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NCAA MEN'S 3RD & 4TH ROUND REGIONALS: ST. LOUISMarch 23, 2007Brandon CroneTodd LickliterBrian LigonST. LOUIS, MISSOURI MODERATOR: Butler Bulldogs are with us now. We'll ask the head coach, Todd Lickliter, to head off with a statement of the game, and then we'll just go to the student athletes. Coach, please. COACH LICKLITER: I knew that this could -- I mean, it's going to happen this way for everybody but one. So every game, once the tournament started, I knew it could be the last game I get to coach these guys, Brandon and Brian and their teammates. And I just wouldn't allow myself to think about it because seldom -- been in coaching a long time -- and it doesn't always happen this way that you get a group of guys that are selfless, that pay attention to detail, that compete at an incredibly high level. And so with that said, I'm sad that I won't get to coach them again. But at the same time I'm very proud of what they've done. We've played some really good teams this year, and we beat some really good teams. And I think Florida is the best team we've played. And I thought that we gave ourselves a chance to compete and to possibly win. But they made more plays down the stretch and my hat goes off to them. I told Billy Donovan I'm very impressed. He has a group of individuals that are highly skilled, very good players. But they appear to be very team-oriented. And that speaks well to Billy and to his players' character. Obviously they play the game the way that I like to watch the game be played, moving the basketball. Sharing the basketball. They defended as a team. And so it's obvious to me, after playing them, and even before when I was watching them, why they would be champions. So I think that's probably all I have to say. Q. Brandon, sorry to start with a negative, but your last foul where Al backed you down and made the go-ahead basket, could you describe that play and did you feel that could have been an offensive foul? BRANDON CRONE: It could have been a number of things. I thought it was probably a no call. But, I mean, it was more my fault. I let him back me all the way down without pulling the chair, without giving him something else to look at. So really it went down to me. And I didn't do anything different. He just took advantage of it. Q. I was going to ask you about that play. What's pulling the chair? BRANDON CRONE: When he backs down, just moving my feet and when he tries to back down hopefully fall or travel or just give him something, move out of his way and hopefully -- hope for a turnover or something. Q. Brian, this is for you, could you just talk about the physical battles inside tonight? Is it one of the more physical games you guys have played and talk a little bit about how Florida answered the physical play that you gave them? BRIAN LIGON: Yes, it's definitely one of the more physical teams we've played. But we played more than one team like that. And I think we came in with a mind set it wasn't going to be easy. But, Florida, they're a great team, they're not going to back down if they don't get anything easy. And I think that's what makes teams great, being able to finish a game, tough game like that, and just speaks how they are as players, not giving up when stuff doesn't just fall in their hands or anything like that. Q. Brian and Brandon, I know that the sting is still fresh. But could you guys elaborate on what kind of a -- I guess what kind of a mark you felt like you've left on Butler basketball and how you would have elevated the program over this season? BRANDON CRONE: I mean, it's a sense of pride for Brian to get them able to come back to the NCAA. But it wasn't just us leaving our mark. You have 12 guys in there that fought every single day either in practice or in games. So it speaks volumes to a team, and what we were able to accomplish as a team, I think that's what will be remembered, is the team. BRIAN LIGON: I'd have to agree with Brandon. We were chosen as captains to lead this team. But you have to have people that are going to listen to you and be willing to make personal sacrifices in order to win games. And this is one of the toughest groups I've ever been a part of, and we're very thankful we were able to be on this team and the accomplishments we've achieved. It's hard to put words on the experience we've had at Butler. But it's definitely been a great one. Q. Brandon, Al Horford has added a lot of aspects to his offensive game this year. Can you talk about the challenge of guarding him, particularly when you have to do it one-on-one? BRANDON CRONE: He's a great player. He's also huge. It was a big challenge. I thought Brian did a heck of a job on him really holding his ground. But when you have a player with that capability, I mean, it's going to be a struggle all night. But I thought we held our own for the most part. But he was able to do a little damage to us. Q. Going along with what Dave said, elevating the program and how did it feel to defy expectations of this team? Pick 6th in the Horizon beginning of the year. Just like Brian said, all the accomplishments. How does it feel to have done that, to defy the expectations put on you? BRIAN LIGON: We did a great job of not focusing on things that we couldn't control, and things that just speaks of the character of the team that we had this year. I mean, there's going to be always people that don't think you can achieve certain things. But not focusing on that and sticking to what you can do and focusing on your abilities is what's allowed us to achieve these things. But I think the team's done a great job this year and I know they'll continue to do that because that's just the type of program Butler has. They go out and recruit specific guys. It's guys that are going to carry on that tradition. BRANDON CRONE: Just to add to that, I mean, our expectations coming in the year was to be first. We didn't see ourselves as sixth. I believe Coach was the only one that voted us first in that poll. So we tried not to look at that all year. I mean, we believed in ourselves. We believed in the capability of the team, this system, this program. I think it just speaks volumes again to the whole team aspect. Q. Coach, could you just talk about the difficulty of guarding a team like Florida, with the athletic front court guys and the problem it presents when you try to take on a Horford? COACH LICKLITER: We couldn't do it without fouling. That's what got us. And then if you try to double, you weren't comfortable doubling off of people. I said before, I think Horford is a terrific passer. If you double him on the catch, that's a big problem. Because he's unselfish and he finds his teammates. And I really thought that was the difference. Green hit three 3s when we doubled on the catch. But in fairness to our guys, they wanted to go help their teammate. You see your teammate one-on-one with Horford, and you're a good guy, you want to go help him. So he just -- and he just found him. You don't play the level that Florida does without having a lot of -- having great skills and playing together. And so it's just one of those things. You just -- they have too many options. Q. Going into this, during the whole week it seemed like you and the players were pretty relaxed. Going into this game, had a lot of confidence. Can you remember what you were thinking when you guys were up 1 less than four minutes to go, were you thinking like this is exactly where I wanted us or I thought we could be? COACH LICKLITER: No, I was just like the players. I was thinking whatever possession it was and what we needed to do to be successful in that particular possession. I don't think it would be fair to ask your players to concentrate on the task at hand and you as a coach not do that. So I'm sure whatever it was, I was either trying to figure out if we had the right lineup in to stop them or if we -- the next play, what it was going to be. Q. Coach, going back to the Jackson State game from Florida, they have been getting off to a bunch of slow starts. Somewhere in the middle of the second half they go into a run. In this game, they didn't put together a string of six straight points until the very end of the game. Was there ever a point in the game where you thought that run wasn't coming? COACH LICKLITER: Well, I told our team at half time, I said, I think we've tricked them. They usually go in behind and then come out with great force. So now we've lulled them a little bit, you know. And so I thought we had them right where we wanted them after they had made that run. Unfortunately, they were able to make another one. I really didn't think about runs or anything like that. I know that's what they're very capable of getting out in transition and creating and I really thought we needed to get our defense set, and our team was doing that. They needed to know where people were. I thought Humphrey hit a very big 3 in the second half to put them up 4, if I remember right. Really deep. Really big one. But I just felt that Green was the difference and I thought it was on -- mostly on kick-outs by Horford. And if you eliminate that, then -- and I'm not blaming our guys whatsoever. I do not blame them for making that decision. Q. Todd, you returned a lot of players from this team and getting six new players next year. Have you allowed yourself to think ahead to next season at all or even pondered the fact that you could maybe give this a run next year as well? COACH LICKLITER: Thanks, David. What we want to do is be the very best team we can be every day. And I have a wonderful staff that is recruited at a high level. Worked very diligently to bring in the right players, not to replace -- I say every year you have to replace the irreplaceable when you have a year like this. But to come in and complement. I thought Marcus Nellems spoke in the locker room about leadership and how vital it's going to be that somebody leads at the level of Brian and Brandon. They've set a tone for how you have to lead. And now we need that more than anything. I like the players coming in and I like our returners. But this was a special year. Great chemistry. Guys seized opportunities and if we remain hungry, and my athletic director Barry Collier said, ask them if they're tired of winning, which I thought was a great question. You ask them and I think every one of them would say no. I would then tell them then you know what it takes, let's get back to work and do it. And the reward -- now they understand how wonderful it is to compete in this. Q. Coach, looks like you tried to make them drag it out on offense, was maybe the most impressive thing they did was their patience on offense? COACH LICKLITER: I think there's two parts to that. Their willingness to be patient, their poise, and then our scheme and our commitment to guarding a certain way. I think if you asked them, I don't think they'd tell you they got a lot of easy looks. We got back and got our defense set. I can remember Marcus Nellems talking in the break and getting people matched up. And I thought we had a great commitment level to that. We weren't trying to make them grind it out at all. We were just trying to guard them and defend with great purpose and finish plays. I told them same with offense, we wanted to take the shot that we wanted. And if it was five seconds into the shot clock or 32 seconds in, if it's the shot we want, then we're going to take it. Somehow people think that we control tempo. It's not that. It's that we're patient enough to wait. I wish we would have been more patient. I think we took a couple shots that were probably ill-advised. But, you know, I've coached a lot of teams and the game's not -- the game's just not played perfect. But you gotta play it with perfect emotion, enthusiasm, spirit, and with your minds. And I thought our guys did that with 3 something to go we were right there knocking, trying to beat Florida who's No. 1 seed. I think it speaks well for our guys. MODERATOR: Thank you coach. End of FastScripts |
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