 President of the United States. Thank you all very much and please be seated. Before welcoming our visitors, our guest here today, I have a brief announcement. I have to make it here because that's where the press is and it's for them. I've just received a briefing from my National Security Advisers on the contents of the proposed Geneva agreements on Afghanistan that would provide for the complete withdrawal of Soviet occupation forces from that country. I believe the U.S. can now join the Soviet Union as a guarantor of the Geneva instruments. I have therefore asked Secretary Schultz to represent us at a signing ceremony for the historic accords scheduled to take place in Geneva later this week. This development would not have been possible, it had not been for the valiant struggle of the Afghan people to rid their country of foreign occupation. We take great pride in having assisted the Afghan people in this triumph when they can count on our continued support. We also pledge our continued friendship and support to the government and people of Pakistan who have so generously hosted millions of Afghan refugees during this period of Soviet domination of Afghanistan. That's the end of the statement. That's the end of that statement and now let's bring on the NCAA basketball champions of Louisiana Tech and the University of Kansas. Thank you and thank you all too and welcome to the White House. I want to join with the members of Congress from Louisiana and Kansas, your loyal fans and the whole nation in congratulating you. You know when I was a boy my nickname was Dutch and looking at all of you I sort of wonder why it wasn't shorty. Come to think of it being here with you reminds me of one of my experiences in college. It was freshman year and just after the football season ended and after playing football I thought I might go out for basketball too. I went to the gym and I saw a few people just about your size and thought to myself I think swimming is the sport for me. But to the women of Louisiana Tech congratulations. You had a lot of great games this season but none was greater than the last one with the lady textures trailing 33 to 19 at halftime. Coach Leon Barmore found himself telling his team you don't quit in anything. You don't quit in life no matter what happens be proud of your efforts when it's over so you can live with yourselves the rest of your life. Any other game when we'd be behind by that many points forward Erica Westbrook said we'd be all upset. This time we kept thinking that it had to be in us. We had to keep digging and finding it within ourselves. Well Coach Erica and all of the lady textures you found it. And I just have a certain feeling that you're going to be able to live with yourselves pretty darned well. Congratulations go as well to Coach Larry Brown and the University of Kansas Jayhawks. Now it's no secret that at the beginning of the NCAA tournament you Jayhawks well I suppose the way to put it is to say that you weren't exactly favored to win. So what happened is a testament to determination, to hard work, lots and lots of hard work, to pride, to teamwork and the courage to dream and perhaps nothing exemplifies the true meaning of teamwork than the support you've all given to Archie Marshall and the untiring support Archie Marshall has given to you. In my opinion that's just the way it should be. As the soft spoken Danny Manning said to a jammed room of reporters after the final game I'd like for you guys to put this in your articles. For anyone who's ever been in a national tournament like this keep your head up and work hard and anything can happen. To those who said it couldn't happen well we're number one. And to Coach Larry Brown the man who did so much to make this a championship season I know Jayhawk fans everywhere are rejoicing that next year I'm the only one moving back to California well they're both great stories the stories of these two teams these two fighters who happen to turn themselves into national champions and if I could offer a thought to each of you young players it would be this remember the lessons you've learned this season the lessons about hard work and never quitting about digging down into yourselves when you seem to be behind because what you've learned in basketball will be a strength to you all your lives especially here in this great land of opportunity because it's true if you keep your head up and work hard in America anything can happen. So again congratulations on your exciting victory God bless you all and have you thought about a game between you know what ever got up here and fainted President Reagan I know over the last eight years that he's probably had many a famous person here with him and a lot of great people and he's invited him to the White House but I can assure you that no one appreciates it more than Leon Balmor the Louisiana Tech Lady of Textures President Dan Renau and Louisiana Tech University we're very honored to be here but I think something really special to me is I watched during these eight years and I'm a big fan of President Reagan the image that he's presented and he and his wife and that's the very same image that we try to present with our women basketball players and team in Louisiana Tech. In 1981 he came to the White House that was the same year that we won our first National Championship. In 1982 we won a second National Championship. His last year in office is this year and we won again. I believe it was a great eight years for all of us especially the President in Louisiana Tech. I have one of the best basketball players in America and this morning's USA Today she was won the way trophy Friday but it was in today's issue that's Teresa Weatherspoon. I mean she's a heart and soul of our basketball team. Her determination and effort in that championship game led to rest of her teammates to victory and she wants to come forward to present President Reagan again. Thank you. On behalf of the Lady Textures we want to thank President Reagan for allowing us to visit him here at the White House with him and his wife and few people have the privilege of meeting the makers of history and just meeting him today has given us this opportunity and as a token of our appreciation we want to present to him an autographed basketball from the nation's number one women's basketball team, the Louisiana Tech University Lady Textures. I've never been anywhere eight years so I just don't quite know how to react but and this is our first one but it's an extraordinary thing to be invited here and be recognized by the President of the United States and everybody connected with this. You know we had a real difficult time getting here but I think the difficulties made it all that more meaningful. Chancellor Butik, the University of Kansas and the State of Kansas I know are thrilled to death and this is something we'll all remember for a long, long time. We had a great player, I don't know if USA Today recognized him but I think all our team did, a lot of people talked about our team as Danny and the Miracles and that's something we all believed in but Danny Manning, one of our captains and one of the great players to ever play college basketball is going to present the President with a gift. I have to bend down a little bit. I'd like to thank President Reagan and the staff for having us here and we're very thrilled and it's definitely an honor to be here and we'd like to present him with one of the basketball men's letter jackets.