NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL FINAL - SAINT PETER'S VS NORTH CAROLINA

March 27, 2022

Shaheen Holloway

KC Ndefo

Daryl Banks

Wells Fargo Center

Saint Peter's Peacocks

Elite 8 Postgame Media Conference

North Carolina 69, Saint Peter's 49

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: First, I want to give Hubert Davis and North Carolina, congratulations. Happy for them. Tough way to go out. Words can't describe and explain how happy I am for this group.

Q. When you guys gathered near the end of the game, what did you all say to each other? And how do you put this run into perspective? You have the greatest run of a 15 seed ever in the tournament.

KC NDEFO: We just told each other, just stay together. What we did was amazing. And this is a brotherhood. Words can't describe what we did out there. And just to be happy for each other. And for us to be the only team to do this, you know, it's just historical. And we're blessed for that.

Q. Daryl, how did your legs feel? Sometimes with one day of rest, it can be hard. The calves and the quads?

DARYL BANKS III: My legs feel fine. We had a lot of one-day prep games this year. We do what we usually do, prepared. Did recovery and everything. So I felt fine.

Q. What did it feel like to hear that crowd behind you today again? Even when you were down 20 and you made a basket, it seemed like the game was tied. What do you want to say about the enthusiasm that people generated behind this team?

DARYL BANKS III: It was amazing. Peacock Nation have been amazing for us on this run. It was just a great atmosphere for us. Like it's been this whole tournament. We've got a lot of support. And just to do what we did, it's just incredible.

Q. What was different, do you think, about your opponent today than the first three games? Did you feel like they were more prepared for you guys? Was there one thing that maybe was different today?

KC NDEFO: Well, I feel like we came out a little slow. Our defensive intensity wasn't up to par today. But like Coach said, we give a lot of credit to them. They're a talented team, but today was on us.

Q. KC, what sort of statement or precedent do you feel like you guys set for mid-majors moving forward, to look at you guys as an example?

KC NDEFO: Well, just keep going. The sky's the limit for anybody. If you put in the work, success and all of it is going to be behind it. So don't get too high, don't get too low. Just stay in your lane, and it will work out for you.

Q. Where does the program go from here? How can this be a springboard for future seasons for you?

DARYL BANKS III: I mean, what we did, we generated a lot of publicity to our school. So it's just going to help the school out in general. Caught the attention of everybody who wants to come here. I think just what we did will have an impact on everybody who knows about the school now, just going forward.

Q. What was the mood like in the locker room? Was it complete sadness? Was there an understanding of what you accomplished, any satisfaction in that?

KC NDEFO: Well, it was definitely sadness. We expected to win this game. Felt like we didn't compete as well as we were supposed to. So, you know, this is a brotherhood, and we love all of our brothers. So we stayed together through it, and there was definitely emotions in the locker room of sadness.

Q. At schools like North Carolina and Kentucky, these types of runs are expected. When you came to Saint Peter's, could you ever have envisioned winning not one, not two, but three NCAA Tournament games?

DARYL BANKS III: I mean, yeah. Coming in, Coach established the vision that he had. All of us went on board with that vision. We knew if we put in the hard work, that anything was possible. So we came to work every day, day in, day out. And it just paid off for us this year. We did something historical.

Q. It might be too soon for this question, but what was your favorite moment from the past ten days? Is there one or maybe two that really stick out to you that are going to stick with you?

KC NDEFO: Well, just the emotions and the happiness of our teammates and us being together, and just making history. Our fans being so cheerful for us and just us sticking together through everything and all of our emotions.

Q. Daryl, how do you guys leave here today? I mean, you obviously accomplished more than anyone expected. Obviously you wanted to go to the Final Four, but what are your emotions as you head home?

DARYL BANKS III: We're obviously emotional at first because we're all competitors. We expected to win the game. It didn't go our way, though. But Coach preached we should all keep our head high, because what we did is something that no one's ever done before. So we're going to walk out of here with our head high.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach.

Q. Is it fair to say that their quickness, just specifically of their big guys, was the biggest difference between this game and Purdue on Friday night?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: I wouldn't say that. I don't know. I didn't really recognize my team the first ten minutes of the game. I thought we came out a little slow, a little timid. Give those guys credit, they came in and jumped on us early.

I thought we had a good game plan. I don't know. They were a bad team today.

Q. What did you share with those six juniors in that moment, if you can share it, when you kind of pulled them out with 90 seconds left?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: That's something that we're going to keep to ourselves. Just some things that were said to them that just basically I'm super proud of them. Keep your head high. We're walking out of here the same way we walked in. Stuff like that.

Q. Did UNC do anything differently, specifically on the boards? Obviously it was kind of like a big moment in the game or a big step in the game?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: Bacot is good, man. When you get 22 and 20, it's pretty impressive. He did a good job and he had 15 points at halftime. No one really dominated us like that before. He was kind of all over the place. Touched everything.

Kind of wish we could play this game over. I would have done a couple things different. But like I said, you've got to give those guys credit. They came out and they deserved it.

Q. After such a historical run as one of the greatest Cinderella stories told in NCAA Tournament history, what's the future looking like for Saint Peter's men's basketball program, and what's your message to incoming recruits and why should they consider Saint Peter's?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: I think the future's bright. We've got one senior, KC. Obviously he's a big part of what we do. We've got one senior, I think. We've got the five juniors that's coming back.

I thought Clarence had a great season. I thought Juju had a great season. We had three guys sitting out. They got better during the year. Oumar got better. The future is bright. As far as recruits, everybody got a chance to see our brand of basketball. They got a chance to see us play and what we're all about. So I think there's -- when you get a lot of e-mails and calls about I want my son playing for you, I like what you guys are doing, I think the future's very bright.

Q. What is the legacy of this group?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: I don't know, that's kind of hard to really understand, for me to really put in words right now. It's a very emotional time after a loss, a tough loss, and like I really thought we were going to win this game. I'll be honest with you. No disrespect to them. I just thought we could match up with them pretty good. I know their guards are good. Their big guy was good. But, I don't know, ask me next week. I'll have a better answer for you. I don't really have an answer for the legacy right now.

Q. How much did you guys grow through this process, going into this tournament, going up against those teams that no one thought they could beat, and how much did you grow as a coach just watching them, guiding those guys to this point?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: I thought everybody grew. I thought the team grew. I thought I grew. I wasn't great today. Really disappointed myself. Have to make some more adjustments. I'm really not happy with that.

But it's a great experience for all of us. You learn from everything. You learn from the good and you learn from the bad and you move forward. So we're going to move forward as a program. I'll move forward as a coach, learn from today, and get better.

Q. How do you feel about what you might have to go through, handle what might be ahead of you professionally in the next week?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: I'm not worried about that right now. I'm worried about those 15 young men whose hearts are broken and really down. It's my job as their leader to cheer them up, make sure they understand what they did the last two weeks. And like I said, we're going to walk out of here the same way we walked in here, with our head up.

Q. Early in the game, what was the reason why the offense couldn't get on track in that first part?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: We came out, we took three bad shots right away. Three terrible shots. And it got them run-outs. They got three easy baskets. That's how the game goes.

When you take bad shots, especially shots that I didn't know that one of the guys was going to take, right? And the next thing we know, it's 6-zip, 9-2. Those are momentum swings. And I think that they did a good job having the momentum and kept chipping, kept chipping. And took it from there.

Q. What are you going to remember the most about the last few weeks here?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: That a group of guys came in here no one gave a chance to, no one believed in, but the people in our locker room that's in our program, administration, us, and made history. They shocked the world. You've got guys that's going to be remembered for things that they could tell their kids and grandkids. It's a story within a story. I'm super proud of these guys. They came in and made history. Point-blank, period. No one has done it. The last team to do it was P.J. Carlesimo's team.

Saint Peter's did it. Period. Saint Peter's made it to the Elite Eight. Great story. You guys write about it.