NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL FINAL - UCONN VS GONZAGA

March 24, 2023

Dan Hurley

Andre Jackson Jr.

Tristen Newton

Jordan Hawkins

Adama Sanogo

Alex Karaban

T-Mobile Arena

UConn Huskies

Elite Eight Pregame Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by UConn.

Q. Adama Sanogo, what are your thoughts on Drew Timme and playing against him and what you've seen of him on tape?

ADAMA SANOGO: Watching his game I know he's one of the best players in country. We know he's well coached and he's a good player. I think I'm going to do my job for us. They have a good coach. I can't wait. I'm definitely looking forward. I think it will be a fun game tomorrow.

Q. Andre and Jordan, last night, Adama talked about this team coming together after January and that you guys had a meeting. And the way the meeting started wasn't the way the meeting ended. What do you recall about what happened in that conversation between you guys that has led you to the run you've gone on now?

ANDRE JACKSON JR.: Really that meeting was just a talk amongst us of stuff we had to do to hold ourselves to a higher standard, the UConn standard. It was really just about taking an everyday approach to get better as a team. We all did that, and we made it true. And we are making sure we're all on the right page, the same page.

JORDAN HAWKINS: Follow-up to what he said, we just had a man-to-man conversation. We decided to be real with ourselves. We knew we didn't want to be in the same position that we were last year. So we had to look ourselves in the mirror and take that big leap that we had to take.

Q. Alex, as a fellow front-court player, what have you learned from the guy to your right? Do you have any story that comes to the top of your brain about Adama Sanogo?

ALEX KARABAN: I've learned a lot from him. I mean, just seeing him off the court, just how he is as a person, how he carries himself. And then on the court his work ethic. He's one of the hardest working players on this team. So it's really driven me to work hard, too.

And he makes my life so much easier on the basketball court. We communicate with each other a lot. He controls the inside in the paint so much to where it helps me on the perimeter as well. So he's a great teammate.

Some stories? You know, he blames me a lot of stuff. He calls me the freshman a lot. He blames me all the time. He's a great teammate. And I love him.

Q. Andre, what do you think Dan was like as a player?

ANDRE JACKSON JR.: Probably really gritty. Probably really gritty. Played a lot of defense. When he told me, though, he said he was more of like a playmaker, had a lot of different skill sets. I've watched some of his highlights at Seton Hall and stuff on YouTube. I'm definitely a fan.

Q. Andre, I talked to Joey C. the other day. He said that sometimes he watched highlights of the Alabama game and some of the stuff in Portland to kind of remind him how good you guys can be when you share the ball that way. Did you ever do stuff like that, just to try to remind yourself of how good this team was early in the season when you guys were struggling?

ANDRE JACKSON JR.: Yeah, definitely I always do that. I've always constantly watching our team. I like to watch us play because the way we play is very selfless. We all touch the ball, we all move the ball.

Every time there's a game, I always watch the game. I watch like the breakdowns of the game as well. So every game I just tune in and try to watch and see just the way we play, how we can get better.

Q. Tristen, obviously defense is a team game, team concept. How much faith do you guys have as a team in what Adama can do against specifically tomorrow?

TRISTEN NEWTON: He does a great job. He's been doing a great job all year against whoever he's played. We have great faith that he can guard whoever we put him on. That's pretty much it.

Q. Tristen, earlier this season you talked about the UConn standard and how much it means to you to be a Connecticut point guard. What can you say about the opportunity at hand tomorrow as a Connecticut point guard to write a chapter on an Elite Eight game?

TRISTEN NEWTON: It's a big honor to be in the spot that we are in, but I'm not focusing on the Elite Eight. It's a big honor. But it's not just me, it's everybody else.

Q. Andre, obviously we know the attention that Drew Timme commands. Outside of that, what things stand out about the Gonzaga team that make them so great to play against?

ANDRE JACKSON JR.: They're the best offense in the country. They're very efficient. They have a lot of different guys, a lot of different weapons.

Definitely Drew Timme has been a very good player every year he's been in college. We know what he brings to the table. Around him, he has a lot of people that can shoot the ball, some good role players.

They've got No. 22, he's a pretty good role player. They've got a lot of guys that fit his style of play. They're a really good offensive team, but we're a good defensive team as well. Really, we're just going to go out there, try to disrupt their rhythm of their offense and stick to our script and what we do.

Q. Alex, you guys have been pretty loose as a team so far. Obviously tomorrow a trip to the Final Four is on the line. Can you continue to stay loose going into this big game?

ALEX KARABAN: I definitely think so. We're coming off a lot of momentum yesterday. We had a great win yesterday and a bunch of great wins throughout the entire season. We want to keep building on it.

I know we're excited to reach the Final Four. We want to reach the Final Four. It's been a goal of ours since the beginning of the season. So we just want to get out there and start playing.

COACH HURLEY: Obviously, really excited to have the opportunity to play a game and go to the Final Four versus -- I think it becomes, obviously, even more exciting because of the quality of the opponent. I just think a UConn-Gonzaga game, West Region final is just an exciting game to be a part of.

We obviously know their quality. One of the best teams in the country. And have been one of the best teams in the country for recent memory. Excited about the game. Obviously it's a great challenge.

Q. Knowing that you're coaching one of the biggest games of your life tomorrow, what is today like for you? Do you think you'll get any sleep tonight?

COACH HURLEY: You know it's an important game. I just -- I've coached a lot of games. Unless somebody's got an injury or somebody drops on me that Adama is not going to be eating, otherwise you put the preparation in, you know your identity as a team. Obviously you've got a short prep to get ready for your opponent.

But I think at this time of the year, I think for most teams everything is pretty automatic. You just try to get your team in the best frame of mind mentally and keep them fresh and go try to give your best performance. But stressing, tossing and turning, that won't be me tonight. I'll sleep like a baby.

Q. What are your thoughts on Coach Few and what he's done with the Gonzaga program? Turned a mid-major into a national power.

COACH HURLEY: Obviously, they hit the mark across the board -- player development, the culture, the winning, Final Fours, obviously. Putting guys in the NBA. They do it with a culture that's widely respected.

So shared a sideline with some coaches more than others, you have greater respect for what they've been able to do in their career and how they've done it. Obviously Mark's one of those guys you have a lot of respect for.

Q. Last night Adama Sanogo talked after the game and he told me that he'll talk to himself in the mirror tomorrow morning about who he needs to be and "you can do this Adama." Who is Adama the person, and what made you fall in love with him in the first place?

COACH HURLEY: Adama the person is -- there's that rare individual in terms of intangible qualities. Obviously he's got tremendous physical strength and touch and athletic abilities. But he's got a tremendous makeup. His work ethic, off the charts. His competitive will, off the charts. He's got tremendous working character. And just the guy's a warrior. And he's a guy that values winning more than anything else.

Q. Is it your leadership that kind of allows you to perform as you did yesterday on this team despite everything that's happened, whether it's the bus, whether it's the hotel? You must have leaders that kind of compartmentalize and when it is time to go, go.

COACH HURLEY: Yeah, it really hasn't been that bad. And Luke said that his phone went off -- there was a story about the bus being vandalized -- it hasn't been that bad. We've had some minor inconveniences that we're not even thinking about because we're so joyful about being in Vegas and playing, having an opportunity to go to the Final Four.

But we have a mature team in terms of Adama and Andre's leadership. And they're battle tested because of the Big East. And when you play in the Big East and especially the top of our league, the top of our league was as good as any, or I think is the best as any league in the country this year. The Big East toughens you up when you have minor inconveniences.

Q. You just mentioned Adama and what he's meant to the team. What do you expect from him specifically defensively against Timme? And is that the kind of challenge you expect him to embrace?

COACH HURLEY: With Drew Timme, you're talking about one of the best big guys to ever play college basketball. So it's obviously a tremendous challenge for him and Donovan and for our entire team. You've got to have help. He's got to see some bodies. You can't just leave him one-on-one. He's got to see some crowds, even though that's not really what we do.

But he knows the challenge. The team knows the challenge. Drew Timme is one of the best bigs to play college basketball.

Q. It's well documented that your bench has been really productive during this current run, but one guy I'd like you to talk about Nahiem Alleyne. His production and points are up, he's been scoring for you. He's eight of his last 15 3-pointers. What he means to your team and his production off the bench.

COACH HURLEY: When we're extremely formidable, the bench is playing a big part in that. Obviously going into the season or at the end of last season, understanding that we needed to improve our perimeter attack and bring in veterans to supplement that core of Jordan, Andre and Adama and Donovan and Alex, that core.

But Nahiem has got NCAA experience. He's been successful in the tournament. That was a big reason why we were attracted to him because of how well he played in that first-round game against Florida when he played at Virginia Tech. Because we knew we needed players that had the mental make-up to step up in stressful situations.

Q. With Adama and Timme and Donovan as well, three of the better big men in the country tomorrow, do you think it's been a good thing to see the rise, the return of the big man in college? The Big East certainly, but all around the country, has it been a good development to see so many good centers this year?

COACH HURLEY: I think so. I think it makes the game more interesting in terms of the tactics. You can watch an NBA game and literally never see anything besides like a million 3s and dunks. And kind of the back to the basket, throwing the ball in the post, I just think college basketball, it's a lot more diversified. And obviously these big back-to-the-basket-type centers that can do damage in the paint.

The NBA is not necessarily calling for them. They want guys that can make 3s and play in space. It's certainly to the benefit of the college game because you get so many outstanding players that now are staying in college.

Q. You're not the only UConn basketball team playing this weekend. How close are the men's and women's teams? And can you even comprehend a coach who has been to 22 Final Fours?

COACH HURLEY: That's how many, Geno? Somebody said 30 straight Sweet 16s or 29 straight? Yeah, you just stop counting in the high 20s, right?

No, you can't fathom that. No. And then -- and it's really close. I think just the players between both programs and the coaching staffs are very closely connected and very supportive. And we share our practice facility and I think we're each other's biggest fans. And I think it's a really cool thing that this March we're holding up our end of it.

Q. What kind of challenges does Gonzaga present for your defense, obviously one of the highest scoring teams in the nation?

COACH HURLEY: Yeah, the No. 1 offense in the country. And it's a tremendous challenge because, first of all, the pace that they come at you with, in terms of how quickly they get the ball reversed from side to side, how quickly they get the ball down the court on makes, misses, your ball screen defense is stressed, low post defense is stressed. They've got all types of shooting on the perimeter. Versatility. They've got great depth at guard.

So our defense will face its greatest challenge. And they play in a similar way to Xavier, which I don't know how good of news that is for us because we didn't -- we had trouble guarding them. But they play a very similar offensive style to something that we were able to see twice during the course of the year in terms of their spacing and how they attack you.

Q. What is the most fulfilling component or part of being a basketball coach?

COACH HURLEY: Easy, just the relationships, everyone that you're on the mission with -- the players, the coaching staff. Getting to know Andre Jackson and his family, his mom Trish and his brother Marcus is like a 15-, 16-year-old.

Convincing him to believe in you that you're the person to help him holistically develop into a great man and a great player. And let's go and chase a Final Four together -- and when it comes to fruition.

And all that time you've spent together, you know? Like, we spend 11 months a year together. Every day that these guys are on campus, our program runs summer one, summer two, they're not optional programs. Like, every day these guys are on campus we're on and we're together every day.

So you truly are -- you're family. And to do this together is special, not just the great moments, but having to pick each other up after great failures. Just doing it all together, the roller coaster ride. It's like it's a bond that you have with other people that most people don't get to experience.

Q. When you look at the teams that are still playing obviously three from the Big East, American and Mountain West, et cetera, only a couple of Power Five schools, what does that say to you about college basketball and maybe the teams that would seem to have the most resources don't necessarily have an advantage over schools and conferences that prioritize basketball?

COACH HURLEY: Obviously NIL has affected where the talent formerly was attracted to big brand programs. But the biggest brands with the most national championships and the most NBA players, that was kind of, that was the huge advantage that you don't really have in recruiting anymore with NIL, with the transfer portal.

Obviously the extra-year COVID players, the inventory of players that are available for programs across the board to strengthen their team, like that extra year. The inventory is greater. So that levels the playing field as well.

But I just think it's the convergence of those things. I do not think that it's going to change. I think this is probably just the new normal and you can't rest on your laurels as a university or as a basketball program because you have a rich history or tradition. This game has changed.