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NCAA MEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS: BUFFALO

March 18, 2010

BUFFALO, NEW YORK

THE MODERATOR: Good morning, everybody, welcome to Buffalo. We will go through a few ground rules before we get started. Please, if you have cell phones turn them to either vibrate or off for us throughout the press conference.
The way this will work is please raise your hand if you have a question for our student athletes from Morgan State. We will get a microphone to you. Please wait for the microphone to get there. You are allowed one follow-up question. I would ask let the folks with the microphone know if you have a follow-up so they'll stay with you. Please give the name and organization before ask you your question. Joining me up here from Morgan State Reggie Holmes, DeWayne Jackson and Troy Smith. And we'll open with questions from there. Go ahead and raise your hands and we'll get a microphone to you.

Q. To any of you all, just what catches your attention about West Virginia and how do you think you match up with them?
REGGIE HOLMES: Catch my eye, Da'Sean Butler. I know that he's a great leader. Always put the team on his back and he's a very mature player.
DeWAYNE JACKSON: What catches my eye is they're a real physical team. Everybody say Morgan State, we're physical. We're going to go out and play and match their physicality.
TROY SMITH: I was going to talk about I think the coaches. The coaches are the key, because if you have two great coaches with West Virginia and our coach, so Todd Bozeman, so I think that's going to be the key there.

Q. This is for all three of you. Not necessarily you DeWayne, but what did you other guys learn from last year's NCAA appearance?
REGGIE HOLMES: I mean, last year was just like an experience, first time in the program has been there we always excited. But this year we're more focused.
TROY SMITH: Reggie just said, last year was new to us. We never experienced the different things that come with going to the NCAA tournament. Like you say, this year we come more prepared, more focused, trying to win the game, trying to play the game, play our style of basketball.

Q. Do you have any idea -- this will be really for you DeWayne, as far as the physical nature, what level -- do you have to step up to meet their game? What's your feeling about where your game is compared to their game?
DeWAYNE JACKSON: We really just got to bring the energy and play.

Q. This is for Reggie: You came to the school as the all-time leading scorer this year. You passed Marvin Webster. Can you talk about what that means to you and just sort of talk about what that means to your career? Not only finishing up with that record, but also, you know, being part of the first two Division 1 tournament teams in school history.
REGGIE HOLMES: Really, I didn't think about being the all-time leading scorer. I was worried about finishing out the season on a strong note. I mean, it means a lot but I never sat around and thought about it. To be able to take my school to two championships in my four years, it means a lot.

Q. This is for Reggie: Reggie, you said it right off the bat, Da'Sean Butler. What fascinates you about him and what do you see that makes him so good? And how do you stop him?
REGGIE HOLMES: I've seen a lot of their games this year. And like when a game on the line, they go to him.
For tough shots, defensive plays, all that. They go to him.

Q. Just as a follow-up for any of the three guys, how do you stop him? How do you go about in containing this guy, especially in the clutch?
REGGIE HOLMES: You don't let one person beat you. Defense helps -- if a person help you out, you help him out.
TROY SMITH: Defense evils is the focus. If you focus on defense for the whole game, shut down the guy and playing your role, that can make it happen. That's what I think it's about.
REGGIE HOLMES: I mean, saying just what they said: Team defense.

Q. This is for Reggie. Seeing you've been here for four years. You came in with Coach Bozeman. You know where the program stood when you got there, and you're a Baltimore guy. When you got to Morgan, could you have envisioned going to the NCAA tournament? What was the vision that you saw? What was the vision that Coach Bozeman instilled?
REGGIE HOLMES: My recruitment, on my visit, I remember telling Coach Bozeman I was going to bring him an MEAC championship, than automatic bid to the tournament. To say it and do it means a lot right now.

Q. Can you guys talk about your relationship with Anthony Anderson and what you went through this year? Is there a disappointment? I know there was talk he might be able to be here for the tournament. I guess he's not going to be able to. Is there a disappointment involved with that?
TROY SMITH: Yes. I mean, it is a disappointment for us because we really wanted to get him here and bring him here, give him the opportunity to watch us play basketball. He hasn't had an opportunity to watch us play because of what he's been going through. That's been something we have been wanting to do all year. For it not to happen, it's kind of like, we still have to do what we need to do and we talked to him and told him what we need to do. So...
REGGIE HOLMES: I mean, I only know him for like two years. Last year he sat out and this year he was my roommate in the summer time. We all joked and all that. To hear the devastating news at the beginning of the season, that motivated me more to prepare for the season.

Q. Did any of you guys go to talk to him yesterday after practice or before you left? And what kind of conversation -- what kind of spirits were they at that point?
DeWAYNE JACKSON: I talked to him after practice yesterday. He told me he wasn't feeling well but he was like it's not going to keep him down. He told me to tell the team to go out and play. He said if we win our first game, his parents -- he might still make it to the second game.

Q. How did you guys decide to honor him by wearing the number on your jersey? Were you thinking about his stuff or how did that come about?
REGGIE HOLMES: We were thinking about him not being here physically. So we put a patch on our jerseys spiritually for him.
TROY SMITH: We know how hard he worked to be on our team. He was our -- he would do things that none of us would do. He was the guy that couldn't play after sitting out one year. So for us, it's crazy because we're young and we think about it -- it hits us at a young age. So it's weird having a teammate going through what he's going through.
THE MODERATOR: Other questions for Morgan State student athletes?

Q. This is for Troy. After last year, you know, the questions touched upon last year's experience at the NCAA tournament. But is there a feeling that you know you want to get that taste out of your mouth, losing to Oklahoma the way that happened? And I mean it's a tough test, number two seed here. And how do you rally against a West Virginia?
TROY SMITH: Like I say, you have to come prepared and do what you do. Last year it was Blake Griffin. He was the number one pick. He's Superman. This year, you know, we play basketball, we've been playing basketball just as long as the next person. So we just trying to come in here and do what we do; not focus on what they do. Focus on what we do and try to execute our plan.

Q. This is for anybody who wants to answer it: The fact that Ameer (Ali) won't play tomorrow, how does that affect -- how do you think that will affect you? I mean it obviously takes one guy away in your rotation. Is that a potential problem?
TROY SMITH: No. I mean, of course you would like to have him here. But it's not a problem because we practice hard every day. You know, the other guys practice for the time and they are trying to play. So, you know, we're going to be good to go. We're going to be ready to go.
REGGIE HOLMES: It's all about opportunities. Once you get the opportunity, you have to make the best of it. One man out, another man's dream, I guess.

Q. The fact -- your bench has been strong this year. The bench has always gotten somebody to step up, it seems like. Does that give you a comfort zone there? Did you expect somebody to come in and replace him?
REGGIE HOLMES: Yes, yes. We lost three of our top scorers last year. And three more came in. It was just rotation.
TROY SMITH: Like I say, we practice hard every single day. So just because a person is not playing as many minutes as the first person doesn't mean he's not prepared, you know?
THE MODERATOR: Time for two more questions.

Q. For each of -- maybe this one for you Reggie and the next. What's your relationship with Coach Bozeman? What has he meant to you in your development? And then for you two: How much did you know about his background back at Cal and that kind of stuff? And again how much has he meant to you?
REGGIE HOLMES: I mean, I knew about his background. There was no need to talk about it. Because I knew it. He means a lot to me. Since day one, since I was a freshman. Good times, bad times. If I'm doing good, he's still trying to add to my game. Since day one he always told me shoot a throw or drive to the hole. He changed my game.
Made me add the mid-range. Made me a better player.
DeWAYNE JACKSON: I really didn't know about his background. But he means a lot to me because he was the really the only coach that really took me in. That's why I'm really at Morgan.

Q. What do you mean took you in?
DeWAYNE JACKSON: I'm at Morgan. He's the only coach that really talked -- other schools could talk, but they weren't really doing.
TROY SMITH: For me, I was going to come here as a freshman with Reggie. I took another approach. I wanted to go to college and do the right thing. I looked at it wrong because he was the perfect guy. These two years I became a much, much better leader. I owe that to him. My teammates, they kind of might not like me but they respect me because of what I'm trying to do. The approach I have is really the kind of approach, one way, the straight way, the right way.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, guys. Appreciate your time. Before we get started with Coach Bozeman, I want to introduce the Morgan State Sports Information staff that's here.
Leonard Haines and Kevin Page are down here, far left here. If you have any other needs for Morgan State, folks, you can see them. Coach Bozeman, if you want to open with a statement, and then we'll take questions after that.
COACH BOZEMAN: In the words of Jay-Z, "what you want me to do, I'm sorry, I'm back."
No, this is an honor and a privilege. Just excited about being at the tournament. Excited for my guys. Because as college athletes, college basketball players, this is what you want -- every year the beginning of the season, it's everyone's goal to get to the NCAA tournament. So Morgan State four years ago when we came here, no one expected a whole lot, except the president, because when he hired me, he expected me get to the tournament. But no one expected a whole lot. And guys like Reggie Holmes and Kevin Thompson and Troy Smith and those guys to come in and accept the vision that we put forth and to be committed to the work that we said that you had to do to get there, for those guys to believe in that, because it wasn't anything tangible for them to hold on to when we first got Morgan, in terms of success on the basketball floor, for it to come to fruition now is -- you know, it's an unbelievable feeling. It's like having children and telling them if you study hard, you can be anything you want to be. It's kind of like being Barack's mother and telling her you can be the President of the United States, and for him to believe it and then to achieve it, I mean there's nothing better as a parent and as a leader and as a coach for kids to be able to follow through with those kind of things and to fight through adversity.
This year has been -- always tell them that success is lonely, and a lot of times people don't understand the things that you go through. But this team has been through an awful lot from the beginning of the school year when Ameer Ali's father committed suicide, Troy Smith's daughter, who was born blind, had a tumor and had to have it removed, and then Anthony Anderson, our first day of practice, he had to sit out all last year just imagine waiting for Christmas, and then Christmas they take it away from you. So our first day of practice he participated in Midnight Madness. He came and said, "Boze, I'm not feeling well." They sent him to the trainer, they sent him to the infirmary, they sent him to the hospital. Later that night he was diagnosed with cancer. I told the guys at the beginning of the year before it even started when we first got back to school I told him you have adversity in life. And it's all how you deal with it. I said we all have it. So everybody is going to have adversity. It just depends on how you deal with it. You guys are family. You have to stick together. And it's going to come. And I did not have any idea it was going to come in those forms. But it came. And the guys persevered.
We went through all kinds of things during the season. And as I said, Anthony, it was a tough practice when I told the team on Sunday, and everyone, it was a very emotional practice, but we practiced. Because I told them that things are going to happen. But you have to keep your head down. You have to keep grinding. And they did it. Anthony has been going through chemo. Our first practice, he sent us a text, all of us and he's told us that he loved us. And that he wished us well and that remember that we're grinders. That was our motto from the very first practice or first pre-season conditioning drills. We said we were grinders. And it is true to form. We are grinders. And we've grinded out victories, we've grinded out different things during the season. And Anthony has been a trooper all the way. We took the bus to see him before he went to the MEAC tournament. He said he wanted to go to the NCAA tournament guys. Get me there. The fellows all said we're going to get him there. And they did it. So when you see them hold up the number 4, that's what it's for. It's for "Big Ant." And I'm just happy to be here. So we'll field the questions and we're going to -- obviously we're a two seed going against a 15 seed. As I told the guys, the only people that don't have a chance are the people that are not here. That's the way you have to view it. That's life. That's my long opening statement. Thank you very much.
THE MODERATOR: Any questions?

Q. Coach, as you're going through litany of people of that have been through stuff. You skipped over yourself and you've been through your fair share. Did you doubt that you would be back here?
COACH BOZEMAN: I also had something this year. My son was undercut playing for his high school team. Had to get six staples and had swelling around his brain and a bruise. So I had my thing as well.
But in terms of my professional career, you asked if I ever doubted? No, I didn't. I really hope it doesn't come off as cocky. I just believed that I would get back in. I didn't really think that I would have to wait out the whole sanction, but I did, and I kept my mouth shut. I didn't complain. I admitted to my faults. I didn't talk about other schools. I didn't compare myself to other coaches. I didn't say, well, this guy does this, that, this and the third. I didn't do that. And I did that for a reason. Because I wanted to be able to be an example for kids down the line. You want kids to be able to admit their faults. And you want people to be able to accept the fact that we're not all perfect. And so when you take that approach, you have to understand that there's going to be consequences for your actions. And I took the consequences for my actions. You know, I would like to think that I moved past that. You are talking about almost 16 years ago. And to still be held accountable for that. It would be different if I didn't pay the price for it. It would be different if I continued to say, I didn't do it, I didn't say that. I said I did it. I took the responsibility for it. I didn't put anybody else's name in it. I took sole responsibility. I'm the head coach. I did it. And I moved on. So -- and the harder part is to see other folks come through things like that and to be able to get back to doing life as normal.
Now, obviously I'm not as attractive as Martha Stewart. But she had her thing and is back. And Steve Jobs from Apple had his deal and he's back. You just want to be able to continue to move forward now. So that's all I ask. But I use that with the guys as well. I tell the guys that they all know my story. I tell them that I made a bad judgment decision. There's consequences for your actions. I tell them that now. You think before you do things. I said sometimes people think more about what they're going to eat than whether they're going to put a seatbelt on in the car. So I use it as an experience, even for my children as well. My son is fine. He had to sit out for a whole month. He's fine. He's here on a trip with us. So he's fine. But as I tell them, things are going to happen. It's all how you deal with it. Will determine your fate or level of success.

Q. Todd, on your own personal journey, what was the darkest moment for you and what's the brightest moment?
COACH BOZEMAN: Believe it or not, it was really tough. Like I said, there was two people that believed I would get back in. Me and my father. And only one of us is here. My darkest moment was seeing him on that bed and knowing that man, this cat is not going to be here when I get back in. I will never, ever, ever -- I think about it every single day. Every single day, I think about it that he's not here. And he didn't see me get back on the sideline. So all the tough times -- yeah, I had people that wouldn't take my phone calls and the like. When I was trying to get back in. I don't hold any grudges, because at that time, that's what they felt. I couldn't be mad at anybody. Even any of my friends that didn't hire me. I don't hold any grudges because they have to do what they have to do to protect their own interests. And I understand that. I knew if I kept knocking at the door, someone would give me a chance. I just needed one. I didn't need 20. I just needed one. That's all I wanted to do. Like I said, I use that with my guys. For us to come to Morgan and to win -- no one thought -- first of all, no one thought I would get back in. I had close friends that said, hey, look, dude, do something else. Try something else. I said I'm going to get back in. And then to get back in and people, no one expected to us win in Morgan.
I'm not that guy you can tell I can't do something. I'm going to put the time into it and I'm going to keep my head -- my nose to the grind and, you know, I just believe this is a country that you can do that. You can have success if you put the time into it. But, you know, not everyone -- maybe is not willing to go through that. I sat out ten years. So when people talk about it and act like it was nothing, ten years to have the same fire, to work pharmaceuticals, Coach AAU, I went from coaching a PAC-10 team to coaching a nine-under to have a parent tell me how to coach the team. I didn't say anything. I just said okay. I'll take that into consideration. We would come back to practice and coached all the way up to 15-years-olds. I did color commentating. I put the time in.
They can say what they want I should still be out or have a chance to get back in. I volunteered at high schools, girls' programs, college, junior college programs. I did so many clinics, I couldn't even begin to tell you. I did free clinics, I went to camp. Sponsored kids to go to camp. I sponsored over 50, 60 kids to go my camp during the summer. Disadvantaged kids. I put the time in. They can't tell me I didn't. That's the way that I view it. I guess that's not necessarily my darkest moment, to answer your question.

Q. Your brightest moment?
COACH BOZEMAN: My brightest moment was one getting the opportunity to coach. And then the first game, I can't tell you how excited I was, at East Carolina. I was so excited. The team -- I didn't -- really didn't even say anything to them. I just cried. I said, my dad, if he was alive, he would be here. Come on, let's go play. That was pretty much it.

Q. Coach, looking at playing West Virginia to speak of adversity, I think Reggie put it best when he was asked what he thinks about West Virginia, and then immediately went to Da'Sean Butler. How good are they? And how good is he and how do you hope to contain him, especially in the clutch?
COACH BOZEMAN: He's very good. He's one of the top players in the country. He'll play 82 games next year. As far as the team goes, you have to really start with Hugs. I've known Huggs -- I've known Huggs for years. Coached against him when I was at California. His team is always aggressive, physical, tough. That's how they play. They will wear you down. They will beat you up, so to speak. I don't mean that in a negative way, but they're a tough team. They're a tough-minded team. And he coaches them like that. So I mean they're a top ten team. Should have been a number one pick -- number one seed. And I mean, they take you out of what you want to do offensively. And they push the ball at you.
So, it's a challenge. But that's what this is all about. Who doesn't have a challenge? So, you know, every team whether you're a top team or whether you're a lower-seeded team, you have a challenge. Because you have a challenge to respond. Because every team here earned a right to be here. So -- and that's the beauty of this competition, the tournament, is that on any given night anybody can beat anybody. And you are allowed to dream here. You are allowed to dream at the beginning of the year and you can dream again when you get here. And then it's all about getting out on the floor and playing.

Q. As a follow-up, can you draw any comparisons from playing -- being the 15th seed last year and facing Oklahoma, and might that help the guys who were there last year?
COACH BOZEMAN: The difference is Superman was here last year. So we went up against Superman and we did not have any Kryptonite. But in terms of drawing a comparison and how it might help us, I spent the first couple of years trying to explain to these guys the beauty of going to the NCAA tournament. And the excitement and the emotion that they would feel. And I couldn't do it justice. I said, I tell you what, get there and you'll see what I'm talking about. So last year, the whole experience of people on the baseline and -- I mean the media completely filling both baselines, 19-, 20,000 fans, the police escorts, the fans at the hotel want to get their autographs, they all said it to me to a man, each one came and said, "Boze, you were right. This is an unbelievable feeling and experience." I knew having guys returning that they would want to drink from that cup again. So that's where we draw from.
It's more of a business approach this year. They're not wide-eyed, goggle-eyed and all that stuff. You can see how they are walking and how they talk. That part of it makes a difference.

Q. Coach, DeWayne mentioned the physicality and something that stood out about West Virginia. You're a physical team also. Do you try to match that or do you look for something else, some other way to attack?
COACH BOZEMAN: It's funny that you say that. Because I think that that's going to tell a tale in the game, because the nation knows how physical West Virginia is. The nation doesn't know how physical Morgan State is. Our conference, they treat us like that and they say we're physical. So if the officials look at it and they're going to say, well, both teams are physical, we're going to let it go, fine. They might say, West Virginia, we already know you're physical. Morgan, you can't play physical like that. That's a difference. So that's a point of emphasis for sure. But he mentioned the physicalness of it just so we are aware of it. Not that we're intimidated by it.

Q. Do you think the schedule you played this year has prepared you for this step, this competition?
COACH BOZEMAN: Well, first of all many you didn't say where you were from? The Baltimore sun? I think I know you.
Well, we schedule games all around the country. And we're going to approach this game like we would if we scheduled it during the regular season. So during the course of the year, especially I'm going to use Reggie because he's been here the whole time. We've beaten Arkansas, Maryland, DePaul, Marshall. Those are all conferences that are the major conferences. Towson, bracket-buster game. We've traveled around the country.
We played Louisville, Utah, we've played them all. As many as we could. That's what that was for, to prepare for situations like this. Unlike other teams, a lot of teams in our league, that's what we try to do, we try prepare for moments like this, and not just take guaranteed games just to take them. We're trying to prepare ourselves for something bigger down the road.

Q. Coach, you spoke of those ten years and the time that you had people around you. Can you speak to what Billy Kennedy did for you and kind of -- he's also playing in this tournament. And kind of him being a friend there for you.
COACH BOZEMAN: BK is definitely one of my closest friends. I love the guy. I'm really happy for him and his success. And during that time, I've stayed in touch with all my assistant coaches, my managers, players. So many administrators. The marketing director that was at Cal at the time. Kelly Wilder and her family. Melvin Wilder who is the ticket lady there. I stay in touch with all those people. All of those people helped to keep me -- I mean to keep things as normal as possible in terms of our friendships and our relationships. BK was definitely one of those. We had to play this year in the bracket-buster. Immediately both of us texted each other and said, I hate that we have to play. Because I would never play him. I would never play my friends like that, closest friends anyway. So it was tough. But I'm really happy for him. He's done a great job at Murray State. If I had to vote, he's the coach of the year for mid-majors at least. No less than that. He's done a great job. I wish him well against the volunteers. He's -- not volunteers, the Vandy's. He's got a tough draw as well. But I think he's up to the challenge. He called me during that time and he called me during that time and always told me he was saying prayers for me and my family. I've always been appreciative of him for that.

Q. How is your approach to recruiting changed? Like you say, you went from Cal where you basically kind of just auditioned people. Everybody knows who you are. Everybody wants to go PAC-10. And then to a place like Morgan, where -- how have you changed as a recruiter? What's the recruiting change been?
COACH BOZEMAN: Well, I still look for the same type of guys. There's a grittiness, a toughness, there's a resiliency I look for in players. And I don't always just look for the guys score the most. I look for little intangibles. I look for things that are similar to myself. I want guys that can fight through things, fight through adversity. Even at Cal I recruited guys that weren't necessarily I'm going to say hype guys. That Jason wasn't a hype guy. Jason was I'm coming and building my own thing. LaMond Murray, Al Grigsby; those guys were like that. At Morgan when I first got there, interesting you ask me that, I had a coach call me and said I have a player. I said who did he play for -- it was another friend in another conference considered higher than Morgan. He said, no, no, no, he can't play for him. He can't play for you -- he can play for you. I said I don't want him. I want guys that can play at a high level but can do something different and do something special. We had a heated conversation. And so I said I'm not going to recruit like that. I don't take calls when people say he can play in the MEAC. That's not what I want. We're not preparing for the MEAC; we're preparing for something higher than that. We are recruiting different than that. Guys like Kevin Johnson, Reggie, Holmes, DeWayne Jackson, Troy Smith, those guys were recruited by other people but they wanted to come and do something different. That's kind of the approach we take and it's been successful for us.

Q. Has it changed your perspective? In other words, when you were at Cal, may look at the Morgans of the world one way, as kind of gator bait. You know? Then when you get to a place like Morgan, you may look at things differently. I'm wondering, do you look at the world a little differently now than maybe you did when you were in the PAC-10?
COACH BOZEMAN: I have an appreciation for the fact that it is different. It's two different levels. But I don't have a difference in how I approach the type of guys I want or the goals that we set. And so the type of kids that you bring in, they're still basically the same. I mean, I can tell you there's a lot of similarities between -- not necessarily game-wise, between Reggie Holmes and Jason Kidd in terms of their competitiveness, in terms of how competitive they are. So those are things that are very, very similar that I look for. And yeah, it is a little different because of the pool that I have to pick from. I can't tell you how many high-level recruits that I know and know their families well. But I would never even bother them because I know that's not where they're going to come. But there is a segment there that I can recruit from. And that's what I focus on. I focus on that segment. I wouldn't go -- go to one of those guys and say come to Morgan when I know they have an opportunity to play like North Carolina or something like that, or Georgetown or Maryland in our area. So I wouldn't necessarily do that. An alumni kept telling me we want to beat Maryland. You guys don't understand. There's a difference when you visit that locker room in Maryland and you go visit our locker room at Morgan State. There's a clear difference. I'm not oblivious to that fact. I've been on that other side before.

Q. When was the last time you talked to Anthony? Do you have anything special planned?
COACH BOZEMAN: I saw him the day -- the 15th. I saw him the day before we left. It's when I gave him the game ball and I gave him a T-shirt and I gave him a hat before that. His mom told me yesterday that if he felt better, that they would drive up. So, that's kind of -- that was the last time I saw him. But he was asleep. His dad was in there. His dad was asleep on the couch. He wasn't feeling well that day. That's what I told him the day before. I told his dad.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Coach. Appreciate it. We have Missouri here at 12:05.

End of FastScripts

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