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

March 25, 2004

Taron Downey

Chris Paul

Skip Prosser

COACH PROSSER: First, I want to congratulate Saint Joseph's, Phil's kids have had a marvelous year, and without watching every one of their game tapes, probably did to us what they have done to 29 other teams where they just shot the 3 extremely well. I'm also very proud of our players for a relatively youthful team. I thought we competed as hard as we could. You don't have to be all of that learned in the game to realize, you know, they made 12 3s and we made 8 and there in was the difference in the game to many respects. Both teams shooting 50 percent from 3s, you know, we were a little bit better from the foul line but again, 12 3s to eight 3s; I think from a strictly, certainly statistical standpoint it was the difference. And again, it's not something that we didn't think could happen, not something we didn't prepare for. Again, they just made several dagger 3s against us.

CHRIS PAUL: It's difficult knowing that we got some seniors in Scotty Benken and Allen Williams, they won't ever get to put this uniform on again. We had a great team this year. A lot of people talk about us being good next year but we thought we could make a run in the tournament deep this year, so it's tough to know that the season is over.

TARON DOWNEY: It's difficult, like Chris said, knowing that the season is over. We won't get to play again till November. It's just a difficult time for us right now.

TARON DOWNEY: I give a lot of credit to Barley. He was really aggressive on defense. He never gave me the opportunity to push the ball up the court like I usually do. He was into returning me and I give a lot of credit to him.

CHRIS PAUL: Felt like a story because our whole season we had just been talking about one stop, one stop, and I think right there, you know we had a lot of confidence and we thought if we could get one stop, you know, we would convert on the offensive end. But that's one thing we didn't do; we didn't get that stop.

TARON DOWNEY: I think we were trying to foul him but we didn't get the call and he like split the defense and he got a foul called on us and got the free throw. That sealed the deal.

CHRIS PAUL: No, I don't think so. During the game, you're not thinking about the crowd or the fans. We paid no attention to that. I think we just tried to play as hard as we could and unfortunately, we came up short.

TARON DOWNEY: I agree with what Chris said. Every great team is going to have a real rowdy crowd behind them. They had a great crowd and they showed the fan support and just fed off of it and came out with the win.

COACH PROSSER: We talked to our team since Saturday evening, really, about the fact that when they are shooting the ball well, you know every time you make a mistake, they can really make you pay. A couple long rebounds, we had decent block out position, the ball just bounced over our heads. When we would break down just for half a second, they scored one time went out of bounds played, the other time our feet got tangled in the lane and Barley hits one out of the corner. Again, I don't think it's that cryptic. I'm not sure either team exactly guarded as well as they would like to guard; it's 84-80. Again they just shot the 3s really well. We talked about it. We practiced well against it. But I think the one that is really, really got hurt on were those opportunity 3s for lack of a better term, whether it be just a guy falling down or a long shot, long rebound and again, you know, they don't have to go in. You're looking at Carroll and Barley, those two guys, nine 3s which is more than we had as a team, and I think that's the reason Saint Joseph's had such, again, a marvelous season.

COACH PROSSER: We're trying to do something at Wake Forest and it's -- this isn't the end, as Churchill would say, it's not the end, the end is just the beginning. We have all of these, in terms of scholarship players, we have all of these kids back. I think Phil has a team that has gotten better and better and better and I think the maturing of guys like Dante, Barley who is a senior, that really helps. And at times we have had kids against men. Believe me, I'm not trying to say that as an excuse. We're just looking forward to getting to that point where we have a hardcore veteran leadership type group and we're getting there. And I think as a told the players after the game, I think our guys have showed good resiliency, we lost four straight, six out of eight at one time. And I told our guys, when we lost those four straight and six out of eight, I said: Our team is going to be a heck of a story. Either we are going to go right down a slippery slope and disappear from double ton or we are going to rally and have chance for the ACC Championship and play our way back into the National Tournament and we did that. There's no guarantee that it had to go that way. I'm proud of our players that they opted out for the latter as well as the former. While it's hard to think about anything beyond tonight, we hope this will ultimately be a step in our three years, we finished third, first and third in our league. Again, it's just hard to think of things in the grand perspective right now. I think that's a question you're asking. I know I'm not doing a great job of answering it. Maybe when I have more time I'll put it in better perspective.

COACH PROSSER: When you have a great player, often times, we had that situation last year with Josh Howard, it can debunk conventional basketball theory because that great player can take over games down the stretch. And he's clever. I mean, they would score and they would grab the ball coming out of the net. As he told me, coach, you've just got to slow down your break. I know that and he knows that. And again, they did it and to their credit. So not just you see a talented player; he's a basketball guy. Again, you know, the platitudes written about Jameer and Saint Joseph's, they don't need me to repeat them again. They are very good and again I take my hat off to Phil and his kids.

COACH PROSSER: Being so strong on the perimeter are you saying?

COACH PROSSER: Throw a cliche at me now. Give you more credit than that. No, I can't think of -- I mean, even my first year at Wake Forest when Duke had such a strong perimeter game with Williams and DuHon (ph) and Dunleavy, they still had Carlos Boozer who was pretty good. I'll be honest, I can't think of one. Loyola Marymount teams, they played a whole different style but still Hank Gathers is a Philly guy, they were pretty good in the post. I've really not thought about it, but I really cannot think about it right off the top of my head.

COACH PROSSER: No. I think they try hard. I think games, the best officials referee these games. I think we have three very good officials. At different points in time, you know, there probably is a disagreement, but I'm not the most unbiased person in that arena. So I thought they tried hard and I think they are three quality officials. I think that, you know, in the second half our goal was to try to really establish things inside. I guess those weren't fouls. Three good referees.