NCAA MEN'S FINAL FOUR

March 28, 1997

Clem Haskins

CLEM HASKINS: First of all, we're just delighted to be here and to represent our university, the University of Minnesota, and the Big 10. We were just talking about so many coaches throughout their careers, great coaches, ledge ends of this game have an opportunity to coach in the Final Four. This is my 17th year coaching. I finally get here. But I think from day one I started preparing for this day to get here and play and win a National Championship. A lot of times you get here, wow, it's the Final Four, relax. We're not through yet, we have two more chapters to finish yet, that's against Kentucky, a fine defending national champs team, Saturday afternoon. We know they will be well prepared. We know what they're going to do defensively and offensively, now can being out and combat that. We feel like we have had good practices and we're back to our game plan and we'll see what happens.

CLEM HASKINS: I decided to hold Eric again today, he could not play basketball today. But we think maybe tomorrow evening, game time, our trainer, Roger, will work with him this afternoon and tomorrow. And if he can go, we will start him tomorrow evening. Because what happened, if he goes through warmups you're much better starting, once we take him out the shoulder will tighten up. We'll try to start him tomorrow night. We probably won't know that until game time.

CLEM HASKINS: That's a good question, that's why we're not in awe of being here. We're excited but not the type of excitement the first time. Courtney James has played here before in front of 40,000 people. Charles Thomas as played two state champions, 25,000 people. And believe me there's no more pressure here than in high school, in those championships in Indiana and Kentucky. Arkansas was the national champion two years; Quincy, my guys have been in big games. They know how to win, what it takes. Pressure is just a word. We wrap it up and put it in our hip pocket and go play.

CLEM HASKINS: They're a physical ball club. And I think they seem to give our team too much credit. Every team is physical. We're aggressive a ball club. We have one guy, John Thomas, that's a physical player. Courtney James is not a physical player. I keep telling people he's a finesse player. He's one of the quickest 6-8 guys in the country. If you watch him run and watch him defend people, he doesn't use strength, he uses finesse, and he's quick. John is a physical player and John Thomas is a physical individual on our ball club.

CLEM HASKINS: There's no way that you, also you have a Mercer or you have an Epps or Turner, Prickett, Padgett, there's no way. We try to do the best we can. We feel like we do have quality players to work with. And our twins give us great practice players. They're 6-6, 6-7. They're very athletic. That's why when we go against pressure, we don't feel nobody in the country puts more pressure. So the games are not that tough for us because we have good practice players to work against. Those guys are not as quick as Kentucky players, but probably just a step behind them.

CLEM HASKINS: You're going back, what is it, 40 years ago -- 30 years ago, plus. So that's a long time. When you're that age we looked forward to playing those guys and probably beat us. We didn't play them, because we had to beat a team before we got to Kentucky, but they probably beat us, but not realizing it because we wanted to play them so bad. That was 30 years. This is a different time zone. That's behind me. I'm coaching, and I had probably some hatred in my heart, but now that's not there anymore. It's another ballgame. Which happens to be the University of Kentucky, a fine institution, a great basketball tradition, great coach, great players. And now we're looking at a team that's across from us we have to beat that's standing in our way, it happened to be Kentucky. I'm from Kentucky. But there's nothing there except a great team we're going against. I'm prepared for that team. And what happened 30 years ago, I put that behind me.

CLEM HASKINS: I don't think we have three players like South Carolina, they have three of the best perimeter players in the country. We cannot take the ball and beat people like that. We play more of a passing situation, team concept. But the thing is, yes, the pressure is great. We have respect for that. But I think in return, if you check our stats we only give up 62 a game. We can play the heat, too.

CLEM HASKINS: I think the game of basketball, I have a lot of respect for the great game. This game has meant everything to me. I never wanted to be a president, lawyer or doctor. I wanted to play basketball and be a coach and work with young people. I think today we've let coaches be disrespectful of the game if you let people do things. Everybody is a copy cat. And the coaches are copy cats, they'll sellout for anything. I don't think that's right. And I will never do that. I'm a strong believer in no tatoos. Yes, I have kids with tatoos, yes, I have some kids that wear earrings, but they wear them in their private surroundings. They know there's a time and place for everything. My kids had tatoos, look Bobby Jackson, Russ, my freshman guard, he's got tatoos all over his body but they were there in high school. I think the trend in America is kind of sick because we don't have strong enough people to stand up for what's right and what's wrong. And we need more of that in our school system. You don't start at the ground level. You start back in the grade school. When the high school coaches start selling out to a 7th or 8th grader, by giving him shoes, an earring and a tattoo. And that's the problem we have at our level, once we get here. But we've got to infiltrate down into the system and say no to certain things. And that's the problem we have here. And that's why I say about young kids, the administration is selling out. We have to take a strong look at that. Athletes are high profile individuals. And when they're at school with caps on backwards, with tatoos on, with earrings, then the student body will copy that style. When coaches let that go because they want to win a game or state championship or state title to get the Blue Chip athlete, that's wrong. And I don't believe in that.

CLEM HASKINS: I think if you look at our program we have quality players. And I think young players are looking for direction, they want to be disciplined. I think there's a right way and wrong way to do everything. We have a lot of fun at Minnesota, they don't have to wear that, we still have fun in game. We have fun in travel. We have fun in everything. Yes, you'll see my players out with them, probably, from time to time, because that's a trend now. And the peer pressure is so great out there. But again, because they do it, do I like it? No, I do not. But I think we're trying to do the right thing at Minnesota and try to set an example for all coaches to follow and young people.

CLEM HASKINS: It was a big time recruit for us, and that's why I say we have quality players. This young man won the state championship for his team. He's one of the premiere big forwards in the country, I feel like today. We're fortunate to have him at Minnesota. It was a lot of hard work, Purdue, Cincinnati recruited them hard. He's from a one parent home and I think his mother was looking for discipline. He needed a man figure in his life and a strong individual like Clem Haskins to deal with him so he could grow as a young man. There's more to life to me than a jump shot and rebound and winning a National Championship. When I retire, don't measure me by how much championships I win, but assess me by the young people that played for me.

CLEM HASKINS: Well, I think the defense pressure. We've got to deal with that, meaning the traps in every situation where we come back and meet the basketball, not leave someone hanging, if they get caught in a trap, to come back and make someone available and meet the passes. But we've worked against that. And our league gives us a variety of things. And so that's why we have respect for the Kentucky trap. We like to matchup zone against tempo. We have a lot of respect for the matchup zone. I think tomorrow night we'll do the same thing, is that we've got to go play and get our shots, make them and don't be intimidated.

CLEM HASKINS: Well, like I said before for us to win a National Championship we need Eric Harris to play his 25 or 30 minutes. Regardless if he plays tomorrow night, he's not the same player, we'll have to find a way to pick up the pieces. We're not the NBA, we can't pick up waivers the next few hours. If Eric can't play, Charles Thomas would be the starting lineup, and elevate Quincy Lewis for more minutes. That's why we're here, because of our bench. We play 9 guys. I made a commitment last season to play 9 guys and we stay with that commitment the whole year. That's why we're 31 and 3. We'll have to move Quincy of up more and also Charles to play more minutes.

CLEM HASKINS: I was playing pro basketball at the present time with the Phoenix Suns, and they all realized I'm from Kentucky. Everybody knew I was from Kentucky, and very, very proud of my town and my state, my community. So all the players realized that. And all they would say is make sure Clem Haskins doesn't fake an injury to go watch Western Kentucky play Kentucky. I believe it was played at Vanderbilt. And I tried every way to get there to see the game. And I thought about faking an injury, he was right. But after it came out in public, I said to the general manager, I couldn't fake the injury to go. But I did go to the Final Four in Houston and watched them play the first round. And I stepped off, they were going to fine me, but they removed the fine, and it was okay after that, I didn't miss a game.

CLEM HASKINS: I think personally you ask me that question, and my wife would probably get upset. I think earrings were made for ladies to wear, and that's the way I look at it, not for men. And I won't change from that. And caps backwards, I think it's okay to wear them backwards from time to time. But my guys walk in and they wear them backwards, I think they need to look like a gentleman. I have strong belief and it gets me in trouble. And I love what I do, and I know it's coming to an end because sooner or later I will lose some players that want to come to Minnesota but they would not come without wearing earrings, and when that happens, they probably have no coach.

CLEM HASKINS: I think if you look at all the problems he's having, I think it speaks for itself. I don't think we need role models like that in the country. Not a very good example, I don't think. But why we have the problem in the school, they see that. I think when we public size that, and that's what's wrong with media and the TV, you public size that people. He's a great player, but his stand on things, I would not enjoy being around.