NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP - FINAL FOUR: MIAMI (FL) VS UCONN

March 30, 2023

Bensley Joseph

Jordan Miller

Isaiah Wong

Wooga Poplar

Norchad Omier

Nijel Pack

NRG Stadium

Miami (FL) Hurricanes

Semi-Finals Pregame Media Conference

Q. Obviously you guys knew you were going to the Final Four a few days ago. But now that you're actually here, what are some of your first impressions? Are you soaking in the moment?

BENSLEY JOSEPH: Yes, I am just living this experience, it's a dream come true. A lot of people in the world dream about playing in the Final Four, and it's a blessing. We put in a lot of hard work all season, and this is the time now, so we're just here to experience it.

JORDAN MILLER: I think Bensley summed it up pretty well. It's a blessing to be here. We've worked all year really hard to get to stages like this, and we're looking to make a deep run.

ISAIAH WONG: Like they both said, it's a blessing to be here. Just living in the moment. It's a great time to be a Miami Hurricane fan right now.

Q. There was talk you would go into the transfer portal, and then you had to come out and say you were misrepresented there. I was curious, was there anything after that that you had to do to sort of make amends with Coach, teammates, anything like that, how did you handle the fall-out from that?

ISAIAH WONG: I called Coach the day that it happened, and he was comfortably fine with it. He knew that -- he trusted me. He knew I was -- I didn't make that accusation.

So everybody was cool with me, and I didn't really have no problems coming in with the team. Everybody accepted me, and it was all -- we just all worked on the main goal and just kept playing basketball.

Q. Have you stepped out there, seen a basketball arena with 72,000 seats? What did it feel like?

BENSLEY JOSEPH: We have not yet stepped out there. I'm excited to step out there, see the huge facility we're playing.

Q. UConn, most people are picking them, they've been rolling through the tournament, winning by huge margins. How do you feel you match up with them what are the biggest challenges?

JORDAN MILLER: First off, credit to UConn, they're a great team. They played some good teams to get here. I think they have some really good guards that lead them in assists that really make the team run. Obviously they have a really dominant big man in the post who swallows up rebounds and plays really hard.

But I think personally we've had one of the hardest sides of the bracket. I think we've played some really, really elite teams. I mean, everybody, I believe, had us losing to all those teams. So we're fine with being the underdogs we've been all year.

But it should be a good game. Like I always say, I think the team that comes out and plays the hardest and leaves it on the floor will be victorious.

ISAIAH WONG: UConn is a great team. They love to shoot the ball. Like Jordan said, they have a big man that gets the rebound and plays hard.

They got here for a reason. Just us being the underdog, we got here for a reason, too, so it's going to be a great game coming in.

Q. Jordan, how has name, image, and likeness opportunities changed your life personally?

JORDAN MILLER: It's been a blessing. Not only for me, but for college athletes at a whole, being able to get involved into the business side of things and kind of see what that atmosphere is like.

Q. Can you maybe elaborate on that a little bit of just some of the things, whether -- what about the business part of this have you picked up on?

JORDAN MILLER: Just dealing with contracts. Dealing with professional businesses that want you to meet a certain time requirement, certain things. It really opens your eyes to the other side, other than just athletics.

So I think it's been a great experience for me and for everyone who gets involved in NIL.

Q. Describe the feeling of you worked all season for this, just sitting up here, seeing the floor, realizing today you're here at the Final Four?

BENSLEY JOSEPH: It's a blessing, God is great. We worked a lot. Lots of hard work this season. Grinding, ups and downs. And this is moments, again, we dream of. And coming here, competing on the Final Four stage, biggest stage of them all. Surreal feeling, and trying to take it in every moment I can get.

JORDAN MILLER: Here's what I'll say. I feel like regardless of the outcome, we're winners. We made school history for the first time, Final Four. Obviously we still have goals we want to reach. But we're looking to just kind of set the foundation for Miami basketball and just be what teams look up to and try to reach.

ISAIAH WONG: It's a blessing just being out here. And I know all our players have been working hard and just getting morning sessions in and just feeling confident, and it's just a blessing just to be part of this team and being part of being with Jordan, Bens and all of them.

We have a great team this year. It's a feeling like a big accomplishment, just coming here in the Final Four and just realizing we're in the top four teams in the country just still playing basketball. And there's not a lot of teams playing basketball right now, so it's a big accomplishment for us.

Q. Jordan, obviously you had a game for the ages last game, going perfect from the field and perfect from the line. What moment did you know that you were perfect during that game? And then also if you could just describe the phone call that you got from Christian Laettner and just how that felt?

JORDAN MILLER: I didn't know I had a perfect game until after the game. Someone came up and told me. Being a competitor, I was just in the moment, just trying to win a basketball game to get to the Final Four.

But it was cool. I joined some really, really elite company. I got to talk to Christian Laettner, which is always cool, someone I watched documentaries on him hitting the shot.

So it's definitely a cool experience. I was very much surprised. They really kept it from me. So it was shocking. But being able to talk to guys like him who have been on the big stage, played in the NBA, had a helluva career, it was a dream come true, you can say.

Q. Jordan, to be in a situation where it's you guys and Florida Atlantic in the Final Four, how cool is that? How much of an impact can that have for basketball in South Florida?

JORDAN MILLER: I think it's huge. Respect to both teams. We've put a lot of work to get here. I think people would take South Florida basketball more serious. I would think it will help with recruiting. Both teams are looking forward to build upon this time and keep the teams getting to this stage.

Q. Isaiah, I know you're a Jersey guy. Do you have any connection to Danny or the Hurleys? Did you ever play for them, against them, or Adama or any of the Jersey guys on UConn?

ISAIAH WONG: They recruited me when I was in high school. That's the connection I have. I got recruited there, and I spent a lot of time like thinking about UConn and the decision. And I feel like for me I have like a lot of great connections with the coach and the assistants and all of them. So I'd say I have great connections with them.

Q. How close did you come to going to UConn, and what was Danny's recruiting message to you?

ISAIAH WONG: It was like my top three decisions. It was Miami, UConn, and another school. But it was just close, I feel like. And if he would -- he showed me a good time over there. I got to meet a lot of people on the team, and they were all great people over there, and he was just a great coach, I feel like.

Q. Isaiah, when you arrived in Miami in 2019 to where you're at now, how do you feel like the outlook and the public perception of Miami's program has changed, and how do you feel you've played a part in it?

ISAIAH WONG: I feel like the Miami program has changed from my freshman year to my senior year. I just feel like when I first came in here, we was, like, a low -- like we wasn't winning a lot of games and we were struggling at the time and we had a lot of players injured.

But I feel like it was a learning process for me and the team. I feel like we had a good team my freshman and sophomore year, but we just had a lot of injuries. But going through the season, we just progressed and we just kept on going and feeling confident. And we got transfers that helped us, and it's just a great accomplishment just seeing how I went from my freshman to -- not a very great season to a senior and I'm in the Final Four right now, so I feel I got the best world of both sides.

Q. You played early in the season last year, and both teams have changed since then. But when you played them, did you see that team was building towards making a tournament run?

ISAIAH WONG: To be honest, I did not see this coming. I feel last year they was a very great team, and last year we only beat them by a buzzer beater. They were very competitive, they played hard. They were just a great team to compete with us. And like now they're in the Final Four, and they're making great things, and they're a great team.

Q. I happened to run into your mom in the airport today. She said was UConn the only other school you visited, UConn and Miami were the two schools you actually took visits to?

ISAIAH WONG: Yes, it actually was.

Q. And you said there was a school third, three finalists, UConn, Miami and --

ISAIAH WONG: I forgot.

Q. What was it when you were weighing UConn and Miami, what was it about Miami that swayed you in that direction? What tipped the scales for you?

ISAIAH WONG: I feel the coaching staff, when they had Fisher, he was a great coach, and he talked to me a lot. I felt real comfortable being around him. And Coach L was a great coach. And I felt at the time I was already committed to Miami and I really had my decision made.

But when I visited UConn, I was like it's going to be a hard decision coming in because they have a great coaching staff. They have great people over there, too. And they have great players over there. Just love the way they work, too. It was a hard decision. But I already had my mind set on Miami, and it was up between them two.

Q. Isaiah, knowing that UConn and Miami were top two schools, is it funny how the world works that we're here right now and you're getting ready for this game?

ISAIAH WONG: Yes, it is. It's a small world, I feel, just between UConn and Miami, and now I'm playing UConn in the Final Four. It's just, like I said, a small world just having these two teams come and just having these two teams playing against each other.

Q. Wooga, you mentioned last weekend how during that comeback against Texas you had to remind Coach L not to look at the scoreboard when that whole thing was happening. How vital is it to your team's success that there's an environment in place where both players and coaches can hold each other accountable?

WOOGA POPLAR: I feel like we just had that type of relationship where we can tell each other right from wrong. And I feel like that was the time me telling him not to look at the score, just to play the game.

Q. Norchad, I wanted to ask you, a lot of people say that one of the keys to this game is will you be able to stay out of foul trouble. Obviously as someone who is your opponent would want to get you into foul trouble. How do you plan on dealing with that and staying out of foul trouble when Coach talks about how you're so aggressive and energetic?

NORCHAD OMIER: I think I don't want to jinx it, I don't want to talk about it. Just play smart. Just choose which places to go at, which places don't go at. Play smart basketball.

Q. Wooga, you guys played against FAU last season. It was kind of early in the season, but what did you see from them when you guys played them, and for them to now get to this point in the Final Four with you guys, how cool is it to see two South Florida teams in the Final Four?

WOOGA POPLAR: I saw a really great team in them because I feel like they hit the buzzer beater, I think last year hit the buzzer beater off of them, so they was in the game with us a lot. I feel like they really had like their defensive end and some type of offense. So I feel like them getting on the defensive pressure, it was really great for them.

Q. Nijel, as you were going through the transfer to Miami, obviously everything was extremely public about the NIL deal and everything like that. How did that sort of change your approach or did it maybe sort of come at you in a way you didn't expect, just given the public nature of everything?

NIJEL PACK: No, I mean, all that mattered was my teammates accepting me, and they did that from day one, my coaching staff. Everybody accepted me and took me in as a brother. We never seem to talk about it as a team. Nobody came at me negatively.

And we played together so much. And you could see it's obviously working off really well now. I feel that's the reason why this team is so good, because our bond is so strong. And nothing with NIL with anybody on this team has ever affected us in a negative way.

Q. Nijel, I see you've got the official Final Four hat on. What does it feel like to be in the Final Four? What did you anticipate, and what is it really like? Have you taken a peek at the floor how big the arena is? And Coach was talking about his experience in a Final Four, that playing in a stadium like that is almost like playing outdoors. What do you think it's going to be like, and how do you think that might affect your shooting?

NIJEL PACK: No, I never played in a dome before, this is my first experience. My first Final Four ever, never been to one, never been in attendance of one. I'm excited for this, loving the experience we're getting so far. Everything about it has been so much fun, and we've only seen a glimpse of it. I haven't got to see the floor or anything like that like that, but I'm excited to see it.

Actually got some advice from Kyle Guy, who went to same high school as me, went to Virginia, went to the national championship. I was talking to him a little bit. He just told me to stay positive, you have to keep confidence in yourself, great shooters can shoot anywhere, that's what he told me. He told me to believe in myself and my team, and if you believe in yourself and your team, you guys will be able to win it all.

Q. Growing up in Nicaragua, what are your memories when you think about March Madness?

NORCHAD OMIER: Growing up as a child, I really didn't watch March Madness like that. I was a baseball player. Then when I get older, watching teams like Duke, North Carolina and March Madness was just like damn, that's crazy. Now I'm here. I'm so excited to be here with my brothers. We're pumped, but also we're locked in at the same time.

Q. Nijel, transitioning into a point guard, it's maybe a more intensive role with some of the ball handling and decision-making, but what did you find to be the biggest difficulty or challenge in adopting a new role on this Miami team, and who kind of helped you through that?

NIJEL PACK: My coaching staff and my teammates really helped me through this transition. Coming from a role where I was a primary scorer at my old school and now coming to a role where I have a lot of talent and distributing the ball to my teammates when they need it, it was just a change.

I played point guard my entire life. It was just going back to my old habits. My teammates made it really easy for me. That's what the summertime and fall was for, to help me transition to that, and I feel like my coaching staff, especially Coach L, gave me a lot of confidence in the things I was doing to help prepare me for moments like this.

Q. Norchad, last year you were in the Sun Belt playing for Arkansas State, and you went to the ACC, now you're in the NCAA Tournament. Seems over the past year you've just been playing on bigger and bigger stages. And now you're on the biggest stage in college basketball, the Final Four. How do you kind of adjust to all that increased pressure, and how are you going to do that for Saturday?

NORCHAD OMIER: I've got to give that to my teammates. They trust in me. When I reached Miami, they welcomed me with open arms and they just guide me through the ACC now we're here together.

I don't feel pressure personally because I'm with my teammates I have been all year. I feel good and excited we're here right now.

Q. What stands out about UConn when watching them on film?

WOOGA POPLAR: I feel like their offense is really good. I feel like the way, how they can score the ball, they're at the highest level.

NORCHAD OMIER: UConn is a great team. Gotta give them credit. They've been blowing up all the teams they play at least 15 points. So they have inside presence, outside presence. We've just got to stick to the game plan, worry more about Miami than about UConn.

NIJEL PACK: They're coached really well. Their program has been a great program in the past. This is something that they've been in multiple times. We know how good of a team they are. They've got a lot of talent from inside and outside with a lot of size and things like that.

But as long as we stick to what Miami does best, I think we should be in good shape.

Q. Do you guys have any -- with him in the vicinity, maybe, any Coach Larrañaga favorite quote, favorite moment that comes to mind? Is there any truth to the rumor that he might have taken some dance classes ahead of the Final Four this week?

WOOGA POPLAR: I feel he learned dance moves from me last year. I dance a lot. I feel he learned them from me.

NORCHAD OMIER: I agree. I watched videos from last year in the Elite Eight, Sweet 16, Wooga would be dancing and Bensley would be dancing, and I think Coach L copied a lot of the moves from that.

NIJEL PACK: His dancing was all right. (Laughter) I'm hoping to see some more now. I've only seen it once. I need to see it again.