NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL SEMIFINAL - ARKANSAS VS GONZAGA

March 23, 2022

Mark Few

Drew Timme

Chet Holmgren

Andrew Nembhard

Chase Center

Gonzaga Bulldogs

Sweet 16 Media Conference

Q. Hey, Drew, last year you went really viral for all the mustache and everything like that, and then this tournament you went viral for a halftime speech. I guess how has the two NCAA tournaments been different for you? Is there a different feeling this year?

DREW TIMME: Well, yeah. Having fans is awesome. We don't have to stay in one hotel for a whole month, so that obviously sucked last year. We were fortunate enough to play, and it was great to play, obviously, but compared to how it's been so far this year, it's night and day. I mean, just the fans, being able to interact more with people and not being confined to just a hotel. Being able to go back home for a little bit and even just celebrate this. It's awesome. It's just kind of what I envisioned March being like as a kid growing up, and it's everything I thought it would be.

Q. Maybe each guy could take it maybe left to right or I guess right to left for y'all, but what are your impressions of Arkansas? Eric Musselman was just saying everybody is talking about Gonzaga, and you are the No. 1 team and played in the title game last year, and Arkansas is not getting much respect. What do you guys think of Arkansas?

DREW TIMME: They are a really good freaking team. They're in the Sweet 16, and just to win a game in the NCAA Tournament is just hard enough as is. But, yeah, they pose a huge challenge. They're a really good defensive team in the gaps. They're good offensively as well and have a nice combination of athleticism, length, and then they have a stretch five who is good as well. It's going to be a big challenge, and they're a really good team, and I don't think they're being disrespected. I think they're a really good team. At least in our eyes.

CHET HOLMGREN: They can put five great players on the court with a few different line-ups. They can go big. They can go small, and like Drew said, they're going to have a good game plan for us, and we have to be ready.

ANDREW NEMBHARD: I think their team likes to push the pace, just like us. I think it will be a good game for us to get up and down the floor. They have a lot of athletes, play a high-level defense, so we have to be solid on both sides of the floor. I think this game is more about what we do.

Q. Drew, at the beginning of the season Mark said a lot he felt the difference between this team last year and this year was the evolution was larger, and there was more that you could become. Have you sensed that and seen that especially in the last couple of weeks with this team, that the progress continues?

DREW TIMME: Yeah. I think from just a team aspect, I think Andrew and I have grown a lot as leaders. I think it's something that took some time for us to figure out the best way to lead this team, and then you have guys like Chet who have really just figured out what it means to be a Zag, and you see it in the way he plays, especially of late. He is hooping out there. He is not thinking as much. The game is coming natural to him. He is making his own interpretations within the offense and defense, which is stuff that you can't coach. It takes time to get a proper feel for that.

I think just the way we approach things and just kind of the mental growth we've had is really coming to fruition right now.

Q. Drew, you started in a series of ads for a Spokane casino, and that's something that's kind of unimaginable given the previous NCAA rules around gambling, and I'm just curious when you accepted to do those ads and when you were thinking about that, did you think at all about the NCAA's long-time rules against sports gambling, or was that something in your mind at all?

DREW TIMME: (Laughing) Well, every time I walk into the gym, I see a big Northern Quest logo, so I didn't think too much of it, honestly. No, they're a great partner I have. They really are good with the community and everything, and they're really tied into a lot of things in Spokane, so I just really like that about them, and I think they have a lot more than just gambling. So that's why I really liked them.

Q. Chet, speaking to what Drew just said about you kind of hooping and not thinking, how did that kind of come about for you? Was there a moment or a time, or how did you kind of get to that point? I guess do you agree with his assessment?

CHET HOLMGREN: It wasn't like a single moment in time. I would just say over time, over the course of games and practices, and then also, like they were saying, they're being great leaders. They were helping me out every single day, and over time I just kind of got some confidence and like he said, it wasn't thinking. It wasn't being told do this or do that. It was just going out and hooping, and it kind of shows, I guess.

Q. Chet, you through mid-January to late February were shooting at almost a 50% clip. It's not been quite as tight the last five, six, seven games or so. Is there something that maybe is a little bit off? Is it you're not getting as high quality of shots now as you were back then? Is there anything that you can pinpoint as to why you were shooting so great then and it's fallen off a little bit from three-point?

CHET HOLMGREN: At the end of the day, doesn't matter how great of a shooter you are, you are going to miss shots. You can't lose confidence. I get in the gym every day and work on my shots, so next time I shoot that shot I know it's going in, and that's the mindset I have, and that's the mindset I'm going to have going into these next couple of games, and it's going up for sure.

Q. For Chet and Drew, you see good bigs in this tournament with Jalen at Memphis and now Arkansas has a guy that does it a little bit different too. He can block shots, but he takes a lot of charges. Chet, I know your assignment is usually locking down the lane. What do you make of that match-up and how he goes about it maybe is a little different than what you have seen, and same for you, Drew, that match-up.

CHET HOLMGREN: I think it's a great match-up, and at the end of the day it's all about making winning plays, and whether it's blocking a shot or taking a charge, you know, at the end of the day they're both winning plays, and that's what he is going out there to do. We just have to be ready for it, expect it, and not be caught off guard by it, and play around it so that it doesn't negatively affect us.

DREW TIMME: Yeah, he is a really skilled big, and he is smart. Taking charges isn't fun. It kind of hurts, and he is -- I think he is one of the best in the whole country, so he really puts his body on the line for his team to win, and that's a really admirable trait I think that he has.

On top of that he can stretch the floor and drive and pass. So it's going to be a fun challenge for sure, but it's the Tournament, so we're looking forward to it.

Q. My question is for Andrew. Match-up with J.D. Notae in this one, a guy that can score, leads the team in points and really creates a lot of havoc. He is 14th in the country in steals. What are your thoughts on the match-up with him?

ANDREW NEMBHARD: I think he is a real aggressive player. We need to make all of his shots tough tomorrow -- or the next day, and we just have to -- it's a group kind of commitment to guard him.

On defense we just have to be solid with the ball. We've played a lot of handsy defenders like that before, so nothing new in that case.

Q. For Drew and Andrew: In September Coach Few took responsibility for a highly publicized mistake and said he was going to turn it into a positive. How has that affected you and the team this season?

ANDREW NEMBHARD: Had no affect on me.

DREW TIMME: None at all. He is a grown man. He took care of his business. He owned up to it. He didn't hide from it. He did what he did, and we respected that, and he talked to us about it. He didn't -- he was upfront and honest about it, and shit happens, so, yeah. I mean, you mess up, and you move on. Not really much you can do about that.

Q. Andrew, a couple of the Arkansas guys said that when they crossed over or got to half court today they wanted to let it fly, just to kind of feel what maybe it's like to be Stephen Curry on this court. Any thoughts on maybe trying a few from the middle?

ANDREW NEMBHARD: Yeah, we always do half-courters, so I'm going to definitely shoot and try my luck with those. Hopefully we can get that Steph Curry luck in this gym for sure.

Q. Any first impressions of the building and the huge scoreboard, biggest in the NBA?

ANDREW NEMBHARD: I haven't gotten a chance to look at it yet. We just walked in.

Q. Chet, I know that you are very close to breaking the Gonzaga blocks record, and I know you take a lot of pride in your defense. Just what does it mean to you if you were to be able to be atop the Gonzaga record books in that category in particular?

CHET HOLMGREN: I don't really chase statistics or records or anything like that. I'm just trying to help my team win, but blocks is definitely a huge part of winning. It's definitely winning plays. So I wouldn't say I chase blocks, but getting blocks is definitely something I take pride in. If I could hold that record, it would definitely be pretty special.

Q. Andrew and Drew, how much did the Baylor game last April help, if any, with the Memphis game this March?

ANDREW NEMBHARD: I think that the way Baylor guarded us last year with their athleticism and their kind of no-middle plan, I think it was definitely prepared us for a team like Memphis. Just how much athletes they had, how much length they had, just to play in that type of environment in the NCAA game with the pressure high. I think that definitely prepared us for a game like that, and I think we're going to have another game kind of similar like that to Arkansas coming up. So it definitely prepared us for the future.

Q. Andrew, when you were on Florida back in 2019 you played Nevada and Eric Musselman. Do you remember anything about that game and just kind of the style of that team?

ANDREW NEMBHARD: Yeah. I remember they had the twins. They had an older roster. They played a lot of isolation ball. I think similar to the stuff that they do over there now. Give the ball to their best player and let them hoop. I think it's going to be a similar task for us as that game.

Q. Obviously, Spokane kind of crossing their fingers this year. Are y'all superstitious or your teammates superstitious, or do you not believe in that stuff? Do you have any routine you follow throughout the season or this postseason run?

CHET HOLMGREN: Is that are for all three of us?

Q. Please.

CHET HOLMGREN: I don't think I've heard of any superstitious activities from any of our teammates, like anything like that, but we have like a game day routine within the team, whether it's shoot-around, when team meals are, stuff like that. Outside of that, I just try to put my preparation in and live by that instead of living by superstitious stuff.

DREW TIMME: I would say the only thing is to play your ass off. So if that's a superstition, then there's one for you. (Laughter).

ANDREW NEMBHARD: No superstitions for me either.

Q. For Chet, you had the viral move on Steph Curry years ago. How much did that blow up for you personally with your social media or what have you, and any contact since with Steph?

CHET HOLMGREN: Yeah, it blew up quite a bit on social media, and within a few different news outlets. Haven't spoke with Steph since the event, but he is a really good guy. Obviously, a great player. All respect to him, but, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Coach, if you could give an opening statement, then we'll start with questions.

MARK FEW: It's awesome to be back at a Sweet 16, and we're excited to get out there on the floor. We know we're going to have our work cut out for us with a really, really solid and tough-minded Arkansas team.

That being said, we also just feel great about being able to do this seven times in a row. We're not just taking that for granted, and we definitely enjoyed every part of it and every aspect of it, and I think the guys have done a great job with that.

Q. Curious what your team learned or what you learned about your team in the wake of the Saint Mary's game? Here in the Bay Area I think you won 21 of 22 coming into this week's event. What did that sort of tell you about your team, how they responded to that?

MARK FEW: That they're champions, and they have a winning way about them. We had the luxury or the -- I don't know if they would look at it as a luxury. We had the opportunity to have a week after that game, and I think we were able to kind of reset and just reconfirm about what we do and how we do it, but that being said, I think we already knew that, how good Saint Mary's was and how tough they were and how well-schooled and well-coached they were, and so it's kind of a combination of those two things.

Q. Arkansas has three pretty experienced talented guards in their back court. Similar to you guys. You have some transfers in the back court. What's kind of the key to eliminating their damage, and what do they do best?

MARK FEW: Gosh, they're great in the open floor, pushing it and making plays. I want to say at the definitely in the upper percentile, maybe even the best in the country at drawing fouls and getting themselves to the free-throw line. They do a great job of putting the ball on the floor and coming at you. We're going to have to sprint back and build a wall and hopefully show that we have our hands back, but also rim-protect and rotate out of those things.

Then on the flip side at the other end, they're really, really good at pressuring the ball and getting up into you, so we'll have to deal with that also.

Q. Drew just said that what he has noticed about Chet's evolution is he is thinking less and just, quote, hooping. Have you noticed sort of that transition too where he has sort of found his confidence and comfort level with all of this?

MARK FEW: Yeah, there's been some really, really great development with Chet over the course of this year. I think there's a lot of things you can do at the high school level and even in the summers in the AAU that you just you're not able to get away with at this level because of the talent, the size, and probably in Chet's -- what he has been facing, the physicality and the strength of the guys he is going against as well as the schemes of people in the lane. A lot of times when you put the ball on the deck, there's not as much space.

But he has done a wonderful, wonderful job of adjusting to that. I mean, I know I kind of spoke to this ad nauseam, but he is just such a -- he wants to learn. He wants to develop. He is always around 20 hours a day and wanting to watch film and talk hoops to lift, to everything. So open to coaching. I think that's been a huge key. It will always be huge for him because there's so much development in front of him.

Q. Chet and Drew, most people don't have one big as good as those guys. You have two. How big of an advantage is that, do you think, for y'all, and what do you think of Jaylin Williams for Arkansas?

MARK FEW: First, Jaylin Williams is a great, great player. Really, really versatile. I've just been impressed with how well and how comfortable he is facing up. He is kind of that entity. Maybe his numbers aren't off the charts, but he is scary enough, you have to guard him out there on the three line, but he has a great lift fake and can put it on the deck and make plays.

Then, his rim protection is different than Chet's. He takes a lot of charges or attempts to take a lot of charges, so we have to be aware of that.

The thing with our two is they're just so vastly different. Chet can really space the floor and stretch you on the offensive end. Obviously, Drew is so adept driving and moving and doing what Drew does, mostly around the paint. I would say this, it's a nice luxury, though, to have. We're comfortable enough, as we've always been, going all the way back to Kelly Olynyk and Rui and Brandon Clark and players like that, to be able to take those guys, take it off the glass and lead a fastbreak. Both Drew and Chet are very good at that and kind of help us in the course of a game get a different look.

Q. Chet late January to late February really started to hit his stride as a three-point shooter. Last six, seven games or so he has not been as accurate. Are you noticing anything with his shots? Are they not as high-quality shots? Is he rushing? Is there anything in particular that binds that struggle together?

MARK FEW: I don't think so, Mike. I think it's just -- he shoots a lot of them. He definitely reps it out outside of practice. Look, I think guys are very, very aware of him because he was shooting the ball so well, so it's probably harder to get those wide-open looks, but for the most part if you go back through all of them, most of them have been really, really good shots, and shots we want him to take.

Q. We talk about Chet. We talk about Drew a lot, but what Rasir and Andrew have done since the WCC Tournament, can you talk about what those guys have been able to do over the last couple of weeks?

MARK FEW: No, that's a great call, and it hasn't just been the last couple of weeks, it's been all year, right. Andrew has just had a phenomenal year. You go all the way back to remember the UCLA game in Vegas. Just what he was able to do. He is just -- it's just a very, very comforting feeling to have Andrew Nembhard as your point guard. In-game, out of game, night before games, things like that. You know by and large he is going to make the right basketball play.

The other thing that I think is lost with him, he is arguably our best perimeter defender with his size and his strength and his experience.

Then Rasir, I give him so much credit for how easily he has assimilated with this group. He is very quiet and unassuming, but when anybody who has followed us this year, when there's been challenging moments or challenging stretches in a lot of these games, Andrew has been the one that's stepped up and made big plays or big shots. Or, I'm sorry, Rasir. He made big plays, big shots down the stretch in a lot of our games.

Q. Andrew played all 40 minutes last week against Memphis there. Is that something that you would like to get him a break if you have to, or is he of the ability to go out there and do that again?

MARK FEW: He definitely has the ability. We've played him a lot of minutes, and a lot of it is based on foul trouble and things like that. I think the thing that everybody needs to understand, in the NCAA these time-outs are three minutes long, the idea of giving a guy a blow, you can take a nap, some of these deals. So it's different. It's just very different.

There was a time in the Memphis game where Drew pulled on his jersey and came to the bench, and I'm, like, you need a blow? We got three minutes. He is, like, oh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine. These are different how -- halftimes are longer, everything.

Q. I just want to get your thoughts on facing J.D. Notae in this game.

MARK FEW: Yeah. Handful. Man, a handful. Watched a bunch of him -- or more clips yesterday. Just how adept he is at just little tiny slots to be able to get in the lane, and so good in transition. Plays with a lot of freedom. It's hard. I mean, he can pull the three on you or he can fake and drive and get a crease and get downhill. Great at getting to the line, like we talked about a little earlier.

A handful. Those guys are hard, and he is on quite a roll. We'll have to guard him as a group.

Q. Mark, I was curious, you are a Zag dad. You have your son on the team. Have you acquired one of those shirts, and generally, what do you think it says about the dads, they put that together, and the community that you have surrounded your team with?

MARK FEW: Actually, one of those shirts ended up in my T-shirt pile the other day. I asked Marcy about it, so she set me straight on it. Yeah, pretty cool.

It's great. It's always great, at least with us, to see throughout the year how I'm concerned with how my team is built and how they all get along with all the new faces, but it's great when we've had just some unbelievable team chemistry with our parents over the years and how close they've become traveling around and really build life-long friendships.

I've seen how connected the Tillies were from France with many of the people in Spokane and all that. This group, it's pretty cool. Yeah, I was even rocking my "Zag dad" shirt the other day when I was working out. Proudly.

Q. This week must have flown by considering last year you were playing Scrabble for nine days between games.

MARK FEW: Yes.

Q. Even though you've been through this so much --

MARK FEW: Not only Scrabble, but I had Drew next door to me with his Xbox until 1:00 in the morning every night, so, yeah, that was a factor last year also.

Q. The Xbox factor.

MARK FEW: For 30 days until 1:00 in the morning.

Q. Even though you've been through this, this is your seventh straight year here, the time between the rounds, is there part of you and your staff that maybe have to hold the guys back? Are they just itching because of the excitement of this tournament?

MARK FEW: There's a good mix. Obviously, with Drew and Andrew being through this a bunch, but it is new, and it's a totally different experience for almost the rest of my crew, but you're right, this one seems like it really rolled in and happened really, really fast.

We got home really, really late Saturday night. So I think everybody just kind of slept and rested Sunday. Then Monday we had a really good practice and got after it really hard, and then, man, Tuesday we're on the road again. I think they're kind of used to it by now and understand what's at stake and what's going on and how to prepare through all of this.

Q. Chet is such an uncommon player. Almost unique. When you got him into your camp, were the things you had to adjust -- you've always adjusted to your talent, but never had to maybe incorporate someone as uncommon as him.

MARK FEW: No, that's a great call. We were just talking earlier about this. I think the issue or whatever, what happens is you see the number one prospect or two or three or four or whatever, and then the expectations are just going to come in from the jump and dominate or whatever. It's just not how it goes, especially when you are a high-level team like us or you're playing against other experienced high-level teams.

I think it's been exacerbated with Chet because -- and I just got asked about this earlier. You know, are you concerned about his scoring? It took me a while the first week, two weeks, month to just really truly understand. His game is not about scoring. He impacts the game in so many ways that it's almost you could probably make an argument he impacts the game more on the defensive end than he does on the offensive end, and I think especially the way these games are being officiated and called and how college basketball has kind of morphed into this, where it's pretty rugby-like in a lot of instances off the ball or on the ball what you're allowed to do. So that's been hard.

You get guys that are outweigh him by 50 pounds or are physical and so sometimes it's hard to truly manifest all that skill that's in there, but at the same time he still gives you the ability to stretch the floor. He is very adept when we are able to find him around the rim.

Like I said, he can take the ball off the glass and lead a break, and then all the while he is giving us an entity we haven't had on the defensive end. We've never used drop coverage like you see so many people doing in the NBA, but we've been able to do that with Chet pretty exclusively.

I think most people know me. I would say I'm probably between ankle and shin deep in this whole analytics stuff, but my staff and my eldest son is kind of helping me with all that stuff, and his points per possession and his efficiency and all that is off the charts. I think it's probably the highest in college basketball.

I think that kind of lends itself, too, to it's not just all about him scoring or shooting percentage or any of that. He has an impact on the game that is hard to measure sometimes. Like maybe they don't even post up because he is in there or they drive in and last year they would have shot a layup on us, they hockey it and have to kick out. So it's hard to maybe track that with the traditional statistics.

Thanks.