NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - SOUTH DAKOTA ST. VS PROVIDENCE

March 16, 2022

Eric Henderson

KeyBank Center

South Dakota St. Jackrabbits

Media Conference

ERIC HENDERSON: Obviously, we're super excited to be here. This time of year when you're still playing, that means something, and especially for programs like ours and to have the opportunity to play against Providence, the Big East Champs, we're certainly excited. With that, I'll open it up.

Q. Hendo, what are your thoughts on their frontline versus your guard heavy offense?

ERIC HENDERSON: If a team has ever taken on their personality as a coach, it's certainly Providence. Obviously, Coach Cooley does a terrific job, and their size with Watson and Horchler and just their positional size is something we've talked about as a staff. We certainly understand who we are, but we have to do a good job of protecting the paint.

One of their biggest strengths is on the glass, and we have to make sure we're limiting to one shot and do a really, really good job. It's going to have to be all five guys because we're going to be tangled up in there a little bit. It's certainly things we've talked about, but I know -- I know it will have to be a team effort to protect the paint. There's no doubt.

Q. Eric, welcome to Buffalo. Just the fact that you haven't had many players transfer out, and I'm sure there is that thing in the back of their minds to say I can go to multiple big conference. The importance of that and just how much has that contributed to your sustained success?

ERIC HENDERSON: I think the success is certainly part of it. You know, when you are part of a program that has a history like South Dakota State, playing in the NCAA tournament and having winning teams, that's what kids want to be a part of. That's for sure. I do think the success is a big part of it.

Quite frankly, our group has been together the last three years for the most part, and they're a very, very connected group. During the recruiting process, I think it's important to talk about it and be open about it and really just it's the student athlete experience that we provide, and we have great support and love for our guys, but I do understand that being a successful program and winning, people like to be a part of that, and I'm sure that plays a big part in it as well.

Q. Just a follow-up with Douglas Wilson being a grad student, we've got a team here at Richmond who has six. The uniqueness to that and how -- how much does that -- how much does that experience really lend to the game, and I guess to be here to validate their decision to stick around?

ERIC HENDERSON: It's rewarding, I know that for a coach, when they do stick around, they are able to see success both individually and then as a team as well. When you look at games, experience matters, and age matters. It's not only a physical thing, but it's obviously a maturity thing as well.

So just the experiences that they've had in the past to be able to rely on them, just have one more year, extra year to play and to be able to incorporate that into the team I think is extremely valuable, so I think that's why you see a team like Richmond who has six players back, and us too with Doug having success.

Q. How have you seen the Jackrabbit brand grow nationally in your time here and just because of the success?

ERIC HENDERSON: It's a cool nickname I think is part of it. It's a cool logo. I do think that plays a part in it. I think it's certainly grown. It's certainly grown. Mike Daum was a big part of that. It started kind of with Nate Walters even before Mike, and then we've just continued to be able to have success.

This year I don't know if it's necessarily one person. Now I think it's some gaudy offensive numbers that maybe stick out to a lot of people that, you know, helped the brand. Just having people recognize us certainly in the national media as well. I just credit it to, number one, great players. We've had terrific players, guys that represent our program in a fantastic way. And what maybe makes this team help the brand, but even maybe more special, it seems like it's maybe a group effort.

Q. This may be a little off-topic. In terms of your team, but I wanted to ask you about Stanley Umude, who is at Arkansas now. What do you maybe recall about preparing for him, facing him when he was at South Dakota, and what makes him unique?

ERIC HENDERSON: He did drop 40 on us once, so I remember that, but he is a terrific scorer to be honest with you. He can score in multiple ways. With his size, he was able to stretch the floor, had great versatility, can score off the bounce.

I've been able to watch him a little bit this year, and I've kind of enjoyed this defensively. I think he has gotten a lot better and made a big impact on that side of the floor for them too. He is a terrific player.

Q. Luke Appel got a little banged up in the summer league championship game. How is he doing as we're heading into tomorrow?

ERIC HENDERSON: He has worked hard on rehab, and it's been getting more and more active in practice. You'll see him out there shooting around today, and we're going to practice a little bit later, and he is going to give it a go. Obviously, it's sore. We're certainly hopeful he can help us tomorrow.

Q. Congrats on all your success this season. Along the lines of the gaudy numbers and national attention, I was curious what it means for you, what it means for the program to be the first school in league history to go undefeated in conference play and to currently have the nation's longest active winning streak? Whether that helps you as a coach raise the bar for your players or how that factors in in terms of what you have to do to get the guys -- their heads on straight and ready to play?

ERIC HENDERSON: We have a special group, and it's interesting that you ask about that question about going undefeated in league play and then the pressure we had on us to still win the league tournament to get to the dance, and then our winning streak. It's something that we never talked about as a team, to be honest with you.

We just embraced every opportunity that we had that was right in front of us, and that's something that makes this group special is they really enjoy the moment that they're in.

Once it got to 14, 15-0 in league play, as a coach, you're thinking, jeepers, can we keep this thing going? You have a target on your back. For our guys to recognize that and really still just embrace the moment that they're in was really -- I'm so proud of them for being able to do that because that's a hard, hard thing to do.

And then the winning streak is something -- we talked about it when it was at the end of the season, the regular season, when we beat Kansas City the last game. That's historical, and you need to be able to celebrate those successes. We just talked about it, and I told them how proud I was of them and stuff like that. They still -- we're excited for tomorrow. As happy and as proud of the accomplishments we have, we're even more excited about tomorrow.

Q. T.J. Otzelberger and Scott Nagy is in this tournament. There are some assistants in this tournament with Jackrabbit ties. What does that say about your program and what does it mean to you to be the latest one to take them here?

ERIC HENDERSON: It tells me I'm really lucky because this program -- obviously, Scott started it, and how he went through the transition, and there were a few lean years there for him. For him to be able to right the ship with Coach Klink who is on my staff now, I give a lot of credit to those guys because that is such a difficult time period for programs. For them to be able to right that ship and create this foundation at the Division I level, I have a lot of respect for him.

And obviously, what T.J. did for me when I came over from North Dakota State when he got the head coaching job, for him to trust me and believe in me the way he did and then our administration to make me his predecessor, it's just a special deal. What's it say about the program? It's on solid ground, that's for sure.

Q. Congratulations on your great success. A lot of people talk about the win streak and the fact that you guys haven't lost since December 15th, but my question is, you guys have lost to a couple of teams like Alabama, Washington, Idaho, and Missouri State. What message do you send to folks that may be under the impression that the Summit League can't knock off high-quality teams?

ERIC HENDERSON: Well, when we went out to Washington and played Washington State out there and beat them, I think that -- I mean, I think people started to recognize, hey, they're a pretty talented bunch and a group that can compete with a lot of different teams.

Even when we lost to Alabama, even though we gave up about 104, which wasn't very fun, we were competitive, and it was a fun game to play. It's just we couldn't get any stops. We'll take those experiences to help us tomorrow.

And then, you know, I don't think people have to look too far down the road. You look what Oral Roberts did last year in the Big Dance, and so I think the respect for the Summit League is certainly growing.

Q. Coach, there are a lot of people nationally who are on the train for this team pulling an upset. Do you want your guys to kind of block that out, or do you want them to embrace it?

ERIC HENDERSON: Well, it's something that you can't really hide, to be honest with you. Like the win streak, like those types of things, we don't talk a lot about it. I would prefer probably to fly under the radar a little bit more, but it says a lot about our guys. It says that people have confidence in them, and so do I. We're going to embrace this opportunity.

It's going to be a heck of a game. We have a lot of respect for Providence. Coach Cooley does an unbelievable job with what he does and how they play and how they approach things, so it's try to block it out, but it's out there.

Q. 2014, you're a high school coach. What's this ride been like for you?

ERIC HENDERSON: It's been pretty special. I have four kids and an amazing wife, so when Dave got the job after Saul got that job at Ohio and then Dave got the head coaching job at North Dakota State, he called me. I asked my wife, I said, well, you ready to go for a ride here, and she's, like, let's do it.

Just to be able to have that opportunity from Dave at North Dakota State, I'm just really humbled and very thankful for that opportunity. I also taught second grade, Jeff. Second grade teacher, high school principal, high school basketball coach. I'll tell you what, every one of those opportunities, even being a second grade teacher helped me with my job today. I can promise you that.

I enjoyed everything I've done, but what I'm doing now and still being able to help young people grow and learn as an educator, but getting to do it through the game I love is I feel like I'm a really, really lucky guy.

Q. Teaching second grade, how did that specifically help?

ERIC HENDERSON: Teaching second grade? The directness you have to have with those young people as a second grader. The honesty, just the, hey, this is how it is and just saying how it is. You got to do that with second graders. I got to do it with Doug Wilson too.

Q. How many kids in the second grade class, number one, and I'm curious, for people that have not seen Baylor play, what makes him tick, and why is he a pro prospect?

ERIC HENDERSON: 21, my first year, and 19, my second. As far as Baylor, Baylor is such a unique player. I think what makes him tick is his ability to pass. That's where it starts. He can impact the game in so many ways, but his most, I think, special trait is his passing ability, and what it does is it allows everybody on the court to feel involved in the game. And so I think that's what really makes him tick. His ability to impact the game in so many ways, so many ways, is also what makes him special.

Obviously, he can make big shots in big moments like he did against Washington State. His percentages from behind the ark speak for themselves. We'll throw it to him on the block. He plays point guard for us at times. He takes the ball out because we trust him.

Then defensively, he guards multiple different positions throughout the year. He has guarded point guards. He has guarded five men. You might see him guard each person on Providence tomorrow, so that versatility is what really, really makes him special. He is a fun player to watch, so I'm certainly excited that he is on our team.

Q. When you've had the major success that you've had, what's some of the challenges coaching-wise that you have faced with the players or outside being as successful as you are?

ERIC HENDERSON: The hardest part is everybody wants to play, and you love each one of your players, and so you want to make sure they're getting opportunities and to make an impact on the game, but at the end of the day as a coach, you have to make some hard choices, so that's probably the most difficult part because we've got really good players that don't play, and so that's where it gets hard.