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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: TULSAMarch 22, 2019Bobby HurleyZylan CheathamRemy MartinTulsa, Oklahoma Buffalo - 91 Arizona - 74 THE MODERATOR: Arizona State is now with us, Remy Martin and Zylan Cheatham with him. We'll ask Bob Hurley to make a statement on the game. BOBBY HURLEY: I'm super proud of my guys and the effort and the season that they have and, you know, the non-conference wins and, you know, big time wins in the conference, conference semi finals, 23 wins. They have taken another big step for Arizona State basketball and in the process, you know, they've poured their heart and soul into our culture, which is going to filter through future Arizona State basketball teams. So, the legacy of guy like Zylan Cheatham is immeasurable for what it's going to mean for us moving forward as a program. Just so proud of my team. These two guys to my left talked about touching on Zylan. Remy Martin is one of the greatest competitors and warriors, guy that averaged 29 points for Arizona State in two games this year. Very unfortunate. Tough luck for him early in the Oregon game where he's fractured himself. He gutted it out for his teammates because he's a winner and cares about his teammates, even if it meant that it's nothing like he was and such a big part of our success this year. Continue with I think the world of Nate Oats as a coach, as a person, as what he's done for Buffalo basketball and how his personality rubbed off and how hard his team competes and plays the game. Otherwise, I'll answer any questions at this point about Buffalo, but I'm just not going to specifically talk about me and Nate Oats because this is not about us, this is for me about Buffalo advancing and good luck to Buffalo and we'll be rooting for them, I will be, and it's more about my team and the guys that I coached tonight. I'd be happy to discuss any specific particulars of the game tonight. Q. Just would like your estimation, having seen those guys up close and personal now, how good do you think they are? BOBBY HURLEY: I just thought we started the game well and it was like 14-14 and they hit one, and what we did to teams all year was out-rebound them. We were one of the best rebounding teams in the country this year. They were quicker to the ball than we were in the first half and their pressure is disruptive, their guards get after you and pressure you, so they take you out of your offense. More the second chance points. Outscored by 9 in that department in the first half and being down 13, and usually we're on the other side of that number. So it just shows you how hard they play, how hard they compete, and then they're an older team. They have a bunch of seniors that have been to the tournament, that have won championships so they expect to win. It's no accident they've won 32 games. Q. Coach, what did "Faduevu" mean to the team this season and how can you make up for that going forward or go with that absence moving forward? BOBBY HURLEY: We just hope -- I love Taeshon Cherry the last two games in the tournament. May not reflect in points, but he's got a world of ability and I just hope he was paying close attention to what Zylan does on a day-in and day-out basis, how he shows up to practice, how he communicates, his attitude, his presence, his communication, his competitive drive. You know, he's not afraid of any big moment. You know, he's unselfish. Not a guy that after a game, I'm surprised there's a box score in front of him right now because he's not the guy to go look for the box score, how many shot attempts he's had. He's a great person. To deal with everything that he's gone through in his personal life this season and to be able to be there for his teammates and be that type of player, he's got the makeup that's off the charts. He's going to be a success, you know, at the NBA level. Someone is going to get lucky to have him on his team in a few months, and then beyond basketball, he's going to be a success. I wouldn't be surprised to see him doing CBS or TNT game, Z can talk and communicate and he's got that charisma about him. Q. Zylan, we talked about you coming home and wanting to put ASU basketball back on the map. Now that it's over, what are your thoughts about what you've done in this program and are you happy with where you've left it? ZYLAN CHEATHAM: Yeah. Actually, I was just talking to Bobby about that. Obviously, I ended on not the most ideal situation. I mean, I left everybody on the floor. I hope my guys, like you said, kind of realize the impact that I had on them as far as competing everyday, bringing it everyday, being a positive leader, just being a positive person and trying to be a role model and better myself. But as far as the mark I've left on this program, I mean I hope my fans and I hope the city remembers me in a positive light. I think we're going in the right direction. I think we've taken another step in the right direction as far as from last year to this year. So, to leave the program in the hands of guys like Remy, Romello, Taeshon, the list goes on and on, I know the future is extremely bright and I know this isn't the end of Arizona State basketball. Q. I know it's hard, easier said than done, not to press and not to be impatient when you're down big early, Bobby, but did you feel impatience played just as much a factor as the fatigue? BOBBY HURLEY: I thought we hit a stretch their pressure took us out of offense some and we might have took a lot of poor shots. We only had four turnovers at halftime. I think it was more our defense. We just didn't get stops there they had 43 points or something, 44 at half. That's too many in a game like this, and then it was the second chance points. Q. Bobby, you guys didn't shoot the ball well from 3 today. When you look back over the course of the season, how much did that challenge you guys just overall shooting from the perimeter? BOBBY HURLEY: It's something that's kind of gone -- in some of our games haven't gone our way. You could look at that statistic, and it seems likes there's a relationship between us having success and making a few more 3s than we're able to make. We were 0 - 9 at halftime. We're in the hole 13. We couldn't get any of those to go down. Everything like that matters in games like this. Q. Remy, you're such a competitor. Just the way that you got hurt against Oregon, it had to be somewhat of a disappointment to have to go into a tournament in that kind of away. Now that's over, how do you reflect on how you were just able to kind of push through it and play out there? REMY MARTIN: Well, the people around me, the people around me were able to, you know, keep me up and positive, and that's what is so special about this group. Just because one man is down doesn't stop the show. They're still positive and stay here to pick me up. The guy right here and coach were there to always tell me I'm still okay, I'm still fine. It was just a positive energy that they're giving me. Didn't get the job done today, but, you know, I think we'll be back next year. Q. Coach, I saw you embrace Nick Perkins in the handshake line. What do you think about his game and the player he's become? BOBBY HURLEY: I kind of said to Nick, "Wow, you've really come a long way since and grown up since I saw you in high school." He's a man out there. You wouldn't think a guy -- that was one of the things Nate did a lot of heavy lifting with recruiting Nick. I'm not taking any responsibility for that. But you could see in his play that he -- for a big strong guy, he had such a soft touch and he made some big plays on offense for Buffalo and provided a real physical presence, you know, around the basket. He's had a great career. Very happy for Nick. Q. Bobby, you touched on this in your opening statement, through four years where would you say the program is at this point? BOBBY HURLEY: It's to the point where we have the right people in the locker room and the right culture, guys that care and value winning and competing. You know, we had multiple guys crying in the locker room because if you invest what you invest and invest your heart and soul in something, you risk that your heart is going to get broken. That's what happened today. These guys put so much work and care so much for each other and to win and laid it on the line. That's why we're an NCAA Tournament team. That's why we won a game in the NCAA Tournament. That's why we advanced in the PAC-12 tournament and had the misfortune of having Remy injure himself in such a key part of what we're doing. I feel terrific about what this team has accomplished. They've exceeded last year's win total. We advanced further in the PAC-12 tournament. We won a game in the NCAA Tournament. Our record went from 8 - 10 to 12 - 6 in the PAC-12. I could go on and on about things that we've surpassed from last year's team, and we're just continue to build on that. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, gentlemen. Best of luck. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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