NCAA MEN'S FINAL FOUR

April 2, 2000

Charlie Bell

Mateen Cleaves

A.J. Granger

Andre Hutson

Tom Izzo

Morris Peterson

COACH IZZO: We like to run, too. Maybe some of that is our style also. We've played some teams in the past, all these guys have been involved with teams like Iowa, who maybe do that as well as anybody did over the past couple years. So I think we have an understanding for that. I think these guys want to run, too. We don't want to take bad shots, but I think we want to run and take good shots. So that style, as you know, is 180 degrees from what we went through yesterday, but I think these guys have been through it before.

MATEEN CLEAVES: Well, I think I mean a National Championship game is new to both of us. This is our first time playing a National Championship game. And the thing about us, we're seniors. This is our last go-around. We just got to go out there and be hungry because we don't have another chance. If they don't win or whatever the case may be, they have another chance to get here. This is our last chance. So that should be a little extra motivation for us because we don't, like I said, we have no other chance. We just want to make the best of a situation.

MORRIS PETERSON: I think our experience factor definitely got us to this point. Like Mateen said, both of us haven't been in this situation of being a National Championship. They've played so many games, they've won a lot of games. I think on that side, I don't think, you know, it's really much of a big difference.

COACH IZZO: Well, I think a couple things. It wasn't a very enjoyable experience for me or him, but I think a couple things happened. No. 1, I think he remained the leader of this team, so he did a lot more from the bench and maybe encouraging guys, I think almost demanding what Morris should do and I think Charlie made some big strides with his ball-handling, his passing skills, and was becoming a very good point guard, right before we switched back. I think both A.J. and Andre took on more leadership roles. Every guy, I really believe, had to step it up a notch, and I'm sure in the long run that helped us all. On the other side of the coin, I think maybe some of the progress of our younger kids were hindered because we had so many different guys out of position. So, you know, I can't say that it worked totally to our advantage. I do think for a couple of these guys they stepped up and really they had it in them; they just maybe relied on Mateen and he pushed them while he was out. I think that helped us.

COACH IZZO: Maybe they'd be better at answering it, but I'll try to answer it the best I could. We just talked about, you know, coming in and trying to do something special. Most of these guys had spent a lot of time recruiting them at a younger age, trying to sell them that we could get it done. You have to give them credit because they did take the chance, you know, I think that's why they've remained humble. That's why they've remained with the blue-collar attitude, because that's the kind of guys they were. They didn't need to go to just flash and dash. They kind of wanted to go and build their own roads. Thank God they did.

MATEEN CLEAVES: Well, you know, Coach was a very, you know, you could just tell the kind of guy he was, very humble and very hard worker. Whenever you have someone like that, you know, a guy like myself, you know, I fell in love with him because, you know, you could tell he was a very hard worker. He really meant what he said. When you get recruited a lot of coaches tell you a lot of things. You could just tell he was coming from the heart. He was very sincere about what he was saying. That's the reason why I came to Michigan State.

COACH IZZO: Yes. You know, the first two years there were some ups and downs. I mean it was, first of all, getting these, you know, Morris the first year and yet he red-shirted. Then when Mateen and A.J. came in, you know, there was a lot who have hype with that class and, of course Mateen was hurt early and had that body cast on for, I don't know, what was it two and a half, three months? I remember starting practice that year and he still had a half-body cast on so his back wouldn't move. The low points were, you know, we didn't know how to get him through that. We had some tough losses. We lost in our own tournament to Central Michigan. That was a tough point. But maybe there were a lot of things changed, we got beat by Northwestern -- I think it was five in a row later that year, and we bounced back and won, I think, five of our next seven or six out of our next eight including a tough game to Minnesota. We did have our -- we were getting off to a lot of slow starts, and it seemed like in practice we were playing harder than some games. So we went out and played our war drill in the upstairs gym, before which game, do you remember guys? Penn State, maybe you should comment, A.J., we had some fun up there, went out, played very well early. Maybe that set the tone that what these guys could accomplish. You know, a lot of things have been said about some of the goofy things we do. But if you know your guys, and that's what I think I have an advantage of, you know, some of the goofy things we did they had the most fun doing. And that's what's been enjoyable for me.

CHRIS PLONSKY: A.J., do you want to talk about that wonderful day?

A.J. GRANGER: Not really. Coach was right on that. We were getting off to some slow starts in some games. He wanted to take a direct approach to it and find a way to solve the problem. It worked. We came out and played better that game and luckily we didn't have to do it after that.

COACH IZZO: When we say an ugly game, we contributed a lot to that, too. I'm not sitting here, make sure you don't take that wrong, that, you know, there's different styles and everybody has their own style. Like I've said before, there's a lot of ways to skin a cat. I think tomorrow's game will be more up-and-down the court. I think we want to run, they want to run, we want up tempo, they want up tempo. We do some -- they do things better than we do, hopefully we do things better than they do. It should be a game that's 180 degrees from yesterday but it doesn't mean it will be. The game plan for both coaches would both say that it would be.

COACH IZZO: Yeah, I am a little bit for two reasons. No. 1, I do think we need to get more scoring out of our bench. I think we have the potential to get more scoring out of our bench. But, No. 2, as far as wearing us down, I think we'll utilize our bench enough so it doesn't and I think these five guys sitting here have kind of been through so many wars, the NCAA Tournament, thanks to a few longer timeouts, kind of helps in that respect. But there's no doubt that Florida is the deepest, most talented team we play. In other words, Illinois was that way, but it seems like everybody they bring in is a clone to the guy that replaced him. So they are the deepest team in that respect that we've played.

COACH IZZO: Answer real quick, then maybe the guys that should answer are the coaches, as you say, I think that's probably a true statement. But I think this is probably as nice a domed arena, or stadium, that we've ever played in as far as having some closeness to it and not feel like you're out in the middle. I think it was due more to, you know, you get the tournament time and like everybody and every sport, we've always said defense wins Championships. I think all the defense has picked up some. You didn't get the same looks you did during the year. Maybe these guys want to answer it, Pete and A.J. and Mateen, whoever.

MORRIS PETERSON: I think you do have to give credit to the defense. But sometimes when you get in the big games, you get excited. Your adrenaline starts pumping. I think it's just a matter of feeling comfortable. I think the second half we shot a little bit better and things started to settle down for us.

A.J. GRANGER: I don't think it has anything to do with playing in the dome or anything. Like Pete said, it was just, you know, a matter of a little bit of nerves there at the beginning of the game. We did come out in the second half and shoot better. Teams are playing better defense. It's just harder to shoot the ball.

COACH IZZO: I think a couple things make it effective. First of all, Billy's done a great job, I think they're very well-coached. They do an incredible job of what we call back-tipping. They come up from behind, knock balls loose, like good pressing teams do. No. 2, they have very good athletes. You have to have great athletes to run that kind of press. No. 3, they have depth. So the good athletes are always fresh athletes because he does a great job of substituting them. So I think those three factors are the reason that press is effective.

COACH IZZO: Well, I think, you know, it's been fun for me at Michigan State in the five years I've been the head coach is we've tried to bring the past and the present together. When we are asked how do you build a good program, you know, if you look at the Kentuckys and Dukes and North Carolina and Kansas and whoever else, Indiana around here, it's the players from the past that are so important. And because they -- they're the ones that really started everything. So we've put a lot into that. These guys all know these guys, I think Steve Smith's coming in tonight, Eric Snow. It's really, I think, been fun for me to see those guys from the past come back and honestly enjoy what these guys are trying to accomplish. At the same time in the summers and that, they get to spend some time with them. So it's incredibly important to me in building a program.

MORRIS PETERSON: I think it was a matter of being around the Spartan family. These guys have really been great as far as being like brothers to me, and Coach being like a father. There was no doubt in my mind that I would ever want to leave. And hopefully, I can get a sixth year and try to come back.

COACH IZZO: I vote for that.

MATEEN CLEAVES: Well, the main thing for me, like Morris said, I just wanted to come back another year, hang out with the guys. You know, once I hurt my foot, a lot of people thought I had regrets about leaving. I didn't. Really right now I'm still on schedule to get my degree. You know, I just love, you know, hanging out with the family. Everybody talked about well, since you hurt your foot, did you regret about coming back and that type of thing. I haven't. If we wouldn't have won the Big Ten Championship, Big Ten Tournament Championship or got to the Final Four, I still would have had a great time coming back. I'm just blessed that I came back and now we have a chance to win the National Championship.

COACH IZZO: As far as it goes for me, these guys had been incredible in that respect. I think they've been great role models. And Mateen says it best, you know, Morris, that I don't know what they thought inside, but, you know, they never gave me any inclination that they were leaving and there's no doubt they could have. And yet I think that it's paid benefits for them. But Mateen didn't think, when he got hurt, he didn't question it. But I did. You know, I worried about it for him, because I knew how hard he had worked all summer, and those are the things that are hard. I think it is incredibly important for the NBA and the NCAA that guys stay in school. I think everybody would be better off, not because whether guys are good enough or not, but just, you know, that's why I appreciate when guys come back, because I think most of the guys that came back, whether it be the Smiths and Johnsons and Snows and the other pros that we've had, I think 90 percent of them probably told you guys to try to hang tight for one more year and you can enjoy that other part later but this is a once in a lifetime.

MATEEN CLEAVES: Well, at Michigan State you wear green. At Michigan you wear blue. (Laughter.) No. I mean, in Michigan, you know, Michigan is the, you know, pretty much -- when I was coming up, was the high-rank school. Michigan was a school that everyone wanted to go to. Michigan, you know, was always on TV, they had, you know, they were All-Americans, they had all the flashy players and that type of thing. When I came up, my father was a Michigan State guy. You know, I always went for the underdog, you know, so I really fell in love with Michigan State because, you know, the guards they had coming through there were Magic Johnson, Scott Skiles, Steve Smith, Eric Snow, I can go on and on about the guards that played there. I've always been a guy that kind of roots for the underdog. Back in Flint, where I come from, in the State of Michigan, Michigan was the big thing. You know, Michigan State was always second to Michigan, you know. So I just, as a kid, I just always went for the underdog in my house, you know, if there was a Michigan/Michigan State game, my father wouldn't allow you to watch Michigan, you had to watch Michigan State. So Michigan State was second to them when I was coming up.

MATEEN CLEAVES: No, I don't feel like an underdog. And that's a credit to Coach and the program he has built here.

ANDRE HUTSON: We've done a great job all year long practicing against presses. We have a great scout squad that goes at us every day in practice. You're right, we do put six, seven players out there to try to work on that. I'm sure today we'll have a bunch of people out there trying to stop us. But, you know, we have a great coaching staff that works, you know, all hours of the night and tries to break a lot of film down. I'm sure they have a scheme for us to try to break their press.

CHARLIE BELL: Like Andre said, you know, we always go against six, seven guys. In practice we always try to make it harder than what it's going to be in the game. I really think that helps us out in the game because it makes it a lot easier going up against only five guys instead of six or seven at practice. Mateen, myself, Morris, we have enough great ball-handlers where we can break the press, get in the open court and make things happen.

COACH IZZO: As far as Billy, Billy and I are good friends. We're not guys that see each other all the time, but I think I have great respect for him and what he's accomplished. I think the job he's done at Florida has been incredible, you know, when you watch him on film, they're very, very well-coached. They run a lot of great things, they're very sound. I did talk to him quite a bit the other night, and you know, got to know him a little bit more when he was at Kentucky. He's done a great job. I think there's going to be a lot more success in Billy Donovan's life since he's a young coach, that has really turned the corner I think.

COACH IZZO: I remember when I recruited Mateen, I told him that, you know, some day it will be -- we'll be on National TV and you'll be highlighted. I remember we played at Wisconsin, the game was on National TV his first year it kind of highlighted him. That's where the program, as far as my era, started. And we just kind of, you know, gradually grew. But I don't think any of us -- I think that's the neat part of these guys being here -- have forgotten the other side of the fence, because we went through some difficult times. We went through some times that, you know, weren't a lot of fun. And I guess as they say, "That's what makes winning all the sweeter." So, you know, I hope that our young guys look at these guys and appreciate maybe how they got there and what they've done, and I think through whether it be A.J. or Charlie, Andre, Morris or Mateen, each one of them have done a good job of telling the younger guys, "Hey, this is what we do here, this is how we do it here, this is the demands we have here, this is the obligation that you have to the program and to our team," and that's what, to me, has made this a special group.

MATEEN CLEAVES: Well, from watching -- from watching him play this year, it's like, I mean it definitely makes your job tough. You never have a chance to relax, you know. Sometimes when you play teams and they bring in the subs, I mean you can't relax or take plays out, but it's a tad bit easier than the first unit. When he comes in, he comes in with a lot of energy. He does a good job of creating for others. He's a great shooter. He makes things happen when he comes in. So the main thing for the game tomorrow is, you know, you can't change your attitude. He's a guy that probably easily could start on some other teams around the country. When he comes in, you got to stay focused and you got to concentrate on him because he makes plays for other guys.

COACH IZZO: Well, again, maybe they're better to ask than me. I think we've tried to do a few things. I feel very confident in asking these guys, you know, what they want to do and where they want to go and try to give them a little bit of free time. They haven't had much. They don't get much because we've got so much work to do. But I think we've been, maybe we've hit the perfect medium that we have, you know, we're still working a lot of hours, we're still doing the things. But we also have tried to enjoy it a little bit and tried to spend some time together, because I do think these memories are why this team will have five, ten, fifteen and twenty-year reunions, because of what they've accomplished. I want to make sure they're there to remember back when they were walking the streets of Indianapolis and what went on here and what went on there. We've let them do a few things that we can.

A.J. GRANGER: You know, coach is a great motivator. I think everybody needs to be motivated at some time. There are very few people that have been successful, Michael Jordan's a great guy. Several guys. But very few. You know, they're great motivators, very special people. I think everybody needs to be motivated. This is a group of guys that have learned kind of how to step up to the occasion, be prepared, things like that. But we always need to be motivated from time to time. I think that Coach -- even the other players in the team do a great job of keeping everybody in check.

MATEEN CLEAVES: Coach is a great motivator. It's a very unique thing about him because he knows how to motivate you or when to motivate you, sometimes how to motivate you. Sometimes like, when you're a kid and you do something bad and your mom gives you that stare, you know, he's got that. You know, so he knows when to motivate you. He knows how to do it and when to do it.

MORRIS PETERSON: Well, I think Coach is looking at the big picture. Even though we had that game won, the season's not over. You still have to be ready to play for 40 minutes. I think that's something that Coach has really done a great job of ingraining in our minds. There's been other times where we were up by 10 or 15 points and, you know, we could be playing good defense and get a hand up, but he still yells at you. But, it just goes to show the expectations that Coach has of us and also that we should have for ourselves.

ANDRE HUTSON: Our post defense has definitely been a big challenge for us this year. We've took a lot who have criticism in the past. Our low post players are a challenge for us this year. We've done a great job of playing great team defense all year long. We have to give a lot of credit to our guards as far as helping us out in the post. Tomorrow they have some tough players, they're pretty physical and athletic. We've played against players like this before. We have to step up and rise to the occasion one more time.

A.J. GRANGER: We're able to play confident in there because we have great support from other guys on the team. I don't think we'd be able to do some of the things we do if we didn't have the confidence or the guys behind us. They can clean some things up if we make a mistake. We're very sure of our defense and go out and play hard every day and count on each other very much.

ANDRE HUTSON: Well, like I said, it's definitely going to be a big challenge for us again tomorrow. They're very athletic, and physical inside. They do a lot of things for them and they rebound the ball real well. So there's definitely going to be some matchups that's going to be key game to the game tomorrow. Like I said, we'll step up to the challenge again, depend on our guards to help us out and continue to play great team defense as we've done all year long.

MATEEN CLEAVES: When you're playing Wisconsin, you know, it's tough. I am -- I am a little more happier to be playing Florida, as far as we can get up-and-down and play somewhat of our style of basketball. Wisconsin is going to take the air out of the basketball, they're going to get back on defense, it's going to be a tough, physical game. I'm not saying it's not going to be tough and physical against Florida, but we pretty much can get more up-and-down and try to play our style of basketball. It's going to be very tough. They play a lot of guys, they stay in your face, they press you 94 feet on back, but we just got to, you know, go out there and enjoy it, you know, to go out and play our style of basketball. You know, because playing Wisconsin, that's an ugly game and after the game it's like, man, when you're playing the game you get tired and frustrated because you want to get up-and-down. Hopefully we can just get up-and-down and play our style of basketball against Florida.

COACH IZZO: Well, the only thing we do, same thing I did the whole tournament, I watched a half of each team myself just so I had a feel for it so when we went out and scouted that night, which might be a little different than some coaches do it. I'm just not very good at looking by or looking ahead, yet you do have to prepare for two teams. What we do is after the third day, our assistants, you know, the hay was kind of in the barn as far as with Wisconsin, the assistants moved on and really started prepping for both teams, North Carolina and Florida I think, you know, this is part of the fun of the tournament, to be able to go and see how many hours you can work in the next day and a half and just see how bad you look in the morning when you get up. Those are kind of the fun parts of the tournament that play somebody different, you know, I think we're looking forward as a coaching staff, I think our players are looking forward to it, I'm sure Billy's looking forward to it.

COACH IZZO: Before I answer that, I want to tell you what I've been saying all year. I'll tell you the players are the most important by the look of this mass exit, I think I was right on the money. (Laughter.) You know, I have looked at their presses quite a bit. I can really relate it back to Iowa with Tom Davis who pressed even more than Billy does, and that's the best example I can give. But they do a lot of great things. I still think the strength of their presses is twofold. I do think they're very well-coached and schooled on what to do and how to do it. I think the number of athletic subs they have, everybody who comes in can do and play that style. And I've been really impressed. Because I also felt that it wasn't -- sometimes presses are complete mad-dog presses. What I mean by that is they're helter skelter, people are all over. This is a very, to me, more disciplined press where they come at you but they don't just give up a million things either.

COACH IZZO: I think so. I think our players are confident that no matter who we play, we've played somebody like them. It doesn't mean that they've been as good or this or that, but as you can see, as I said yesterday, we have won games 90 to 80, and, you know, we won that one yesterday by a field goal. So I mean it was -- that's the way we've been able to play. I think that's a uniqueness of this team. Now we face a team that presses a lot and there's no doubt Mateen's going to have to be on top of his game. But we've run into other teams that have pressed us, UConn and teams like that, we faired fairly well in breaking it. Whether we're going to do that tomorrow, like I said, it's a different Florida team because of the number of subs that they can bring in and play the exact same way that impresses me so much.

COACH IZZO: Well, he was about the most important by far. I mean without Jud, I know I wouldn't have this job. There's not even a doubt in my mind. So imperative is probably a better word. He just -- he kind of solely convinced people that I should have the job, and it was, he was on an island for a while, I can promise you that. He was by himself. But as most of you know, Jud's ornery enough and tough enough to handle that and thank God he did. Because I would not have the job if it was not for Jud Heathcote.

COACH IZZO: Dreams, I've always told our players that I hope they do dream it. The old, if you don't dream it, it's hard to achieve it type thing. I really do believe that. That's why I don't mind if, you know, in a confident but non-cocky way they talk about it. You know, I want my players to have dreams and goals. I said when I got this job, for me it was a dream come true. I didn't think I could get to this level where I was from. And to see, I guess Mateen, they all stand out, especially the seniors, but I've known Mateen so well, I've seen so many tough times he's been through. The appreciation I have for him coming back, not at my coaxing, I want you to know but this is his dream. If there's ever a guy that had a true dream, as I said yesterday, to hear the One Shining Moment song with his face on it, winning a National Championship, it's Mateen. I think he's probably dreamed it since he was old enough to touch a basketball, and he has the opportunity. And that's all you can ask for, is an opportunity. He's got it. We talk about it. And we're going to find out in a day and a half whether it can become reality.

COACH IZZO: First part is no, I didn't think that was possible at that short a time. You always dream certain things, I'm not even sure I dreamed that. It seemed like it was too far away. But how special would it be, I mean, you know, there's always things that should be more special. My family, my daughter, you know, things like that. But there's no doubt when I see this many -- when I see what an impact our team, our players, our program can have on so many alums, I think that's one of the enjoyable parts of this job. To see all the people come and gather, special friends, ex-high school coaches, my former AD at Michigan State when I started there, so many people came back and want to share the moment that it would be incredibly special, as I'm sure it would be for Billy.

COACH IZZO: Can't say I've been a fan of rap music all my life or I haven't been, but the question about Mateen, Mateen has a cousin who put a little song together for this team. Hey, I bought it. So I liked it. It was good. The first part, first question was, you know, whether I would think it's a failure. I mean everybody wants to win, and I couldn't let it be a failure because of what these guys have done for this program. As far as for this year, you know, sure, you'd be a little disappointed. But when I walk through those lobbies and see so many great coaches that never had this opportunity or some that have and haven't won also, they don't look like failures to me. They look like very successful people. So I guess in the end I would say, no, I wouldn't look at this season as a failure.

COACH IZZO: Everything except the head thumps. I value my health and my head, so I don't do that. But Jud, he called bright and early this morning. He's -- I think he's kind of what we project our team as, you know, he never had an ego, he always felt that the program was bigger than any player or coach in it. He felt the university was bigger, you know, and of course that's true but sometimes in this day and age we seem to put other things first. He taught me more about life things, along with the basketball things, that I've greatly appreciated, how he dealt with the media, never holding grudges. I owe so much to Jud and thank God, after a couple of years when maybe it was hard for him when he got out, and now he's given me a lot of good advice that I value and cherish, and I hope if we can win a National Championship I would like to be holding that Championship trophy with him holding his. It would be a great photo.

COACH IZZO: Well, you know, after -- last night was a long night, as I'm sure it was for Bill. And so I haven't really thought about it yet. I'm not sure it hit home yet. After this media stuff and then the practice, I guess we get ten minutes to sit down and look at maybe what we've accomplished and what tomorrow will be like, and I guess that's when I'll really start thinking about it. But I'm just happy for these guys. I'm really happy for Mateen, Morris and A.J., because as I said, they don't get another chance. I'm happy because I know how hard they worked. You know, it's easy to sit here and say how hard, I'm sure everybody's worked hard, but I really do believe nobody in the country has worked harder, maybe some as hard, but nobody harder than this group. And for that, it goes with my saying that you usually get what you deserve, and that's what they are and that's where they are.

COACH IZZO: I think it's critically important that you have a good guard. The one negative of our team is we don't have a lot of guards. I don't think, you know, we have as many guards as some teams. We have kind of the 6-5, 6-4, 6-6 swing guys, and so a lot is going to fall on Mateen's shoulders, but he's got big shoulders, and he, I think, relishes the opportunity to be the focal point, even though he gives Pete a lot of that duty now. I think tomorrow's his time. I tell him, it's like Dion Sanders, it's prime time, and he's a prime-time player. A lot is going to be on his shoulders tomorrow.

COACH IZZO: I do have to admit, we've got a race to see which one gets there first. I mean you don't have to get there, you have to win it, unfortunately. So we got there, he was, you know, a couple plays away two years ago from getting there. And it's been a great relationship. He came in and watched some film with us last night. I didn't understand him, he kept telling me to blitz in that situation. (Laughter.) But, you know, he really -- he really has been an inspiration to me. We've leaned on each other for a lot of years. It's nice to have somebody who understands your profession and yet is in a different one a little bit. I think what I realized is Xs and Os, they're okay, they're good. But motivating players, getting the most out of players, it doesn't change in any sport. That's the main goal, I think, of a good coach. He helps me in that respect. He's just been there, supportive, as I was with him when he lost his quarterback this year and went through some tough times.

COACH IZZO: I think they really will have an impact, because I think what we're going to find out is, you know, it's well-publicized the Kobe Bryants of the world who make it. It's not very well-publicized the guys who don't make it. I think, still, for the betterment of college basketball, of course to stay is, I think, for the betterment of pro basketball staying is better, and unless you happen to be a Magic Johnson, a Michael Jordan, they are elite players, maybe a Kobe Bryant. I think what Mateen has done, he has made people realize that college is fun, and I really appreciated the players that came back to tell him and call him, like Steve Smith and Eric Snow and Earvin and Greg Kelser and Scott Skiles, just about everybody's told him to stay. I didn't tell him anything like that. I told him he's got to do what's best for him. But I think in the future, I know for Michigan State, it will have an impact. Does that mean two years from now I won't have a guy leave early? I guess I'd like to be in that problem once in a while, means I've got better players. But I think it will have an impact on people.

COACH IZZO: Describe it? Well, we have eleven months of winter and one month of poor sledding. We have the world's largest man-made ski jump. It's a miner's town, we put our hats on, flick the little light in the front. It's a unique place. It's got core values, it's got people who -- as I said, the principal lives on one side of me, the chief of police on the other and the dentist across the street. So you kind of -- you're raised by the community. It's more than just, you know, you have obligations to a lot of people. I honestly believe that tomorrow night every TV set in Iron Mountain will be watching the game.

COACH IZZO: I've said this all the time, everybody kind of questions our motivational tactics because sometimes we get on players. Our players know -- I know what they want and they know what I want. It's really not that difficult. Andre knows that he's a quiet guy, he's our best student on our team. He came in with the highest GPA, he's got so many pluses. I mean he's, you know, you have a daughter, you want her to marry Andre Hutson because of what he is. That's all good and great. That doesn't make him necessarily excel in the basketball world that he wants to excel in. What we've tried to tell him is: Andre, you have to be a little more unselfish. You have to be a little bit more -- have a little more passion for the game at times. I think he's making gigantic strides in this tournament. I think the last couple games of the year he's playing like the player I think he can. He's getting a little more offensively aggressive. I think the players want to go to him. But believe it or not, if you don't know him, you couldn't appreciate this; in huddles, in half times, he actually asked the players to get him the ball now, which is -- that's a miracle. He's come a long way.

COACH IZZO: I think using our bench more. We don't really want to slow it down any. We don't want to get into -- I realize they're probably a better track-meet team because they do it both ways. We'd like to run on offense. They like to press and run. So they do it both ways, and I'm sure most people think that works to their advantage. But we do think we have some -- what we have is some great finishers. Peterson and Bell are as good a finisher in college basketball. We happen to have a forward who might be our best three-point shooter. If we get things in the open court, we think there could be pluses for us, too. You are right, the bench is a question mark. We think our bench is going to have to play well. If they don't, we're going to have to get a lot out of these five guys.

COACH IZZO: I've gotten a chance to be a part of the Wooden Awards three out of the last five years and get out there and meet John Wooden. But like every young coach, I've read his books, followed his career, and, you know, we do a lot of things that I guess you'd like to do. He was always one that worried more about his team than the opponent, and we just don't have Walton and those guys on it. We have to worry about our opponent sometimes more than our team. But I think the values, you listen to his ex-players talk about him, there just seems to be this sincere love for his players, and yet you listen to Bill Walton the other night at a function I was at. Maybe he wasn't quite as shy and quiet as he seemed. Maybe that rolled up deal, maybe he even yelled at an official once in a while. Really didn't show that. I'm not sure he's that much different than the rest of us.

COACH IZZO: That's the problem, by the country I guess it could be taken two ways. I bet you if you ask 99 percent of our media people in the State of Michigan, it wasn't even thought of in an arrogant or cocky way at all. I do agree with you, if you looked at that, you might want to say that, but Mateen Cleaves, I can promise you, the one thing he's never done is disrespect another player or team. He's always had great respect for everybody. So I knew what that was being said for. It was almost being said for our younger kids, to make sure that they know his time's up, and he's expecting and demanding nothing less than a National Championship. And I really do believe this. I mean I really do believe he can sit up here and say college is fun and this and that. He came back because he wanted, I think he appreciated what Earvin Johnson did, winning a Championship in high school, college, pro, and the Olympics. And he's talked about that. He won one in high school. I think he wants to win one in college, then go from there. So I was not upset about it. Because I knew the context it was said in.

COACH IZZO: Well, my wife and daughter would probably wonder about that 40-hour work week more than I do. You know, my dad's always worked a lot of hours. I had a grandfather that lived until 90 and worked until he was 89. That's the way of the world where I'm from. That doesn't make anybody up there better or worse, it's just the way it was. It comes from different cultures, kind of. But I do think it helped influence my life. Then I worked for a guy who was, you know, crazier than my family. I mean Jud never asked me to do anything that he wouldn't do himself. I always appreciated that about Jud. If were in there working, he was in there working. I mean he never asked me to go do something that he wouldn't do himself. I think that was as good a lesson as any that my family has taught me. So when you had a dad who worked a lot of hours and believed that was the way to get ahead, and when your No. 1 mentor did the same thing, I guess I was blessed by how I came up.

COACH IZZO: I think it's twofold. I think it's, No. 1, they do want to wear you down and utilize their depth, which is a great coaching move on Billy's part. No.2, I think with athletes that they have, you know, they have a rare combination of a great athletic team and a very good shooting team. And so it gets them a lot of open looks and it gets them some points off their defense. So I think it works in both ways. Will that affect us? Sure, it will affect us, and yet we hope to take advantage. I mean there's no coaching secrets to this, we're going to attack their press, too. We're not going to try to dribble it up and pull it out. We're going to try to score on it, too. That's the way we've done it ever since I've worked for Jud. That's not going to change. It might work to their advantage and it might work to ours. It depends on how the game goes. I am a little concerned, you know, on whether we get worn down, whether we get in foul trouble, I don't think we have as much depth at certain positions that are necessary to attack their press.

COACH IZZO: You know, I really believe it's a mental toughness, by these players that were here. I think some people get tired as the game goes on, and some people get stronger as the game goes on. And I think we've always preached the mental toughness and mental toughness gives you a chance to get stronger; I think, as the game goes on. Everybody's going to be tired. That's a given. Who can kind of get past that are usually the people that win. And I think, you know, we've said it a lot. Players play and tough players win. That's kind of the motto we've hung with. I think right now I've got some pretty physically and mentally-tough players, as I think Florida has, and that's probably why we're both in the Finals.

COACH IZZO: I'll tell you why I didn't let it slide. It was in the first half of the game and we were up by 17 or 18 points, and I think there's a time when players deserve to express some -- some of themselves. Morris has earned that. If that was in the last two minutes, maybe I would have felt it was different, but as he came over and I wasn't very pleased, but the great part was he said before I said anything, he said, "I know, Coach, that was wrong." And that was it. I didn't really say another word about it. I don't mean that to, you know, not let my guys have fun and do the things, but, you know, Danny Munson is a friend of mine, he's a good guy. They were going through a tough time and we were playing well at the time. So it was just something that -- I never believe in embarrassing anybody, and that was one of those rare moments when I thought we added a little mustard to something that didn't need to be added.

COACH IZZO: I'm not sure I wondered but I know a lot of media and alumni wondered. Yeah, if I was to be honest with you, I guess there was times I probably had to look in the mirror, had some sleepness nights about it. But I do think I was brought up well. I mean Jud, the last couple of years did a lot of favors for me. He let me be a part of every part of the game, and I know he had been successful and I knew the blue print we were using was the same blue print. So I didn't really doubt those things. You know, we felt we had to get more players and, you know, that was part of the process. But as you know, this day and age, you don't get as much time. There's a lot of great coaches that, I don't think, get a long enough chance. It's the way it is. So I accept that. But I don't think I doubted myself, but I, you know, like everybody, you have to question is what you're doing right. Maybe I did that a few times.

COACH IZZO: Well, it's, for me, it's a compliment to Magic and Mateen. People -- players have to, I think, rally a team. I think great players aren't just great players; they make all the people around them, they might take them from good to great, they might take them from average to good. I think that is the test of a true great player. For us, Mateen makes our coaching staff better. He makes our players better. In that respect, he's been there four years, he's recruited for all sports. As far as the personality that he has, we've accomplished some things that no team at Michigan State has accomplished, and I guess I know there's only one Magic Johnson, and, you know, we at Michigan State love Magic Johnson. I just think he's -- Mateen Cleaves has been the next closest thing because of his personality, because of his will to win. I mean a lot of guys have it, Scott Skiles had it, but Mateen shares it with everybody, and he is the reason we are a great family. And that's something I hope I can continue to have while I'm at Michigan State.

COACH IZZO: Well, we have a -- I think we have a good support group at Michigan State. I think all the people from our compliance people to everybody else, we try to have seminars.

ANDRE HUTSON: This and that. I think the same thing about that that I do about my job. Everybody in Michigan may give me credit or my assistants credit for recruiting. You know, players are the best recruiters and players are the best advisers. I really believe that. I think some of our past players did a good job with Mateen, you know, telling him why he should stay or why he should go. I mean Mateen and I sat down, I would not have been, so you know, upset if he would have left. I think the whole situation, the timing of things, you know, maybe it could have been the right time. My advice was to stay, but I understand the decision he had to make. But I really believe that one of the reasons he stayed was all the other support people around, Morris and these players here, I think the Steve Smiths of the world Eric Snows that talked to him, it was more than just me, I can guarantee you that.

COACH IZZO: I love Teddy Dupay. Not being the tallest person in America, he's my kind of guy. So I'm a big fan of Teddy Dupay's. I think he has a -- I've only seen film on him. I have not seen him much in person other than a little bit last night. He seems to not only -- he's not that big, but he seems to have a big heart. He has toughness. Not afraid to take the big shot. He's a competitor. He reminds me of a younger-aged Scott Skiles, when I was, you know, had a chance to coach him some. So he's a competitor, it seems like, and a guy that can beat you different ways.

COACH IZZO: Yeah, when I first got out of college, Mariucci and I owned this trailer we rented out to two or three guys, triple bunks so we had enough money so we could survive, if that's what you mean. When I went to Michigan State, you know, my family never had a lot of money. So, you know, believe it or not, I don't live much different now than I did then. I just have a nicer home and probably a few nicer toys. But I don't think I live that much different than I did then, as, again, you know, I saw what Jud went through, how he did it, and I always appreciated that. But I am happy that I -- because of the success, I'm able to help some of the people that have been so good to me and my family. And that's been probably the greatest thrill I've had with the success we've had.

COACH IZZO: Well, you know, our teams have refocused, especially since Mateen's been here because we thought we were getting better players and making some steps in the right direction. Like a lot of people tell you, everybody tells you you want to get to the Final Four. Then once you get there, you say, boy, are you just happy to be here? The coaches say, no, we're not. We want to win it. I think I learned from last year that we were down and bothered, but I'm not sure it killed anybody. You know, I think ever since you're grown up, you hear the Final Four. I think you hear the Final Four more than winning the National Championship. And so were we a little bit satisfied? Maybe. Maybe, as I look back, we might have been. But it was said right then, you know, that's when I knew Mateen was coming back before he even told me, he did half the speaking that we're going to get ready this spring, summer and fall, we're going to do this, we're going to do that, it wasn't you guys do it, I'm hitting the road. I knew in my mind he was coming back even though a lot of people around were saying he could or should leave. But I think there was great focus and great attention to detail, and they really spent a lot of time together in the spring, summer and fall and that's what made the difference.

COACH IZZO: You know, I was through the Scott Skiles deal that took taunting to a new level. It doesn't bother Mateen as much. He's pretty tough-minded. You know what I love about Mateen? We talked about it. You know, if you do something wrong, you got to pay the consequences. And sometimes the consequences linger and last a little longer. I think I felt more sorry for his parents and his sister. It was tough on them at times. And yet I say that, and not as many people taunted Mateen as you would think. I still think he has enough blue-collar work ethic to him, he's egoless enough that I think people do appreciate a little bit about him. He's probably the normal college guy in a lot of respects. I think people appreciate it. So there was one or two games when it got a little crazy down in the student section. I remember one game in particular I just went down and sat with him and kind of hung out for a while at the end of the game. But all in all, I think people have been pretty good to Mateen and all in all, I think he understands that he's not perfect, and if he makes a mistake, you know, you got to pay the consequences.

COACH IZZO: Well, as far as Tom Crean goes, I think he deserves a lot of credit. You know, he's been kind of a forgotten soldier in this whole deal. Believe it or not, we would not be here if it wasn't for a lot of the work he did. He did a great job recruiting. He was great for me, because we were good friends. He understood me. He was a great guy with the players. He fit right into this family group, which I think he'll do a phenomenal job at Marquette because of that. And he was very knowledgeable basketball coach. So Tom Crean deserves a ton of credit for what he helped this team do. I hope, and I spent a few hours with him at our hotel, I hope he's feeling some pride and some feelings about what we've accomplished. He deserves -- there's a guy that deserves a Big Ten Championship that we won this year, he was a big part of it. If we were fortunate enough to win a National Championship, he should be part of that, too. What was part two? The Big Ten, SEC, everybody talks about styles being so different, it seems like we've -- I have played Arkansas and Kentucky, some of those teams are physical, too. It's that much different. I've watched Billy's team last night. That was not for the weak at heart. They're not afraid to get after you, they're not afraid to get into it inside, there's a lot of banging and bumping. There's a few teams in our league, maybe it was in the old days three yards and a cloud of dust. It's not that way anymore. We like to run, we don't score 100 points because we don't press as much. But we score 64, 76 points a game, which I think is pretty good.

COACH IZZO: I'm impressed with Billy. I've known him for a few years. I think he, too, seems to have a relationship with his players. I'm not there every day so I don't know that. I know he works extremely hard. He's on the road all the time recruiting. He did what I tried to do, he took his assistant role and brought it to the head coach position. He stays on the road, beats the bushes, does all the things that are necessary, because I learn more every day, you know, better players make you a better coach. You have to make sure you take care of that part of business. But I think what's impressed me most now that I've had to go against him, he's a very good Xs and Os coach. He's done a good job with individual skill development of his players. I saw some of those kids as seniors in high school. I think they've all improved a lot. I like Billy, we're friends, but I'm a bigger fan now that I've gotten a chance to watch his team and how they've responded.

COACH IZZO: I get to sleep for the next couple of weeks after tomorrow night. Everybody goes through the same thing. Just a way of business. Everybody's got different pressures. I mean I think my pressures, then I think of the doctors in a ten-hour heart surgery, this is a piece of cake. So, you know, I know Billy was working his projector all night, as we were, and like I said, I look at this as the fun part of it. This is why you get into coaching. This is what you like to do. And, you know, is it fatiguing, does it wear you down? Yeah, it is at this time of year if you're lucky enough to get this far. I remember when Magic Johnson used to come back to campus my first few years there, he was back all summer. He'd come back after that run to the Finals. This emaciated body would come back, it would leave in September, 240 pounds and come back about 215, 220 pounds it seemed like he was just this skinny guy. You realize what a wear and tear the season had on you. I'm sure my wife thought I looked better in September than I do now, but it's part of the fun of the game.

COACH IZZO: You know, I really do. I look at him as a guy that, as I said, he's been a great player that has given credit to everybody else. I think he's been a good role model in that he plays both ends of the court. He's not the greatest offensive shooter but he plays both ends of the court. He's a star player, an All-American who likes to play defense, you know, those guys are few and far between. He's a guy that not only stayed, but I mean he didn't drag it on. He didn't make it a big deal. He just said, "Hey, maybe I'm ready in some ways, I'm not ready in other ways, but I have other things I want to accomplish in college." And I like the way he handled it, you know, it wasn't like he dragged it out. I had to keep bothering him, there wouldn't have even been a press conference if other people didn't say what's he going to do, there was so much interest in what's he going to do. He told me I'm staying. He told the team after the Duke game, we're going to get ready for next year. I love the way Mateen Cleaves has handled it. I know there's been a few ups and downs in his career that people have probably hung over his head and hung over mine, if I could get another Mateen Cleaves tomorrow, I'd take him in a heartbeat.

COACH IZZO: Let me answer the fiirst one -- second one first. I don't think at this time of year it does. Because they've had to go through a lot to get here, too. And they must be pretty mentally tough and physically tough. They're in their first Final Four or Championship game, we're in our first. I'm not going to down play that we have more experience than them because we do. But I think when you get this far, I'm not sure it matters as much. As far as, you know, what some of the players have been through, you know, Mateen, the other reason he's been a special player, he's able to take criticism. And he's able to critique himself. I mean I can come up and say, "Well, how did you play?" Not very good. Or I can say to somebody, you know, Mateen didn't play very good and I've had people ask me, well should you say that about your best player? I say well go ask him. He gives them the same answer, you know. That is rare this day and age when egos are out of control and I think for Morris, you know, he went through -- he went through a lot more than Mateen. I think he had a farther way to come. I still give both their parents as much credit as I should get because they always backed me, they always stood behind me, they always -- they were pretty good at critiquing, too, maybe that's why the kids are good at it. It's been really easy to coach these guys in a lot of ways and yet they have been through some tough times. I think like all of us, that only makes you better in the end.

COACH IZZO: That's a good point. I would agree with you on that. I don't know, I'm just in the middle, I guess. I think maybe that's a plus. Maybe that's a plus. Because I think I'm from the old school enough that I understand really how it needs to be done, and I think I'm young enough to be able to relate to the players, which I think is critical in this day and age. And so maybe I should just remain at this age. But I think there's some validity to that. I think it is -- that's part of the experience, and yet understanding factors that go into making tough decisions like when a player does something wrong, you know, sometimes I've caught myself saying how can I condemn him when just a few years ago, you know, I probably did something worse? I try to take things, I look at things through my own life sometimes, and I hope that's an advantage for me. You know, because I think I've looked at the new wave and the younger version, but I work for the old wave and the older version. I love some of the older version, you know, I really, really do. I think if you can balance them, you've got something special. That's what we're trying to do. I hope that's the reason why we're in the Final Four and the Championship game, because we've had some success in doing it.

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