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SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 14, 2010Rick StansburyBarry StewartJarvis VarnadoNASHVILLE, TENNESSEE Kentucky - 75 THE MODERATOR: We're ready to begin with Mississippi State. We'll ask Coach Stansbury for some general thoughts on the game. Then we'll take your questions for the two student-athletes. Coach, would you begin. COACH STANSBURY: Congratulations to Kentucky. They've shown why they're the best team in the league. They found a way to be the best team today for 45 minutes. So congratulations to them. Cal's done a great job with that team. But with that said, I've been in the locker room a lot of times, walked into it in the last 12 years, win some and lose some. But I've never walked into a locker room where I'm more proud of a bunch of guys, what they did out there today. The score has no bearing on how I feel about what they accomplished out there today because it was amazing. As a coach, and I would think as a fan, any person watching that game, how could you not be just absolutely amaze the what these guys did against one of the most talented teams in the country. We had our opportunities to close it out. That's part of the game, but they did what we asked them to do as coaches and as players. Let's go out today, and let's press our will, and let's make sure, when we walk in that locker room, there's not one ounce left in us. And I can promise you, there's not one ounce left in them. Like I said, I couldn't be more proud of a bunch of guys. These two seniors sitting beside me, it's been amazing what they've been able to accomplish over their four-year career. To have this team at that point, to have this team out there competing against that, and the championships these guys have won. That's why again today we had a chance because of the will and the heart and the character of these guys right here beside me. THE MODERATOR: We'll take your questions for the student-athletes. Q. For Jarvis and Barry, could you guys just describe what you saw at the end of regulation. Barry, I know you were out, but from where you were, the free throw, just what you guys saw there. BARRY STEWART: He shot the first one, made it, and I saw he missed it on purpose. I guess that's what his coach told him to do. We knew there was only 5 seconds left, 4.9 second left. It went out. He ball faked, missed a shot, and got tipped up. I don't know. Time never ran out, seemed like. Longest 4.9 seconds of my life. They got the tip and made the basket before time went out. JARVIS VARNADO: I saw Wall shoot it, and it hit the rim. It landed to Cousins. I thought the time was out, and he tipped it back in. So it went into overtime. Q. Jarvis, if you could comment on the physical play inside. I mean, there was a lot of contact going on today. JARVIS VARNADO: That's what you're going to get when you play against Kentucky. They've got some big guys Orton, Patterson, and Cousins. THE MODERATOR: We'll excuse you. We'll continue on with Coach Stansbury. If you have a question, please raise your hand, and we'll get one of the microphones to you. Q. Rick, if you had it to do over, would you foul Bledsoe before you shot the three-pointer again, before he shot? COACH STANSBURY: Absolutely. We would foul every time in that situation up three. If you're asking me if I knew they were going to miss the free throw and get it back, would I have done it? No. But, you know, I'll take those chances every time. Very few times, if I've ever seen that foul cause somebody not to win a game, I've seen it happen many times when you don't foul, someone ties it up and goes into overtime and wins. That may have been the first when I've seen a missed free throw on the second one on purpose. It takes an absolutely horrible bounce. I don't remember exactly what happened, but it was a shot from the corner by somebody. I think it was an air ball maybe, not for sure. But I guess Cousins or Orton or somebody fell on their hands and scored on the buzzer. I'll foul every time in that situation, up three, yes. Q. Coach, if you could comment on Ravern's play today. He was big for you guys. COACH STANSBURY: I'm going to say this, you guys. All of you all witnessed that game. I just told my team, I haven't walked in the locker room ever where I hurt for them. I don't hurt for myself, I hurt for my team because that team did everything as a coach you want them to do. They left every ounce of heart and soul on that floor. As a coach, you couldn't be more proud of that. Absolutely, you couldn't be more proud. When you look at those stats, I got one guy in that lineup over 220 pounds that plays sometimes. Rest of them are 215. Jarvis is 215. And we found a way to out rebound Kentucky by 6. We found a way to get 16 offensive rebounds to their 10. Those are amazing stats because that's about effort and toughness and heart. We just didn't make one more play. Again, give Kentucky credit. They made the play at the end to win the basketball game. It has no bearing on anything our team just accomplished out there or the way we feel about them. That's what I hurt for because our guys absolutely -- you guys witnessed it, every one of you. Every one of you witnessed it. And we did it on an away court. It wasn't no neutral site. It was an away court. No one else got behind us. The other team get behind us in a close game. It didn't happen that way. We did what we said we were going to do. We kept it neutralized. We kept it as quiet as we could where it wasn't a factor. Again, that's an amazing thing our team was able to do. Q. Rick, what's your opinion of your NCAA status now? COACH STANSBURY: My opinion is like it always is. I have no opinion because my opinion doesn't matter. I've been through this 12 years. My opinion has absolutely nothing to matter. What should matter is anybody that witnesses what we've accomplished, what our team has done, witness that game right there. Anybody just witnessed that game. And, again, this wouldn't even be a conversation if it wasn't for the other overtime loss we had to them. So with that question, you guys have the pens. It's too late to use them anymore. But anybody that watched that game, what would you say? THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much. End of FastScripts |
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