NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - PENN STATE VS TEXAS

March 17, 2023

Rodney Terry

Wells Fargo Arena

Texas Longhorns

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: Joined by interim head Coach, Rodney Terry from Texas. Coach, your thoughts about tomorrow?

RODNEY TERRY: Tomorrow's opponent, very well coached team. Micah has done a great job with the program there at Penn State.

Man, you talk about one of the best passing teams I've seen all year on tape. Getting a chance to watch them in person, elite level passing team, elite level shooters, with a challenging, unique player in Jalen Pickett who does it all.

He's a guy that can score the basketball, pass the basketball, and, man, elite level shooters around in Funk and Lundy. Really good team. One of the best three-point shooting teams in the country. It going to be a great matchup.

Q. Coach, you've talk in the past about how you try to bring a calm attitude to the game. Can you talk about some of the personal influences that helped keep you grounded, especially during stressful times like this? You've talked about your faith and the impact of your family. What are those things that keep you calm in March?

RODNEY TERRY: Absolutely. I think sometimes just the experiences that you've had. A lot of times people that you work with. I've worked with Rick Barnes for nine years and we were in postseason play every year, and Rich is one of one of those guys that really keeps the guys loose, and he's really loose himself.

He is one of the wittiest guys that you know in terms of always joking and kept everybody, the staff, players, everybody loose.

And worked with another guy in Jerry Wainwright, and if you spend time worrying about this or worrying about that, you don't need to worry. If you stay prayed up and have faith, you don't need to worry. You put it in God's hands and everything takes care of itself. You control what you can control. Worry gives you anxiety. What do I need to do?

Nothing positive comes from worrying, so just try to live your life every day and be positive and you will have positive results.

Q. Coach, you had a lot of great things to say about Penn State. How would you describe your team? What do you like about your chances tomorrow?

RODNEY TERRY: I think our team is obviously playing our best basketball of the year. I think our defense has traveled with us. We talked about that all year long in terms of we play really good defense at home, and we carried that over in the plan on the road and locking into the details.

They've been very focused in regards to what we're trying to do offensive-wise, defensive game plan wise. They played really hard and unselfish, and as a team they have been really connected.

I've been really proud of this group. They don't get a lot of notoriety in terms of what they've done this season, and they've clearly done it themselves. They stayed the course and really worked this season all year long.

They're sitting right now with the 4th most wins in school history right now, over the course of this season. Sometimes we don't look at that. We try to live in the present, and we are very present oriented. You live where your feet are.

But they've done some great things up to this point right now, and I think they're a hungry team and still want more.

Q. RT, in your past, in your experience as an assistant, and a head coach, do you notice a difference in the demeanor and focus and attitude with your basketball teams after the first tournament game is done and going into the second tournament game? Is there more of a calmness? How does the staff go about getting them mentally and emotionally ready for the round two game?

RODNEY TERRY: Great question, Craig. I think as you well know, it doesn't matter what seed you have going into that first game. It really doesn't matter. Everybody in the tournament is a really good team. They've all had a great season. They're not going to be intimidated by anyone on a neutral court.

So with that being said, I think you have to place a really, really high emphasis on being prepared and not giving 20 minutes away. We have tried to do that all year long with the understanding that you have to play the game for 40 minutes, and every 20 minutes is very valuable.

I think we have had that approach through our conference play. We've carried that into postseason play. I thought we displayed that pretty well the other night. Once you get past the first game you're in the tournament, you know? You're really in the tournament.

There is not anybody that you're going to play in that second round that hasn't had to work really hard and had that kind of emphasis and continue to be able to finish and advance. Those teams, going to the next round, they're really, really good and they're confident.

I think our group right now going into the second round, we know we have a great challenge ahead, but we have also played in this building, and I think there will be a level of comfort coming in and competing against one of the best teams in the country.

Q. Coach, a moment ago Timmy spoke about the communication in the huddles, and he said your sense of calm and your encouraging player dialogue gives them confidence. Do you have a huddle philosophy? Was there a strategy to building the player dialogue and the way that you organize huddles?

RODNEY TERRY: Well, I think we've continued to do what we have done all year in terms of the way we organize our huddle. We have guards on one side and we have our bigs on the other side, so we're able to communicate what we have to in terms of strategy-wise, offensively and defensively, and then the guys that are subbing in behind those guys and behind those positions.

When you go in a huddle, first of all you have to try to take a deep breath and regroup a little bit, whether you're playing well or not playing well, whether you need to make adjustments, not make adjustments. When you go in a huddle, it's a lot like a pit stop. You have to be able to go in there, give the information, the guys have to be able to take the information and then they have to take it back court.

I think there has to be a level of calmness. I think you have to wait a little bit before you go into the huddle, because sometimes the huddles can be very emotional in a positive way. Sometimes they can be in a negative way at times to where guys have to come in, calm down, take a deep breath, and let's regroup. We have had to do that throughout the course of this season.

When we have, we've just said to our guys, everybody just take a deep breath. Let's look around. Let's stay calm right now. We're poised. We've been here before. Let's regroup and talk about what we really have to do. I think we have been able to do that at a very high level throughout the course of conference play and postseason play.

Q. Last night sitting up there, Marcus went out of his way to say I needed to come out of the game for a while and that changed the game. I'm wondering how rare that is for a guy in his situation. Does he seem to put a lot of this on himself or maybe too much? How have you seen his mindset during this time?

RODNEY TERRY: Great question, Mike. Marcus, I tell you what, he's had an incredible season. He's been an incredible teammate. I think throughout the course of this season, you know, even when he's not playing well or scoring the ball particularly well, he's been guy that's made other guys around him better. He's trusted his teammates all year long. He's so bought into winning and wanting to win at the highest level.

Last night, you know, he had a couple of uncharacteristic turnovers late in the game. Some of that could have been a little fatigue, staying out there a little bit longer. But, again, he's quick to really just kind of hit the reset button again a little bit.

I went over to him at that particular time as he was on the bench and said, hey, relax, man. We know you're going to play your best at the biggest moment. You'll get those back, no problem. You played great all night long. You'll be in there to finish this game. Finish this game like you have all year.

Again, nobody wants to win as much as Marcus Carr does.

Q. Question about Tyrese Hunter. He won the crowd yesterday. It's awful close to Iowa State and the crowd was not favorable to Tyrese. What has his attitude been toward coming back to Iowa, and how has he focused on playing in an environment that he's not used to?

RODNEY TERRY: Tyrese has been great on the road and at home. College athletics, everybody is going to have to get used to understanding kids are going to go where they want to go, and you shouldn't punish those kids and you shouldn't treat those kids that way.

That's not fair.

That's not fair to them, and I don't think that's right. The landscape has changed. You gotta adapt and adjust. Tyrese Hunter was incredible at Ames, Iowa, when we went there. He never paid attention to the awful things that were said to him when he played that game. He played the game. He didn't get caught up in the nonsense. I was so proud and I told the guys I was so proud of how he carried himself like a true professional and a respectful young man.

All the things that were said, never once did he retaliate. College athletics needs to understand guys are going to come and go, and you can't hold those guys or try to say things to those guys. That's not right. That's not fair.

If we had it happen in our building I would stop and say, hey, you can't do that. Adapt and adjust. Guys are going to come and go all the time. Leave it alone. That's not fair.

Q. Rodney, you were telling a nice story the other day about how your father would tell you every time a job opened, hey, that's your job. Go get it. Did you see yourself that way before this season? Had you resigned yourself to maybe that won't be part of my journey? How did you view yourself in regard to that?

RODNEY TERRY: I think throughout the course of my career I've always really tried to live where my feet are in terms of you've got to treat every job like it's your last job.

You can't be looking at this job or that job. You have to do your job to the fullest, and if you are given another opportunity like I thought I would at some point in the mid-major level, I had to do well where I was at an unbelievable level.

I thought doing that that you would probably have an opportunity at some point to be a Power Five coach. My dad all the time instilled in me to dream big and want to be one of those guys. If that's your goals and aspirations, don't let anyone take that away from you. I said the other day that he always dreamed bigger than I did in terms of seeing myself on that stage.

I think through hard work and I think through just attention to details in terms of your craft, and through, again, with having strong faith. A lot of times we think that we should be over here or there. God is going to put you right where you're supposed to be. He has the master plan. We're just living in the everyday plan.

But he's going to put you where you're supposed to be. We think we should be over here, coaching here, doing this. He's going to put you right where you're supposed to be, and I know right now where I'm supposed to be is working with the team that I'm supposed to be working with right now. I'm excited about what's to come in the future.

Q. Coach, you were talking about the guys being hungry. How hungry are you to keep this thing rolling and how big are you dreaming now?

RODNEY TERRY: I don't want the journey to end. We've had a special year this year where we have endured adversity and some challenges. I thought our guys have stayed the course and worked the season all year long. As a result of that, you want to ride this thing as far as you can ride it, you know?

We know we're only guaranteed 40 more minutes against an elite level team that's playing really well, one of the hottest teams in the tournament right now. But it's been a lot of fun. We've tried to enjoy it along the way.

But, you know, I just try to encourage the guys to want more and to really go out and live where your feet are and stay in the present. Let's take this thing as far as we can.

Q. You touched on Jalen Pickett a little bit. Are there any comparisons to guys you've seen throughout the season for him, and what are the specific ways that you can focus in on limiting his influence in the game?

RODNEY TERRY: He's a big-time player. I think he's an NBA player. He reminds me of -- going back aways, that's Tony Allen. I was in the league with Tony Allen at Oklahoma State when he came in the league, and he changed Oklahoma State and made 'em a Final Four team.

Pickett can score the ball, pass the ball. He makes other guys around him better. In our league the closest guy I could liken him to is Keyontae Johnson from Kansas State. He was an extremely hard matchup for us this year because he could score the ball, play bully ball a little bit like Jalen Pickett does.

He plays some bully ball a little bit in terms of backing undersized guys down and really trying to put himself in scoring position on a great pass position from a teammate. That's probably the closest comparison we had this year to deal with was Keyontae Johnson.

Q. RT, you mentioned the guys getting in the arena and having played a game in the arena. I know part of your routine is you show them where the scoreboards are, the benches, things like that. How much does it help now having played a game in there and you just got through with an hour and a half practice in terms of the comfort level of the rims? I know it's different in a dome than a true basketball arena, but how comforting is that?

RODNEY TERRY: We had a chance to play here and we got a chance to practice here again today. Now it's about improving your shot and continuing to work your craft. We're not going to come back tomorrow for a shootaround. We are going to be in an alternative site, and it's just a matter of keying the ball going through the basket and continue to do what you're doing in terms of your reps.

But it's getting back to -- not so much you don't know how well you're going to shoot the basketball night in and night out, but you know you can bring your defense every night. We like to hang our hat on that, and going out hard every night hoping that we come over here and make more shots than we miss.

But I think we will be more than familiar with this building come tomorrow night.

Q. I think it was Griffin Bishop last night who sort of spoke in front of the team and congratulated you for your first NCAA Tournament win. What did that moment mean to you? I know you're scouting and the tournament is a bubble, but have you taken time to reflect on that milestone in your career?

RODNEY TERRY: You know what? I really just am so proud of our guys. They're the ones out there playing. We're trying to put them in the right positions and situations where they can be successful on both ends of the floor. But I'm just really proud of those guys.

Last year we played in the first round and were able to win, and we put this team back together this year. Some of those guys are returning. I'm just really happy for them and I want more for them. I thought they had a great experience last year, and the thing I've said to those guys, you know, each round you get a chance to advance it gets better and better.

Last night was just, again, no different than any other night. Playing in the Big XII every night you have to play a really good opponent and you keep it for one night. You enjoy it for one night and it's on to the next opponent and trying to figure out what we need to do to try to win the next ball game.

THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you very much. Best of luck tomorrow.