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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEMarch 31, 2014Bo RyanTHE MODERATOR: I'd like to thank everyone for coming out today. Wisconsin will advance to the Final Four. They will play Kentucky Saturday night approximately 7:49 central time. It will air live on TBS. Head Coach Bo Ryan has joined us and will take questions. We have microphones on either side. COACH RYAN: A guy in blue is asking the first question. Q. You traveled to Anaheim last weekend. You're going to be in Dallas this weekend. What are the challenges of traveling so far away and having to live in a different city for the games in terms of keeping the guys on task for routines and meals and sleep? COACH RYAN: Obviously, we try to do the best we can with our timing. We always try to practice somewhere around the time we're playing, if possible. We didn't know what time we were playing, in both instances, until later than we would have liked. But it's‑‑ there's an extra day or two here with the game being Saturday, not Thursday. The toughest part right now is getting our guys caught up with the classes that they missed and the classes that they're going to miss this week. So we've been spending more time getting that squared away than we have probably with basketball with them, but hopefully by the time we leave Wednesday, they'll be all caught up. What we try to do with the meals and sleep schedules and things like that, it's not like we're moving three time zones for this. Anaheim was a little bit more of a challenge, but I think, at least last time I looked, Texas was on the same time schedule as us. So we should be all right. The NCAA does a pretty good job of trying to help teams with practices and things like that so the guys can get some kind of sense of routine. Q. Bo, when you're on the road recruiting and the assistants are out here looking at guys that you want to add to the program, how difficult can it be sometimes, or relatively easy, to project where a young kid might be when he comes here and how much he can develop when he's here? What are some things you have to see and look for in a kid? COACH RYAN: Well, I didn't realize these questions were going to be about that. I thought it was about our journey. But the things that you look for, it would be the same as if you're the head of personnel and you're hiring. If you're going to have scholarships being used, you want to make sure that the people that are using them are good students, going to take advantage of the opportunities that are given to them. You want people who have a vision of a better future, want to get better. It's amazing how many times we get our first lead on a player where they say, Oh, this is a Wisconsin player. This is your kind of player. And I say, Well, why do you say that? Well, because right now he's a little raw, but if he gets with you, he's going to be really good. Oh, okay, that's not bad, but it's‑‑ so I said, Hey, how about the one and done guy? Why don't you tell him to come and see me? When Cal called last night, we talked about that a little bit. I said, I think they probably think I'm too old or something. I was thinking, you know, that might be an advantage for a one and done guy. But anyhow, it's all about the character of the person. It's all about whether or not ‑‑ you look at the percentages and say, will this person make it here, and will this person make the most of their opportunity? And we've been very fortunate over the years that only a couple of guys have decided to go somewhere else, where it didn't work out for them. But for the most part, the guys that come here and play at the University of Wisconsin stay and work and get better, and those are our kind of guys. Q. Bo, what was it like on the ladder Saturday night versus when you were up on the ladder in '91 at Platteville? COACH RYAN: In Division I they had a sturdier ladder. In Division III it was tough at Wittenburg, budget cuts, the budget. Actually, I was a little more stable going up and down. I was so excited, I don't even remember going up the ladder or coming down. You always just make sure you don't poke your eye out with the scissors or stab yourself with the scissors. That's the key. That's very important. I think we had one guy cut his finger, either in '98 or '99 in Salem when we won. I can't remember who that was, though, but I think there was blood. Q. Coach, can you tell us about this journey so far, and what is your favorite part, being here right now, talking to us, knowing you're only one of four teams in Division I that were even practicing today? COACH RYAN: Well, it's another week of practice. That's great. This has been a really long season starting with Canada in August. This is‑‑ boy, this is quite the journey. We've had more practices, and we've been together more than any team I've ever coached. If you take the hours that this squad has been together, by far, this is‑‑ and we still get along. We still talk to one another. So that's not bad. It's been very enjoyable because we've got some young men that just are really outstanding and really know how to handle everything that's been given to them and all the obstacles, all the good parts, the bad parts, and everything in between. It's always nice when you see in their eyes that they're so excited about this, to be able to play again. That's why we do it. Q. Bo, what are the challenges of getting ready for simulating the length of Kentucky, specifically in their backcourt? COACH RYAN: Same reasons with a lot of other teams that we play, it's hard to simulate that, but our scout team tries to‑‑ you know, we just ask them to be like go, go Gadget, our scout players. If your arms go this far, then get them to go this far or get them to go this far. So that's how we ask them to play to simulate the length. We do what we do. We have the other team simulate their cuts, their reads, their tendencies, and the assistants have done an unbelievable job with that. Our scout team has been so dedicated, and they take a lot of pride in what they do. They just don't go out there and go through the motions because they realize that's how a guy like Frank and a guy like everybody else that's played here that's been on the scout team, that's how you can get noticed with how you follow directions and how you do the things that you're asked. It's like, hey, I know this helps the team, so they get better so that, when you have guys graduate, you have guys ready to step in. But we can't simulate Kentucky. Q. A lot of the local media has heard your Chester stories over the years, and I just wanted to ask‑‑ COACH RYAN: The vocal media or the local media? Q. Local. COACH RYAN: Oh, local, okay. Q. Is there one that's your favorite or one that you like to tell for media or players who maybe don't know your stories as well as some of us do? COACH RYAN: I've probably exhausted this group with the Chester stories. There's only one regret. The regret is that I had by far the best baseball card collection and the best marble collection of anybody in town in that city, and my mom gave them away when I was at college. It was like she was cleaning up and moving‑‑ we were doing something to the house, and there were some boxes that were tossed. Mom, my baseball cards and my marbles that I had won over the years and collected were gone. So that's a Chester story maybe that the local people hadn't heard. Can't get them back, though. Don't know where they are. Q. Back to the preparations. Is it nice to have a couple extra days to practice, versus preparations for Baylor, or does it kind of hurt the momentum and you just kind of want to get out there and play? COACH RYAN: It's okay. The primary concern is to get back and catch up in class. So physically, they're ready. We did 35 possessions both ways today, offense, defense. Did some shooting and some free throws, and just we'll put more in on Kentucky tomorrow. We put our initial report in today, and we'll add more to it tomorrow. So it's all part of what it is with the way the tournament's set up. It's three weekend tournaments, three two‑game tournaments. Q. Coach, you mentioned it's been a long season. Erik Helland is new to the staff this year. He came from the Chicago Bulls, obviously, working 82‑game seasons. Is that kind of the secret you have to keep guys operating at such a high level, you can go deeper and deeper into the tournament? COACH RYAN: Erik's done a great job for us. He's got a lot of energy. He's got the players' attention. He's got them working hard, just like they did with Scott Hettenbach. We've been very fortunate to have the people in that position that truly understand what it takes to build stamina, to build strength, quickness. The nutritional value of these guys is unbelievable. They know exactly what's in everything. He knows especially what the guys should be eating, what they shouldn't be eating. He's the one that does all our meals on the road, orders the meals. Can't get any better salmon than he orders. I don't know, he must tell them there's a certain‑‑ salmon is pretty good. Erik's been very valuable, and the players believe in him, and that's what's important. Probably haven't noticed much change in me, but with the players you have. Q. When you talk about the journey, how important was that three‑week stretch mid‑January to early February where you were taking some bumps? What kind of lessons do you think the guys took from those games that they could apply to get to this point? COACH RYAN: Like I said, those games could have been played at different times during the year at the same venue, whether it's home or away. We never got one sideways with it. We didn't get too down, and we weren't riding sky high when we had won 16 in a row.  So our practices were the same. But you can learn from winning too. You don't just have to have bumps to learn, but you can learn a lot while you're being successful also. Q. Coach, what is it like to coach someone like Josh Gasser, a Wisconsin kid, coming off an injury, and the way he's played this season? COACH RYAN: Well, again, I tell the story that there's former players of mine and my son, Will, guys‑‑ Steve Showalter, Tyler Selk is another guy who's worked with players and swing in the program, the AAU program, and all these guys were telling me for a couple of years, Hey, this is your kind of guy, this is your kind of guy. We hadn't made an offer until I was able to see him, and some things happened where, oh, yeah, we could take a guard. Sure enough, I went to see him play. He was really tough. He was really good, and then he sprained his ankle so bad‑‑ it was so severe that he couldn't play football his senior year. But after seeing him play in that game, in that AAU game, I offered him. Didn't take him long to say yes for Wisconsin, and I'm sure glad my former guys stayed on me about it and said, Hey, you need to get this guy. You need to get him. I'm glad we did. Q. Bo, with Cauley‑Stein doubtful for the next game, does that make the game tape against Michigan much more valuable in your preparation for this week? COACH RYAN: Those other players are still who they are that are on the court. Then you find out who they've used to put him in‑‑ I don't know. It's a sprained ankle, I guess. It's like with injuries you can't give or get too much information. We'll prepare like he's playing, and then also we'll go over things with him not being in the lineup. We try to make sure that, when we get to a venue, that there aren't any surprises. So we'll prepare both ways. Q. You sometimes hear about coaches going to their first Super Bowl reaching out to other coaches who have been there before for advice on preparation, things like that. Have you done that at all or received advice from other coaches? COACH RYAN: I've had coaches come to me for advice because I was in five of these. Whether it's Division III or Division I, you're in five national tournaments. You're trying to win the National Championship. I've had people ask me what it was like and for advice. This is a two‑game tournament. Coaches that are going to go out and ask what question? Because it's the final two games, it's going to be different? Heck, no. You've got to win the 40 to get to 40. I don't mean North Dallas Forty. So what would be different? What would you ask? What would you ask? Q. [ No microphone ]. COACH RYAN: Yeah, everything's scheduled. They tell us when we can get a drink of water. You're pretty organized. So it's not like we think we have all the answers, but we know our team. We know what we have to do. We're going to be ourselves. So I don't know, if you've got any suggestions, you can throw them my way. I'm not going to do anything different. Q. Bo, at the start, you mentioned that you spoke with Cal last night. I'm guessing that's not Cal Ripken, but Coach Calipari. So what do two coaches who are going to square off against one another, or their teams are going to square off against one another on a big stage like this talk about before you meet? COACH RYAN: Well, I used to tell him a lot of jokes like at Final Fours and stuff like that, but in the last ten years or so, you don't really tell jokes anymore because of the climate. So he wanted me to give him a couple one‑liners, some jokes, and I said, I don't have any. I just don't use them anymore. He gave me a few. Not really. We just talked like, Hey, Cal, congrats. Hey, Bo, congrats. Hey, see you down there. Let's have some fun with it.  The normal guy talk. We've known each other for a long time, and he's on the board now with us too, on the Board of Directors of the coaching association. So the only thing I heard from the NABC was it's sure as heck going to be a lot shorter meetings this year at the Final Four. I said, You mean because Cal's not going to be there? Yeah, Bo, you can take it for whatever you think it's worth. Cal and I like to stir the pot a little bit. Imagine that. But for the good of the game. Like, Well, why shouldn't guys transfer and you play them right away? Simply because they're looking at two curriculums and going, Oh, they got a Masters program in something that the school where I'm at now doesn't. All right, I got it. Then when are they going to release the statistic of how many of those guys that transferred to play that year actually got their Masters? When's that coming out? It's ridiculous. That's some of the things we talk about on the board. I think they all know how I feel. Q. Bo, as a guy who's attended many, many Final Fours, how has the event itself changed over the years? And for Badger fans, any advice as to what to do besides watch basketball when they're down there? COACH RYAN: One thing you never have to tell a Badger fan is how to socialize. I'm pretty sure of that one. The way it's changed, when we first started going in the '70s, they did so much for the coaches. All the shoe companies and all the basketball and equipment companies and all those used to do a lot for the coaches. We'd always look forward to going, and nothing wrong with getting a free pullover from Adidas or a couple basketballs from a company. I'd better not mention any companies other than Adidas. Anyhow, it used to be more than that. Now‑‑ and what my dad used to do is collect all these things. They'd have posters back when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, and they'd have all these posters, and he'd take them all back for the kids back home, and they thought he was like Santa Claus because he'd always have all these gifts, key chains and all these things he'd take back. The kids, Oh, Mr. Ryan, yeah, this is the Final Four, wait until he comes back. I'm going down to his house because I'm going to get the first pick. But it used to be more of that, and tickets were a lot easier to get. The facilities weren't as big, or the venues. They were in 10,000, 12,000, 15,000. And, of course, now what's there going to be on Saturday in case I look up? What am I going to see? Is it 100? How many? Q. 77. COACH RYAN: 77,000, how about that? How many of them will be good seats? Don't know that. But it's a lot more corporate tickets. It has become the event. I know people talk about the Super Bowl and talk about whatever, but it's the NCAA Tournament. Sure pays a lot of bills, I know that. Q. You talked a little bit earlier about knowing the kids and what kind of person they are. What kind of person was Ben Brust when you first met him, and what did you think about his family atmosphere and his brothers being as into the game as they are? COACH RYAN: They hid his brothers from me initially. No. No, Ben was‑‑ we had a player that had decided that he was going to stop playing, and that freed up a scholarship. He was visiting USC, and after he had changed his mind about school, he was in a state of flux. Then we had something open up, and his parents were great. He's one of the few players that I've recruited who lived on a country club because I always used to kid about coaching country club kids. I always thought, now I belong to one. You know, growing up in Chester, I wanted the hard scrabble guys, the tough guys. Well, you can be tough and grow up on a golf course, I found out later. But when you're younger, you're always thinking, oh, those rich guys that are out there. We didn't know what golf was growing up. I thought it was kind of stupid to chase a white ball around a pasture. So anyhow, yeah, Ben was‑‑ he had a lot of fire. You could tell when he played. So getting him in our program and the fact that he's worked so hard and done what he's had a chance to accomplish to this point and still has more to go, we're very happy that he brought his family along with him too. Because I don't think there's a better cheering section. I know the Gassers give him a tussle at times who's the best family cheering sections, but they certainly don't get cheated out of any excitement or leave any energy at a venue. They expend it all. THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Coach. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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