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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: SALT LAKE CITYMarch 20, 2019Bill CoenVasa PusicaShawn OcceusSalt Lake City, Utah THE MODERATOR: Questions for Northeastern student-athletes, please. Q. Vasa, being a senior, your last chance to make the tournament. What does it mean to you to be here, to have this accomplishment? VASA PUSICA: It means everything. As I already said, coming over from Serbia, I had a goal to make the NCAA tournament and being here six years, watching it here and to know what it means to people, it is followed all over the world. And I didn't really want to finish my career without making it here at least once. So I'm glad we are here now and I can't wait to step on the court tomorrow. Q. Shawn, when you look at the last half of Conference play and what you guys did defensively, you had a dozen different opponents who you held under 70 points. What changed the last half of the season defensively where you had that consistent run of success? SHAWN OCCEUS: It is knowing we are closer to that time in March and knowing that we need to get on the same page, all of us, defensively. And we buckled down the last half of the season, whoever was on the court was ready to play and step into their roles. The coach did a great job of executing the game plan. So we needed that last half of the season to get close and hopefully make it to the tournament and we stayed disciplined and we tried to execute every game. Q. Guys, Kansas is a storied program and we see shocks each year. What is it about this team that you feel like you have a shot against one of the best teams in college basketball? SHAWN OCCEUS: We're not looking at the name on the front of the jersey. At the end of the day, you tie your shoes the same way as we do, you put on the jersey the same way we do. You have to come to play and we're going to make sure we're prepared to play. And we don't care who we play, it happens to be Kansas, and hopefully we will be able to execute tomorrow and put up a game plan and be ready to play. Q. Vasa? VASA PUSICA: I agree with Shawn. Kansas is a big name. One of the greatest coaches in college basketball and every year to have talented guys, so we know we are facing a talented team. We are also talented as well. We are experienced. I feel confident coming to tomorrow's game. Q. Can you talk about what you guys can bring to the game in the tournament, Vasa? VASA PUSICA: We're an experienced team. That is our strength. This is my second year of playing with these guys. We made it to the Championship game last year, we had a good year last year, but unfortunately didn't make it. This year, there was a lot of adversity, and that is what made us better. So our experience playing with each other and our talent. Q. Shawn? SHAWN OCCEUS: Exactly what Vasa said. I don't think we have any freshmen, so we have been playing with each other the last two years and we are a versatile team, guys played in different positions. That is the advantage, I guess, and we try to use those two things to our advantage and hopefully get the best of our opponents. Q. Vasa, how was the year in Wichita like and Sunrise Academy, and how did that help you prepare for college? VASA PUSICA: That was my first year in the States. I came home to Kansas not knowing much about Wichita. It was a good experience. I got to play with a lot of good Division I players. We had seven on the team. So every day competing, a lot of coaches watching our practices, open gyms and just see how people work over here in the United States, a lot of hard work, a lot of 6 a.m., 7 a.m. So it was a tough year and it helped me become who I am right now. Q. Shawn, do you think you'll be guarding Lawson a little bit? And if so, he's 6 ft 9 in and can play on the perimeter. How will that match-up go not only for you but for your team? SHAWN OCCEUS: It's not up to me who I'm going to guard, it is up to the coach. I'm willing to guard anyone on the court, obviously. He is a great player. He could do a lot of things on the perimeter and the post. For us, we're going to stick to the game plan, watch a lot of film on him and just pick out his weaknesses and stuff. Like I said before, he is a great player. We are confident it won't be one person that will hold him to his averages, it will be everybody, it will be a whole team effort and we will look forward to that. Q. Obviously, no one on this roster has been to the NCAA tournament, but Coach Coen has been there a few times. What has he tried to impart on you guys during this week as you get ready to go in the March Madness? SHAWN OCCEUS: Coach Coen talks about staying in the moment, just even keel. We have to take advantage of this. And just take it all in because you never know when you are going to get this chance again, and we are very grateful for that. But at the same time we are not just happy to be here, we are trying to win some games and make a statement and that's what we are trying to do. Q. Vasa? VASA PUSICA: Exactly as Shawn said. It is like the same mentality we had in the Conference tournament: Be aggressive, don't get too excited and just play your game. Q. For both of you, that game you lost last year in the Conference finals, a big lead in the second half, how long did it take you guys to get over that and did that experience help you prepare for this season? VASA PUSICA: I have answered that question way too many times this year. I forgot about it now. Just it was obviously a tough loss. That made us better, made us more experienced, more calm in the situation like we had in the last week and stuff. So really, we're not thinking about it no more, next game mentality, that's it. Q. Shawn? SHAWN OCCEUS: The same as what Vasa said. It is not going to help us this year. It helped us a little bit but it's a different game. We are not only just worried about them, we have a whole bunch of opponents, 32 other teams that we had to play, we can't dwell on that. For me, it was over, when it was over it was over. You have to get over it. It's a new season and we're trying to do better things. Q. The outside shot, three-point shot has been something that has worked this season. How big a role will that play tomorrow, Vasa? VASA PUSICA: That's who we are. We have multiple guys in the team that are shooting good percentages and can make it. We are not focused on that, we are trying to play our game, we will try to get easy open looks. Obviously, we probably need to make some against Kansas tomorrow, but we are not worried about it. We are trying to play our game and see what's open out there. It is a team sport and I think we are really good team as a whole so we don't care who takes them or what kind of shots we get, we're trying to get good looks and that is what we are focused on tomorrow as well. Q. This is for both of you. What you said a minute ago was really true about how you earned being here. You dream about this for years, about being here. Now you are here, you have been here for 24 hours or something, but what is it like to be here right now? Is it everything you thought it would be? Are you so into the moment that you almost can't think like that? SHAWN OCCEUS: It is an amazing feeling to be here. This is our first time before. Coach Coen has been to this a lot of times. For us, like, you have to think about it, we are one of the best 64 teams in the country at this time, we get to play for a National Championship. That is a dream. We are not just happy to be here, we are trying to win some games. We are taking in the sights and everything and being around in the Jazz arena. And we came here to win some games, not just to take pictures and talk on the mic all day. Q. Vasa? VASA PUSICA: Just enjoying every day, soaking everything in. The same time, we can't get overwhelmed and focused -- we are here to win games and play basketball and that's what we are trying to do. Q. On that note, have you any memories or anything that sticks out from when you were kids watching the tournament, any upsets, buzzer beaters, from the history of the tournament? SHAWN OCCEUS: I grew up watching the tournament until I got into college because I don't want to watch a guy that's the same age as me. For me, it's probably Jimmer Fredette's college run that was special and watching Campbell Walker, what he did for UConn was a big thing for me. I used to try and be like him. So those two things stood out for me and I was praying and wishing I could get to this moment and now I'm here, I'm going to take advantage of it. We are all going to take advantage of it. Q. Vasa? VASA PUSICA: I haven't followed college basketball close the last five or six years. Everybody knows about Campbell Walker's run and that is something special. Also, there was an experience where my friend, in my freshman year, I went to watch those games, Elite 8s in the Staple Center. So those are special moments and something that I will always remember and kind of will give me motivation to work hard and hopefully make it one day and here I am now. THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach Coen, please. Q. Coach, just looking at the way the defense progressed over the last half of the season, you had a dozen opponents held to 70 or fewer points. What will you change defensively for the team as the season progressed? BILL COEN: Our team got more comfortable with each other, with our defensive concepts. Obviously, we have an experienced group and as the calendar turns towards March, I think the sense of urgency in your seniors and upperclassmen begin to kick in and I think it shows itself on the defensive side of the ball. Q. Coach, this might be a dumb question, but what goes into making sure your guys are loose in a game like this when the entire nation is tuning in and you are playing a team like Kansas? BILL COEN: I don't think it's a dumb question at all. It's crucial. That is how we approach the CAA tournament as well. Whenever you are in a one-and-done type of tournament, you have to, you have to play with urgency, you have to play with maximum multiple efforts, but almost most importantly you have to play loose and be true to your DNA, who you are. And I think if you get swept up in the enormity of the moment, you know, and try to put too much pressure on yourself, that's when you kind of don't play your best basketball. Q. Do you embrace the role of underdog or do you try to take it out there and show them the rim is ten foot high and you are the same as your opponent? BILL COEN: I don't think we've talked much about whether we're an underdog or not. I think what we talk most about is just being true to ourselves and how do we play our best brand of basketball, how do we play Northeastern basketball and what does that look like, what does that feel like, how can we envision that on the brighter stage. Our guys are excited about that. Q. Lawson's a guy with NBA size who can play inside and outside. What have you seen in him whilst studying the tape, especially his passing ability, which is another dimension? BILL COEN: He's just an outstanding player. As you mentioned, at his size, 6 foot 9 inches, and 230, 235, he's a match-up nightmare. He's a really good athlete but he's not an uber athlete. But what he has is incredible basketball IQ, he really understands angles, he's got the uncanny ability to seal people down low and use his size and length in the post. Yet, he's a guy that can grab a rebound and start the fast break and dribble it up, he can take the ball off the dribble from the three-point line, get to the rim, make threes, he is a great passer. So I think, you know, leading scorer, leading rebounder in the Big 12, outstanding player and a difficult match-up for us. Q. So is this one of those classic team efforts to deal with him and just all different kinds of guys play him in different situations? BILL COEN: Yeah, because he'll be moved all over the court. I think we don't have any one guy that can match him, you know, pound-for-pound. We're going to have to do it with a group effort, try to limit his touches when he's in dangerous scoring positions. But that's hard to do and a lot of people have tried a lot of good -- a lot of good programs have tried to do that but he's found a way. He could be in the open court, the low post, the three-point line, he could drive close-outs. So you will need a strong team effort to limit him. Q. Coach, outside of Lawson, they have those four freshmen. When you look at those guys, what stands out on the tape from those four freshmen and how they have developed over the course of the season? BILL COEN: You don't get scholarships to Kansas if you're a bad player. (Laughter.) Really good players. They have grown throughout the year. They got great quickness on the perimeter, able to get from end to end in three or four seconds, they are lightning quick in transition. They have suffered adversity like us and it's brought their team closer together and they have grown into their new identity and have to rely on each other a little bit more strongly than they did at the beginning of the year. And I think that shows in their play. Q. The three-point shots that you guys have been strong at all season, how big a role do you think that will play tomorrow? BILL COEN: Well, I think when you get to this position -- first, it's who we are and what we do, it is how we're built and it's how we like to play. So we need to get into that comfort zone and be able to space the floor, play with little space and pace and make shots. And certainly when you're facing a team like Kansas, because they can score so efficiently with their twos in and around the paint. We can't match them bucket for bucket in the paint so we will have to make threes to keep pace. Q. You talked about earlier how you need to be true to yourselves and true to the DNA of the team in this tournament. When you look at the DNA of this team, what stands out for your success this season? BILL COEN: We talk about elite teamwork and that manifests itself in a lot of different ways. Whether it is sharing the ball in offense, or help defense, defensive transition, or having a really lively bench, you know, where guys are excited and providing energy and it's doing whatever it takes in your role at the moment to get it done. And I think when we're at our best, we're exhibiting elite teamwork in everything we do, and this group has kind of bought into that and it's gotten us here today. Q. Coach, how much has this team been impacted by Max Plansky and how important is it for him to be at the tournament as well? BILL COEN: Thank you for bringing it up. It's all about inclusion, right? It's a big 10. It is so special to have him here in a NCAA tournament event, he's been with us at CAA tournaments and everything else, was with us in 2015 when we went to the tournament. But I always say, you know, he gives to the team a whole lot more than he gets when guys -- and we talk about adversity during the year and somebody sprained an ankle or so on -- that is adversity. To be able to go through life and do it with a smile, and if you're around Max you know how infectious that can be. When he's around the team like that, I think it gives us a real neat perspective on what's it all about. And to have him here is just really special. Q. How important do you think the pace of play is going to be for this game? And how do you as a coach go about trying to control the pace so it's played to your speed? BILL COEN: Yes, I think we have to be opportunistic, right? We don't want to be so, so slow where they can just kind of overwhelm us in the half-court set. We've always been a really good transition team but we don't run every time. We have to pick our spots and we have an advantage, we have to take -- we have to put that to use and use our quick-strike offense for quick three or an easy bucket. But we certainly don't want the game to get away from us and they have enough talent and speed if it gets into a track meet, it leans to their favor. So, again, we want to be who we are and that's always been the team that's been very efficient in transition, but it's not an overwhelming part of what we do, but we need transition baskets in order to keep pace. Q. Just sort of philosophically and not anything real specific. When you look at Kansas defensively, what jumps out at you? BILL COEN: Well, they have the size and length and quickness on the wings to overplay. I think they have the versatility in their line-up where they can go with a quicker five, maybe Lawson at the five, where they can go to a switching defense. They can stand toe to toe and go with a tremendous amount of size in front and make you score over their size and length. So, I think they're built to be able to play against multiple types of opponents. If you go really, really big, they have an answer for that. If you go small, they have an answer for that. Their quickness and overplay defense generates turnovers for them and we'll have to be cognisant of their line-up and what defenders they have in and take advantage of it. Q. Are there any differences in game planning and scouting when you get into NCAA tournaments as opposed to Conference whereas you are familiar with styles of play and tendencies of certain players? BILL COEN: I think so. Certainly, when you're in the Conference, you know, coaches are generally creatures of habit, right? So if you have coached a guy for so many years, there's only so many ways you can do it, you understand how you try to attack it, you are familiar with the players, you have common opponents you can judge things here by. But when you go in your non-Conference portion of a tournament situation like this, the scouting becomes very quick, you find out your opponent and you are quickly into it. It is harder to gauge the competition, the body size and everything else unless you are familiar with that opponent. That is the challenge for us today, when you see them performing against Big 12-type talent, how does that translate to CAA body types and so on. Obviously, because of the prestige of the Kansas program we have been able to watch them through the years and admire them from afar. They are one of the top five programs in the history of college basketball. Q. Coach, from a psychological standpoint, how much do you present this as an opportunity in how you prepare your guys to look at Kansas? BILL COEN: Yeah, I think we talk about opportunities all the time. There's a great saying: Where you think you can and where you think you can't, you're right. Why not choose to believe. And make sure that our guys are in a positive sense of mental state, they're excited. Certainly respect all your opponents, but you have to have confidence in yourself if you want to achieve what you want to achieve, and that's to move on in this tournament and there are no bad teams in this tournament. Everybody's a worthy opponent. But certainly I think it's natural when you look at Kansas, and you look at the program and the history of that program to get overwhelmed. It's something we talk about whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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