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NCAA MEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS: OKLAHOMA CITY

March 19, 2010

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA

THE MODERATOR: We have student-athletes, Jimmer Fredette and Noah Hartsock.

Q. For either of you guys, a few players said when the adrenaline wore off from yesterday, wondered how you guys would feel. Can you describe maybe waking up this morning and getting ready to go today?
NOAH HARTSOCK: I woke up this morning a little bit sore. I think from the double overtime, your body took a beating. I think we came out focused this morning. We're happy and excited for another chance to play. We got ready for this next game.
JIMMER FREDETTE: I agree with Noah. We were pretty sore, obviously, and we'll get all the treatment we can today. And we had a good practice today, went hard, got our game plan, and got ready for the Kansas State team. So we're going to be ready to go tomorrow, but we are -- we definitely woke up a little bit sore today.

Q. Jimmer, when the brackets came out, you jumped on the fact pretty quickly that you had a chance to go to Salt Lake City if you got through the first two games. Can you talk about that now a little bit more now that you're maybe one step closer to doing that?
JIMMER FREDETTE: You know, obviously, we have a very tough game on Saturday against Kansas State and, you know, if we were to win that game, it would be great for us to be able to go back to Salt Lake and play in front of kind of a home crowd, basically, and that would be a great thing for our program, for our fans and everything.
But, you know, obviously we can't look ahead. We've got a huge game coming up. They're a very, very, very talented team. We have to be ready to go.

Q. Jimmer, K-State is a team that likes -- that fouls a lot, gets called for a lot of fouls. You like to draw a lot of fouls. How conscious are you going to be coming into the game, and what makes you so good as drawing fouls?
JIMMER FREDETTE: I try to be aggressive, go to the basket, and use my body control to create contact and make the referees try to call something. And, you know, in the NCAA Tournament, it's pretty physical. So they're going to let some things go, I realize that, but I'm still going to try to draw contact, try to draw fouls, and get to the foul line where I know I'm pretty successful.

Q. Jimmer, a follow-up on that. Seems like they're letting people play a lot, it's not like the TCU game when you went there 24 times to the line and except for the Villanova game, doesn't seem like they're calling a lot of ticky-tack fouls to get people to the line. Do you have to adjust your game that way, Noah, rebounding and the emphasis on that. Can you address that?
JIMMER FREDETTE: Yeah. I don't think you can let it necessarily change your game. You still got to be aggressive, but you got to play through it, basically, not worry about it, get through it and finish anyway. And if they do call it, try to get a 3-point play out of it and just know that they're not going to be helping you a whole lot out there, either side. It's going to be pretty consistent on either side. You have to be aggressive on the defensive end and not really let it affect you on the offensive end.
NOAH HARTSOCK: From the rebound standpoint, I mean Florida, they're big, athletic, and the way they ran different styles of defense, it's hard to get back and box out. Kansas State, watching theme, they're very big and got a lot of offensive boards last game. I think that's going to be a big emphasis for us, boxing out, make sure we get our man, and get the ball and run and play our style game that we always play.

Q. For each of you guys, what -- how much of an enjoyable situation is it for you to still be able to play the underdog? A lot of time during the course of the season, you're not in a that position but you still are. Is that fun?
JIMMER FREDETTE: I think it's good for us playing against Kansas State who has been in the top ten basically the whole season, and, you know, they're very talented. It's good for us to be able to come in and have not a lot of pressure on us necessarily to, you know, to win or whatever. You know, I'm sure most people think that Kansas State is going win this game and rightfully so. We're going to just go there with a mindset we have nothing to lose, go out and play as hard as we possibly can, and hopefully give them a fight and maybe come out with a win.

Q. Guys, have you faced anyone this year that reminds you of the way K-State plays, or is this a wholly unique challenge?
NOAH HARTSOCK: You know, I think we talked about it today, Coach has talked about a lot about San Diego State, and the way they play, aggressive, long, you know, dominant players. And so when we play Kansas State, it's a different school, you know, different league. So, I mean, it's -- what's fun about the NCAA, you get different challenges. So you have to adjust your game and get your mindset ready for it, and, you know, we just got to be ready to go out and play.
It's that time of month when anything can happen. We got to go out and play hard and just play to the best of your abilities, what we've been doing all season long.
THE MODERATOR: More questions?

Q. Jimmer, you've discussed a lot about playing in the prisons with your brother. I was just curious, when he first came to you and told you and asked you about doing this, what your first impression was, and then also if you remember the first time you actually went into one them, what you're thinking when you're walking through this and never experienced it before?
JIMMER FREDETTE: At first I didn't believe him, of course. I was like, "What are you talking about?" You know, just playing another joke on me like he always does and trying to play with me and everything, but then he went a couple times without me, and I realized it was real. We had to fill out a lot of paperwork and everything to actually be able to go and play.
But the first time we went, it's kind of funny because to get to the recreational facility like where the basketball court is, you got to walk right through the yard, and it's where everybody is just chilling there, just hanging out, kind of, and they're looking at you, "What are you guys doing here?" It's kind of intimidating at first, but it's a fun experience, and it was something that I enjoyed.

Q. Jimmer, follow-up to that, how physical were those games?
JIMMER FREDETTE: They were very physical for sure. They're very physical. They were big and strong guys. But it was good. They were good sports, and, you know, they went in and they would follow foul you hard and help you back up, because they knew if they didn't act good, that the privilege would be taken away from them and they didn't want that.
They wanted to stay out and wanted to play against us. It was always really tough, competitive games, but there was never any trouble, so it was fun.

Q. Jimmer, lot has been made of rebounding and Noah talked about it, but would you talk about defending Pullen and Clemente and the challenge that they present you guys?
JIMMER FREDETTE: They're two very athletic, quick, good-shooting guards. They're very versatile. They can get to the basket. They got a good middle game, shoot the ball from the outside at any time. And we realize that. We know we have a very tough challenge ahead of us as guards to try to stop these guys.
They push it hard in transition, as hard as anybody in the country, and we got to stop their transition and get out to them when they shoot the ball and hopefully they'll miss.

Q. Jimmer and Noah both, how much pressure do you feel having been taken off the team going into Saturday's game, having won a game? And, Jimmer, which of your teammates plays most like a prison inmate (laughter)?
JIMMER FREDETTE: Well, I think that to address the first question, yes, you know, the monkey is off our back, kind of, so to say, because we got that first win, and, you know, people can't talk about it anymore. It's done with, and now we're kind of playing more relaxed and freely, and, like I said, because we're going to be the underdog, it's another reason to just go out and play relaxed and put in the best effort that you possibly can.
And I'd say that Chris Miles probably plays most like an inmate. He's a pretty big physical guy, and he likes to throw guys around. I would say he's probably the best one.
NOAH HARTSOCK: Talk about that. Chris Miles, he's a pretty physical guy, but, you know, without that, getting the first win was something big for us and our program. You know, we're excited to keep going on, what we can accomplish in the tournament. We got a great challenge in Kansas State up next, and, you know, we're going to have to play hard. I think it's go to be a good game, pretty close.
We have to play as hard as we can to get that win. I'm really excited, and I think we'll play a little bit more loose and more relaxed because we got the first win.

Q. Everybody is talking about the fans that are here for Kansas State and Kansas. Did you guys notice the pretty vocal, local BYU cheering section last night?
JIMMER FREDETTE: Yeah. It was good that we had a good support to come out and watch us. I have some family members here, and I know that Noah has a lot of family members here, being from Oklahoma, and there was just some BYU faithfuls that came. We had a good little crowd, I think. And obviously Kansas State is going to have a ton of people, and Kansas's fans will be there watching. They'll probably be rooting for us as well. It will be a great environment, and we're really excited to go out and play and hopefully everybody will come out and watch again.
THE MODERATOR: Last couple of questions.
NOAH HARTSOCK: Just think about, we had a great fan support coming out. Personally, I had about 21, 23 tickets to fill out. I turned some people down as well. I know they're going to be out here again in full force. I think we'll get some more people out. That's good about BYU being affiliated with the church is that, you know, you're going to have fans everywhere you go. They're going to come and support you. We're real excited about that.
THE MODERATOR: We have time for two more questions.

Q. Guys, how long did you allow yourself to enjoy the first win before you started worrying about the second game?
JIMMER FREDETTE: I think it was all day yesterday until about 15 minutes after the Kansas game, because we had a team meeting and it was getting into the next game. So all the way up until that point, we were enjoying it, but once we had that meeting, we talked a little bit about Kansas State and a little bit about what we need to do and focusing in on getting a good night's rest and having a good practice today and resting and getting ready for this game.
I'd say up to that point we enjoyed it, but now we're all focused and ready to go again.
THE MODERATOR: Last question.

Q. Great. Thanks, Guys.
Coach Dave Rose of Brigham Young University now in the interview room. We'll begin with a statement from the Coach and then questions, please.
COACH ROSE: We're excited for our second round game and know that we're playing a really good Kansas State team, but I think that the challenge is what our players are ready for, and we look forward to our game tomorrow.
I'll take any questions.

Q. Dave, you're 40 minutes away from playing in Salt Lake City. Can you say what kind of opportunity this game tomorrow presents for you?
COACH ROSE: You know, I hope our players realize that, you know, we've got a real challenge in front of us, but, you know, it's a time of year where you go out and you play your hardest and, you know, great things can happen for any basketball team at this time that's still in the tournament.
So you don't want to look too far ahead, but I think that anything that can kind of maybe motivate you a little bit more is a good thing, and I think our players would really look forward to that opportunity. And so we'll just kind of treat it like something that's out there that's good for our team if we can accomplish another goal.

Q. Dave, you've had a chance -- we talked to your players after the game the other night, and it seemed like the only thing they really knew about K-State is how physical the team was. Now that you've had a chance to break down tape and really dive into that team, what is it that stands out about Frank Martin's club?
COACH ROSE: They're physical and they play really, really hard, as hard as any team I think we've seen, and then their skill, their guards, that combo of Clemente and Pullen is -- I watch a lot o f college basketball. You'd be hard-pressed to find a backcourt that is as fast, as talented, as quick, as skilled as their backcourt. We've got good guards on our team, and it will be a good matchup, but I'm really impressed with Kansas State's guards.

Q. Dave, have you -- now that you've gone into a second day and had a practice at this event, what have you noticed about your team as far as coming out of that double overtime, their mental and physical state, game preparation, their attitude, all those kind of things that you monitor as a coach to see if they're ready because it's -- this is kind of a new experience for all of them?
COACH ROSE: We had a really spirited practice today. I thought our guys got after it really well. The one thing I kind of noticed is, you know, we had -- I don't know if "pressure" is the right word, but there was a lot riding on these 1st Round games the last few years as far as our inability to advance and the fact that we've advanced in this Tournament, I think our guys feel really good about themselves.
This is a real confident team. They play well when they're confident. I think that obviously getting that win in the 1st Round can help our confidence. So we look forward to getting out there and then playing again.

Q. Dave, lot of talk about the Kansas and Kansas State fans in town. Did you notice the local contingent of BYU fans getting pretty vocal last night?
COACH ROSE: We had a great following. Our fans have been tremendous all year long. I think that it's one of the things as a coach, you know, you really want to win for your players because your players put so much into it, but I'm happy for our fans because it was a big win, and, you know, we've got a chance to play again on Saturday, and I would expect that we'll have a lot more that will come out on Saturday.

Q. Got two questions. You mentioned Clemente and Pullen. They're kind of unique in the fact they're kind of combo guards. What kind of problems does that create? And also I notice you guys are a pretty good rebounding team. You got a five advantage for the season. How concerned are you about rebounding against K-State?
COACH ROSE: Well, one thing about Clemente that is different from a lot of the guards you see is he is so fast with the ball. He can get from one end of the floor to the other as quick as anybody, and that's going to be an issue for us. We're going to have to probably use a secondary defender to try to slow him down somehow, and that causes problems because then you're in help and you're rotating a lot.
But rebounding is our biggest issue. Their size causes problems, and if you -- you know, we use a secondary defender on a post player to try to get the ball out of the post, or a shot goes up and you're out of position to rebound, we had some of those problems yesterday against Florida when we went down and doubled their post and they shot out of that double, left the weak side guard against a much bigger player and caused us problems.
Those are issues we have to deal with. Obviously, Kansas State is a really good team. You get to this point and you're going to play a recently good team, and their size is an issue for us but also the speed of those two guards.

Q. Coach, along with what you just mentioned about Clemente, can you take it a step further and some of the finer details about his ability to get from A to B, you know, it's a blur, and just what that does exactly to your defense and how it can change the game?
COACH ROSE: There's a lot of guys that you play and you really want to speed them up, because if you can speed them up, you can kind of get them out of their rhythm. I can't see that with him. The faster he goes, the better he gets, it seems like, and he can stop on a dime and convert shots. He finds his players as far as guys that are open.
I think that his skill level at that position for the pace that he plays at is really unique in this game.

Q. Dave, you and Coach Martin have kind of a unique health-related connection in a way. Could you discuss briefly just your background with Coach Martin and maybe some conversations you've had recently about this deal and everything else?
COACH ROSE: We spoke the other day after our coaches meeting, and he told me about experience that he had a few years ago, and both issues were issues with our pancreas. So he seems to be really doing well and fine. Told me about a whole life-changing experience that he had, and obviously my experience this summer was something that has changed my life, too.
I just -- I feel good that he's feeling well and is able to overcome his health challenges, and I really know that I'm fortunate to be in the situation that I'm in.

Q. Coach, of the five teams you've had, all have won 20 games at least, three won Conference Tournaments. This was the team that won in the NCAA Tournament. What makes them different from the other teams?
COACH ROSE: Well, you know, comparing teams is hard for me because I have just a great love for all these guys we've coached and all the teams that we've had. I'm really happy for this team, because we've got, you know -- one of the goals that all those teams had was to advance in the Tournament and we weren't able to do that.
This team has come close with a lot of things. You know, we were a game short of winning the Conference Championship, we got beat in the semifinals of the Conference Tournament, but this is a really big accomplish for this group of guys, and I just -- I'll always remember how they've been up for all the challenges that they've had.
We've had illness, guys missing games, more injury, we've had a couple surgeries. Starters have missed more games than I think any other year if you combine the other four years off of just this team. So they've been through challenges and they've responded to challenges.
And I think I talked about it yesterday. As a result of those things, it really prepared us for what we needed yesterday. We had a guy come off the bench who -- and Mike Loyd, who in the last three weeks had been given multiple opportunities because of some of those illness injury factors, and he really pulled through for us in a big game.
So we're looking forward to the next game, and hopefully this thing keeps going with this good team. It's a really good team.

Q. Coach, from your perspective, compare and contrast the Mountain West and the Big 12.
COACH ROSE: Compare and contrast? I think that probably the biggest difference in the league are the fact that the Big 12 has more teams that are at the top of our league. We've got four, five really, really good physical, deep teams, and the Big 12 probably has the same but maybe more of them.
I think that the style of play is pretty similar. You get teams throughout the Big 12 that really like to race the ball up, that are really committed to the defensive end of the floor. I think you've also got teams in the Big 12 that like to kind of pull that thing back and play possession by possession. I think both teams going into this have seen this game played at about every pace, every different style as far as their league is concerned.
But I think the two of us kind of play pretty similar. We both like to score. I think both our teams play really hard. I think we compete hard. Defensively we help quite a bit, and both teams are pretty good rebounding teams. So we have good guard play, strong, effective post players. I think it's a good matchup.

Q. Coach, Florida had the fifth fewest fouls of any team nationally. Kansas State has the 17th most fouls committed of any team nationally. I know you wanted to be aggressive yesterday. Could you be any more aggressive and take advantage of that particular characteristic?
COACH ROSE: Fouls are tough questions for me because every game is called differently. We'll play on attack. That's what we like to do. That's kind of a big key to our success is that we want to play on attack offensively and we also want to play on attack defensively. And the way we attack defensively is sometimes we'll get beat and have to spring a secondary defender or third defender.
We always want to be in a position where we're not on our heels, we're initiating the pace of the game. Then, you know, the games will be called and players have to adjust to that. But our players, I think, have done a pretty good job. We play a lot of players. So we haven't had a lot of disqualifications, and I think Frank's team is the same.
They have a lot of players who go really deep on the bench. Like every team, there's a few players that you really can't afford to get in foul trouble, and those are guys we'll really try to protect.
THE MODERATOR: Last couple of questions for Coach Rose.

Q. Coach, Jimmer has obviously established himself this year and obviously in the tournament so far. If there are any people out there that have not seen him play yet, how would you describe his style of play and his game?
COACH ROSE: Well, I think it's kind of hard to describe it. You need to kind of come and watch it, because he's just got a real feel for how to read defenses. His game is so complete as far as his ability to bounce, shoot, pass, read ball screens, read defenders, but he's got two, three ways that he can shoot a three, which is different than most guys because he can shoot that off the dribble, he can catch and shoot it, he can kind of drive at you and back step and shoot that three, and that's a pretty talented guy just in itself, and then he has the ability to get in the lane and get to the basket and finish with his right hand, finish with his left hand, draw contact, get to the free-throw line and score. He's a really, really good offensive scoring guard and I'm glad that he gets the opportunity to continue to play so people can see him. He's fun to watch.
THE MODERATOR: Do we have a last question? Great. Thank you, Coach.
COACH ROSE: All right. Thank you guys.

End of FastScripts

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