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BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTMarch 8, 2017Billy Garrett Jr.Dave LeitaoNew York, New York Xavier - 75, DePaul - 64 COACH LEITAO: Two points of emphasis today. One about the game. I thought their ability to come right after us at the beginning of the second half and I think we made the first four, five shots. They got point-blank in what we were doing defensively started to break down because they drove. They drove and kick. And we didn't rotate. We didn't keep the ball in front of us. So credit to them to stay with it and it's what happened a bunch of times this year, we had those lapses on either end of the floor. We stop being in sync and it costs us. They went up eight and now we're playing an uphill battle. And they've got too many shot makers to have to come from behind. So credit to Chris for keeping his guys and moving forward. This time of year you've got to play it one game at a time, one possession at a time actually. I thought they did a really good job of that. And what I thought was going to be a nip and tuck battle because I thought both teams were ready to play. The second part of it is when you conclude a season, you have to put some sort of a cap on it. And for us, in year two, the biggest thing for me right now is having to say goodbye to not only team, but Billy most importantly. He's a guy that we've talked a lot about him. He came here and what he has not gotten in terms of success on the court, he epitomizes what you want a man to be about. And I'm going to miss him dearly. I think getting both the sportsmanship award and scholar-athlete award, it really doesn't do justice to who he is. And it's sad. On one hand to see him complete his career and then the other hand to not enjoy this tournament for a longer period of time and have more wins under his belt. But we all have faith and knowing that there's a reason that he's been tested like this because he's set up tremendously, and especially now because he's gone through some really difficult times as an athlete, to enjoy some of the things that come along with having to persevere. So credit to him and the rest of our seniors as we say goodbye to him. Q. Bluiett started 0-for-7 at halftime and he winds up being the leading scorer for the game. So what was the difference in how you defended him? COACH LEITAO: Well, you know, part of it is that the coaches voted him first team All-Big East for a reason because he has the ability and a great knack to score the basketball. But I thought what he is he's a really good shooter, but today he was a really good player. And he made one 3, but it was his ability to drive, his ability to rebound, his ability to pass. He had four assists. To be a bigger part of the game than just seeing the ball go in the basket. And sometimes guys can get caught up in that. And when the ball's not going in the other parts of the game suffer. But on the stage where you have to, and particularly if you believe what's going on with in/out whatever, for a guy to do that speaks volumes to his talent and his ability to diversify himself. Q. (Indiscernible) BILLY GARRETT JR.: It was tough. In that situation you have to play smart defense, still can't give up anything easy. Still have to play the middle there. Nobody wants to do that. He's definitely got to be cognizant of it. So you know it was tough. But I made it out of there without fouling. Q. Billy, I know it's tough in this moment, but what could you say about your time being at DePaul? BILLY GARRETT JR.: From a pure wins and losses standpoint, it hasn't been ideal. But I get that question a lot. And people ask me if it was a bad experience. No, not at all. No experience -- I believe like nothing in life is necessarily bad. I mean, everything is a learning experience. So being at DePaul was no different. I met a lot of great people, and learned a lot of valuable lessons, and dealt with a lot of other people. I'm coming out of here as a lot stronger person and it reaches beyond basketball, you know what I mean? But overall I think it was a positive experience. And I'm coming out of here a lot stronger. I'm coming out of here a lot more mature and ready for life. That's why I went to school regardless of basketball. Q. Coach, obviously it's going to be looking at next year. So what was the takeaway from your first two years here and applying it to next year, what are you hoping for next year? COACH LEITAO: You know, there's that inevitable word of "a process." And the thing that I've thought about is obviously we all are judged on whether you win or you lose and that's how it gets determined. But when you're trying to do what we're trying to do that becomes the culmination of everything that goes into a process. And I think we're ongoing in that process. I feel really, really good about the direction of where we're going and what we're doing. And I'm going to try to make some significant strides forward between this spring and next fall to put us in a much better position. But I know when you get guys like Billy here to my right, you know, it becomes a standard of how you want people to be part of, the definition of going to DePaul University means we educate you. And as a student-athlete the way he's come through it, then all I have to do is make sure I go out and find as many Billy Garretts as I can. When the true definition, when you look at the scoreboard on Fox or ESPN, you determine a program or a player on a win and a loss, I don't think you do justice. Most of you probably can't come up with Billy's career record, but you can certainly come up with his evaluation or your evaluation of him and his character. And that means that when you thought of him, his score was a whole lot more than his opponents and that's what we want for our program. That's what a process is all about is finding the right combination of guys that will live for each other and we think we brought some of that. We've got to continue to add a lot more pieces. We've got to get the guys in our program better. But we're at a very critical part in our history. We're moving to a new arena. We have a lot of new things going on and it really means a new direction. So I'm really excited at the same point in time my heart is heavy because a guy like Billy, really wish he was around for a couple more years, because then what you see or what you will see when you turn on the television and watch the scores will be the same thing as what's going on in the day-to-day operations of our program. Q. Billy, you started your career at DePaul with winning rookie of the year and you finished it with winning the Big East sportsmanship award. If there's one thing at your time at DePaul that sticks out what is it, is it one of those awards or is it something else? BILLY GARRETT JR.: One thing in particular that sticks out, I really can't put my finger on one thing. It's been such -- I've been through a lot since I've been here. It's been a fun experience. I mean, if anything, the one thing that sticks out is just the everyday life at the university, dealing with faculty and the staff and all the students. That's something that I'll take with me. I'll keep with me forever. And don't get me wrong. All those awards are great. I'm proud to be named sportsman of the year and to receive the academic scholar-athlete award. But I mean the thing that sticks out to me is just the life at DePaul. It's a great place for me. Q. Billy, along with that question, you've experienced a lot as far as this conference is concerned. What would you take away from having experienced the Big East? BILLY GARRETT JR.: I grew up watching the Big East my dad was at Seton Hall when I was younger. I remember the Big East when it was an 8-team league to now. I've seen the change. But Big East is in my opinion the greatest conference in the world with the greatest conference tournament in the world and you see other conferences trying to come to Madison Square Garden. I was talking to my teammates, this will always be the Big East team and I'll forever consider myself a part of the Big East. And I think it's just an historic league with a lot of great players and it's been an honor to play in it. But it's tough. It's a conference where you don't get a night off. You run into Xavier and you might go to Creighton. You know how it goes. But it's just a tough conference and it makes the best players. Q. Billy, 432 assists, not many 6'6" guys can do that. A lot of assists here. Guys who are coming back next year, what do you feel your leadership did to advance the players who will be here and carry on the team? BILLY GARRETT JR.: Hopefully I set a good example for those guys, on the court and off the court as far as the work is concerned and everything you've got to do to be a good player. So hopefully -- I'm confident with those guys that they'll take that and everything that the coaching staff gives and bring it to next year and we've got some great guys coming in. So I've got confidence in the program. I've got confidence in the coaching staff. I'm going to be sad I won't be a part of it. But I'll be around. Wish the best of luck to everybody. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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