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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: SPOKANEMarch 18, 2016Eran GanotStefan JankovicQuincy SmithSpokane, Washington Hawaii - 77, Cal - 66 THE MODERATOR: We'll start with an opening statement from coach and then take questions for the student-athletes. COACH GANOT: What a moment. Just in a year of moments these guys just find a way to provide us with more. And when I say us, that's our locker room, our administration is here, athletic department, University of Hawaii, the great school we represent and the great state. I see our Commissioner for the Big West here, Dennis Farrell and the great conference we represent. So, just an honor. Obviously, we knew this game was going to be tough and gritty and just very proud of our team's defensive effort. Particularly staying away from, at least in the second half, not as many, getting them off the free-throw line. But their grit and their belief, we hung in there when critical points when they cut it to two and that's what this group has done. And again, another game we got to get better at this, of guys getting foul trouble and us having to overcome a certain adversity within the game. But the sick thing about it is, we now have a lot of experience with it, and because of that, we're enjoying a really good moment now, which like I always say you get to enjoy for a second and get ready for the next one. But just really proud of this group. THE MODERATOR: Questions? Q. Quincy, were you guys expecting to have a crowd as large as you had tonight and what was it like playing behind the crowd like that so far away from home? QUINCY SMITH: I think so. Hawaii fans, they travel really well. It's great. They bring a lot of energy, they get the chants going, they call our names and pump us up. It was fun. Q. You had to sit for 13 minutes of that second half. What was that process like and what were you seeing from the bench from your teammates? STEFAN JANKOVIC: Obviously, it's tough. Foul trouble has always been a problem for me. And kind of picking up my fourth foul that early in the second half, it's tough sitting down and kind of losing the groove. But I'm confident in the guys. My little brother, he came in, and he stepped up and all the guys, I mean Q, huge game. Rod and Q really led us through. I'm never worried really. Obviously, as a competitor, I hate sitting on the bench, but aside from that I was never worried, I was always confident in the guys. Q. It seemed late there in the second half, you were kind of trying to get your bench to calm down, maybe not celebrate too early. Was it important for you to keep your guys focused? STEFAN JANKOVIC: Yeah. That was probably because the refs gave us like probably 15 warnings. I mean, they said two, but they gave us quite a couple and Hawaii 5-0, our bench model there, wow, they really give us good bench support and the refs kind of told us to sit down. I didn't want any technicals or those cheap little points here and there. So, and we were poised for the most part, so I wasn't worried. It was just not picking up a little technical there. Q. You guys, obviously, know who you're playing against in Cal and were you aware at all, with the guys on the other side, a lot of big names over there. Were you aware at all of the problems they were having this week? Were you cognizant at all of that? QUINCY SMITH: We heard a little bit about it on ESPN, but they still got really good players, good coaches, that's a good program. So we was just coming out, we wanted to be aggressive from the start and try to get on them early and set that standard that momentum from the start, and I think we did a good job of that. Q. How do you balance the excitement with the win today and preparation for the next game? STEFAN JANKOVIC: Well, right now, we're on a high horse. We're celebrating in the locker room, but we're going to see who we're playing next. I think this next game is going to be our next game, so we're just going to, today, kind of focus on this win a little bit and enjoy it. But then again, it's a quick turn around, so, once we see who we're playing, I'm sure the coaches will get us in some film, and I'm hungry, so I just want to get some food, honestly. Q. I know how much you believe in tradition, guys like Riley Wallace and guys that came before you, this is the first NCAA win for Hawaii. What does it mean to you, and as a coach, to be able to bring that first NCAA win to the University of Hawaii? COACH GANOT: Well, I mean it's special. I said when I got hired that this was the honor of my life to represent a program I had been to before and studied the history of the program. And when I first got the job these guys will tell you our first meeting was talking about the history of our program. Because to build for the future you got to honor your past and to honor your past you got to know your past. So they got a history lesson and now they know it as well as anybody. And these guys want to continue -- our job every group is to build a legacy. To make things better than it was before. The other thing is we have a great history and a great tradition. Former players, former coaches. Riley Wallace left me a voice mail, I didn't hear the call, but his message was, get a good night's sleep. It was about 1 or 2 in the morning when I heard it, but I went right to bed. "Yes, coach, you're the boss, follow your lead." Just remember there's so many people, this is 95 years of our program's history, basketball program. I know 40 years or so of conference play but so many people have put so much work and sacrifice to get us to this point and our job's to honor it every day with our performance and the success on the floor and the manner in which they're succeeding, hard work, team, sacrifice, fighting through adversity, so I know there are a lot of people in Hawaii going nuts right now, and obviously we have talked, there's former players, former coaches that have done a lot of work to get us here and we're really proud to honor them. Q. Quincy, does Sheriff, does he always interact with the crowd that much and what did you think of his celebrations today? QUINCY SMITH: Yeah, he always does. He's the team clown. But he brings a lot of energy of the he does things on the court that might not show up in the stat sheet, but really help the team. Like he took three big charges today, which they don't show up in the stat sheet but they really help our defense. It pumps the whole team up. Q. Q, when Janks was on the bench for that long stretch what was it like for you guards just trying to shoulder more of the scoring load at that point? QUINCY SMITH: Probably just made us be a little bit more aggressive. We knew he was going to come back in eventually. It was really my fault he got that fourth foul. But so I tried to make it up to him by getting a couple buckets for him. COACH GANOT: Very proud of his accountability there. (Laughter.) STEFAN JANKOVIC: Q gets mad at me a lot because he doesn't think I pass him the ball, but, yeah. COACH GANOT: They're actually, this is not a good question to talk about. STEFAN JANKOVIC: I was joking. I was joking. Q. You got off to a little rough start, a couple travel calls, a couple foul calls, but ended up with 18 points. Do you think those first early minutes was just a matter of settling in, you guys got down by four or five, but after that you took the lead for good. QUINCY SMITH: It's just how the game goes. It's a game of runs and momentum. I started off a little bit slow and then I got a couple easy shots and layups and kind of got me going. And then the big guys they were setting really good screens for me and I was just getting into the paint, getting really easy shots. So I was able to make them. Q. For both student-athletes, I'm sure you guys have been watching March Madness your whole life and you have been cheering for the Cinderella team and what's that like to be on the stage and to be that team that just busted everyone's bracket? STEFAN JANKOVIC: Well, I think Obama's bracket is still intact. I think he picked us. For the next round it won't be, because I think we're going to be in upset city. But it's great. I remember a couple years back watching Florida Gulf Coast and Dunk City and it's just, the whole world watches, the whole world stops for two or three weeks or however long it is, and just to be part of that is really kind of special. QUINCY SMITH: Well, in my bracket I had us winning, so. Like all my friends and family, they had us winning too. So I don't know about everybody else. THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll excuse the student-athletes and take questions for coach. Q. It was a little nerve wracking there in the second half, they went on an 8-0 run, drew within two, you guys called a timeout. What was the message that you said to the guys to get them rejuvenated, because it seemed like they came out with more energy and then they bumped the lead back up to 10 and then obviously ended up winning the game. COACH GANOT: Well in the moment sometimes you write on your White board, X's and O's or something but in that moment I wrote one thing, I just wrote "solid." We got to be solid. It's got us to this point. We were fighting kind of our temptations from the past in terms of gambling a little bit and not being strong with the ball. That led to some of their transition baskets, we turned it over twice, we took some questionable shots, and you can't do that at this level at this time. And any good team, which Cal is, will exploit you. So, really proud of how we handled that, because obviously the momentum had shifted. And it wasn't a magic formula, it was like, it was, let's get back to playing solid. We were tough to score on in the half court. We can't defend turnovers very well, or bad shots, which are just as bad as turnovers. So, I thought for after that we settled down and I was really proud of our offensive execution for the most part in the game. Against one of the best defensive teams in the country. Our whole deal was to try to break them down, because you're not going to get the initial looks all the time. But we have to make them work and before we know it, hopefully, some gaps will open up for us and they did. And guys moved the ball and we played inside out and so that's how you get to this point. Q. How big was the crowd for you guys in the second half and was that as big of a representation of Hawaii fans as you thought you would get this far away from home? COACH GANOT: Well, being around it, I've been at Hawaii before it's a special fan base, special people there. And we got it pretty good. Hawaii's as good as it gets. Don't forget, they're traveling a long ways. We saw that at the Honda Center, we have seen it on the road during our road games this year, this group rallies around their teams and certainly with this team this year, with adversity that we have been through. Not surprised. Whoever will come will give every ounce of energy they have to make it loud. And somehow they found a way to get the rest of the crowd who weren't Hawaii fans or from Hawaii on the side, because I know they were all yelling, "let's go Bows" and our guys are pretty self motivated, but if they ever needed an extra jump, they had it, and they had it recently and that's huge. Q. Can you describe the last two to three weeks of this post-season and how you guys have been able to string together some of the wins, playing so many of the games on the road and not having a chance to go back home in between? COACH GANOT: We're looking at week three on the road, so I guess in a weird way we have road experience, both traveling and on the road. Look, this group, to do well, you have to perform on the road. You can't avoid it. And I think we're now 11-2 on neutral sites or on the road, which is pretty special for any team. Obviously for Hawaii. And we found a way to balance -- our deal is always to have a routine. We get take comfort in the routine. The guys know the routine. It's been a little unique the last now three weeks, because we have been on the road, but we found a way to get off our feet on game days and move around in between and have team activities, team meals, our families travel well with us, my family, the coaches' families, the players' families. So we found a balance between -- I think it's the most important thing, the balance -- and this team has done it all year, you have to find a balance between enjoying the journey and enjoying these moments and continuing to get better. It's a hard balance to find. But you need to find it, because if you're not happy, you're not going to be good. And if you're not working, you're not going to get better. And these guys have found a way to find the right balance. Q. You guys have dealt with adversity this year. You understand that. Cal's dealing with adversity right now and Cuonzo was very gracious, giving all credit to your team for the victory today. How difficult can it be to get a team focused and ready to go when you are dealing with some problems? COACH GANOT: I'm sure he'll tell you, and all coaches will tell you, people think it's just the X's and O's and recruiting and all that. Obviously, that's important, but the first thing we talk about every day when we meet and first thing in the morning, first thing, last thing at night, is talk about our team, our players, their psyches. How are they feeling, how is their state of mind. So you got to get ahead of all those things. We always say, obviously, this group is our group, and Cal's dealing with some distractions, adversity, I heard him, he said it right, everybody's dealing with some of it. And it's going to keep coming. But the reality is you get ahead of it, you address it, you do the best you can and you move forward. And a lot of teams in this tournament have had to deal with that during the course of the season as well. Both teams in this game are not the only ones going through some of that. But I know the coaches, our job is to the student-athletes and to take care of them and make sure they're in a good place and that's the first thing we talk about and the last thing we talk about every night. Q. Quincy took over a little bit of the scoring there kind of midway through the second half. Is that something that you need to say to him or did he just kind of naturally do that within the flow of the game? COACH GANOT: No, I think that we talked earlier in the before this game about breaking down their defense, obviously play off ball screens a lot and I think there was that moment when Janks was out that we looked more to our guards. The reality is we're at our best also when we're aggressive. Not very good when we're on our heels. We want to push and attack. And if it's not there, we want to execute in transition. But at times -- you got to trust your guys and we have a senior back court who is tough and has great belief. Sometimes it's okay not to set up a play and let them play and make decisions. That's actually allowed them -- I always say this, our style of play is, offensively, it's to share the ball, move the ball, play inside out. But a lot of guys get better with player development individual work, but I think our style of play allows you to get better, too. It puts them in so many reps of ball screens and making decisions that, at this point of the year, they have some pretty good confidence. Q. Following up on Quincy, I'm sure you remember it wasn't that long ago the season when teams were intentionally fouling Quincy Smith with five minutes to go in the game to send him to the line. Today he's perfect until the last free throw. What do you attribute that to? COACH GANOT: Two things: You got to have both, he's got great belief. I said it earlier, our guys have great belief, so does he and he's got great go-to. When you talk about Quincy Smith you talk about his work ethic. And you gain confidence from reps, because you believe you deserve it, because you put in the work and sacrifice, and sometimes you just need some breakthroughs. And I think, early on, he was struggling. But if you're around him every day, and being around him right off the bat during the season when I got the job, seeing his work ethic, obviously, this is a guy who came off the bench, played a reserve role, became pretty clear that he was a guy we needed on the floor. He was a big part of our identity. His toughness, his grit and I think he started to have some breakthroughs on the free-throw line and he started to hit some big threes. Now the combination of the confidence coming with the reps and sacrifice he's put in, created the improved player he is today. Q. At halftime you had five players with two fouls each and not just starters. Sai had two fouls as well, so, like you said, it must have been quite a balancing act in the second half what did you do or plan at halftime as far as managing the fouls and like you said you wanted them to stay aggressive, but at the same time stay out of foul trouble? COACH GANOT: Well, a couple things there. We were very fortunate, we were pleased with the way we managed the end of the first half to get into the second half with nobody getting three. That's hard to do when five of them have two. And unfortunately -- fortunately now, but unfortunately, we were very experienced in playing through foul trouble and guys with foul issues. Hopefully, there's going to be a game where we can be a little bit more disciplined there. But credit Cal and I want to say that, credit Cal for fighting back like they did and putting us at the line or putting themselves at the line. They attacked the rim very well. But I think the second half we wanted to monitor it, we still picked up those fouls and, look, we trust our depth. Our guys have a lot of trust in one another. And as you saw, guys who have seen us play a lot, no surprise, we haven't shown much zone. And a lot of that was to protect our guys. We actually worked on it going in because we knew we may need it. We had it earlier in the season. And other than the three Mathews got late, I thought we did a pretty good job of that. Q. It might have been mentioned earlier, but how long do you guys celebrate this win? Is it right back to work or are you going to go watch the next game or do you guys let them -- I know emotions are running high, this is the first win in school history, so is there any time to celebrate or is it just right back to work for you guys? COACH GANOT: No, it's always about enjoying the moment, like I said, having a great balance, continuing to fight and get better and get back to our routine. Our routine served us well. And you got to enjoy this moment. We don't know our opponent yet. But their job is to get take care of their bodies and get ready to go. Our coaches' jobs are to -- we're not going to sleep much. They need to get rest, we won't. And that's all right. THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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