AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 15, 2025

Ron Hunter

Rowan Brumbaugh

Asher Woods

Dickies Arena

Tulane Green Wave

Postgame Press Conference

Memphis - 78, Tulane - 77

THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started with an opening statement from Coach and then take questions for the student-athletes.

RON HUNTER: I'm going to do everything I can to make this as positive as I possibly can for these kids here. I'm proud of them. Boy, I thought they played extremely well for a team that was picked 11th or 12th or wherever we were picked, and no one gave us a chance, and these kids did an incredible job this year. I hate that it had to end the way that it ended, to be honest with you, especially after what I just saw in the locker room on tape.

And again, I'm not going to get into that, but I hate it for the kids. I really, really do. Those are some plays that shouldn't have happened. But again, as I said, I'm going to be as positive as I possibly can. I'm so proud of these guys. They represented Tulane extremely well and it's just a shame they won't have that opportunity to play tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I know you don't want to get yourself in trouble, but just kind of take me through the two calls right in a row on the goal tending overturned and the non-foul timeout.

RON HUNTER: Well, again, I love the American. I love this league. It's changed a lot. But as it changes and we continue to grow, we have got to make sure that everything grows, officiating, everything else. So that was a high, high level basketball game for both teams, and you let a game like that -- you call it the right way, you call what you see, period.

Again, if it wasn't a foul, whatever. Like I said, we're not going to blame it on that. There's some things that we could have done better. But again, you know, these kids go home. Some of these guys that are officiating, they go on to the NCAA Tournament and some other things, and there's no repercussions for that, and I just don't like that.

And again, I want to make sure I say this. Memphis is a hell of a basketball team, played their ass off today. It was a great game. So that's nothing against Memphis at all. That's the best I've ever seen Penny coach a game. I thought that both of them were great. And I would have said the same thing if it turned on the other end.

Again, let the players do it. That's the part that's hard because these guys work all year long to get to this point. And again, those guys go, they can go to the hotel, have a beer, and then go to the first round next week, and I just have a hard time with that.

Q. Rowan, the same two questions for you because you were involved in both plays, one during the long review for the goal tending call. What were you thinking, and then did you feel like you were fouled on the next play?

ROWAN BRUMBAUGH: First and foremost, the only reason we are here is God. So I just want to give all glory to Him. I mean, like, I felt it was a missed call, but that's what seasons come down to, possessions. There were tons of possessions that I wanted to make up during the game. So it's not the officials' fault we lost. We lost. They played a good game. I missed a big-time free throw.

I mean, but this team is just so fun to play on. Like, playing with Asher, like, I just love playing with Asher, Greg, Kam, KB, like -- and again, coached by Coach. It was just, like, probably the most fun I've ever had playing basketball this year and we were just -- it just sucks.

Q. After losing, FAU's coach made a pitch to keep his players around. That's the world we live in now. Do you have any thoughts on that right now in terms of keeping this roster together?

RON HUNTER: No, no, that's -- right now that's the furthest from my mind. These kids are great. I know that, you know, every year's a different year, and we kind of made a bond to all of ourselves in there that we would get ourselves back to this situation, bring us all back. And so, you know, my job's to make sure that we can get as many back, but right now I'm concerned about this team and that. Hopefully, hopefully for us this isn't our last game. Hopefully we will be able to play in post-season. So that's the next thing. I think they deserve it. I hope that comes. We'll see in the next two hours or so, two, three hours, but I hope that we can keep playing.

Q. Asher, how much does this hurt? You guys gave everything you had and it came down to the end where it could have gone either way.

ASHER WOODS: Like Coach said, you just got to give the thanks and glory to God for allowing us to play at a high level and allowing us to be in a game that was as exciting as that. That was just great basketball game. That was a heck of a game. Of course it hurts. When you're a competitor, when you put so much time in, when you're here, you're away from your families, you're here for a set of time, and you're grinding in the off-season, and all the early wake ups. So of course it gets to this point, it's tough to swallow. But it's something, it's a part of the game and now we got to respond. And hopefully like coach said, we're able to keep playing and keep moving forward.

Q. Dain Dainja was a forced today which you knew he would be. How much do you credit your team for withstanding that and then giving yourself every opportunity to win?

RON HUNTER: Well, as I said, Memphis is a good basketball team. When you play a really good team you can't take everything away. Our whole goal was to make Haggerty have to really earn his baskets, and we knew that if we do that we were going to open ourselves up for the inside play. And I think that worked because, I'll be honest with you, it gave us a chance to win the game. Haggerty has been on a tear. I thought we did a great job on him, to be honest with you. But we know by doing that -- our deal was we didn't want them to shoot 30 percent more from the three-point line. I thought we were able to establish that. They didn't shoot the ball well. But when you bring your defense out to defend the three-point line that allows those inside guys to go to work. But we always thought that we would live with the twos. And we didn't want him to get going, because he makes everybody else better around him. So I thought our game plan was perfect for it. Again, it just the last few plays we just didn't execute it at the end.