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NCAA MEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS AND FINALS: ANAHEIM

March 23, 2016

Anaheim, California

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by student-athletes Ryan Spangler, Isaiah Cousins and Buddy Hield. Questions for our student-athletes.

Q. Buddy and Ryan, your teammate Manyang has been out; his brother died. What's that been like for you? How have you handled that and supported him, starting with Buddy?
BUDDY HIELD: AK's an important part for this team, and as you see from the first game, he really helped us in how we -- his presence in the paint and how he blocks shots and rebounds for us. And it's sad what happened to his brother. But it fueled us in that VCU game. We were playing for him. Make sure he knows we're still family and we're out there thinking about him, and we're trying to stay alive until he can get back in this tournament and he can help us out.

RYAN SPANGLER: Kind of like Buddy said, you know, there's more important things in life than basketball, and we realize that. So just trying to talk to him and make sure we text him every day and let him know that we still care about him.

Q. Buddy, your three-point percentage I think is up over 10% this year from last year. What was the biggest difference for you trying to improve your shooting from long range from then until now?
BUDDY HIELD: Just getting about a lot of reps and taking smarter shots and efficient shots that I'm normally used to making, not just jacking up threes. That kills my percentage.

Just taking shots in rhythm, and being smart when I select them, too, even though I still take bad ones.

Q. Buddy, what do you see when you watch A&M in terms of things that you're going to have to deal with as a team? What jumps out at you?
BUDDY HIELD: They're a big team. They pound it inside really good. I just feel like if we just stay focused and execute on defense and push the ball in transition, I think we should be good.

Q. Buddy, how did your upbringing in the Bahamas shape not only the player but the person you are today?
BUDDY HIELD: Just the way how I was raised with my mom, around my brothers and sisters. We all have similar personalities, just living a fun life. No matter if we have nothing or something, we just make the best of anything we had. When I go on the court I just use that to motivate me, so one day I'll be able to help my family out and have a better way of life.

Q. Isaiah, I read that you've been a part of more than a few of Buddy's all-hour shooting sessions. What are those like?
ISAIAH COUSINS: It's a lot of hard work. It's a lot of reps of just shooting and being in the gym constantly like two days. Just really being in the gym just for like hours just to get better.

Q. Buddy, I believe with the three of you and Jordan you have 102 consecutive starts together. How much confidence does that give you when you're in a tough situation like you were in against VCU?
BUDDY HIELD: We know what each other's capable of doing. We're comfortable doing this. When everybody's on the court we feel comfortable and we can be relaxed. You know, if Coach calls our number, we know how to pick-and-roll, we know what Ryan likes, and Isaiah knows how to get the ball to me, and how I get the ball to Isaiah. So how to feed off each other and knowing each other's spots on the court.

Q. Speak to A&M's inside game, and especially Tyler Davis in the middle?
RYAN SPANGLER: Yeah, he's a big body. He likes to post up in there and they get the ball to him pretty well. That's something we've been working on the last couple days of practice. So me and Khadeem to start it off, we'll have to fight him and not let him get anything easy. When guys come off the bench, they've got to do the same thing.

So on him, just try not to let him get easy buckets. Make him earn everything.

Q. Buddy, can you talk a little bit about the relationship or your connection with Tavario Miller of A&M?
BUDDY HIELD: Oh, I've known Tavario a little bit. I remember he came down to the Bahamas, and he moved from his island. He came down to Freeport. He was a big kid. I just know him from there. He was always nice, until he moved to Nassau. But when he came to America, I got to play against him.

But we've always had a good relationship. It's never talking back and forth constant, but we know of each other and know each other from back home. It's nothing very serious about it.

Q. I've read in these shooting sessions that you have that you usually just go by feel. You don't go with a numbered set of shots. Is that a feel that you've sort of developed more over these last few years? You might know yourself in terms of being a shooter?
BUDDY HIELD: Yeah, for sure. Just being in the gym, I don't try to get a number of reps. Until I feel comfortable, it may take you an hour or two hours of shooting inside the gym until I feel comfortable and until my body feels right, and I'll pick up and leave.

Q. Ryan, you guys played A&M a couple years ago in the Big 12-SEC Challenge. Do you take anything from that that you've learned that can help you tomorrow night?
RYAN SPANGLER: Yeah, that game's kind of hard to remember. I think it was our first year here. But I remember they're always big and they throw it inside a lot. Their point guard, we played him before, so we know what he likes to do. But the main thing is just play our game and play defense the way we can and move the ball and we'll be fine.

Q. Ryan, what do you all miss with Manyang out? This is a big team you're facing, what impact does he have on your team?
RYAN SPANGLER: Extra body, big body, finish around rim, block shots, alter shots. We've been missing that in practice the last couple days. We've been throwing way more oops in practice that we never get when he's there. I think that just shows the impact he has.

So I think when it comes to game time, just having that extra body just in case of foul trouble or whatever happens. Just being able to put him in there.

Q. Buddy, Ryan talked about that game against A&M a couple years ago. They had a lot of success on you defensively, individually. How different a player are you now? And what style of play do you bring that you didn't have or parts of your game that you didn't have back then?
BUDDY HIELD: I was just a shooter back then. I never did attack. I had a lot of good looks in that game, I just missed shots in that game. I'm just more different now. I know how to attack it off the dribble and create my own shots. It's a different type of style that they'll see this time from me.

Q. Isaiah, when you see a team come from behind the way A&M won their last game, what do you take from that in terms of like if you have a lead and trying to increase that lead? Sometimes if you get a big lead the tendency is to kind of slack off a little bit.
ISAIAH COUSINS: The main thing is to take care of the ball every possession. Every time you get the ball, make sure you get a good shot and just not be careless with the ball. Just be very focused on offense of moving the ball and just looking for your teammates. They just get ready to make some shots.

Q. Buddy, your work ethic has been pretty well documented at this point. Where did that start for you? Was that from your upbringing or someone in particular that instilled that in you?
BUDDY HIELD: Yeah, just being in the park a lot. You know, you'll hear the story of me building my own court and stuff, just wanting to be out there play. I feel like I hear a lot of rumors about Kobe Bryant and how much work he put in, so I tried to instill that in my body. I'd meditate on that. And with put as much work as I put in, I feel like I can get better, and the results will show on the court.

Q. For all three of you, can you give me what your reaction was when you saw what A&M did the other night, whether it was on SportsCenter or whether on film or whatever? Just something that's never been done before.
RYAN SPANGLER: Yeah, it was crazy. They never quit. Never thought they were out of the game. So that gives us something to work for. If we do get a lead tomorrow, just know that they're not going to let up.

ISAIAH COUSINS: I didn't really see it but I heard about it, and I just feel that it just helps us get ready and prepare for them. Just lock in on taking care of the ball and just being ready for them throwing the pressure at you.

BUDDY HIELD: I got to watch it, and it was crazy. What they did was remarkable and I respect their fight. When we play them, if we get up a big lead, we can't take that lead for granted because we know they're capable of making a run.

Q. Buddy, is your mom going to be here this weekend? If so, is she going to hang around for the end of these games?
BUDDY HIELD: If it's close, she's not going to hang around; she's going to go upstairs and pray. But she's going to be here for sure, no doubt.

Q. What do you think of that, the fact that she's left her seat at the end of these games?
BUDDY HIELD: She's always like that. From when I was in the Bahamas and in the junior high games and stuff like that, when the game gets tight, you never find her in the gym. She's walking out. Every time she walks out, something big happens, something good happens. So whatever she's doing, she needs to keep doing it, because it's helping us a lot.

Q. How much has Buddy, just being around, kind of brought in that culture of the Bahamas? Obviously as a native Southerner, I'm sure that's a pretty big difference. But I've heard about reggae in shooting sessions, stuff like that. How much have you seen that culture with Buddy being around?
RYAN SPANGLER: A lot. Every time we walk in the gym, you know if Buddy's there by the music he's playing. You'll probably hear him on the court tomorrow scream if he's open. He does a little scream. He's got some sayings that a lot of people pick up. But I think, I don't know, he's a good guy. He makes everybody smile around him, and he's a good basketball player, but I think he's a better guy.

Q. What kind of sayings?
BUDDY HIELD: Don't worry about that (laughing).

Q. How much did playing a team like West Virginia help you to prepare to play a Texas A&M squad that did press Northern Iowa in the final minutes and did a great job of changing the pace of the game when they did it?
BUDDY HIELD: It helps us a lot. I feel like VCU helped us a lot too because we know VCU is aggressive, and they have a lot of similarities. So we've seen what Texas A&M does. We've got guys and coaches that get us well prepared for games like this. We have Isaiah running the point and guys like Jordan backing him up.

I feel like we're ready for this. No disregard to them, but West Virginia's probably the best pressing team in the country, so I don't think it should be anything we haven't seen before.

ISAIAH COUSINS: Playing West Virginia definitely helps us because of how physical and how aggressive they are during the press, and how much they pride themselves on just getting deflections and constantly, consistently always attacking you. I think just by us handling it during the season, it will definitely help us a lot.

Q. You guys have been really consistent this year. How does the team compare from a confidence, mood standpoint to this time last year when you were in the Sweet Sixteen?
RYAN SPANGLER: Yeah, we're high on confidence right now. Like you said, we had a good year and we feel good about the way we're playing right now. I can't really remember much from last year. I just know that we learned from the Sweet Sixteen game last year, and now we know what to do and what not to do.

ISAIAH COUSINS: I think our confidence is high. Last year we took a loss, and that's just going to give us a lot of motivation and confidence to just finish out the ballgame and just come ready to play. Play like our last.

BUDDY HIELD: Like Isaiah said, we know where we were at last year. Now we're just more confident and ready to finish where we had started last year, and execute down the stretch and rebound the ball like we should. Just go out there, compete and have no regrets when we leave the court.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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