BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 12, 2021

Patrick Ewing

Georgetown Hoyas

Madison Square Garden

Postgame Media Conference

Georgetown - 66, Seton Hall - 58

Q. What can you say about Jamorko Pickett's job against Mamukelashvili?

COACH EWING: Jamorko is terrible (sarcastic). No, he did a fantastic job, he fought hard, he competed hard. Sometimes he was talking trash, a little bit too much trash. But he did a fantastic job. I mean, Jamorko, and he's sitting in here, so I want him to hear what I'm saying. He's come a long way in terms of his growth. Started as a freshman, played a lot. In his sophomore year he had to take a back seat to some guys.

He didn't complain. Kept working. Kept persevering. Here he is now. One of the things we talk about is they have us, when the preseason rankings came out, they had us last. They had us last. And now we're playing in the championship game tomorrow.

So it's not about what other people think of you; it's what you think of yourselves. And my guys think very highly of themselves and I think highly of them as well.

Q. What do you think has led to the consistency that you guys have been able to play over the last few days, really over the last few weeks, for the most part, as well?

COACH EWING: When you have nine new faces on your team it takes time to gel. We were the last school to come on campus. So it took us some time to gel. Then we had the COVID pause. And I think the COVID pause gave us an opportunity to exhale and regroup. And also we put Chudier Bile into the starting lineup. I think his toughness helps us his ability to get rebounds and get fouls and get us a little more size.

Q. Talk about the toughness that both Pickett and Bile showed throughout the game, in the first half, second half, defensively. They made plays you guys needed it?

COACH EWING: I think everybody did something positive to help us. Last night we shot it great from the free-throw line. Tonight we were 18 for 25. But we made some big ones down the stretch.

Q did a fantastic job. They tried to double them, somebody was able to get some fouls. Chudi's toughness, the 3-point play he made at the end to put us up 3, that was a big-time play, big boy play. Jamorko's defense and his offense. Jahvon, everybody, Dante, he made some key plays.

We still have a lot to clean up. We turned it over 14 times. It's a little bit too much, especially they were trying to trap us and trying to get the ball out of our hand. We let it affect us. But I'm very pleased with the win.

Q. Was the call a straight line drive for Bile, the and-one? Was that the actual call, were you looking for that or did that just came up in the offense?

COACH EWING: It just came up in the offense. I don't even remember what play we ran. I think we ran a high pick-and-roll. They switched. He came up out of the corner. I think Jahvon or Dante gave them the ball and then he just put his head down, went to the hole and got fouled.

Q. I want to know what this means to you, especially in a year where we lost the great John Thompson. Has to be beyond gratifying?

COACH EWING: Absolutely. They asked me after the game what I think Coach Thompson is doing right now. I said both he and Mary Fenlon are smiling down on us right now. They're very happy and they're probably dancing a jig, like he always says.

We've come a long way. It's been a rough year for everyone all over the world with the pandemic. We lost Coach Thompson, also Coach Cheney, pioneers of this profession, giving people like myself opportunities. And a lot of people all over the country opportunities to go to college.

And the fact that people discounted us -- even last night I'm watching TV -- they're saying Seton Hall is going to push us to the floor and get to the next game. And we showed that we have courage. We have fight. We have the Georgetown fight. Hoya Saxa, that means something. And we were able to come away with the win tonight.

Q. What was the nature of the conversation you had with Jim Dolan yesterday? What did he say?

COACH EWING: That's private. That's between me and Mr. Dolan. We talked about the incident and it's over with.

Q. For you to be back in this building what was it like, what's it been like to get to the final? You obviously have some great memories playing, but to have these memories now coaching and to see this group who, like you said, was picked to finish last now, for a chance to win a league title?

COACH EWING: It's great to be here. It's been my home for a lot of years. Started in college, playing here at Madison Square Garden against St. John's, Syracuse and all the guys. And to be back here coaching and being successful -- my first three years here we would have already been home because we didn't play the way that we would have liked. But we're making up for it today. And it's not going to be just a one-time thing.

Q. You talk a lot about the team, the team coming together, team playing better. You're the chef. You talked about the ingredients.

COACH EWING: The gumbo's working. Gumbo's working. You know, as a chef, it takes some time. I'm stirring the pot, we're stirring the pot the gumbo is coming together, putting in the right ingredients for it to come out and for me to be top chef.