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NCAA MEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS AND FINALS: ANAHEIMMarch 25, 2016Lon KrugerRyan SpanglerJordan WoodardKhadeem LattinIsaiah CousinsBuddy HieldAnaheim, California THE MODERATOR: Coach, an opening statement. LON KRUGER: Delighted to be here of course. Again, as I've said many times, don't take this opportunity for granted. Want our players not to take it for granted. It's a special time. When we play again, there will be eight teams left with a chance. This group's been special. Couldn't be more proud for them, couldn't be happier for them. They've earned it, and they deserve being here. We're lined up against a really, really good team tomorrow. Coach Altman does as good a job. I think he and Coach Self are deserving of the Coach of the Year. Nationally, I think those two teams have been playing the best. And his team is very, very good and playing very well. Our guys understand that and respect that. So looking forward to the challenge ahead. Q. I'd like to ask you four veterans that have played together so long. You guys have had a great career, done a lot of things. What would making a Final Four with these guys that you've played with so long, what would that mean to your career and how you might look back on Oklahoma 20, 30, 40 years from now? BUDDY HIELD: It means a lot. It would be special. Me, Isaiah, Ryan and Jordan, and Khadeem tagging on have been a huge help for us, too. We ride and fight all together. So I think ending on a good note would be special for us. ISAIAH COUSINS: It would be special, like Buddy said, just to be able to go to Houston, cut down the nets and just play another ballgame. Play another week and lasting here in this tournament, just playing with these guys. They're great and just have fun. JORDAN WOODARD: Yeah, I think just to end it out on a good note, like they said. Just playing with this -- it's a special team. We've been through a lot together, so it would be good to end it right. RYAN SPANGLER: Like they said, we've had our ups and downs and we've been through it all together, and we've all worked pretty hard. So I want to fight with these guys until the end. Q. Ryan and Buddy, is there any concern with the fact that every game is such an emotional win, that you get emotionally spent? You made the Elite Eight, a step further than last season, but you're not done. Any concern that you come into a game where you're just emotionally spent because every win is so big? RYAN SPANGLER: No, I don't think so. I think we were happy last night and we're still happy. But we forgot about last night and we've moved on to tomorrow. Yeah, so, no, I don't think so. BUDDY HIELD: Just, yeah, we can't get too caught up in everything. Coach always says every time you get a win in the Tournament, you've got to be happy and it's special because these wins don't come easy. So we're happy now, but we have a big game tomorrow and I'm sure there will be a lot of emotions going on, but we're ready for the fight coming up. Q. Khadeem, how much has the grind of the Big 12 this year helped you with the grind you're going through in the NCAA Tournament? KHADEEM LATTIN: The grind in the Big 12 has helped a lot. The Big 12 is one of the toughest, if not the toughest conference in college basketball. So it really taught us to kind of fight and it threw a lot of different styles of basketball teams at us, so it really helped us to grow. Q. Buddy, you got a chance to meet with Kobe last night, I guess, after your game. What was that like? Did you have any kind of conversation with him when you were hanging out there in the stands? BUDDY HIELD: Yeah, he's the man. I can't tell you what he told me. No, it was nothing serious. But I'm just happy I got to meet him. He's one of my idols I grew up watching, one of the guys I looked up to. And I try to copy and mimic his work ethic. I am just happy I got to meet Kobe and he said a couple words of encouragement. Q. Can you give us an idea how big an influence he was on you when you were a youngster? BUDDY HIELD: Oh, he was a big influence. Every time I got a computer or got hold of an iPhone or something, I got on the Internet and watched Kobe Bryant. That's all I know. Just watching him made me believe and helped me to motivate me a lot. If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be playing basketball at the competitive level. Now I just want to be at the level he was at when I was a little kid. Q. Buddy, do you look at in this one-and-done era, do you think you guys are changing perceptions that maybe -- do you get any sense that people out there are looking at like, oh, maybe there is some value to sticking around and playing more than one year at my school? Or do you think you guys are just a special group of guys? BUDDY HIELD: I can go with both. I think we're a special group of guys, but if guys are capable of doing the one-and-done, then I'm all for it. You can't control it, but you still can come back to school and develop your game and get better. So it's whatever the guys prefer. If they're struggling with their families and they need to go, that's best for them. But I spent four years and I got better each year and I was under a great head coach, so I was able to learn. Q. To follow up on that, I remember last year at your press conference you said you really came to the decision to come back like a few minutes before you came and talked to the press. You look back on that now, are you amazed how things have worked out for you, because obviously you made the right decision in coming back, or did you feel in your heart that in the long run this would be the best thing for me? BUDDY HIELD: I just felt in my heart this would be the best in the long run for me. I talked to Coach, and Coach had some key points for me staying back, and I got a lot better. I worked hard this summer, me and Isaiah. We were working hard together, and he pushed me and I pushed him. Now I've just turned the table coming in to the season. Q. Khadeem, you're not really the outsider in this group, but you're the one that came on last. When you look at these guys, the chemistry they have of playing together three years, never missing a game, how does that tangibly show up in a game? When somebody says they've got good chemistry or play well together, what do you see that is proof of that? KHADEEM LATTIN: Well, I believe that all five of us have really good chemistry. They've just kind of played way more games together than I did, so I had to catch up quick. But these guys, we know each other like back and forth. We know where we want our shots and we know how to get each other really good shots. That all comes from a sense of familihood. We start off as brothers in the locker room and it transcends to the court. Q. Jordan, Isaiah, Buddy, one of the things I think makes you guys really good is yeah, you can shoot threes but you can take people off the dribble. But they've got a really good shot-blocker or shot-blockers, Oregon does. Does that at all alter how you play? Are you still confident that your game will translate? JORDAN WOODARD: Yeah, we just have to be aware of great shot-blockers. We go against shot-blockers in practice every day with our bigs. So we've just got to use that to our advantage and just stay aggressive and make plays for other teammates. That's what Coach has been preaching about. ISAIAH COUSINS: As Jordan said, just make plays and really use the shot fake a lot and try to trick them out and draw a couple fouls early on the shot-blockers. Just really moving the ball and just looking for Khadeem or Spangler and Buddy and Jordan just get hot. BUDDY HIELD: Following what they both said. We have been playing with shot-blockers all season, so if they're willing to commit, we'll just find the open guy and go into their body and try to create a foul. THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach Kruger. Q. Lon, Oregon likes to play fairly up tempo and get with it and a lot of pressure and that kind of thing. Are we going to see an Oklahoma-Iowa State type of game with a lot of possessions, a lot of back-and-forth? LON KRUGER: Could be, because both clubs prefer the pace, they prefer the tempo. We certainly are better when we're able to go. I think they are, too. They do a great job whether it be off a blocked shot or a turnover or a quick shot of transitioning the other way. We feel like our best transition comes from those same opportunities. So similar clubs in that way. Both like to think that we're working hard to stop people on the other end, too, but still prefer the tempo to the game. Q. You enjoyed last night? Do you talk to the guys and let it go, the game, or do they just know that because they're seniors? LON KRUGER: Little of both. Really proud of what they did last night. Very happy for them. Because games at this point, any point in the Tournament, are hard to win. And to be one of only eight when we play again is very special. So appreciate again what you did, what you accomplished, and understand that you've got to do it again and you've got to do more. We don't get any head start the next game because we did something well last night, nor does Oregon. But the guys understand that. They've been through a lot of these big games. Not ever at this point in the Tournament, but they know they've got to refocus and they really respect how good Oregon is and how well they're playing and know that we'll have to do things a little better on both ends to have a chance to win. Q. A minute ago Dana was up here and he talked about how much you had meant to his career and how you sort of jump-started him in the business. On the other hand I reminded him that he helped jump-start you getting Mitch Richmond to Manhattan. Which one of you guys has been more beneficial for each other? LON KRUGER: Well, it's been mutual for sure, certainly from my perspective because he's been fantastic from day one on campus back at Kansas State. Very knowledgeable, great rapport, relationship with the players, clearly understood what it took, had a presence, had a demeanor about himself that you could tell he was going to be a great coach, and he's done that. He had a great run at Creighton. Kansas State and then Creighton and now just a terrific job at Oregon. Q. Coach, obviously you've changed the program tremendously since you took over, but what would it mean for you and for this program to win this game and go to the Final Four? LON KRUGER: Going to the Final Four is special. You think down through the years, there really haven't been -- when you think of all the teams that have done it multiple times, there is really a limited number of teams that have done that. It would be most special because of what this group of seniors and older guys have meant to the program, to the culture around the program. They're the ones that have changed it. Their work ethic, their sincerity with regard to each other and the community and the university. We've just not had a bad day in that respect. They're fun to be around. They love to play. They're in the gym all the time. We've never scheduled an individual workout with this group because they're there all the time anyhow. So it's pretty good when you go to the court and not have to talk about getting up extra shots or playing with enthusiasm or playing for one another because this group does that naturally. That's a good jump start on what we're trying to get accomplished. Q. There's at least two Big 12 teams in the Elite Eight, possibly three with Iowa State, does that provide any needed validation for the strength of the conference? LON KRUGER: It really doesn't hurt because the last couple years we haven't validated it in the postseason, and we've thought of ourselves anyhow as the best conference in the country. Other people have probably thought about that of their conferences. Last two years has been great. I think this year better than the previous two from a quality and depth of teams. So, yeah, having success in the postseason I think helps the conference. It gives us a little bit of a point to work from, anyhow, in terms of discussion. Q. How much easier is it to scout a team that kind of plays similar to you because the turnaround is so quick from last night to Saturday? LON KRUGER: Yeah, and I've watched, just because it's Dana's club, I've watched them every time they're on the West Coast and get to catch those games that start at 10:00 at night, so I've watched them a lot on the season. Never really from a scouting perspective as much as just cheering them on. But they are similar. I think our clubs are similar in a lot of ways. They look for mismatches. They look for isolations. They look to attack opportunities as much as we do, and they do it very well. They go to the boards probably a little more aggressively than we do. That's an area of concern. Both clubs like getting out in transition, so we've got to do a good job there, trying to get ours, trying to limit theirs. But they're really good. They're fun to watch. They're fun to watch and have been easy to cheer for up to this point. Q. Going back to the four guys' streak of starts, 103, it's probably not incredibly unusual to have four starters who have been together three years, but to have never missed a game, never been suspended, never get hurt, never do anything, just the consistent showing up of those four, how rare is that? LON KRUGER: I would think it's probably never happened before. I think it's probably that rare to have four guys, 103. And think, too, the very few number of practices they've missed. Whether they come out of a game a little bit, gimpy ankle or sore back or something, that even hasn't happened. They've missed very few. Probably count on one hand the number of practices, maybe two hands the number that all four have missed in the three years. So I think it's extremely rare. Alex Brown our trainer, and Bryce Daub our strength guys do a fantastic job. They wanted to talk more about that because they've done a great job with it. But the guys like playing. If they didn't like playing as much, they'd probably take more days off of practice, but they don't even think about doing that. I think it's very rare. Q. Lon, you and Dana both coached in a lot of different places. Can you recall any conversations you had when either of you was considering a career change or any advice you ever gave to Dana about finding the right fit in a program? LON KRUGER: We talk all the time, so when opportunities have come up, we've bounced different things off each other. Me off of him and maybe him occasionally off of me. But, sure, we're in the business. We've got a handful of coaches that are best friends and certainly Dana's one of them, without question. We talk all the time. We probably talk every ten days or so during the year, and congratulating each other on good wins, texting each other more often than that, so we talk all the time. Q. Aside from just him being the coach of Mitch Richmond, what did you see in Dana Altman when he was first coaching at Moberly? LON KRUGER: All the things we talked about. Great relationship with the players. Great feel for the game, the X's and O's, fun guy to be around. Again, easy guy to cheer for. Again, just fit very well. I think any time you watch teams play and you see the relationship that the coaches have with the players and the attention they demand without really demanding it, I think it comes very natural to Dana. He's been outstanding. Q. You've been to a Final Four in your career. Dana hasn't. Is there anything that changes for you as a coach when you get there? LON KRUGER: Certainly, I don't know if you can fully have that perspective of being in the Final Four unless you've been there, so that changes. Maybe an appreciation for how tough it is to get there, how satisfying it is for the players, the staff and everyone involved. The memories that the '94 team at Florida, if we talk to anyone associated with that program at that time, there was obviously a bond there that wouldn't be there if we hadn't been there. Going to the Elite Eight is special too, but Final Four is just a little bit different than the Elite Eight, for sure. Q. Both teams have starting lineups that they've put down and penciled in all along. Can you talk about maybe Bell and James coming off the bench, what difference they could make and how similar they are in making a difference for their team? LON KRUGER: Well, yeah, they're just very good. Like us, we don't play 10, 11 people, nor do they, but I think the quality of people coming off the bench even though their abilities may be different, they still contribute in key ways. Knowing personnel in this game is extremely important in this game from our perspective anyhow. Knowing who is driving, who's shooting, what the strength is of each player. Both clubs again, there are so many broken situations and so many mismatched opportunities that each are looking for, I think knowing the strength of the personnel is extremely important. Q. Dana was telling us about your upcoming trip to Scotland. First, do you have any plans for that? And have you taken a trip together before? LON KRUGER: We've taken trips, golf trips together for sure. No, we're doing that, I guess, regardless of what happens tomorrow. I still plan on doing it, I hope he does, too (smiling). No, we've done a lot of golf trips together and golfing opportunities together. Again, nothing changes about that. THE MODERATOR: Who has the better golf game? LON KRUGER: Oh, he does. He's tough, he's tough. Q. It seems that you've gotten more comfortable with your bench the last two or three weeks. You get them early in the first half, and Christian James has done some nice things for you. Are you feeling better about those guys? LON KRUGER: We are. We feel much better about them. Christian especially has stepped up the last three or four ballgames had a couple three really good basketball games. Dante has done a nice job. Jamuni has stepped in there and done a nice job. I thought he and Khadeem last night, David's such a handful inside. I thought they battled him pretty hard. He still got away from us a few times, but they made him work to get his points, which he can do. But I like what our bench is doing right now probably better than at any point during the year. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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