NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - MEMPHIS VS BOISE ST.

March 16, 2022

Penny Hardaway

DeAndre Williams

Jalen Duren

Alex Lomex

Moda Center

Memphis Tigers

Media Conference

Q. Has it set in yet that you guys are here and that you're playing in the NCAA Tournament tomorrow? It's the first time for all you guys, right, so has it set in?

JALEN DUREN: Well, for me it didn't early on, but as soon as I sat down right here it did.

ALEX LOMAX: Yeah, same thing for me. Just being up here with my teammates right now, being in front of y'all, in front of the bright lights, it's starting to set in a lot more.

DEANDRE WILLIAMS: Same thing they just said. It kind of set down with me as soon as I sat down. Amazing feeling, and I'm really ready to make some noise with my teammates.

Q. DeAndre, I think you're the only one up there that played against Boise last year. What do you remember about that matchup and are there any differences you've seen this year?

DEANDRE WILLIAMS: No, not really. They're pretty much the same team. They play very well. They're well-coached. They're poised. They run their stuff right.

Just going to be a real good matchup, and with the success they had this year, we've just got to come in locked in and just ready to play.

Q. Did you grow up watching Willie Kemp play in the NCAA Tournament, and what's it been like working with him as a grad assistant? Have you talked to him about what it's like to be on this big stage?

ALEX LOMAX: Yeah, I was eight years old in 2008 and that's when Willie was in the tournament with D Rose and the special team, and I just always saw the energy he played with and the passion and everything.

And he's been a great mentor to me this year. Our relationship has gotten very strong on and off the court, and he's done a great job of just helping me be a better leader and talking to my teammates and with communication.

It's very special, the feeling that he had back then. We're just trying to get that same feeling he had and do some special things like he did back in 2008.

Q. Jalen, what are the biggest ways you've evolved and grown this year in terms of how you've met your own expectations?

JALEN DUREN: Just understanding the college game a lot more. Coming out of high school and jumping right into college it was a transition. It was a huge transition I had to get used to, but guys like Alex and DeAndre have been great leader to me and just helping me grow throughout the season, which I feel like I'm very appreciative for.

And I feel like I've grown in all areas in terms of just understanding the game, in terms of my personal skill set, in terms of just team college basketball.

Q. Alex and DeAndre, can you talk about what you've seen the biggest growth in Jalen across this season?

ALEX LOMAX: The biggest growth from Jalen is his mental. He came in with a great mindset from day one, and just to see from day one to now he's learned the game. He's learning the game of basketball. He's learning the physicality of the game, and he's approaching everything the right way and he's very humble.

He's a humble beast, and just to see the work that he put in off the court and on the court every day is showing. I feel like he got a lot more to show, and we really haven't seen the best version of him yet.

We've seen small flashes, but I feel like it's time now.

DEANDRE WILLIAMS: Basically what The General just said. Amazing talent. The guy is just amazing, man, what he does on the floor, off the floor, how he attacks the game with his mindset.

He's just really locked in on winning and making history, and that's the one thing I like with him, his mentality. Every time he steps on the floor he's ready to play and he motivates all his teammates.

Q. Alex, you were talking about watching the team in 2008. What do you remember of that being a little kid watching this team in the tournament, and what then does it mean for you to lead this team into this tournament again?

ALEX LOMAX: It was a very long time ago, but one thing I do remember, there was a lot of winning going on. The more the Tigers win the happier the city is. That's just a feeling that I can remember back when my family, my uncles and my aunties just being very excited every time the Tigers was playing, and every time they got a win in March Madness the city would just go crazy. Everybody would tune in, and the energy would just be ecstatic.

A couple years later, here I am. Really never expected to be in this seat when I was eight years old watching the Tigers play, but God kind of blessed me, Coach Penny, everybody blessed me to be in this situation, and I want to leave it all out on the court, give it all I got, be the best teammate I can be to everybody on the court and everybody on the team.

Q. Jalen, seeing what you've seen about Boise State on tape, what impresses you the most with how they play?

JALEN DUREN: Seeing the film that I've seen, they're an older team, which means they understand the game a lot more. I think like DeAndre said, they're really poised, they run their plays, they seem like they play together.

They've really got a great chemistry it looks like on film, and they've had a lot of success this year. Obviously I wasn't there last year, but seeing them this year, seeing the type of team they are this year, looks like they're a well-coached team and they know what they're doing.

Q. Jalen, going up against a guy like Mladen Armus, No. 33 for Boise State, he's almost 24 years old. What type of challenge will his veteran presence be? And Boise State has also been extremely good on the offensive glass and rebounding in general. What type of challenge will that be?

JALEN DUREN: For me I've been dealing it all year. It's nothing new to me. I don't look at no age, I don't look at no size. That to me is basketball. I've got confidence in myself. I know what I bring to the table and I know what my teammates bring to the table.

Honestly, I feel like no matter the age, size, whatever it is, I feel like we're going to come out and do our thing.

Q. There was a bittersweet feeling on Sunday after losing to Houston when you heard your name called for the NCAA Tournament. How has that evolved over the days?

DEANDRE WILLIAMS: I mean, it definitely made us excited. Not finishing the season the way we didn't want to finish, I mean, we got this opportunity to play in the tournament, and so God just blessed us with another situation that we can seize the moment, and so we're very excited we're coming in very motivated.

We want to make some noise and show the world that even though we finished the season like that we can still make something happen.

ALEX LOMAX: Basically the same thing DeAndre just said. It was a bittersweet moment, but you've got to look at everything like a blessing. The season still going on. We're in the biggest tournament in the country right now. We've got a chance to do something special.

The last game was an L so it's still on our mindset real heavy. We want to come in and try to change that and just go harder. We didn't give our last performance the way we wanted to, so we got a chance to redeem ourselves, and I feel like that's something everybody on the team really wants to do.

Q. I know A-Lo's nickname is The General, so what does he do for you guys on both ends and what have you seen from him on this 12 which you guys won 12 of 14 games?

DEANDRE WILLIAMS: Basically just controlling everything. When things get rattled, he basically tries to put us in a huddle and just like tries to calm us down. That's what he does when everything kind of gets out of place, he calms everybody down and he gets us into something.

That's why we call him The General, because he brings that poise and that leadership at the point guard spot, and we just try to follow his lead.

Whatever he's asking or he's calling, we listen to him. He's an extension of the coach, and we follow in his lead.

JALEN DUREN: For me, when I first got here I heard everybody call him The General. I didn't really understand what it meant until I got on the floor with him and kind of he really embraces that nickname just in the way that he controls the tempo, he runs the show for our team.

And he's been a great leader for me personally just helping me, like I said before, understand the game and be more comfortable in the game.

When it comes to him being The General, he really does embrace that nickname.

Q. At one point in time Boise State was one game under .500 this year; at one point in time you were at 8-2. What was the turning point in your season, and how much confidence are you playing with right now?

ALEX LOMAX: I feel like the turning point was just getting closer off the court for us, becoming more of a brotherhood, learning each other's stories a lot more.

And I feel like once we kind of did that -- you know, shout out to Willie Kemp, too. Couple times we just went over his house and just hung out as boys, hung out as brothers, and got to know each other a lot more in those moments.

Every day in those moments we got a lot closer off the court, and we're building a lot of trust on the court, also.

Q. From a strictly basketball sense like on-floor stuff, where did you want to improve this year and what have you done to improve just strictly from that basketball-specific skill area?

JALEN DUREN: I'd say in all areas, honestly. I'd say on both ends of the floor, offensively and defensively. Coach Hardaway and Coach Brown, Coach Topp, all the coaches definitely helped me improve my game on both ends of the floor, on defense, on offense, on just my personal skill set.

I feel like coming into the year that was a big thing for me. I just wanted to learn a lot more, I want to develop my game, and I feel like throughout the season they helped me a lot with that.

Q. How has Penny been the last few days, Penny and Coach Brown? What's their demeanor been like and their attitude coming here and getting ready for this?

DEANDRE WILLIAMS: I'd say they're motivated more than ever. They just tried to tell us what we do wrong and at the same time how we can fix it. That's their greatness on what they approach and how they approach the game. They're great basketball minds. They're legends, and just to learn from them each and every day is just a blessing for all of us.

They just elevate our game just off the knowledge they know, and we just keep getting better, just how they teach the game and how they help us.

Q. DeAndre, you're the only guy that was on the team last year that was playing because of the injury to A-Lo. You said Boise is very much the same team. Are you the same team, or how is this team different?

DEANDRE WILLIAMS: I wouldn't say we're the same team. We've got a lot more talent and we've got a lot of different pieces that come together.

I mean, I can't even really explain it. This team here is just special. I really feel like in this tournament we can really do something amazing just off who we have, the coaching staff and everything like that.

This matchup is going to be beautiful, and we're going to go out there and give it our all.

PENNY HARDAWAY: I'm just happy to be here. Thanks for having us, and we're excited.

Q. You seem in much better spirits than the last time we saw you, so what have the last couple days been like for you? Are you kind of setting in that you're hereafter four years? You're here now.

PENNY HARDAWAY: Yeah, but the competitive side of me wanted to win the conference championship. It was kind of a bittersweet day because we didn't win but we also get selected. The next day I had forgotten about the conference championship and was thankful to even be here.

You of all people know how far we've come to be in this position, and I'm enjoying it, I'm taking it all in.

Q. Penny, what's the anticipation like as a coach leading into your first game compared to what it was as a player in the tournament?

PENNY HARDAWAY: You know, it's kind of similar. Obviously I'm not -- when I was a player I knew I had to do so much more on the court.

For me, the preparation is still the same because I have to prepare my team. Being the point guard or the guard on the team or the better player, the best player on my team, just kind of preparing my mind for different scenarios, different situations, not trying to overthink it, because it's still a basketball game, but also to be prepared like when I was when I was a player.

So I've watched six games of Boise and just trying to get everything in my mind so when the game starts it'll just be kind of stained on my brain.

Q. Where do you see the biggest growth in Jalen as a player from when he stepped in the door last summer to where he is now?

PENNY HARDAWAY: I think the biggest growth for him is his respect for how hard it is on this level. I think when he came in, he felt like it had been so easy for him in high school that he thought it was going to be easy on this side of the ball, but it hadn't been early.

He's respected it a lot more, had more respect, and he's taken it more serious than he ever has, because more than a couple guys have surprised him this year that he played against that didn't have big names, and that made him think, Hey, man, this level is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I got to get in the weight room more, start watching film more, I've got to work on my game more, because my normal game that I brought in is just not going to be enough.

So his growth has come because of all those things.

Q. Penny, when you look at Boise State's roster they're a very experienced team. They've been really good in close games this season. From what you've seen, why do you think they've had success in those moments?

PENNY HARDAWAY: Toughness. Toughness and chemistry. I think they believe in one another. They have a great system. They run it like a well-oiled machine, and their toughness. I think they get gritty when it gets down to the last parts of the game.

They don't give up anything easy on defense, and they create plays for each other on offense.

Q. I wanted to know what you thought of both your team and their team. You faced each other in the NIT last year. You're obviously both better this year because you're in this tournament. Where do you think you guys are better and where do you think they're better?

PENNY HARDAWAY: I think we're better because of the run that we made. Obviously we had more promise earlier in the season and didn't live up to the billing like we should have and had to take a harder route.

Boise State played phenomenal to me all season. Won the conference championship and the regular season championship, so they're different because now they're champions coming into the NCAAs.

For us winning 12 out of 14, with them winning both, the confidence is high in both teams.

Q. Coach, from a local perspective, just your initial thoughts on being here in Portland, wondering if you have any memories from your playing days or working with Nike on Portland in general.

PENNY HARDAWAY: Well, obviously if you know my history in the NBA, Nike is so instrumental in my career with Little Penny and having my own signature shoe line, so I've always loved coming to Portland to go to the Nike meetings. Obviously to play against the Trail Blazers, which was always hard to do, and then I just remember that long flight to get here.

But once I got here, the beauty of the city is unreal. I've always loved coming here.

Q. Penny, I see you brought Emoni and the rest of the redshirts on the trip. Is there any chance we could see him playing tomorrow?

PENNY HARDAWAY: I don't know, to be very honest with you. I told the media long time ago we didn't know what would happen. We brought everybody because it's an experience that everybody should be a part of, especially the guys that are going to come back next year.

You get here, you feel it, you see it, and when you get into June, guys start believing and understanding what it takes to get here, because this is a beautiful thing. So we want everyone to experience it.

Q. The advantages, I'm sure there are many, with having Larry Brown on your staff, just the legend and savant he is, where has he helped you most as a coach?

PENNY HARDAWAY: He's helped me in a lot of areas. Obviously with early offense, just ideas on early offense, believing in my values and just making sure I hammer those in and don't ever go away from those.

You know, how to handle the shootarounds, what to really focus on, what are we running on makes, what are we running on misses, how to get into pressure different ways without people seeing the pressure coming.

Just talking about years and years of -- he's been in every scenario of the game that you can imagine. Just being on the bench in different scenarios, just having him there to bounce things off of during the time-outs.

Q. Going back to that answer you gave, does that mean there's a possibility Emoni could return tomorrow?

PENNY HARDAWAY: I mean, he hasn't played, so I don't know. He's here and he's been practicing some, but has never played. Like come back to see how his back feels. This has been going on for like four weeks, five weeks.

He came on the trip just like everyone else, but we just don't know.

Q. Since this is the first time for everyone but Chandler has never played in an NCAA Tournament before, just dealing with the nerves, anticipation of a big game, you've played in a lot of big games. What will you tell them ahead of this to make sure they're playing their best?

PENNY HARDAWAY: I would just say let your defense -- the defense travels. You don't have to have nerves with defense and rebounding. I think that the offensive side of the ball brings the nerves, but I think if you just continue to believe in the game plan, discipline of who we are, our identity, then nerves will be there, but they will shortly go away as soon as the game starts as long as you believe in that.

That'll help.

Q. A-Lo when he was up here talked about watching the Tigers when he was a kid and your tournament runs. I presume you watched the Tigers on their tournament runs. What does it mean to deliver that kind of day to the city again after all this time?

PENNY HARDAWAY: It means a lot because I remember when I was in elementary school the teacher just wheeling in the TV and turning the tube on and us watching the NCAA Tournament.

To be able to give that to the kids back home and to the city back home is a dream come true, to be honest, because I know how big it is when the Tigers are playing in the NCAA Tournament and how the city is all tuned in. They're all tuned in.

Q. When you look at last year's matchup there's a lot of similar pieces for Boise State. One big difference is the presence of Abu Kigab, No. 24 for the Broncos. What do you think of him as a player and maybe also his instincts, as well?

PENNY HARDAWAY: Yeah, amazing. Just watching the games, because I didn't watch Boise a lot this season. I knew they were playing really well and I knew they were good from last year, but I didn't know they had added him. Man, the plays that he's made, playing the passing lanes, the drives, the energy, the timely plays, the timely offensive rebounds, his athleticism, his speed, he's a force to be reckoned with.

I have a lot of respect for him. I appreciate guys that go out and leave it all out on the floor, and that's what he does.

Q. A-Lo was up here earlier and he said Willie Kemp kind of helped bring the team together, they spend a lot of time at his house and things like that. What kind of impact has he made on the players and was that why you brought him on?

PENNY HARDAWAY: Yeah, I think the impact he's made was because he was on the team that played in the Final Four and in the Finals against Kansas. He was the starting point guard. He's from the Bolivar area, which is only an hour outside of the city.

He can kind of have some similarities there from being like almost a local kid that understands what it means to be from the area, and then take your team into the NCAA Tournament. And then he's just a great, great guy that bleeds blue.

So he's always going to be positive with the guys, and that is one of the reasons why I brought him back. Because he's a former player. He's started on one of the better teams that ever played in school history, and he's been here.

Q. You talked about what it means to the community. I'm wondering does it feel different as a coach taking a team to the tournament versus going as a player, and do you have a memory that sort of stands out from your opportunity to play in the tournament as a player?

PENNY HARDAWAY: Yeah, it's different as a player than as a coach because that's your job, to get the team to the NCAA Tournament as a coach.

As a player you're just playing, fighting hard for every game, every win, and when you get there you're like, Okay, let's go out here and win as a team.

As a coach you're building your entire team around getting here, and that's the difference. My fondest memory is going to the Elite 8 in my first year as a sophomore, playing in the NCAA Tournament.

We played Pepperdine, Arkansas, and Georgia Tech, and beat those three teams, so that was one of the most funnest times I've ever had as a basketball player, including NBA, going on that run.

Q. You kind of mentioned before with Jalen you had those sort of aha moments, reality checks. What were those moments that stood out to you where he changed his mentality and he knew he had to do a little more?

PENNY HARDAWAY: Yeah, I think early on not taking the pick-and-roll defenses seriously, not studying enough his opponent, just trying to go in the game and make it up on the fly, not running the court, just kind of jogging down the floor, not being -- just now he sprints down the court.

He studies more film, and the pick-and-roll, he knows how important that is on this level. Whatever we need him to do he does at a high level, and that's a maturation phase of where he's come from to where he is now because he wasn't doing it early on.

Q. Landers and Tyler didn't shoot the ball particularly well in Fort Worth. Did you see anything there? Were they getting the type of looks they were getting when they were shooting well and it just didn't go in? Is there anything that needs to be adjusted? What did you make of their shooting struggles in Fort Worth?

PENNY HARDAWAY: Yeah, I think it's just what it was, shooting struggles. They got the shots that they wanted; they just didn't knock them down. Those are the same shots they have knocked down in the past.

Obviously you know that, and we do believe in their shooting. We're going to try to continue to get those guys shots, and I like my chances when they get looks at the basket.

Q. When it comes to Boise State's rebounding tenacity, how would you describe it, and maybe in particular their effectiveness on the offensive boards at times?

PENNY HARDAWAY: Yeah, I would just say fierce. The big fella, he gets in there and starts wedging people and other guys just crash in there. We're used to that because we played against Houston and that's what they do. It's almost like they're mimicking that, which isn't a bad thing, because they believe in crashing the glass and they're reckless.

They're just going to go in there and throw their bodies all over the place to try to get action on the ball, and that's something that you have to do to be successful on this level. You've got to rebound the basketball on both ends.

Q. Maybe this will come later, but any flashbacks to your previous experiences in the NCAA Tournament? I know it was when you were a player and all that, but are you having any memories coming back to you about your time, your experiences in the NCAA Tournament?

PENNY HARDAWAY: Yeah, I mean, we came out my first year and did some things that a lot of people didn't think we could do by beating those three teams that I mentioned earlier, and then the next year we came in as a higher seed and we lost to Western Kentucky. We just didn't take that round as serious.

My experiences of going in as a sophomore and not expecting anything and just going to play hard got us to the Elite 8. Coming in the following year expecting to win and beating the teams got us a loss.

You can't be too high, you can't be too low. You have to be even keel in this thing, and my experiences taught me that.