NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - HIGH POINT VS PURDUE

March 19, 2025

Bobby Pettiford

D'Maurian Williams

Amica Mutual Pavilion

High Point Panthers

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We have Bobby Pettiford and D'Maurian Williams.

Q. Playing basketball, thinking about, dreaming about playing in the NCAA Tournament. Do either of you have stories of your youth thinking about this moment and what it's like to finally be here?

D'MAURIAN WILLIAMS: Oh, yeah, definitely, playing basketball. To be able to participate is a blessing for sure.

Q. Bobby?

BOBBY PETTIFORD: I would say the same thing, every kid grows up and this is your dream to be on this stage and compete with the best of the best is it's a blessing to be here.

Q. Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: Anything else over here? Right here? Joe? In the jacket.

Q. Yeah, how you doing, guys? Piggybacking on that, what's the need to get hype here? It's the first time for the program to get to the tournament. Getting here to this point and whatever you do is going to be building on that.

D'MAURIAN WILLIAMS: I mean, it's great for the High Point community seeing everybody come together and accomplish a common goal is great, just the way our fan base and High Point is just behind us, the whole city, it's great. For sure.

BOBBY PETTIFORD: This is something that, you know, in our visits we talked about since day one in the summer, coming here, we wanted to make history. At High Point, me and D'Maurian know what it takes at this point in time and our fan base rooting for us, like he said, it feels good to be here.

Q. Talking about coming to High Point, what was the selling point? Not a lot of history, nice campus, beautiful place. What was the selling point to get you here beyond maybe just the coach?

D'MAURIAN WILLIAMS: What got me here was Coach Huss for sure. I fell in love with the campus and the community is great. But Coach Huss, I believed in his plan, and it's working so far.

BOBBY PETTIFORD: Me being from Durham, North Carolina. It was an hour away. I wanted to come back home. I kinda seen the guys, Kezze, Abdoulaye Thiam, Trae Benham, they were there through the tough times, and when I seen how they flipped the program around, it was hard to not want to be part of it, the campus and all that.

Q. What have you thought of Purdue so far, seeing them on film, and what are the biggest challenges that present for you guys?

D'MAURIAN WILLIAMS: Stopping the point guard is our main focus and making them guard us, too, as well.

BOBBY PETTIFORD: We got to step it up a little bit now. We're at this point in time but those two front guys he was talking about, the one and four man, they take them as far as they go, and then just with the shooters they got around them, we got to guard that three-point line and make it hard for those guys.

Q. You guys were favorites to win your conference tournament, that carries pressure and a bull's eye. What's it been like mentality switch from one week to another?

D'MAURIAN WILLIAMS: We just keep the same approach every game, we practice hard. We practice hard all year so we just keep that approach.

Q. Just a followup on that. Coming to High Point, when you have been at bigger programs, do you get a big program feel at High Point? Do you get a smaller program feel? In other words, I think sometimes you see transfers and they're like, wow, I'm used to playing these huge arenas and these great facilities but what does High Point have that's comparable or different?

D'MAURIAN WILLIAMS: It transfers for sure, it's similar.

THE MODERATOR: Right here?

Q. You have played at power conference schools before. Does that help playing a big ten team like that? Does it take pressure off knowing you have played big name schools before in your careers?

D'MAURIAN WILLIAMS: Yeah, the physicality helps a lot for sure.

BOBBY PETTIFORD: Some of us teammates have been at this level, the energy is unmatched here. You can calm down, take some time to think. Take it all in, enjoy it and know it's a business trip, as well.

THE MODERATOR: One right here in front.

Q. Bobby, you were the Big South tournament MVP and that's a huge accomplishment. How is that getting you combatted for tomorrow's game?

BOBBY PETTIFORD: It gives me confidence and we had to talk at halftime, regroup, so it shows ups and downs, can keep the same mentality and keep fighting.

THE MODERATOR: We have a few more minutes if you have more questions. All set? Take one more here. Okay.

Q. For people, obviously a lot of spotlights on Purdue, a known name coming in, first time coming into the tournament for High Point, what kind of basketball team are you on the floor? How would you describe High Point basketball?

Fast, shoots a lot of threes and defends hard.

BOBBY PETTIFORD: Can't sleep on them, deep, 10 to 12 guys you got to scout, so...

THE MODERATOR: All right. Anything else? Appreciate you. Good luck tomorrow. We'll have Coach Huss on the dais at 10:35 a.m.