NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST FOUR

March 14, 2023

Bobby Hurley

DJ Horne

Desmond Cambridge

UD Arena

Arizona State Wildcats

Media Conference

Q. How have preparations been for you guys?

DJ HORNE: Preparation, we've just been trying to take it day by day, knowing that this is like a big accomplishment for a lot of us. So we try to enjoy it but also try to take everything serious and know that it's going to be tough to get wins in this tournament.

DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: Especially with us just finishing our conference tournament this Friday -- what's today, Tuesday? It's a real quick turnaround so just trying to make sure we get our rest and get prepared for Nevada.

Q. Desmond, your first reaction when you saw you were playing Nevada and your old teammates here in Reno?

DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: Man, I was definitely shocked. It was really cool just to see that we were matched up with them. At the end of the day, I was just excited just to be picked to play in the NCAA Tournament, especially with this being my last year in college, so that was definitely a big dream come true.

But to play against a team I just transferred from, that's really cool. I love -- I've got great teammates that I still talk to on a daily, so this is definitely a great and fun opportunity.

Q. Desmond, being 26th in career steals and 49th in blocks, what was the inspiration for your defense? What made you so defensively minded more or less?

DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: I'd say my Pops, man. When I first came into college freshman year, I definitely didn't care about defense at all, just wanted to score. And that was cool, but we didn't win a lot of games. My dad definitely emphasized, yeah, I have to play defense, I have to be a two-way player if I want to play at the next level.

My dad still holds the NCAA record for steals per game in a season, and so that's definitely something that I look up to, and I think that's where it came from.

Q. Your head coach has had some tremendous success in this tournament as a player. Has he talked with you guys about that leading up to this, and if so, what has he said?

DJ HORNE: Playing for somebody like Coach Hurley, he has a lot of experience, especially when it comes to this tournament. He's been giving us some of his past experiences with it and everything, just kind of telling us what it would be like and how tough it is to get wins in this tournament and how everybody kind of comes in on a clean slate looking to make a run and everything.

Just knowing that he's been somebody to play in it and make it all the way, you kind of want to listen to anything he can drop off to you.

DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: Just to add to that, with a guy who's done as much as Coach Hurley has done as a player, that really means a lot because you can really take his word for what it is. And you know he's been through a lot of trials and tribulations, especially playing for a big-name program like Duke, and just everything he's accomplished. He makes sure to show off his rings and all of his accolades, and I feel like that's a big motivation for us and gives us something to look forward to and reach for.

Q. DJ, kind of a two-parter. We don't obviously know what the defensive alignment will be, but what is it like with them having a 6'6" point guard in Kenan Blackshear, and what do you think has been the biggest key to creating turnovers for you guys this season?

DJ HORNE: I think the way we approach him will be the same way we've done all season. We've kind of been an undersized team, but I feel like we use our speed and agility to combat that. I think going into this game with the same mindset and everything, yeah.

Q. When you had left Nevada, I know you said you wanted to be able to play with your brother Devan. What has this season meant to you both being able to suit up together at Arizona State?

DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: Man, it's meant the world to me. Just playing with a family member, that's kind of a feeling that you can't simulate. I definitely was looking forward to it before we got here, but now that I'm actually here, it's other worldly. I don't know.

But just we room together, we do everything together, and just being able to rekindle that connection that I haven't had for a long time was really good for me. I think I needed that.

Now that we actually came here and we're playing well and we made it to the NCAA Tournament together, no one can ever take that from me. So I'm just really excited about that, and I'm happy and proud of us for doing that together.

Q. Des, you said you kind of messaged and spoke with Wolf Pack players throughout the season. Have you messaged them since Selection Sunday, and if so, what was the message?

DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: Just Trey calling me. That was a really close friend of mine. A lot of guys were close friends, but he was one of my closest, and we had a little friendly banter. It was just crazy towards that, that we actually got matched up. Yeah, I said he can't go at me, he said he can lock me up. But we guard each other every day at practice, he made me better and I made him better. This is what it's all about. It's just been great.

Yeah, it's really great and crazy that we matched up with them. It's great and crazy.

Q. A unique situation with the matchup, but talk about from a game standpoint your strengths and maybe looking at film some concerns that you have for the Wolf Pack.

DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: I mean, at the end of the day, we try to go into every game same way, level headed, just scout the opponent. Will Baker being a pick-and-pop 5, he can score the ball well, shoot the 3 ball well. That will probably be an emphasis.

Then one of the reporters asked earlier, Kenan Blackshear being a 6'6" point guard, those are probably emphasis that we'll take into consideration.

But at the end of the day, if we play our game, I'm confident in us, and we've just got to play defense and give ourselves the best chance to win.

Q. Talking about playing your game, DJ, what's the best trait for this basketball team?

DJ HORNE: I would say it starts with our defense. Whenever we're firing on all cylinders defensively, I feel like it creates our offense, and really once we put both of them together, I feel like we're one of the toughest teams to beat in the country.

Just trying to stay focused and have everybody on a together mindset. With that piece, I feel like that's the biggest piece for us.

Q. I know neither of them have big numbers, but they played in every game. What have Luther Muhammad and Alonzo brought to you guys as teammates?

DJ HORNE: Yeah, they've brought a lot. In the beginning of the season, we were saying that we had one of the deepest teams in the country. And I still believe that, especially when those two guys come in and give us life off the bench. I feel like that's basically what they do, they come in and give us an instant spark. Especially when the starters can't get off to a good start, I feel like they always come in ready to play.

DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: And I call Luther "Middy Lu" and I call Alonzo "Baby Kevin Durant." Literally in practice leading up to the season, all through the summer, practices were super competitive. We had maybe 11 guys going at each other, two starting fives really, so I think that made -- that really brought the competitive spirit, competitive fire, and it brought out the best in each other's games.

We've seen everyone on this team do things that, like man, if someone saw that, ESPN maybe, we would probably already be in the NBA. Literally just waiting for that to come out in the games. Yeah, everyone on this team can bring a spark, can help this team, and it's literally when your name is called, come in and do what you're supposed to do and do what you can do.

Q. DJ, how have you just flipped a switch during the last few games to just start scoring more? What was the switch that you flipped? What happened to where it just started clicking?

DJ HORNE: You know, as a basketball player, you always experience slumps. You try not to do it. I feel like in the middle of the season I was going through a little slump, and just kind of had to get back grounded with things and just get back in the gym, and know that my game is what it is; it'll come back. Just got to stay confident and everything like that.

So with the help of my coaches and teammates and everything, giving me that confidence, I feel like that's what turned it around.

Q. Thinking back to March Madness growing up as a fan, as a basketball player and then now being on the stage, is there one memory that you always sort of go back to?

DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: March Madness has always been a big dream of mine. There's so many moments that I've seen, but the one in particular that comes up is when I believe it was Marcus Paige from North Carolina made the game-tying three. And then I think it was Villanova, a player came and hit the three to win. That was probably one of the craziest moments because I thought North Carolina had won it, or whatever the score ended up being. That was the craziest moment, and then for that moment to happen right after that, it was insane.

When I think back to this Arizona shot, the half-courter -- and this is the first time I've actually brought that because it's been way too much and very overwhelming for people asking me about it. But to think something like that could happen in a place like this, I wouldn't even know how to fathom that.

Now that I'm actually here, it's really literally a dream come true. I don't want that to be understated. This is my dream, and this is amazing that I'm here and that I'm with guys that I love playing with, and we've got a chance to do something special, so I'm really excited.

DJ HORNE: Yeah, man, just growing up around this time, this is like when the best basketball is coming on TV. I remember as a kid, we would all get in the living room and just have the TV running all day with straight March Madness games and everything. To know how much work I put in and everything, that I would be one of those teams on the TV this year, that means a lot.

THE MODERATOR: Coach, just an overview of the season and your team playing on this stage and being back in the NCAA Tournament.

BOBBY HURLEY: Well, our players are thrilled, excited for the opportunity. I thought we had a really strong season. Certainly what we were able to do on a neutral court going 5-1, beating the likes of Michigan and VCU. And just some quality wins in the non-conference and then in league play, we proved that we could go away from home and win. That's been our bread and butter this year.

Got a good group of guys, resilient group, really gritty team. We've really been playing for our season for like the last six weeks. We've had a lot of like must-win games, and we've had to close the season strong, playing great competition, going and winning a big game in Arizona. And then going on the road again to the LA schools, UCLA and USC, and then obviously the Pac-12 tournament, winning two games there, getting to the semifinals, beating USC in the process.

We've played a lot of great competition, so I think we're battle tested and excited for the opportunity.

Q. I know they're not a couple of your main guys, but they've played in every game. Being back in Ohio, what have Luther and Alonzo brought to you?

BOBBY HURLEY: Yeah, I was saying, guys, what's going on with this weather? How did you deal with that? I grew up in Jersey and I've been out in Arizona for eight years, so you forget just how cold it can get, so that was the first thing when we got on the plane yesterday.

Yeah, they're excited about it. Jamiya is from Toledo and obviously Alonzo is from Cleveland, so just getting back in their home state, I think a little extra juice for them for sure.

Q. At points in the season, people weren't sure if the Pac-12 would get maybe more than just a couple of teams into the tournament. You guys ended up getting four. I just want to know how you think conference play prepared you for March this year?

BOBBY HURLEY: I think our league is undervalued, and I always feel like it's better than it's given credit for. You talk about the teams in our league that get better; teams like Oregon is a good example of that. They had dealt with some injuries early in the season, and they got guys healthy and were a different team through the last six weeks of the season, playing at an elite level.

Colorado was a really good team. They won at Tennessee, and I think they beat Texas A&M by 30, so they were a tough team to compete against.

Utah had a very solid season.

Even in the middle of our conference, there are really good teams. Washington State came on, they dealt with injuries as well early in the year and weren't able to get over the hump in a couple of non-conference games that they were very competitive in.

And the obvious, UCLA and USC and Arizona are elite teams.

So great league. I think it has prepared us. It's not easy to win games in our league. And hopefully the way we had to finish the season is going to pay dividends for us because we had the gauntlet at the end, just having to go on the road and play Arizona and the LA schools and then have to win multiple games in the Pac-12 tournament and then finishing with Arizona on Friday night.

Q. Looking at your opponent in Nevada, can you go back in the season and sort of look at a team that gives your guys an idea of what you're in for on Wednesday night?

BOBBY HURLEY: Well, just a ton of credit to Coach Alford and his staff for what they did this year, just knowing what they lost. I had -- two of their better players decided to transfer to Arizona State, and Warren Washington has been such a great interior player for us and our anchor on the front court, and Des Cambridge has been a huge scorer and big-time shot maker for us all season. So for him to lose key players -- I think he lost his point guard to Oklahoma -- and to replace that type of talent and be in the NCAA Tournament, I think speaks volumes to what he's done at Nevada.

And we have a lot of respect for them. A very solid basketball team and a team that's one of the best free-throw shooting teams in the country.

Just unique, has a big point guard, and Jarod Lucas has got the experience playing in NCAA Tournament games with what he did at Oregon State on their run, and he's a guy that can get hot and make shots.

They have a lot of ways that they can attack you, so we're preparing for that challenge tomorrow night.

Q. Talking about your team, what's your favorite part about this group?

BOBBY HURLEY: I like our resiliency, our grit. I think we know how to win close games. We've been down in games. We were down 15 points at Colorado at halftime and won, and we've had numerous other games like that where we were facing a severe deficit. We were down 10 with six minutes left versus Arizona.

In this tournament you've got to have a team that figures out a way to take care of a deficit, erase a deficit, and give yourself a chance to win, and you also need a team that can make plays down the stretch to win a close game.

I think we've proven that we can do those things. I love our defense. I think in postseason you need a team that can defend and get stops and make things happen with your defense, and we've been one of the better defensive teams in the country this year.

Then we're balanced on offense. So I don't think there's one particular that you could really dial in on and game plan against. We're a pretty balanced basketball team on offense.

Q. With the rich history as a player in this tournament as well as a coach -- as well as being here, I believe it was four years ago, four or five years ago -- has there been anything that you've been kind of instilling in your players to build confidence and kind of relieve some stress or jitters?

BOBBY HURLEY: Well, we've been under pressure, as I touched on, for like six weeks, just the games we've had to win, knowing what was at stake and the type of season that we had and a number of big wins. But if we didn't continue to win these games, we would have been on the outside looking in.

The guys have been attacking these opportunities, and I trust that they're going to be ready. And I wouldn't say that this is the type of group that would get nervous and have jitters. That's easier said than done when you're playing in the NCAA Tournament, though, so I'm sure it'll be a little bit of anxious moments for them early in the game.

Yeah, I trust that we've been in big games and we know how to navigate that. We're going to stick to normal preparation. We're just not happy to be here; that's not how we look at this. I know I have guys in my locker room that want to win and want to advance and try and win multiple games in this tournament.

Q. Is there anything from your previous times coaching in this that maybe you wouldn't have noticed or thought about?

BOBBY HURLEY: I would say it's just normal preparation, like for any NCAA Tournament game or conference tournament game. We're not trying to treat it a whole lot different. The only thing I would say is maybe my third year, just a little part of me felt relief that I made the tournament because we started 12-0 and we didn't play as well in conference play, and we were right on the bubble. We lost in our conference tournament on Wednesday, so I had to sit on that from Wednesday until Sunday to see if we were coming in, if we were going to get invited to the tournament.

This year, a little different. We finished playing late Friday night, so there wasn't all the time to wonder, so Sunday got to us really quick.

Excited to get in. We had a great celebration. I had the team at my house. It was really enjoyable. Then we moved on to trying to win.

I think just the smallest part of me that first year was just relieved to be in the NCAA Tournament. Now it's like, well, you're in, that's great; now let's go try and win some games.

Q. Coach Alford say he doesn't talk about his playing days much because he feels like it was so long ago. I know you're a little bit younger than he is. Do you bring up much from you playing days with your guys? They said they really respect all the things you accomplished as a player, so how do you approach that?

BOBBY HURLEY: I think probably just if they're not playing well, if they had a bad game, I might show them some highlights of me doing something good, just to needle them a little bit, kind of poke the bear. I don't know. Frankie Collins talked about an inside-out cross dribble move that I had today when we were just walking in the lobby together. So he's like, I've watched some stuff on you.

Outside of that, I try and avoid it. But you have to use some of the experiences that you have -- things you've experienced in a game, you have to share those things with your players. It might have been a different time, but there's certainly value in talking about how to get there and the journey, and hopefully I've communicated some of those things along the way.

Q. We've asked quite a few players this week their favorite moment from March Madness. I'm pretty sure everyone has said the Kris Jenkins shot for Villanova. Does it surprise you, and I guess maybe not in regards to age, that the Christian Laettner shot is not in that discussion? And also for you, being a part of that as a player, what was that like and being on the biggest stage and in a moment that was just huge.

BOBBY HURLEY: It's hard to describe. It's what this tournament is built on, those type of memories.

I was exhausted after that game. Rick Pitino's team picked me up and trapped me the whole game, and I think I had eight turnovers in that game. I was terrible at taking care of the ball.

Made some shots along the way, but I had the best view of that pass that just flew -- sailed right over my head, like it was yesterday, it was like time was frozen. And Laettner is just going back and forth and up and in. It was just an amazing finish. I get people that come up to me still talking about that shot.

The beauty of this is one of my players hit a similar shot. Now, it was a half court shot at Arizona, but it was a fantastic game. We won 89-88 on that shot. Both Arizona fans and Arizona State fans that follow basketball will remember where they were when he hit that shot because that's how much basketball means to both those programs. And I think that's what the tournament is about, creating those type of memories.