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NCAA MEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS AND FINALS: CHICAGOMarch 24, 2016Mark FewEric McClellanKyle WiltjerKyle DranginisChicago, Illinois Q. Both Syracuse and you guys play very tight rotations in terms of bench minutes and number of players used. I'm curious what does that do to impact your team and what does it say about this tournament, the two teams that have that are advancing so far? MARK FEW: Well, I'd say in our case, it's out of necessity. It's not necessarily out of choice. I think it's the same probably with him. We'd probably both prefer to be 10 deep and be able to sustain foul trouble and injuries and things like that. But we don't, and I would count both of ourselves very fortunate to be able to advance to a Sweet 16 with the lack of depth, and I'm speaking on our behalf, that we have. The guys have managed it really well in the games, especially our bigs. That's where Kyle and Domantas have really grown up, I think, this year. It may be a cut down on some of the stupid ones and the silly ones and the cheap fouls. And then as far as conditioning and all that for the tournament, these two-and-a-half minute timeouts and long halves and all that really help you in that regard. Makes things a lot simpler when you're sitting on the bench. You don't have to worry about subbing much. Q. You're favored in this game. Do you think that shows how underseeded you were? What do you make of that? MARK FEW: I don't know what to make of it to be honest with you. I would just say maybe that's out of respect for the program, and maybe it's out of the thought that we're playing really, really good as of late. I mean, I think they probably seeded us right about where we deserved to be seeded just because of our lack of marquee wins during the season. I often said, though, during the season that this was a unique team and a unique situation because nobody ever blew us out. I mean, the games we lost, we had leads in the second half. Many of them came down to the last possession. Some of them came down to us just missing free throws. If we just make a free throw here or there or don't have a silly turnover, you might win four or five of those games that we lost, and now you're a 3 seed. That's how crazy it is. So I thought we were a unique case for the committee in that regard, but fortunately we didn't have to lobby or do any of that stuff because it probably wouldn't have turned out too well. Q. You and Coach Boeheim have become friends over the years through USA Basketball. What's your relationship like with him and what's it like preparing to face he and his team? MARK FEW: I mean, he's a really, really good friend, and he's a mentor. He's meant a lot to my career. If you think of all the icons and kind of the legends in our game currently, or pretty much most of them, think about how Coach Boeheim has stayed at Syracuse the whole time. Coach Izzo has stayed at Michigan State and Coach K has stayed at Duke. I think if you look at -- those have kind of been great role models and mentors for me as far as me just staying the course at GU and being happy and content. The other thing, Marcy and I got the idea from Jim and Juli for our Coaches vs. Cancer. There never would have been a Coaches vs. Cancer, and we raised 7, 8-million bucks out in Spokane on 100 percent just because Juli and Jim talked to us and kind of got us going and even prodded us and motivated us to do that, came out and supported us. So I think that's really, really cool, and then he's helped me obviously so much with USA Basketball. He's a really, really good guy, man. I wish you guys could see that side of him. He's not the surly curmudgeon you all think he is. He's funny, he's witty, he's a great card player, average fisherman, but there's some hope there, some promise there if we ever get him off the golf course. Q. Your team has scored about an average of 33 points in the paint this season, and Syracuse has given up 33.7 points in the paint. What is your approach in this game to attack in the paint against their 2-3 zone? MARK FEW: Well, that poses a really, really unique challenge. We've probably played I bet less than 30 possessions against zone this year, mostly because teams fear Wiltjer so much. So it's going to be interesting to play it for 40 minutes because you just don't create or have that same kind of rhythm you have a lot of times with your man offense. Obviously we attack everything inside-out and we'll continue to attack inside-out. That's kind of who we are. It's just going to come at different times, it's going to come at different places and in different contexts, so I think that's a big key that we don't just settle for tons of threes but also are getting our paint touches or the ball into the paint either off a pass or off the bounce. Q. What did you gain the most individually and your program gain from doing the HBO reality series? MARK FEW: Let's see. I gained nothing from it individually except irritation. I mean that somehow in a good way. I don't know how that comes out in a good way. But I'm a pretty private guy and I'm not really into all that stuff. But my assistants who I really trust because it would be good for us and had some marketing people thought it would be good for the university, and the people who did it for HBO were unbelievable, the ones that were with us day-to-day. We became very close to them. So I don't think I learned anything about myself. But you know what, my team I was very worried about it because we were very immature I thought at the start of the year, and I think it was processing everything we were going through as well as having to deal with cameras around us was probably a little bit too much, but in a weird kind of way, it might have helped the maturation process that we went through. They just kind of ended up dealing with it and it ended up turning out great. So it's funny how that goes sometimes. Q. Do you think the kids really liked that? MARK FEW: I would guess. I mean, you'll have to ask them. I think they liked -- I picked up on, boy, Eric and Josh, why are your shirts always off when the HBO cameras are in here, and now we're in here at a film session and you have your shirts on; I'm baffled by this. So I think they liked their little time to flex and do their thing. But you'd probably have to ask them about it, but I think so. Q. Wondering, you hear a lot of teams when they're preparing for the Syracuse zone say, hey, we can watch it on film, we know it's coming, but when you get in a game, it's really very difficult to prepare for. What are the things that you stress to your guys about just how relentless they are with what they'll show you defensively? MARK FEW: Well, we try to mimic it as best you can in this week of practice with who we have and our limited numbers this year. We can't come close to mimicking the length or the athleticism, nor can we -- they do a great job of adjusting through the course of a game. So it's just something our guys are going to have to get comfortable with, and I told them they've got to be comfortable getting deep in the clock on shots and we've got to be comfortable finding our way to the offensive glass, and we have to be comfortable -- there are times when the best shot is going to present itself in the first five seconds of the clock and we have to be able to step up and take it then. Like I said, it's going to be interesting just because you just -- we don't, and there really aren't many teams in college basketball that play 40 minutes of zone, and I think that's kind of the simple brilliance of the whole Syracuse plan. It's kind of amazing in that regard. Q. How rare is it for coaches to be friends like you and Jim are? I know there's a lot of acquaintances and you could be friendly, and how long ago did that friendship with Jim start? MARK FEW: You know, I'll tell you, the Nike trips are just great for that. Nike has done a great job over the years of getting coaches to go on trips, and you really get to see guys outside these competitive realms that we live in day-to-day, and you're just there by yourself and there's no games or there's nothing to hide, and so you can share ideas and talk and do things. That's initially where I met Coach, gosh, 18-something years ago. Then just kind of grew from that, and like I said, grew to the point where Marcy and Juli became friends and then they really, really helped us with our Coaches Vs. Cancer, so there was a bond with that because that's quite an endeavor. It's not just a -- it's like throwing a royal wedding every year, you know. So it was good to always lean on them for that. And then he watches a lot of ball, that guy. I'm telling you, he'll call me all the time, and I mean, we have late starts out on our coast, and I mean, he'll tell me what happened, what he thought in the game and all that. It's really impressive. And then helping me get involved in USA Basketball has been huge. I definitely owe him for that. I think there's a lot to him maybe that the general public doesn't get to see. He is a servant-leader big-time. The amount of days and weeks that he gives up for USA Basketball, he's not just doing the Olympic team now. He's all the way down to the 18s, the 19s. I had the Pan-Am team this summer, so he was there helping us pick that and kind of shepherding us through that process, which can be a difficult process. He gives up a lot of time for just the good of basketball, and I don't think people realize this. Again, it's the surly curmudgeon kind of act up here that throws them for a loop. Q. With Chicago hosting this Midwest regional final, there's been a lot of talk about no team from the State of Illinois in the NCAA Tournament for three years running now, and the ability of top-notch players who don't stay in the Chicago area. Having said that, how did you convince a guy like Zach Norvell or even Jeremy Pargo a few years ago to go way out to the great northwest in Spokane? MARK FEW: Well, we were lucky and very, very fortunate in both cases, and I think the fact that Jeremy had so much success at Gonzaga and enjoyed it so much and talks about it and will probably eventually come back at some point, I mean, obviously to have that kind of example really helps. I think Zach watched us a lot when he was growing up in the NCAA Tournament and kind of had a liking for us, liked how we played, and then bought into our culture and our team and how we operate on a day-to-day basis and how our guards play with a lot of freedom and get to shoot the ball. I've been really impressed with him as a kid. He's got some real leadership ability, and we were hoping they'd get it done and win that state championship, but I thought he did an awesome job leading them all the way to that point. Q. What have you seen in Gbinije in watching film, and is there anyone he's similar to that you guys have played? MARK FEW: Well, the one thing we get that most people don't realize, we have unbelievable guard play in our league and really some guards that can really, really score the ball, and they shoot it deep like Gbinije does, several of the really good guards in our league. But they're not quite the size. He's got great size and a great pace to his game. He's really playing at a high clip right now. I can't think of a guy I could probably compare him to in our league. He shoots with range like Brownridge does in Santa Clara. Brownridge, you probably don't know who he is, but he can really, really score the ball. Their guards remind me a little bit of the BYU guards and the BYU guards are coming at you from the jump, and they will shoot it out to 28 feet and it looks on tape that the 'Cuse guards kind of have the same approach. Q. Is it possible for a team these days to go from the Cinderella level to a regular feature among the nation's elite teams, and do you guys think you've done it, and did that ability or lack of ability to do it factor into your decision to stay all these years? MARK FEW: Oh, most definitely. I feel we've done it. I think that obviously has shown when you go 18 straight and we've been a 1 seed and a 2 seed and a 3 seed and a 4 seed, and pretty much ranked in the top 20 during this whole run. So obviously I think it can be done, and most definitely 100 percent, that's probably the main part of why I stayed, because I'm a competitive guy and I like to win, and we win a lot out there, and we get to advance to the tournament and we feel like we always have a chance to advance in the tournament. Those are things that are very near and dear to me because I'm a basketball coach and that's what I do. If I ever felt like we weren't in that position, then I wouldn't have stayed. Q. You guys are the first double-digit seed to be favored in the first three games of the tournament. No other double-digit seed has been favored twice. What are your thoughts on that and does that surprise you? KYLE WILTJER: Yeah, I mean, for us it doesn't really affect the game at all. I mean, you can be favored or not, doesn't matter when the ball goes up. So for us, even though we are 11 seed, we try to play with a confidence that we should be much higher. We bring that confidence as a program, and us players, we have the ultimate confidence in our abilities. Q. What was your reaction when you saw the 11 seed and has that motivated you guys feeling like you maybe didn't deserve to be an 11? KYLE WILTJER: We didn't really worry about us getting an 11 seed. We were just excited to see who we played. When you're watching it Selection Sunday, you're just antsy to see where we're going to end up and who you're going to play, so that was the most important thing for us. Q. Do you guys wish you'd started your careers at Gonzaga and the fact that you didn't, does it make you appreciate your situation more now? ERIC MCCLELLAN: Yeah, man, well, for me not at all. Everything I've been through individually has kind of circulated around my choices and my decisions. One of my biggest mistakes turned out to be my biggest blessing, and that's being here. If I could start all over, I wouldn't change anything, man, because everything that I've been through has allowed me to relish this opportunity and take full advantage of it and be a part of such a great tradition and culture. KYLE WILTJER: Yeah, for me, same exact answer. I think I am who I am today because of my experiences at UK, and I just really enjoyed my time there, and I think everyone realized that, so I'm just blessed to be here now. Q. Kyle Wiltjer, last year taking the team to the Elite 8, how has that experience kind of helped for this year and to hopefully go further than that? KYLE WILTJER: It just kind of helps our confidence. We've been there. We had a great run last year and all three of us were on that team. Being back here, it's not a surprise for us. To some people it is, but for us, you know, it just -- it's a comfortable feeling, and we hope to -- because we remember that heartbreak after that loss against Duke. That's the thing people don't see is they always see the good, but we see the bad, so it was definitely a tough loss and we want to get there again. Q. You guys have really embraced the us-against-the-world mentality, but the way you've been dominating teams, how does that make it difficult to keep that underdog mentality? KYLE DRANGINIS: I don't think it makes it too difficult. I don't really remember ever being favored to win any games. We weren't even supposed to be in the NCAA Tournament until we won the WCC. I think just winning those games big has only helped our confidence, and we still realize that we're not supposed to win. We're not supposed to be here, and so we still have that chip on our shoulder, so it's not too hard to keep that going. Q. Mark was just up here a minute ago and said you guys saw very little zone this year. What kind of challenges does Syracuse present to you guys especially considering that you're not used to going up against that much zone during the season? ERIC MCCLELLAN: Well, they're long and rangy the way they recruit, they recruit long, rangy guards. They're athletic down low. It's the same thing, those guys are long and athletic. Unless we play really efficient on offense, we're going to see zone for 40 minutes, and it's more so just about putting the ball into motion, putting our bodies into motion, getting these guys the ball efficiently down low, and just continuing to play our game, so it's more so just playing basketball instead of running sets. Q. Syracuse is a smaller lineup down low specifically. How do you guys plan to take advantage of that weakness in the low-post game? KYLE WILTJER: We just want to continue to play our game. They obviously are in zone, so for us big guys, we just have to find the seams. We've got to post-up hard even though it is a zone, watch the three and the key obviously, but we just want to play aggressively and continue to find shots even though it's a zone. Q. Eric, have you seen a backcourt as experienced -- I know Syracuse has two fifth-year seniors. Can you compare that to any backcourt experience you've played this year in the WCC? ERIC MCCLELLAN: To be honest, I don't pay attention to stuff like that, man. I just go out there and play basketball. Obviously those guys are really aggressive guards. They're talented, and they're here for a reason, as well. I don't pay attention to things like that. Josh Perkins, he's a freshman and he's playing some of the best basketball out of any -- regardless of class, out of any player in college basketball right now. Experience does play a factor, but at the end of the day you go out there and play basketball, you go out there and you go off your preparation, you go out there off your hard work, off the scouting report, and off your abilities. That's been our main focus the last month or so, and that's why we've been able to play efficient basketball. I don't really pay attention to things like that. Q. Syracuse comes in, they have one of the tightest rotations in college basketball. You do, as well. I guess the word depth is kind of a little bit of a buzz word, but what does it say about two teams that don't have that much depth that are this far in the tournament and playing each other? KYLE DRANGINIS: I think it just goes to show that we both play smart basketball. We realize that we have short benches right now, and we've kind of learned to adapt to that and just can't make any silly fouls and things like that. I mean, it takes some adjusting to, but luckily we've been able to do that. Q. Eric, you guys seem to be having some fun up there. I know you're a team that enjoys each other. This is a business trip, but how much are you letting yourselves have fun and enjoy the fact that you're back in the Sweet 16? ERIC MCCLELLAN: It goes back to why we've been good. It's two sides of the spectrum. One side, we're extremely competitive and we're together, but on the other side, we're really goofy and loose. Like KD said, we weren't even supposed to be here. For us, this is our last go-around, so we want to enjoy it as much as we can. For a lot of collegiate athletes, they don't get to experience moments like these. We just want to relish the opportunity and take it all in and continue to have fun with it. It's been such a blessing to be a part of this tournament, and obviously the success that we've had collectively, we just want to keep it rolling and keep having fun. Q. How much does it help you guys to have a guy like the other Kyle, especially maybe when you're going up against the zone who's 6'10", he can run into the paint but also step out and shoot threes? KYLE DRANGINIS: Yeah, he's going to play a big factor in that zone. He can play inside and out. He's obviously a dangerous shooter, and he can also post-up, and he's fundamentally sound, as well, and can score inside. He can score from anywhere, so hopefully we can use that to our advantage. Q. How would you guys describe specifically Eric and Kyle Dranginis adjusting to losing Gary and Kevin on the off-season, early in the season gelling as a backcourt? When you think back to a game like early December, Arizona at home, how has your progress tracked over the season and how would you describe it? KYLE WILTJER: Yeah, everyone, we're playing team basketball right now. I think we're just doing a great job of sharing the basketball, and the guards are playing really good just shooting open shots, being aggressive, and they've been doing a great job just finding us down low all year. When we get double-teamed, they've been just making plays out of them. They've been huge this last stretch of the season, and so just hopefully continue to play confidently. KYLE DRANGINIS: I think that question was for the guards. KYLE WILTJER: But he said Kyle Wiltjer, take it. Kyle Dranginis, how would you take this one. KYLE DRANGINIS: I think just our commitment to team development and guard development throughout the year has been just the hugest factor in us coming together as a team and as guards. You know, we obviously weren't performing as well as we wanted to early in the year, and we kind of had to reidentify ourselves and our roles, and slowly but surely we've been able to improve, and it's worked out for us well as a team. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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