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

March 25, 2023

Mark Few

Anton Watson

Rasir Bolton

Drew Timme

T-Mobile Arena

Gonzaga Bulldogs

Elite 8 Postgame Media Conference

Connecticut - 82, Gonzaga - 54

COACH FEW: UConn was just terrific tonight. And we didn't have any answers, especially when kind of everything really didn't bounce our way. And we can't absorb a game like that when our offense is as bad as it was tonight.

But, again, UConn deserves credit. And I got to see them way back in the PK85. They were great then, and they were certainly great tonight.

Q. Reflecting on the success of Gonzaga basketball from being an assistant coach under Coach Munson and just leading the Zags to -- being the only team to lead them to the Sweet 16 eight straight years, what's the secret to the consistency that you and this program have?

COACH FEW: We've just got a tremendous run of great players like these guys. They're winners. We've had a great run of winners. As I told them in there, I mean, personally, I think this is 24 years of being a head coach, I've never had a team get this much better over the course of a year.

I mean, again take way this last two hours, but prior to that, from where we were in November to where we were two hours ago was just an incredible journey and a bunch of fun, because they were coachable and willing to work and willing to do what we asked them. So they deserve all the credit and all the other guys that played on those teams deserve all the credit.

Q. Drew, I saw you pull the team aside before you guys headed down the tunnel postgame. Curious if you would share what your message was to the team?

DREW TIMME: Just told them we had a hell of a year. I was proud of them. I loved them. Wouldn't want to do this journey with anyone else. And kind of what Coach said, I don't think anybody thought we would make it this far this year.

Just the stuff we overcame as a group and how we just stayed together I think speaks volumes to who we are as people, more than players. And I just told them I was so proud of them and to thank everyone that supported us because we didn't do this alone. It was with the help of all the fans and everyone that just cheered us on. It was a special year.

Q. Drew, I know you're not really a reflective guy and certainly right now you're not thinking about all you've accomplished, but do you think next few weeks, months, whatever, that it might come at some point?

DREW TIMME: Yeah, I mean, yeah. Yeah.

Q. The fourth foul, what did you think about the call? And do you think -- obviously UConn was the better team, but do you think that altered the tone of the game?

DREW TIMME: Look, we can say "what if?" Right? What if they didn't call a foul? But the bottom line is they were the better team tonight. They made more shots. They got the 50/50 balls. Regardless of whether we want to say what-ifs, the refs didn't control that game. They were the better team tonight.

Q. Just what you can say about Mark Few as a leader and what you've taken from his leadership this season, specifically on the road to the Sweet 16 and to this game tonight?

ANTON WATSON: Coach Few is a great coach. He's pushed us so hard this year. Him and Drew, they always bump heads sometimes, but that's just the joy of getting better.

And at the beginning of the season we thought it was going to be tough. We thought it was going to be a long season and didn't know how many games we were going to win. But just kept getting better week by week, practice by practice, and he kept reminding us that. And we made it this far. And I'm just really proud of my teammates and all the coaches.

RASIR BOLTON: I would say the same as 'Ton. He's gotten us better throughout this whole season as you've seen. We couldn't have made this run without him. I appreciate him bringing me in the last two years of my career and helping me be a part of something bigger than myself. And I appreciate Coach Few, and he's a great leader.

DREW TIMME: He means the world to me. I mean, he's believed in me. He's believed in us. He's always pushing us to be the best version of ourselves in every area of life.

He holds you accountable but loves you as well. And I don't think words do justice to what he's meant to me and this team, especially when things don't go as well. You find out who people really are when the grass isn't always the greenest. And he stayed true to who he was. And we butt heads, but I love this man forever and I wouldn't ever want to play for another coach.

Q. Rasir, could you talk about the challenge of their guards and how really deep talented group and especially Jordan Hawkins?

RASIR BOLTON: I think their guards controlled the game tonight. Jordan Hawkins definitely had a big one. He's a big-time shooter. We were trying to stay locked in and trail him on pin downs but he was getting loose. And in transition they were running. They hit a lot of shots tonight. It was a lot -- but they just hit a lot of shots.

Q. Anton, how deflating was it when Drew picked up the fourth foul and went to the bench? And what were you saying to get it together, and they go on a quick run, obviously?

ANTON WATSON: It sucks when Drew got his fourth foul. You don't want to see that that early in the second half. But you try to we stay positive. We brought the team together and tried to keep positive thoughts and try to keep chipping away at that lead. But, yeah, it's hard when Drew goes out.

Q. Drew, you've been at Gonzaga for a very long time. I know you probably are going to take a couple months to think about your career. What will you think about your time at Gonzaga?

DREW TIMME: I'm just so thankful that the program and the place took me for who I was. They didn't ask me to be anybody but myself. And just so appreciative for the program and just the people, the fans that just watched me grow up and just become the man I am today.

And I'm forever in debt for Gonzaga, just the love I have for just everyone that helped me and made this journey so special and so fun. I just don't think I could ever repay that.

And while this ride might not have ended how we wanted it to, it's more about the journey, the relationships, the good, the bad, the ugly. That's what makes these things so emotional is how much you put into something.

And I'd do anything for Gonzaga. I always will. This isn't a goodbye; it's a see you later. I always want to be around the program, Coach. It's a special place. It's a special program. And I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else. I loved it here.

Q. Mark, when you look at next week, what is a team going to need to beat this UConn team the way they're playing right now?

COACH FEW: Moving on to the Final Four? Is that what you're talking about? I mean, listen, again, like I said, I hate to be a broken record here, but I saw them in November, and I just thought they were such a complete team there. They've got great size. They have depth. Their bigs are different. So they bring different qualities.

Obviously their guards are really talented. Hawkins is just a terrific catch-and-shoot guy. We knew that coming in. I'll tell you what's really hard, especially if they get through that first one, that short prep for them, because there's so much they do.

They have ball-screen actions you have to go over. They have, are you going to double the post? He's very effective at dribbling. I thought we did a really nice job on Sanogo, actually. Anton deserves a ton of credit for that. So does Ben Gregg. These are two basically 4s that we asked to guard him inside.

And then they surround him with shooters. They're very different. Jackson is a different player. Karaban is a great catch-and-shoot stretch shoot and 4. It's a lot. It's a lot.

We played Texas. Texas is still looming out there. They'll have to get through their game tomorrow. And obviously Florida Atlantic is having a magical, magical year. And we'll see.

It would have been great if we would have played as good as we're capable of. Obviously UConn had some things to do with that but we missed a lot of shots tonight. Missed free throws, missed runners, missed open 3s. It just wasn't our night.

Q. Did you see the play that they called the fourth foul on Drew live? And what did they tell you afterwards?

A. I didn't see it. I didn't see it at all. I didn't bother looking at the replay. It was what it was. And we just had to deal with the aftermath, which wasn't pretty.

Q. We've heard you say a lot about Drew and his time at Gonzaga, but from the moment that he walked into the program to where he sits next to you today, just what you can say about his evolution as a person, as a player, and what he's meant to this program forever?

COACH FEW: Well, I mean, again, I'll stand by it. I think he's one of the greatest players, honestly this shouldn't be the memory etch that we even think about, but I think he's one of the greatest college players in this modern era. If you look at how much he's won during his career, and he's won at the highest level. He's produced.

I hope what probably should be readily apparent to everyone now is if something would have happened to Drew Timme earlier in the season, where would we have been? We leaned on him as hard as we've ever leaned on a player. And he just delivered time and time and time again. Took us all the way to the brink of a Final Four.

But that's just a small piece of it. He's a bigger-than-life character. Like he said, he was himself the whole time here. It was a blast to coach him. He was easy to coach because he was tough. And they talk about butting heads. We didn't butt heads that much. He's tough. He loves to compete. I love to compete. We get it.

And it was a hell of a good time walking out on the practice floor with him every time or hopping on a jet. And I'm sure going to have a lot of good times moving forward.

It's been quite a ride. I hope everybody remembers him for the great competitor he was and just the awesome player he was.