NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - MEMPHIS VS GONZAGA

March 18, 2022

Penny Hardaway

Jalen Duren

Landers Nolley, II

Lester Quinones

Moda Center

Memphis Tigers

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by the Memphis Tigers. We have Landers Nolley and Lester Quinones.

Q. Lester how has your experience been hear so far and what is it going to take for you to keep playing?

LESTER QUINONES: It's been a great experience with it being our goal to start the year off to get here. It's kinda just surreal just actually being here and actually being a part of March Madness for once. It's my third year in Memphis and actually my first appearance here. It's just been a blessing and we're here to play our hearts out.

Q. Number 1 overall seed Gonzaga tomorrow. What are your thoughts?

LESTER QUINONES: I feel like this is kind of the opportunity that any team in the tournament would ask for. You're playing the number 1 overall seed in the tournament and we want to take advantage of the opportunity that we do have.

So really just locking in on the match-ups and everything we have to do. We want to go out and play our best basketball that we've been playing lately.

LANDERS NOLLEY, II: I feel like this is where we belong so for us to be playin' the number 1 overall seed is not a surprise. I'm looking forward to it. Just hope we enjoy ourselves and come out with a W.

Q. Memphis has never beaten a number 1 overall seed. Does it feel like to you this is a David versus Goliath thing? How do y'all feel?

LESTER QUINONES: No, I don't feel that at all. I feel like personally we do match-up with them well, our starting lineup and our bench, really. It's not a David to Goliath at all. I wouldn't give them an advantage over us but I feel like a couple of losses early in the season brought our team stock down, I would say. I'm confident going into this game that we match-up with them well.

LANDERS NOLLEY, II: I feel like it's a number 1 seed versus a number 1 seed, looking at no individual player or no coach. I just feel like it's going to be a good ball game.

Q. Because of their length inside with Holmgren and Drew Timme, do you feel extra pressure that you have to hit shots from outside?

LESTER QUINONES: Not at all. I feel like we have to hit the shots we do get. I feel like our front court with DeAndré and Jalen that we do have Josh and Malcom and Chandler coming off the bench, I feel like we match-up with them a little bit. I have confidence in our bigs that they will even us out a bit down there and I feel like our guards have to step up.

LANDERS NOLLEY, II: We have to hit the shots we do get and I feel like we have to drop the ball in early to get them in foul trouble and use that to our advantage.

Q. This season you've talked about several times that you were the hunted, you got everyone's best game. Now that you're not the number 1 seed do you feel pressure has lifted and you can play freely?

LESTER QUINONES: Definitely I like taking the underdog role in those games because I feel like earlier in the season we tended to play down to our level of competition. But now as we are playing a number 1 seed I want to say we have to play to their level and our best basketball so us being locked in on every play, every rebound and like he said earlier our guards have to knock down shots on Saturday.

LANDERS NOLLEY, II: I feel like we are still the hunted. You could say it's a number 1 seed vs a number 9 seed but I feel like they know we don't belong as a number 9 seed so I feel like we're going to get their best and I feel like they haven't seen a team like us.

Q. DeAndré has been around in college basketball longer than anybody on the team. How has that experience informed the way he helps to lead and keep you steady?

LESTER QUINONES: With him being one of our leaders, he is more of the energy and the life of this team. He always gets that label as being the soul of this team so as he goes we go. We do need DeAndré Saturday. He's a huge part and he will be a huge part of this win like I said earlier with him matching up with that front court. With them being front court dominant we do need DeAndré to play his best basketball. And like I said we need our guards to play their best basketball too so it will be an exciting game to watch us match-up with them.

Q. Wondering if you could speak to where you have seen Jalen improve the most from October, November, to the player that he is now?

LANDERS NOLLEY, II: I feel like he's learned a lot listening to older guys like DeAndré or Malcolm. He's learned the game is different than high school. He has to slow down, get to his spot and do what he does best and take his time doing it.

LESTER QUINONES: I feel like it's his motor. I feel like he's outstanding right now. He feels like he just wants to grab every single rebound that comes off the rim, and I love that about him, and I love that he's in that mindset, because that's why we need him at this crucial point in the season. So if he's grabbing every rebound and trying to dunk everything it's going to be hard to stop him down there, just being so dominant.

Q. You have been with Penny now three years. As you mentioned, this is a match-up where personnelwise you match-up pretty well. How have you seen Penny grow as a coach? Do you feel like he's better prepared for this moment today than when you were -- just like you at the beginning of your freshman year?

LESTER QUINONES: For sure. I feel like it goes with experience. Especially with the resume that he has from this year beating the top teams we did beat. It's kind of going in those situations that he's seen before or closing out games knowing what defenses to run and what plays to run and coming down.

I feel like we've gotten better coaching wise with him controlling us and calming us down, and I have every confidence in the world going into Saturday he's going to coach us greatly and help us get the win.

Q. Lester, we know you've been one of the better defenders all year. What has improved with your game this year?

LESTER QUINONES: I feel like my shot making has been at a high level recently. I don't know exactly the numbers but I feel like I'm locked in more on the looks that I do get to really making every shot I do get and being more efficient on the defensive end.

I have the assignment to take their best player out so not letting him get any comfortable looks or et getting any good shots or any shots at all really. So whether I have to deny him or overhelp on someone else, I try to lock in and key in on my match-up. And Coach Penny always emphasizes winning your match-up. If everybody wins their match-up, we're going to win at the end of the day.

Q. All the talk about Gonzaga usually is about their front court, about their big guys. What challenges does Gonzaga present other than their two big guys?

LANDERS NOLLEY, II: I don't look at it as like a challenge. They have good guards, good organization, good coaches, good coach, but it's another player stepping in front of me, lacing up his shoes just like I do.

LESTER QUINONES: Going back to what I said earlier, coach emphasized winning your match-up. I think 1-5 if we all win our match-up, I feel like we can win the game. Their front court is good, and I feel like their guards are very disciplined, so having those disciplined guards to where I think three of them shoot over 40 from three, so not letting them get any looks, like I said earlier, not letting them get comfortable, taking them out of their stuff and speeding them up and junking the game up a lot.

Q. You are far way from Memphis, so the crowd be wasn't behind you last night, and tomorrow it's going to be worse. How do you feel knowing that it's going to be a heavy Gonzaga crowd tomorrow?

LANDERS NOLLEY, II: We love away games. I mean, we call ourselves the "awayers" so that's what we kind of thrive on. We play good at home, but on the road it's just like a bit of a more edge to win the game because you know you're in enemy territory.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, gentlemen.

With us now is Memphis head coach, Penny Hardaway. Coach would you like to make an opening statement?

COACH HARDAWAY: I'm good.

Q. Penny, a couple times this season you felt like you had one of the best front court, maybe the best front courts in the nation. How excited are you for Jalen and DeAndré to be able to play against Drew and Chet?

COACH HARDAWAY: It's exciting for me and for them because Drew and Chet are awesome. They work well together they're both fantastic players. And for them to have the opportunity to play against those guys is fun.

Q. Win or lose, Coach, has it been a successful season in your eyes?

COACH HARDAWAY: I really don't want to answer that question. I just feel like while I'm still in the moment my mind stays in the moment. If that happens then I try to go to that. Now I'm just locked in on winning the game. To me this season -- the regular season we can talk about was a success because we got to where we needed to get to. The AAC Championship wasn't, because we lost in the championship to a good Houston team. Right now it's the second post season, we're doing well, we're gonna lock in on that, but I can say the regular season was a success.

Q. How do you plan to defend Drew and Chet?

COACH HARDAWAY: I think you look at film and figure it out. Those two guys are at least 95% of the games or even higher that they have played they have dominated. St. Mary's had success, maybe Alabama had success but those two guys are awesome. You just try to put them in tough situations and we have watched them play so much this year that it's like you know them like the back of your hand because they've been on TV dang near every week. I can't say now we're about to go to our second practice and put the defensive schemes in but we're going to have something to try to bother Those guys a bit.

Q. How much fun are you having?

COACH HARDAWAY: I'm having lots of fun. I'm taking it all in, I really am, for our city, our school, our players, because I know how important this really is.

Q. I'm curious, going back to the game yesterday you played 12 guys in the first half, some line-ups that you hadn't played before. What went into that decision? Was that a one-game thing? Is that the way you ran the lineups in that game something you will carry forward?

COACH HARDAWAY: I just felt like yesterday the strength in numbers would help us. They had one primarily ball handler, we get enough bodies out there to wear them down because they didn't want to play their bench and that was my philosophy on that and we went into half-time with a nice lead. Second half, they cut into the lead, didn't sub as much and got into a battle. So I don't know how I'm going to do it against Gonzaga I just have a feel for that but in the first half I definitely felt like we needed to wear those guys down.

Q. Did you notice that you had a lineup with four of your East High players at the same time?

COACH HARDAWAY: Yeah, for sure.

Q. Was that purposefully?

COACH HARDAWAY: That was purposefully because they're familiar with one another and they know how to communicate with each other and any fifth guy out there with them they would tell what to do because they know my style and they know our system and they won together.

Q. How is Alo's ankle today and was he a full participant in practice?

COACH HARDAWAY: He did not, we held him out, he was on the sidelines doing exercises the entire practice and he told me he felt great but there's going to be some pain in there because it's an ankle that has been injured before this year and last year, but he's doing pretty good today. He wasn't grimacing or anything, he was doing exercises.

Q. You think he will play?

COACH HARDAWAY: I think he'll play.

Q. You have played with and seen a lot of unique talents through your basketball career. I'm wondering when you look at Chet for Gonzaga what sorta stands out about his skills that he brings to the Court?

COACH HARDAWAY: Everything. I got really close with Chet because I recruited him for a year and a half. I knew he wasn't oncoming to Memphis but I just kind of built the relationship, just FaceTiming him and talking to him and just to understand who he is. You talk to him personally you'd know he's all about competing, he's about excellence, he's tough, even though he's a small frame he's tough mentally and physically, along with his skill set and who he is what we see every game. I marvel. You see a Kevin Garnett, handle the ball, shoot, make passes, and I've always loved his game. He's just a terrific player. Every part of his game I love. He's just a winner.

Q. Landers said this feels to him like a number 1 seed against a number 1 seed game, do you agree?

COACH HARDAWAY: I don't think we are a number 9 seed without talent. We didn't handle business in the beginning of the season and put our selves in a predicament where we had to be a 9 seed but I just don't think that we're a 9 seed. It's not 1 verses 9 in this. They've earned their right to be the number one overall seed because they have consistency in their culture and we've earned the right to be in this tournament but I don't think overall we're a 9 seed.

Q. Penny, you've analyzed Chet Holmgren. Talk about what Jalen Duren has to do for you in this game?

COACH HARDAWAY: I think he has to stay out of foul trouble, if he stays out of foul trouble his God-given talent will take over, his strength, his speed, his athleticism his toughness, his competitiveness he wants to compete against the best and we're going to play the best. So if he stays out of foul trouble he will be okay.

Q. Penny, I don't know if you got this far in the process but did you envision Chet playing with Jalen the high/low that he and Drew Timme have at Gonzaga?

COACH HARDAWAY: I didn't know I was going to get Jalen when I was recruiting Chet. I just wanted Chet. I knew he would make a huge difference for our program because of the type of player he was and the type of person he was. I definitely didn't know Jalen was going to re class and we were going to get him. Recruiting them at the same time that would have been awesome, they would have been great for sure, but at the same thing would have happened if Chet has been at Memphis he would have played well with those two guys.

Q. As good as Drew and Chet are they have good guards, three in double figures, almost all are shooting 40% from three. How dangerous are they and what are you going to do to contain them?

COACH HARDAWAY: Very dangerous, they're fast, they get the ball up the court on makes and misses and Julian and Bolton shoot the ball extremely well. Everyone knows their role. They know how to get out of transition and spot up for threes, getting out of the double team and getting ready to shoot and Andrew we are familiar with him, we played at -- three times in one year, he played in two of those games. He's a very smart, very tough guard that knows how to run the show so you have to pick your poison with those guys.

Q. Curious how you compare coaching and playing in the NCAA Tournament. Is one more nerve-wracking than the other?

COACH HARDAWAY: I think being a coach is more nerve-wracking but I prepared the same. As a point guard I've always watched film, always been an extension of the coach on the floor, always prepared for play calls, whenever they were going to call, tell my teammates. I've always been a basketball person so that's carried over to the coaching. I watch film of each team, and obviously we're familiar with Gonzaga because they're always on TV and it's similar to me because being a point guard and an extension of the coach, but it's nerve wracking because as a coach I can't go out there and do anything, I have to give instructions and they have to go out and do.

Q. This four-year journey you have had to be sitting up here, I'm sure it took twists and turns that you didn't expect. Is tomorrow's game the kind of game and opportunity you expected when you took this job?

COACH HARDAWAY: Absolutely. I inherited Coach Smith's team, so that year I just tried to do the best I could and the guys played hard for me. The second year was a COVID year, James Wiseman left, and it was a COVID year. Last year we had an opportunity to make the tournament and I didn't coach well enough, just didn't do it. This year we started off slowly, got to this point and I'm proud to be here and to get to play against the number 1 overall seed in the tournament is all you can hope for. A lot of people say be careful what you wish for. I've always wanted to be the best and Gonzaga is the best and you have to play great teams to get to where you want to go and we look forward to playing them tomorrow.

Q. Every coach this year said Memphis wants to speed you up. Gonzaga plays a high-speed, high-tempo game. How do you speed up a team that already plays fast?

COACH HARDAWAY: That's a good question, to be honest with you, because Coach Few has done a phenomenal job in his culture of getting kids to come there and play the right way, and the right way is getting the ball up the court, being selfless, getting the ball to whoever the hot guy is. You want to get the ball to Chet, get the ball to Drew, and all those guys play at high levels for the entire 40 minute. They don't take plays off. How to you sped up a team that's already fast? I don't know that. I have another day to try to get this together before we get to the game.

Q. Penny, you talked about recruiting Chet and knowing him for so long. Does that give you an advantage in preparing for this game and does that help you talk to Jalen because he might know Chet better than some coaches of might know him?

COACH HARDAWAY: I'm not on the court, but I can give suggestions about what I think. If you played against Chet before you know who he is. There is no guessing with him; you know exactly what you're going to get. These guys have seen enough to know that he is a dominant force on both ends, shot blocking is elite and his play-making ability ask his game on the offensive end is elite. I can give tidbits but for the most part these guys know who Chet is.

Q. Penny, Tara VanDerveer, the Stanford women's coach and defending national champ pledged yesterday to donate $10 for every three-pointer made in the women's NCAA Tournament and put that money toward humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

She has challenged every coach in the men's and women's NCAA Tournament to join her. I think she would have mens coaches donate $10 for every three made in the men's tournament. I wondered if you knew about it and full be accepting that challenge?

COACH HARDAWAY: I didn't know about it. And it's our team? However many threes we make?

Q. No. It's however many threes are made in the entire NCAA Tournament to give a lot of money.

COACH HARDAWAY: I need to call Tara and ask can I just give a donation. I don't know if I can commit to that because -- obviously I want to be a part of it, so I'm sure I can get in touch with Coach but I don't know about -- I will give a donation.

Q. Her SID is tracking it for her.

COACH HARDAWAY: I'll get with you after this. Why did you put me on the spot like that. Great question, though.

Q. What will Emoni Bates' role be in this game?

COACH HARDAWAY: I think -- obviously he's on a restriction. I didn't want to put him back in in the second half. He looked great in the first half, and I think he gained confidence from that. You might see him a little bit more. We're just going to play it by here. See how it goes, but he will get in the game.

Q. Penny, you mentioned the fact that guys on your team have played Chet before and have that experience. What have they said about playing him and what that experience is like?

COACH HARDAWAY: They respect him to the utmost because he is a true professional. He goes about his business the right way on both ends of the floor, and they understand he's a true competitor. You can go in the game and try to say you're going to rough him up, and he's not going to let you do it. It's not who he is. You can talk about not letting him get offensive rebounds and blocking him out. He's like plastic man. He will get a rebound over you and then dunk the ball. You just have to compete when you play against him.

And we all know that. They all know that obviously for sure. He has done a phenomenal job on this level of people not understanding what he was going to do when he got to this level, and he's showed them quickly, and he's continued to show everyone.

Q. To Chet, you point out that Gonzaga is on TV all the time. Do you recall a play, watching him earlier, a highlight that you were blown away by? Do you have a favorite highlight?

COACH HARDAWAY: I've watched him so much from high school, I've studied tapes, watched him in person, but the best play I've seen of the year, I forget who it was against, maybe UCLA, he took it coast-to-coast, went behind the back and took off and dunked it. That's who he is. That's a spectacular play for a seven-footer. We see it in the NBA all the time; we don't see it in college all the time.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Coach.