NCAA MEN'S 3RD & 4TH ROUND REGIONALS: NEW JERSEY

March 24, 2004

Justin Gray

Skip Prosser

Eric Williams

COACH PROSSER: You know, we expect -- it's going to be a great game. Tremendous amount of respect for Saint Joseph's, Coach Martelli. The more tape you watch of them, the more it becoming readily apparent, you know, why they have the record that they do have. We're hopeful that we can remain competitive throughout the game. Again, they're a very, very talented team, I think exceedingly well-coached.

COACH PROSSER: Is that right, yeah? I've noticed (laughter).

COACH PROSSER: I think we said from day one, we were aware of the fact that, you know, we had no seniors. We were going to depend on a lot of freshmen, sophomores. We believed, again, that we had it within ourselves to be a good team right now. I think the easy thing would have been to think well, you know, next year is our year, we'll be good down the road. But as I told the players, we have two seniors who are not scholarship players. This team will never be together again, certainly absent those two guys. We thought we had it within ourselves to be good immediately. I think we have been good at times and less so at other times. Fortunately, we played well here in the national tournament. I'm blessed with as good a group of young men as I've ever coached. I think they genuinely enjoy being around one another, enjoy being in the gym playing basketball. We're going to try to keep it going as long as we can. We are aware we're facing a team that is showing an outstanding senior leader in Jameer Nelson as well as a strong junior in Delonte West. So the experience edge perhaps does not lie with us. But having said that, our guys have faced that on many occasions this year.

COACH PROSSER: It's hard really at this point to think much of the broad view. I think -- I struggle thinking globally, I'm much better at thinking locally, I believe. We've prepared for Saint Joseph's as hard as we can, as hard as we've been able to since Saturday. I think perhaps we'll have a better perspective on things down the road. So I haven't thought much about that. I think it's obviously significant that, you know, Wake Forest is back in the Sweet-16. We haven't been there since Tim Duncan. I'm very gratified for our players that they've been able to achieve this. How they handled it, I guess we'll know at the inviting hour of 9:57 p.m., how well we have handled it. But I think, you know, they're kids. I think they're excited to be here, exhilarated by the experience, anxious to have the opportunity to play.

COACH PROSSER: He's never had that luxury since we opened the season in the Garden, against an outstanding senior point guard, Antonio Burke from Memphis. Once Tyron Dining went down with the appendicitis, the appendectomy that followed, Chris was thrust into the position of going to start in his first college game, the most famous arena in the world. He handled himself well there then. I think he's continued to do so. He's never had the luxury of being a freshman. His training wasn't on-the-job training. As I've said, ad infinitum, ad nauseam, I wouldn't trade him with any point guard in the country.

COACH PROSSER: Again, I don't think great globally. I was just concerned about that Wake Forest kept playing, advanced, who Wake Forest is about to play next. Having coached against Saint Joseph's many, many times when he was at Xavier, I was happy to see, you know, Wake win. I was happy to see Xavier win. My focus has pretty much been on trying to get ready for Saint Joseph's and not think about who else played, really besides Wake Forest and Xavier, who Wake is about to play next.

COACH PROSSER: Well, it never ceases to amaze me how tragically misinformed some of those people you're talking about can be. When I see a kid like Jameer Nelson, I remember coaching against him as a freshman. He was already a terrific player in the back court with Marvin O'Connor. I think the absolutely compelling thing about college basketball is the chemistry that teams come up with. I think Phil has done an absolutely admirable job of developing chemistry on that team. The way they pass the ball to one another, the way they share the ball, the way they accept collective responsibility for their defense, I think they're a truly marvelous college basketball team. When I was at Xavier I used to tell Phil all the time my favorite team in the A-10 was us; my second favorite was Saint Joseph's. Since watching tapes Saturday, I remember why. They play exceedingly hard. I think again they're in many ways what college basketball is supposed to be, not all about perhaps what you look like in lay-up lines. I've never seen a game decided in lay-up lines, except maybe the time Willis Reed showed up in the tunnel. That was a pretty important lay-up line.

COACH PROSSER: No, he's knocked down a lot. He really gets knocked down a lot in practice. But the option is to just lie there. He'd rather not do that. So he gets up and keeps playing. I think, you know, he's a young kid, so you can look at the difference between Chris and Jameer physically. I think that's a natural maturation. He'll get stronger as he gets older. Again, I think he's acquitted himself well. He has had times when his lack of girth has hurt him. Georgia Tech comes to mind. They'll do a good job, some of the kids they're able to play against him. Again, he's going to play. Again, he's done pretty well.

COACH PROSSER: I think so. They have a lot of very good offensive players. I think these games seldom go according to plan, at least my plan. But I think they have a tremendous, tremendous initiator of plays, both offensively and defensively. I think he's really got his hands on the throttle as well as any player in America, in Jameer Nelson. I think he will control the pace of the game, he usually does.

COACH PROSSER: Well, as I said to the kids after the Manhattan game, my prevailing emotion at that time was one of gratitude. I was there carrying myself and our staff, you know, to the Sweet-16, and we get to keep playing. As I said, I've coached for 30 years, all different levels from those ninth-graders till now. This is really truly a unique group of young men. I've had groups of guys maybe as good, but certainly none better in terms of character, fiber, the things that are most important. Again, I'm just thrilled that they have taken me along for the ride. I really enjoy it. I don't always look like I enjoy it, but I do.

COACH PROSSER: No. I mean, we're friends. You and I spoke on the phone the other day. Again, I can't think of one moment, if you would. I know we've had some great battles. I think when you look at his history with Saint Joseph's, I think between some of their teams and Jameer, you know, they had the three straight losing season. They went from 13-3 to 3-13. And in a lot of circles, that would have been cause for great consternation, whatever particular university you're talking about. Saint Joseph's really stuck by him. Obviously, the results are well-documented. I think more schools should take a look at the Saint Joseph's model. When you have a guy like a Phil Martelli who is a great coach, outstanding person, teaches the life lessons, graduates his kids, that there may be some less-than-spectacular times. But if you had the right man in place, you believe in him, he believes in the mission of the University, has Phil does with Saint Joseph's, it usually works out in the long run. I think Saint Joseph's is a perfect fit for Phil, and Phil is a perfect fit for Saint Joseph's. Again, I think that's a model for how it's supposed to work out.

COACH PROSSER: I think, as I often say, again, it begins at the beginning. Both guys oftentimes initiate their team's offense and their defense. So their play, not unlike a quarterback in football, to great measure, determine how the game goes. We know Jameer Nelson is going to play very, very well. We feel confident that Chris is going to play well. But I think it will also be as well as how those players play around Jameer as well as Chris Paul. I'm looking for the game. I think it's going to be a great game.

JUSTIN GRAY: We're going to try to. I mean, they've had a great season. I feel like the fans behind them should be behind them. If we had a season like that, you'd be hearing the same thing down in Winston-Salem. We're going to try to come in here and be an upset.

ERIC WILLIAMS: I agree with Justin. I think that everybody is looking at us as the underdogs. Wake is really good, they had a nice season, things like that. But, of course, Saint Joseph's is in the spotlight because of the season they had. They have great leadership. They always share the ball. They're just a real good all-around team. That's why I think they got so much of this behind them.

JUSTIN GRAY: Try to handle it professionally. We've been playing basketball for a long time now. Try not to handle it too differently, even though it is on a higher stage. Only 16 teams left now. You know, a lot of people are going to be watching this game. Try to come in and handle ourselves like professionals as far as practice, preparing for the game, every aspect, getting ready. To the program, it's great. For the City of Winston, for Wake Forest, they haven't done this, like coach says, since Tim Duncan. So now we just trying to write our own records, make some new things happen.

ERIC WILLIAMS: You know, going along with what Justin said, I think everybody's just starting to realize now, since we've been this far, since Tim Duncan, they all think they're not going to be good next year, don't have to have any seniors to be a really good team, even though they are a young team, they still go out there and play hard. They can still make the thing happen. That's why I think for the City of Winston and all the Wake fans, even though this is such an overwhelming feeling for them, I think they couldn't be more happier this year.

JUSTIN GRAY: I never played with any of the guys before. But I watched them a lot now in the last couple of games. They get a lot more TV time. They seem pretty good (laughter). You really can't simulate them in practice. There's no way our scout team is going to be a Jameer Nelson. Even though we try to. We had guys on our team trying to be Carol. There's no way you can do that, the way he shoots the ball. So it's going to be a test for us. We're coming out. I think we're pretty prepared for it. To answer your question, no, I haven't seen none of the guys.

ERIC WILLIAMS: I think there was one time, I think, I may have played against Delonte West. I can't remember what year it was. Other than him, I don't know any of the guys on that team. I don't think I played against any of them.

ERIC WILLIAMS: I think my role in this game is just like, you know, my role like any other game, just, you know, the garbage man. Just come in, try to, you know, get rebounds. Chris is such a good player, Jay is such a great shooter, of course, we want to see it's Chris Paul against Jameer Nelson, Delonte West against Justin Gray. You know, that's kind of comforting. For me personally, it takes a lot of pressure off my myself, instead of me being in the spotlight, let them be in the spotlight. Like I say, my role is just the garbage man, try to get all the rebounds I can. Try to score as much as I can when the team gives me the ball.

JUSTIN GRAY: I definitely do. That's what you call the X factor guys, guys who come in and in spurts play good for you, and sometimes you really don't see them. So I think it's going to be a game like that. You know you had the match-up with Chris and Jameer, myself and Delonte. Like you said, it might be an Eric Williams showdown low or Arvydas stepping in and making plays for us. It's going to be a situation like that. One of the guys on our team is going to have to step up. Same for Saint Joseph's.

JUSTIN GRAY: He can expect to see the same, just fast-paced game. A lot of teams try to build a wall around him. I read in the paper Coach Martelli said they were trying to build a wall around him on defense. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But I'm going to tell Chris, we know us as a team, we're going to tell Chris that wall or no wall, just try to go right by. If you turn the ball over, get back on D, it doesn't matter, just play your game. You can expect to see Chris playing with no fear.

JUSTIN GRAY: Personally it's been a learning experience for him, just know that he come in early, he really wasn't supposed to start in that game up in New York. Got kind of thrown in the fire. I tried to let him know that when me and Eric was coming into the situation last year, he has to learn on the job. You make mistakes, don't put your head down, just keep playing. You can tell as the season has gone on, he's gotten more comfortable with the situation. Now he's not the one asking questions, he's the one giving directions, trying to lead people in the right direction. He's done a great job doing so.

ERIC WILLIAMS: Along with what Justin said, like you said, last year with me and Justin going into the fire, Justin handled it a lot better than I did. I was just so nervous coming in as a freshman starting. This year when you see Chris Paul out, like Justin said, when he was thrown into the Memphis game, he just handled it so well, like he was already there. I always called him the freshman Josh Howard because he's been lately just digging us out of trouble. It just seems like he's a natural at it. For me being older, you know, personally I'm a big man. It's been written in the book of basketball that big men have to follow point guards no matter how old they are. So, you know, that's the way I've been coming at it. It was no problem for me.

JUSTIN GRAY: That's the truth, too. I remember sometimes we'd be at school, going somewhere, I open the door for Big E. He would be like, "Behind you, guards first." We go out to eat, "Guards first." "Go, man, do something on your own. Be a leader."

ERIC WILLIAMS: It's in the book (laughter).