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

March 18, 2010

BUFFALO, NEW YORK

THE MODERATOR: Joined now by West Virginia University student athletes. Closest to me, Da'Sean Butler, Devin Ebanks and at the far end, Wellington Smith. West Virginia comes in as the number two seed. 27-6. Same rules apply.

Q. Mr. Butler, one of the Missouri players has hit four game-winning shots in two years and they call him "Big Shot." What do they call you?
DA'SEAN BUTLER: "Da'Sean." Honestly, I don't have any nicknames. Anything like that. I just go out and play, do whatever my coach tells me to do and we're successful. So I'm just happy with how everything has turned out so far.

Q. Da'Sean, Reggie Holmes' first comment today this morning to us was when asked what he thinks of West Virginia and how they stack up, his first comment was "Da'Sean." What do you know of Reggie Holmes and have you had a chance to see him play? And how good of a player might he be?
DA'SEAN BUTLER: He's a very good player. We watched him on film. I saw the game they had earlier in the year against Louisville. You know, he can shoot the ball, he's flat-out one of the best shooters in the country and one of the best scorers in the country. He does a lot for that team, you know, in general. So overall he's just a really good player. I look forward to playing against him tomorrow.

Q. To any of the three of can you, I was wondering what were your expectations Saturday night if you think you had done enough to deserve a number one seed at that point and what were your reactions last Sunday when the brackets came out and you had the number two.
DEVIN EBANKS: We felt if we win that game probably have a good chance of being the number one seed. Obviously we didn't get it. But I don't think we were disappointed as a team being the number two seed, really. You're going to have to go out there and play on the floor anyway. As long as we play hard, we should be fine.
WELLINGTON SMITH: Same thing as Devin. At first we were kind of disappointed a little bit seeing that we have done everything that we've supposed to to get that number one seed. Obviously it didn't happen. So when this team goes out there next year, we're going to show them we should have deserved that. So yeah.

Q. Da'Sean, you were here two years ago when Joe Alexander went on that amazing run and really kind of became a household name. I'm just kind of wondering if you felt any similarities between what you've done in the BIG EAST tournament and your game-winning shots this year compared to what Joe Alexander went through couple of years ago.
DA'SEAN BUTLER: No, I couldn't compare myself to Joey. He brought us -- brought me especially to my first Sweet 16. First tournament appearance ever. He did so much for the team in general during the season that, you know, things I get to do still. He's just a different player than I am. So I can't really compare myself to him. Just things are just going good now. I'm just grateful for that. I can't really say that on the level of his game where he was his junior year and this is my senior year.

Q. Popularity-wise?
DA'SEAN BUTLER: No. Everybody likes the white guy that can jump. I can't jump. That's his thing. I can't really keep up with that.

Q. For Devin, at the BIG EAST it seemed like you were doing a lot of the little things, the passes, the rebounding, blocking shots, stuff like that. Not looking as much for your offensive game. Was that by design or did it just not come to you in that setting?
DEVIN EBANKS: Not really by design. That's how the flow of the game was going. Especially when you see Da'Sean and definitely Kevin Jones hitting shots as well. I just try to do little things to win the game. I want to win the game more than individual stuff. So that's what I was trying to do. We won the BIG EAST championship. So I'm not too mad about that at all.

Q. Da'Sean, you touched on this a little bit. Can you speak to kind of being the state's team and playing for the people in the State of West Virginia?
DA'SEAN BUTLER: Definitely. It's one of the reasons I came. There's no NBA teams or any pro teams at all. There's nothing really there except the college, the school. And everybody loves our school to death. So for us to win the BIG EAST and have the season we're having so far, everybody is excited. Everybody is overjoyed because, you know, we are it for them. And the way of us winning that and doing what we're doing this season, we're thanking them because they showed so much support for us. They're there every game, whether we win or lose. And they stay after the games and they are staying and they tell us what to look forward to the next game. They do everything real fans are supposed to do. I'm glad I'm here, you know. So...

Q. This is for the seniors. You weren't recruited by Coach. Can you talk a little about the transition from a different type of playing style, different coaches, and maybe also the physical style from a more finesse to a more physical style that you guys now play, what that was like with him as your coach? And also can you talk a little about the trade rumor?
WELLINGTON SMITH: The styles are completely different from offensive-oriented team to a defensive-oriented team. Both coaches love to win. Both coaches have a desire to win.
But the only difference is there's more defense on Bob Huggins' side of the spectrum and Coach Beilein just instilled liked to do the fundamental things. We like to do fundamental things now. It's more of hard-nosed get-into-people's-faces type stuff that we really like to do. He has instilled that into us right when he got here. That's what we try to bring on, you know, when we go into this tournament. The treadmill, that's just something that nobody really enjoys, is instilled in every practice no matter how far you go. If we go back to Morgantown, and we're still practices, it's still going to be instilled then. About 15 miles-per-hour, 44 seconds, and it got escalated from 22 seconds to 44 seconds since we weren't learning our lessons. It's something that I just still get on. I don't know about these guys, but I get on every now and then.
DA'SEAN BUTLER: I'm not on it as much. I kind of learn from my mistakes. So about the treadmill. But just in term of the styles, when I was in high school, just like Wellington, we played against each other a number of times. We played this kind of style of basketball. And we came here -- we came to West Virginia and played under Coach Beilein. That was new, just learning how to play in the system where he used to create and doing things ourselves, our high school, just like every other high school player, to learn the system. So when Coach Huggins got back, he brought us back to what we used as far as just playing and just doing what you need to do to play. To play basketball, excuse me. So at the end of the day, it's kind of like he brought us back to what we used to be and we've gotten better as opposed to standing around in the system and letting things happen. We kind of take the game into our own hands.

Q. For any of you guys, all of you, if you can, the question was asked to Todd Bozeman earlier about whether they can handle your physicality. And he said in their league they're sort of known as the West Virginia of their league. They bring a lot of physicality. Is that something you've seen on film and how would you describe their style of play from watching them?
DA'SEAN BUTLER: Honestly, we watched them play, and they are a very physical team and they are very good defensive team as well. Our coach tells us all the time just about what he used to do a long time ago at Cincinnati, everybody knew their reputation, how physical they were. So any coaches or any other teams know they're playing against a Bob Huggins team they're going to come out and play physical in general because their coach is drilling it in their heads, you have to be physical, you have to be ready to go out and play and keep up with them. We're going to go out there and play our game and play with great intensity and if they come out with great intensity as well, just try to beat their intensity. All you can do is go out there and take care of our business first.

Q. For Da'Sean, what -- last year's tournament experience, what lessons can you take from that into this year having lost in the first round a year ago?
DA'SEAN BUTLER: Pay attention to what's in front of you, as opposed to looking down the road. I think we did a better job our sophomore year just paying attention to what was in front of us. Because we were worried about getting in. Whereas we were so worried about getting in, we got in, we're not going to take this for granted. We're going to play every game. Last year I think we were kind of -- we already knew we were in. We wanted to see where we were seeded. Everybody was like, oh, well, you guys, I can't wait to see you guys play Kansas, and, I can't wait to see you play Michigan State or whoever. We never really got the chance to worry about -- I know the coaches drilled it into our heads about Dayton, but as a team I don't think we were focused on Dayton. I made this a point in my head; honestly just thinking about Morgan State right now. That's about it.

Q. Along the same lines for Devin, just as being part of that freshman class, what have you, like from a couple of years back, what have you and your fellow classmates gotten out of last year's experience? And how much have you grown, maybe, perhaps going into this year and going into this tournament?
DEVIN EBANKS: We definitely felt disappointed last year just because we knew that we were a better team than Dayton. But they were a better team that day. Left a bad taste in my mouth and definitely my other teammates losing in the first round and being our first time in the tournament and having an early exit. So this year we are looking to turn it around. Hopefully make it to the final four and just play as hard as we can every minute we're out there.
THE MODERATOR: Gentlemen, thanks for your time. Good luck. Coach wants to go right to questions. We will do so. Please let's just raise your hand. One follow-up as always.

Q. Got ask you about you're a two and Kansas State is right up there with you. What are your thoughts? Have you had any contact with Frank over the course of the season?
COACH HUGGINS: I probably talk to Frank every three or four days. I talked to him last night for a minute. He was going to call me right back, which is -- that's Frank. I actually just talked to him a minute ago for just about two minutes. We talk a lot.

Q. Can you talk about their success?
COACH HUGGINS: I thought it would happen. I'm the one who talked to Dr. Wofford and Tim about having continuity and the job that I knew that he would do.
He's a heck of a coach. He's one of those guys that he can be hard on guys, but they still like him. And that's because they know he cares about them. He does a great job. They play as hard as anybody I've seen play in a long time.

Q. Bob, you've said before when you were at UC, even with those great teams, they were always the Reds. There was always another game in town. Can you speak a little bit to being the state's team? As a quick follow-up, how many the people in the state need to realize that teams like this don't come along all the time and they should wrap their arms around what's going on right now?
COACH HUGGINS: Well, I think they realize that. I think they have. We're averaging -- we average more per game. We had more people come to Morgantown to see the games than ever before in history. I think they have wrapped their arms around the team. But, you know, the truth of the matter is they're going to do that anyways. It's West Virginia's team. The Steelers didn't make the playoffs. That didn't stop people from going to the games and supporting the Steelers. We are West Virginia's team. We are West Virginia's franchise. They're going to -- I mean I don't know that there will be anybody in the state other than that little pocket over there by Ashland that's not watching or listening to the game when we play at 12 o'clock tomorrow.

Q. Any tough feelings about being a number two seed? Even Coach Bozeman suggested that he had you picked as number one.
COACH HUGGINS: No. The committee has a hard job. I fully realize that. I've been doing this long enough to know what a hard job they do have. I was a little surprised that we weren't a higher 2. But I'm sure there's reasons. I'm not sure what they are, but I'm sure there are reasons.

Q. Coach, obviously Da'Sean Butler's game is a lot different than the way Joe Alexander played. But is there any kind of comparison that can be drawn to the run that Da'Sean just had in the BIG EAST tournament as compared to what Joe did a couple of years ago, popularity-wise? Just the way things ended up for both of them?
COACH HUGGINS: Da'Sean does a lot more things than what Joe did. Da'Sean I don't think is as explosive as what Joe was on a day-to-day basis. I mean, Joe just had games where they just couldn't guard him. And Da'Sean just does so many things for us. I think that what we appreciate I think what his teammates appreciate about Da'Sean is he's a very good defender. And he's a very versatile defender. He's probably our best passer. We give him the ball when we're trying to get it to somebody else. I think he said it and I think he's absolutely right. He's good at everything. He may not be great at anything, but he's good at everything.

Q. Coach, you played for your father, all-state player in high school. He's a Hall of Fame Coach in Ohio. Can you talk to similarities, coaching styles between yourself and him? I talked to him the other day. Had some interesting things to say. What you do now as a coach is much what you did as a player what he did?
COACH HUGGINS: He's a lot tougher than I am. I mean, he was pretty tough. We still -- we've changed a little bit in the last couple of years. But for -- I don't know -- probably I would have been coaching almost 30 years, I guess, 28 of those years we were in the same zone offense that he ran and that I ran in high school. Actually, we're coming over on the bus, I was talking to Larry Harris. Larry said, Coach, we need to go back to the other zone offense that we ran. And probably we do.
He had a great mind. He's very, very intelligent guy and remembered everything. You could screw up something on the opening tip, and there wasn't a time-out for the whole first quarter. At the end of the quarter, you were going to hear about what you screwed up when they threw the ball up. He remembered everything. What we do man-to-man wise is what he did. We've thrown some variations in there just to kind of take advantage to what our guys can do. The basic premise of it is what he did. He got it from Ed McCluskey from Farrell. That's my roots. I mean, he won whatever it was, 88% of his games or something like that. I would be foolish not to do what he did.

Q. Last time you coached against Todd, he had a higher profile, bigger -- obviously a bigger program. What have you seen in looking at his team now, what have you seen, what kind of job do you think he's done at Morgan State?
COACH HUGGINS: I think he's done a great job. I mean, how he continues to get guys that are as good as what they are. Jackson to me is all league in any league in the country. He's going to be -- he's going to be on the all freshman team in any league in the country. He's very good.
They can shoot it outside, they're good inside. They play together. They play hard. They guard you. I think he's done a great job. But I think everybody knew he would.

Q. Do they give you -- is there anything -- as long as you played your game you probably feel okay. Is there anything about their game that concerns you?
COACH HUGGINS: Well, yeah. When they get making shots, they're pretty good. They're like everybody else. What they do conceptually is hard to guard because they stretch you so much because they can make shots. And then they've got people inside who can score the ball. I think every time we're watching tape, every time Thompson got isolated he got a pretty good shot. It didn't matter whether it was Louisville or Arkansas or whoever it was, he got a pretty good shot. So when they spread you and throw it in there to him, he's very effective. And what they do to be able to do that is very sound basketball.

Q. How much do you speak about the Dayton game and about Minneapolis last year?
COACH HUGGINS: I haven't brought it up.

Q. Is that calculated?
COACH HUGGINS: No. I grew up in Midville, I got in this guy's pick-up to go play one day. There was no rear-view mirror. I said you don't have a rear-view mirror. He said we ain't going backwards, boy."

I don't deal much with the past.

Q. Do you think the kids have spoken about it?
COACH HUGGINS: Yeah, I keep hearing them talk about it. Probably don't know what else to talk about, you know?

Q. What's it like for you coaching your dream job? That's how you're going to describe coming to West Virginia.
COACH HUGGINS: I think the first thing is it's an unbelievable feeling when I walk out the tunnel and my dad is sitting there and my brothers and my sisters, just being able to be able to be close to my family again is always a wonderful thing. We're so much closer now than when I was at Cincinnati. I mean they're a couple of hours closer than what they were. It's -- that's a great feeling. And then to have all the friends that I have, former classmates, life-long friends, and just -- I was born in Morgantown and lived there until I was nine years old. So I know what it means, and having played there, I know what it means. To have a guy like Jerry West come around and Jerry wanted to do a fantasy camp. Jerry was on board. Hundley was on board. Those guys care so much about the state and university. That's what I think the people on the outside don't understand. They don't understand the fabric and the core of the people in West Virginia which I do. And that's why I appreciate being there so much.

Q. In fear of asking you to look in that rear-view mirror, can you see how much this team, this group has grown from last year, especially the freshmen class of last year that was its first NCAA tournament and how much forward they have come?
COACH HUGGINS: I think the biggest thing to happen to them is they're all about anywhere from 20 to 30 pounds stronger. They're not kids anymore. And I think we're much better equipped to handle the physicality that is certainly in our league. You know, they're good guys. I think that's something that needs not to be overlooked. They're really good people. And, you know, it's not easy to spend 12 months a year in Morgantown when the other students are gone and being there and lift and go in and get your shots up every day and go in and play. But they did that. They did that willingly. They were excited about it. They were excited about this year I think from the minute last year ended.

Q. They all talked about how much tougher they've become in your program. Do you see that? And also, with their experience and toughness, how well does that put you in good position going into this tournament against a lot of other teams?
COACH HUGGINS: Still got to make shots. Nobody's ever won nothing-nothing. We are tougher. I think when you work as hard as what we work every day, you're going to get tougher. You're going to get more physical. But the great thing about these guys is they don't fight it. You know, you have teams sometimes that you just -- you have to go in there every day and fight with them to get them to play hard. These guys, you know, by and large you don't have to do that. They love being in the gym. And they're in the gym when -- I gave them a couple of days off, they were still in the gym. They love being in the gym.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Coach.

End of FastScripts

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