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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: COLUMBUS

March 22, 2019

Columbus, Ohio

Washington - 78, Utah State - 61

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Washington head coach Mike Hopkins and student-athletes Jaylen Nowell and Noah Dickerson. Coach, an opening statement.

COACH HOPKINS: Proud of our guys. We came out in the first half and Utah State hit us in the face early. And our guys showed a lot of poise. David got us on the board with his first 3. And then we were able to settle down about the six-minute mark.

And I thought our defense was really, really good especially on Sam Merrill. He's one of the best players in the country. We had to make sure we limited him. And I think he was scoreless in the first half, which was a big part of our halftime lead.

And obviously, offensively, in the first half, Noah Dickerson. When he's on, he's one of the best big guys if not the best back-to-the-basket big guy in the country. We shared the ball.

And then second half, guys, they came out like any championship team as Utah State, great coach, great players, they came right back. In this thing, there's so many different swings. And they cut the game all the way to one. Defensively, you know, we hold them to 26 percent, 30 from 3 and 81 from the foul line. But they went to the foul line 16 times.

But it's our defense, guys. When we're playing defense, high level, sometimes our defense is our best offense. And we took every swing that they got and we stayed poised and we stayed together and we came out with a win. Very proud of these guys.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the players.

Q. Jaylen, all the players in here yesterday were talking with such respect for their top scorer. What did you guys do to limit him?
JAYLEN NOWELL: Well, first off, Sam is a really good player. And we really just made sure that wherever he was we had everyone know where he is. We were talking. Every time he made a backdoor cut, every time he cut behind our defense, we made sure we knew exactly where he was. That's kind of how we were able to hold him to ten points.

Q. Noah, were there any panic feelings when obviously your team was in foul trouble there and your rhythm was broken up by that as well as your usual rotation heading down the stretch?
NOAH DICKERSON: Not at all. In practice we have so many different lineups, and it's the next guy up, next-guy-up mentality. Jamal came in here, did what he had to do. And Naz came in, gave us great minutes. And we are a great team and we all do it together.

Q. You just won a game in March Madness, not everybody gets to do. How does it feel?
NOAH DICKERSON: It feels really good actually. When I was a little kid I used to watch this tournament all the time hoping one day I would have a chance to play in it. And now I do. And it's just special, a special opportunity.

Q. Jaylen, teams always look different. You can watch them on video all you want. But once the game actually starts and the reality sets in as to what they are, it becomes a different game. What did you see in the first five minutes as you guys initially struggled that was much different than what you suspected it would be when you were just watching on video?
JAYLEN NOWELL: Well, they played a lot more physical than we thought they did. They came out, like Coach said, they really punched us in the mouth with their physicality. We were stunned by that, but we made sure that -- we just made sure that we were able to continue to keep playing as hard as we can. And when they pushed us, we just have to push back.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you. Questions for Coach.

Q. You obviously were looking at video of Utah State much more lengthy than the players were, but what did you notice?
COACH HOPKINS: You know, at the end of the day, I've got to give our staff an incredible amount of credit. These guys watched more film. They were so prepared and ready for these guys. And these kids, it goes back to executing your game plan. So when you see a guy like Sam Merrill, who -- he can shoot it, he can pass it, he's intelligent. They're so well-coached. Their ball movement is as good as anybody in the country. They've got shooters -- Brock Miller, every time he got the ball I was a nervous wreck over there. He's just an incredible shooter.

And then Queta, what can you say about him? He's one of the best players in the country that nobody knows about, and everybody knows about him tonight.

And so we knew the challenge was going to be very, very difficult. And we were able to just shut them down as much as possible. And Jaylen had said, and Noah, we try to prepare them for anything, anything that they might come at us with. And for us, we're a good team when everybody participates.

And it's been a different guy every night. Today Naz Carter hit two big 3s when the game was tight. And he's prepared. He works. And Jamal Bey had to come in; we lost our point guard for the last eight minutes. They're pressing. We haven't been the best team against pressure.

And just so proud of the guys, because they were ready. They were together. And they were poised.

Q. Thybulle picked up his fourth foul. Was there hesitation as to what to do there?
COACH HOPKINS: Had to get him back in. He makes the game different for anybody, and when you play against a team that has great ball movement, and they get good offensive rhythm, you're going to be in trouble. And he disrupts rhythm. He disrupts offensive rhythm. You gotta think about him everywhere when he's on the court; he's blocking, he's stealing. I think he's the national defensive player of the year. And when he's on the court there's a different air of confidence with our defense. And just happy he was able to stay out and not get his fifth foul.

Q. And hit a big shot?
COACH HOPKINS: And hit a huge shot.

Q. How does your first tournament win at Washington compare to the first one you had as an assistant at Syracuse?
COACH SMITH: As a player or a coach at Syracuse?

Q. As a coach.
COACH HOPKINS: As a coach at Syracuse, my first year was '95-'96. We went to the national championship game against Kentucky. And it was one of those things as a coach your first time doing it. And getting that first feeling. And when you're trying to build a program to where we were and where we want to be, it's not only great for the seniors that stayed with it and have showed the way for the underclassmen, but it's a way for the underclassmen, the next one up, to feel the excitement and feel the crowd and to see what it's like to play in the greatest sporting event on planet earth.

And it's a feeling you never want to give away. And so this elevates where we want to be. We didn't come here to get in the NCAA Tournament. The greatest thing that makes this great tournament is you have a chance to win a national championship. It doesn't matter if you're a 16. Doesn't matter if you're a 15. Doesn't matter if you're a 14. You have a chance to win a national championship.

And I think -- I know our standard is going to be that's what we fight for. That's what we do, when we're in the trenches, on the rowers, when we're riding those hills and trying to build a team, that's who we are. And I'm just excited to get that win and show those guys if we execute and we play together we can accomplish anything.

Q. You mentioned Noah being one of the better back-to-the-basket type players when he's on. Early in the game he did get going. Was that by design or was that something that kind of grew organically, I guess, within the game plan?
COACH HOPKINS: A week ago -- if you watched him last year when we played Arizona with Deandre Ayton, he had 28 and whatever, the thing this year and where he's sacrificed, where he's made us better is teams are double- and triple-teaming him. He sacrificed a lot for the betterment of the team.

And tonight they played him man-to-man. Early they doubled and we capitalized on it because he's a great passer if he's willing to. And he did.

And then when they played him man-to-man he's a problem. And having that option, that weapon down there, he's hard to guard. And we're lucky to have him on our team, I can tell you that. So, yes, by design. We play inside/out.

Q. When Utah State cut it within a point, I thought Carter hit two really big 3-pointers. Was that kind of by design, or he just had open looks?
COACH HOPKINS: At the end of the day, what was going to happen, we knew -- they do a great job of packing the paint. They're one of the best two-point-field-goal percentage defensive teams in the country. They go in the boxes and elbows.

We knew they would double team. We knew we would get open shots if we were patient and we moved the ball. And then it comes down to -- sometimes coaches, in press conferences, we didn't make shots tonight. Well, we made them tonight. Like you said, I thought that was a big part of the game, the two 3s, and he stepped in, wide-open shots, and that's when we're at our best. Those are the shots we make when we make 3s.

So it was the unselfish passing and guys looking for each other. And Naz Carter is probably one of the hardest workers on our team. And to see him have those moments was pretty special.

Q. Obviously you don't like to talk about yourself, but can you give us one example how this experience is different than being an assistant coach in a big game like this?
COACH HOPKINS: Do you see my hairline? I lost a lot of real estate the last two years and a lot of sleep. But you know what, listen, I've dreamt my whole life of being in this position. When you dream it and you get an opportunity, it's special, can't lie to you. But I've always believed and surrounded myself with great people. My mom and dad stressed that my whole life. I did that with Jen, Shaundell, the University of Washington, and coach kids I love to coach, and just trying to give them everything I know and try to learn more to give them more. And that's what it's all about. That's what makes college basketball coaching so special. All these moments and then dreams do come true.

Q. They say the 18 inches you move over in a chair is the biggest 18 inches in sports, would you agree?
COACH HOPKINS: I don't know. I've been a basketball coach my whole life. I think that's the easy part. It's the organization, running a business, it's doing all those things. Basketball, I get there, I'm a nervous wreck before I go out there. When I go out there, I roll up my sleeves; I feel like I'm playing. I've got four coaches and a staff that feel like they're playing, too. We're aligned and we're together, and that's what makes it special. It's just been an incredible run, and there's more to come.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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