NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - UNC ASHEVILLE VS UCLA

March 15, 2023

Mike Morrell

Tajion Jones

Drew Pember

Golden 1 Center

UNC Asheville Bulldogs

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We have a couple of student-athlete guests from UNC - Asheville, Tajion Jones and Drew Pember. Gentlemen, welcome.

Questions, please.

Q. Drew, Jaime says he expects to guard you tomorrow. Do you expect to guard him? What are you looking for in that matchup, ways you can do your thing against him?

DREW PEMBER: I'll be switched onto him here and there. We've got somebody else starting on him.

But he's a phenomenal player. He's an All-American for a reason obviously, right? He's one of the best players in the country. We'll just follow our scheme and our plan and we'll just do what we do.

Q. Heavy underdog. How are you looking at that going up against the name-brand school of UCLA?

DREW PEMBER: Obviously they're an extremely coveted program, one of the best programs in the country, most winningest programs in the country. We're going to stick to our game plan, what we've been working on since June 3rd, whenever we got to school.

Q. Talk a little bit about the experience this week, since winning the tournament championship, all the attention, then coming out here, now the bright lights in California.

TAJION JONES: It's been great experience, especially being the first time for me going to the NCAA tournament. I'm really just taking it all in so far, just looking forward to when we play tomorrow.

Q. Obviously a lot of weather issues across the country. Did you have any problems getting in? Did you have to make multiple connections? Chartered flight?

DREW PEMBER: No, it was really smooth. We had to drive to Greenville. Once we got to Greenville, we just walked on the plane, took off. When we got here it was a little windy, cold. Other than that, pretty smooth.

TAJION JONES: Straight flight.

Q. Drew, excuse me for not knowing, but were you a member of an NCAA tournament team at Tennessee?

DREW PEMBER: Yes, I was.

Q. Have you talked to other guys about this is what it's like, this is what to expect, how the process works?

DREW PEMBER: Yeah, it's been like that a little bit. Nick McMullen has also been to the tournament on this team. Obviously Coach Morrell, I think this is his ninth time or something like that. I've been the 'vet' even though I've only been one other time. Everyone is taking it in. Everyone is enjoying the experience.

Q. If you had to tell your teammates one thing about what this experience is like and how to handle it, what would it be?

DREW PEMBER: Just be yourself, enjoy the moment.

Q. When you look at the film of UCLA, what stands out most to you?

TAJION JONES: When we looked at the film, we noticed they got a big team, they got a lot of big players that came in. They recruited a lot of good players.

We know we're going to have to box out, they got three true bigs. We know they got size on us, but we're going to have to dial in on defense and limit them to one shot.

DREW PEMBER: They're one of the best defensive teams in the country. We've been practicing on ways we can be effective on the offensive end. They've got -- Tyger Campbell amazing. Jaquez as well. They've got a bunch of really, really good players. It's exciting experience to go up against a team like that.

Q. As a 15 seed, do you almost have to come into this with a chip on your shoulder?

DREW PEMBER: No. You just play like you got nothing to lose. We're the underdogs, and that's kind of what it will be for the rest of the tournament if we continue to move on, things of that nature.

We just stay disciplined and do what we do. We got nothing to worry about.

Q. Obviously St. Peter's last year. There have been a lot of teams through the years that have taken that Cinderella status and run with it. Before this year, are you sitting in March and thinking why not us?

DREW PEMBER: Yeah, I mean, who wouldn't want to be in that situation? They had a great run last year. Could we be the Cinderella team? Only the Lord knows that. It could happen. We don't know. So we're just going to go out tomorrow night and just have fun, enjoy the moment and do what we do.

Q. You have watched film of their defense, which I believe is the No. 1 in efficiency defensively in the country. When you look at them on film, what do you see that makes them so hard to score on?

DREW PEMBER: I mean, they've got Freshman of the Year in Bona, his ability to block shots is extremely high level. They've got a veteran team as well. I know Tyger has been there a while. Jaquez has been there the same amount. Having that veteran experience. Their coach is also really good, too. I've watched them since I was a little kid till now.

I mean, they're really good defensively, obviously. They know what they're doing.

Q. Both of you are Knoxville area dudes. I wanted to ask you how cool it is to represent the area and be as successful as you are?

TAJION JONES: It's really cool. A lot of people from back home, they're always cheering us on. We've had unlimited support. I'm from Oak Ridge, but very close to Knoxville. I know he's had a lot of support from the Knoxville area, being from there.

It's been a really cool experience. We love the support. Something that's really cool for us.

DREW PEMBER: I mean, it's just a big blessing. That's the best way I could put it. It's just a very big blessing.

THE MODERATOR: Gentlemen, thank you.

We have Coach Mike Morrell with us. Coach, you're certainly familiar with the protocol of being in the tournament.

MIKE MORRELL: Not sitting up here, though (smiling).

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Can you address the Cinderella factor tomorrow at all, or it's just basketball and you play your game, that's all that matters?

MIKE MORRELL: Yeah, I don't think you have to address it too, too much. I mean, in the age of social media, our guys are all on Twitter, you're not running from that.

I think for us, it's just to try to make this process as simplistic and as usual as possible for us. Although we came out here on a 757. We don't generally fly on those private at Asheville.

For us, no, it's just day by day. We know who we're playing. We know what those four letters across their chest stand for.

But no, I mean, we always want to err on the side of aggression. That doesn't change for us tomorrow. It doesn't change for us today in practice.

But, no, we're not going to watch the movie Cinderella and go in hoping or anything like that. We're just going to do what we do, try to make it as usual as possible.

Q. I was going to ask you the biggest difference as a head coach as opposed to an assistant, but there you go.

MIKE MORRELL: There's a lot more we could go into, if you want (smiling).

Q. What were some of the things you picked up as an assistant to Shaka? Being in that position as an assistant coach, what are you drawing on now as a head coach?

MIKE MORRELL: Yeah, I say this a lot. Any time I talk to him, most of the conversation is me apologizing to him. Coach, you used to say I'll know when I get in this chair. I know now (smiling). It's usually that.

But my experience with Coach Smart is everything to me. He allowed us as assistants at the time to try to be head coaches in our own way, knowing that when we sat in this chair, we were going to find out on our own.

My first year we won four games. To be in this situation now, to make growth as a person and as a coach, I think that's probably the thing that he probably is most proud of when he sits back and looks at it.

There's a lot of things. I think working for him as an assistant, I understood that, like, you're not going to be in this thing halfway. You better jump in the deep end with it or you're not going to survive. It's the same way as a head coach.

I'm really proud of the growth that we've made as a program. It's just not easy. It's not easy to get to this place, but here we are.

Q. Drew Pember, having him for two years, especially what he was able to do last year, talk about what that has meant to your program.

MIKE MORRELL: Well, I mean, he's the single biggest addition that we made in the program since I have been here. We've recruited well.

Drew's high school teammate Trent Stephney was on our team prior to him getting here. It took Drew I would say probably six to eight months to really be comfortable in his own skin. What I mean by that is, like, we had a conversation in December. I'm like, Drew, eventually, man, you're going to need to kind of take this thing by the reins.

If you look at his stats, his junior year, he only averaged 10-5 going into January. I felt like over that break he made tremendous growth. The biggest growth that he made is his head coach started doing a better job of putting him in spots offensively.

For me, that was really about the time where, again, he went from about 10 or so, then he ended up leading our league in scoring.

He's meant everything. I'm telling you, the best thing about him is who he is as a person. He's the best, best player that I have ever coached, meaning he doesn't love the limelight as much. Players love playing with him. He leads the country in free throw attempts and makes for a reason: because his teammates understand he needs the ball at certain times. That's rare.

We could talk all day about who he is as a player. But to me it's really who he is as a person that allows him to be that good of a player and make the growth that he's made.

Yeah, I knew somebody would eventually ask about him. He's a pretty good player (smiling).

Q. Obviously you have confidence in your team. When you have a guy who can score 48 points in a game alongside the leading scorer in school history, does that give you an extra boost of confidence that you can win a game like this?

MIKE MORRELL: Yeah, I thought we all sat up here together. I don't like going anywhere without those two. I'm always more confident when they're around. I'm actually worried about where they're at right now. I definitely don't like being in a gym without those guys (smiling).

Yeah, I mean, in my first year, the only person that was in the program -- coaches, players, anything -- was Tajion with me. He's the leading scorer in program history for a reason. Obviously if you watched the last eight minutes of our game in the championship game, you understand why.

Those two are also from the same area. I got three players from really the same area. I don't know that's really talked about enough because those guys just really enjoy being around each other.

But yeah, I mean, Drew really benefits from Tajion and Fletcher and those guys and the space they provide on the floor. Then Drew benefits -- I'm sorry. They benefit from his ability to really drive the basketball, really puts you in a bind. Again, that's why you see him shoot so many free throws.

It's just a special group because those two get so much attention, but it's the Nicks and the Calebs and the Fletchers that lead our team in stats that don't show up on the stat sheet.

Tajion I think is fourth in the country in three-point field goal percentage, and he just made himself into that for no other reason than just his work.

Q. Coach Cronin was very complimentary of the team in his analysis. When you evaluate UCLA and the challenge that they present?

MIKE MORRELL: It's a challenge (laughter).

Yeah, I mean, Jaquez is just really, really good. I love the way he gets to the lane and he gets to two feet, he just kind of puts you in such a bind, how he plays. He shot fakes and he pivots. I fell in love with college basketball around the time the O'Bannons and the Edneys and those guys were making runs. We understand who UCLA is. This team is really, really good.

I know they're a little bit different with a few of the nicks and bangs they've had. I watched Tyger in high school when he was at La Lumiere. He's gotten so much better.

Listen, any time you're a 15 seed, you know the name that pops up on the screen that you're going to play is going to be the best team you've played all year. They're going to be the best team we played all year because of the players they have on the floor.

It starts with those two, but Singleton has played a million games. When you hear their people talk about who he is, you can tell that they love who he is.

I think really special teams, there's probably a couple guys who get all the notoriety, but then there are those guys who don't. When I see that team, I see two guys out there who are elite competitors, but then there's these other guys doing all this work to kind of put them in those positions. That means you're going to have a challenge.

For us, I think in this moment in which we find ourselves, we've just got to try to be the best UNC - Asheville we can be. If you spend a ton of time worrying on the other team, then you don't have yourself ready to play. So that's the goal for us, is try to be aggressive, confident and loose when we go out there and do our best to play to win.

I can assure you how you can come to the NCAA tournament and get a one-way ticket home, and it's to come to play to lose. But, man, they're really, really good. I kind of felt like those guys got even more aggressive when they had the injury to Clark, watching them play against Arizona, how they kind of attacked. I know they would have liked to have that game back or whatever.

They were aggressive.

Q. I want you to geek out as much as possible. It's about UCLA's defense --

MIKE MORRELL: Did you say 'geek out'?

Q. Geek out.

MIKE MORRELL: I'll do my best (smiling).

Q. Schematically, what makes UCLA's defense so good, just sticking to that?

MIKE MORRELL: Well, one, I think any time -- most of the time, I should say, when you see a team that is ranked as high as they are defensively, you see age, you see experience. They have that. I mean, they've got guys as old as Tajion, and we haven't faced a lot of teams that got guys as old as Tajion.

As a coach, you can only do so much. So having a team that can go out there and guard sets and guard actions when maybe those are not things you particularly went over in the practice gym, that's going to make you better.

I've not been in their practice gym. I wish I would have been up to this point, it would make this a lot easier. I would imagine that that's something they just kind of figure things out on their own.

Then they don't get beat in transition a ton. When you think about things that teams that are ranked very, very high nationally in defense, they usually don't give up a ton of easy baskets. If you're a team who's trying to create those, tough match for you.

Then they create turnovers. First thing that jumped out to me, I don't think this stat has changed since I looked at it, I think they're second in the country in turnover margin. Yeah, I mean, that usually exudes winning.

Hopefully that's enough geeking out for you (smiling). I can do a recruiting video for them next, if you want me to. Throw me some softballs, I'll do one for us, too. No takers (laughter).

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

MIKE MORRELL: Thanks, guys.