought at times we were a little too lackadaisical with the ball, some bad turnovers, but we fought through the adversity of those kinds of situations.

Did you think the team was slow to start?
We were definitely slow to start 

What are you working on before you play Honduras tomorrow?

We are going to get a look at Honduras right now and watch at least a quarter of their game against Mexico, but we also need to learn from our mistakes tonight. We should have a good walk-through, a good mental practice tomorrow.

How was it for you to coach your first international game of five-on-five basketball?

Very interesting. I have a lot to learn as well, but hopefully as a staff we have adjusted. We are learning as we go.

Do you think the players learned a lot as well in their first international game?

Absolutely. It’s a really different game, and we have to adjust to it.

Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Blair Academy, N.J./Ossining, N.Y.)

What were your thoughts on the game?
I feel overall as a team, we didn’t play our best, but we played pretty well for our first game.

I was actually really happy with how we played, despite little bursts where we didn’t as well as we wanted to. But overall, at the end of the game I walked of the court with a smile on my face. 

I think the first couple of minutes we struggled, because of first-game jitters. I think as a team, we each had them. Myself, I was a little nervous. After the first half ended, we were able to come together, and we told ourselves that we were going to come out with energy and win the game.

We need to improve on not fouling as much, our 3-point shooting and trying to get to the rim a lot more. Our shots were falling asmuch as we would like, so going the opposite direction, as in driving to the basket, is what we should focus on.

Alexis Morris (Legacy Christian Academy/Beaumont, Texas)

What were your thoughts on the game?

I think as a team we played really well. It was a big difference playing with the crowd. Everyone was against us, and it was really intense. 

I definitely feel like we played forty minutes of tough ball. Even though we were up the whole time, it was still a tough game.

When I got on the court, it was like a dream come true.

I was just focused on helping us. Being a point guard, I saw that we were struggling offensively, so I just took the leadership role and got to the rim and tried to get us going.

Sedona Prince (Faith Academy/Liberty Hill, Texas)

It was amazing. I was nervous when I first came out. I felt light-headed. It just felt good, getting out and representing my country.

The first quarter was definitely a little slower than all the other quarters, but we brought it back and started playing good offense and good defense.

They are a very good team, very skilled, good shooters, andthey are a very energetic team.

What were your thoughts on the game?

I think we played very hard throughout the game. In the beginning, we were slow to get started, because I really think that we werenervous. But, we played well, especially at the end. We didn’t let them get any easy baskets, and we played our hardest.

Honesty Scott-Grayson (Blair Academy/Brick, N.J.)

What were your thoughts on the game?

The game was very intense. We worked hard as a team. We played together well, and we got out with the win.

They were pretty tough physically. We just played through it.

We learned a lot. Coming from all over the country, we haven’t really gelled yet. For us to come together in our very first game, it was very important.

It was an honor. I feel very blessed to be in this jersey. I was just thanking God that I was actually able to play for the USA.

Just staying focused and running through the plays and playing together. That’s all we need to work on.