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NCAA MEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS REGIONALS: BOISEMarch 19, 2009C.J. AndersonDerrick BrownSean MillerB.J. RaymondBOISE, IDAHO THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started. We'll take questions for the student-athletes of Xavier. Q. B.J., last time we talked to you you didn't know much about Portland State. Can you talk about what you've learned about them since and what concerns you most heading into tomorrow's game. B.J. RAYMOND: Well, they're a good team. We know that they were here last year and they like to win the game by making a lot of 3s. And they're quick, and they know how to play as a team. They won their tournament In four games, and they are a really good team. They're not to be taken for granted. Q. You guys have played with Drew Lavander, so you understand that the size doesn't always matter. Can you talk a little bit about five-foot-six Jeremiah Dominguez and what he brings to the table for Portland State. B.J. RAYMOND: He's the engine to their team. He was the Player of the Year last year in their conference. He made First Team this year and he makes their team go. He's a great guard for them. He sets up other players, while also getting himself off. And that's the same thing that Drew did for us last year and he is a big part of the team and we need to make sure that we kind of contain him a little bit if we want to be successful. Q. Derrick, it seems that an advantage you guys would have would be rebounding. I think they're averaging plus 0.9, yours is 8.4. Talk about how important rebounding is going to be in this game. DERRICK BROWN: Rebound is going to be very important. It's important actually every game for us. It's one of the strengths of our team. We just want to do good in that area, especially like offensive rebounds and things like that because we are on paper bigger, taller team than them. But it's going to be an interesting game and that's -- rebounding is a place that we have to do a better job. Q. The two seniors, talk about how you're approaching this game as opposed to the tournament last year knowing that the next game could be the last game. C.J. ANDERSON: That's just basically how I'm taking it, that when you're in the NCAA tournament as a senior, if you don't come to play or you're not prepared, then your season and your career is over. So I'm just coming out like it could be my last game, so I'm just looking forward to coming out and giving as much effort as possible. B.J. RAYMOND: I learned a lesson when I was a kid that you never know when you're going to be. So you always need to play your best at every point in time. Last year we didn't know if we were coming back to the NCAA tournament last year. We just hoped -- we are here this year, you know. So just like last year, it doesn't matter how hard you played sometimes, it's just your continuous effort no matter how strong you are or how tall you are, it's just all about continuous effort. And just one thing that I'm going to bring to the table to make sure that as a leader of my team to make sure that my effort is always there. Q. Portland State's a team that spreads you out, all five guys can shoot the 3. Have you guys faced anyone who has played that same style and what do you have to do differently than maybe against a traditional opponent? B.J. RAYMOND: Yes, we played against Butler, who we lost to and Duquesne who we lost to. They did the same thing. They spread us out and we took kind of a tongue lashing a little bit for both of those games. I feel that we have learned from that. One thing that we learned is that we have to keep our defense tight and make sure that we close out the shooters. And make sure that we make the game hard. In both games both teams got out to a quick and early start. We got hit in the mouth in both games. And we just want to make sure that we're ready to play and not playing catchup for the rest of the -- for the whole game. Q. In their nine losses I believe they missed 168 3-pointers, talk about how important it is going to be to play perimeter defense on a team like this. B.J. RAYMOND: It's very important. Also it's very important to block out and make sure that you don't collapse too much. Because they're a team that they live and die by the 3. And they're a great 3-point shooting team, they shoot it really well from four positions and their five man is usually a great passer from inside the post. So it's a difficult game, but within ourselves we have been down this road before and we have to try our best to contain and stick to the game plan. Q. Talk about the depth on your team. You got nine guys playing 15 to 30 minutes and no one's really logging that many more. How much of an advantage is that to each one of you guys individually? DERRICK BROWN: That's a big part of our success this year. Coach -- it's not just sticking with five or six players, we're a very deep team. That's why I feel like on any given night different players can step up. It's not always one player averaging 25 points or anything like that because on this team, I guess I said it best, it is a team. We got young players and different players in different roles and I think that's why our program continues to be successful because the experience that people get in all different situations. Q. How does the experience gained last year going to help you guys? You have had a lot of nice runs in the tournament and how does the experience help you and is there anything you guys want to do differently this year that you thought you might do that would help you? DERRICK BROWN: Being here last year, it's not like a, for us, a couple players on the team like me and B.J., it's not like we're looking around in amazement. Maybe for the younger guys it's an experience that they haven't been there, but I guess that's, it's more of just we know what to do, we know what to expect, we know that we're expecting to advance. It's not like, Thank you, we are here, and let's see what happens. It's like it's our job or our goal to advance this year. THE MODERATOR: Okay. We'll dismiss the student-athletes and bring Coach Miller up shortly. We'll take questions for Coach Miller now. Q. Can you talk about the depth on your team and how much a factor that is for you guys? COACH MILLER: It's a big factor for us. We have played nine players consistently really from Game 1 through game 32. To me that's how we do it. We try to have different players able to step up on different nights and hopefully the bench, the younger players in particular, can develop as the season goes on, so that when and if we are here in this tournament that we're not relying on a short bench or one or two players, but we really are a team in every essence of the word and have a lot of different parts that can beat you. Q. Can you talk about your interior game and how important that will be against a team that isn't rebounding as much as you guys are? COACH MILLER: Our inside play is one of the keys to our success. When we have had inside scoring, especially from our center position in Jason Love and Ken Frease, when you look at when those two guys have scored well, and had good games together, it makes us much more difficult to beat. Recently some of our tough losses and not playing as well as we did coming into the tournament, it is a reflection of just the up and down, so to speak, of our scoring inside. I'm really hopeful -- we have had a couple really good days of practice. I think we talked a lot about establishing that, that those two guys can really pick up where they left off a few weeks back and also be complemented with our forwards rebounding the ball and scoring close to the basket too. But we're a bigger stronger team than we are a quicker and skill team and we have to be able to take advantage of that. Q. Your players came up here and they talked about some losses that you had against teams with Portland State's style, being able to spread out the floor. How do you correct those things in time for tomorrow's game? COACH MILLER: They weren't supposed to mention that. I'm going to have to talk to them. (Laughter.) I think that more than anything Portland State is here for a reason. Any time a team can be in last year's tournament and then come back to this year's tournament and it says that they not only have a good team but they have an excellent program that people in their program know how to win. I'm sure we have been in their seat before, you get to the tournament, when you get back you want to stay in it longer. They're led by a terrific point guard Jeremiah Dominguez and it doesn't just stop with him. They have several players in double figures, great balance and then I think much has been said for a good reason about their shooting. They're the most dangerous or one of the most dangerous 3-point shooting teams in the tournament. And it's our size and defense that's going to have to deal with that and make sure that, as best we can, that we make sure that we're there. I think our players respect them a great deal. It's probably why they said what they said about certain other teams beating us with that style. Q. Is it just their shooting that gives you guys cause for concern or is there something else that stands out? COACH MILLER: No, they do a lot of things well. They're extremely well coached. Very, very organized in their approach. A lot of their 3-point shots stem from great pace and that they really get the ball up and down the court and pass the ball extremely well, making the extra pass, sharing the ball, playing together. And that's one of the reasons why they shoot such a good percentage from the 3-point line in that they also take very good 3s. We played Missouri a long time ago and I think Missouri has that same characteristic. They can share the ball and create high percentage shots in a quick pace. They do that very, very well. You could tell that they're organized on both ends of the court, and play to their strengths. Q. Talk about exactly what B.J. means to your program. What he brings to the table. COACH MILLER: Yeah, that's a great topic for me to talk about. B.J. Raymond came to Xavier, played about eight minutes a game as a freshman, played a little more than that as a sophomore, about 11 or 12, but yet was a big part of both teams in that he was that bench you talked about in years gone by. A year ago he was our sixth man in last year's tournament. He made two or three of the biggest shots that we have ever had in our program's history. This year in his senior year I expected him to be better because that's what he did. But when you look at his statistics, the senior season that he's had arguably is one of the best that we have had in recent times at Xavier. First Team All Conference player, just has a knack for making big plays, is a much better defender now than he ever was. When he was younger that aspect of things prevented him from playing more and when you watch him as an upperclassman it's arguably sometimes what he does the best. And just a real credit for him. He's going to get his degree in May, he's from our state, Toledo, Ohio and one of those great stories where he hung in there and at the end got what he deserved. Q. It's been an up-and-down year for Terrell and Dante defensively. How much on the spot are they going to be tomorrow when their defense is really going to count? COACH MILLER: Our point guard position, we replaced Drew Lavender, who was our version of Jeremiah Dominguez the last two years, and we knew going into this year that replacing him with inexperience or a freshman was not going to allow us to be the same team. The thing that I would say about both Dante and Terrell, they have been good enough to win 25 games, they have been good enough for us to be a fourth seed, play some excellent basketball, and they just have to be who they are. And that is the steady force on offense, taking care of the ball, playing with great energy, defending in tomorrow's game perhaps the most important player on the other team and if they do that, they did their job. It's up to the other players, C.J., Derrick and B.J., those three players are more important scoring and doing some statistical things than we really count on from our point guard position. But this is going to be great experience for them, there's no question about it. Guard play in the NCAA tournament is crucial. Our guard play, those guys don't have to score 20 points or get 10 assists, they just have to be as steady as they can be. Q. A little bit off the subject, just talk about transfers in general. Portland State's got five, you've had some over the years that have helped you out. What is your thought on building a team around transfers? COACH MILLER: If that person really fits who we are at Xavier, off the court as well as on, and to me is able to come to our program and be a real difference maker, that's something that has set us apart over the last several years. C.J. Anderson is a guy who transferred to us two years ago and he's made an immense difference in what we do the last two seasons. He's got a toughness about him. He's older. When he became ready, he wasn't a freshman when he started to play. To compliment that person with guys like B.J. Raymond and Derrick gives you great consistency in terms of, you lose older players, and there are those that are ready to replace them. We have two players right now sitting out that when you watch us next year you'll see right away that we have a guy ready and a couple guys ready. And we like to kind of sprinkle that in. And you could tell that it's one thing Portland State has, they have players that are a little bit older than maybe everyone else understands, having sat out that year and combined their different experiences. THE MODERATOR: All right, thank you, coach. COACH MILLER: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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