NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL SEMIFINAL - XAVIER VS TEXAS

March 23, 2023

Sean Miller

Souley Boum

Colby Jones

Adam Kunkel

Jack Nunge

T-Mobile Center

Xavier Musketeers

Sweet 16 Pregame Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by Coach Sean Miller from Xavier University. Coach, welcome to Kansas City. An opening statement before we go to questions.

SEAN MILLER: Like everybody who's still playing, we're thrilled to be here, thrilled to be in Kansas City. Excited for our team and coaching staff.

But I'm really excited for Xavier University. It's a fantastic place that sometimes has an understated tradition when it comes to this tournament. At one point our program went to 16 of 18 NCAA Tournaments. That's very difficult to do. We're thrilled to be back in it.

Q. Sean, when there's a coaching change, especially a lot of players will transfer, that's something that new coaches have to deal with. What did you say to these guys after they won the NIT to convince most of those guys to come back and join you?

SEAN MILLER: I think it's a testament to just Xavier as a university. Obviously we talked to everybody, and we also talked to their families. It didn't take a lot of convincing.

I think that the guys, our players knew that we had the opportunity to do something special. I also think, because I had been at Xavier before, that I had a type of credibility. There's a lot of people they know that I had either coached or been in the Cintas Center at previous tournaments or been with the Xavier team. So I think that helped a lot as well.

Q. Sean, you've been in the second weekend before, but the guys on your team have not. How do you walk them through the magnitude of this moment and help them sort of understand it and deal with it the right way?

SEAN MILLER: That's the great part about this tournament. That's as important as anything, the preparation for the game, et cetera, the scouting. It's so much, I think, more important that the team that we are, you do what you do.

There's a reason that we're here. There's a reason that we even made the NCAA Tournament. It's those things you want to be razor sharp and be at your best at when you get to this round.

My experience, I think the first game, the magnitude of actually the start of the tournament, especially if you're favored or you're the higher seed, sometimes it can work against you. We dealt with that a little bit last week.

But my hope is you play two games and get to this round, although it is big, guys now have tournament experience. They've been through it. They've traveled to a city already. I think this time around, from that perspective, I think is somewhat easier, at least I hope so.

Q. Sean, speaking of your experience in this tournament, I know it probably seems like a lifetime ago, but what do you remember of the drama of the last time you played Texas in 2011 in Tulsa? Do you think that defending the inbounder will play as big of a role this time as it did last time?

SEAN MILLER: You're talking about when I was the coach at Arizona? Yeah, that was a big moment, you're right. I actually forgot about that. Great game.

If you think about the players that were in that game, a lot of them went on and had great careers in the NBA, both teams.

But I think that game was always a reminder for me you advance, it's like you did it, and you don't advance, sometimes you can really feel like a failure. In that particular game, it was on like a single moment that differentiated going to the Sweet 16 and not.

Once we got to the Sweet 16 that year, we caught fire. Then we beat Duke and lost in a thrilling game to UConn, who went on to win the National Championship. Yeah, that was an amazing, amazing game.

Q. Do you remember the five-second call in that game?

SEAN MILLER: I do. I thought he got the call perfect.

(Laughter).

5 1/2 is what I had it at.

Q. Sean, I've heard you say, "Do what we do" a lot and I think that was something that you brought to Xavier the first time. What's the back story with that? Why is that such an important message that you give to your team so often?

SEAN MILLER: We can control that. It's hard to control what other teams are doing in their programs. Everybody has their own way. But this is our way. I think the more that we're all united and on the same page of this is what we do, these are the things that are important, this is how we practice, these are the things that we hold sacred. When everybody's united for that, I believe that you have a chance to overall be the best that you can be.

When you're constantly trying for excellence, it starts with you. That also, I think in our world today, it always points the compass back at the things that we can control. Today's practice. Yesterday's weightlift. The preparation for the game, the way we warm up. All those types of things, trying to keep the focus on our process.

So maybe that's a different way of saying the same thing.

Q. I wanted to ask you about Souley. When you got him here, did you expect him to make this big of a contribution? And can you just put into perspective exactly what he's meant to this team this year?

SEAN MILLER: Yeah, it was around this time we began to recruit Souley once he was in last year's transfer portal. We knew a lot of different people that knew him. One of the things that helped me is he played at UTEP. Ironically Rodney was his coach, and I was the coach at Arizona.

You scout a team, you prepare for them, and then you play against the team, I think you have a pretty good feel for players and different things.

So we had a great sense, and then that firsthand experience allowed me to feel good about him. Could I have projected he would be a First Team All-Big East player and he would have a feel for the game? No way. Not that I didn't think he'd be as good as he is, but he's been a super player for us. If you talk to other coaches in the Big East, they'll tell you he's a big difference in our team.

I'm thrilled for him. A lot of the things that we talked to Souley about a year ago that we thought could come true, have come true for him. He had a great opportunity, and he's taken advantage of that opportunity.

His story is remarkable when you think about where he came from, how long he's been playing. Sometimes when we talk about how many points he scored, I mean, he scored in his college career over 2,400 points. That's a lot of points. There aren't too many guys that have played college basketball that have scored that many.

So we really believe in him. I'm sure Rodney Terry believes in him. He coached him. I know that he thinks the world of Souley as well. Great kid. Amazing kid. That's the other part of Souley. He came to us for all the right reasons, and he's meshed with the group and our team and our university, in almost like a seamless way, as if he has been with us longer than a year.

It's going to be sad when he goes.

Q. On the same subject of the transfer portal, it's obviously very important nowadays in roster building. So I'm wondering if you have any thoughts how staying in the NCAA Tournament can be a disadvantage to recruiting the portal. There are guys in the portal now even committing while you guys are still playing basketball. Just wanted to know your thoughts.

SEAN MILLER: I totally respect your question. I get it. But there's nothing that allows you to be more successful in the future than winning. Advancing in this tournament supersedes any phone call that I can make because we can talk about it, but when you're doing it, I think there's a different credibility.

Also, whether you like it or not, it's the new way. So it's not as if we can't communicate when we're here. So you kind of wear two hats.

I do respect your question. It is unique. A few years back it wouldn't necessarily be the case. But I think all of us have to adjust, and that's what we're trying to do.

Q. Inasmuch detail as you like here, what has it been like to have this rare experience of returning to a place after more than a decade?

SEAN MILLER: It's very unique. It is. The last time that my wife and I lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, we had three young sons. I went to soccer games, little league baseball games. I watched one of my sons get stuck in the center field fence where his foot got stuck, and could've run about six home runs around while I had to walk out there and get his foot out of the fence. I won't tell you which one of my three sons.

But when I think back to our first days, the last time in Cincinnati, it was an eight-year period with small children, all three sons, raising them and coaching.

This time, 13 years later, all three of them are out of the house. One of them's an attorney. One of them's part of our staff. And my third son is a student at Arizona. So it's just my wife and I. That in and of itself is a lot different.

Some of our biggest supporters and friends that I used to see all the time in Cincinnati the last time, they now live in Florida. Imagine that. They come back and forth.

But I also tell you there's a lot of similarities. Xavier, what it stands for. The passion for college basketball hasn't changed. As a matter of fact, now that we're in the Big East conference, the last time I was there we were in the Atlantic 10. I'd say there might even be more passion towards our team and the college basketball season.

But very familiar with the area, and me and my wife, both growing up in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh have some similarities.

Q. There's a game in November when Jerome Hunter played just four minutes, I guess it was against Indiana. He's averaging 29 minutes a game, 19 points a game. What has he meant to this team since the Zach Freemantle injury, and do you get here without Jerome Hunter stepping up the way he did?

SEAN MILLER: You're really spot on. I would tell you that Jerome is like a throwback story. There used to be stories like him all throughout this tournament, where you kind of earn your stripes. You have a smaller role. You do it well. You make it bigger. You do that well.

Then all of a sudden, circumstances and your good play allow you to have the role that you really hoped for. Then you start getting better at that role, and all of a sudden you become a very good player. That's exactly what he did.

In November was our roughest moment, him trying to adapt to a new coach, a new style, figure out what we were asking for. But to his credit, when he figured it out, he made it his job on a daily basis.

Jerome is one of our best practice players. I've never seen a guy who shows up every day in practice and gets it done. It eventually would translate into a game. All of those things are who he is.

If there's one player I would point to kind of you want to embody the culture of a team or a program, it would be Jerome because he just simply plays to win. And everybody in our locker room knows it. He knows it. I'm just incredibly happy for him, and as a coach, I'm very proud of what he's become.

No, we would not be here today without him.

Q. Sean, the Big East has three teams in the second weekend, UConn, Creighton being the other two. You're 4-1 against those teams this year. How impressed are you with the performance of the conference this year, and how much confidence does that give you to see how you've done against this competition?

SEAN MILLER: No doubt, the Big East Conference is one of America's best, this year in particular. As you know, I don't know if enough people have talked about it, we've played ten home games and ten road games. Not only is it very, very competitive, but the 20-game schedule, I think has toughened all of us. You add in three more games that we played in Madison Square Garden, that's 23 games against Big East competition.

I will tell you this, it's no secret, you play Creighton, you play UConn, they're going to be really tough to beat. Both teams are excellent. I could see both of those teams being able to get to the Final Four.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much, Coach.

I think we are ready to go with the Musketeers from Xavier. We have four student-athletes, Souley Boum, Colby Jones, Adam Kunkel, and Jack Nunge.

Q. Souley, I wanted to ask you. You had said a while back that you came to Xavier because you wanted to play in the NCAA Tournament. So far, has it been what you envisioned it to be? If you could comment a little bit on how things have gone for you individually.

SOULEY BOUM: It's been a dream come true, man. I still can't believe that I'm up here today with these guys. It's just been a dream come true, and I'm happy that I'm here. This is what I came here for.

It just shows that all the stuff, all the work that we put in all year, all the games that we won, all the teams that we competed against, we just are getting all the benefits of that. I'm just happy and delighted that I'm here with these guys. We still standing in the Sweet 16 and having a chance to get to the Elite Eight.

I know I'm going to do everything possible, these guys are going to do everything possible to do our best so we can get there.

Q. Souley, you're going against your former coach. What is that dynamic like in this game? Have you talked to him at all since this matchup got set?

SOULEY BOUM: Yeah, it's crazy because it just shows you how everything comes full circle. I'm about to play against my old coach. I played for him for three years. We have a great relationship. I know he cares about me. I care about him.

We communicated. We communicated throughout the year. He texted me a couple times this week, even before our last game. He was just telling me that he's happy for me, he's proud of me. He's been pulling for me throughout this whole year.

So just the fact that we're about to play against each other now is just crazy. Stuff like this, it rarely happens. So I'm just trying to soak it all in, appreciate everything about it. I'm just going to try to do my best to give him some fits tomorrow.

Q. How important has Jerome Hunter been since Zach went down with his injury? And would you be here without him and the way he stepped up?

JACK NUNGE: Jerome, he's been kind of that guy for us all year, right? First he came off the bench, and he was huge. Like we needed him out there for every game. Then he's really taken his game to, I'd say, a whole 'nother level since he moved into the starting lineup.

We feel like he's done a great job defensively for us, but also offensively he's a guy who we can trust when we throw it into him at the post, and he's going to either score it or make the right play. So he's been huge. Huge, I would say.

ADAM KUNKEL: I would kind of say the same thing. He's definitely helped us a lot defensively and being able to get stops and stack together stops. His offensive game has done a full 360 compared to last year. He's hitting shots. He's getting open. He's making the right plays.

He's a glue guy, and I definitely don't think we'd be here without Jerome.

COLBY JONES: He's a dog. Just to see the amount of work that he's put in, I'm just glad he's been able to get his ability to showcase it this year. I'm proud of him. He stepped up big time when Zach went down, like you said.

I feel like he's just elevated our team in a different way, and I'm just thankful we have him.

SOULEY BOUM: I feel like we definitely wouldn't be here without him. When Zach went out, a lot of people were saying, oh, their season is over. They're not going to be able to go far without Zach Freemantle. The fact he stepped up big time and had confidence in himself. We always had confidence in him. Even when he was our sixth man, he was coming in the game and being very productive.

So the fact that he's starting and just doing the same thing has been truly amazing to see. We have all the faith and belief in him, and he's been stepping up and delivering for us. We're just happy for him. Like we said, we wouldn't be here without him.

Q. This is for Colby and for Adam: Since you guys are the old hands on the team, can you comment a little bit on how Souley has elevated this team in this one year.

COLBY JONES: He's just been a steady presence for us, definitely on the offensive end. He's getting guys in the right spots. He's getting his, but he's also included everyone on the team.

I feel like we all clicked together, and Souley just kind of came in and was that fifth piece we needed. I felt we just have a chemistry that a lot of teams don't have. We have a lot of older players that know how to play the game the right way.

Souley, he's been a great addition for us. He's one of the best PGs in the country, and he plays like it every night.

ADAM KUNKEL: I would say the same thing along with consistency. From the minute he stepped on our campus, he's been consistent in everything he does. He scores the ball with the best of them, like you guys know. He passes the ball. He gets his teammates involved. He plays defense. He fights over ball screens. He does everything that we need.

He's a great point guard, one of the best point guards I've played under. He's an older guy, so we kind of get along. Even off the court, we've got a great camaraderie with our team.

Yeah, he's been able to ice a bunch of games down late. He's had that clutch gene in him, and we've really looked for him late in games to keep closing out games. He's came up every time we've asked him to.

Q. Texas comes in hot. For any of the guys, what's the main concern when you look at film of Texas as far as the matchup? And what's the key to walking away with a W?

SOULEY BOUM: First off, looking at them, they're a very talented team. They're very athletic. First of all, we're going to have to get back in transition. That's going to be one of the keys to the game. We're going to have to be able to box out in this tournament and in this game because they have a lot of guys that they send to the glass.

So we can't give them easy buckets, free buckets, just crashing the glass and not boxing out, missing box-outs and giving up easy baskets in transition, threes, layups, and all that.

So we've got to be on our P's and Q's with that.

Q. Souley, what's the key to being a steady ball handler against pressure and not committing a turnover? Is it something you work on? Something you sort of visualize? Like what is the key to that?

SOULEY BOUM: I feel like just being steady and confident in yourself. Going through that stuff in practice all the time, we have good scout team guys that they pressure us a lot. So I feel like, before I even see that in a game, I get that in practice a lot. We practice that a lot.

So just getting familiar with that in practice just gets me ready for the game. So I feel like that's my best answer for that.

Q. Jack, you look back at your career and the adversity that you had to overcome. Did you always like maintain belief that this was possible, that you might end up on this stage at some point?

JACK NUNGE: I would say yes, definitely. That was my, I guess, motivation a lot. Whenever you're rehabbing during the COVID pandemic, getting up every day is not always easy. The gyms aren't always open. So you're kind of working out at home, I guess. Just kind of trusting why you're doing everything you're doing.

Because you love the sport. You love basketball. You believe in yourself. Moments like this is what it's all about. You always want to be able to make the tournament, but then also make a run in the tournament when you get there.

We're just out here trying to make the most of it and trying to keep this ride going.

THE MODERATOR: We'll let you get out of here and get back to the locker room. We'll see you guys tomorrow.