NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL FINAL - CREIGHTON VS SAN DIEGO STATE

March 25, 2023

Greg McDermott

Ryan Nembhard

Ryan Kalkbrenner

Trey Alexander

Arthur Kaluma

Baylor Scheierman

KFC Yum! Center

Creighton Bluejays

Elite 8 Pregame Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: Coach, opening remarks.

GREG McDERMOTT: I'm incredibly proud of this team. It's been an incredible journey, and I'm blessed to have been part of it with them.

We're caught somewhere in between celebration and preparation. That's a slippery slope to walk sometimes because we've accomplished some things that have never been accomplished in our program. Yet, we have a real opportunity that awaits us tomorrow.

So hopefully they got a little bit of rest last night, and we'll try to do the same tonight. Playing a really good opponent that we have tremendous respect for. Played them in the NCAA Tournament last year. As I said last night, we shared the charter to Maui there and back, so Dutch and I had six hours of conversation both directions.

As I also said last night, Steve Fisher is a longtime friend of mine and part of an infamous poker group on the Nike trip for a lot of years with himself and Frieder and Boeheim and Roy Williams and some others, Bobby Cremins.

I've known Fish for a long time, and I have tremendous respect for him. Brian has done an unbelievable job with this team once again this season, and we'll have to have our A-game tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Question for Art. I was talking to your brother a couple of days ago. He was hoping that this would become a reality tomorrow. What do you think now that you guys will be facing off with a spot in the Final Four on the line?

ARTHUR KALUMA: It's a surreal experience. I got to play against my brother last year in the very first round of the tournament, but to be able to play against him in the Elite Eight is amazing. I'm happy my family gets to experience it.

Q. Mac, obviously you mentioned you played this team last year in the first round. I guess what are some of the similarities and differences you see from this San Diego State team?

GREG McDERMOTT: Some things never change, and that's their toughness defensively, their positioning defensively, their ability to knock you out of rhythm on the defensive end of the floor and how aggressive they are in the glass.

They've got a few new faces. They've got several guys that were part of that game last year. As do we. We've got a couple of new faces, but a lot of guys that were in it last year.

And it was a game they really controlled for 37 minutes, and then we had an incredible run at the end to get it to overtime and found a way to win it. So, you know, besides a trip to the Final Four on the line, I'm sure they've been looking forward to this game as well.

Q. Greg, these teams seem potentially very well matched, but San Diego State is maybe one seed position higher. They just knocked off the No. 1 overall team in the tournament. You guys are favored. It's close. But I wonder what the sense of the national perception is of San Diego State because of the Mountain West. You don't see those games at night. Also, what was it like for you when you went to the Big East in terms of perception?

GREG McDERMOTT: At the time we went to the Big East, I never felt like the Creighton story was told. I always told -- shared with a lot of people in Omaha that I felt like we were a Sweet 16 away from people understanding what a special basketball situation we have in Omaha at Creighton University, and we could never quite knock that door down.

Then when we moved to the Big East, gradually that story has been told, starting with Doug and him being the Player of the Year the first year and us being really competitive in the first year in the Big East. Then all the teams that have followed.

You know, we've had four teams since then that have been in the top ten, and as that happens, your story gets told, and it continues to get told this year because of this group that's sitting up here with me.

Anybody that appreciates basketball understands how good San Diego State is and historically how good they've been. You know, obviously, with Coach Fisher and since Dutch has taken over, they haven't missed a beat.

They play a very -- a brand of basketball that's built on toughness, built on intelligence. They don't take many bad shots, and they're very physical when the ball goes up in the glass.

So we're well aware of how good they are and how good they have been, and you add the connection with Art's brother, and obviously that connects our programs even more so. So because of that we watch them a little bit more than we do other teams.

We are well aware of what they're about, and I think sometimes maybe when you're on the inside you don't understand the perception on the outside, but, trust me, in the basketball circles, San Diego State and the job that Coach Dutcher has done, everybody understands how good a job he has done.

Q. Trey, this is for you. As Mac mentioned, how do you kind of balance celebrating what you did last night while also looking forward to tomorrow?

TREY ALEXANDER: For me I feel like it's kind of a short celebration. I feel like you celebrate in the moment, like, with your guys. I mean, get your rest that night, and then you'll be ready to refocus the next day because it's quick turnaround, like Mac said.

You don't want to get too high because, I mean, we're here, but we have to act like we've been here before. So, I mean, we still have another chance to be able to provide for the program and be able to show what we can do on a national stage.

Q. Greg, just very curious to know who fared better at the poker table between you and Coach Fisher?

GREG McDERMOTT: Coach Fisher acts like he doesn't know what's going on. He asks a lot of dumb questions. Games we've played 100 times, he'll ask, Okay, tell me the rules again, and then he'll take all the money.

And every one of you that knows him knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Q. A question for any of the players. Curious about the flight. Kind of a unique situation going back and forth with a team. Is there any interesting stories or anything stand out about that experience for any of you guys?

RYAN NEMBHARD: Yeah, I thought it was a cool experience to be on the flight with those guys. They're all real good dudes. We know they're a great program. They're super humble.

It was just a nice flight to interact with them. We were sitting apart from each other, but it's just a cool experience being able to be with those guys and get to know them a little bit, so it was good.

Q. Mac, congratulations on your 300th win as Creighton head coach last night. When you came to Creighton, did you envision kind of reaching this point here in Omaha, and to accomplish that milestone in such an important game?

GREG McDERMOTT: Well, when I came to Creighton, I had no idea we would be in the Big East. Creighton had a long history of success under Coach Altman in Missouri Valley, and I understood the responsibility of trying to continue to move the program forward and build on what he had already done.

So all the things that have transpired over the last 13 years is really, really incredible. You know, these guys have been terrific. They've been fun to coach. I think it's obvious when you watch us play they play with joy. They're honestly having fun out there when they play, and that's the way I want them to play.

While getting 300 in that game would be nice, it's 301 I'm worried about right now.

Q. For Trey, getting to this point, obviously, was a breakthrough for the program that you all wanted to make, but now that you've gotten through, how hungry does it make this team now to go even further?

TREY ALEXANDER: I feel like it makes us even more hungry. Me and R2 were having a conversation earlier in the room about how we're here now, and it's a situation of where we just want to see how far we can take it.

I mean, our mindsets are just on the next game. Like Mac said, we're just trying to see how well we can play in terms of keep riding the momentum in the situation that we're in.

Obviously, we're very blessed and very humble to be here, but we're even more hungry than we were when we first got here.

Q. This question is for Art. Was there anything that you learned last year from playing against your brother that kind of surprised you that, you know, you'll take into this year's matchup? You know, not necessarily on the court, but off the court, how you guys handled it and how it was for your family.

ARTHUR KALUMA: Yeah, I mean, when we played them last year, they got up on us pretty big. I feel like we didn't take -- we took the matchup seriously, but we just have to come in with a different type of preparedness this time so the game doesn't get so out of hand that early and we finish it out how we finished it out last year.

Q. Art, I know you gave us a scouting report on your brother last year. I think you said he played the Pat Bev defense. Would you say that the scouting report is similar from last year, or how has it maybe changed?

ARTHUR KALUMA: (Laughing) no, it's basically the same. I mean, he is a good player. He plays pretty good defense. He is a good shooter. We can run him off the line, force him to take some tough twos. He is a cerebral player. Doesn't foul a lot. Just try to contain him, you know, make sure he doesn't get no open looks.

Q. Question for Ryan and Ryan. You didn't get to play in the game last year against San Diego State, and what was that like for you having to watch that, watch your team fall behind? For the taller Ryan, your memories of that game obviously victory, but an injury as well.

RYAN KALKBRENNER: I would just say, like, obviously, yeah, I got hurt, so I didn't get to play in the next game after that, but I think it was just way more fun for me to see my guys and teammates on that team pull off the win for me.

Obviously, I didn't even watch the last two and a half minutes of that game. But, no, I think it was just overall way more fun to see them do that and the way they fought and the way they pulled that game out was really, really cool.

RYAN NEMBHARD: For me it was kind of just a fun game to watch. It was my first time in March. First time being in an atmosphere like that. And it was a crazy game up and down. We had some foul trouble. I remember Trey was in some foul trouble early.

But, yeah, we ended up pulling it out later in the game. We played some good basketball at the end of the game, and we ended up getting the win, so it was a fun experience to be able to watch that.

Q. I guess if we're going with the taller Ryan system, taller Ryan, San Diego State was undersized against Alabama. Alabama had a huge frontline. The way they played them, you know, they kind of leaned on their physicality. What do you see in them in terms of that matchup, in terms of what they do and how you prepare for that in the post?

RYAN KALKBRENNER: I mean, like you said, they obviously just play really, really physical, and that can make up for some height at times.

So I think for me going into a game like that, you just have got to know what you are getting yourself into and don't be surprised when they hit you really hard or try to be super physical with you.

I think there's a lot of teams in the Big East that do that too, just play super physical. Like I said, the best way to do that is just be prepared for it, and don't be surprised when it happens.

Q. Ryan Nembhard, I wonder if you've had any conversations with your brother about what getting to a Final Four might mean for a program, for a player, and if it's in any way something that, you know, you carry with you for quite some time? I mean, I know in his case it would only be a handful of years, but...

RYAN NEMBHARD: Yeah. I don't know if we necessarily talked about it much, but we just talk about basketball. We just talk about the game. We don't necessarily worry about things that are too big.

We go out there and play basketball, so we've talked a little bit things within the game. But, no, obviously it would be great to get to a Final Four, and he has been to a Final Four, and that's obviously something that I myself and all the guys up here want to experience. And our program. I think it would be great for our program.

So that's something we definitely want to experience, and we're going to go out there tomorrow and try to get it done.

Q. A question for Mac. Actually, I want to ask you about high school basketball back home. There's going to be four guys on the court tomorrow and today that played high school hoop in town. Two of them are on your team. You have a third one on the way coming next year. What have you seen in the rise in hoop locally?

GREG McDERMOTT: It's been really good, and it's gotten better during my tenure at Creighton. You know, we've had a lot of good players from Omaha. You know, Josh and Antoine and Kyrie and Justin and now Shereef and Jasen and Josiah next year.

We've had a good run of guys from the state. Baylor is from Nebraska as well. It will always be an area we're going to spend a lot of time recruiting, and hopefully try to keep the best players in Nebraska at home and at Creighton.

Q. Mac, I know you've gotten a chance to attend the Kentucky Derby here in Louisville. What do you remember from that, and what is it like to make more memories in this town?

GREG McDERMOTT: Yeah, it was an awesome day. The rain was actually a blessing for me. The gentleman I was with, Dennis Albaugh, who owned the horse Free Drop Billy, a friend of mine from Iowa, it rained so much that his family decided not to walk the horse around the track before the race. So Coach Otzelberger and I -- T.J. is now the head coach at Iowa State -- we actually, in the mud, walked the horse around the track by the grandstand, through the paddock. That's an experience that not many people ever get to experience. So it was a really cool day.

We hit a big pick-six on the day of the Oaks, so that made it a little bit better. It was a terrific experience with a great group of guys.

You know, Louisville has been terrific. I think our guys would echo my comments that the hospitality from the second we arrived in the city, from our bus driver to the police escorts, the guys that have been with us, to everyone at the hotel and everyone at the arena has been absolutely fabulous.

That really adds to the experience. The basketball game and the competition is one thing, but the hospitality I think has taken it over the top.

Q. Greg, you mentioned the history of the program. If you look in the way-way-back machine, there's some pretty impressive names on the list. How much of that were you aware of before you got there, and why do you think it took some time to get the national megaphone on Creighton?

GREG McDERMOTT: Part of it probably was because we were in the Missouri Valley, and the television contracts, at least at that time, we were paying to be on television, the Missouri Valley Conference. There wasn't a lot of exposure, and there wasn't -- unless you got to Sweet 16, I don't think the national media really jumped on.

But, you know, I coached at Northern Iowa before I went to Iowa State, so I competed against Creighton, so obviously was well aware of Kyle Korver. I had competed against him, coached against him, and he stayed really close to our program.

But, you know, I had an opportunity to meet Paul Silas on several occasions, you know, before he passed away, and obviously he was a giant for us. But there's a long history of success there. You know, Coach Altman really took the program to another level. Red McManus certainly had some great runs during his time. Tony Barone.

There were big shoes to fill, and I was excited that Bruce Rasmussen afforded me the opportunity to do it. It's just been an incredible ride since then.

THE MODERATOR: The student-athletes, you are heading off to the breakout rooms. We'll have Coach in here for more questions. Questions.

Q. Ryan's evolution and development fits more of a traditional college mold. Came in, kind of bided his time. I think he shot under 50% his freshman year. Can you just -- tall Ryan. Can you please walk me through just how much better he has gotten in evolving and maybe a little bit of the why behind the scenes?

GREG McDERMOTT: His progression has really been incredible. You know, he was really gangly and somewhat clumsy when he first got here. His stamina wasn't great. We could only play him in short bursts his freshman year because he just wasn't in great shape.

But then he had an opportunity between his freshman and sophomore year to try out for the USA Under-20 team. Jamie Dixon coached it, and the try-out was at TCU.

After the season, when he had the invitation, he asked me what my thoughts were and "How do I best make this team?"

I said, "Well, if you want to make the team, you have to be the best-conditioned frontline player there. You can't ever get tired. Every time Coach Dixon and his staff look out there, you're the one that's not huffing and puffing. You continue to run the floor."

He went to work with Jeremy Anderson, our strength coach, over the course of six weeks prior to that tryout and got himself in incredible shape. I think a light came on for him how that changed his game when he had that extra conditioning, and he has carried it through the rest of his career.

He has worked extremely hard on his body. He has put on 30 or 35 pounds of muscle since he has been here. He's kind of a gentle giant, but his voice is more heard this year than it's ever been, and the guys really respect him because he is an everyday guy.

I think the best thing you can say -- have your teammates say about you is that when we come to practice, we know what Ryan Kalkbrenner is going to be like that day in practice, and there's never -- he never deviates from that.

He has worked extremely hard, and obviously he's enjoying the fruits of that labor now because of his consistent work ethic.

Q. Mac, can you kind of go back to that plane ride and kind of any of the conversations you remember having with Dutch? Does this maybe feel almost full circle to beginning of the season you're with him on a plane, and now you two are squaring off for a spot in the Final Four?

GREG McDERMOTT: We talked about our teams. We talked about some of the opponents we were going to play. He was probably more familiar with Arizona being on the West Coast. So we chitchatted about the teams that were in the tournament.

You know, obviously, Dutch and I have known each other a long time, so just both of us were watching film most of the flight. But, you know, they lost a close one. I believe an overtime game to Arkansas in the third -- whatever it was -- the third place game. You know, we lost a close one to Arizona in the championship game.

So it was fun to share the flight with them. Saved some cost for both of us and got us there and all of our families and everything that goes with that. You have to have respect for each other if you are going to share a flight like that. Obviously, our teams and our coaching staff have great respect for one another.

Q. Trying to gauge what the physicality of San Diego State, how that impacts shooting and other teams offensively. I think Brandon Miller was 3 for 19 last night. Alabama hasn't traditionally shot it well from three, but they hit, like, 11% from three. What can that physicality do in terms of getting shooters out of their rhythm, getting them out of comfort zone, maybe miss shots at the basket that maybe teams would convert because of that presence?

GREG McDERMOTT: You know, Mensah is one of the premier rim protecters in the country. We've got a good one in Kalkbrenner, but he -- Nathan does a great job back there.

You know, we have to be careful not to challenge him too much. I thought that started some transition basketball for them against Alabama because of his ability to protect the rim and get him out in transition.

Hopefully the fact that we played them last year, that the physicality is not going to surprise us as much. But they're terrific defensively. They're great at being in two places at once. They act like they're going to come and help, and then they're back to the shooter in a hurry.

I think it's important against a team like San Diego State, and my message to the guys in the film room this morning is if you have a good shot, you have to take it because it may be the best one we get this possession.

While we're always in search of good to great, I think when you are playing a team like San Diego State, if you have a good one, you better take advantage of it.

Q. When you reflect on last year's NCAA Tournament run, how much do you think that matured your team, and do you think it possibly fuelled the fire for this year's run because they knew how good they could be in the future?

GREG McDERMOTT: I think any time you're in this situation and you can have some success or you have a near miss like we did against Kansas, I think that fuels your confidence. You don't want to walk into this tournament without confidence.

Now, it can't be arrogance. There's a difference. Confidence comes from a lot of hard work and a lot of preparation. Those guys have done that. They've paid the price in that regard.

But certainly, you know, our game against San Diego State, you know, we were behind and came back. Kansas we had a chance right down to the last minute, who ended up being the national champion.

That helps you when you are in this situation and the different flows and ebbs and flows of the games that we've played in. Every team that we've played has made a run, and for the most part we've answered those runs.

That's critical for tomorrow because you're going to go through some stretches with San Diego State where you're not going to score because they're that good defensively. We just can't let it impact what we do on the defensive end of the floor when that happens.

Without question, last year's experience has helped this team, whether they know it or not.

Q. Your early teams statistically were not elite defensively. In the last two seasons, there's really been a jump when you look back at the numbers. Obviously, a lot of that's personnel-based. Just how much of that is conscientious on focusing on that side of the floor, and how much of that is just having better players?

GREG McDERMOTT: My early teams had my son Doug on it, so he wasn't allowed to play defense because I couldn't have him in foul trouble. Some nights in the NBA he has carried that approach with him. He will kill me for saying that.

You know, we went from the Missouri Valley to the Big East overnight, so we didn't have an opportunity to build a Big East roster with a couple of years of preparation. So we gradually had to do it.

You know, this team has more length, more physicality than the teams we've had in the past, and we have an elite rim protector that -- some guys can block shots, but you know they're always going to leave their feet, and you know you can get an advantage because they're going to leave their feet.

Ryan Kalkbrenner, try to guess when he is going to leave his feet and when he is not because he is elite at understanding when he needs to go for a shot off the ground and when he can just wall up and use his 7'4" wing span to impact the shot.

And like San Diego State, I think teams that get to this point, very seldom do you have every game where you've played really well offensively. You have to win a game that gets a little ugly.

That was us against NC State in the first round. We didn't shoot it great, but we defended well enough and rebounded well enough to win the game. San Diego State certainly hangs their hat on that as well.