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NCAA MEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS REGIONALS: RALEIGHMarch 21, 2008Milan BrownJeremy GoodeChris VannRALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA COACH BROWN: Extremely proud of my guys and the way we competed. We talked about before the game that we were going to play one of -- for sure, one of probably four or five teams that has a really legitimate shot to win a National Championship, and it was going to take a big effort. I thought we worked really hard. It's just, you know, we talked about it yesterday, the battle of trying to win the paint, and we were not able to do that. This was the result. Q. Could you please describe what it was like for you guys to try and get rebounds out there? Did you feel just overwhelmed at times trying to battle their size? CHRIS VANN: I mean, at times. We all knew they were bigger than us. I mean, they are Carolina. So I felt we didn't get enough bodies on their players when they were trying to rebound, and that's how they came up with some rebounds and loose balls. If we would have put more bodies on players, that would have, you know, limited their rebounds. Q. Could you just talk about going up against their athleticism? They said that you kind of hit them right between the eyes there with how you ran right back at them. Can you talk about how that worked and then maybe if their, I guess, probably better athleticism got back at you there as the game went on. JEREMY GOODE: Well, they were like stronger than us at times during the game. But we just didn't do what was necessary or what was required as Coach likes to say, as boxing out and all that kind of stuff. But to answer your question, a lot of times Coach tries to get us to push the ball back at the team, because a lot of times -- they were celebrating a lot, you know, scoring, and they are back at home. You know, they are fan favorites at the game. So I mean, it was good opportunities for us to push the ball and try to get back at them and make them get back on defense so they would not be as comfortable and they would have to respond to what we were doing as far as pushing the ball right back at them. Q. Would you talk about the feeling you had in the first half when you were running well, when the offense is working real well, but yet you give up 60 points? When you come out of that half, what sense did you have about what was going to happen the second half? JEREMY GOODE: Well, I thought that we didn't finish out the half like we wanted to. I mean, we understood that we were running good with them in the beginning, and Coach says to us that whoever calms down the soonest or the quickest will probably be the one that, you know, takes control at the time. And we tried to calm down as soon as they calmed down, and it worked for a while, but then again, back to what Chris said, we didn't get enough bodies in the paint. I mean, that was the emphasis in our game plan, to make sure we controlled the paint. I mean, they got a lot of second-chance opportunities. Our defense stopped them initially if the beginning, but it was like the second and third shots that they got that kind of broke our back, and they hit a couple big 3-pointers that were like back breakers to us the latter part of the half. It took a lot out of us, but at the same time we were just trying to fight and compete and we just didn't want to that lead into the second half. And the shots that they hit late in the first half, led into the second half, and they came out with a little bit more intensity and we had troubles responding to it. CHRIS VANN: We knew we didn't do our job defensively, you know, going at the end of the first half, they scored 61 points. We as a defensive team, we don't let up. We allowed, what, 63 points a game. But I mean, coming into the second half, our mindset was to get the ballgame within arm's reach, so maybe by 10-points, down 10-points with at least eight minutes left in the game. I mean, we obviously didn't do that. So we didn't execute our game plan. Q. Are you satisfied with the way you played in the final game of your career? CHRIS VANN: I would say yes and no. That I'm a competitor. I hate to lose. But I mean, when you're going up against the No. 1 team in the country, that's just, you know, a great experience that I can say I played Carolina my final game of my college career. But I mean, winning the NEC championship, I think that's one of the highlights of making it to the NCAA Tournament. Playing Carolina, that was a neat experience. Q. Can you reflect on what this experience means to the program and what it means to you personally to come this far? CHRIS VANN: It means a lot to me, myself and the program. We haven't been to the tournament since '99. To do it again, it's just overwhelming. It's a blessing. For me to do it my senior year, it makes it that much greater. You know, I talked to the guys in the locker room, and just when we have time to chat, and I actually tell them, I'm kind of jealous of them, because, you know, they will be back. They will be back. Just hopefully they will win some more games during the regular season and, you know, get a higher seed, and you know, upset somebody in the country. Q. Just curious, how did you think that you all acquitted yourself tonight on national TV against the No. 1 team? Were there some positives that you can take out of it despite the score? JEREMY GOODE: This is regarding the school. I mean, we felt that we played pretty well. I mean, there was times that we felt that we were competing really hard and we were getting after them. They had to respond to what we were doing. I mean, they just had a lot more firepower than we had tonight. We showed if anything that what Coach Brown is doing at the Mount, and he's taking his team and doing things that people didn't believe we could do. We just compete every time we step on the floor. Our defense wasn't as good as it should have been tonight, but at the same time, there was points where you could see our defense was actually tough and it makes teams have to re-organize what they are trying to do as far as their game plans. Q. Having played on Tuesday night and coming into the game where you really have nothing to lose, did you come out more relaxed, more comfortable at the start of this game than Tuesday? CHRIS VANN: Playing Tuesday in the play-in game, that helped us a lot. We were on the big stage there and on ESPN. You know, it was a fairly decent crowd there. But you know, playing a team like North Carolina, which is a great experience, just I mean, it was tough at times to start the game off, because you know, you've got I guess the jitters, if you say so. But once we were relaxed, we were able to execute what we were trying to do and just play Mount basketball. JEREMY GOODE: I think the play in game helped us a lot, me and Chris and our teammates were able to get momentum and confidence and build on that. We were hoping that it would lead into this game. It did. We had people hit shots that they were capable of taking, and it just didn't take it normally in the end. But the play-in game gave them confidence that they were able to take the shots and knock them down and it helped us a lot. Q. Knowing the history that the 16-seed has never beat a 1-seed, do you put that in your mind at all or do you try to put it toward the back of your mind? JEREMY GOODE: As Coach talked to us and he preached to us, eventually it's going to happen. I believe I was looking at TV and it actually happened in the girls side, but it has yet to happen on the guise side. So sooner or later, it's going to happen. It may be this year; it may be next year, but sooner or later, it's going to happen. Q. In light of your statement yesterday that the paint would go a long way toward making this decision, how frustrating was it for you, if at all, to just watch them get offensive rebound after offensive rebound and score, and just score inside repeatedly almost? COACH BROWN: It was tough, some of the times we actually got bodies on guys and they were just bigger and more athletic. And some of the times, we were not able to put a body on a person and they got a free run at the basket. So playing somebody that makes a living in the paint, you almost have to put a body and block out every single possession, and every time that we didn't, they made us pay, and some of the times when we did, they still made us pay. But that's why they are the No. 1 team in the country. Q. I think Roy used the word they were simply more talented and gifted. Is that what this boils down to, you were up against a pretty tall mountain so to speak? COACH BROWN: Yeah, we knew the task at hand was very difficult and just tried to make sure to let the guys know that I'm confident in who we are as a team and what we can do. But at the same time, letting them know that when we make a mistake, that they are going to make us pay. Some of the times, even when we did very good things, they were still able to make plays, Hansbrough and Ellington made a few shots where we were right there and were just able to convert. And sometimes, them getting a free rebound is tough, but when you do it perfect, and you do it like you practice, and the guy still sticks it in your eyes, sometimes that's more demoralizing than getting a free look. Q. Coach Williams said that he was impressed by what you had done in the second half, and he mentioned that he told you that, as well. What do those type of words mean to you about where the program is going? COACH BROWN: It was big. And from a coach who has won a National Championship both as a head coach and as an assistant and has been at the highest level as one of the best coaches in the country can notice the work that we are putting in as a staff and the work that the kids put in, you know, it always feels good when you are recognized by your peers, because they understand what you're going through, so I really appreciate the comments from Coach Williams, and hopefully we can continue to build on that. Q. Despite your loss today and UMBC's today, we've seen a lot of strides in the mid-major programs across the State of Maryland, just talk about the progress this year and how far do you feel that programs like yours and others in the area can still go? COACH BROWN: I think it's been great for our state that we have been able to compete and win. Most of the schools in our league are obviously going to be very competitive and play hard-nosed basketball, and to come up with wins; and that's what we were able to do and UMBC, hopefully it puts pressure on you, and it's great, because the guys in the state, we all know that we are going to make positive strides so it's just going to make you work even harder; not that we were not working 24/7 as it is. Q. Everyone has been stating that you did not back down from them at all. Can you kind of give an assessment of the first half? COACH BROWN: Yeah, well, we were not going to back down. I mean, that was not in our mind-set. That's not in our makeup as a team. I was proud of the guys and the effort that they gave. We had a few mistakes that just led to some easy baskets, and we played in transition, we were able to get some easy baskets and put some pressure on them. There was a couple of times where we had -- the game was going back and forth almost like, I guess, a rat race, so to speak. The problem was, we were playing the king of the rat race. We had a couple open looks sometimes that we missed, and then the open looks that they were able to get, they didn't. Q. As much success as you had in winning I think nine of ten coming in here, playing the faster pace, would it have sent the wrong message to your guys just because you are playing Carolina to all of a sudden back off that pace and try to play slowly? COACH BROWN: Well, I think if I would have tried to adjust how we play, our guys would have responded, because they believe in what we put together as a game plan. But I know my team, and we couldn't play slow. If we were to try to slow it down, it would have just put the better athletes not on their heels at all and all of a sudden, our guys are staring at, you know, monsters in every possession. So we wanted to get a couple easy baskets if we could, just to try to get into the flow of things. I think in the midst of us doing that, we got a little too sped up, not so much of us, but just because they were coming right back at us, so then we got into the, okay, now we need to respond. And some of the times, instead of it going back and forth for maybe six to eight straight possessions; for us, we probably should have gone three to four. And in this situation, the guys can get caught up, and I only have so many time-outs to tell them stop. As you can see, my voice is gone, so they wouldn't have heard me anyway. Q. Not all of your guys were thrilled to be in the play-in game Tuesday night, but ultimately do you think that experience playing in the national spotlight helped going into a game like tonight? COACH BROWN: Yeah, I think it was good. I think our guys -- I didn't have any problem with a couple of guys thinking, hey, we should already be in the tournament. I don't have a problem with that. I'm just glad our guys were able to respond in a positive manner on the court, and I think they will look back on it as a definite positive experience. We were able to get a win, and prepared us as much as possible for the lights coming on, the real bright lights. I'm excited about what they were able to do, and because we are so young, it makes it even better for us. Q. What did you talk about after the game at mid court with your players and also when you went over and applauded the fans; were applauding what you guys had done? COACH BROWN: What I told them was we had a lot of people show up for us, not only here today, but in Dayton. They expressed a lot of love for us and I just wanted to in our own way, just try to express the love back to our fans. And then, I think it was good for the guys for just half a second to stand in the middle of the court after playing somebody that's so good, I think for that 15 to 20 seconds, they felt like they were the king of the world for a second. I thought that would be a positive thing for them to do. And then as they walked off, too, just to acknowledge the crowd in general. They were good. The Carolina fans were great for their team. I think as we walked off, you know, they showed appreciation to us as well. Again, as a coach, that's all you can ask is that when we get inside the four lines that everybody understands whether you're live or you see it on TV, as long as everybody walks away saying, man, those guys played hard, I'm going to sleep well at night. Q. Too soon to talk about the future, but I'll ask you that question anyway. What do you think about the future of the program, where it's headed? COACH BROWN: I'm excited. I'm excited about some of the young guys that we have returning, and, you know, the thing -- the message after the game, after telling them that I was proud of them as a unit, and sending off our seniors and just applauding them; the next statement out of my mouth was -- and the guys laughed -- I said, "I know y'all are going to think I'm crazy and I'm going it talk about next year and you're still sweating from the last game. But what we have done is we were successful." And I told the guys, "The hardest thing about being successful is to continue to be successful." So just making sure that they understand that what we did to get to this point, if we want to stay here, isn't good enough. We have to push even harder to stay where we are. Q. Can you talk about the contributions of your two seniors to the program? COACH BROWN: Chris and Jason have been great for us. Not only on the court, but off the court. And obviously Chris was able to get more time and have maybe an impact more than Jason on the court, but both of those guys, they were my first recruits, actually, as a head coach. The class before that, I recruited as assistant and got promoted. But those two guys are part of the first class we tried to bring in. Obviously Markus redshirted so he was a part of that, as well. It was great. You could see the look on their face. It was great for them to take a part in this, and almost, we kind of looked at each other, and I guess some of the things that I said to them when I went to their homes to tell them to come play for Mount St. Mary's, and it actually come true; they had a good feeling, as well as I do. End of FastScripts |
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