Kelsey Bone gets set for Maryland in Sweet 16

A&M's center gets candid with Jordan K before leaving for Raleigh

Jordan Kirkland: You scraped by Arkansas. Talk about the last minutes when they came back and Sydney Carter drained the free throws. What did that mean for the team?

Kelsey Bone: "We talked before the game about it being our seniors' last game at Reed. It was Coach Schaefer's last game at Reed. We were really focused on getting that win. For us it was just about — we know teams are going to make runs. Teams are always going to have that extra fight because it's March Madness. We withstood their run and that final minute we knew what they wanted to get done with that last play. Their player got the shot off and Tyra (White) just came out of nowhere and got that big rebound."

Bone: "When I saw the girl from Arkansas shoot the ball, I was boxing a girl out and thinking, 'Who's going to get this rebound?' We were all tied up. But yeah, she fought three people and she got it and it was perfect. A perfect way for a senior to go out at Reed Arena."

Bone: "We're just going to execute our game plan. We're going to play Aggie defense, we're going to run, we're going to try to put some points on the board in transition and make them uncomfortable. Coach Schaefer always says we play defense 30 feet from the basket, so our guards are going to get out there and pressure. That's going to make it easier for us down under the basket.

"If their guards aren't comfortable, they can't get the ball to the post players. That's always our defensive scheme, our defensive game plan. It just comes down to us executing it."

Bone: "It's a huge difference, but I was able to learn from that team we had last year. We had great leaders on that team. To be able to watch and practice with Danielle (Adams) all last year and just pick up things from her and learn from her, it was fun. I was there for all the games in the Tournament and it was a good run. I didn't think any other group of girls there last year deserved that much success as much as my teammates."

Bone: "Oh, it was a great privilege. Arguably one of the best women to ever come to A&M and play basketball. To be able to learn from her and be able to still pick up the phone and call her sometimes if I need advice on anything ... to have her as a friend and somebody in my corner has really helped me. It helped me last year and it helped me a lot this year as well."

Bone: "I had been around Coach Blair since I was in the seventh grade, and when I decided I wanted to be closer to home, I didn't think there was any other option than being an Aggie and coming to A&M. This is such a tradition-rich school. When I was first coming out of high school I thought I had it all figured out and I could be away from home, but to be a college athlete and not have all your family around was something I didn't factor in. So when I decided I wanted to be closer to my family, I didn't think there was any other option for me than to come to A&M."

Bone: "You know, when Coach Schaefer first announced he was leaving, the next day he and I had a conversation and I was like, 'Man, you're leaving already? I was just starting to like you.' (Laughs.) But Coach Schaefer just made defense fun for me. For a long time I didn't want to play defense, I just wanted to score. But in the game against Arkansas, I didn't have a good shooting night but I found ways to impact the game, whether it was defense or rebounding or any of that.
 
"The thing Coach Schaefer's added to my game ... scoring is going to be there, but what else are you doing on the floor to help your teammates get a win? My mindset is totally different going into games now. I'm thinking about defending and keeping players from getting their averages and things like that. I'm going to miss him, but we have to play him next year and I think that'll be an interesting rivalry that'll spark up with us going to the SEC, but it'll be fun."

Bone: "I'm really excited to play with them. They're always around us, bothering me, they're like my little sisters. They're good kids. We're excited to get them in here. We're going to get after it. We'll lose Coach Schaefer but we bring in six great basketball players. And for us, that's the biggest thing ... we have to keep our machine moving. Coach Schaeffer, we're going to miss him, but we have these six kids coming in and we just have to keep this thing going."

Bone: "I think it's just the way we've been recruited. Adaora and I have been playing against each other since we were in middle school. Same thing for Skylar (Collins), and I've known Tyra since I was in high school. Sydney's actually become one of my best friends. So it's going to be hard to see them go. It's really going to be hard to see them go. But they've laid the legacy, they've laid the foundation, and they've been great.

"They've been an inspiration and role models for the rest of us to keep their legacy going and keep the machine moving."