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NCAA MEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS REGIONALS: BIRMINGHAMMarch 22, 2008Julian BetkoA.J. GravesMike GreenBrad StevensBIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA THE MODERATOR: We'll get a started with questions for the student-athletes at this time. Q. For any of the players. The consequences of the way the seeding went ends up putting two 30-game winners together in the first round for the first time in tournament history. Do you have any feeling of having the two teams being so good to meet this early in the tournament or are you indifferent to that or are all the players way past that by now? A.J. GRAVES: I think there's a bunch of other good teams playing as well in the first and second rounds, so I don't think this is just a coincidence that two teams have 30 wins. I think that there's a bunch of other teams that have success that don't have 30 wins. So it's going to be a challenge tomorrow for both teams to come out and try and get a win. MIKE GREEN: I'm over it. I'm over it. JULIAN BETKO: I think we left the feelings about the seedings in Indiana. And all we care about now is which team is going to get to 31 wins. Q. A.J., I wonder when people call you guys a Mid Major, how do you feel about that, and then secondly, the difference of having so many seniors on this team has made for you guys. A.J. GRAVES: That's what we are is a Mid Major. That's just the label that we're stuck with. And it's something that we don't -- I don't think we're -- we're indifferent to it, it's just something that we are. And it's something that we have got to deal with. I think sometimes we embrace it. It's a part of the culture that we have decided to play basketball in. And as far as having five seniors on this team, I think that's what's led to some of our success to playing tough games on the road. And to be able to have won our conference scheduling and our tournament, there's a bunch of other guys on this team that have led to our success as well. We got a good underclassmen group roster and hopefully we can put it all together like we have and hopefully show up on Sunday. Q. Talk about the fact that with the success Butler's had, you still feel like bigger teams look at you as a Mid Major, do you think even when ya'll put regular season games and people sort of maybe now respect Butler now maybe than when y'all first got there? A.J. GRAVES: I think that no matter what teams are going to look at Mid Majors as Mid Majors or look at teams as high majors or just from the conference that they're in. But that doesn't mean that they're not going to respect you. I mean, any team that wins 30 games or any team that makes the tournament for that matter, I think you're going to get the respect that you need and we have great respect for Tennessee, they're a very good team, and they're going to come out ready to play on Sunday. Q. Guys, continuing on this same theme, you go to tournaments and play the so called BCS conference schools and this year you beat every one of them you played. And you get in the Horizon League you lose a game or two here or there. What's the league play like for you guys like after you've been out playing in the great Alaska Shoot-out or preseason NIT and then you go into league play, what's that like? JULIAN BETKO: I think that Horizon League is one of the most under rated conferences. There's a lot of teams with a lot of good athletes, great players, and good coaches. So especially going on the road after the success we had is very challenging and a lot of teams that we play get their biggest crowds and players are into it. So in order to win on the road in the Horizon League we have to be tough and play together as a team for 40 minutes. And I think that we have been pretty successful with that this year carrying a target from last year's success and now, yeah, we did slip up twice, but we learned from it and it made us a better team. A.J. GRAVES: I think a lot of people try to draw comparisons like that and we don't get, we're not fortunate enough to play those teams twice or three times. We only get one shot. Whereas, when we're in our own conference we get to play those teams two or three times and so there's a lot more familiarity with that going along. So that's about the only thing I can draw from that. Q. Mike, Tennessee likes to apply a lot of pressure on its opponents, double teaming and try to force turnovers, what do you remember about the way the Vols attacked you guys last season? MIKE GREEN: The same way they played against all their other opponents. I don't remember much from our game specifically, but I have seen them since then and they like to pressure you and get after you. And they pride their self on forcing turnovers. And we got to do a good job of handling the basketball. Q. You played for an older coach and now a younger coach, I wonder if there are any differences, if maybe you respond to him a little differently or a little better because he's closer to your age, those sorts of things? MIKE GREEN: Not at all. I guess when you're looking at a game 9:30 to 10 p.m. around that time you can send him a text message and he'll be up watching that same game. So that's probably like the biggest difference, he stays up a little later and wakes up a little earlier. Q. Chris and JaJuan were asked this in their part of their press conference, you guys, you A.J. and Mike and Chris and JaJuan are the two highest scoring career-wise back courts in the NCAA tournament this year. Talk about going against them with that in mind. MIKE GREEN: It's pretty similar to the last game. They had two good guards too. And we try not to get caught up in back court versus back court. As you can see, we got other guys that can play this game and have been playing this game all year long. But you can take nothing away from them two guy, they're great players. Q. Other than being able to text message your coach late at night, what did Coach Stevens do different or did he do anything different to sort of put his mark on this team this year? MIKE GREEN: I guess you get your mark when you're named head coach. It is your team from there on. And I mean we pretty much just, most of the same things we still do, but the thing about this coaching staff is not only Coach Stevens, you can call up any of these guys around that time and talk to them. And they let you know when they see something going, not going so well or when it is going well, the feedback is a lot more than it was last year. Maybe because we got five seniors and we got our input too, but we get a lot of feedback from these guys. Q. How much differently now that you've seen film does Tennessee look with Dane Bradshaw there at the four last year and now with Tyler Smith at the four? JULIAN BETKO: As long as I remember Bradshaw was a very tough player. He was the heart and soul of that team and he was the one of the guys that was the leader on that team. And Tyler Smith provides a lot of attack in the paint and provides athleticism. So it's a different type of player, but I think that they're both very important for their team and they both were very good players and are good leaders. THE MODERATOR: All right, thank you, guys. We'll now take start with an opening statement for Coach Stevens and then take questions. COACH STEVENS: I think any time that you're in the NCAA tournament and you're back either practicing or playing on Saturday, that's a good thing. So we're excited to have another opportunity. We're looking forward to competing tomorrow and recognize it's a heck of a challenge in front of us. THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach Stevens? Q. Talk about the experience the seniors that your team brings into the game tomorrow against Tennessee and how might that play to your advantage? COACH STEVENS: When you talk about experience, I think that term and the word that comes to mind that's very important tomorrow is poise. You have to play with a high sense of urgency, you have to play with great toughness and you have to combine that with poise. And I don't think that's a thing that is easy to do and I think that's where we'll have to lean on our experience to be successful. They really, really try to force you to be poised, if that's a word, and our guys, you know, have done a great job so far this year, so it will be an interesting challenge for us tomorrow. Q. Everybody survived the first round and we're well into the tournament by now, but we have never had two 30-game winners have to match up this early in the tournament. Do you have any feeling now of the way the committee set this up, that you would have two teams arranged in the top-10 playing in the second round, it seems like kind of a disconnect. COACH STEVENS: It is what it is. And again, we're not getting in to seeding or the number next to our name and at the end of the tournament there's going to be one team left standing. And the other 64 will have, they will have regrets and they won't, they will no longer have a chance. -- if you want to achieve the ultimate goal, then you have to play teams no matter when you play them and we're excited to get a chance to play in the tournament. We have said that all along and certainly no matter when you play Tennessee, whether it's in the first round or the last round, you got an unbelievable challenge in front of you. Q. Tyler Smith, Tennessee's power forward leads his team in assists and is a capable scorer as well, can you talk a little about the unusual challenge he presents for the defense? COACH STEVENS: You know what, it's funny, he has an unbelievable challenge for our defense, first, and foremost. But it's not an unusual thing to us from the standpoint of we play a lot of fours that are somewhat either undersized or very, very skilled at our level. So, we get a chance to play against -- I don't think we played against anybody as good as Tyler Smith at that spot, and I think he's a heck of a player and I think they have really benefited from him this year? But as far as guys running through their offense at the four and guys that make plays at the four, that is a unique aspect of basketball at the non-BCS level that we're fairly familiar with. Q. I wondered if you could talk about the continuity of coaches that have come through Butler and how important do you think that is to maintain what you have been able to do? COACH STEVENS: Well, I think it's been very important to maintaining. I think that one of the things that I have tried to do is tweak as necessary, be my own person, but by no means change what's going on. One of the reasons we have had success is because we have guys that have really bought into the system as a whole, that believe in what we do on both ends of the floor and that play for the name on the front of their jerseys and by no means would I have been smart to change that. So that's what I tried to do as much, bring as much continuity as possible and I think that's what Coach Matta tried to do and he did a great job. Coach Lickliter tried to do, he did a great job. And I'm just trying to do the best job I can today. Q. Follow-up on that, was it a relief for you then knowing Butler's reputation to get to the tournament and do what you've been able to do here? Did you feel pressure to continue on when you take a job like this? COACH STEVENS: I know this is going to for David and people that have been around me every day, there is some external pressure, but I focused on today and the task at hand and our players have focused on that and we have talked about that since October 12, if we were concerned about external things, about things we can't control, I don't think we would be in the position we are. Our guys have done a great job of doing their job and making sure that that was their only intent and their only focus. And I have tried to maintain that same even keeled approach on a day-to-day basis and in that way I've been able to enjoy the journey and not worry about what the future and what the big picture may hold, because as I've been told before, the big picture doesn't reveal itself until it's all said and done. So we'll let whatever happens, happen. Q. Thad Matta and Todd Lickliter are obviously good friends besides being coaching colleagues of yours, have you been in touch with them at all during the NCAA tournament and has that had offered you any saying advice for how to take on the Vols since he played them this year? COACH STEVENS: We ever been in touch with those guys, those guys have always been great to us and encouraging and they're both Butler grads so, you know, certainly they're rooting for Butler and they ever been great. Certainly you're always looking for any advice you can get, especially when you're playing a team that's as talented and as well coached as Tennessee. So sure, we certainly have had -- we have certainly talked. Q. Bruce Pearl's kind of shaking up his point guard position a little bit, I'm just wondering about the different challenges that presents when they have different types of point guards and also what you've seen from J.P. Prince who is kind of the newest addition to that position. COACH STEVENS: I think that that's a really good question, because they all bring different strengths to the table. They all play different ways. And Tennessee's a great team with all of them on the floor, despite the fact they're different players. And as far as Prince goes, obviously Prince is a tremendous athlete a guy that brings a lot of energy, a guy that makes place in transition, can make plays on a second chances, can make plays off the drive. And he certainly is a guy that we have a great deal of respect for. Q. Certainly it's two different teams from last year, but what do you draw from playing this team last year to take into preparation? COACH STEVENS: You're right, it's two different teams. It's a very different basketball game. We're both six months or five months into our season right now. Last year we were one month into our season. So that was a pretty unique situation. You look at it and you try to draw what you can, but recognize that this is a totally different game tomorrow than last November. Q. We were asking players before and they said the biggest difference with you as a head coach is they can text message you at 10:30 at night and they knew you would text back. But they also said they got more feedback this year from you than maybe before, maybe because they're seniors. Talk about that relationship with five seniors that kind of know what they're doing and that have come through this. COACH STEVENS: I've always had a really good relationship with those guys, even throughout the recruiting process. And they have been a great group to be around and it's interesting going from assistant coach to head coach and I've had a bunch of people ask, well have you changed the way you interact with them, and I didn't think that was really the right approach with those guys. I have known them, they know me, they know that I'm going to do the best I can to put them in position to have success. I know that they care, I know that they're respectful, I know that they're good people who want to do well for Butler. And so our relationship's stayed the same. We have had a lot of fun together and that's part of the reason we focused day-to-day, because I've really enjoyed just being around this group and they have laid it on the line every night for 33 games and even the three games we weren't successful they put it all out there and they have been a special group of guys. Q. Matt Howard was such an impact guy for you, I wonder, was he a five star, a bluer chip recruit than y'all are used to or not? COACH STEVENS: Matt had offers from many BCS -- had many BCS opportunities. Whether that makes him -- I don't know. All our guys are five stars in our eyes. They may not be five stars to other people, but the way that we look at them and what we're trying to build as far as team and put skill sets together and those type of things, rankings don't really come into play, but just like every other one of our guys, Matt was an important person to us in the recruiting process and he chose Butler for the right reasons. He wanted to get a great education, he wanted to play basketball at a high level and he wanted to be around great teammates. Q. Couple things, I hope nobody got injured doing cart wheels, or is that cart wheels only after some victories? COACH STEVENS: No cart wheels. No cart wheels of the those are for unique times. Q. The other question is, any special plans for anything for Easter services for any of the guys or it's just kind of a unusual situation to be playing on Easter? COACH STEVENS: It is unusual and we have actually got that worked out. So we'll give them their options and I know my wife's working on an Easter he go hunt for the little kids, so we'll make sure that those, the little ones who are with us are taken care of and know that the Easter bunch knee comes to Birmingham. THE MODERATOR: Okay. Thank you. COACH STEVENS: Thanks. End of FastScripts |
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