NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - CREIGHTON VS KANSAS

March 18, 2022

Greg McDermott

Keyshawn Feazell

Alex O'Connell

Ryan Hawkins

Trey Alexander

Dickies Arena

Creighton Bluejays

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome the student-athletes from Creighton Bluejays. Mr. Feazell, Mr. O'Connell, Mr. Hawkins, and Mr. Alexander. Take questions in the room, and then move to questions from Zoom, if there any. Be sure to raise your hand virtually so we know to call on you.

Let's start with questions in the room.

Q. Keyshawn, with Kalkbrenner going down, you stepping up, making that block last night, and now likely to start tomorrow, what has this kind of journey, up until this point in your career, transferring to Creighton and getting this opportunity kind of been like for you?

KEYSHAWN FEAZELL: Well, you know, it's kind of sad that he went down the way he did. But it's kind of, you know, what we've been doing all year, just figuring it out, you know, next man up. You know, we've been battling injuries and adversity all year. So we've been figuring it out to this point, I feel like we're going to continue to do the same thing and just keep going.

THE MODERATOR: In the back.

Q. Another one for Keyshawn. How many minutes do you think you can play tomorrow, and what are the most minutes that you have ever played in a college game before?

KEYSHAWN FEAZELL: Well, I've played 40 minutes in a game a few times, last year at McNeese. But I feel like I can -- I've been trying to stay in shape just in case something like this was to happen. So I'm prepared to play as many minutes as possible.

THE MODERATOR: On the left-hand side in the middle.

Q. Keyshawn, when Kalkbrenner goes down last night, what's going through your mind in that moment?

KEYSHAWN FEAZELL: Well, in that moment, I was just trying to see what was going on, worried about my teammate, my brother. But after that, just being mentally prepared throughout the whole game. So whenever it was my time to go in, I was ready. So...

Q. Ryan, this question is for you. Obviously in Kansas City we got familiar with you when you played Northwest Missouri State. Talk about your transition from D2 to D1 was for you. It seems like you've been very successful in averaging over 13 points a game. So how's that been for you, your transition?

RYAN HAWKINS: I think the biggest thing was getting comfortable and getting that confidence back. You know, I was fortunate to play a very high level of D2 basketball.

But everything's bigger, faster, and stronger at this level. It took me a little bit to settle down and get used to that. But the biggest thing, I'm surrounded by great teammates and great coaching staff that just continue to put me in great situations. That's really the secret to it all. It's not really making an adjustment to anything, it's just being surrounded by a lot of great people.

Q. For Trey and for Alex: What are the intangibles for this team that maybe don't show up on the stat sheet that describe how much success this team has had?

TREY ALEXANDER: I feel like the main thing is that, obviously, as you can see, we're very close-knit as a team. Like, even when call Kalkbrenner went down last night, or when we were down seven with about two minutes left, we were all kind of huddled up, knew that we could win the game, and knew what we had to do, figure out what we had to do, what adjustments we had to make to win the game, and be able to just keep surviving and keep doing what we had to do.

Like Keyshawn said earlier, we've had to kind of have that next-man-up mentality all year. So I feel like -- I mean, obviously, Keyshawn is ready to step into the role.

But I feel like just the way that we know how to play with each other and know everybody on the team is playing for the guy next to us. It's not a secret.

ALEX O'CONNELL: I think Trey hit it right on the head. Just understanding that each guy one through 15 is equally important. And every guy knowing that their chance could come the next night.

Like Keyshawn, for example, I've been in that role where you don't really know what is going to happen. So just staying ready and knowing that the next game could be your night and you never know what it's going to take.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes back on left-hand side.

Q. This one's for Ryan. When Ryan sort of made his extension this year and Keyshawn was playing more spot minutes, how did you see him keep a healthy mindset and stay prepared for a moment like this?

RYAN HAWKINS: Yeah, his attitude and his approach to practice never wavered. He's one of those guys you'd never guess what was going on on the basketball floor just by the way he showed up every single day. And I think that speaks a lot about his leadership that he brings to the team.

He's really good at leading by example, bringing that same energy every day and showing the freshmen what it means to work every single day, especially when you don't know what your reward is going to be. And that's just been really cool to see Keyshawn really embrace that role.

THE MODERATOR: Second row on the right.

Q. Alex and Trey, just from what you've seen of Kansas so far, what stands out about what you're going to have to do against them?

ALEX O'CONNELL: I mean, yeah, we're watching film, we have a short turned around for the game. So, I mean, just watching film and trying to make -- and just handle their pressure and just be ready for everything that they're bringing.

They're a tough, talented team. They've got a lot of depth. They're long and athletic. So just for us to continue to play with the resilience that we have is going to be pretty key for this next game.

TREY ALEXANDER: I feel like it's a big personnel game for us. I feel like we have to know what guys have what strengths and what guys have what weaknesses.

I feel like for us being kind of shorthanded right now, we have to be able to play to our pace, but also be smart with the way that we play. We can't have guys in foul trouble like we did last night, or have anybody on the bench that we need in the critical, like we did last night.

So I feel like it's more of a personnel game for us, and more of a game of where we have to pick and choose what we can do throughout the game.

Q. (No microphone.)

THE MODERATOR: We can hear you. Go ahead.

RYAN HAWKINS: It started at the hotel in New York. Alex, my roommate on the road, opened the closet door, kind of exploring the room, and a really soft robe, wore it for a few days there.

And, you know, I felt like we had a little good thing going. And then thought, why not? I mean, we're exploring this hotel and had a robe sitting there in the closet.

So I don't know it's as much as a joke as it is a comfort thing. But look good, feel good, play good.

ALEX O'CONNELL: When we saw that the robe was in the closet -- what was that, today, right? When he saw it in the closet today, it was hilarious.

THE MODERATOR: Left-hand side, second row.

Q. For Alex. You've seen Kansas in the past and I think you just missed it by like a couple weeks last year or something. I wonder if that can help your team, I wonder if that could help you, especially last year, if you saw any film, even if you didn't get to play against them. Is there familiarity there? Does that help?

ALEX O'CONNELL: Yeah, I think it was my junior year at Duke that I played against them in the Garden, so. And they have a lot of those same players that were returning. I know Remy is new, a couple of the transfers are new.

Yeah, I think that experience can definitely help. Like Trey said, it's a personnel game, you know, knowing who does what. If we're able to handle that and handle their pressure, like I said, I think we'll be all right. Keep it a close game.

Q. Keyshawn, you played three minutes in a NCAA tournament game when you were at Mississippi State a couple years back. You played, obviously, last night and now this situation. What does this role and opportunity mean for you in your basketball career?

KEYSHAWN FEAZELL: I mean, it's pretty dope. You know, first year in the tournament, I lost. Like you said, I played three minutes.

So just coming back here, you know, to the tournament and getting the win was, like, big for me. And, you know, to do it with these group of guys was, like, really special. So, you know, just taking it in. Just keep bringing what I can bring and keep moving forward.

Q. Trey, do you guys feel like you can play loose, knowing that a lot of the pressure is probably going to be on Kansas being the favorite tomorrow?

TREY ALEXANDER: Yeah, I feel like that's been one of the biggest advantages for us all year. Going into the big east tournament, we were the fourth seed.

We played against a good Marquette team the first round. And then the second round, we knew that all the pressure was on Providence, that they were the No. 1 seed. They beat us pretty bad at their house.

So we knew that we had all the pressure on them. We used it to our advantage. It's not that much of a difference this game. We, obviously, are playing against a very good team, that is a good No. 1 seed.

But we feel like all the pressure is on them. And we're just are going to play the way we know how to play, as free as we can, and play as hard as we can and try to play with as much confidence and play our roles to the best of our abilities.

THE MODERATOR: Back to the left.

Q. Keyshawn, Max said last night that he didn't lie to you during the recruiting process, but what he told you might happen didn't end up happening. And that can go a lot of different ways for different players. Why didn't you cause a fuss? Why did you handle that the way you did?

KEYSHAWN FEAZELL: Well, what I would say, just handling adversity through my career. You know, I've had injuries. Playing roles was not what I wanted to be as a younger teenager. But as I got older, I just realized being stable mentally is, like, one of the most important things.

Like, basketball is physical, but it's more mental than anything. So the mental aspect, you know, really helped me out. And just having a good perspective on everything, you know, throughout life is important. So, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: All the way in the back on right.

Q. It's for Hawk. Three of the four of you were not on this team last year. Do you ever take a step back for a moment and think about what you guys have accomplished going back 10 months, coming together and making it to this point?

RYAN HAWKINS: Yeah, it's, obviously, unheard of, almost. But it makes it kind of difficult, too, because you can't, like, go back and look at what you did last year against a team and what worked, what didn't when it's completely new faces and a new group out there.

But I think it's also been really cool to see how this group can come together, coming into a locker room, complete strangers in June and July, to Christmas break, getting games canceled because of COVID, you don't get a chance to have those two/three weeks where you're on campus just with your team. That's when you really get to know each other and get a lot closer.

So we had to kind of wait for that growth to come in the middle of January. And then you saw that result come February. And I said it on senior night, if you looked at this group on senior night, compared to our first game at home, you would have never guessed it was the same year and the same team.

And just to see that growth and that maturity across the board has been unbelievable. And I'm very thankful to be a part of it.

THE MODERATOR: Back in the front row.

Q. Alex, you guys have a seven-man rotation. KU likes to run in transition. How do you prepare to manage your minutes and your conditioning when you play games against opponents like that?

ALEX O'CONNELL: I think this late in the season, I don't even -- I don't really think it's much of a question of managing it. You know, it's kind of, you know, leave it all out there because it could be your last game.

I mean, yeah, we're short a guy now, but, you know, we've been playing these fast-paced games all year, so our guys are in pretty good shape. And, you know, we might be a little tired, our bodies might be a little tired, but it could be -- it's one and done in the tournament. We're going to empty the tanks and we're going to leave it all out there regardless of the outcome.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes?

Q. For Hawk and Keyshawn: Kansas has some pretty impressive offensive rebounding numbers. When you guys watch them, what makes them so good on the offensive glass?

RYAN HAWKINS: Their commitment and their -- honestly, their tenacity at going to the boards. You watch film and they've got two or three guys every possession flying in. It's not like they're just taking one or two steps, oh, I might be able to get that. It's, they're going in where with the intentions of getting the ball.

And so that's where you have to be disciplined and you've got to have all five guys take care of your man. And if your man is not crash, you go find somebody to get a body on. And I think that will be a big key for us, is keeping them off of that glass, especially with how much they like to get out and run in transition.

We like to do that same thing, too. So if they have two or three guys committed to the glass, we might be able to get numbers there.

KEYSHAWN FEAZELL: Like Hawk said, they just really have it on their mind to get to the glass. It's really a technique thing. Get lower, low center of gravity and block them out.

THE MODERATOR: We have time for two more for the student-athletes.

Not seeing any, we'll let you guys go. We'll see you again tomorrow.

ALEX O'CONNELL: Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: Welcome Coach McDermott from the Creighton Bluejays. After an opening statement, we'll take questions in the room and we'll take questions on Zoom, if there are any. Please be sure to raise your hand virtually so we know to call on you.

Coach McDermott.

GREG MCDERMOTT: Obviously, we've got a heck of a challenge ahead of us. You know, not only playing a team as good as Kansas and as well coached as they are by Coach Self, you know, doing it without the anchor of our defense, obviously, provides a lot of challenges.

But, you know, obviously, we're still excited to be in this position, excited to play the game. Our guys aren't afraid of anything. They haven't been all year. And they've had a crazy way of responding to adversity all season long.

And I'm not sure I've ever experienced anything quite like it. So I wouldn't count us out because of that. You know, we're fired up to play. And then, you know, we're in a position with the short bench, that we're just going to let it rip and see what happens.

We're going to have to be on point, we're going to have to be focused for 40 minutes. Try to control, you know, their transition game and, obviously, their ability to throw it to McCormack. Against a short bench on our part is going to be important for us to try to keep it out of there.

So we're thrilled to be playing on Saturday. And look forward to seeing what's going to happen.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Let's start in the far back, on right side.

Q. Mac, three of the four players that were just up here weren't on this team last year. They continue to talk about fighting for their teammates. How have you been able to breed this culture, where they're able to accomplish the things that they have?

GREG MCDERMOTT: Well, this culture isn't new. You know, we've worked on it for 12 years. And it's gratifying that you can lose what we lost last year and maintain your culture.

And I think you -- you know, you maintain the culture by recruiting the right people. And we've been able to do that. And you've had an opportunity to talk to them the last few days and watch them play, I have great, young men on this team. And they really, truly care about each other. And I think that's been evident through some of the injuries that we have been. The genuine concern that they have for their teammates when that happens, has really brought our team even closer together.

And we're going to play tomorrow with three transfers, two that are in their first year, and Alex in their second year, and four freshmen. That's all we have left for scholarship players.

But they're going to give their teammate their best shot. I know that for a fact.

THE MODERATOR: Right-hand side.

Q. Mac, do you expect Keyshawn to rise to the occasion tomorrow?

GREG MCDERMOTT: He rose to the occasion yesterday. You know, when Ryan went down, we changed our ball screen coverage. We switched some stuff. He had a huge block against Bradley in a critical time in that game, knocked a ball loose defensively, stepped up and hit that free-throw late.

So it's -- he's prepared himself for this moment. Now, it's a big stage, obviously. But fortunately, we have a guy that's in his fifth year, played a lot of college basketball, that has done everything right this season.

And by doing everything right, you're always preparing yourself for the what-ifs. Well, the what-if is here. So I'm confident that he's ready for that. Obviously, I've got to manage his minutes. He hasn't played -- you know, he hasn't played significant minutes in a row. So, obviously, that can impact your conditioning some.

So I'll have to use some time-outs to make sure he gets some rest and get him off the floor a minute here, a minute there. But his teammates certainly believe in him, as do I.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach? Sorry, front row on the right.

Q. How much have you replayed that shot by Jalen Wilson last year?

GREG MCDERMOTT: What's that?

Q. How often have you replayed that shot by Jalen Wilson last year?

GREG MCDERMOTT: Yeah, that wasn't ideal, but it was a heck of a game. And, you know, because of that, at least as a coaching staff, we have some familiarity with that game.

There's nobody on our team, now that Kalkbrenner is hurt, that played in that game, and it was only last November or December, whenever it was.

But Jalen is a really good player. And, obviously, their wings in Agbaji and Brown are really a tough matchup for us and tough matchup for anybody. And, you know, Bill does such a great job of having them prepared defensively.

You know, they're one of the best programs in college basketball. And any time you have an opportunity to kind of test your medal against a team like that, it's a lot of fun.

Q. Yeah, given that you saw them last year, how different do they look? How similar do they look?

GREG MCDERMOTT: Yeah, you know, it's McCormack, I think, has made strides from the beginning of last year and he actually played pretty well against us in that game.

Agbaji has made the jump, Christian Brown has made a jump. Jalen hasn't shot the ball from the three-point line like he did against us last year, at least to this point of the season, but we know he's capable.

And then, you know, the point guard situation, Remy Martin is a nice changeup from Harris. They have different skill sets, they bring different things to the table.

I coached against Bill a lot when I was at Iowa State. I didn't have a lot of fun doing that. But things haven't changed. They're just really well coached, great pace to what they do in the full court and the quarter court. And then defensively, he always has a great plan.

So, you know, we're going to have to be to our best. But the reality of it is, whoever you're playing this time of the year, you better be at your best or you're going to be on your way home.

Q. Coach, you talked about the challenges tomorrow. Are there one or two things that you guys absolutely have to do? And I know it's a short turnaround, not a lot of bodies. Are there one or two things that stand out about this team that concern you going into the games in terms of Kansas?

GREG MCDERMOTT: Yeah, I think we have to try and slow that transition game the best we can. And, you know, rebounding is going to be an important part of this.

And then, let's face it, we have not shot the three-point shot well in the championship game in New York City and yesterday. We're going to have make some of those.

Because at times, we're going to have to play a smaller lineup. And there's an opportunity there to spread them out. And if you're going to spread them out, you got to make some threes. We're going to have knock some of those down tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Back on right.

Q. Mac, I wanted to ask your thoughts on the bathrobe that Ryan Hawkins has shown up in? Maybe, is that just an example of how loose the guys have been?

GREG MCDERMOTT: I think he's pretty comfortable in his own skin, is what I would say. He showed up in New York, I just turned over my shoulder and there he stood in the hotel bathrobe at the line of the breakfast buffet. And I'm, like, you have to got to be kidding me. (Laughing). So I was able to click a photo of it and I guess it's carried over to Fort Worth.

But it's just -- this has been such a fun group. And, you know, our fans that have followed us from the start, there's just so many positive changes that have taken place since November.

You know, there's some stuff that's happened this year where there's been a lot of laughs and there's been some things that have happened where there's been a lot of tears because some of the injuries to some of these guys, and every emotion that you imagine in between. And when that happens, you really become close to a group of people. And this group is really, really close.

And, you know, like I said, when I talked to you a couple days ago, I'm not ready for it to end, because it's been such a pleasure to be part of this ride with this group.

THE MODERATOR: Far back, right side.

Q. Related to those tears, do you have any update on Ryan? I know it's 18hours since you were last in here.

GREG MCDERMOTT: Yeah -- excuse me. I'm losing my voice.

The injury was not as significant as we first thought. I think we all thought it was ACL, and it is not. So there's some damage there, but it's not going to require surgery. And a two to three-month recovery time. I wish it was two to three hours, but it's two to three months.

You know, if there's a silver lining, the news we got this morning, I think, was uplifting to Ryan and his teammates that, you know, he'll be back on court sometime this summer.

THE MODERATOR: We'll go to Zoom for Dave Stewart.

Q. Coach, you were pretty emotional after the game last night. Talking about Ryan, what's his contribution to his team meant beyond awards and just the stats page?

GREG MCDERMOTT: So that's a hard one to even know where to begin to start. You know, we -- not often do you build your defense around one guy. And, you know, we've totally changed what we've done defensively in the past because of his skill set. And his ability to anchor our defense at the basket, and anchor it with intelligence.

You know, he's only had four fouls in one game all season. He's one of the best shot blockers in the country, but he's able to do it and understand when he needs to leave the ground and when he doesn't. He's been a great rebounder.

And then offensively, just he's made unbelievable strides, a guy that we can throw it to when we need a basket or to draw attention. He had a great kick-out to Trey on the little floater that tied the game right before overtime. They came with a double team, he kicked it out, Trey was able to get downhill and hit the shot to tie it.

But his growth from a confidence standpoint in himself, his belief in himself, and just his personality, just to see the real Ryan, kind of, come through, it's been a lot of fun, not just for me to see, but you heard his teammates last night.

You know, not often do you say -- you have three guys say he's one of the best teammates I've ever played with. And that is true. They weren't saying that because he was hurt and they felt sorry for him. They were saying that because it was absolutely the truth.

Ryan has zero agenda for himself. Zero. He doesn't spend one day thinking about what's in it for me. His time is spent on what can I do to impact the team in a positive way.

And, you know, 23 wins is what he's done. Getting us to the big east championship and anchoring the top defense in the big east. That's what he's done. And it's been pretty cool to watch.

And, obviously, we wish we had him tomorrow. But like I said, I'm ecstatic that the news was not as bad as we thought it was going to be.

Q. Greg, you mentioned that the damage wasn't to the ACL. What was the damage done in his knee?

GREG MCDERMOTT: I'm not 100 percent sure. I just know it's not ACL. And I'm not an expert, so I'm not going to try and speak on it. I just know sometime this summer he'll be back and he doesn't need surgery.

Q. And then you mentioned the culture and the chemistry. When it comes to Keyshawn, you said yesterday that it could have been hard for him to handle that role this year given Ryan's emergence. What does it about his character and his personality that let him do that and not be a distraction?

GREG MCDERMOTT: Yeah, it's unbelievable. And, you know, he's come to work every day. He's had a positive attitude. And his -- you know, Hawk's been a little more vocal in his first year than Keyshawn has.

But Hawk also's in a role that everybody would like to be in. Right now, he's playing every minute because we really don't have anybody else.

And Keyshawn is the same age, and has gone on a similar path where he's played four years of college basketball. And he's been able to show his younger teammates how to handle when things aren't exactly the way you wish they were, but how to make the best of that and also how to prepare yourself for the day when something changes, and are you going to be ready?

And, obviously, his mentorship, I would think, has had a huge impact on Trey Alexander's ability to emerge in the role that we've asked him to play after Nembhard's injury.

So Keyshawn has his fingerprints all over these younger guys in terms of helping with their development. Because, you know, what's said in the locker room, that's how teams grow. And you're either trying to be uplifting to your teammates, or you're trying to pull somebody down with you.

And I can't think of one example this year where Keyshawn has hung his head and tried to pull somebody down in a negative sense because he didn't like the role that he was playing.

And, you know, I said it last night, I think that's why he played so well late in that game, is because he's done everything that he needed to do to prepare himself for that.

THE MODERATOR: On the left in the back.

Q. How might the defense look differently, if at all, with Keyshawn in place to call it?

GREG MCDERMOTT: Yeah, obviously, it's going to be different. Keyshawn's skill set is different than Ryan's. You know, Ryan's not only the best on our team at protecting the rim, he's one of the best in the country.

So to think that anybody's going to go into that role and it's going to look the same would not be fair to Keyshawn. So, you know, we're going to have change as the game goes on and we see, you know, what Kansas is trying to do to exploit what we're doing in our coverages.

But, you know, Keyshawn also is athletic enough that we can switch up some coverages and maybe apply a little more pressure at times. So, you know, we'll be -- I think you'll see us changing from time-out to time-out because of his skill set.

Q. With a reshaped roster and an overhaul starting lineup, what were some of the growing pains, and when did it all click?

GREG MCDERMOTT: You know, we've talked about process the whole year from the start, even when we were struggling and I mentioned it in a press conference last night, our first three bye games, we trailed at halftime in all three of them, and found a way to come back and win.

And after all those games, the loss to Iowa State, the loss to Colorado State, tough loss to Arizona State at home, we talked about process and the importance of us getting back to work, and taking what we could from a loss and learning from it. But also being mature enough to understand that when you win, you've got to be able to pull those same mistakes out of a victory and learn from them, just like you would in a loss.

And this team wasn't great at that in November and December, and even January. We didn't handle success very well.

And I think when we won at UConn in early February with Kalkbrenner out of the game the last 15 minutes, I think something clicked. And we've been playing really good basketball ever since.

So this team is -- they've embraced the process. And I know that's maybe coach speak, but they've done it. And as a result, we've made -- we've grown by leaps and bounds. And these guys are growing up right in front of our eyes.

But there also is a connection that's formed in front of my eyes, and it has been really cool to be part of. Because as you listen to them speak, they genuinely, genuinely care about each other.

THE MODERATOR: On the left.

Q. I wonder: Can Ryan have any role tomorrow? Will he be on the bench? Will he talk to the team, and what might that stuff mean to your guys?

GREG MCDERMOTT: Yeah, he'll be there, and, you know, he's not real mobile right now. But, you know, his voice will be heard. Him and Rati are really close friends. So I might put him in charge of Rati in the game, which is a -- sometimes might be quite a challenge once in a while, because usually when Rati goes in the game, something happens. You just don't know what it's going to be.

But we've been in deep trouble without Rati. And Ryan's friendship and mentorship of him has been really invaluable. Because Rati's gone through peaks and valleys in how much he played early in the season and how his role has changed because of some of the injuries to his teammates.

And Ryan Kalkbrenner has been instrumental in helping Rati grow and having the right approach to your preparation. And I'll make sure they're sitting next to each other on the bench tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for coach? On the left.

Q. What about Modestas, I know he hasn't played a ton this year. But like you said last night, you don't have a ton of options at this point. What role could he play?

GREG MCDERMOTT: Yeah, we used him some when Art was hurt for those four games. He's got to be ready to go tomorrow. He's got to be ready to play some either at the power forward position or the center position, depending on the flow of the game and the foul trouble and everything that goes with that.

So, you know, like Rati, he's suffered an ACL injury last year, and it's taken him a little bit longer to come back from that than it has Rati. But I think he's in a good place right now.

And, obviously, it's a huge stage to maybe throw a guy into, but he's ready for that and, you know, he'll be on the floor tomorrow night.

THE MODERATOR: Anything else for Coach? Thank you.