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NCAA MEN'S REGIONALS SEMIFINALS & FINALS: PHOENIXMarch 28, 2008Stanley BurrellJosh DuncanDrew LavenderSean MillerPHOENIX, ARIZONA THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes. Q. Josh, what have you seen or know about Kevin Love? And are your games similar in any way from what you've seen? JOSH DUNCAN: He is a great player, obviously. Very big guy, physical down low. Just got to be ready to accept the challenge and just know I got to bring my A game on defense. Q. Drew, and maybe the other guys if you want to respond, the fact that you have seen UCLA on their jerseys and the whole mystique, you got the chance to play the No. 1 seed, what's it like? DREW LAVENDER: I guess it's great to play a No. 1 seed. It is great to be playing any seed knowing that we're still in the tournament. They're a great team and everything. We're not looking at their history or nothing because I'm pretty sure they aren't looking at ours either. We are going to go out there and play hard, they will to, and hopefully we can win. Q. Drew, take us through that last few minutes of regulation and into overtime, just what -- what do you feel like you guys were able to do that helped you win that game? DREW LAVENDER: Just staying poised and making shots in overtime and playing good on defense. Q. Stan, have you gotten to watch any tape on Russell Westbrook yet? If so, can you compare yourself to him? He is their defensive stopper. STANLEY BURRELL: Yeah, got to watch film on him and he is really athletic and he really slashes to the basket. I think our matchup tomorrow will be against Collison and really looking forward to that challenge. Had a lot of challenges all year, and this will be the biggest one especially for my team to be able to advance, to be able to step up and help us out on the defensive end. So I have to do my homework and get ready for it. It will be a great game and hopefully we will bring our A game and be ready to advance to the Final Four. Q. Josh, how do you stop Kevin Love? JOSH DUNCAN: Just be aggressive. Obviously he is a real big guy, like I said, physical down low. I just got to be aggressive and bring my A game and just do my best on defense and depend on my teammates to help me when I need help. Q. Stanley, last night they had trouble with Western Kentucky's pressure in the second half. Does that give you guys any kind of blueprint for what might work against them defensively? STANLEY BURRELL: That's how we play, pressuring the ball and getting up into people. Last night was a little different because their team -- the guys we were going against, they did so much moving and so much screening and stuff like that, so it didn't play into our hands. Tomorrow if they do a lot of dribbling, a lot of ball screens, me and Drew do a great job of getting up into people and pressure them and turn them over and speed them up. Looking forward to the challenge. It will be tough. But if you want to get to the Final Four, you have to bring it. We'll be ready. We're definitely going to be ready. Q. Coach Howland was talking about one of your exploits as a kid on the Johnny Carson show. Is that something that you could confirm? COACH MILLER: Yeah. Unfortunately or fortunately, I'm going to confirm that. I appreciate him bringing that up. That means a lot to me. But long story short, son of a high school coach and back then there were no hoops lower than 10 feet. And when you spend a lot of time in the gym, you dribbled more than you shot and one thing led to another, and as legend would have it, I ended up on the "Tonight Show" and probably have been reminded of that every week of my life in the last 28 years. Q. Ben mentioned last night in his press conference that you have a mutual good friend Tony Salesi at Pitt. Can you talk about what he meant to you and your career, bringing you through an injury and how close you guys still are today? COACH MILLER: Well, when I got married, shortly after I left the University of Pittsburgh, Tony was in my wedding. He was my trainer. I went through a very difficult injury that took almost a year's worth of rehab. Tony and I spent more time in that year than maybe I spent with any person, just day in, day out, summer, every single day. We had a good relationship, but the relationship became a great relationship. And I don't talk to him now as much as I would like, but I learned that when Ben Howland went to Pitt that he, too, gravitated towards Tony. But he is someone that is a great guy and is one of those people in college athletics that sometimes the outside world doesn't appreciate nearly as much as a coach or a player. But if you are a coach or player and you've been a part of Pitt basketball in the last 20-some years, he's someone that you are going to think the world of and certainly I do. Q. From what you know of Coach Howland, can you see why they would get along? COACH MILLER: Coach Howland is a blue-collar guy, and he just coaches the game, keeps it simple. Has a wry sense of humor which in the city of Pittsburgh will work, but in particular Tony is a Pittsburgh guy and I could certainly see how they would become close and remain close. Which I think says a lot about Ben Howland because there are so many people in Pittsburgh that think the world of him, and so many times when a coach leaves, that relationship ends. I think you can see why he's the special coach that he is. Just as a Pitt alum, someone who played basketball there, I speak for all people like myself, what he did at the University of Pittsburgh is nothing short of remarkable. And I think Jamie Dixon has continued that tradition on. But he put Pitt basketball back on the map and took it to a level that, for me, is hard to believe. I know the people on the West Coast obviously talking UCLA, but, make no mistake, when he left Northern Arizona and came to Pitt, that rebuilding job was immense. And what he was able to do and how he did it, I think we're all very proud and respectful of what he did. That's how I got to know him, and my respect for him as a coach is as big as it gets. Q. You talked about Ben's years at Pitt. I'm just wondering, though, when he was hired as a Pitt grad and Pitt hired the guy from Northern Arizona to take over the program, what was your reaction? COACH MILLER: I thought the people at Pitt were confused. I wondered what they were thinking and how in the world that choice could be made. Not even from a negative standpoint as much as, you know, life in the Big East, you really have to be able to recruit the East Coast and have that familiarity. But, obviously, that choice was one of the all-time great choices when you think about what that hire meant to that university and their basketball program. Like I said, I think it shows the importance of the right person can mean an awful lot to an athletic department and a program. I'm coaching against UCLA, obviously, but just thinking what he did in the city of Pittsburgh, in that place, as someone who's from there, I can't say enough great things and the respect that we all have for that job he did and that Jamie Dixon has continued since he left. Q. Your AD earlier was speaking about the culture at your school and being from a smaller school, maybe it is easier to get things done quicker. Can you talk about coaching a school where basketball is obviously a driving force for what goes on at the university? And maybe that type of commitment would make someone like yourself think twice perhaps when bigger schools would come calling? COACH MILLER: Well, there is a reason Xavier has been as successful as it has been in the world of college basketball. Think about this: In 25 years, Xavier has been to 17 NCAA tournaments. And you think of some of the great players that have played at our university, David West, the latest in a long line in, a NBA all-star. Tyrone Hill, a NBA all-star. Brian Grant, James Posey, Aaron Williams. And it hasn't been just one coach, it has been Bob Stack to Pete Gillan, to Skip Prosser, to Thad Matta. The one constant has always been the university. And they've never been confused, in my opinion, on what it takes to be successful at the highest level. And their commitment is undying. Our arena, if you haven't been in the Cintas Center, I would be willing to bet you would rival any on-campus facility in our country. In the last eight years we have averaged over 10,000 fans. When you talk about the importance of basketball at Xavier University, everything is in place to be successful. And I also think the cooperation on our campus and what basketball can mean to our University is equal and the student-athlete is treated with great respect. You enter a classroom where there are 17 students. The population -- the undergraduate population is 4,000 students. You get a great education and on and off the court, the word "development" always is in place and a lot of the players that I named -- as a matter of fact, every player that I named wasn't a high school all-American. The only high school all-American was Drew Lavender and we caught him on the second go-round. You think about how amazing that is that so many players have developed like they have. Xavier is a very unique place, and I don't know if there is two of us doing what we do. Q. How did Drew end up with you guys? And, tomorrow -- well, that's a followup when you answer it. COACH MILLER: Well, he's from Columbus, Ohio. He had familiarity of Xavier, being that we're in Cincinnati. Went to the big school and although he had some success on the court -- and it doesn't work for everybody to go away to college and then go to a campus of 40,000 students. It just isn't for everybody. Xavier has worked for Drew for the reasons that I just talked about. It is a smaller atmosphere. It is closer to home for him. And, to me, it's that on-the-court approach approach coupled with like a contained environment that has allowed him to grow. He is going to graduate in May, which is a great tribute to him. And on the court he has made a huge difference in our team. He won a high school state championship. He won a Big 12 championship at Oklahoma. And he's won two conference championships at Xavier. He's been a winner. And the one difference is he's won, but off the court to me he's never been more sure of himself. And I think the growth he's experienced can really be contributed to our environment that we have at Xavier. Q. After your game last night, you spent some time in the first half sitting in press row during the UCLA-Western Kentucky game, and there was a pretty good stretch there by UCLA. I was just wondering what your impressions were of what you saw of the Bruins at that time especially at the defensive end. COACH MILLER: I think because of my individual respect for Ben Howland and the fact he coached at Pittsburgh, I have watched him coach perhaps more closely than I have watched any other team. I admire the way they play defense, and it is just amazing, the physicalness, the togetherness, how bought-in they are on the defensive end. And seeing it in person, that is very loud and clear that baskets are how to come by when you play them. I am also just amazed of Kevin Love, his intelligence as a player. It is one thing to be as physically big and gifted as he is, but he plays the game like he is 25 years old. He has great hands and just understands positioning and defense, offense. He's so much different than like playing against Michael Beasley or even Greg Oden. Those guys are great, great players. His style is so much different than those two guys'. It is hard for me to believe he was in high school a year ago. I would love to have seen that -- him walk in a gym in a high school a year ago. One year out of high school, wow. Q. Just wondering how important is it to what you guys try to do offensively is Drew's dribble penetration? COACH MILLER: It's very important. Dependent on the style of defense, you know, the more extended you get, the more I think we like to put the ball in his hands. To me, UCLA does that with Darren Collison. And he makes big plays at the end of the shot clock. He makes his teammates better. And for us, Drew Lavender does that for our team. Q. When you were at Pitt, you got to play in this tournament several times. What have you been able to share with your players about those experiences? And has that experience helped you in coaching in this tournament? COACH MILLER: One thing, it's been, I guess, 20 years since I played college basketball. You can remember the NCAA tournaments like they were yesterday. That's the one thing that you know as a coach that you can really share with the players, number one, really enjoy it. Enjoy being a part of the tournament. It is something that's as special as any sporting event in the world. And it will be unforgettable. Now, for me -- like Barry Goheen from Vanderbilt banked in a 45-foot buzzer shot and that ended my time -- my freshman year and we were a No. 2 seed. Unfortunately, I can share that experience with the guys because as great as it is to be a part of the tournament, it is equally like a train wreck when it ends. It is hard to believe that everyone forgets about you almost the instant you lose. I've shared a little bit of that with our team. But most importantly, our guys have a great respect for the tournament. We've been in it now three years in a row and Xavier has been in it quite a bit. I don't necessarily have to put the glasses on them. They've been there and done it. They've experienced defeat. Our game against Ohio State a year ago gave them a great perspective on what the tournament's about. I think those experiences have helped our team this year more than anything I can talk about with my own playing days. Q. What would it mean for a tight little community like Xavier to make the step tomorrow and get to that first Final Four? COACH MILLER: It would be incredibly exciting for everybody. We have been in the Elite Eight now two times in, I guess, the last five years. To take that next step would be, to me, very, very meaningful, not only for Xavier but just think about our team we've won 30 games. We've advanced to the Elite Eight and when you look at our team, we've done it in such a unique way. Very unselfish on offense and defense. These guys have done it from a team as day one and to see that team approach really pay off and be able to get the ultimate reward would be an amazing accomplishment and at the same time I really believe it is important for our team and Xavier to not make tomorrow any bigger than it is. We will only win if we play our style and play a great game and to think about what's to come would be foolish. Our game tomorrow is a lot like our game against Purdue where the winner advances, the loser goes home. To win this four-team tournament here to go to the Final Four, it is about being in the moment, about doing the things that got us here and not deviating from that. Q. Could Xavier ever get its foot in the door recruiting a guy like Kevin Love? And the second part of that is, does it matter? There is different ways to skin a cat. COACH MILLER: It is a tough question because we have a saying at Xavier that "you're judged by how you leave, not necessarily who you are when you walk in the door." And what I mean by that is, like David West, for example, was the national player of the year and a NBA all-star. We have a young player on our team, Derrick Brown, who I think has an incredibly bright future with us. It is a matter of us staying true to who we are and we develop players. If Kevin Love as a high school senior had an interest in Xavier, he sure would be smart to call and let me know that. We would be happy to take a guy like that. But by the same token, we're going to recruit the same guys we've been recruiting and the more you win, I think, the more it makes sense for people to jump on board. But we have a great product here and we know what butters our bread, so to speak. We're going to stay true to that. Q. How would you describe the way you guys guarded Beasley? And is it fair to say that you'll do some of the same things tomorrow time with Love? COACH MILLER: We'll try. Kevin Love is a different player than Beasley. In all fairness to Michael Beasley, we caught him on a good night. If he could play that game over again, I'm telling you it would have a lot more to do with who he is than who we were. Every player has that night when they are not at their best. But with Kevin Love, he's so big and he's so smart with his positioning and UCLA does a great job getting him the basketball, that I worry about just not fouling him, being smart, doing the best we can and not making that part of the game any bigger than it needs to. He's had some great games recently and UCLA has been in a dog fight. For us it is a matter of staying in the game and having a chance to win at the end. And defending him is big. I also think defending Darren Collison is equally big. And rebounding the ball is bigger than guarding him or Darren Collison. UCLA's best offense I think at times has been just second shots. And they have a physical toughness about them that we have to be able to match and we're the smaller team. So missed shots is my biggest concern in the game and clearly we have to guard Kevin Love. But we can't give UCLA those pounding second shots that wear you out. Q. How much -- I believe your dad stayed at the same school years and years, and when you watch a coach like him and grow up in that, how much is that now ingrained into you in terms of the commitment and loyalness to a school where some guys might go to a smaller school or perceived smaller school and say I will jump, I'm going to do this? How much do you take from your dad that this could be where you are the happiest? COACH MILLER: It is different circumstances. Being a high school coach, living in the same area, but in college coaching, I am not the guy that you want to win so things are better for you. My complete focus right now is just running our program at Xavier. You think about it, we have three seniors that have given me and Xavier every single thing that they could on and off the court. My task is can we get them to the Final Four. Can we somehow play a game tomorrow that gives us a chance to beat a great team and make the Final Four, period. That's my focus right now. That's our staff's focus and the team. We had a good practice today. It is about doing a great job tonight and being ready tomorrow. Nothing bigger than that right now. Q. You talked the other day about recruiting guys with skill, recruiting guys that can shoot and can shoot free throws. Can you talk about Josh Duncan and just what a matchup nightmare he must be for every team that has to play against him. I don't know if you recruited him or not, but can you talk about his skill set and whatnot. COACH MILLER: You know, Josh is a very unique player, 6' 9", and our team's best player. To his credit, he has added a part to his game each year he's played at Xavier. Believe it or not, as big as he was he wasn't as comfortable close to the basket when came. One of the things -- I thought last night was a tribute to this. He has really become comfortable close to the basket. He gets fouled more. He can score in the post. He offensive rebounds and can put it back in. And now that you accompany that with his ability to shoot 3s, that's what has made him the best player he can be. Like I said yesterday, I don't know of too many forwards in college basketball that have played better than him in February and in March. And it will be interesting to see where his career goes from here. But I have a feeling that it's going to be the best is yet to come. At 6' 9", he has so many weapons in his arsenal as an offensive player right now. It hasn't come easy for Josh. He's fought through injuries. He wasn't a star right away, but he just has stayed with it. He is one of those kids that you look back and say just by staying with it and doing the right things every day, he's turned himself into a heck of a player. If he didn't emerge like he had this season, we wouldn't be standing here right now. End of FastScripts |
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