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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCEMarch 11, 2007Mike BreyRussell CarterColin FallsRob KurzCOACH MIKE BREY: Well, we're in. We're thrilled. You know, that we have a couple of days to prepare, that's a good thing. I think -- we've got access, man, we've got access to this thing, and that's the most important thing. We do know in Winthrop, we play at least you now from me listening to TV and watching, they are the George Mason of this year. That's what I've been hearing. So probably be the only game where we'll be the underdog, the only 11-6 where we'll be the underdog. Very good basketball, very good guards. They shoot it well I know generally and they have got very good size and very well coached. Q. Is that a perfect mind-set for this team? COACH MIKE BREY: Yeah, sure, man, that's a great thing. We've been good what chip on our shoulder, absolutely. You know, so I told them, I said, you know, we'll be the upset pick in the 6-11 game, and Winthrop rightfully so has been talked a lot about, because they are good. They are tournament-tested, had Tennessee beat last year and Tennessee stole it. But we are thrilled to play in this thing. I mean, I think, you know, the most important thing is we're playing well. We're playing with great chemistry. We're having fun playing. More than any scouting report, that's the key thing as we head West. Q. Seeing where the other teams are, do you think the seeding was right? COACH MIKE BREY: I thought four through six is where we would come in and you can complain about this and up and down. I think at this point you have to erase those numbers and look at the matchups. We're in. We have access. And as I've said before, we've lived without access, and that's tough. Whatever number was next to your name, you're going to have a tough game. All of these teams in this thing have won and have good chemistry and are good teams. Q. You said you were looking forward to seeing your captains' reaction, they showed you guys on TV and their body language was not jumping up and down. COACH MIKE BREY: Our guys reacted like they have reacted all year. They have between pretty businesslike. I got on them a couple times during the season. I thought we should have been more excited in our home locker room, and we've been kind of business as usual. After the Syracuse in the locker room the other day, I thought there would be a little more celebration; there was not, and that's who they have been. And I think our two seniors who have driven us to this have been very businesslike about it, you know, even starting back in June when our young guys got on campus. But I know they are thrilled to play in it and I am happy for them. Those are the two guys I really congratulated personally because I want them to feel part of the NCAA Tournament before they graduate, and they deserve it. Q. Were you hoping that maybe you would get a chance to play in Chicago? COACH MIKE BREY: Oh, yeah, I think you're always -- and probably some of our guys were. I know Colin certainly was. I know I'll be able to get him concentrating more because his cousins and uncle won't be coming over to the hotel because they are not coming all the way to Spokane. You know, you're realistic, as many times as I've gone through, this we'll be ready to react. We'll get out there, we'll travel, hopefully try to get out of here Wednesday afternoon and get our feet under us. Again, there's only 65 of us in it and you look at the people that are left out and they are struggling. Been there, done that. They are having a tough day. We're going to get to keep playing. Q. You mentioned the chip on the shoulder -- inaudible -- can you use all that to say, we were disrespected -- COACH MIKE BREY: I think our guys have prepared for the season with a chip on their shoulder. After last year, being picked 11th in the preseason pole, nobody really talking to us much at Media Day and being projected as maybe an NIT team; this has been a group that has kind of played a little angry and pissed off all year. So I don't expect anything different as we move forward. Q. Are you happy with the extra day or since you were playing so well, would you kind of rather play sooner? COACH MIKE BREY: I kind of like the extra day right now. You know, I think playing two grueling games back-to-back, and the one on Friday was not only physically but emotionally draining. We invested a lot; that we can get a little more time to get our legs under us and then get back into a practice rhythm, I think is a good thing. So I like that we play Friday. Q. In a hypothetical situation, would you have maybe traded one spot in the seedings to play closer? COACH MIKE BREY: Oh, God, that's -- you know, certainly you like being a little bit closer. Your fans can travel easier. Obviously we have a lot of Midwest families, players' families that can travel a little bit easier. That would have been the biggest reason. You would love to be a little bit closer. But you know what, they are going to figure out how to get there. I mean, they will figure out how to get there to support their family. I have a feeling we'll have a good ND contingent out there in Spokane. Q. Have you crossed paths with anybody from Winthrop as far as coaching staff offer players? COACH MIKE BREY: Not really. I know Greg a little bit. Obviously he has a great reputation in our profession and has done a heck of a job down there. I've watched him over the last couple of years, their consistency, you know, they have been really good and have knocked people off in December a lot of times, and are experienced. But I don't have a great feel right now for all of their personnel. Q. Have you seen them at all this year? COACH MIKE BREY: Yeah, I have, I watched them against Maryland early in the year as we were preparing for Maryland live. Some a little bit against Carolina, both games they played very, very well, and I saw a little bit of their championship game the other day. So you know, coaches, we watch -- we've seen everybody play. People say, you need tapes, we've seen everybody play. They shoot the ball well and they also have size. They have good bigs. They have good big guys and they have experienced guys. They have been around. They have played a lot of basketball together. Q. When you watched maybe the game against -- inaudible -- just thinking of that real quick -- COACH MIKE BREY: No, I didn't concentrate that much. I was just trying to get a feel for what they look like and their bodies and maybe a little bit of offensive sets and are they pressing, are they playing any zone, that type of thing, just that kind of feel. I'll get a chance to dig into them first thing tomorrow. We'll have some tapes here. Q. Are you joking a little bit that Winthrop is going to be the favored team or are you happy that -- COACH MIKE BREY: Yeah, I think they will be talked about a lot. I think it's a fact, isn't it? Haven't we heard that all year, that they are kind of this year's George Mason the last month? I think that's been kind of a consistent theme. We'll do our best out there. Q. Is that to your advantage that everybody is focusing on them? COACH MIKE BREY: Yeah, are we in that bracket? Are we in that thing? Yeah, the -- I think they need to talk a lot about Winthrop. I think CBS needs to go down there and do a special, absolutely. (Laughter) Go down there and do a special for those guys. Q. Can you outline how this week will work? COACH MIKE BREY: We'll get back to practice tomorrow. We did a little bit today, just reasoning and shooting no contact. We have two days -- well, really three days of practice here, and we'll work on travel tonight and tomorrow and try and get out of here early afternoon Wednesday. Get in out there and you've got, you know, two nights to kind of get accustomed to the time change and get ready for things. Q. It's been a couple days now, how is the health? COACH MIKE BREY: Good. I think a Friday game is good for us, as opposed to a Thursday game. I think you need just a little bit of rest after two physical and especially Friday night, grueling games. We've just got guys with a little bit of soreness, nothing major, just a little rest and treatment. But you know, they come to practice tomorrow and the buzz about playing in this thing, all of a sudden, the aches and pains are very, very minor. Q. Talk about the seniors, what does this mean to get back to this? COACH MIKE BREY: Well, this was our goal to get back in this thing. As I've said, I thought Colin and Russ have done a fabulous job of pushing the buttons and helping get the young guys ready, quickly, to do this; so we could beat a Maryland and an Alabama early to get this thing jumpstarted. Certainly, you're thrilled. It's not lost on me. In our profession, fair or not, you're measured by how many times you play in this thing. You know, that we played in it four out of seven en, I'm very proud that have because we haven't been in it much before that. We had a tough decade. You know, it's a thrill to be back, but I think for us, I just like how our team is playing right now. You know, whether we're playing in Spokane or who we're playing, we're playing pretty well, and I think scouting reports are very minimal at this point. We want to keep the same demeanor that we have going, and I really firmly believe we'll be able to do that. Q. You talked about how the buzz will get rid of the aches and pains tomorrow; was there any intrigue today about whether they were in, where they were going to go before today? COACH MIKE BREY: Absolutely. I think a lot of them were hanging around the players' lounge trying to figure out how this thing was going to work out. Again, none of these guys have played in it. So I think there's a lot of anxiety and excitement, all good, positive excitement anticipating who you're going to play, where you're going to be sent, what are the matchups, who is getting in from the league, etc. Q. Thoughts on the matchup? COLIN FALLS: Just excited at the opportunity, playing in the NCAA Tournament. Q. In the previous NCAA Tournament, the frustration of not making it last year, and obviously the previous years, did you watch games or how did you react to it in the past? COACH MIKE BREY: No, I watched games. It was no different from high school in the fact that I enjoyed that time of the season. It was frustrating that I wasn't in it, but you know, it's a special time of year for basketball fans. Q. Your reaction when your seeding was announced -- COLIN FALLS: We could have been a 1 seed; I don't think that's the kind of team we are. We're very businesslike right now. You know, maybe if we make a run deep in this thing, you'll see more emotion. When we play, I think we show a lot of emotion, but we're not going to get excited for something we expected I guess. Q. A couple hours after the selection, does it feel like the same thing of the whole season, that you go out there with that chip on your shoulder that you have to go out and earn the respect to get attention? COLIN FALLS: Not necessarily. I think we're just focused on what this team wants to achieve, from team goals. You can't really let what other teams are doing right now affect you and the seedings and things like that. We're just concentrating on ourselves. And like Coach said, we're playing really well right now and we're just going to go with that. Q. Disappointment not playing closer to home -- COLIN FALLS: As far as the seeding goes, I don't think it matters. You're going to have to play a good team in the first round and you're going to have to beat good teams to advance. I don't think that matters. I'm kind of glad actually I'm not in Chicago. It's kind of a relief I don't have to deal with the distractions that go along with playing in your home city. Q. Imagining yourself in this position, how much would it help having that goal right from the start instead of trying to get to the BIG EAST tournament -- inaudible? COLIN FALLS: Yeah, I think whether Coach Brey was saying we're trying to get to the BIG EAST Tournament or not, the players had their own set of expectations. Right when last season ended, Russ and I and Rob had had the expectation to get to the NCAA Tournament, and that never really wavered and we expected it from the summer on. So I don't think it was actually a dream; it was almost an expectation for us. Q. Inaudible? COLIN FALLS: I think that's something from the beginning of the season, I took a lot of pride in being senior captain on a team that's kind of put us back on the map and put us back in the tournament we want to play in. Q. Have you ever been to Spokane? COLIN FALLS: I've never been to Washington, so it's a new state for me. Q. Do you know much about Winthrop? COLIN FALLS: I saw them play against North Carolina earlier in the year and they were throwing a bunch of 3s in. From what I've heard, they are supposed to be very good and so I'm excited for the challenge. Q. Have you heard them being referred to as the George Mason of this season? COLIN FALLS: Yeah, I think some -- inaudible -- that beat us already, so that's just about everybody. Q. What were your thoughts when you saw where you were, where you're going and who you were playing? RUSSELL CARTER: Where's Spokane, Washington? That's what I was trying to figure out what was near there. You know, it's just an honor playing and we're just excited. Q. The reaction -- jubilation -- inaudible? RUSSELL CARTER: Same thing as all year, like Coach said, just go and handle business. We know Winthrop is a talented team, they have a lot of good players. It's not going to be an easy game by any means. So we have to go in there and focus and play hard and the most thing is just have fun. Q. Have you guys all moved on from Georgetown? RUSSELL CARTER: We have to. We're playing Winthrop, not Georgetown. Q. The question, where is Spokane, do you know where Winthrop is? RUSSELL CARTER: I think South Carolina. I think that's what Coach said. (Laughter) Doesn't matter where they are coming from. They are coming to Spokane to play us. If they are from South Bend, Indiana right near us, doesn't matter, we have to go out there and get a win. Q. What does it mean to you to get the team here, after three years of frustration and with the businesslike approach, what's it like to be there? RUSSELL CARTER: You know, it feels good, but at the same time, we have to make the most of being there. We can't just be content with getting there. We have to get a couple wins, see how far we can go. It's just, you know, it's all business. That's the motto for our team, just want to go in there and handle it accordingly. Q. What does Colin falls mean to this team? RUSSELL CARTER: A lot of 3-pointers. A lot of 3-pointers. But he's a leader. He keeps the team together. You know, he hits a lot of key shots at key teams. He's just one of our leaders. He's a captain along with myself and Rob. He does what's needed to keep the team moving forward. Q. Coach Brey talked about the leadership of the team this year; what has he done and what has his approach been with this team? RUSSELL CARTER: You know, just letting us play and just letting us, you know, communicate with each other. A lot of teams, the coach does the bulk of the talking, but he let's us in the huddles say what we feel and just communicate with each other. Because on the court, it's just us five. Sometimes it's hard to hear Coach, although he does a good job of yelling. But you know, it's us out there, so we have to be a together unit. Q. What kind of run can you go on? RUSSELL CARTER: As far as our minds take us. We think we have a good chance in this tournament. So we just have to play hard and see what happens. Q. Do you like playing angry out there? RUSSELL CARTER: Sometimes, you know, when the opportunity presents itself. But we just play with a lot of passion. The whole course of the year we've been under the radar and even this tournament, we're picked, the 6-11 seed is one of those picks to be the new George Mason of this tournament. You know, it's just fitting for our team, nothing is ever handed to us, so we're going to go play hard and take what we think we should have. Q. How is your health right now? RUSSELL CARTER: My health is fine. I mean, physical play, that's the BIG EAST. Our whole team is used to that. So come Friday, we'll be perfectly fine to play. Q. How were you able to wipe clean Friday night, and like you said, that night, you think about it and then forget about it Saturday; did it stick with you or how were you able to get over that? RUSSELL CARTER: I woke up the next morning. It was old news to me. I mean, you know, whatever happens in the game, whether we won or lost, I can't do anything about it. The shot didn't go in. There were a lot more shots that go in, a lot more shots than miss. Just go and play, and our focus is on Winthrop. Q. Was it old because news you new today, back in the NCAA Tournament and there may be another chance down the line? RUSSELL CARTER: No, it's old news because I couldn't go back and reshoot the shot. If I could, you know, I would definitely try to, but you know, we have to move on to who our next form of competition is and that's Winthrop in Spokane. So we have to worry about that, you know, not New York and Georgetown. Q. It seems like every time you go for a shot in a key situation, you're getting hammered, and when you breathe on somebody, you're getting whipped. ROB KURZ: Well, we don't try to focus on that, but it does seem like I get knocked down a lot. I've come across some of that. Q. Ever been to Washington State? ROB KURZ: No. Nowhere even close to it, so I'm looking forward to it. Q. Do you know much, if anything, about Winthrop? ROB KURZ: I think I've seen them play bits and parts of three games, a little bit of the North Carolina game. I saw them play a couple of weeks ago. They look like a hell of a team. I know they have got two really good guards and they have a big that's really good. We know they are a really well-coached team, like Coach said and we're excited for the challenge. Q. When you're watching on TV, flashing on the screen, what is the first thing that came across your mind when you saw your name and your team facing Winthrop? ROB KURZ: We had heard a lot about Winthrop in the last couple of days, everybody is talking about how well they are playing and how they will be a hot underdog. So, you know, we were excited and we knew the game was going to get a lot of attention. We just think it's a great opportunity and we just wanted to play the game as soon as possible. Q. How much did that help, all of the attention Winthrop has been getting, does that help you guys to stay on track? ROB KURZ: Definitely. I think it definitely helps us focus for the game. It's the NCAA Tournament and we know we can't take anybody lightly. Obviously all of the attention they are getting is going to help us prepare. There have people picking them to beat us and that's always a nice added incentive. Q. Does that frustrate you when you see that on the selection shows? ROB KURZ: It just makes us excited. We know if we beat Winthrop, which will be a tough task, that we have an opportunity to play a team like Oregon who won the Pac 10. I think they won the Pac 10 Tournament, and we know they are a great team. It's a very exciting time of year and we know we have to take it one game at a time. But it will be a great challenge for us, and I think it comes at a great time because I think we're playing our best basketball as a team right now. Q. Because you're playing so well, and because of where this program came from the last few years, does it really matter where you're playing, who you're playing, what your seed is; just the fact that the program is back in the NCAA Tournament? ROB KURZ: No, I don't think it matters at all. I think it might be tougher for our fans and family to get there but other than that it really doesn't matter. We're just so excited to be back and have to this opportunity. It really doesn't matter to us. We just can't wait to play. Q. Talk about the senior captains, helping to bring the program back. ROB KURZ: I just remember last year in particular, Colin and I were roommates, and I remember watching the whole, you know, I think it was the first couple of days of tournament together in our dorm room and talking about how we have to do whatever we can this year to bring us back to the tournament. I think obviously as one of the older guys on the team, it's been very gratifying to be in this position and to have this opportunity. I remember when I came to Notre Dame, I thought I was going to have the opportunity to, you know, go to the tournament every year and I guess I kind of took for granted how hard it was to get here. You know, after two years of maybe struggling a little bit and not having this opportunity, it just feels that much sweeter now that we are going to the tournament and we have a good seed and a great opportunity. Q. What was it like waking up this morning and not having to fly home again? ROB KURZ: It's a relief. You know, the past two years after the BIG EAST tournament, we were kind of, you know, you look forward to the NIT, but I mean, let's be honest, it's nowhere near the excite many of the NCAA Tournament. You try to build yourself up for the NIT, but to be honest, not many people really care about it. The NCAA Tournament is arguably the biggest sporting event of the year. It's just so exciting for us and it's definitely nice to have a different feeling this year than the past two. End of FastScripts |
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