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MAUI JIM MAUI INVITATIONAL

November 21, 2018

Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

Gonzaga - 89, Duke - 87

MEGAN GODFREY: Give us your thoughts on the game, coach.

MARK FEW: Yeah, hey, it was just a fantastic game and you just, you just got to love this tournament. I love this place, I love Maui, and it's just been an awesome, awesome experience for our team and our fans and everybody involved with our program.

But what a basketball game. Duke is everything that we thought they were and probably even a little bit more. They got no quit in them. Those are really, really talented, high character, tough dudes to stop and they made a heck of a run. But what I was most proud of is we ended up winning this game on the defensive end those last two stops. So obviously we can really build on that.

MEGAN GODFREY: Take questions for the players.

Q. For both you guys, can you just tell me what was going through your mind as they were making that run toward the end there?
ZACH NORVELL JR: Just stay positive, confident. Perkins and Geno, they did a good job in our huddles keeping us together, not letting us waiver at all. It was big time for us.

RUI HACHIMURA: Honestly, I lost my like focus and everything like that minute. And then but I came back because of those guys who are trying to make me go back to the game. So I kind of, I think I did.

MARK FEW: You were fantastic. It was only a little two-minute stretch. You were fine.

Q. Rui, in those last two drives that Barrett was coming down the gut there, it seemed like to me your eyes kind of lit up a little bit like if you were thinking in your head bring it a little bit, but how much do you look forward to that one-on-one battle when you know he's coming down to try to win this game?
RUI HACHIMURA: I think he did, he switched on me and then he tried to play one-on-one against me. And then I was like, okay, let's do it. I have to, you know, we're the best team in the country and I'm going to be like, you know, I'm the best player too, so I have to guard him.

MARK FEW: Amen, brother. Now you're getting the message. I like this, yeah. That's, let's continue on this line of thought here.

RUI HACHIMURA: Yeah, my thinking was like I had to do it. I got to do it.

Q. Rui and Zach, in a game like that, how much does it help when you have won so many games already with this program? I mean how much does it help you kind of not panic in those moments?
ZACH NORVELL JR: Experience plays a big role in had this. Perkins, with him being one of the top guards in the country, him controlling the pace of the game was huge for us. We came down the stretch and got some stops, we knew we were winning it on the defensive end. Things were kind of a little shaky down the stretch on the offensive end, but we locked into our plan and sat down and got some stops, it will be, it will come out good for us.

RUI HACHIMURA: Yeah, I think we have more experience than those Duke guys. And also I think we like practiced those like those five minutes, like the last five minute situation, so that's why that's, yeah, we did pretty good job.

Q. Rui, you looked surprised when they announced the MVP. Were you surprised?
RUI HACHIMURA: Oh, no. I didn't know what they were talking about.

(Laughter.)

Q. Did you think you earned it?
RUI HACHIMURA: No, I didn't know about it. I didn't know like we had a MVP and stuff, so I didn't know like, yeah. And the people just, the teammates and stuff started doing stuff for me, so I was like...

MEGAN GODFREY: Take questions for coach.

Q. I know coming in here in early in the season you were having some issues or some questions about your rim protection. Seems like a lot of those questions got answered this tournament, especially today.
MARK FEW: Yeah, some. I think we still had some issues there in that stretch from about the 10 minute mark down to the 2 minute mark. But certainly when Brandon's jumping up there and providing that and I think Filip still is kind of learning. Obviously Rui did a nice job down the stretch. But obviously when we get Killian back that will continue to get better and better. But it was good, not great here. But we got a lot of stuff on film we can go home and really spend some time with.

Q. I know it's early, for not even 2019, but is this the biggest, one of the biggest regular season wins that you can remember in your career? I know it's been a long career but would this be right up there towards the top?
MARK FEW: Yeah, I mean I would, shoot, I guess. My memory is not what it once was, so I just kind of deal day-to-day and move forward. But obviously if you can win this tournament, the premier tournament, every year and with this kind of field and everybody was saying was the greatest ever, I think that it's more a culmination of the three wins and how we did it. We certainly didn't play perfect in games one or two, but figured out ways to get through them. We had some great kind of performances from guys like Jeremy Jones and obviously Brandon Clarke yesterday and that got us to this point. And we played good. The lights were on us tonight and we played good, which you have to against Duke. You have to pretty much play great. I thought we played great. We left a couple points on the board with the free throws but other than that we were pretty good.

Q. Obviously players in those moments, they feel the energy and the emotions of the game. But what about coaches? You're looking at Coach K on other side of the court, do coaches feel some of that in those final moments as well? Did you?
MARK FEW: It's a real serene like calmness about it, actually. You just kind of are in the moment and you're just watching the basketball and not really -- I'm more just kind of, that's kind of some of the calmest times, it's a heck of a lot better than the pregame feelings when we were trapped in the locker room waiting for the game to start, I can tell you that. You just trust your guys to run the right scheme and we defended it the right way and then just live with the consequences. It's a nice little calmness, actually.

Q. There are moments in a program where you kind of reach those milestones and it felt like in the arena there was a moment where it's clear that this team is one of those teams that's going to challenge for the championship. How do you keep full focus in the moment when you have a big victory like this?
MARK FEW: I think that's going to be a huge challenge. My good good buddy Jay Wright, I think he used the term we just, we got to stay away from the poison, last year when his guys moved up and were No. 1 early in the season and what a phenomenal job they did, man, they just kept their eye on the prize and kept getting better and better and their culture was strong. So we got to learn from them and follow that lesson and we made so many mistakes this week I mean when we get them in the film room it's probably not going to be the most pleasant experience. We'll get back to just kind of coaching the way we tell them and practicing what we do, but it's a long, long haul. Hopefully we can get healthy here with Killian and that will change us and help us even more and certainly we have been able to really grow with him out but he's an integral part of what we do and keep it moving forward.

Q. I know you struggled sometimes with Rui being a little too differential sometimes. To hear him say what he just said, what does that, what can that do for you your program if he starts to think that way?
MARK FEW: No, I mean, it means everything. We have been working on this, I've been working on him to truly believe that and he's not a great -- he doesn't show his emotions great, he doesn't, he's not, he doesn't share much, but much more comfortable talking like that and for him to voice that means he's getting it and I think on this stage he showed it too. He was wanting the ball and when we got him the ball for the most part he was delivering against some high, high level athletes and some damn good defenders around the rim. So that's a really, really good sign for us. And I think it's another great sign that Brandon Clarke's really starting to figure out that he can do a lot of great things at the highest level too. So those guys and you know Snacks (Norvell) is always going to be hunting shots and making plays and I really think Perk has really, really grown up and that was two unbelievable floor generals going at it tonight, Jones is, I mean it looks like he plays like he's 30 or something. I thought Perk did a good job of managing that game also.

Q. Duke has never lost here until now. You guys have a pretty special relationship with Maui know how much you enjoy the island as well, you talked about it yesterday, how special is this win going to be in the next 24, 36, 48 hours for you guys?
MARK FEW: Hey, the best thing about when the Zags come to Maui is we get tomorrow off. So I'm going to enjoy every hour on this island tomorrow with my family and friends and we'll have a nice Few type of day where we do a little bit of everything and get out and about and have a great time. The players are going to do the same thing and then we have a big Thanksgiving dinner at night and it's awesome and pretty powerful because obviously we have a lot to be thankful for and then we head home, so it has the makings of a great day. For me at least.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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MAUI JIM MAUI INVITATIONAL

November 21, 2018

Mark Few

Zach Norvell Jr

Rui Hachimura