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NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION MEDIA CONFERENCEMarch 30, 2009Jim CalhounDAVID WORLOCK: We're excited to host all four teams this coming weekend. And what surely shapes up to be a great Final Four. We'll jump right into questions and answers as each coach has only 20 minutes. We thank them all for their time today. We'll begin this afternoon's call with Coach Jim Calhoun of the Connecticut Huskies, the champions of the West Regional. Q. I just wanted to ask you, we cover Villanova here, and it's Jay Wright's first time. All the other three coaches, including yourself, have won the championship and have been to many Final Fours. As a coach, getting to the Final Four, what's that mean to your career, and of course, winning the championship, what's that mean in defining a coach's career? COACH CALHOUN: You know, I think Jay has always defined his career a long time before this. I think, obviously the incredible resurgence going back to the days when Steve Lappas was there and Rollie Massimino. But no question that Jay's put his own Mark on it, and this is a special, special, just a special time for his kids, for Villanova University. Jay and I have talked and I know he's incredibly excited as I am. This doesn't get old by the way, I can tell you that much right now. But no question, I do think that people rightly or wrongly, postseason play has become the ultimate judgment of maybe success and failure eventually in this business. And Jay certainly has succeeded now in an incredible win over Pittsburgh. He'll be looked at a little bit differently now, no question, as well he should be. But he's a terrific basketball coach. Villanova did a wonderful job of beating a great, great Pittsburgh team. Q. Can you just talk about the idea that you guys are actually going to be kind of a visiting team here, and you know, 72000 Michigan State, not all of them, obviously, but a lot of Michigan State fans and how you deal with that with your team? COACH CALHOUN: Yeah, I really don't see us being -- we'll have the white uniforms on. That's as close we'll get to being a home team, I think. But bottom line is that clearly when you talk about 72,000, I'm sure there will be 50 or 60,000 Michigan State fans there, as well there would be if we were playing up here. We were a very good road team this year, and we're going to have to be. We played a places like Louisville and West Virginia, et cetera, it's going to be a lot different. The stakes are different, certainly. But it's an away game for us. We clearly understand that. But once they get the game, and the hoops are ten feet high, foul line 15 feet, the ball's round, and we're going to play basketball five-on-five. We've just got to play. We've lost to Pittsburgh on the road, and we lost in the Big East Tournament in six overtime games to Syracuse. Otherwise I think we're around 17, 18-2. So we're good on the road this year. And we're going to have to be very, very good to beat an awfully, awfully good Michigan State team. But there's no doubt about it, I'm very aware fortunate fact that there will be a little bit of noise for the guys in green. No question. Just the fact of life that we have faith, and it's a basketball game. I'm treating it like a road game, to be quite honest with you. Q. I was wondering if you could talk to me. I'm doing a story about teams that blow everybody out, basically, on this are way to the Final Four. In 2004, you guys had beaten everybody by at least 16 points when you you got to the Final Four you won it that year. What are some of the pros and the cons, the positives and the negatives of doing it that way? COACH CALHOUN: Well, we had the best team in the country. We had Emeka Okafor. The only games we lost that year were without Emeka. But, the pros certainly is how you feel good about yourself, you feel very confident. The cons are we almost lost. We trailed Duke in the semifinal as by, I believe, 7 points or 9 points with 7 minutes to go. I'm sorry, 4 minutes to go. So we got into a game and all of a sudden hadn't been there in quite a while. We were very fortunate to pull out a win by I think four points. So my point being that is the con. The con is you think that's the NCAA Tournament. And that was not the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Tournament was much more like the Duke game. We had to battle for everything to get to Monday night. No question. So it's pro. We feel much better as a team, forget the margin of victory that we have. But we feel better because we've won four straight games. Conversely, we've been in a lots of games with Missouri and Purdue has been much tougher, and we've had to battle to get the wins. So, point being, I think we're prepared for Michigan State that it's going to be an incredibly difficult game. If given my druthers, I'd rather come in having both experiences. Feeling good about ourselves by beating Texas A&M. And feeling very comfortable about the way we've played and having gotten a couple of games out particularly against Missouri in the final eight game. Q. Can you talk about Kemba Walker's development this year, and especially how he played this last game. And did you think he would be this advanced at this point in his freshman year? COACH CALHOUN: He was the MVP of the 18 and under team, National Team last year, which he came in second. We knew how he was, he was a McDonald's All American. Until he came here, he really wasn't that quick. It was me teaching him my speed. No. He was right in the bottle, and I said it a long time ago that he's a one-man fast break. He really, really is. He's probably the quickest point guard I've ever had, and he's got to be one of the quickest guards in America, certainly. He is a one man fast break. He makes us run. So his development has been great. Obviously, we desperately needed him against Missouri, he came through, and was able to break their pressure. They have terrific pressure. And did I expect a freshman to act like a senior as he did the other day? No. But I keep telling him he's no longer a freshman. He's one of the best players we have. Q. His high school Coach Mo hicks said you were recruiting Brandon Jennings at the same time. Was there a certain point you decided to focus on Kemba as on opposed to Brandon? COACH CALHOUN: Yeah, no question. We felt Kemba was the kind of guy that could lead our team. We felt he was perfect for UCONN in the way we wanted to play. And he became the perfect guy. Obviously, Brandon was a terrific, terrific player. But it was our choice to try to go after Kemba, and I would have had no idea what Brandon would have done. I know what he did. But bottom line is we wanted Kemba. Q. I wanted to check with you on an update on Thabeet's finger. How's that looking for him this week? COACH CALHOUN: It's on his offhand, but he blocks a lot of shots with that inside hand. It was self-induced. He fell on it going for a loose ball, and kind of got a pretty good sized contusion there. But I don't think by game time it should affect him. Might affect him the first couple of days of practice. We're also thinking of keeping Jeff Adrien out today because of tendinitis. He had a pretty good bang on Saturday. But beyond that, we appear to be pretty healthy. Q. A follow-up you guys were able to play two different games out here against Purdue, and then obviously against Mizzou. I'm just wondering. I don't know if you got this question earlier, but how much does that help your team when you get to a Final Four, too. Just being able to play different styles, up-tempo, slow-tempo, that sort of thing? COACH CALHOUN: You cannot win, I don't believe, and we've been fortunate to win a couple of National Championships. Without being a multi distance team. I don't think a team that purely presses or purely runs. Carolina can run like crazy and half-court defense you, too. They can run great offense off the court. Same for Villanova. They can trap you, press you, they can spread you offensively and play a half-court game. And Michigan State plays as good a hard court game right now with Morgan back healthy as anybody in the country. We think we can go with Stanley Robinson at 6'9" at the four spot and play small. We can certainly go big. So you have to be able to play in different ways and try to win it. I don't think a one-dimensional team, because if it gets stopped, that is the end of the line, you can't readjust. So every team has to be able to show, get inside itself. And I think the multi dimensional teams have a much better chance of winning the National Championship. Q. How different is this Final Four than the first two you had in terms of what you expected and your personal satisfaction of being here again? COACH CALHOUN: The first one was so emotional because we had four or five final eights, and Christian Laettner buzzer beater, et cetera. We just didn't get there. We got there after an emotional game against Gonzaga. It was pure emotion. I was wiped out for a full day afterwards because of the drama of it. But the 2004, with the bad back of Emeka, it was back and forth, back and forth. He gets healthy, we get here, and I feel we're going to win, and we almost got beaten by Duke in the semifinals. Nevertheless, we were the best team in the done he tree. It was a great deal of satisfaction. I almost felt more pressure on my self because I felt we had the best team. And the best team should win, and it turns out we did. This one is really personal, because this group was 17-14 two years ago. Has come through with a couple of additions, Kemba and so on, and is now playing just terrific basketball. Adjusting from the loss of two of our three best players in Jerome Dyson and Stanley Robinson, and A.J. Price, and Jeff, and Craig Austrie, all those guys have stepped up. So many ways it's been the most difficult road to get there. As a matter of fact, it has been the most difficult road to get there as far as all things put together. So it has a special, special place. I love these kids. I'm so happy that we can go to Detroit together. I didn't want alone. Q. What did you learn from the first two? What experience does any coach take from going through one and two and then the third one? COACH CALHOUN: Trying to find that great Niche between having the kids enjoy the tournament, trying to get into the Jim, when you have fans there early, and taking them out to eat, and doing the things that recognize just what a great season you've had. And somewhere Thursday, late Thursday, start to turn into getting ready in game mode. I just think that's what you need. To balance between enjoying, the accomplishment of getting there. Enjoying the fanfare, which is what the Final Four is all about. But then turning in to trying to win two basketball games. That is the best advice I could give anybody. I want my kids to enjoy it. I really, really do, and I think they will. Then, try to win two basketball games. I think that's what all of us going in there feel that way. We want to win two basketball games. Q. I'm not sure what might have happened after the TV cameras went off. But am I correct in saying when you left the floor did you not cut down the nets? COACH CALHOUN: We did not cut down the nets. We didn't do that in 2004, either. We felt we could buy a couple of nets if we want to. And we have a trophy from the Western Champion. But the ultimate goal for all teams. First time we did it in '99 because it was so special. It was the university's trip to the Final Four. Not that we're making this a habit. I don't think three times say habit. I'd like it to be a habit. Nevertheless, in '04 the decision was made not to do it, and we kept with that tradition. We had bigger fish to fry. And the nets we want to cut down are the nets on Monday. Q. You brought up the idea that this group is 17-14. While you don't want to have that happen, the concept of that to this all four coaches were expressing how much they liked their teams that they were with this year going to Detroit. Is it something that you can express that lay people understand? COACH CALHOUN: You feel it more than you can express it. I can be worried but not say anything. But point being, this one I feel. Just what they've been through, what Jerome had done. The day we found out after the Syracuse game we thought it was a contusion, instead was a meniscus, we were really down. Then we got beaten by Pittsburgh in that six overtime game. We had a tough loss, and everybody else Jerome wasn't here. That wasn't the issue. We need to be not the same team, but as good a team. And I think we're as good a team as we were when we had Jerome. But we are different. Stanley is taking a different role. A.J. is taking more shots. Lot of things have changed. Most importantly, these kids stayed with it. And that is the thing that's made it really, really special. They stayed with a situation that was very, very difficult. They've stayed incredibly focused. I thought our 2006 team was very talented. Six future NBA players. They were great kids, right on the cusp. Lost in an overtime game. But this team is more focused. Maybe because of that 17-14 team. They've climbed a hill. Lost in the first round last year at the NCAA Tournament. So it's been a great hill to climb. Then to have Jerome go down, this team ultimately stuck in it. Now they've got a place in UCONN history, which is what I wanted them to have. Q. In your game preparation what have you noticed in Goran Suton that's led to his development this year, and his solid play in the tournament so far? And what is the best way to deal with a big man like him who has some range? COACH CALHOUN: We play against Harangody, Luke Harangody, a terrific player from Notre Dame. He does not go outside as much as Suton does. But nevertheless, he's a similar type player. He just becomes a terrific, terrific basketball player. I think for Suton he's always been a great player. Tommy is the only guy who can't rebound because of his size. But everybody else can really, really rebound. You know, he's a good post player. But he's extended his game now to make him and incredible high post player. He puts pressure on you. He'll make threes. I mean, he will fish you up if you can't follow him. He shoots 85%. And Thabeet they beat the Louisville team, we know how good they are, coming out of our league, he was special. He wasn't just good the other day. That first half he in in my opinion determined and set-up the whole game because he was so special. Q. Your respect for Tom Izzo has been well noted over-the-air past couple of years. What's it mean for you to be able to coach against him on this big stage? COACH CALHOUN: I just got an invitation for Coaches Versus Cancer on Friday night. I don't know that we're going to make that on either one of us. But point being he's a terrific coach. We've spent a lot of time talking on the phone a couple times this year. He's one of the best coaches in America, and best people in America. What he's done at Michigan State after Judd winning a National Championship there in '79. I couldn't have more respect for him. And I consider him a dear friend. So, you know, it's always great that he's there and I'm there, sometimes you don't like to be playing against someone you have so much admiration and respect for. But the idea is they're both there. We'll go at it again, and I guess the only faults would be if we beat him, I think he'll be upset, but could take it a little more. And I would probably feel the same way. But neither one of us want to be beaten by the other one. We both care and respect each other too much to want to lose to the other guy. DAVID WORLOCK: Thank you, Coach Calhoun. Safe travels, and best of luck. End of FastScripts |
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