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NCAA MEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS REGIONALS: GREENSBOROMarch 19, 2009Damian JohnsonTubby SmithLawrence WestbrookGREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA Texas Longhorns – 76 PHIL WARSHAUER: Questions for student-athletes. Q. You guys haven't been to the tournament before, but it didn't look like that to start off the game. Can you just talk about what had you guys out firing like that? LAWRENCE WESTBROOK: We were just excited to play. We really didn't have anything to lose, you know. So we came out and played free. Nobody expected us to win. So I think that helped us to just come out and execute. We were just playing aggressively. We were just really excited for a chance to play here. So I think that carried us in the beginning. Q. The experience factor. The fact that they've been here before, what impact do you think that had on the game? DAMIAN JOHNSON: I think it really affected the game. I mean, once they got the big lead, I think some guys lost their composure a little bit. I mean, when a guy like Abrams catches fire, he can be trouble for anyone. I think that's what gave him the momentum. Q. In the first half there getting that foul when you guys were on a roll, second foul, what do you think that did with the run there? DAMIAN JOHNSON: Well, I was basically not a factor for the rest of the first half. I didn't get to play anymore. I mean guys really did step up, I mean Paul Carter got like nine boards or on seven or whatever. He was really active, and I think he caused a lot of trouble in the first half. Q. Did you guys feel like that three-pointer at the end of the first half by Abrams was a turning point in the game? LAWRENCE WESTBROOK: No, we don't think that was a turning point. I mean, he's a tough shot, but we still had had another half to play. I don't think they got -- I mean they got a little momentum going into the half. But second half we were right in the game as well. I don't think that was the turning point. Q. Had you faced anybody with the size and strength of Pittman this season? DAMIAN JOHNSON: Not to my knowledge. I don't think anyone was as strong and as aggressive as Pittman. I mean, he's a monster in the paint. He's real physical. Once he gets into the lane, he's trouble for anyone. The closest player that we faced all year was Samuels from Louisville, and I don't think he's half as strong as Pittman. Q. Can you both answer the question, what do you think this tournament experience will do for you guys in the future? I know you both are coming back, and this is a really young team? LAWRENCE WESTBROOK: I think we'll get better. It gives us confidence that we're good enough to make it here. Us losing in the first round gives us a little motivation to come back next year and get past the first round. We're just going to start with individual workouts, and go hard. We're going to think about how we lost today, and I think it can help us for next year. DAMIAN JOHNSON: I agree with Lawrence 100%. I mean, for the rest of the summer we've got to just keep this game in mind and keep a couple of the other games that we were close in and couldn't score or went in a drought. We got outphysicaled and lost the game. We've got to keep that in mind for the rest of the summer, go extra hard, and give it 150%. PHIL WARSHAUER: Thank you. We'll continue with questions for Coach Smith. Q. Given your expectations going into the season, are you satisfied with making the NCAA Tournament? Is this achieving your goal? COACH SMITH: Well, it was one of the goals we had was to get to the NCAA Tournament. Obviously, we wanted to perform better and win. But I thought overall this team has achieved and set a standard that we have to -- we've raised the bar. Some of our guys as they mentioned, they know they've got to get back, get busy ask work a lot harder in the off-season. Q. It's been a while since you lost in the first round. Just for yourself, the players get motivated, but how does this motivate you to want to make this program better and reach the success that you've had in the past? COACH SMITH: Well, it was a lot of motivation last year not being in the NCAA for a year, and in tournaments. You love the game. You're going to try to do your best. As a coach you try to inspire your staff. They've got to improve in a lot of areas. So as a coach, you're asking your players to improve, so I've got to do -- and do a better job and improve in a lot of areas as well in this off-season. But this was a good -- we've got some incentive. I think our guys, having lost this game and being here and getting this experience, will be a big help for all of us. Q. Did you feel like this was a bad game for Minnesota or a great game for Texas or somewhere in between? COACH SMITH: I thought Texas played extremely well. When a guy makes four threes in a row like that, even for him, that's pretty good. In these circumstances, in the NCAA, first round, they went to him. We had some momentum. You know, that three they had some momentum going into halftime. I think that got him a little bit elevated them. We were right in there. We got off to a great start in the game. Then we were a little flat or they were a little to start the second half. But then we fought back and had a chance to tie it there and missed that three pointer. Missed the lay-up, the three pointer, and then A.J. went on that tear and hit four threes in a row. But otherwise I thought we did the things that we were trying to do. Q. You've got two players that are leaving from this team, and a great recruiting class coming in next year. Can you talk about the excitement about next season? COACH SMITH: Yeah, we're going to miss Jonathan Williams, and Jamal Abu-Shamala. I thought both those kids, class kids. Doing things the right way in the classroom. Jamal Abu-Shamala won Student Athlete of the Year. So that gives you an indication of it. And I think Jonathan is on his way to graduate along with Jamal. For them to have this experience after four years here is really a way to end it for their collegiate career. Next season, well, again, this will help especially the returning players as well as our incoming recruits to say, hey, look, this is what we -- this is what we're about. We're about competing for championships. I think this will go a long way, as I said before, inspiring those men to work harder. Q. Do you envision playing 10 and 11 people in the future, or was that unique to this team? COACH SMITH: I thought it was unique to this team. But, again, I believe in trying to instill confidence in each player. Hey, we trust that you're going to do, and they have. They worked extremely hard. We didn't have anyone that was really that far superior than anyone else. So subsequently we tried when -- consequently when there was a dip or a drop off. We felt comfortable putting the guy in there wouldn't be much of a lull. It wasn't. I thought this year we pushed the right buttons for the most part. There were times that we didn't. I thought we'd be a better outside shooting team this year. That was -- if there was an area that really concerned me, it was that. I thought our post players or our leading field goal shooters, Ralph and Colton, and Damian, Paul Carter, all those guys we've got. But we really didn't get any consistent outside shooting. And it happened tonight in the second half. Only 1 for 9 from threes. Q. Did they do anything special to get Abrams free for those three pointers? Or was he shooting from so far out he was hard to defend? COACH SMITH: Well, it's what we didn't do. We didn't get on our hands up. If you're a good shooter, you've got to get your hands up right. You can't have your hands down. That just gives him an automatic, a great shooter like him. The all-time Big 12 three-point shooter, you've got to make him put it on the floor. We never made him. It was a stand still, and in the scouting report, you've got to do that. But, again, experience, basketball, understanding what we have to get done. It's going to be critical. End of FastScripts |
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