NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - NORTH TEXAS VS VILLANOVA

March 21, 2021

Javion Hamlet

Bankers Life Fieldhouse

North Texas Mean Green

Postgame Media Conference

VIllanova - 84, North Texas - 61

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Javion Hamlet.

Q. I'm curious your reflections on really the last two weeks and obviously just how you feel now with the run being over?

JAVION HAMLET: I got nothing to hang my head over. I really don't have anything to hang my head over. As I look back, when I first came here, the team was number seven in Conference USA, went from seven to one to a championship. And we came back again. Win the regular season, won four games in a row. Won the Conference USA championship to get here. We weren't supposed to be here.

Let everybody else tell it. Came here and made it to the second round. It's not something I came here to do, I came here to win it all. But nothing really to be mad about, man. I have nothing to be mad about.

Q. You had such a terrific run in the postseason. Is this something that you really enjoy, just the way you were able to play in the Conference USA tournament and all the way through the NCAA Tournament? And is this it for you? Have you considered what you're going to do in the future, if you come back next year?

JAVION HAMLET: We had a great season this year. I credit my teammates. I credit my coaching staff. We made history. That's all I've got.

Q. Obviously a tough loss tonight. I wondered if you could take me through what the emotions were like and what it was like in the locker room after this tough loss.

JAVION HAMLET: Everybody was sad, man. We put in so much work. I feel like I need to do a better job in leading us. Like I was just saying, it just hurt, playing, because some of us will never play with each other again. And we are all like brothers in that locker room. From the coaching staff and everything that Coach Mack and the coaching staff put into us and for everything that we put into this program, man, it just hurts.

Q. Looking back in 30 years, what do you think you'll most remember about this team and this group of guys?

JAVION HAMLET: We made history. They can't ever take that away from us. We made history. We're going to be brothers for life.

Q. I'm curious about the moment that you exited the game, I think with about 50 seconds left. You hadn't left the game in three or four games, really. What was kind of your feelings in that moment and giving Grant a hug and that whole moment there?

JAVION HAMLET: It hurt. You know, I didn't want it to end. But I just hugged him and told him that I love him and I appreciate him for giving me a chance just to lead this team, just to stick with me. When everybody was talking down on me, he kept believing in me and the whole coaching staff.

So it's forever family with those guys. They stuck me with through the downs and they stuck with me on the ups. And I was telling him I loved him and I appreciate everything that he do.

Q. I wanted to talk a little bit about the defense has obviously been a real strong suit for you guys all season. What was it about Villanova and their offense tonight that allowed them to, you know, score a ton of points on you?

JAVION HAMLET: Villanova a great team. They're well-coached by a coach who is going to be in the hall of fame. They made a lot of 3-pointers. It's like they hit every shot they threw up. We give credit to them. Like, they came out and played, and they played more aggressive than what we played tonight. So you've got to give credit where credit is due.