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NCAA MEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS REGIONALS: PORTLANDMarch 20, 2009Ken McDonaldOrlando Mendez-ValdezA.J. SlaughterPORTLAND, OREGON Q. Can you talk about what you learned from the run that Illinois had at the end of the second half yesterday, and trying to prevent something like that happening with Gonzaga, as far as letting them back in the game? A.J. SLAUGHTER: We definitely have to take care of the ball down the stretch and not commit silly turnovers that will lead to easy baskets. That's one of the big things we learned going down the stretch. We have to take care of the ball and not let teams back in the game. Q. When people refer to Western Kentucky as a mid-major, does that bother you or do you think it's accurate to say that you guys are a mid-major? A.J. SLAUGHTER: It really doesn't bother us. We are a mid-major program, but at the same time we can compete with -- we feel that we can compete with any team in the country, so it really doesn't bother us what they label us as. ORLANDO MENDEZ-VALDEZ: No, not really. I consider us a mid-major team. And just like he said, we just can compete with the big teams, big programs out there. So really there's no pressure on us, that's the best thing about it. Q. Just from watching you play all year, you have had that big level of confidence and you have been comfortable. What's maybe the biggest thing that has helped you get that confidence and keep that all year, Orlando? ORLANDO MENDEZ-VALDEZ: I think it's the chemistry we have as a team. We put the team first. And we really help each other score. I think that's the best thing about it, we don't have one selfish player on the team. A.J. SLAUGHTER: Like he said, just the chemistry of our team. We help each other score, and on defense we have each other's back. Mostly just team chemistry. We really have a chip on our shoulder from the beginning of the season when people didn't think we were going to do much this year. We keep that in the back of our heads every time we go out and play. Q. A.J., what do you remember from the Gonzaga game last year? A.J. SLAUGHTER: It was really hard-fought game. If I can remember we was up, I think we had a 10-point lead with about ten minutes left and they came back and won the game. Last year we had totally different team from this year, so we really can't look back on that and really take anything from it. So we're just going to have to come out and play with our hearts like we did the other night with Illinois. Q. What's the biggest difference between this year's team and last year's team? A.J. SLAUGHTER: I think we have a more balance attack. The whole starting five was in double figures. That's really hard to scout, especially when you have one day to scout a team that has a balanced scoring attack like that. I really think that's the biggest factor from last year. ORLANDO MENDEZ-VALDEZ: I'll agree. The chemistry. The way we just help each other score. And we don't have one or two guys that will just go out there and score consistently on a regular basis. There's no telling who will have a good game. Q. A.J., when you guys were losing the lead last night, did that remind you at all of the Drake game? A.J. SLAUGHTER: Yeah. It was in the back of my head, that, man, we can't let these guys get it back to one possession and hit a shot and beat us like we did with Drake last year. We rallied as a team, and let's go out and finish the game, guys, and we did it. Q. You guys and Mac always talked about where you talk about going into the tournament how it was important for you guys that have been here before to help out the younger guys. You've played a game, been to the practices, how has that changed with you guys as far as leadership-wise and keeping the younger guys in toe? ORLANDO MENDEZ-VALDEZ: It helps tremendously. The first few minutes out there, there was a couple of nervous, kind of shaking it off. Now getting us here in a little practice here in the gym and getting used to it and now we're going to be aware of what's going on, and how the environment is going to be. I think it helps out for underclassmen and they know what to expect. Q. A.J., your sister lives here in Portland. How was that to play in front of her? A.J. SLAUGHTER: It was great. It's always great to play in front of your family. She had a lot of her friends come to the game, also, and my mom was here. So it's always great to play in front of family? Q. Who taught you that one handed runner, your sister or Tony? Tony says he did it. A.J. SLAUGHTER: I'll give him credit on that one. Q. Orlando, you always like to, before a game, decide what NBA player you're going to be like in that particular game and you always announce it to the team. Since you were here in Portland last night and the locker room, what player did you tell your teammates that you were going to shoot like last night? ORLANDO MENDEZ-VALDEZ: Coach Mac told me to be myself. Go out and play my game and don't worry about anything. Q. Why would you let him talk you out of that? ORLANDO MENDEZ-VALDEZ: He's always calling the shots. Q. Coach, in the past the obvious question is you've often said you aspire to be a lot like a Gonzaga, a lot like a Memphis. What does it mean to you that you're being matched up against them in the second round? COACH MCDONALD: I said that? We play a little basketball down at KU. We have a lot of pride. Obviously I think Gonzaga, with their recent success -- the last nine years I think they've been in the tournament, this might be ten, from what I know, and it's an incredible program. And I think we have that success and we want to continue to have the recent success that we're having right now. I think it's great that the two basketball programs are playing right now, because a lot of fans do make that comparison. On the job interview we talk about the Zags a little bit and their consistency and what we need to do to stay there. They've done things at a high level for a good amount of time here. It's good to get to go against that kind of program. Q. Were you aware of the fairly rich history at the school before you got there? COACH MCDONALD: Zags or -- Q. No, Western Kentucky. COACH MCDONALD: Yeah, I was an assistant at Western for five years, so I've lived it. I've recruited here. I pretty much grew up on the job recruiting at Western from '98 to '03. And under Dennis Felton. So I also, as assistant coach at Clemson, we came in to play at Western one time. And Rick Barnes at the time, because I was young and naive and didn't know a whole lot about college basketball, overall, grilled me about how I didn't know the tradition and the history that we were about to play in. It was pretty amazing walking in the arena, and obviously seeing things likes when Ed Diddle retired being the winningest basketball coach of all time at the time. And their top 10 in all time wins, 21 seasons, 21 NCAA tournaments, I can go down the line with some of the impressive stats that we have and the history. It's pretty amazing to be part of. Q. You said you talk about the Zags during your interview. What specifically did you talk about or see in that program that's helped them sustain their success, and what can you take away from them to help your program? COACH MCDONALD: Well, I think to be consistent a lot of times it's important that there's not a lot of turnover. And I think they've done an incredible job -- I don't remember, once again, I think it was during my first coaching stint the Clemson, going up against the Zags in Alaska in a tournament and Monson was the coach at the time and I believe Coach Few was on staff. But over time they have kept that consistency with their staff. Their head coach and their assistant coaches. So they've made the situation such a good program. They've grown the program. Facilities, salaries, and it's great that Coach Few likes to fish. That helps. He's a pond guy. So that's helped him stay there for an while. That kind of consistency and dedication by the administration at Gonzaga has obviously been important to sustain what they've done. And then you have a staff that's happy to be there. Look at what they've done and it's amazing. It is amazing. It just keeps going up for them. And obviously Coach Few can coach and can recruit. So all those things go into what I think an ideal situation. But it started from the top with the administration, I believe. Q. If you continue to have this consistent success, have you thought much about, as coaches always think about recruiting, do you change your philosophy about recruiting? If Western Kentucky keeps going to the Sweet 16, maybe you can grab some of those McDonald All-American players once in an while. Can you anticipate what it might be like where you can compete directly with some of the bigger schools, the BCS conference schools for players? COACH MCDONALD: It's a good point. We always think in big terms. That's why when I took the job over, even though people labeled it as a down year, losing some guys to graduation and one to the NBA with Courtney Lee, we talked about nothing but winning our conference. We talked about nothing but about getting back to the NCAA tournament. And recruiting. We've gone after some excellent players. When you go to the tournament and you get -- today we're on USAToday, the cover, we're on the sports section, and those types of things obviously allow you to extend your arm and reach out nationally in recruiting, and it will affect this class as well as the next classes. And you look at the Zags, they have a great region to recruit, but they're reaching out and getting recruits from out of state, obviously, also. And we'll do the same. We've signed three players, one from Florida, one from Dallas and one from Alabama from this class. We're very, very excited about each. That national exposure, you can't replace it. You cannot replace it. And as we continue to get here, and we will, we're going to keep reaching out. Q. Yesterday you guys seemed like you had the support of the fans, like you kind of thought you would here. But tomorrow having maybe those Washington people stick around and maybe against Gonzaga, have you thought about handing out some red towels to the Washington crowd? COACH MCDONALD: I'm going to extend it to those that those fans wanted to play us, and they were all Zag fans. They didn't think we could beat them. So you have to spin things as a coach, and I'm going to tell them that the Zag fans really wanted to play us and not Illinois. So we will pass out some towels. We're going to make some fans along the way. I said that when we got the draw that a lot of fans wouldn't be able to make the trek out here, but there's no question with our style of play and our heart and I think you put a product on the court that people can appreciate you're going to have fans. It's going to be a great atmosphere on Saturday. It will be like a road game. I think a lot of times this year we've played our best basketball with our backs against the wall. But you have to deal with it. It's going to be an exciting atmosphere, though. Q. I think I read you made a recruiting trip to Serbia? COACH MCDONALD: Yes. Q. What was that like, do you have any good stories, anecdotes about that? COACH MCDONALD: Well, I think international recruiting is something that I've done over my career. I've had some success with players at every level, in the ACC and the SEC, in the Sun Belt at Texas, recruited a kid that's playing for them now from Turkey. So just like the game, just like the NBA game, it's really global. And you can get some talent from every part of the world. So we continue -- we have three Serbians on our team. We have one sitting out, we have one injured and we have a point guard that's playing limited minutes that's just a freshman. A lot of potential. A lot of skill level in the European market in the players. They appreciate obviously an education coming in. We've gone that route and will continue to go that route, if we think we can get the best players for WKU possible. Some of the stories I can't really tell. I don't want to get in trouble (laughter.) Q. Just match-up-wise, what kind of problems does Gonzaga present to you? COACH MCDONALD: Let's put the pressure on Coach Few here. They have a pro at center. They've got a pro at the point guard. Matt Bouldin is extremely skilled. I think he really can make a difference in their team in every part of the game. I think he's an incredible passer, Playmaker. I think he's strong, decisions, all those things. And Micah Downs can shoot the ball. You look at Austin Daye, he's another guy that's labeled as a pro. So they've got four pros in the starting lineup. There's a lot of fronts that we have to cover. They shoot the ball extremely well. They're long and athletic, so I would imagine they're going to try to go inside. And we have to keep Pargo out of the lane. As we start to break down what we have to do to win the basketball game, we have to break it down by position. And that's what we'll try to do. Q. Just one more, how close do you think you are to being the kind of program where you could get an at-large berth to this tournament without relying on winning the conference tournament? COACH MCDONALD: That's a good question. I thought this year going into the year that we would bump up the schedule and really try to play a tough schedule. We played on the road, we played at Houston. We played at Tulane. We played at Mississippi State. We basically played at Florida State. We played Louisville. We had a lot of games on the schedule that we were going to try to take a crack at good programs and came out with our share. Our RPI came out at 42 the end of the season. Our strength of schedule was somewhere in the 60s. If we had went out and maybe beat Houston on the road, that maybe changes some things. If we grab one more of those games out of that mixture of teams I told you about I think we're right there in the conversation. I was disappointed in the year we weren't in the conversation compared to some other teams that were, not from a -- I wasn't mad at the other programs, it's just with the same RPI and same strength of schedule you'd hope there were some talk about us being an at large. That's the hope. I don't want it to come down to a three day tournament every year. And I think we're going to build toward that. I want to get to the point where we're really doing well in our conference, and we can schedule out of conference all the time, that national type of schedule like the Zags do, and knowing that you're going to be able to have an at-large bid. Q. Is there a significant stylistic difference between what the program did before you got there, from a year ago when they played Gonzaga? COACH MCDONALD: Style of play? You know, I wouldn't say a ton. A lot of the fundamentals, I think, are the same. They did press more. I think they felt like they had the depth to push tempo and press more. I didn't feel like I had that type of depth with this team. I didn't want to extend that much energy 94 feet from the hoop. I wanted more on the offensive end and half court defense. I think we might get a little bit tired, because we play about seven guys or seven or eight guys. So I don't think a ton. I don't think a ton. I think we're probably a little bit more half court defensively oriented and we do a lot of random stuff. We try not to get in spots where we're calling a play all the time. We want to do stuff in transition. That was good for us yesterday against Illinois. Not a ton. Q. Coach, for a mid-major team to be in the tournament in consecutive years is difficult, what about the consistency you have shown in terms of winning in the tournament, how do you anticipate that will affect your program? COACH MCDONALD: Well, I think it's important to understand where you want to be down the road and with the success of our program we talk about that all the time. We talk about the fact that we've gone to so many NCAA tournaments. We talk about the fact that we've had so many All-Americans. That we've had so many conference championships. And I think just like the Zags going to nine straight tournaments, this is the beginning of the particular time that I'm part of. You can't lose sight of with where you want to be and you want to keep building and building and building and understand that this is the important part right now. This is very important. I think that's why with the interview process with my athletic director and my president they were so excited about the possibility of keeping this thing rolling and not having the turnover, when there's a coaching change -- we've had a couple of coaching changes, they were all good coaches. I'm putting myself in that mix, and not out of arrogance, but Darrin Horn and Dennis Felton did an excellent job. And that was the start of something. And I'm excited being a part of it. I know the expectations. I know what they are. I signed up for it and I want to take it to another level. That's the way we think and that's the way our staff -- our staff has done an incredible job, not only recruiting, but preparing this team to win as many games as we won, because, like I said before, we've never talked about anything but winning the conference and going to the NCAA tournament. And I think that mindset has rubbed off on the guys. Q. What do you think of the term "mid-major?" COACH MCDONALD: I almost -- I'm sorry, from The Columbian I almost told them to not use that when I'm here, the mid-major tournament. I guess you have to, because of the conference that you're affiliated with, but we're not a mid-major by any stretch of the imagination. You don't have 21 NCAA tournaments and get that label. For some reason it's a negative term and I think of it as kind of a slap in the face. Once again, you use it as motivation. We're third in the country with conference championships behind, I think, Kentucky and Kansas. There's so many things about our program that we're very proud about. And that's not one of them. Q. Talk about the incredible chemistry this team has shown this year and what a vital part it's played in your success to this point? COACH MCDONALD: I think early in the year as we started to build our program and talk about our style of play and with the transition of the coaching staff I think it was real important to get to know the guys. Obviously get them to trust us was important. And as that has happened our staff has really gotten to know a team that just -- they love each other. And a lot of guys had to step up their play this year in order for us to be a good basketball team. What I did not know, and you never know until you're around the guys, is just how much they enjoy being around each other, pull for each other, and that chemistry factor is huge. It's just huge. It's worked out. I've been on teams with good chemistry, bad chemistry, and one guy can affect that. Even we have guys that aren't playing, sometimes that's tough. Our guys that aren't playing, they're sitting there, they're ready and rooting for their teammates, and that says a lot about them. Our chemistry has been a big factor in our success. End of FastScripts |
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